A Vintage Ferrari Pre-Purchase Inspection

The Pre-Purchase Inspection
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Information Gathering
I figured I'd only have a relatively short time to look at the car, so read everything I could find. Here are some good links and books:

Chris Kantarjiev's Car Evaluations: Motivation, Investigation, Frustration, & Satisfaction.

Yale Evelev's Saga of a Ferrari Purchase.

Purchasing Pre-Owned, A Tech's Perspective. By A. Claudio Szyszkowski

Scott's 330GT2+2 Checklist.

Jack Horner's Checklist.

Bill Orth's CAVEAT EMPTOR. ( Mirror )

Bill Orth's Hangar Queens. ( Mirror )

Original Ferrari V-12 1965-73, By Keith Bluemel. A must read - superb info on all the details of these cars.

Ferrari Guide to Performance, by Allen Bishop. Excellent hands on rebuilding how to's.

Ferrari Tuning Tips & Maintenance Techniques, by Apen & Roush. Excellent volume of data and tips.

Ferrari Market Letter Tech Tips: A binder with reprints of many many years of tech tips appearing in the FML.

The FerrariList. The Early Archives Have Vintage Ferrari Material. Not sure if the early posts with this info are on-line at the current site.

The Inspection
It became clear that pre-purchase inspections were very typical for Ferraris, and given I was short on hands-on experience, I figured having an expert along would be a splendid idea. That, and Liz absolutely insisted on it. My local Ferrari restorer Patrick Ottis recommended I call Bert Skidmore, who runs The Intrepid Motorcar Company in Reno, to help out with the Pre-Purchase Inspection.

Friday March 30, 2001
Everything finally came together, and Mr Jensen met Mr. Skidmore and I at the warehouse. For the next hour we crawled all over the car looking at everything we could. Unfortunately, the car did not run (or turn over), so we couldn't do everything normally done.

The Pictures
Click the pictures below to see a larger image (they range from 45k to 95k in size). Some came out a little blurry unfortunately.

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First Impressions
Having poured over the pictures Mr Jensen had put on the web, and having seen several 330GT 2+2 before, I knew what to expect. But these cars look so much better in person, and there's that wonderful smell! The Dataplate, Chassis, and Engine numbers all matched. Front bumper was replaced at some point, with a Series 2 type (three piece with bumperettes).

The warehouse was a good place for a PPI, plenty of room, good light. It's actually a pet food distribution business, one of Mr Jensen's business associates, so a bit of coordination was needed to see the car as it wasn't open on weekends.

Drivers Door
Normal wear and tear for a daily driver. Door rubber is shot (dried up & split), and the arm rest will need work. This car has the electric windows too.

You can also see that the hood mat is in good shape also.

Yep, 4 Seats
Except for the drivers seat, the leather was intact but very dry. All carpets look brand new except the drivers footwell. Headliner excellent, glass excellent, brightwork in good shape (except for a scratch of two here and there). The seatback foam in both front seats had turned to powder though, was rock hard and was pouring out of the cracks in the leather.

Center Console
It's an interim! Note the two dash vents and the middle switches (Series 1 features), but it's got the center console (which is a Series 2 item). Sure enough, it clicks readily into FIVE gears (and reverse), although the bottom bushing is clearly shot and will need replacing, as there is a lot of play.

The dash vinyl is in excellent shape, no mars or splitting. The wood is also in good shape, but a bit dry.

That Big Beautiful Nardi Steering Wheel
The odometer only shows 20375 miles. Mr Jensen's described Dr. Becker's use of the car as only short trips to the office and back for a few years, then only infrequent use after he bought his Jensen Interceptor. The wear only around the drivers seat certainly supports this.

Turning the wheel indicated no play in the steering.

Hanging Pedals
Pedals from the top is a Series 2 feature. The rubber on the pedals looks quite worn, but it is a lot softer than that hard stuff found on the modern cars. The carpet is incredibly worn, and the padding under the under the carpet was quite oily. The black thing I'm pushing away is a vinyl cover used to hide everything going on behind the dash.

Engine - Left Side
Absolutely covered in dried oil, but all there, and no obvious flaws like rods sticking out. Seized tight - we put the car in gear and pushed, but no movement. The oil smelled just fine, and the coolant looked OK (there's more to this story - it will be on the Initial Assessment page).

