My '87 Testarossa engine bay is in a little need of paint touch up. I am meaning specifically the parts around the ignition and fuel injection electronic boxes above the wheel arches where the finish is very rough due to the metal protection coating. Problem is, I cant decide which colour to use. In some parts the finish looks matt and in others it looks satin, nowhere is it gloss. What colour should it be? Thanks
Powder coat at 70% gloss. Your shop can get several grades of gloss - 70% is just right.... looks to be an exact OEM by my eye. A spray can will never look right. Rgds, Vince
Hi Vince, I think you may be thinking of the black tubular metal parts. I am meaning the body parts, like wheel arches and inner skins. These parts are coated in a very rough protective material then coloured black. Here is the area I want to touch up. Phil Image Unavailable, Please Login
Powder coat? Maybe some bits in the engine bay are powder coated, but the frame doesn't look like powder coat, just plain automotive paint.
I have a little related question, as I am doing the engine out service now. Seriously, is it really worth it to superdetail your engine when it is out? I mean super-repaint all the red and silver, and make great effort to clean up all the other parts of the compartment...what do you really get out of this other than to have a nice picture of the engine on a stand all clean to post here? How long would this last if you drive (like me) almost always in great weather and only maybe 2,000 miles per year? PS - those bolts along the lower side sills of the hatch opening - did they really come from the factory completely overpainted in red (or whatever body color?) - and do they ever need removing for anything. They look to me like they would be a total disaster to try to unbolt now after being painted the way they are.
I can only speak for myself, but I would DEFINITELY pay more for a well detailed engine (often impossible while in the car) than not. No question about it. If you must justify beyond pure aestetics, the car will run a little cooler, leaks WAY easier to find next time (saving some diagnosis dough), and the car just appears more cared for. The oohs and aahs are worth it alone. Once clean, pretty easy to keep that way actually. Mechanics prefer thier 'operating rooms' clean, and will likely feel your engine befits that philosophy. That is one handsome piece of machinery, make it proud.
The rough 'stuff' you point to on my 1990 was a wax based corrosion inhibitor - it came off quite well with WD-40. Let a rag soaked in wd-40 sit on it for 20 minutes and see if it softens up. If it starts to come off, some soaking and wiping will reveal a nice OEM paint finish underneath. Good Luck, Vince
Dear Ferraristi, Not necessarily so Vince. The whole engine bay looks like it was painted by a 10 year old gone crazy with a spray can. All the parts are painted in a typical OEM satin black. You can use OEM trim black by Duplicolor ( Autozone ) or extreme chassis black satin by Eastwood Co. Yes, mostly all black satin automotive paint. In short....yes! I have my TR super detailed and mine is a daily driver (rain driven) with 48500 miles. I came in first in the 12 cyl class in a Ferrari only concours last year. Once you get the car to a certain level, it's much easier to keep it near there than from scratch. +1! You can use OEM trim black by Duplicolor ( Autozone ) or extreme chassis black satin by Eastwood Co. BUT....it won't stick to the protectant ( cosmoline). Remove the cosmoline first...no easy task. Use brake cleaner (keep away from Rubber parts) and 3M wax and tar remover. You'll be surprised how good the paint looks under that stuff. Believe me, the stuff is sprayed so willy-nilly, it doesn't offer much rust protection. On the under panels and wheel wells on my TR, I removed all the cosmoline and sprayed with Eastwood rubberized under-coat then finished with a couple of coats with OEM satin black. It's only taken me about 5 years....still going! Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice!
Could not resist to anwser this all burning "What color was it!" -questions: My friend is restoring 250GTE and he told me the "secret" paint code for original Ferrari enginebay-black: "It is NOT what paint to use, it is more like the spirit of Ferrari..." "what is it??" I asked "...Go to your nearest hardware store and get the CHEAPEST metal paint you find, that at least is how Ferrari got paint they used and if you get yours same way, you can't be too far from original"
Mikael, I am happy to use whatever paint I find at my local auto outlet but as mine has some parts matt and some parts satin I at least wanted to go for one of those so.... Is it matt or is it satin? I know about the secret black bit already P
Dear Ferraristi, IT'S SATIN ! There's no matt black in your engine bay. By your photo,if you are referring to the items looking like matt black are really washed out satin from the use of heavy duty degreaser being left on the paint too long. Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice !
I should reiterate.... That's AFTER the first 4 years of just cleaning. Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice !
Shamile, I am impressed that you spotted the error in my detailing ways. You are quite right that it is indeed heavy duty degreaser that has caused the chassis frames to become matt in colour. And, I agree with you that it is due to the degreaser being left on too long. However, there are no other engine bay components where this has happened. Degreaser has been sprayed into the engine bay and rinsed off almost immediately. All other components do not show any marking and have simple "cleaned up". I believe that the chassis tubes have a wax type protectant applied during manufacture. Before cleaning, this wax protector left the tubing with a mottled dirty look to them, and no matter what I applied they would always look dirty. At least the degreaser seems to have given me a consistent surface to work with. I will be working on these parts over the next few weeks to bring them back to "satin" again. Over winter I hope to remove the engine for servicing and then I will refurbish the engine bay chassis paint. It took a while to get there but I get the message and I think I will go for SATIN, I am off to the shops to buy a couple of tins of paint. thanks all
Phil, the only wax on the chassis is the yellow cosmoline. It's better to just remove it. If you want to bring back the black on the frame tubes without painting, rub down with "simple green" uncut on a cloth....works wonders! Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice !
Dear Ferraristi, Brabus....here you go. ( pictures are with 47,000 miles on ODO ) http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198026&page=2 My TR still looks the same but dusty since I've working and working and working and working on mechanical issues. ....they all come at once...don't they? Shamile Freeze...Miami Vice!
Hi Shamile, I have been told that on UK cars at least, that Ferrari applied a wax finish on the chassis tubing of all models. This information was imparted to me by two a Ferrari trained mechanics. Incidentally, I took a couple of minutes this evening with some normal car paint wax and applied to the "matt" tubing. It is now back to how it should be........satin!!!! By "simple green" do you mean this all purpose cleaner ( http://www.simplegreen.com/ ). Its not something I can get in the UK but I have another all purpose cleaner that I use for wheel arches etc. I guess that will do the trick equally well. P
Thanks for the insight of the 70% gloss for the black powder coat...just had my expansion tank redone....looks like new...strip and paint $40... Image Unavailable, Please Login
