Sam have you looked into whether you can rebuild the cylinders yourself? I just did this job on my 996 cabrio. A fella on eBay sells o-ring replacements for a ton of cylinders. You usually need to remove a snap ring (possibly drill to get access to it), and then hook up some air to the hydraulic lines to blow out the internals. Then you're good to slide the new o-ring in. I rebuilt my hydraulic cylinders for $22 including both sides.
i thought the same thing after the first video saying $200+ to rebuild and replace a few o-rings....
did this too on my 996, same thought, a couple of o-rings, maybe some nylon backing washers, just a few bucks in parts
same thoughts here, the seals are unlikely to be specifically for these rams, just some careful measurements required
@@Samcrac O-rings: get Viton/FKM/FPM ones, they have better chemical and heat resistance (=should last longer), price difference is minimal compared to regular NBR
I’m honestly surprised we didn’t get a “ Now , Ferrari wants $10 000 for authentic prancing horse hair scrub brush to clean the leather , but I found the exact same Bosch brand at the auto parts store”
I was really expecting this kind of satire from Sam
Yes, but Bosch only uses standing in the stall old nag horse hair for their brush. ;-)
The other day I was in their online clothing store. They’ve got no problem charging like a thousand bucks for a ridiculous looking sweater. So it’s only a matter of time before that scrub brush with ball hair from Italian stallions shows up.
I’ve lived with a manual top on my MG for nearly thirty years. Seeing stuff like this makes me appreciate old-school simplicity even more. Man, those seats look good!
BINGO OLD MGB DRIVER HERE , BEST CAR I OWNED , I LOVED THAT CAR AND THE MEMORIES THAT GO WITH IT.
Our wedding car. 1966 mgb, restored by my dad and my godfather. British Racing Green.
I had a 1960 MGA 1600 for many years and the manual convertible top always worked for me as long as I was willing to put it up or down. I think I replaced the fabric once and it was under $100. During the summer months, I basically just used a tonneau cover. I'm glad I didn't own a Ferrari. I could cheaply repair or replace everything on my own. British cars were rather common. Thankfully, no engine computers to deal with. Side-draft SUs were dead simple to adjust.
I'm glad Sam is having so much fun replacing the top's hydraulic actuators. Who would have guessed the rubber seals would have deteriorated after ONLY 15 years or so. Hehe. What a money pit.
16:30 You answered your own question right after you posed it. The benefit is that they keep the dealerships happy for the work needed to fix them!
16:40 hydraulically operated convertible tops are far more quieter than their electronic counterparts.
"Super-reliable... For at least 6 to 12 months." LOL That's a great line!
He meant 6 to 12 weeks 85 % of Ferrari don’t drive them till the warranty expires
Great videos!! I really appreciate your Frugal approach to fixing these exotic cars. Keep up the good work 👍🏼
Nice to watch your journey of car repairs, keep up the good work.
99% chance those last two pistons in the engine area will fail when all the others are no longer leaking
When all pressure reliefs are eliminated - only then you put them under test... and then some random hose will blow.
Yep. Patch repairs are not the same as fixing a problem and the resale price should reflect that big difference.
Go all the way Sam! Best content you’ve had in a long long time.
Sam's content is almost always fun. I usually hate when the video is over. The stuff of him with his bro pal and the stepmom etc.., I guess I'm getting old.
I love the way you approach things..problem solving, practical, methodical but always aware of the costs. Makes riveting viewing.
You need to take this repair all the way to your stepmoms bank account. I think she should make another guest appearance on here as you beg her for money.
@@gedd6750 as they should. That step mom stuff was really cringe 😬
Great Job Sam, the seats are amazing, and the welds look pretty good. Keep up the great work!
Great video. I just wish you could do longer videos. Your very good at explaining things. Need more of it. 💪
You always keep it real. I love your videos. Fun to watch, well narrated and honest work. Very entertaining. Good luck on all the projects. Stay safe brother man. Cheers.
