Ferrari Mondial . Net

We went to the Silverstone Classic on Saturday 28th July 2007, making good use of the two for one ticket offer from the Ferrari Owners’ Club. Thankfully the weather was warm and sunny, I even managed to top up my tan a little bit! The quantity and quality of vintage, classic and modern classic cars in attendance was amazing: pre World War 1 motorbikes, Bentleys, Austin-Healeys, Jaguars, Corvettes, Porsches and of course Ferraris! Not to mention all the racing cars that were not only on display, but also being driven hell for leather round the legendary Silverstone track itself.

Luckily we had applied for, and received, a centre parking pass in the FOC display area. It was great to be waved in straight through to the centre of the circuit by the stewards, and then guided into a parking space between two 355s by a man in a Ferrari uniform I have to say the Ferrari display was stunning, and all the cars immaculate, so in the end I was glad we had been out in the dark the night before polishing up the Mondial! The area was pretty much full, so I think this must have been around 80 Ferraris. The ones that stood out for me were: an original Testarossa, a great 512BB, the row of Dino 246s and an F40 parked side by side with an Enzo.

As mentioned above there were some fabulous cars brought by enthusiasts on display, there were so many it was hard to recall them all. I can’t even begin to name the really old (pre WW2) and classic vintage ones (how do they keep them in such good condition!). For me some of the more contemporary classics that stood out were: a white James Bond style Lotus Esprit, the legendary Jaguar XJ220, Lancia Stratos 80s rally cars looking resplendent in their Alitalia livery (I had the scale models as a kid!), a mean looking white Ford GT40, and many more.

Overall a great day, in fact there was too much to see in a single day, I think I’ll go for the weekend next year!

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My Mondial really does seem like it has come through a time warp in many departments. I already spent a few hours removing parts of an enormous 80′s style car phone which a previous owner must have gone to great expense to have fitted, even including a leather covered dashboard addition above the radio to clip the phone into (see pics below). Removing what I think is some kind of massive (probably 18in square and 10kg!) battery/transmitter from the boot certainly saved weight.

Though I love the purist idea of keeping the car as close to it’s original state as possible, one area of the car has been annoying me. I’ve only had my Mondial a week but I’m tired of having no music, the reason being the car still has the original Blaupunkt radio/tape player. It switches on and can get garbled radio reception, but it makes a very odd crunching sound if you try to put a tape in and doesn’t play them, not that I really have any tapes anymore anyway. Given that: all the Mondials I’ve been in (that would be five or so) have had CD players fitted, that I have a rudimentary knowlege of basic electronics, and I fitted a CD player to my old Ford Fiesta 10 years ago I thought I’d try getting an upto date head unit into the Mondial via a DIY upgrade! Although this guide is for a Ferrari Mondial it might also be applicable to Ferrari 308/328s. Indeed I’m guessing that there are few 80s Ferraris left with their original radios, so this guide will be of more use for people looking to upgrade a first generation CD player unith with a more current CD/MP3 radio with aux input for ipod or other external player.

Parts list for removal and installation (assuming original factory wiring and head unit):

• New head unit eg Sony Radio/CD/MP3 with Aux input (for ipod): £80
• Car radio release tools, see pic for tools needed to replace the original Blaupunkt. For newer head units check your local car accessories shop: couple of pounds
• screwdrivers, spanners, wire cutters/strippers, crimping tool (or pliers)

All my parts were purchased from Halfords.

New head units come with standard ISO connectors which are also found on modern day cars. My 1985 Ferrari isn’t going to have this standard ISO connector, so there are two options:

1. Cut all the ends off the wires on the car audio leads, cut the ISO connector off the head unit and splice them all together. This worked great for my Ford Fiesta I did 10 years ago, but it’s messey and makes future upgrades more difficult, plus it smacks of dodgy workmanship
2. For £20 more you can buy an ISO adaptor connector which has the plug one end and bare wires the other. These bare wires can then be crimped into one half of bullet connectors adaptors, with the other end going on the Ferrari wires (which will need to have their non-standard ends cut off), but the result it a neat, professionally done, and easily upgradable wiring system. You are working on a Ferrari after all. For this method you will need a couple more parts:
   • 2 packs of bullet connectors (8 male/female connectors total): £6
   • 1 car audio ISO connector adapter plug with bare wires one end: £15

Total cost of parts £100.

