"308" and "quattrovalvole" Badge Emblem Restoration

It's been bothering me for years, and today I finally did something about it. My "308" rear badge had faded to a dark grey chrome look which reflected plain silver at many angles rather than the black it should be. My "quattrovalvole" badge was even worse, with *all* the black gone, so it was just a silver badge with the white lines in the letters barely visible. I had considered buying replacements, but until recently the "quattrovalvole" badge wasn't available anywhere (but Ferrari-UK has reproductions available now).

So... I decided to refinish them. I should have taken close-up pics before I started, but unfortunately I didn't. But you can see from this picture that they're not very high contrast.
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The 308 badge has two pins on the back with "keeper clips" like those on the "Ferrari" script on the engine bonnet. The quattrovalvole badge is held on with adhesive tape, so to get this off I took some fishing line and worked it back and forth behind the badge until I cut through the tape and it came off... it only took a few minutes, and didn't damage the paint.

I then soaked them for 10 minutes in lacquer thinner, and took a toothbrush to them to remove the white centerline paint. The part of the emblems that should be black had no paint on them, as they had originally been black anodized, which I could tell from the backs that still looked dark.

To refinish, I first sprayed them with black primer (spray can). That probably would have been sufficient, but then I also coated them with satin black spray paint. After they had dried for a couple of hours, I brought them in the house and went to work on the white centerlines. That's the tricky part, but having the right tool certainly helps. That tool is a "paint flow pencil" which looks a bit like an airbrush but instead just flows liquid paint out one of the replaceable tips. I used the smallest tip size for the "quattrovalvole" and the #2 size for the "308". The gadget cost me $35, which is less than it would have been to replace even just one of the emblem badges. Here's what it looks like:
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After drying and a little touch up again on the black, I added a couple coats of semi-gloss clear spray lacquer. And here's the final result -- like new, same day!! Thanks to Steven Rochlin who was kind enough to send me a picture of his recently added new emblems, and to Verell who told me about the Paasche flow pencil.
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You can get the Paasche flow pencil at some craft/hobby stores or automotive paint supply stores, or order it through Eastwood. I happened to buy it from an eBay guy I'd done business with before: http://snipurl.com/h6m6

The spray cans I had on the shelf already but you can buy them at WalMart, Lowes or Home Depot. For the liquid white paint I used Createx brand water-based airbrush paint, which you can get for a couple of dollars at most craft stores like Hobby Lobby. Though it's water based, heat it with a hair dryer to thoroughly flash off the moisture after you appy it, and then when you put on the clear lacquer it will be permanent. Alternatively, you could use Testors enamel that comes in those tiny bottles like is used for painting plastic models, but it will take longer to dry and is a bit messier for clean up since you have to use mineral spirits (paint thinner).

 

For your car, top one should be black with white line (like all 308s), bottom one silver with black line as shown below. Also see below for the proper configuration shown for most 208s, 308s and 328s, but recognize that sometimes the factory workers just took something "close" off the shelf. source: Original Ferrari V8 by Keith Bluemel
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Any time, my friend! I probably won't use it again for years!

 

Ferrari UK Classic Parts now has them for around $55. The 308 badge there is around $80.

 

Unfortunately, just about anything that will dissolve glue will also dissolve paint. However, if they're glued, it is most likely a rubber or silcone cement, which in that case I'd use the nylon fishing line trick again.

To put them back on, you can use double-sided foam tape available at Lowes or Home Depot or hobby stores. Plain double-sided photo tape, without the foam, probably wouldn't be thick enough to make good contact, and it's not going to be as water-resistant as the foam tape. In fact, 3M makes a foam tape that is designed to be used outdoors, which is what I used (it's gray, instead of white).

 

I don't think so. I've got 3 different 308QV Ferrari factory brochures, and lots of books showing 308s at the factory or factory-new and ALL rear views of them show the "308" emblem in black with white inside line.

 

You'll more likely to know for sure when you pull yours off. The backsides of both my emblems were black, even though the exposed surfaces were so badly faded.