Volume 1, Issue 3 - August 1994

Getting Ready for Monterey

with monterey and the fca national meet just around the corner many ferrari owners are putting the finishing touches on restoration efforts in the hopes of taking home an award. with that in mind, below is information adapted from an article by ed gilbertson in prancing horse #90 that might provide some insight into how fca judging works, what's necessary to win, and what isn't.

as ferrari owners and enthusiasts we all have a responsibility to help preserve the history of the marque. there is no better way to do this than to maintain the originality and condition of the cars and drive them as they were meant to be driven. the concours, done properly, is a measure of how successful we are in our efforts.

the judging guidelines have been developed with the assistance and support of the national advisory council for preservation of the ferrari automobile (nac/pfa) they are based on actual experience over a number of years and reflect input from many judges and entrants having an interest in consistent and objective standards for showing and judging the ferrari. the following guidelines, while by no means a complete treatise on the subject, should provide enough basic information to give the reader a good idea what to expect at the fca annual meeting and other concours events using the nac/pfa procedures.

1. each ferrari entered for judging is expected to be fully operational and driven onto the show field for placement in the designated class. cars are to be shown fully assembled. that is, all parts such as bumpers, top, etc. are to be attached to the vehicle in the original position. the car should be presented as it was delivered by the factory. since originality is the key focus of the concours, spyder conversions and unauthorized rebodies are not eligible for judging. also, new cars are not normally judged since a class of such vehicles is basically a cosmetics contest.
2. the owner is to be present with the vehicle during the judging. if, for good reason, the owner cannot be available, a single individual may be designated by the owner to show the car during the class judging process. in presenting the car for judging, all panels and doors should be closed, windows should be in the closed position, and applicable tools and manuals should be displayed either in the trunk compartment or on the ground behind the vehicle. all extraneous material should be removed from the car and placed out of sight before judging commences.
3. each vehicle entered for judging will be evaluated by a three person judging team. one of the judges will be designated the chief class judge and will be responsible for introductions, team coordination, and submission of the class results to the chief judge and the head scorekeeper. each judge will have a separate set of forms and will be responsible for evaluating one of the following categories: exterior, interior, or engine/chassis. each component in each category will be judged for both originality and condition. factory options are considered original, after-market options are not original and points will be deducted for such items.
4. each car is assumed to have a perfect score of 100 points at the start of judging. as each component is judged, deductions of 0 to 5 points will be made as appropriate for faults in originality and general condition. in addition to point deductions for under-restoration, points will be deducted for over-restoration, such as extravagant paint, extra plating, and enhanced finishes. such over-statements detract from the originality and the basic goal of preservation. i have to admit that it is a complete turnoff for me when i see a car wrapped like a christmas package arrive for a show. brought out of its protective shell, the car is sometimes fitted with a brand new set of wheels to replace the other brand new wheels whose tires might have picked up grass stains as the car was moved onto<

Southwest Region Update

by: judd goldfeder

the organization committee has met four times and at least 25 of the members have attended at least one meeting. meetings are announced in this newsletter on page 4, please come if you can. we hope everyone will participate.

there are over 100 members and 27 of those are new to the ferrari club of america. all of our members live in our region. events will be planned so everyone can participate.

three successful events have already been sponsored: rodeo drive ii, a picnic in palos verdes, and a track event at willow springs in conjunction with the 348 challenge. almost all members have participated in at least one.

incorporation papers have been filed with the secretary of state. there is now a california not for profit corporation named "southwest region of the ferrari club of america." thanks to michael yedor for providing the legal work.

at the next meeting of the organizing committee, on august 16th, we will receive proposed by-laws which will be presented for adoption at the meeting in september. if anyone would like a copy please call me. following the adoption of by-laws, a general membership meeting will be scheduled at which officers will be elected. see page 4 for more information on the august meeting.

this is our third newsletter. jeff littrell has created it from scratch. he solicited articles, wrote articles, sold ads, and created the layout working against tight time deadlines. an impressive accomplishment. several fca officers have sent letters praising our newsletter as one of the best in the entire fca this is one of the most important building blocks in the success of our club. if it is interesting you will read it and participate in the events. how about letters to the editor!? thanks jeff for a great job.

special thanks also to tom brockmiller, frank carlone, murray cogan, matt ettinger, marshall leib, steve tillack, cris vandagriff, and cy yedor for their enthusiasm and participation.

clubs exist to serve members. i hope we will sponsor events and provide you with information that will keep your interest. my goal is for our board to plan diverse events. few if any of you will participate in all but i hope we interest each of you in participating in at least a few events during the next year. the club exists to give us a reason to come together, to use our cars and enjoy the company of others who are interested in cars - particularly ferraris. elsewhere in this issue there is information about planned and tentative events - please call or write with your ideas. better yet, let us know you would like to chair an event and you will do it.

as we go forward i hope you will come to meetings, participate in events, enjoy the newsletter and the fca publications. this is our club, it exists for all the members, not just for the board or a few officers, let's all have fun. tell us what you want and we will do it, if you don't like something then let us know. encourage your friends to join...see you in monterey or at another event soon.

p.s. if your address label has an m near your name that means you are a member of the fca but have not yet joined the southwest region and paid dues of $35. a membership form is in the newsletter on page 9. this will be the last newsletter sent to non-members of the southwest region. if you paid pacific region dues with your fca membership then your membership should have been automatically transferred to the southwest region but we have not received the dues from atlanta. please let me know if this is the case so that you will stay on the mailing list.

