Dear all, I purchased a '95 355 today in red over black. It is in so so condition and so this will be a first "restoration" project for me. Can anyone tell me which part of the car needs special attention? Where can I purchase original parts at reasonable prices? I live in Southeast Asia. Currently, it has modifications done to it and I plan to revert it back to original specs. This is my first older car and a little scared of the task. So your help is deeply appreciated. Hendra
Congrats on your purchase! Why don't you fill out your profile and subscribe (only $15) so you can post up pictures for us? There's a search function that will provide you worlds of information. Welcome!
I don't think we can diagnose the condition of your car from thousands of miles away Recommendations may vary according to whether it is mechanical or cosmetic parts you need There are sources all over the world who have been mentioned before (take a look through many previous similar threads & sponsor list) but you really need to figure what you need and whether you want new or used parts
which part of SEA are you from? well the best option would be to ship in the parts...i got mine from Ricambi who are sponsors here ..Daniel Pass from there is of great help......however here in Malaysia, parts for the 355 is plentiful from what I'v heard so u can still look around if you're from arnd here........are you planning to do the restoration yourself? try visiting and talking to a few F-mechanics....
Start of with a compression and leakdown test. This is going to get you the answers to the most expensive problems you may have bought. Make sure they (or you) know what they are doing and use good gauges. How the car seems to run is not really a good indication of the motor condition....From there, the rest will be easy and just take time and money.
+1 To get a good picture of the heath of the engine you need to do a compression and leakdown test. If you get to the point of neededing to remove the heads and rebuild them you should then check the condition of the engine sleeves and do a low end leakdown test on them. From there the most important thing is making sure the headers are good. Factory headers are straight up garbage and if you find damage to your engine in a compression and leakdown test the most likely cause would be from the garbage OEM headers melting. Beyond that the valve guides can fail and that requires the heads being rebuilt. When they fail you will be buring oil. After that most the problems are nagging things that can be addressed while driving and getting used to the car.
Congratulations on the purchase !!! the 355 is just awesome!!!! BTW the posts above gave good advice!
Hi, Thanks for the quick response. Anyways, the PDI from Ferrari Indonesia states that the car is not burning right as the exhaust particles are not in the right amount. This still needs to be checked further. It needs a major service too and probably new hoses and gaskets. Other parts are probably less dear: damper + shock absorber, boot shaft + maybe shaft, lights here and there, etc. My previous Ferraris have been quite recent vintage and so this is kind of daunting for me. But thanks again for the info. Will try to subscribe and post pictures when I can. So that at least some of you can see some of the activities we have here in Indonesia. Hehehehe
Are you saying the car is polluting to much because the catalytic converters are bad or are you saying the fuel mixture burning in the engine is not correct?
They still need to check further. My understanding was that the engine's not firing right. Perhaps some cylinders not firing. So don't know if its catalytic converter, fuel injection, just spark plugs or something else. Bought the car unseen because its part of a package deal with a friend.
In Indonesia, any sportscars (eg Nissan 300ZX, Toyota Supra, etc) or supercars are rare in Indonesia due to taxes and permits before year 2000. This is due to the government's policy of promoting locally assembled vehicles. But since then, the government opened up the market for supercars to be imported albeit high taxes. My 458 coming in October costs about USD 800K. So, last Sunday, a local car distributor arranged a gathering at a local race circuit. And it was there that I met the owner of the 355. He was offloading his 512M to my friend. But the catch was that the 355 has to come as a package. Since my friend only like the 512M (1 of only 2 here), as fate had it, I bought it. The previous 355 owner is a Ferrari fan (Still has 2 Enzo, Scuderia and 458 Challenge). But he is moving to Porsches nowand thus trimming his collection a bit. He actually bought the 355 because it was sold as a package with a 911 Turbo 3.6. Regards, Hendra
Does anyone know if this OP is a lottery winner, oil sheik, or what? Man, what I'd do with these cars!
Oh wow that is a lot of money for a 458. Getting the 355 sorted will be small in comparison. In the US a 355 needing sorting can easily run north of $20k if done at a dealer. Many things to sort on the 355 but well worth it once done.
problem is finding someone in Indo that 1. knows about 355s and 2. has the tools to work on one. My thinking is that torque wrenches are rare in those parts and that they probably don't get calibrated properly very often. If I were him, given his resources, I'd ship the car to the US or Italy to someone that can make it right. No Offense meant to those in Indo; it just is what it is.
Yeah, it makes me wonder if there is a Ferrari dealer in Indonesia. Probably the most cost effective would be to ship it to the closest Ferrari dealer, whatever country that is in.
I'm sure there is a dealership in Indonesia. but i could be wrong. There's a huge dealership in Singapore and here in M'sia which is very close by if the car needs to ever be shipped over for repairs....No need to go to Italy!!!
The local dealership in Singapore is NOT familar with the 355 as they took over from Hong Seh (the previous long time dealer) only 3 years back. If you want to ship the car to Singapore, I will put you in touch with a ex-Hong Seh mechanic who looks after my car. Personal touch and dedication is what you get. Parts wise - You can either get direct from Ricambi or Eurospares or leave it to this mechanic as he deals direct with Eurospares Singapore which just opened up late last year. PM me if needed.
Hi, Did not open website for a few days. Well, we have an authorized Ferrari dealership in Indonesia. Incidentally, I knew them for a few years now so should not be a problem in getting the repairs done. Just been checking around prices from Ricambi et al to make Sharp I can stretch the dollars. Hendra
Wow a 599, a 355 and a 458 on the way! Some collection! Please post some pictures so we can see this impressive stable of cars. I will be in Jakarta next week- maybe I should bring my tool?? Seriously... find the best, most experienced mechanic you can just to give the car a once over. Taking the 355 apart is easy- but there is a learning curve to getting a neglected 355 to run correctly.
Hi, Been busy these past few days. Just specced my 458 3 days ago. It will be the first 458 Evo in Indonesia (Upgraded ECU, Brakes and suspension). Spec it in Rosso Scuderia with Black interior and lots of options. It came up to within USD 60K of a standard F12. Should have waited for the F12 hehehe. Well, when it comes to repairing cars, I will leave it to the experienced mechanics. I prefer to do the driving and not paying too much for the repairs. Hehehe Btw, sold my 599 many months ago. So have been Ferrariless for quite some time. Cheers
