Avventura autostradale in Ferrari

     Ferraris are meant to be driven. Did I say that? Yes, yes, they are.

     Those of you who are following my journey with the Mighty 400 GT, my Mighty 400 GT, know why service cost so much.
You have followed the ups and downs of maintenance mission creep. So, I will bring you this update.

     I drove it to the Chattanooga show last October. It was a lovely two-hour drive and a good test since completing the major service. There were no problems and the Ferrari was flawless.

     At least in the running department. There was a hole in one of the headers that opened and after inspection the rust was so bad there was no way to salvage it.

     New headers were sourced from Quicksilver in England. These came in stainless steel and took several weeks to arrive. They made a fresh set, I guess, because header sets for the 400 series are not flying off the shelves, there is no reason to stock such esoteric parts.

     You don’t need to ask what I did over the Christmas holiday.

     I could go into a deeper discussion as to what pain and suffering it took to change all four headers, but now that the wounds have healed and time has passed, it wasn’t really that bad. The headers themselves fit perfectly.   

     With the car running well and most of the exhaust leaks fixed (next stage will be mufflers). I drove to Amelia Island. As you have read, that trip of 900 miles was again flawless.

     Now comes Celebration. This trip is going to be even longer. So, with little fear, Linda and I pack up the trunk and head off to Florida.

     From Atlanta, or more correctly, Suwanee, Georgia, another hour north of Atlanta, we bravely head south on a tight schedule to arrive in time to check in at the hotel before boarding the busses for the evening event.

     The 400 is humming along as it was designed. Eighty-five MPH yields 3,500 RPM. 4,000 RPM does a good job of catching traffic ahead. Carburetors and exhaust are making all the right sounds. Life is good.

     As we approach the Florida Turnpike there is this sound. A kind of screech, or squeal. I thought it was a trailer we were passing but after it had gone by, I still heard it. Linda says, “I smell something”. 

     Right blinker on and we immediately head for the right lane. The sound definitely coming from this car. Suddenly the Mighty 400 bucks, sputters and quits. I push it into neutral.

     We are on the shoulder and aiming for an exit. One-half mile to go. We roll down the ramp and hang a right and another into a truck stop parking lot. I even made it into a parking space.

     The sound is still coming from the engine compartment and the hood goes up. It’s the battery! The vents are steaming, and it is too hot to touch. I disconnect the ground and inspect everything under the hood.

     It appears the voltage regulator in the alternator has failed and overcooked the battery. Linda orders an Uber and its off to the auto parts store to buy another battery.

     One hour later we are back on the road. Clearly all is not right, but we are still moving down the road. We make it another two hours to Celebration and just in time to have a great time.

     We continued to drive back and forth from the hotel to the event over the next couple of days.

     The alternator is a Bosch with a Bosch internal voltage regulator. How hard could that be? 

     I pulled the numbers off and called every auto parts store chain in the area. Yes, they can get one on Tuesday. It needs to come from their warehouse in… wait for it… Atlanta!

     No, I cannot wait until Tuesday, I have articles I need to start because the production schedule waits for no one. 

     Besides, with the overvoltage that occurred I don’t know if there is other unknown damage and driving a potentially sick Ferrari nine hours home is not smart.

     I was lucky the first time there was an exit and parking spot exactly the right distance the last time it quit. 

     We rented a car and will return with the trailer to pick it up next weekend.

     To put it all into perspective. A forty-five-year-old Italian Ferrari traveled seven hours into a nine-hour drive at speed without a single hiccup and it was the German alternator that revolted. We drifted off the road and repaired it within one hour and continued to drive it the rest of the time. Not bad.

     The Mighty 400 is comfortable and has room to carry all the luggage you might need. I added the photo of the trunk which appears full but could still carry more if it wasn’t for that battery!

     I can’t wait until the FCA meet in Charlotte. That is only a four-hour drive.