The moisturizer with dye in it reminds me of having to clean a $12 million house whose siding was all covered with concrete dust from the masons cutting up the stone for the patios etc. The boss told us to pressure wash it (which doesn't work and directly violates the manufacturer's warranty) so what I discovered worked was pour about 5 oz of paint in the bucket of soapy water and what that did was soak into the concrete dust in the pores of the wood siding and made it look great.
The site boss was an a hole who thought he knew everything and saw me "what the F are you doing"? I said this takes the concrete dust away. WTF are you crazy? No, watch this, so I scrubbed and scrubbed with just soapy water and as soon as it dried? white dust in the pores of the wood. Now watch, I washed it with the paint water combo and it dried and looked perfect.
He stormed off muttering under his breath "effing a hole"....
Willis? if you're reading this, you know who you are! (biggest douchebag on earth).
Haha that's awesome 😅. Way to put that d-bag in his place. F U Willis! 😂
You’d think they could do this with electric motors these days. Either way I would still repair it correctly if it was me.
With brushless motors having no maintenance and super quiet, it seems like an easy switch to a modern solution.
But then the dealers would lose so much money, from not repairing the systems.
@@04dram04 I might be wrong on this so don't quote me, but by all accounts the folding roof system on the 360 was designed by BMW, and we all know how BMW love to design things so you have to pay more to get them fixed.
It could due to the amount of torque needed to keep the roof in place when the car is at Vmax?
You are amazing….I just found your site a week ago been bing watching ever since, your the man!
@Samcrac The red fluid leaking from your system is the wrong fluid, that's probably why all the seals failed. you need to use the Febi Bilsten ZH-M clear hydraulic oil, the same used on Mercedes R129s.
Parts for a Ferrari are expensive? Who knew? :D
It's not just the parts, it's the way they are made that mean you have to strip down parts to get to areas that need attention - they are a nightmare to work on.
@@jonboy9912 You could apply that sentence to just about any car of the last 20yrs that have prefab outsourced parts fitted. Modern cars are sold once by the manufacturer that's all they need to do sell it, after the warranty period or what happens with a second owner is not their problem. All modern cars are put together with little consideration for anyone who might need to take it apart for a repair. Try pulling the dash out of any modern car because you need to replace an AC expansion valve buried deep under the dashboard, a $50 part and $1,500 to fit it.
@@glenmiller2433 I did just that job on my 2007 CLS and did it from under dashboard without stripping the whole thing. Modern cars suck and are getting worse. Just replaced parking brake handle on my 1999 SL a 10 minute job! Try beating that on the new model!!
Remove ALL of them, get them ALL repaired. Then that way, you know that your hydraulic system for the roof is all good. Or go manual.
Absolutely, I told Sam this would happen, maybe he should read more of our comments
Sam, I am like an addict watching your videos......start to finish!!!!!!! Awesome job. You guys always inspire me to attack my repairs that I start out on the edge!!!!!
If the welded brackets fail, you can carve them out of a block of steel using an angle grinder, dremel etc. I did similar brackets for the accelerator linkage in my 1928 Lea Francis and they turned out strong and looked good.
Bravo for the weld save! That welder paid for itself three times over in that one repair. I also am a rank amateur welder, but if the situation is easy enough, it's not that hard.
them welds sucked, Flux Core welder should never have been used, $40 could have gotten them welded right at any muffler shop...
@@MakeItWithCalvin I own that welder and a good welder, the tool even with a expert welder will often make a massive difference... the Porosity of the weld he made will let it fail in no time on such a small part with so much load
Grinding and paint makes me the welder I ain't!
I love watching you fixing these exotics. I would not consider this for myself. Quite content to see what is involved in fixing these cars.
Great stuff really enjoying this like the step by step method
Keep going all the way!! You done lots of the hard work. She’s worth it!
I'd definitely go Manual top, just one less headache overall. Love the shirt BTW 👍
Very nice on the lift! Yay you! Congratulations!
As far as how far to go with the repairs, I have no idea. I think the market is softening a little bit. But, you never know. Good luck.
Awesome vid Sam. Your content is always so enjoyable to watch and I can say as a subscriber that a lot of us look forward to you posting so much. Keep it up man💯💯
The thing I respect most about this channel is that you do the right thing economically so that's what you should do. If the likely future resale value warrants a frugal roof fix then go for it. Frankly, I don't think a typical Ferrari buyer would be impressed by a manual conversion.