There was liberal use of black spray paint at some point - the hoses and horns are covered in it, as are the plates for engine firing order (on the cam cover), the fuse box cover, the airbox, and on the hood mat.

Engine - Rear
The distributors were centered on the bases, so the timing was not advanced to keep up with a stretching timing chain (at least that's what I remember reading as a cause).

It's a little difficult to see, but the brakes are the Series 2 type.

Engine - Right Side
No fire around the carbs, just dirt.

Left Front Suspension
This is the view from the front, looking toward the back of the car. On the plus side, the oil/tar protected the parts quite well while it was sitting. There is a little surface rust on the tubes up top. Note how the spring bucket is frozen pointed down - this actually caused the kingpin assembly to rub on it making a weired 'boingboingboing' noise every time the wheels were turned!

Right Front Suspension
This is the view from the back, behind the wheel, looking forward. Buried grease fittings, not good. Note the angle of this spring bucket - the spring should be straight.

Right Front Fender
This shot shows the typical condition of the brakes, and Boranni wheels. I rather like the way the wheel well flows around the wheel - with the side marker light and the fender vents, it looks like its going 100mph just sitting there.

Right Rear
Sighting along the fenders shows it's straight. The taillight lenses are in great shape.

That's Mr Jensen in the red jacket, unobtrusively keeping a good eye on what I'm doing!

The Boot
The licence plate got the better of the camera, but you can see there's no licence plate frame, but the backup light is mostly there. Missing are the rear reflectors, gone during the respray.

Left Rear
Again the car looks straight. The appraisal noted some bondo around the left rear, and my magnet confirmed this. The bondo man did a good job though, as the surface is straight and the door gaps are even. The rear bumper is in good shape (only one small dent), and is 'correct' in that it has no bumperettes.

Left Backseat Footwell Rust
Bert found the rust, but it isn't extensive. The footwell has two layers at this point, with insulation in between (so your feet aren't toasted by the hot exhausts!).

Under the Left Rear
Iffy exhaust hangers, non-stock exhaust. Less rust than expected, frankly.

Under the Right Rear
At least the gas tank looks like its in good shape - no significant dents. The suspension springs looked rusty but intact also, no leaves broken.

Right Backseat Footwell Rust
It looks like the rust starts to develop where the holes are drilled through to install the seatbelt retaining bolts. I imagine these were added after the cars were imported to the states, to meet US regs. The round hole in the paint is actually the jack point.

The Worst Wheel
This one has the most rust, but it is all on the surface - no serious pitting as far as I can tell

Front Shot
Well, I was trying to get a picture to capture how level the front of the car was sitting. As the front bumper had been replaced, I wanted to be sure the front frame wasn't bent. But the licence plate got the better of the camera again, and what we got was the EVIL Ferrari! Not much good for how level it sits, although you can see the grill is straight, but pretty cool nonetheless.

Decisions Desisions...
Bert knew I was looking for a project car, and tells me "It's all there and looks pretty original. The body's in good shape, but the Motor and Transmission are big unknowns." Lots of unknowns, and a really big decision to be made, but I'm stoked about what I've seen, heard, and smelled. Some things are better than expected, some are worse. I barely remember the drive home...

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http://www.JB330GT.com/PurchasePPI.htm
Revised: March 25, 2002 Copyright © 2002 Jonathon Brent

