Here are some more photos of the GTE transmission that I am overhauling. Everything else looks fine inside, we are replacing all of the bearings and synchroinzer bands. The main shaft and lay shaft gears are all in excellent condition.

Transmission

Gears for mainshaft and layshaft

but the gears and spacers are all good.

Last month we removed the transmission on a 250 GTE to have the overdrive that was inoperative inspected and rebuilt. When our friend John returned it to us, he mentioned that the filter on the overdrive was packed with metallic fragments that must have come from the transmission since nothing metallic matching this debris came from the overdrive. He told me that without removing, inspecting and super cleaning the transmission, there is no way the overdrive would last more than a few thousand miles.

I could not imagine what could have been a problem since it shifted well and was quiet when I drove the car prior to the tear down.

Yesterday I began to take the transmission apart and found that the Boccola ingranaggio, or 1st, 2nd and

250 Transmission gear

Bushing for 2nd gear

3rd, gear bushing style bearings are all torn up and the lead/tin coating has been wiped off the surface, probably from a low oil condition. I bet there was a pound of metallic sludge in that overdrive brass screen filter.

The new castings arrived and they look perfect. I wish we could get new parts like this for every component on Ferrari engines.

We also inquired about getting a new engine block for this project since the original may be compromised from all of the corrosion, but after hearing the price, I think we can fix the old block!

Water pump casting new and old

We have made jigs for re-producing the often rusted and leaking water pipes for Ferrari 250’s. These are not  perfect reproductions but now that we have the tooling we can easily make an exact copy if anyone is interested. We are using Stainless Steel so they won’t rust away like the originals.

Ferrari tubing

250 water pipe

We typically have to clean up and weld castings to make them serviceable but these 250 water pump parts are too far gone. The material around the 6mm stud has deteriorated so it just fell out, and the pitting at the impeller surface negatively effects the flow of water through the engine. The bearing support plate is trash, it must weigh 40% less than it did when new.

With corrosion this bad on these castings, imagine what the inside of the engine block looks like! We are pulling the sleeves right now in order to inspect the block and possibly replace the sleeves if the wall thickness has been compromised by the rust.

I ordered some brand new castings to replace these and am anxious to see how they look and fit.

Casting aluminum

Corroded aluminum

We took the red 1960 Ferrari 250 GT to the dyno earlier this week. This is a Pininfarina bodied convertible and is more beautiful than a high-school cheerleading captain. Still, its very close relative, the 250 California commands a much higher price – most people can’t afford to tell the difference. This 250 GT has an amazing sound that’s enhanced by a tasteful aftermarket exhaust, though nearly drowned out by the carburetors at full song – turn it down if you’re at work.

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Here is our gangster punk friend putting a beat down on the red Ferrari BBI and a 250 GT Pininfarina Cabriolet series II. Shiz Bro, he does a nice job!

He used wool on the BBI and foam on the 250, what it is Syl?

Polishing

Flat fin radiator

Here is a brand new correct type flat fin radiator core all assembled with tanks and side brackets for a Ferrari 250 GTE. These cores are so nice and we will cover the core in cardboard to prevent bending the delicate fins. This radiator has the bottom tank that was all hammered and beat up and corrected and documented in an earlier post.

Clean brake fluid is a must for proper operation of a brake system, proper operation of brakes, reliable brakes? Ferraris 250’s with the Bendix/Bonaldi booster had a reservoir cap with a steel mesh under an aluminum disc to allow the bottle to vent. Under the mesh is a small hole directly into the brake fluid reservoir. As you can see, there is lots of opportunity for crud to get into the fluid from this rusty build up in the mesh. I took the aluminum disc off, made a new spacer ring and welded it onto the cap. I sent the part of to be cad plated and made a new aluminum disc, installed stainless steel wool under the and wrinkle finish painted it. Voila!

FIAT Reservoir lid

Wrinkle finish reservoir

Even though the electrical solenoid worked, this 250 GTE overdrive would not engage at speed so we made the judgment call to remove the transmission from the car and send the overdrive to be inspected and repaired.

It turns out that the unit is totally worn out and nasty but luckily nothing is broken. Since this one is built under license of Laycock de Normanville by Bianchi, the odd sized rear bearing is $80 instead of $10 for the common sized bearing that fits the Laycock built units.

When John took the unit apart he found a pound of metal shavings trapped in the filter screen and recommended  disassembling the transmission because it appears that it was run without oil for a bunch of miles. The transmission shifted well and was quiet but it will have to come apart for thorough inspection and cleaning. More posts to follow when I get the transmission apart.

Bianchi Overdrive

Overdrive Ferrari