Go with a manual top. You just spent the money on the important hydraulics, the Bendpack! Congrats!
Of course go manual. Fix the few items that really need it, and drive and enjoy it. Enjoying the channel. Tks for sharing.
Keep it coming, love these vids
It's always nice to have a working model so you have something to compare it to :)
Please label these videos PART 1, PART 2, PART 3... I am so freaking confused which one follows the first one.
Really dig you working on these 360s I have one and I am taking your advice! 👍
You have a lot of patience, that is for sure. Thanks for bringing so nice content. 👍
If it could be made to convert to a manual top...for the size of it, absolutely...it is overly complicated to make such a small Convertible too electric/hydraulic anyway
Sam I just wanna say .. thank you for your videos! I LOVE IT
Great content and kind comments to help each other.
Great the way you are not afraid to try and learn.
Made my day seeing your lift installed
Great job, I'm interested in seeing the extra work, that has to be done.
Sam love everything you do. I would get rid of all the cylinders and the plumbing and do a manual convertible top
I only have manual soft tops, or t-tops. Keep it simple, light, and as computer free as possible IMHO.
Wow, you just showed the lift so unceremoniously :D I thought you'd have a party to inaugurate the lift or something :)
Can't wait for that ECU update!
I still like your style and appreciate the jokes :D
Yeah man what's up with that where is your party the Lift the lift lift lift!!!!!!! it's been forever coming
Please tell me the company you sent the hydraulic cylinder to. I have a Mercedes that needs the same one rebuilt.
@@Samcrac hey Sam, you should consult Rich also because his expertise could be an asset, just don't let him create jealousy. Ask your stepmom to help you finish... this project
Love your videos man thank you 🙏🏼
Keep truckin’ on that top Sam! You’ve come this far!
Manual soft-top.
Massive big up to you though for trying to figure out a fix!
Hi Sam, nice video. Love looking at any car. More about you repairing I enjoy, than really which car it is. How about more on the lift?
Literally to the 1% who's reading this, God bless you, and may your dreams come true, stay safe and have a wonderful day.
You're doing a fantastic job, but honestly, I couldn't be more bored of the ferrari videos. The reason as to why I liked your channel to begin with was that you worked on sports cars that were budget oriented. Like the RS 7 or the R8, budget sports cars. Even if you could find a cheap ferrari, all of the repairs and all of the maintenance is going to be expensive. And it's the type of car a regular person would rarely touch. So watching the repairs are less interesting, and this is also your second ferrari of the same model. Regards.
Great video as usual! Probably can drop the restaurant background music though!
Once I had a similar problem with an Audi and the explanation I was told there is a preference for hydraulic is related to noise. Workable one, would make less noise then electric... But since then, I opted out convertibles... Not to mention the extra weight those parts add on the sports car. 😀
That is ridiculous "engineering" to raise and lower a ragtop. If the point was to make something as complex and convoluted as possible, they succeeded!
I definitely learned something in this video. Just like I did in school. Basically, things that I may find interesting but will never use in real life... or if I do, I'll have to look it up again because it will be so far from now I'll have forgotten the details. Thanks for the schooling Sam! 😁
Clyde's leather reconditioning balm is incredible stuff, I've used it on a few cars, but the best result was on my sister's Subaru, 2 days work but the results were incredible, Rj in Oz
Where do you get this stuff in Oz? Want to give it a go on my BMW seats, looks like good stuff.
I am excited about the Ferrari build and can’t wait for the update on your long term cars.
Yes Sam the 360 Spyder Expert!
Thanks for great entertaining videos!
Nice One .....Sam !! .............. Bless You & your Team........... Peace
Keep at it Sam!!!
Hi from the UK, I'd like to see it repaired properly working the way it should!
Nice car, love to own it myself, the blue color is awesome and the black leather interior. You could have fixed that hydraulic piston for the top yourself for far less. I’ve seen a video where someone had the very same issue and fixed it himself in no time and much much cheaper. Liking this series so far.
