Coming soon on BaT with no reserve: '79 308 GTS | FerrariChat

Coming soon on BaT with no reserve: '79 308 GTS

Discussion in '308/328' started by John B, Nov 24, 2019.

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  1. John B

    John B Formula 3

    May 27, 2003
    1,564
    NJ
    #1 John B, Nov 24, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2019
    So here's the back story;

    A mechanic at my marina that I've known for quite a while and trust had a ratty '79 308 GTS for about 10 years. He enjoyed driving it around a little in the summer but drove it less and less over time. He approached me this spring asking me if I'd be interested in it as he knows I'm a hopeless car guy. I thought the last thing I needed was a project 308 at the time, but the price was attractive, and it was such a deliciously ratty beater 308 that I thought I had to grab it. What I did was told my local tight-knit group of 6 Car & Coffee guys about it and said I grabbed it, who else is in? It ended up they were all in so we split it up six ways, the thought being we would get it running properly and enjoy it for the summer, which is exactly what we did. It was initially only running on 6 cylinders, but we rebuilt and synched the carbs, changed the points out for a Pertronix electronic ignition, new coils, plug wires, and plugs. We rebuilt the brake calipers, replaced the coolant catch tank, replaced the tie rod ends and steering rack bushings, aligned and balanced it, and added a few goodies here and there. It now runs great. It had good compression, oil pressure, and ran cool from the start. It's now a fun project for someone else to take over and enjoy as is, or take it to the next level with a good paint job and interior.

    The Good:
    F*'in 308 GTS!
    4 Weber carbs
    Gated Shifter
    It runs great
    4 original Chromodora Ferrari cast wheels.
    The prior owner replaced the timing belts and tensioner bearing, had the radiator restored, and replaced fuel lines and the fuel pump.

    The Bad:
    The 4th gear synchro is bad. It shifts, but grinds.
    It still might need a Master Cylinder rebuild.

    The Ugly:
    It has probably the worst paint job I've ever seen. It looks like a rattle can paint job from 20 years ago.
    The rockers and lower door panels have rust bubbling through.
    The underside has a fair amount of surface rust, but is structurally sound. Also no apparent signs of crash damage.
    The interior is rough and actually has duct tape on the drivers seat (which I love).

    We will be selling this on Bringatrailer.com at no reserve in the next few weeks and I thought it would be worth giving you guys a heads up.

    Driving video


    Cold start


    Compression test

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    rudngo, vaccarella, rob and 3 others like this.
  2. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,287
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy
    I LOVE it.

    What is better that a 308 GTS that you can just get in and drive anywhere (while double clutching 4th, of course) ?

    No worries in any grocery story parking lot... LOVE those cars!
     
    shellb3 likes this.
  3. derekw

    derekw Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 7, 2010
    1,520
    London, UK
    Full Name:
    Derek W
    This is the one to own and rnjoy! Strange that 4th synchro is bad— have you tried Redline MTL or an LSD friction modifier?
     
  4. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,287
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy
    I know. Usually it's second.
     
  5. rob

    rob F1 Rookie

    May 22, 2002
    4,130
    Vt
    What price are you all looking to get rough ballpark? Love the story on the car!
     
  6. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed Silver Subscribed

    Duct Tape.......the fixer of everything.
     
  7. JAS12

    JAS12 Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 30, 2013
    122
    New England
    Full Name:
    JAS
    Great story. Nice that you saved her and made her into a restoration candidate as others may have used her as a good parts car money maker.
     
  8. John B

    John B Formula 3

    May 27, 2003
    1,564
    NJ
    Il Tifoso likes this.
  9. POLO35

    POLO35 Formula Junior

    Feb 21, 2005
    712
    Treasure Coast Florida
    Full Name:
    MATT
    Wow that car looks eerily familiar to one I looked at years ago in Stuart Florida.... it took was owned by a mechanic at a marina! Can you ask him if he ever lived in Stuart Florida. The car was rough when I looked at it and I held out for a higher price point and a better candidate but anything can be fixed up! That's awesome story
     
  10. POLO35

    POLO35 Formula Junior

    Feb 21, 2005
    712
    Treasure Coast Florida
    Full Name:
    MATT
    Too bad they don't make tan duct tape!
     
  11. rob

    rob F1 Rookie

    May 22, 2002
    4,130
    Vt
    Any guesses on what it will bring? I'm going to go with 27,500.
     
  12. kcabpilot

    kcabpilot Formula 3

    Apr 17, 2014
    1,527
    California SF bay area
    Full Name:
    Paul
    Hard to say with that Bat crowd. It's getting a lot of love but man' it's beat up pretty good. I guess it's what Magnum's 308 would have ended up like if he had been the actual owner. :)
     
  13. jim rosenthal

    jim rosenthal Karting

    Sep 10, 2006
    114
    21409
    It's at 14K plus, which is far too little. It will go up, though, the auction isn;t close to done.
     

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