It’s finally time for a final update regarding the cosmetic changes I started at the beginning of the summer. So just a quick recap first: I wanted to change the rear grill and the front air-scoops to their challenge-style counterparts, all of which was successful. Unfortunately as we were finishing—the wheels were back on, all we had to do was get the car off the axel-stands—and my dad cracked his head on the driver-side wing mirror. Unable to source a replacement within the UK, I decided to switch to carbon fibre. (Yes, I could have asked Maranello, but the third-party mirrors said they would be available within a couple of weeks.)

As it turned out, the first supplier of carbon fibre wing mirrors took 8 weeks not to deliver anything; they also chose not to respond to any of my emails—after the first where I confirmed the estimated delivery time of 4 weeks—or telephone calls. Once I had the credit card company on my side regarding a refund for undelivered goods I ordered a set from supplier number two. Thankfully, this time I was kept up-to-date (without having to ask), and less than four weeks later I was proudly in possession of some fancy mirrors.

All that was left was to find a weekend where both my dad and myself were free to get to work, which in the end only took 8 long days until a Friday afternoon where we were both ready to start. We struggled initially as the bolts included with the mirrors were a little too short, so we started to cut some that were lying around in the garage, but this didn’t really help as the angles necessary to get the bolts correctly threaded in the mirrors were, typically, uncooperative. Eventually we copied the method used on the original mirrors: a threaded pole screwed into the mirror, with a nut to hold it in place. (Basically, we chopped the top off of the bolts.)

Several attempts later, we managed to get the nuts onto the bolt ends and the mirrors were in place. All that remained was to put the door cards back on, however we were hungry and in need of a beer, so they would have to wait until Saturday morning. Having prior experience with door cards helped (a few years ago, with my first 360, the passenger-side door mechanism seized and needed replacing), made refitting them relatively easy. I managed to fit the first while my dad took their dog for his morning walk. By mid-morning I was pretty much finished, and as there wasn’t need for any assistance, my nephews Toylander progressed a bit further—getting started early on cars seems to run in the family!

By lunch everything was done; my Ferrari 360 was once again road worthy and ready for a drive! And wouldn’t you know it, within a couple of miles I come face-to-face with another 360. The Mustang behind me probably wondered what was going on—now there’s two of them? Then until I stopped for a cold drink an hour or so later everything was peachy, but the driving gods must have it on for me as they flipped on the warning light for the F1 gearbox system as I was trying to reverse into a packing space. Everything was then okay when it was time to head home, but only until I put the car into reverse on the driveway to shuffle it around. Diagnosis: possibly low oil level or an angry reverse gear.

So while I try and figure out what has replaced Shell Donax TX, and whether I can source it locally, enjoy a few pictures of my 360 fully back together, and please excuse the bucket; it’s just there to keep the trickle charger dry from the morning dew.

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By Ashley

Life-long Ferrari fan, and eventual Ferrari owner. It has long been a dream of mine to own a Ferrari, and in the summer of 2014—shortly before I turned 30—I was lucky enough to be in a position to buy my first: a 2001, 360 Modena in rosso corsa with tan interior. Following an horrific accident in 2017, I had to work hard to get back into a Ferrari, this time opting for giallo Modena with black. This blog is where I aim to share my experiences along my Ferrari journey.

2 thought on “Time For a Challenge (Part 3)”
  1. After a bit of investigation, we found that the F1 gearbox oil level is too low—we can see that there is oil in the resiviour but it doesn’t register on the dipstick. Hopefully once some Shell Spirax S4 ATF HDX turns up, a top-up will solve the low pressure problem.

  2. A final update: it seems that with the oil level properly in the range indicated by the dipstick, going into reverse is no longer a problem—happy days.

    Now to sort out some decent storage for the winter…

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