Step 1: Remove carpets and plastic covering panel

• Turn off you battery via the switch under the front bonnet (or if you do not have a manual switch then disconnect one of the battery terminal leads)
• a) pull back floor carpet
• b) pull away side carpet from velcro fastening at bottom
• c) unscrew big screw and 3-4 smaller screws along top of plastic panel covering the insides of the middle column

You should now be looking at something that resembles diagram 1b below.

Step 2: Unbolt old radio head unit and remove

Get your head down there in the footwell, you should now be able to see the back of the head unit. Look for the nut that’s keeping it bolted to a metal retaining plate (a good idea to keep it steady, avoid vibration and prevent it being easily removed).

• a) Undo this nut, be careful not to drop it as you may not be able to retrieve it!Thanks to Carl Verdi for revealing how to get to the bolt.
• b) Insert your head unit release tools into the pairs of holes either side of the front of the Blaupunkt. Push them in really far and then push them outwards to try to get a grip. It can be tricky as the radio is a tight fit in the metal sleeve. It’s much easier if you can get someone to push the unit from behind (where you just removed the nut from) as you pull the release tools.
• As the head unit comes out the aerial lead (usually on the back right hand side of the unit if you are looking at it from the front) may not have enough slack, so unplug it

• As the back of the head unit comes out of the dashboard, have a look at how the wires at the back are connected. You will have to unplug these to finally get the unit out, but if you have a non-original radio there may be a diagram on the unit which will help identify which wires are which (eg speak left, 12v constant, etc), so make a note
•  c) You can now remove the old metal sleeve that the head unit was jammed into, as more than likely your new radio will come with it’s own one that you can slide in carefully, according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Tips:

• It’s a good idea to put a cloth down over your warning lights and grear stick gate as dust, etc will likely spew out as you remove the head unit
• The front plastic face of the Blaupunkt may rip off, and the buttons explode everywhere. Don’t be too alarmed by this, but pick them all up so you can piece it back together later if you are bored
• Warning: the metal sleeve and old head unit edges (especially if the front has come off) are razor sharp! Get the old thing out of the car as soon as possible. I foolishly left it in the footwell while I carried on and it managed to rub and scratch some of the surrounding leather (grr!)

Step 3: Re-wire old style connectors

If you have just removed the original radio you should see the connectors in the photo, else what you see may be completely different as the original wires may have already been wired into newer connectors. You should be able to see the original wire colours somewhere. Basically if the connectors you have look like they are compatible with your new radio you are in luck and you can skip to the next step (fitting), if not then you will likely have to proceed below as though you had the original connectors.

Do steps 1-4 below for existing Ferrari wires: 12v constant, 12v switch, 12v ignition, speaker front right (positive and negative), speaker front left (positive and negative). Do one wire at a time to avoid confusion:

• 1. Cut the ends off the existing car radio wires
• 2. Strip the wires to 6 or 7mm
• 3. Use crimping tool (or pliers) to lock ends into female bullet connectors
• 4. Important: Use a permanent pen or some kind of system to label each female bullet connector or wire, as those brown wires will look identical after putting the female bullet connectors on!
• Your ISO adapter connector should have pre-stripped wires, attach the male bullet connectors to these
• Plug the male bullet connectors from the ISO adapter into the corresponding female bullet connector of your car wiring. My ISO adapter came with a handy colour code diagram on the back, plus all the wires had what they were printed on them in tiny print
• Insulate any bare wire ends not being used (these should only be on the ISO adapter side, unless you don’t plan to connect, or don’t have, the 12v switch wire that sends the Ferrari aerial up)

