Robb, It's one thing to do a repaint, another to properly do a color change. I sure I don't have to tell you that. Be patient and wait for the right car. Took me 4 years, but I found what I wanted in the condition I wanted at the price I wanted.
We have done 19 color changes so far on F355s, most guys go with a retro color not offered originally during production. The cool thing is Ferrari is offering most of those colors on new cars so you have a chance of seeing them in person now. I would narrow it down to 3-5 colors and have your shop spray samples to pick from. Once you find 1 color you love have a body panel sprayed in that color and carry it around with you for the day to compare in different lighting. It's a good idea to do it during a major service as you mentioned. With the engine out of the car you avoid the mess from removing paint getting in the engine bay and can pull out the radiators/scoops to paint inside the door jams. Try to paint strip the flat panels to avoid warping them and sand blast all the edges and hard to reach places. Glasurit zinc chromite primer is an awesome base to start with if your going down to bare metal which I recommend. F355s tend to hide rust in the 1/4 panel seams and under the door jams. Also take advantage of the bare metal and weld the 1/4 panel seams to avoid flex cracking in the future. If you guys have any body questions feel free to email me at [email protected] I can try to save your shop some headaches.
Blu sera is metallic - my car is blu sera metallica FER 504/C. So badass they even called it "Metallica"... That said it can have a purple cast to it so if you don't care for that this may not be your color. K Image Unavailable, Please Login
FYI: My interior is original (1995), has only seen blue jeans, but jean stain issues here. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Since you asked for opinions I'll throw mine out there-- unless you just *have* to have a color not available on 355s I'd suggest buying another car. It's much easier to sort a car mechanically than it is to get one painted correctly, especially when a color change is involved. The car will not be original anymore, and it won't be the same after having been taken apart to that level unless the work is done by true concour$ re$toration $peciali$t$. I'm not a fan of color-changed cars because they're almost never truly right. If you do decide on a color change I'd vote for darker blue over lighter blue, especially in bright sun. Also, while I used to really dislike black interiors (thought they were too gloomy) I appreciate them a lot more now that I own one. I'd prefer Cuoio with a darker blue though.
That was ASK's(Andrew,s) car. I think that is a beautiful blue on that car. Robb, black is a neutral color, so most colors will work with it, which is why I like it. If I was going to change the color and was limiting myself to just colors offered by Ferrari, this would be it. However if it wasn't marque limited, other brands offer some very nice choices. I would be glad to help. I agree with Jim on the color, but I don't care for the tobacco interior.
I agree with a good portion of this with some exceptions: If Robb is not concerned about resale or the investment (which won't be sort money), the benefits are great. 355's don't have thick paint. Whatever blue car he finds is likely to have rock chips, micro scratches, etc. Fresh paint will resolve those issues and if done properly, will afford a few good corrections. I never set out to paint my project car and I do have great concerns but I've gone so far, it's just a bit foolish to not go the rest of the way in the restoration.
Fair enough, but I'd rather buy a car in the color I wanted and repaint it than to do a color change, even if I had to do some mechanical sorting as well. Now, if he wants a color that's extremely rare or unavailable on 355s that's another story. I don't mind resprays if they're done well but not a fan of color-changed cars in most cases. The newer the car, the more difficult it is to do a proper color change and the 355 is new enough that a truly righteous color change is extremely labor intensive. It'd be a different story if we were talking about a 246 Dino, for example.
Perhaps it is to most people but it's not moot to me. Look at the pics of the most recent car Bradan is doing-- they did not fully strip the inner door panels, etc. I suspect there are other areas not shown in the pics that weren't fully stripped as well. That kind of stuff bugs me because sooner or later I'll see it if I keep the car long enough since I do my own work. But even if you don't consider that to be a big deal the level of disassembly required is still a factor. I seriously doubt most people will put the car back together again as well as it came from the factory. There are certainly people out there who can do so, but they're few and far between and they charge accordingly. If you respray a car that's already the color you want going to bare metal may not be necessary, or even advisable, and it certainly wouldn't require the level of disassembly needed for a decent color change. I can see doing it on a tatty car that needs a lot of work anyway but I can't imagine taking a nice car that far apart for no other reason than just to change colors. Heck, the 355 looks good in most colors so speaking for myself it'd be easier to learn to love the color I bought than it would to deal with the issues presented by a color change. I suspect it'd be easier for me to find someone with a nice example in the color I wanted and swap with them than it would be for me to be satisfied with a color changed car. That's just me-- Robb asked for opinions so I thought I'd offer mine. The best decisions come from considering a full spectrum of advice.
I appreciate everyone's opinions on color combo's. It will be a fun year for sure. We'll see where the rabbit hole goes. But in the meantime. Keep the color combo's coming. Robb
I would personally not paint a Ferrari or any car I'm restoring without doing the jambs, etc. So, doing a color change is the same amount of work. Unless of course you would be bothered by the different colored over spray when removing the dash or door panels
Bottom line though, there just aren't that many blue berlinetta's or gts in America. I see many blue spiders. Narrow that to a '95 and you will be waiting a long time if ever. So that is the premise of the thread. Repaint may be the only way to get it all... Sticking on topic, here is a car that used to be in Texas. I think it is lemans blue over crema / b,ack. Very nice. Have no idea where it is now. Robb Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is a blue 95 Used 1995 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta for Sale in Washington D.C. MD 20016 Classic Motors of Washington D.C.
This is the car I've been mulling over importing. I love the spec, but my Maranello is TdF...not sure if I want two blue Ferrari's. It's a 96 GTB. Blu Le Mans with Blu Scuro interior (same as my 550) with carbon seats. I, too, long for a blue 355. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login