Tech Tip - Early 4 Cam Failure

by: gary bobileff

this design proved to be very reliable, light weight, and silent but there was one major problem. it was found that after about 20,000 miles on the average, the lobes of the cams would start to wear. when this happens, metal is being removed from the lobe, and gets circulated in the engine oil. the lobe changes shape and becomes sharp edged and as it rubs on the shim during each revolution, which affects performance. it also scratches and scores the shim's rubbing surface. the hardness is then broken through on the surface of the shim and it too begins to deposit metal in the oil. valve clearance increases rapidly at this time, valve noise increases and performance becomes poor.

caption .

how can the problem be fixed? two ways. the most difficult and expensive is to replace the cams with new ones (if available). the other way is to send the cams to a reliable cam grinder for repair. the grinder must have or make masters of the cam in order to duplicate the original cam lobe shape and size and do a proper refinishing job. first, because the cams are hardened, they must be annealed (softened), then the damaged lobes may be reprofiled and polished if there is only light damage. if the lobe is badly damaged, the lobe is ground down, welded with a high nickel content rod, ground to its proper shape, polished, heat treated for strength, straightened, and reinstalled. depending upon how badly damaged the cams are, the typical cost will vary from $100 to $300 per cam just for reconditioning. proper installation is even more fun!

every time the valves are checked for adjustment, the cam lobes should be carefully inspected for possible present or future damage. observe and compare the shape of each lobe. also, feel the tip of the lobe. it should be smooth and should not have any sharp edges or distressing in the tip.

ferrari changed it's hardening process with the 365 bb, 208 and 308 motors. it is very rare to see one of these later motors with cam damage.

about the author: etc located in san diego, gary bobileff has been a ferrari addict since 1970, servicing and restoring them exclusively. if you have any technical questions, feel free to call him at (619) 622-1600.

Upcoming Events

these events are long gone.

southwest region meeting

the meeting will be held at the newport imports ferrari dealership, located at 3100 w. pacific coast highway in newport beach. contact alan woodard for more information.

the september meeting will take us to ogner motorcars ferrari dealership in woodland hills, located at 21301 ventura blvd. at this meeting we plan to actually adopt the by-laws and elect officers.

in october, dick marconi has graciously offered to host our meeting at the facilities of his marconi automotive museum in orange county on october 25th.

many of you will recognize the marconi name from the 348 challenge series where john marconi, dick's son, is the current points leader. the marconi family has an extensive racing history in southern california and their 24,000 square foot facility houses a full racing shop, a car collection of over 30 cars, and a large motorcycle collection.

in addition to the use of his facility, mr. marconi is also providing an informal dinner catered from a local italian restaurant. this is more than a meeting, it's an event! all members of the southwest region are invited, however, we need you to rsvp to judd goldfeder at by october 5th 1994 so that dinner can be properly planned.

exotic track event in phoenix

the cost is only $150 if received before september 1st and that includes one year's membership to the exotic car club of america. drivers must drive their own vehicles and wear a helmet rated sa-85 or better.

hotel accommodations are available through the holiday inn holidrome at a special group rate of $75/night, including a full buffet breakfast. it is suggested that you arrive friday night for a driver's meeting and race course instructions at the hotel. call gay mullen at (602) 482-7460 to make hotel reservations.

the fca has never participated in any exotic car club of america events so we can't vouch for their quality but this one sounds fun. contact scott reiner or write to the club at 7049 e. tanque verde #336, tucson, az 85715 for more information.

ferraris in westwood

the cars will be displayed sunday along two blocks of kinross avenue, crossing westwood blvd. the region will have a booth at the show and we encourage all members to bring their cars out for a post-monterey viewing. we expect this show to become an annual event so let's kick off the year in grand style (there should be no lack of freshly-restored ferraris).

watch this space for an application form in next month's newsletter. contact shin takei at modena sportcars, for more information.

petersen meuseum

many of you in the los angeles area have probably heard or read about the new petersen automotive museum that recently opened in la. this is a wonderfully well received venue with not only significa

348 Challenge at Willow Springs

the competition was awesome - as the cars were vying in the next to last race of the series before going to mungello, italy for best driver, car and overall team support. in all there are 41 cars entered with 14 sponsoring dealers and observed by this writer was a consistency and uniformity of cars not seen since formula ford.

