BUMPER SCRAPING

This my sound a little anal, but I actually scout roads, driveway entrances, presence of speed bumps before I venture out. The valance on a 308 is fiberglass and is an easier fix than sheet metal. And unless you cracked open the side, the scraped underside is so low it's pretty much out of sight. Unfortunately, you know it's their, but others won't see it. One of the Cconsultants on the site (Verell) is redoing his right now. I probably bottomed out or scraped the front 3 or 4 times until I realized that it can't be driven like an SUV. You have to get anal or accept the fact that you are going to damage your car ... scouting is the best way. If you're unsure just take it very slowly when approching an unfamiliar driveway and take it at an angle. Get some touch up paint. And lastly, don't feel bad. We all have done it and learned the hard way.
Congrats on your new Ferrari and Join us any sunny Sunday morning at Starbucks on Rte 1A in North Beverly. Some times one Ferrari shows up other times their can be 4 or 5 of us.

 

Michael,

The 'trick' is taking these curbs at an angle and not straight on. You could also mod the lower bumper lip by adding Jabroc (same stuff on F1 car planks), or hard plastic (Lexan) or metal. Lexan sheets and Jabroc are available at www.hrpworld.com . Hope this helps.

 

But yes, Ferrari owners do keep body shops in business in re-finishing front bumpers...

Unless its not been driven, pretty much every modern F-car 355 or later will have had a front bumper paint.

Most people will not disclose this due to the "horror" coming from any part of the car being painted. I'd expect that your 355 has probably had the bottom of its front bumper painted at some time. My CS needs to be done, but I haven't gotten round to it yet.

Steve is right, go dead slow and go across at an angle. If possible have a spotter check a driveway before attempting it. I had to have the driveway at my house regraded once I got the 360 so it would go over the hump

 

Howdy, Michael - were you the guy that introduced yourself to me at Tutto yesterday (sorry, I'm terribly with names).

I wrote the following three years ago, but still love the skid plates! After I had the front-end reshot, the skid plates have really done their job - the front end still looks fantastic, even after another 10k miles.... (dunno what he's charging for prices nowadays, but I think he's sold lots and lots, so I suspect he's got some in stock).

==============

Ok, I just bought something pretty cool for my 355, and wanted to share with fellow 355 drivers out here.

If you've ever scraped the front end of a 355, you'll know what I mean -- under the "nostrils", there is a pair of black fiberglass undertrays with semi-circular leading edges. On most front-end scrapes, it's this black undertray that takes the hit, and NOT the painted surface on the bottom of the "nostrils". It usually gets scraped and chipped and hit, but not really that big of a deal, right? After all, who's going to see it, way down there on the bottom of the front of the car?

Check out these pics to get a better understanding of just what the heck I'm talking about:
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AB806926154&cb=PA

Anyway, in the fall, while leaving a gas station, I drove over the filling lid for their underground storage tank -- those things that look like minature manhole covers. At this particular station, the lid protrudes fairly significantly up from the ground. At just the right height, at just the right angle, it caught the leading edge of this undertray, and caused a tear in it. Not a big deal? Well, this tear also happened in the front bumper cover... up and around the driving light and the turn signal. D'Oh.

Well, the car is going into the bodyshop this week to get the front end touched up (way too many stone chips from too many track events), and this gash repaired. Again, see the pics to understand what I'm rambling about.

So, after it's painted, what do I do to prevent the next scrape? Scrapes HAPPEN, after all -- I use my car pretty damn frequently, and sometimes it just can't be avoided. I've seen other owners make skid plates out of plywood, out of lexan, and out of aluminum.

Well, I found the answer today. My mechanic (and good friend) John Tirrell, of Independent Ferrari Service in South Easton, MA, had some customers who were complaining of this problem. He's also concerned about scraping his personal 355 Challenge. One customer came in with a well-used 355 Challenge, and it had a pair of ratty looking plywood screwed into the bottom. John decided he could do better. He ended up having a machine shop make a pair of skid plates out of aircraft nylon -- flexible, with a high degree of "lubricity". The front/leading edge is beveled, to help avoid situations where the plates catch. The plates are machined to match up to, and cover, the factory undertray pieces, EXACTLY. Installation requires a drill and a screwdriver, taking even mechanically challenged nincompoops like me only a few minutes to put on. Here's the procedure: fit plate over undertray piece; drill holes in the undertray, using the plate as a guide; screw it in.

Voila -- now your 355 has added protection against scraping, not to mention the ugly situation I face, where the scraping causes a lot more damage.

He ordered a run of a dozen pair, and is selling them to his customers for $139 (plus shipping), which includes the installation hardware. I was pretty excited about this, and told him that I'd post it to the F-list if he'd offer a discount. So, if you call him at 508 238 4224 and tell him that you're an F-list member, he'll knock 10% off. I think Al Chelini had a shop that made these out of Lexan, for $100 a pair, a few years ago. These have to be better - they're nicely machined, contoured, and beveled.

DISCLAIMER - I have no pecuniary gain from any potential transactions, do not remove tag under penalty of law, return your trays and seats to the full upright position, product may settle during shipping, closed roads with professional drivers, never try this at home, etc.

Good luck!

vty,

--Dennis

 

Glad it's working out for you, Michael. You'll still hear the gut-churning scrape every once in awhile, but if you check under the car, you'll see that the plates have taken the hit and feel much better (I don't even bother checking any more!).

And now that you have your 355, why not join the FCA?

The New England Region of the Ferrari Club of America has become one of the busiest regions in the country. We have lots of great events throughout the year, from shows like the Ferrari Concorso in Hartford, the Festa di Ferrari in Stamford, to track events at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen to weekend drives to VT, Maine and RI, and even purely social stuff, like our GP viewings, Polo outing, and annual meeting with Steve Matchett and Sam Posey. Check out our website, especially the PAST and COMING events section: www.fca-newengland.org

To join online now, go to the FCA National website here:
https://www.ferrariclubofamerica.org/join.cfm

Once you join online, please send your contact info to Charlie Vest, our membership Chair (cvest at aol) so he can include you in our regional DB, because info from national sometimes takes a month or two to catch up to us. That way, you'll make sure to receive a copy of Horse Tales, our most excellent newsletter.

Let me know if you have any questions!

vty,

--Dennis

Regional Director
Ferrari Club of America
New England Region

 

I'll endorse Dennis' suggestions (get the skid plates and join the FCA)!

I also had John Tirrell put the skid plates on my 355 Challenge Car a couple of years ago and they've performed admirably. The front end of the car is so low that it just doesn't take much of an incline or a dip in the pavement to bottom out. And with all the unloading and loading onto a trailer, etc. the skid pads have "taken the hit" MANY times (and the bumpers on the 355Ch are carbon fibre, not something I want to have to repair or replace).

Charlie