An introductory Hello to the Forum to start with! Over the last few weeks, I have used reference to forums in order to assist with several questions I've had. These questions arose following a very impulsive and unanticipated purchase of a Ferrari 360 Spider. I have a short history of dealing with cars requiring mechanical/bodywork attention and this was no different. Due to the history of the car, we've had a requirement to undertake considerable work in order to bring it to its former glory. We've been on the project approx 4 weeks now, primarily due to me relying on resources as I do very little myself. However saying that, I've become quite involved with this project and that's meant getting down to the nitty gritty! Due to the nature of the work being undertaken, we've done a lot of stripping down, reassembling and I've tried to take a few shots along the way to hopefully help members in similar situations. If you think this will be beneficial to the forum then please reply to the thread and if I get a reasonable amount of interest I'll try and find time to upload some great info... Thanks! MSP
Hi Guys, I'm in the UK. We don't get much weather here for the exhibition of this fine thoroughbred, however I'm still doing everything I can do get our project completed within the next 4 weeks!
What sort of work have you completed? I'm in the middle of a project on my 360 and am based in London - be great to swap some notes.
Here's some of the things we're doing / have done... Removed and replaced front bumper (still in progress) Removed and replaced damaged washer bottles, pumps and refitted washer pipes Removed and replaced a damaged wing Removed and replaced a headlight, including the challenge of re-colouring headlight interior to match car Removed wheel arch liners Removed front luggage compartment interior Prep work for painting There are still some outstanding tasks which remain and we're looking to tackle those in due course! What kind of project are you working on Voicey?!
I bought a partly finished project. I've got a few threads running on different forums but here's the link to the Fchat thread. Not as much bodywork as you thankfully... www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=320586
I'm in Manchester, just bought my 360 - it's not a project, but I'm making it into one by detailing under the arches. There's nothing like shiny arch liners Did you have problems removing the bolts that hold the liners in. All my front ones were ok, they had clearly been off and greased when put back in but it seems that most of the rears are seized in. I'm a DIY'er and the 360 looks ok to work on. Lee
Ok Guys here goes! Firstly, apologies for the poor photos, but this project has been (vaguely) captured using a famous apple phone! The first pictures I've attached below show the damage on the front of the car. As you'll see in the various pics, the main damage was to the following areas: Front drivers side wing and front panel Front drivers side headlight Front bumper Washer bottle and all associated pipework Aluminium rad frame So, now you know what we were faced up against...progress to follow! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The first thing we did was to remove the wing and front panel (one piece). This is something I initially thought would be very difficult, however as I had the replacement wing, it was helpful in identifying where the bolts were positioned. Once all the 10MM bolts were removed, there was some cutting, pulling and splitting in order to break the sealant between the wing and the remaining body/chassis of the car. The procedure took approx 90-120 minutes, although I would imagine it would take longer should you be working with care and precision to prevent any damage to your wing. I have attached two pictures, the first one a plain view of the wing taken off and the second showing the position of bolts (a guide from memory). Just for info, I had already stripped some other parts at this stage from the car, mainly the washer bottles and pipes, headlight and some wiring. At this stage, I would also like to comment on how these cars appear quite friendly to work on. They almost appear like kit cars that are assembled in a somewhat logical sense. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This pic shows the wing on temporarily being held with just a few of the several bolts. The main aim here was aligning the drivers side replacement wing and front panel against the passenger side wing. This was quite a tricky exercise, but the technique involved reducing the length of the front panel gradually, until we were happy with its position on the car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ok, wing pretty much in place now, sitting comfortably and awaiting aluminium welding. The welding was quite simple, however we required the expertise and equipment of a local welding specialist to come onsite and do the necessary. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Oh by the way - Voicey... Your work looks amazing, and I'm sure I'll be passing a few questions your way soon!
Great work! You look like you were lucky with the rad frame staying intact. The cars are so easy to work on but I'm not sure I could attempt such an invloved body repair.
Samba-Lee, I have only removed the front wheel arch liners and it didn't take any major effort. I reckon they've more than likely been removed before. However, note taken on greasing the nuts during re-assembly!
Cool pics, I like the fact that 360's are into DIY territory. Your car didn't look to be too bad to start with and a fairly easy fix. So did you Tig the aluminium panel ? Yeah, my front liner bolts came off no problem and had been off before. I suspect that the rears have not been off and so the threaded inserts (in the chassis) have rusted. I think the heat at the back end has a lot to do with it too - same as my 911. Lee
I did a fair amount of body work as a youth, but this is an entirely different level!!!!! Thank you for the pics!!!! Yours, Tom
Thanks for the responses Guys! Just got back from the Bodyshop. Had a productive few days so progress to follow shortly. However, whilst on the subject of Italian, just made a couple of these to keep the wifey happy after coming in late (again!). Image Unavailable, Please Login
OK, so following the (TIG) weld of the aluminium front wing and panel, the Bodyshop spent a short amount of time applying filler to the welded area. The headlight was masked in order to prevent any damage to the lens corner during work with abrasive discs and papers. As you will see, although the welding doesn't have to be the neatest job in the world, once the grinder and filler are put to work, it soon comes up in good shape. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here are some shots following further prep work / primer in selected areas of the front. One thing that was bugging me since we got the car was the poor quality of workmanship under the hood. As you can see, once this was prep'd and primed, it appeared to look neater straight away. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