Step 4: Install new CD/Radio head unit

• Inset the metal sleeve that came with your head unit into the slot, and bend up all the fins you can to lock it into place. Warning: Be really careful when bending those fins, especially if you are using a screwdriver. I slipped as I was trying to bend one that wouldn’t actually budge, and very nearly gashed my lovely black leather above the gearstick, or even worse I was pushing so hard it could have gone right through. So either push gently, or use something blunt & wooden, rather than a sharp edged screwdriver.
• You can now finally slide in your new radio! Don’t forget to plug in the aerial lead first. The radio will probably be a tight fit into the sleeve, but should fit perfectly. Catch the ISO connector as it comes out the back into the wiring area, then simply plug it into your newly wired ISO adapter setup.
• Remember the retaining nut and plate that held the original head unit in place? My radio came with a smooth, protruding bar at the back, and a tight fitting rubber nut, so I used this to secure the unit to the back plate. I actually had to loosen the nut that was holding the back plate in place, then rotate the back plate slightly as it was hindering the wiring block on the back of the radio, stopping the radio going back fully. You radio might come with a threaded bar at the back, so you could use the original retaining nut. Either way it’s a good idea to lock it in place to this back plate to stop vibration, and for security (though if someone broke into my classic Ferrari I’d be more worried about the physical car damage rather than an 80 quid radio!).
• At this point you can turn your battery back on, and give the radio a test! Check that sound is coming out of both left and right speakers, that the aerial pops up when the unit is switched on, and that it goes down when the unit is switched off. Put all your wiring back into the central column, and reverse step one to get all the carpets back into place.You should be left with something like diagram 4 and an upto date CD/radio/mp3 player!

I attended, and indeed participated in the Italian car and bike show held at Birch Park, near Colchester on 14th July 2007. Attending my first event in the Mondial was damn cool, and there was a great turnout of Ferraris and especially Lamborghinis. Highlight of the day had to be not just a red Ferrari Enzo turning up, but a black one too! Given that only 400 of these cars were made it’s quite a experience to see two in the same place. Another highlight was heading home on the A12 I spotted a the unmistakable nose of the red Enzo in my rear view mirror…. it passed me a what I can only say was formidable speed, and what a sound it made as it effortlessly drove past! Also at the show was a Bugatti EB110, a car that would give the Enzo a run for it’s money, but produced 13 years earlier in 1991! Respect to Carl Verdi for bringing such an amazing selection of rare cars.

* Update Aug 2007: Please read this post before calling Hendon Way Motors about Mondials

Here is a quick compilation of clips from the first weekendof me driving my Mondial, plus at the end there is a few seconds of footage from the Italian car day at Birch Park, Colchester 14th July 2007.
Thanks to C for compiling the video and muting all the boring talking bits :)

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After some more driving today everything seems to be running smoothly in the Mondial: lights all working, air con cool, sunroof opens up great (tho needs a manual push to help it close), driver electric window slow but ok (a known issue with all Ferraris from this era, Mondial,308, 328, 348), and even the original Blaupunkt radio/tape player works.

A few minor bugs and quirks did arise, as I was expecting for a 22 year old car, most of which I should be able to fix:

• driver side rubber door sill detached at the top (some super glue, should do the trick).
• stone chips: need to get a repair kit with primer and the right shade of Ferrari Rosso red. The paint code of the car is F108 and Halfords didn’t have this (surprise surprise), but they did have a fiat 108/96 so that might be the one… I’ll have to ask some Ferrari gurus if this is the one.
• rubbish boot/trunk catch: it’s pretty difficult to close the boot, requiring a short, sharp blast downwards. 50% power, 50% technique. I tried unscrewing the locking bar that drives into the catch and re-aligning it, plus making it protrude a couple of mm further, and also greasing up the latch a bit. It seemed to make it a little easier to close.
• cracked gear knob (!) umm no idea how this happened, but I was worried that the cracks would get bigger as there was a little movement on them when squeezing the knob, and it does have a lot of force put onto it jamming the Mondial into gear. Super glue to the rescue, seems to be held together a bit more rigidly now.

Slighly more annoying problems….

Speedometer dropping to zero during driving
I was cruising along the M25 at 70mph on my first day driving the car, had been on the road about 2 hours in total, and to my amazement, the speedo started wobbling for about 2 minutes, then dropped to zero (well right to the bottom reading which is 5mph)! So I only had my own rather poor judgement of speed to guage how fast I was going, not what you want on your first day of driving a Ferrari, especially on UK roads notorious for being littered with speed cameras and traffic police. On starting her up the next morning the speedo seemed back to normal again… however it did die again after a couple more hours of driving. I parked up for an hour with the battery switched off, set off again and the speedometer was ok. I was a bit worried so gave Carl at Verdi Ferrari a call. He told me not to worry, it happens quite a lot and could be some sort of (oil?) leak into some part of the speedo mechanism. I also looked it up on the internet and it seems quite common, a failed impulse generator is another cause. Anyway Carl reassured me that it could be rectified at not much cost (80quid or something like that). Thinking about it some more it’s possible that both times it died I had just turned on electrical devices in the car, the first time it died I had just switched on the radio and headlights,the second time the air conditioning. Could be a pointer to an electrical gremlin? Anyway I decided to keep an eye on it.

