NJ F430 Conversion to Gated Manual Starting Soon

Wednesday I am going to get the manual conversion process started at Exoticars USA in Milford, NJ. I will document the process. Mike at Exoticars has been great about providing information and answering questions He genuinely sounds as excited about the project as I feel about it. Thank you to the members who helped me work through the decision and helped me find Exoticars. As Exoticars sends me pics, I will post them here. Hopefully, no challenges will be encountered, but if they are I will also let you know.

Fingers crossed!

 

Made the trip to Exoticars today. Very cool place. Mike gave me some great information on the conversion and showed me a few of the other Ferrari models that they have converted which were on premises (599 and 612). Craftsmanship was amazing. They looked like factory gated manuals (there was one that they didn’t do originally and were trouble shooting/adjusting it). Deposit plunked down. Kit will hopefully be at their shop in a couple of weeks and the work will get started. Giddyup!!!

 

Cambio Manule (Dr.S). My research, coupled with the experience of the Exoticars guys was the basis for the decision. There are a few good videos explaining the differences in the two major kits. EAG and Dr. S. Also, some of the FChat members have shared their experiences with me.

 

Update: Exoticars picked my 430 up just after New Year’s Day. They were great to make arrangements with and their driver, Mike, did a great job carefully loading and locking the car down in the trailer.

A delay in getting the CM (Dr.S) kit. There were a couple of pieces that CM had to fabricate. Sounds like the kits are generally fabricated when the order is placed and they take a few weeks to get ready. Hopefully, it is delivered to the shop this week.

In the meantime, Exoticars is working on some odds and ends that the car needed (driver’s window alignment and driver’s door latch issues, scuff on a rim, etc.) and giving it a look over for maintenance items.

I hope to have a more substantial update late next week.
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Gameplan is to leave the E-diff. We discussed the pros and cons and ultimately felt like the E-diff is a big part of the character of the 430 and it was one of Ferrari's technological advances at the time. Also based upon my intended use of the car, keeping it makes sense. I am not a track guy (even though I suspect some might say that the E-diff is even more important on the track). I love the handling, acceleration and sound of that engine, so I get on it every once in a while, but I don't drive it too hard. I am not looking to do burnouts or push the car to the edge, some guardrails are probably good for me too.

Interesting little piece on the E-diff.
https://www.ferrari.com/en-US/magazine/fr-SN/articles/great-ferrari-innovations-the-e-diff-and-slide-slip-control?amp=true

 

The CM/Dr. S kit arrived today at the Exoticars shop. The shop reached out and let me know that the kit looks great and that they were impressed with the quality of the components. I expect that the conversion project is going to be cooking over the next couple of days. Here is a picture of the tower, gate and shifter assembly and the actuator (I believe). Should have some info on the clutch tomorrow to decide whether it should be replaced while the car is apart. Computer says 49%, but I understand that there may be some question about the readout accuracy, so we will get an actual measurement. Exoticars is doing a great job keeping me updated on the process. Thanks again to the board members who recommended them.
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6 weeks from payment to delivery. I have exchanged messages with George (from CM/Dr. S), who is on this board, and 6 weeks seems to be the outside time frame when the kits are in high demand. Sometimes the delivery period can be much shorter.

 

Just a heads up, the computer reading on the clutch was 49%, but it wasn't even close. It was well-worn and at risk for slippage under high torque applications. It was the original clutch and the car has 21,000 miles on it so I can't say it was unexpected. I guess for folks that are buying cars and relying on the computer analysis fo the clutch wear, just take it with a grain of salt.