the dealer maintenance and tune program, with tires sponsored by pirelli, has turned out a fast, colorful, competitive race/street car capable of great times on fast tracks around the us with all our respect to the great crews who replaced body parts, running gear, and even engines, if needed, these racers were separated by only their individual skills.

equipment "big rigs" and their cars arrived at the willow springs raceway in rosamond, ca on thursday for warm-up and track tune. by saturday, the trial runs and eventual qualifying heats were hotly contested - both by the 100 degree weather and the drivers. pole position for the first race was captured by john marconi (#23), supported by newport imports.

on sunday, the cars gridded on the track for a pace lap led by dick marconi's fly-yellow daytona spyder. the spyder led the cars around the track once and then veered off into the pits. as the pack approached the start/finish line, the starter felt that the cars weren't properly aligned so the green flag didn't drop and they went around again. this time the green flagged dropped and they were off! john marconi got a great start and led the grid into turn one. in fact, even though cort wagner (#25), supported by ferrari of beverly hills, drove a great race, john marconi never lost his lead and they went on to finish one, two with only a few tenths of a second between them after 20 minutes of hard racing with lots of lapping the back field.

speaking of the back field, that's where the most interesting racing was going on, with four cars spinning off the track at various times and places, raising big clouds of dust. fortunately, no one was injured and only minor car damage occurred.

saturday night brought on a great dinner as arranged by cris vandagriff of ferrari of beverly hills. dinner was set at the mission bell ranch, a beautifully unique historical setting in the west mojave desert. the cuisine was country french and sumptuous. music, good food, wine, and a little unexpected swimming in the pool all combined to create a beautiful evening under the desert stars.

the 348 challenge rules state that the drivers grid in the second race according to their finish in the first. this again placed john marconi at the pole with cort wagner along side him. ron profili and gerry jackson shared the 2nd row. given marconi's skills and home-court advantage at willow springs, many feared that the second race would be a repeat of the first but it wasn't so.

the daytona again paced the first lap and veered into the pits. the cars looked well aligned coming down the front straight towards the start/finish line and everyone held their breath to see if the green flag would drop. no one knows exactly what happened but for some reason john marconi's car visibly slowed coming up to the start/finish line. perhaps he sensed he was at a disadvantage to cort wagner and wanted to assure that they went around another time or maybe just wasn't quite ready but either way it didn't work to his advantage because the green flag dropped just as he slowed. this caused quite a commotion as the cars directly behind marconi (ron profili especially) had to swerve to avoid rear-ending him. because cort wagner was beside marconi, he never had to slow and therefore got off to a great start, as did the other cars behind him. this meant that by turn one, marconi was back in fourth place. but not for long.

showing his driving skills, marconi almost immediately regained second place by passing randy mills in turn two and gerry jackson in three. but it was too late. with no one in front of hi

In the Pits

by: bruce reimer

the food, atmosphere and, yes, even the prices were fantastic. the wine cellar at this location is ranked 4th or 5th in the world according to didier. also, this is where it happens on the weekends that the indy cars run at laguna seca. it seems that all the drivers and car owners love this place as much as we did.

the imsa race was too good to be true. the weather was warm, skies blue and the race cars fast and hot. i was given the opportunity to pilot a 348 in the supercar race. gerry jackson from the 348 challenge series was also there in his crowd pleasing yellow 348 with the nicole miller art work.

my only racing experiences at laguna seca had been on motorcycles. the learning curve in a 348 ferrari would be a pretty short one. not! gang, it was tough. not the car, but the track. my 348 was a beautiful red beast but the track turned out to be a much bigger beast than i or my trusty steed had expected. the two locations on the track that seemed to get my attention the quickest were the famous corkscrew and the very last turn #11, which is a very tight left turn that heads down the front straight-away.

the cavallino had no problems making the turn - it was those nasty concrete walls we kept getting so close to as we accelerated hard out of the turns that made me nervous. my crew chief, dana, asked why i wasn't using all the track coming out of the turns. over the radio i tried to explain to him that concrete walls had dollar signs all along them - he didn't understand. if you have ever been to the body shop with your ferrari i think you get it.

the exxon world sports car race was the main attraction of the weekend. the 333 sp ferraris were to die for. their sound was music to all of our ears. i was lucky enough to spend some time with russell spence, driver of the westinghouse-sponsored 333 sp campaigned by cy and michael yedor. all of them seemed to express the same feelings about the 333 sp. russell spence: "fantastic" (with an english accent). mike yedor: "fantastic" (with the hollywood accent). cy yedor: "fantastic, but did you see the blonde in the white shorts!?" that's my buddy cy. of course, a 333 sp won the race that day.

i also spent a lot of time with a young driver who is very good at his profession, david donohue. it seems that he has a father who is somewhat famous. david is a great driver and a great guy. but, did i see him checking out the ferraris? rumor has it that there may be a test day coming up for the young donohue.

gerry and i had a great time and we hope to make the imsa race in portland next. until then, brake late and never lift!