	First Impressions Having poured over the pictures Mr Jensen had put on the web, and having seen several 330GT 2+2 before, I knew what to expect. But these cars look so much better in person, and there's that wonderful smell! The Dataplate, Chassis, and Engine numbers all matched. Front bumper was replaced at some point, with a Series 2 type (three piece with bumperettes). The warehouse was a good place for a PPI, plenty of room, good light. It's actually a pet food distribution business, one of Mr Jensen's business associates, so a bit of coordination was needed to see the car as it wasn't open on weekends.
	Drivers Door Normal wear and tear for a daily driver. Door rubber is shot (dried up & split), and the arm rest will need work. This car has the electric windows too. You can also see that the hood mat is in good shape also.
	Yep, 4 Seats Except for the drivers seat, the leather was intact but very dry. All carpets look brand new except the drivers footwell. Headliner excellent, glass excellent, brightwork in good shape (except for a scratch of two here and there). The seatback foam in both front seats had turned to powder though, was rock hard and was pouring out of the cracks in the leather.
	Center Console It's an interim! Note the two dash vents and the middle switches (Series 1 features), but it's got the center console (which is a Series 2 item). Sure enough, it clicks readily into FIVE gears (and reverse), although the bottom bushing is clearly shot and will need replacing, as there is a lot of play. The dash vinyl is in excellent shape, no mars or splitting. The wood is also in good shape, but a bit dry.
	That Big Beautiful Nardi Steering Wheel The odometer only shows 20375 miles. Mr Jensen's described Dr. Becker's use of the car as only short trips to the office and back for a few years, then only infrequent use after he bought his Jensen Interceptor. The wear only around the drivers seat certainly supports this. Turning the wheel indicated no play in the steering.
	Hanging Pedals Pedals from the top is a Series 2 feature. The rubber on the pedals looks quite worn, but it is a lot softer than that hard stuff found on the modern cars. The carpet is incredibly worn, and the padding under the under the carpet was quite oily. The black thing I'm pushing away is a vinyl cover used to hide everything going on behind the dash.
	Engine - Left Side Absolutely covered in dried oil, but all there, and no obvious flaws like rods sticking out. Seized tight - we put the car in gear and pushed, but no movement. The oil smelled just fine, and the coolant looked OK (there's more to this story - it will be on the Initial Assessment page). There was liberal use of black spray paint at some point - the hoses and horns are covered in it, as are the plates for engine firing order (on the cam cover), the fuse box cover, the airbox, and on the hood mat.
	Engine - Rear The distributors were centered on the bases, so the timing was not advanced to keep up with a stretching timing chain (at least that's what I remember reading as a cause). It's a little difficult to see, but the brakes are the Series 2 type.
	Engine - Right Side No fire around the carbs, just dirt.
	Left Front Suspension This is the view from the front, looking toward the back of the car. On the plus side, the oil/tar protected the parts quite well while it was sitting. There is a little surface rust on the tubes up top. Note how the spring bucket is frozen pointed down - this actually caused the kingpin assembly to rub on it making a weired 'boingboingboing' noise every time the wheels were turned!
	Right Front Suspension This is the view from the back, behind the wheel, looking forward. Buried grease fittings, not good. Note the angle of this spring bucket - the spring should be straight.
	Right Front Fender This shot shows the typical condition of the brakes, and Boranni wheels. I rather like the way the wheel well flows around the wheel - with the side marker light and the fender vents, it looks like its going 100mph just sitting there.
	Right Rear Sighting along the fenders shows it's straight. The taillight lenses are in great shape. That's Mr Jensen in the red jacket, unobtrusively keeping a good eye on what I'm doing!
	The Boot The licence plate got the better of the camera, but you can see there's no licence plate frame, but the backup light is mostly there. Missing are the rear reflectors, gone during the respray.
	Left Rear Again the car looks straight. The appraisal noted some bondo around the left rear, and my magnet confirmed this. The bondo man did a good job though, as the surface is straight and the door gaps are even. The rear bumper is in good shape (only one small dent), and is 'correct' in that it has no bumperettes.
	Left Backseat Footwell Rust Bert found the rust, but it isn't extensive. The footwell has two layers at this point, with insulation in between (so your feet aren't toasted by the hot exhausts!).
	Under the Left Rear Iffy exhaust hangers, non-stock exhaust. Less rust than expected, frankly.
	Under the Right Rear At least the gas tank looks like its in good shape - no significant dents. The suspension springs looked rusty but intact also, no leaves broken.
	Right Backseat Footwell Rust It looks like the rust starts to develop where the holes are drilled through to install the seatbelt retaining bolts. I imagine these were added after the cars were imported to the states, to meet US regs. The round hole in the paint is actually the jack point.
	The Worst Wheel This one has the most rust, but it is all on the surface - no serious pitting as far as I can tell
	Front Shot Well, I was trying to get a picture to capture how level the front of the car was sitting. As the front bumper had been replaced, I wanted to be sure the front frame wasn't bent. But the licence plate got the better of the camera again, and what we got was the EVIL Ferrari! Not much good for how level it sits, although you can see the grill is straight, but pretty cool nonetheless.