Ferrari 360 Spider

According to the Ferrari 360 Workshop Manual, the main lift cylinders that power the capote require pulling out the "capote" cassette in order to access them. For an expert with all the right equipment, it could take 10+ hours to remove the entire convertible top assembly. And of course, another ten to put it back in the car. This write up shows that the task can be completed within the car. Please follow this link to the document. Ferrari 360 Spider Replace Main Cylinders (pdf) Author: Simon Newby

Author: Joseph Pavich With so many 360's and F430's coming of age and showing signs of wear due to time, we're all likely noticing some effects of a fading or failing convertible top. The cost of a replacement with OEM parts can be incredibly high considering the tops are only provided with some expensive frame components included and partially installed. However, for the careful and meticulous DIY'ers among us, replacing the convertible top along with headliner can be done using an aftermarket top of equal or sometimes better quality. This write up will hopefully help those that are attempting to install a new convertible top on a 360 or F430 for the first time. While I have installed various convertible tops before, this was my first F430. As such, the writeup represents what I've managed to learn during the procedure from a single attempt while having some background knowledge of the process in general. I hope it proves itself as a useful tool to others attemptin...

Bosch throttle body for the Ferrari 360.  If you've got a Bosch throttle body (series 280 750 ---) on your car, and it isn't a Ferrari 360, then it's likely if anything goes wrong, or is even suspected of being wrong with your throttle body, you'll just replace it. They're inexpensive, typically under $150, and super easy to install. However, if you have a Ferrari 360 and suspect an issue with your throttle bodies (plural), then you're probably sweating right now. The stock of new OEM throttle bodies (aka holder) has been exhausted for years. There just aren't any more and there will likely never be any more produced.  Used throttle bodies are generally useless, due to the requirement that both units be matched. Unmatched units, as in one degrading faster than the other, result in trouble codes and limp mode. Luckily, the same exact innards to the 360's throttle bodies exist on quite a few other cars and these innards can be transplanted into the old 360...

The "wind stops" (metal frame, gasket, and thin screen) in the Ferrari 360/430 Spiders reduce the wind whipping in the cockpit of the car and add a nice distinctive touch. On some Spiders, the gaskets in the wind stops have deteriorated to the point of failure. This is rather unusual to see and I suspect that it's due to either some sort of detrimental treatment product being used (such as Armor All) to clean and shine them, or a material failure in some batches. I've made a number of sets of these gaskets as a learning experience and am offering them for sale. Some sets are better than others as I was learning how to make them. The defects are small bubbles and inclusions. If you need perfect, then please, buy the OEM frames.  The better sets are being sold first. Price per set: $300 plus shipping. Each set includes the three gaskets and three sheets of screening material. If interested, please contact me at: jcoryat@usnaviguide.com Installing the gasket in the frame...

A Porsche Throttle Body in a Ferrari 360 Unfortunately for 360 owners, the OEM throttle body (Ferrari 171716 aka "throttle holder", Bosch 0280750038) is no longer available at any of the normal places. If you can find one, the prices are well north of $2k each. When the throttle bodies fail, Ferrari indicates both have to be replaced with new parts and for good reasons. To solve this problem, I created an adapter kit to allow a commonly used throttle body that's FUNCTIONALLY IDENTICAL in place of the unobtainable OEM part. This inexpensive throttle body (Bosch 0280750474) is used in dozens of Porsche models from years 1999-2016. It's a Bosch part, has the exact same mounting holes, same internal parts, same bore, and is identical except for the engine vent. The Adapter Kit consists of two adapter sleeves and two connector pipes. The adapter sleeve moves the engine vent from the throttle body to the sleeve, allowing the use of the commonly available throttle body. It...

Up to this point in my life, I've never made a two sided mold. I've made a lot of partial molds and one sided molds, mostly out of fiberglass. I've never worked with silicone rubber before either. Since I have a rather large set of weather seals, trim and mounting pieces to make for another project, I thought it would be a good idea to get ahead of that by reproducing an existing trim piece as a plug, make a silicone mold and then cast the trim piece using a two part urethane rubber. The Ferrari 360 Spider Wind Stops, which are little screened frames that sit behind the cockpit and block the wind from messing up the driver's and passenger's hair, have custom gaskets to hold in and stretch a fine mesh screen. If the gaskets are deteriorated, the typical solution is to buy the entire frame with the gasket and screen. The gaskets are unavailable through Ferrari or any aftermarket that I could find. I decided to try and change that. The steps involved in this project: P...

Ferrari 360 Guide to Remove and Replace Heat Exchanger Lars K. Staack (aka lkstaack) 5/23/2021 Introduction 1. This is a first person account of removing and replacing the heat exchanger from a 2002 Ferrari 360 and is applicable to both the Modena and Spider models. I am a shade tree mechanic with decades of general experience, but only a month of Ferrari experience. This guide may assist a novice mechanic anticipate problems in advance, but expect to encounter issues that this guide does not address. Do not begin this procedure if that makes you uncomfortable. 2. This guide is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be official or definitive instructions. Performing these procedures introduces the possibility of personal injury and even death. This guide assumes that the mechanic is familiar with the proper use of personal safety equipment such as eye wear and gloves, safety equipment such as jack stands, and basic tools. I do not assume any responsibility for conse...