Hi All, In case you don't frequent the Mid-Atlantic forum and missed my introduction there, my name is Chris Jurkiewicz and I am a new Engineer with the Fabspeed Motorsport Team. Cars are my passion and I'm very excited to turn that passion into a career with a great company. Some of the first bits I have been working on are parts for the F355 cars. So far we have: Folding Front Tow Hook (with optional Go Pro Mount) - 7075 Aircraft Grade Aluminum, Anodized, 7075 is Stronger than 304 Stainless or Mild Steel yet much lighter weight Front & Rear Tie Downs - Both bolt to factory chassis mounting locations and are Powdercoated Red for protection & visibility - front requires small slot cutouts in undertray, rear are designed to allow your straps to cross without interfering the diffuser panels Fire Extinguisher mount -Moves fore & aft with electric seat adjustment, can be used on either driver or passenger seat Front Centered License Plate Mount - installs in factory mounting locations, installs in under a half hour, once installed plate can be removed in minutes without having to jack the car up Carbon Fiber(and Aluminum) Track Floors & Floor Mats - protects your carpet from wear & tear, makes heel/toe easier, gives your feet a nice flat surface to rest on if you have your carpet removed Rear Retractable Tow Hook - Requires no modifications to the rear bumper yet looks factory As we add more products I will update this thread with details & new pictures - here are a few to start: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Chris, Will the front license plate assembly/mount fit on a 1995 Ferrari 348 Spider? I live in Oregon currently & a front plate is required & i have not found a solution as of yet. Thanks, Michael
Hi Michael, I have not had a 348 in the shop to design parts around yet. As soon as one can come in, I will test this piece first, and if it does not work, I certainly will change what is needed for this design to work on the 348. To any 348 owners in the Philadelphia area, if you would be willing to lend your car to us for a week, we would be very grateful, and, depending upon what you are interested in from Fabspeed, we like to thank these owners with either discounts on the more expensive items or complimentary smaller items. -Chris
There has to be a better solution than covering up the chrome Ferrari trademark prancing horse? I will wait for a good solution & hope not to get pulled over/ticketed for the lack of front plate.
(posted before Ricambi's post was deleted) I would appreciate if we kept this thread on course with questions & comments on Fabspeed products and not dilute it with adverts for other vendors. I saw the plateclips before coming up with our design and in my opinion, ours is a better solution. It offers better aesthetics while still being easily removable (10mm wrench is all you need). On the 355 the plateclips will block some portion of your grill and the plate will sit up too high in my opinion. The plateclips are a good universal design, Fabspeed a better model specific design.
What is showing of the mounting brackets with the plate removed? Can you show a pic of the front of the car with the plate removed?
Here is a picture with the license plate removed, which requires you to remove 4 bolts. It's easier to just remove the entire assembly with a 10mm wrench, which is held to the car with 3 M6 bolts from underneath. There is a proper foam backing to prevent any damage to the paint. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You're right. My post was only up for a few moments before I deleted it myself. Good luck with your new products. They look nice.
Where is this part on your website? I was going to fabricate something basically just like this today, but I figured I would check the net one last time before I did. I used to design brackets for stuff at my old job. The only difference is I was going to see if I could beef it up enough to hold it about 1/2" off the paint completely so nothing is every touching the paint (dirt can get behind foam and act like sand paper etc.). I also thought about making it hold the plate curved a bit to conform even better. I started a post about this a long time ago, but did not like anything that was mention. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=355081 How much is it going to be and when can it be ordered? I hate giving the cops a reason to pull me over any time they feel like it. I need to get a front plate installed I am tired of working on cars though, so if yours has a reasonable price, count me in.
I hate the idea of cops or a judge being able to do a quick google search and find out that there IS a solution for a front plate mount. I do however like the idea of that go pro mount / hook, much better than the stock hunk of iron.
The part is not up on the website yet (anyday now), but you can give Jeff Harley a call here or pm him for order information. It is $135 for the kit.
Just placed my order with Jeff. I will report back once I get it and have it installed (think I ordered the first one).
Interesting my 95 355 does not have any from mounting plates, etc. I have the removable system (no holes drilled) from 5ivefifty.
In my opinion, the location the Fabspeed kit puts the plate, is the only location that does not look terrible. So, as of now, I see it as the only buyable option (besides custom).
I agree that the Fabspeed one is a much better location & probably quality also just due to professionalism/dedication that Fabspeed maintains. I am ready to order 1 for my 348 as soon as Chris can get a 348 to design/model any differences needed vs. the current 355 they developed. The new tow hook is worlds better than the stock Ferrari boat anchor in your tool kit.
I got the parts yesterday. Here is a photo of them. Not sure when I will get them on, but I will report back. Are you guys going to do an install instruction? I am sure I can figure it out, but it might be helpful in the future just to make sure all the hardware goes in the intended locations on the first try. Even just an exploded view with all the hardware would be fine. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Send me your email, I will email them over - we usually have the install instructions on the website, but the link is not up yet for this product.
I put the license plate mount on today. It works perfectly. I am glad I procrastinated long enough for someone else to make one I only found one tiny issue. If your not using a plate surround and just mounting the plate only, then the top two screws will protrude out the back enough that if someone pushes on your plate it will compress the foam enough to dig into your paint. There was probably only a millimeter or so of clearance between the bolt and the paint. I just added a stainless lock washer (had some the perfect size and they are thicker than a regular washer) along with the washer Fabspeed provides and this takes care of it. If using a plate surround, that would probably space the screws out enough to make this unnecessary. So, Fabspeed either put in two shorter screws or a couple extra washer/spacers for the people mounting with no surrounds. (make sure you add this to your instructions also). Out of all the plate mounts I have seen for this car, this is the best! All the others put the plate in a nasty looking place. Make sure you get some blue Loctite as well since the plate and the front plate bracket attach into a tapped aluminum hole. All parts are aluminum or stainless as well. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This is the first real solution for a front license plate on a 355 (& soon for the 348 hopefully!). I will order 1 for a 1995 348 Spider as soon as Fabspeed design/create the 348 version.
Thanks for the review John. Unfortunately those button heads are the shortest we can buy in stainless - I will amend instructions & packing list so we provide an additional 4 washers if the end user does not have a frame around the plate.
Just remember that I used a lock washer that is thicker than the regular washer you provided. The screw still protrudes and the "spacers" could even be thicker. You could probobly use 3 of the washers you provided and still have full thread engagement.
