Our Cars: Brakes for the 308GTB QV

By Pete Vack

Some wonder if 308s are worth the effort. It is very easy to go far beyond any return on investment. Doing the work yourself saves a great deal of money.

In which we tell you what we are doing, why it must be done, parts sources, good and bad, and how much it costs.

In the first article devoted to 308 maintenance, I recommended the purchase of a factory manual. No longer published by Ferrari, they are now hard to find. Check eBay, the usual want ads and sources, and ask around at the various parts suppliers to see what they might have on hand.

Rear Brakes
Pad and disc replacement is generally very straightforward. However, problems were encountered when we tried to remove the pads. The 308 has the diabolical but effective ATE brakes; the rear brakes have threaded self adjusting mechanisms, which also are used to withdraw the piston into the caliper. Nice, but three out of four pistons would not move using the screws provided. I checked the manual, then found the official ATE notes on the proper way to withdraw the pistons, but nothing worked. I experienced the same problem on my Dino, 246GT, which also uses the same brakes. My suspicion is that sometime in the past, mechanics have pried the pistons back into the caliper, (as they would normally do on the front and just about any other disc brake caliper) and damaged the screw mechanism. There are two ways to correct the problem; DIY or buy rebuilt (or new) calipers. In both cases, I decided to opt for rebuilt calipers. First, it’s a safety item, and second, the work and hassle of completely taking apart the calipers myself did not seem worth the effort.

T. Rutlands in Atanta (1-800-638-1444) supplied all the brake parts with a smile and an invoice. They arrived in three days.

At the same time, we ordered new brake pads for the rear, the front being entirely satisfactory. Also new were brake hoses, for all four brakes. Brake hoses disintegrate from inside and cause blockages — a problem we had on the Dino as well as our Suburban. From experience, then, new hoses were a wise investment.

Part Sources
Having recently replaced the Dino brakes (which resulted in about 100% improvement in drive-ability), I had some experience with a variety of brake suppliers. For the Dino, I sent the front calipers to be rebuilt by White Post Restorations. They were returned, but when I checked the proper alignment of the pistons, they were incorrect. Thus, I had to extract the pistons, align them correctly, and re-install the rubber rings and seals. Exit White Post from my list of suppliers. I then sent the rear brakes to SSB, Stainless Steel Brakes, in NY. These guys do a tremendous job and I was very happy with the results as well as the coating used for the calipers.

Originally, I planned to send the 308 brakes to SSB. But, while ordering the rest of the parts from T. Rutlands (aka Maranello Auto Parts) in Atlanta, they told me that they had rebuilt calipers on hand, at about the same cost as SSB. Since I generally order all my Ferrari parts from Rutlands, I decided to have them send along a set of calipers, which were priced at roughly the same as SSB. The upside was that Rutlands had them on hand, while SSB required an eight week turnaround, which would put me in the middle of winter.

A word about Ted Rutland. First, my remarks about Rutlands are not prompted by any ad money, (ain’t none) nor did they offer any discount to me because of this article. So what I quote price-wise is what you would also be charged for a comparable item. Second, I have spoken to a number of individuals who seem to share my opinion of Ted’s shop, so any recommendation is not based entirely on my own experiences.

What a difference four hours of hard labor will do.

Ted has been around Ferraris since day one, and worked for FAF, one of the earliest Ferrari dealerships. He not only has a great deal of experience, but as one Ferrari restorer said, "If it’s Ferrari, Ted’s got it, somewhere." Ted’s prices are roughly fifty percent of dealer cost for the identical item. And although others have had a bit of wait, I ordered the parts on Friday, changed the order on Monday, and they arrived by Wednesday.

No matter who you deal with, it’s important to check out the parts as soon as you receive them. The rebuilt brakes were missing one adjust screw cover cap, and the order did not include the cam cover gasket set I requested. I also made sure that all four adjuster screws operated the pistons properly. One phone call solved the missing parts problem. The last question I had for Ted, was, why were the calipers painted gold? He’s checking on that.

The Money
I have in front of me an invoice. And here are the prices:
Calipers $315 each (plus another $600 until they receive your cores)
Rear brake pads, two wheels $70.00
Brake hoses, front (two) $146.02
Brake hoses, rear (two) $112.58
Rotors, if necessary, are $289.00 each.

Could I have saved money by further shopping around? And still received OEM parts and excellent service in a more than timely manner? Perhaps. For me, at least, it’s a psychological thing. Once the great decision has been made, and I have a trustworthy parts source with reasonable prices, it is not a good idea to procrastinate by spending time shopping all over the world to save maybe $100 to $200. And if I slowed down to think about it, we’d spend the money elsewhere, the job would never get done, I’d croak, and my wife would be stuck with a 308 minus brakes and in need of belts and be worth $10K less. At least that’s what I tell her.

The Work
As I mentioned, once the pistons retract properly, brake work on a Ferrari is very simple. Much harder is cleaning the suspension, which takes time but is well worth the effort. All parts near and associated with the brakes themselves should be particularly clean. The Spray Nine works well with a minimum of mess, but for the really difficult spots, a product like Prepsol does wonders. Check out the rubber bushings, suspension uprights and boots once the dirt has been removed. When cleaning parts, be very careful with any clips, nuts, bolts etc. which are cadmium-plated. The plating is easy to remove and if removed, the part will be prone to rust.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer" will never be more true. With the new brakes and rotor, the suspension clean, it looks great but won't stay that way very long.

Installing the brakes and hoses is now even easier. Check to ensure that the disc is centered between the openings of the caliper and use the flat washers to center, if necessary. Torque the caliper to hub carrier bolts to 56 ft lbs. Insert the new pads and bleed. Insofar as brake fluid is concerned, many have found that silicone brake fluid works well, but I have stayed with DOT 4 for the 308, found at Wal-Mart for a reasonable price (before latest labor scandal, anyway). I have found that the self bleeders available for a few dollars at any autoparts store really do work, and make what was a two person job a simple one person chore.