Love you you just snuck the lift in. As for the top, make it a manual.
Great vlog. 👍
Go all the way with this one Sam
@15:05 go for aftermarket carbon fiber hardtop if you had enough dealing with those leaky hydraulic pistons😅
Congrats on the lift!!!
Go all the way with it...I'm ready to watch till the finish product.
Take this car all the way!! Great content and now you have the green as reference what can go wrong!
I’ve worked in many auto parts and also car dealers. I would always tell my customers to never jump start cars with computers. Remember, when voltage goes up amperage goes down. When voltage goes down amperage goes up. Trying to start with a weak battery you amperage goes up and you can fry computers. They’re not designed to work with lower voltage.
Please bring it back to glory I've been watching religiously since the first video and look forward to every update I'd love an Indepth with however deep you want to go with this and sure everyone else will too
Bloody great video mate
both Samcrac Ferraris check exterior boxes for me. I daily drove the Green YJ Rio Grande Jeep for college+ years on 35s & love the green & khaki (not spice) soft top combo. two of the classiest rides ever is a ‘73 Mercedes-Benz 450SL & Porsche 911SC Cabriolet in light blue with the denim blue top. both make my sticker peck out & we’re lucky that they were ever a thing. somehow, Samcrac has achieved both of those combos (sans khaki Spyder top) with Ferrari 360s. amazing. way better than Ford Focus uploads
those quick connections are life savers for any convertible, saves so much money
You have the ability. Finish it and make it right. Happy Motoring!
This is why we follow your Channel . You're not afraid to get your hands dirty and to do a bit of welding when needed . Question...what was the "bit" on the drill you used to grind the weld job ? It looked very odd . Cheers/SRK
Keep going its getting interesting
We’ll actually vacuum the carpet when we get a sponsor………
Love the videos, when is the mustang build coming back?
One of my fav channel's to watch :)
Experience with old hydraulics has taught me that if you fix one leak, the next weakest part will leak soon after, even the parts that feel good. It's a chain reaction of one after the other till all the old parts are replaced. Just fix everything. I'd even find new hoses, and put all new hoses in. Any hydraulic shop should be able to crimp up new hoses for you.
I'd see about getting the seal kits and doing them yourself. It's likely that you couldn't do the latch yourself as it required a bit of machining, but the others should be possible.
I did all 7 hydraulic cyls on my MB CLK. Only $1000 plus my labor. What a royal pain. Now it doesn’t work and says to take to repair shop. I am bummed but I’ve learned so much! Claus at Top Hydraulics did a great job, me, not so much
I repair old computer boards and the yellow capacitor is a tantalum...they fail in a shorted state. They also can explode. Now we have polymer caps... interested to see what you used as a replacement
Go all the way! Love it
I loved the subtle reference to the lift, especially after all the crap everyone gives you about not having one! Cracked me up.
Yo Sam I enjoy your channel The vids are great ! You can rebuild those cylinders yourself if you want to I did it on a Mercedes 500 SL it’s just getting the seals, opening the cylinder, replacing the seals and closing the cylinder …. Not much to them it cost me $100 for rebuilding 10 …. Also any rebuild place can do it usually about $100 per …. Cheers! David
Do what you have to bro , take your time and ill be watching
What I think is that I see a 2 POST LIFT! Nice! Congrats!
Interior looks great Sam
Hi Sam, it rains almost every day over here in the U.K. so I think I would opt for the hard top model!😎
Really be up at 7am watching Bruce Banner fix up a 360 spider
You should look into some aftermarket hard tops for the F360. It would give it a sleeker look, and also save a ton of headaches with hydraulics and the roof being vandalized.
That sounds like a cool alternative. Or, could he do a full hardtop conversion?
@@mildmanneredthinkingman9323 there are probably removable hard tops available in carbon fiber for the F360.
Yup, CF removable hardtop, do it.
This will be a godsend if there's a kit out there for this!!!! :O
@@RogerM88 That honestly sounds best, save weight and if it clips in and out of place it could be an awesome corvette style convertible.