What did you do to your 599/612 today?

Is she happy? I'd like to think so. But after 19 years of being married to me...she certainly is RESILIENT!

 

I got to drive my friend Scott's beautiful 348TB recently, and he drove my 612 a little. The 348 seems to get a bad rap, but there are things about that car that I really like. My overall impression is that it was a lot more "raw" and less refined than the 612, and that it felt much smaller and lighter. The clutch and gated shifter were really heavy and the seats were very narrow and tight. But the car felt like a high-powered go-kart with really precise steering and great overall balance. Really nice sounds too, from the V-8 just behind my back. I love the styling of the 348, it's a perfect blend of 328 and Testarossa. Scott maintains his car with care and it looks stunning from every angle. I definitely would like to own a 348 at some point. Thanks, Scott!
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Today starts her 6 week storage. I got her in just before the snow. 6 weeks of starting it up and driving through the garage once a week.

 

I attended a car gathering in Niceville, Florida yesterday. Recent rains left the parking lot muddy but I still had a pleasant time. Most of the people I talked to had never seen a 612 before...which I think is pretty cool! It's a Ferrari that certainly flies under the radar. I spent about 2 hours cleaning my car today and I don't mind saying so - she is really looking pretty!
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What am I doing to my 612 today? I'll let one pic answer that. You other 612 owners must surely feel my pain...!
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After 15 years and 90k kms it seemed like new wheel bolts all around were appropriate.
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You need titanium bolts to dress her up.

 

Only three more weeks of hibernation and then I'm in business!

 

Ok, so I had a 'senior moment' when I was pulling into the parking lot at Chick-Fil-A on Saturday afternoon. To be fair, the 612 is a difficult car to park with its long/low hood and these air deflectors that are horribly exposed. These things are bonded to the fiberglass bumper and cannot be removed or replaced. A poor design in my opinion. And they make a really unpleasant CRUNCH sound when rammed into the curb...but I digress.

I removed the loose debris with a dental pick and cleaned-up the area with on old toothbrush. I then glued the biggest chips back into place with 6-minute epoxy mixed with talcum powder (this makes a strong and sand-able filler). Next I filled the biggest voids and any low areas with fiberglass-reinforced body filler, and sanded it smooth once dry. Next I applied regular body filler to the repair area and sanded it smooth when dry. Next I filled the few remaining imperfections with polyester glazing putty and carefully sanded it smooth when dry. Then I masked-off the area and sprayed a few coats of Tamiya-brand fine white primer, and wet sanded the entire air deflector once the primer was dry. Finally, I sprayed a few coats of Krylon Fusion All-In-One Satin Black rattle-can paint before calling the job done. Let me say something about the Krylon paint. This particular paint is a nearly perfect match for the Ferrari trim-black color and texture, and it is VERY durable. It goes on super smooth and provides a great finish.

Overall, I am very happy with how this repair turned out. I hope it's the last time I have to do it but it probably won't be! I spent most of the day working on it, on and off. I'm sure the local body shop would have been happy to charge me $750 or more for the work.
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Just curious, the 599 has optional skid pads in those areas underneath to help protect those areas. Does the 612 not offer those?

 

Hi George. I have seen an aftermarket "shoe" or similar skid plate advertised that can be attached to the underside of the air deflector.

https://exoticinsight.com/product/ferrari-612-scaglietti-skid-plates/

They are held in place with double-sided tape. That would serve to protect the underside of the air deflector from scrapes but wouldn't really offer much protection in a frontal impact. The underside of the stock air deflector is not perfectly flat....it has some complex curves on the end that points towards the centerline of the car, and I am a little skeptical of how they would fit. At $480 I'm not willing to buy sight-unseen. I have never seen a Ferrari factory option for an item like that.

 

I drove mine today for a short while, its been in storage over Winter and it was a decent day, it's off for a Respray next week, then Ceramic coating then PPF, should look mint
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Good job, I just got a big chip on one of mine. Have this job in my future.

 

I certainly feel your pain! Good luck with the repair. It's not too difficult. Just tedious and time consuming.

 

I just noticed this company, "ExoticInsight.com", doesn't even show a picture of a real car on their product page....it's a diecast model of a 612 OTO! Now I'm REALLY skeptical.....

 

Saw these on eBay the other day. No idea if they’re any good.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/252072978709?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=NC6q29kNREq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=7FbzXOR-SEy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Seems expensive for what you get. I think I could make a comparable product out of high-impact plastic (similar to motorcycle racing knee-sliders) for a fraction of the cost. It doesn't seem to be a popular product in the 612 community. I don't recall seeing any cars with these skid plates installed.

 

I think it would look awkward and these things are shaped the way they are for aerodynamic reasons. Still……they should have been carbon fiber and bolted to the bumper so you could easily replace them.

 

WHY would you make them from CF? That would fail VERY quickly. There is a reason they are made from plastics.

 

6 hours!!

 

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Woke the 599 up from a 4 month nap. Replaced the hood struts as they were starting to fail. Also replaced the leather straps for the spare tire as one was missing and the other ripped in half. Then took her on a nice 30 minute wake up drive. So nice to be behind the wheel of this car again.


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Cleaned my wheel wells and suspension. New tires and alignment.

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Hi,
I need to replace the straps on mine, Did you buy original or aftermarket straps ?
Any pics ?
Thanks.

 

Like a dummy I forgot to take any decent pics before I installed them. But I did go with the genuine Ferrari parts. I ordered thru Eurospares. They took about 3 weeks from the time I ordered until they arrived. The part numbers are below. Hope that helps.
69865200 in stock
Genuine Ferrari Part LOWER BELT WITH BUCKLE -SPAR New
69865300 in stock
Genuine Ferrari Part UPPER BELT WITH BUCKLE -SPAR

 

@Chindit, thank you for this write up. My ‘05 needs this work as well.