Yet another one of my “while you are in there” jobs was to replace the fuse blocks. Just like the instruments, the Ferrari fuse blocks have a habit of melting.
The problem with the original fuse blocks is that they rely on riveted contacts on the back of the box to carry large currents along the supply side of the fuses. The rivets are not good conductors and introduce resistance where there should be none. The resistance heats up the rivets and contacts and they start to melt the plastic case (sounds familiar!) and eventually the plastic distorts and causes bad connections introducing general electrical gremlins into the system.
The solution is to replace both boxes with something a little better built. Jonathan Bird has a side-line business up in New England building upgraded fuse blocks for Ferrari 308s. Fitting two of his new blocks was a lot quicker than building my own replacements.
Above: In the middle of the changeover. Ferrari’s partially-melted fuse block on the left with the riveted contacts. Jonathan’s upgraded fuse block on the right with fully-soldered connections.
Above: The original fuse blocks clearly show evidence of prior melting and distortion (highlighted). Both have been repaired in the past by soldering the rivets in! Better to replace them entirely I think.
Above: upgraded fuse blocks fitted and wired in. I also replaced all of the relays with modern equivalents for good measure. The old ones were still the original metal-cased Bosch relays from the 1970s. The turn indicator flasher was also upgraded to be LED compatible,
Disclaimer: This website describes the restoration work I perform on my car and only my car. I am not a professional mechanic. The website content is presented for entertainment purposes only and should not by seen as any kind of advice, information, instruction or guidance for working on any other car. The opinions stated here are my own and no-one else’s.
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