Update: about 150 miles / 4 hours of driving the next weekend and no problems at all, maybe it was down to the fact that the car had not been used regularly for 5 or more years. I did mention it to Anthony at Hendon Way Motors, he said that speedos on older Ferraris are pretty unreliable, it’s certainly something they would not have been able to spot before selling the car due to the intermittent nature of the fault, and the fact that it only happened after a couple of hours of driving.

Update 2: Spoke to a very knowledgable Ferrari Owner’s Club member who owns a 1985 Mondial QV Cabriolet, he says this is a common problem and happens sometimes on his Mondial too, he thinks it’s a loose connection behind the speedo in the dash (I guess made less stable by heat as the problem only ever happens after 90mins or more of driving?). Anyway this establishes it as a relatively common problem, so I won’t worry too much about it at the moment, it really has only happened 3-4 times in 9 weekends of driving, and is fine if the car is left for an hour or two (also explaning why heat build up triggers it..?).

Update 3: Problem did not appear at all in the whole of 2008 with car in regular use, morale of this story… don’t let your Ferrari sit in the garage, get out and drive it (as long as it’s not raining)!

Passenger Electric Window Very Slow
The worst and most obvious problem: the passenger electric window is very slow, and a helping hand is needed to close the final inch. At one point the window did actually refuse to go up at all, it would only go down. This was the last thing we needed as we drove along with rain clouds looming overhead. On stopping I found that opening the door, then grasping each side of the window with a palm, followed by a really hard push upwards from both sides (while getting an assistant to push the up button) got the window shut. Subsequently the window seemed to return to it’s usual self where it would happily go down and up, excluding the final inch.

As stated above, electric windows are rubbish on Ferrari’s of this era due to dodgy Italian wiring. Having a look on the internet I found www.ferrariwindows.com run by 348 enthusiast Frazer Smith. He provides a solution in home made, 12v booster units which can be wired into the door. The site also explains why the passenger window is usually worse than the driver’s window (much longer length of thin wire from the power source). I have ordered up two of these units and will give them a go this weekend, look out for a post on the installation procedure and results!

* Update Aug 2007: Please read this post before calling Hendon Way Motors about Mondials

After seemingly endless week after week of rain and gloom I awoke on Saturday 07/07/2007 to glorious sunshire. Fittingly this was the day I could finally collect the Ferrari Mondial from Anthony at Hendon Way Motors! We arrived early to find the car having a final polish, the exterior and interior both looked great. I had my checklist of work that Anthony and I had agreed to be done, and we sat down to go through it. I knew that that garage work had taken a bit longer than planned, but I was amazed when Anthony showed me the receipt from the garage of all the work completed…. the total was over £2200 worth, at cost price to him, so this would equate to £3000 or maybe even £4000 to the average Ferrari owner in the street.

So it was time to pay up and finally get my hands on the keys, an original set complete with leather fop embossed with Mondial and a metal Ferrari logo shield on the other. Maneuvering out of Hendon Way Motors car park area was good practice, involving some tight turns round brick walls and metal gates. Going from my modern car with power steering, etc to the Mondial with no such luxuries, and a massive turning circle to boot, was always going to be fun, akin to wrestling a beast, but that’s exactly what I expected, and wanted!

After a slow and careful drive home it was time to take it for a serious spin, a 100 mile trip to Oxford and back! It was a surreal experience, people seemed to respect the car and either keep their distance or get out the way as they heard the roar of the engine coming. Not that I was even foolhardy enough to try to drive beyond my experience and skill in a new car, so I stuck to the speed limits as I always do. I even got overtaken by a Smart car on the A41 (see video below)

Overall very pleased with the Mondial from Hendon Way Motors, definately worth the wait in the end!

* Update Aug 2007: Please read this post before calling Hendon Way Motors about Mondials

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I found a cool video of Andrew Holman’s Ferrari 348tb fitted with an X-ost exhaust on YouTube, it sounds pretty awesome, crank up your sound and click on the video control to take a look! You can order one of these beasties from www.scuderiasalesandspares.co.uk for about £1300-1400 including VAT and fitting. Quite expensive I know, but what do you expect given that each exhaust is hand made! Anyway it sounds awesome, so it’s clearly worth it… especially if you do a lot of driving in tunnels… or underground car parks…