F430 Key Restoration

At ten years old both my Keys were starting to look a little past their best, so I thought it was time to experiment with a little restoration.

Using the worse of the two I stripped it down and did the following......

The Body of the Key was feeling a little tacky, so I stripped off the sticky stuff in the usual fashion.
Wanting a nicer finish than the base plastic I prepped the surface then masked the necessary areas.
I applied 3 coats of Plastidip "rubberised" matt finish paint spray.

For the covers I removed the pressure pad, and rather than risk damaging the badge trying to get it out I masked it off.
I then carefully sanded the covers to remove all the damaged original finish intuit they were nice and smooth.

I then applied 2 coats of primer, allowed it to go off hard then flatted it back.
Next I applied 4 coats of Rosso Corsa 322 spray paint, then before it fully cured I applied 3 coats of lacquer.

I let that go off hard then buffed up with some cutting compound.

Quite pleased with the results for my first attempt, but as it was out of the can spray paint the finish is a little "orange peely".

I'll use it now and see how durable the finish is.
If it fairs well I will do the other key, but maybe use an "airbrush" to get a better finish.

Anyway, here are some pics of the finished article..........

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Looks good. The other key you should try to wet sand it then compound for a deep gloss.

 

Thank you.
This one was the "suck it and see". The other Key will get a more detailed paint job, and if that turns out nicely I'll redo this one.
But for now I want to see how durable it is with some use.

 

Nice work doing some experimenting. I was thinking about doing the same thing rather than getting all new keys $$$. Keep us posted on the durability and if I get a free weekend soon to have a go at one of my keys, I’ll definitely post the results too.

 

Thank you, and will do on the durability.
Given the cost of new Keys it's worth while making the effort, so good luck with yours

 

Bought a key on amazon for about $12 about 6 months ago ,they looked perfect so I just switched the guts over and it works a d looks great.

 

I am going to overlay some carbon fiber pieces in a few weeks and these will get it as well.

 

Hi guys,

last winter I spent a little perfectionist work on making over my two F430 keys. I cannot really explain the ugliness of the keys, as the car itself was handed over in more or less a near-perfect condition. Maybe the previous owner had show off the keys on their everyday keychain? Just guessing...

I decided, I wanted to restore one key to original, and improve the second one with real carbon fiber coating and a contrasting paint on the outer body. Love the eyecandy.

The only bit of advice I can give is to be extra careful with using as little paint as possible on the four corners where the yellow Ferrari prancing horse emblem is inserted. It is quite tight there, and additional paint will make it difficult to squeeze the emblem back in.

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Cheers,
TS

 

Very nice!
Good job.
I assume you are in some type of law enforcement?

 

Thanks. But I am neither of that profession, nor a graphics designer...

 

I was guessing because you blacked out the key. No offense meant.

 

No worries, none taken!

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190711085611&SearchText=ferrari+f430+key

Plenty of good solutions here

 

I messed around on my key @ my body shop with some Glassurit samples:
(sorry crappy iPhone pics)

Bianco Avus






Bianco Fuji Pearl

 

My two keys are fugly, but I have ZERO skills in this department.....i would gladly pay any of the OPs to redo mine have they have an interest in helping a brother out

 

feel free to message me and I can tell you how we do it with automotive grade paint systems from Glassurit

 

Updating from my original post, I had a second stab at this as I wasn't happy with the results of the first attempt.

It didn't take long for the paint to chip and wear off, which I wasn't to surprised at given it was acrylic.

The search for a more durable option lead me to Zero Paints.
This product had several advantages, the main being the fact they are cellulose paints which bond pretty much better than anything else.
Other good points are excellent colour match and pre thinned for airbrushing.

So I ordered primer, top coat (Rosso Corsa 322) and clear lacquer.
I then treated myself to a new pressure regulated airbrush and portable spray booth.

I followed the painting instructions to the letter, but also cross referenced that with some youtube videos of model makers and how they use the product.

The results were superb giving a lovely even finish, almost to the point I didn't need to polish it.

However if you're going to do a job properly..................so I flatted it back with 5000 grit - more to de-nib than anything - and two stage polished it using my Rupes Nano.
Lastly I applied some Meguiars ultimate liquid wax.

And here are the results. Much better than the first go !

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Looks great.

 

How easy does it chip? I redid mine with white auto primer, plastic adhesive promoter and Tamiya "Italian Red" lacquer paint, which matches my factory key perfectly, but I'm afraid it will chip easily if I put it on a keyring.

 

I don't know, I'm scared to put a keyring on it given the effort put in.
It will certainly be better than the first attempt as this time I used cellulose paints which bind better to plastic.

I may look at sheathing a ring to prevent any damage, or make a Para Cord keyring.

 

I just ordered this. We'll see what shows up, but for $20, I'll take a chance.


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