G'day folks... I recently ordered a replacement canvas for my '98 F355 Spider (non-genuine, but OEM material), similar to this: Ferrari 355 F355 Spider Convertible Soft TOP With Window 1995 1999 | eBay I hear they are quite difficult to fit. Does anyone know of somewhere in Sydney where I might be able to have one of these fitted correctly? I assume the official Ferrari places wouldn't want to fit a non-genuine part. Or perhaps someone knows of someone who could explain the difficulties of fitting them (I have tools and plenty of time on my hands) Thanks! Cheers Ian
Ian, If you search in the 355 section of fchat for soft top replacement I'm sure you'll find the answer you're after This might help as a starter : http://ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/313502-f355-spider-roof-operation.html
Ian,a friend of mine went through this last year and it was nothing short of a nightmare for him.The only reason he replaced the roof was because it looked worn in certain places and he had just had the car resprayed and wanted the car to look completely new. He brought it to one upholsterer who he had refresh parts of his leather interior fit a new OEM roof which he supplied that came from Ferrari but after they had fitted it the roof wouldn't open/close properly anymore.The original roof worked fine prior to the new roof. Then he brought it to another shop and they re fitted the roof claiming the first guy didn't fit it properly,but he still had problems with the roof opening/closing although it was better than the first guy. In the end I helped him go over it again and we went through the entire hydraulic system as well and changed the fluid with the help of a few good write ups here on Fchat.
I must have been using the wrong search words on the F355 forum. I ended up just using Google. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/441033-f355-spider-top-replacement-pictures.html Looks like it's far more complicated than I imagined and there were warnings about buying tops from certain companies on eBay. I'm not sure I even want to fit the top I have until I have spoken to a local Ferrari trimmer. Thanks Cheers Ian.
P.S. Just saw the second post. Thanks for the heads-up, Maurice. The old roof tore when it was put on a hoist. The repairs were not the best, but now I see the potential for much more damage (when fitting the new one). Even even OEM roofs give problems, I don't fancy my chances. Live and learn
Yes it looked like a nightmare of a job.Funny thing was I told him I replaced the roof on my old 74' Alfa spider and found that easy enough of a job and said "How hard could it be on the 355" Try asking Sandy or Russell at Cavallino Motorsport who they would recommend. Ferrari Service | Ferrari Repairs | Ferrari Test Equipment | Ferrari Parts | Ferrari Restorations Sydney | Australia Cavallino Motorsports
You may have already tried to condition. There are no doubt other brands with similar products, however I've had great success with these two Porsche products on our Porsche Boxster's canvas hood. Once is a shampoo, the other an aerosol spray which renews, waterproofs and leaves a rich finish on drying. Perhaps you can have the tear repaired and then this may be worth a try. May save you a lot of trouble, time and money. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Unfortunately, the previous owner tried this and it looks messy inside and out. Will do. Thanks. Cheers Ian
Feeling rather slack, but I still haven't got around to fitting the new canvas. Main reason: The car was in the garage for a long time and in the garage light, the roof to me looked like faded black, so I ordered a black one (non-original, but made of the same material). In sunlight, however, I realised it was a dark navy (confirmed by the previous owner). With no chance of returning the canvas, I'm wondering how the roof would look in black... and would it affect the resale at some point in the future. My car is a pale/silvery blue colour. http://members.iinet.net.au/[email protected]/FerrariF355Spider/Fab355.jpg The car has a few bits of black on it, so in some respects it won't look out of place. The black may make the car look too top heavy, though. All opinions welcome. Thanks! Cheers Ian. (EDIT: FazzerPorscheman... Sorry, I forgot to thank you for the cleaning/care suggestion. Would I get these products online, or direct from a Porsche dealer?)
I'm having a little trouble with opening and closing the roof on my spider. Can anyone help me fix this problem please. I'm in canberra
Hey, like Pap says - from what I've read - it's worth checking the hydraulics. There's a thread on it in the Technical forum. Check out: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q-sponsored-algar-ferrari/316148-procedure-cure-355-spider-roof-does-not-close-properly-due-old-fluid.html
Yes oil level is full and has been refilled and bled through. The problem is in the small hydraulic lifter on the drivers side
The small ram on the drivers side is leaking? Did all the oil leak out, you refilled it and it's working ok now? I have to replace another leaking roof locking ram in a friends 2001 SLK230 Merc when the part arrives. The same thing happened to him. The roof stopped working, I checked the oil level for him and it was empty. Felt the hood lining inside the car and it was wet with oil. I checked the other 4 rams and they are ok. I replaced the same ram and two of the top lift rams a few years ago in his other SLK230. He owned 3 at the same time back then. Still owns 2 of them.
No it's not. One side is fine. The other won't latch on the pin on the way up. Putting the roof down is ok
There is place in the USA which rebuilds/upgrades cylinders Ferrari Convertible Top Hydraulic Cylinder Rebuild/Upgrade Service - Top Hydraulics, Inc Not sure if it can be done in Australia
