308 Build Quality

Best advice I could give you is go have a look at some other 308s for comparisons ---

Are they perfect ? = no

Are they pretty damn good if they haven't been messed with ? = yes

 

The QV that you looked at and described, is NOT how they came out of the Factory/ Maranello.

 

What is an engine lead?

The cars were very inconsistant. Some were great, some looked like they were built by Ray Charles. We had a black one once that came to the dealer looking like it was painted with a roller. In the late 70's it was really bad. It got progeessively better until the late 80's then suddenly it got very bad on some lines. The 348's had real problems but the TR's were still OK. Through the 90's it got better again.

 

If you don't know, get a PPI.

I've seen minor paint defects, and my 328 had a lot of orange peel when new, but bad body panel alignment sounds like damage repaired improperly.

 

I always suspected the 328 build quality went to pot at the end of the run. My own car (late 89) had an alignment problem at the bottom rear of the left hand door and also the window frame on the right door was out of alignment which caused the door to be difficult to shut. I have corrected both problems.
I am certain these issues were from the factory. The car has never been damaged and is perfect on a laser chassis alignment check.
I have seen other late 328s with exactly the same problems.

It was reported here that the record-price time capsule one sold recently at Silverstone had these two identical issues.

 

By now almost every 308 will have had some paint - it may be a lot it may be a little - especially if it is an earlier car it is often better to do a complete repaint if there is much corrosion to be corrected

 

Mine was repainted very well so I'm happy.
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a well repainted car is always a pleasure to look at.

Ferrari building quality was so and so at those years, but not too bad

ciao

 

Patina doesn't seem to factor well into the sale of these cars. Nice original paint and new paint done well are desirable.

 

My 89 body panel fit is comparable to a Lexus. It is very even and well aligned. I must have got a good one.

 

As Rifledriver asked - what do you mean by "engine lead" - do you mean "lid", the hatch covering the engine and luggage compartment? If so - the rear hatch has most often been removed to perform the major service of the engine. I've had my rear hatch cover off twice for service I've performed in the past year, and it's not easy to get it perfectly aligned again. It's currently "good enough" and it latches correctly.

My 308 QV is still original paint with a few paint chips; if I had it repainted at a good shop it would look better. A repaint job, done well, is not a negative.

 

An original paint car, even with the paint in so-so condition, is my preference. With a respray, you have no way of knowing why it was painted, or what is under that lovely new paint. My '74 Moto Guzzi has primer showing where the paint has been worn through on the tank. I think it shows love and use--why "fix" that?

That said, I am not big on obsessive detailing and show-car preening. I'll take a highly functional car with some cosmetic problems over a perfect looking car with who-knows-what going on underneath.

 

With an original paint car in a so-so condition, there is no way of knowing what is under that scruffy paint.

Mine was like that when I bought it and I got it repainted from bare metal. Make sure there are pictures showing work from metal for a repainted car and you're in a far better situation with known knowns rather than known unknowns.

 

Nothing beats a very well documented respray done by a respected expert. But on my budget, I'll settle for an honest, if scruffy car.

 

Depends who did it and to what extent. If you don't know paint, maybe grab someone that does to inspect? You need a very intense light and a lot of looking to find potential defects in a solid paint job. A bad paint job will be fairly obvious - lots of orange peel, overspray, tape lines, details missed, incorrect color in areas (black vs body color), etc

 

Not yet but as the prices climb and more serious collectors get on board it will. As tempting as it is to repaint you may regret it down the line. It's only original once.
But it's your car always do what makes you happy.

 

Can you call rust original? What do the collectors say?

 

Looking at some of the cars auctioned this summer and the prices they got, I'd say that some "collectors" consider rust patina.

That's a comment on the dumb money an overheated market attracts and no, rust is never a plus. When repairs are needed I prefer that they be as limited as possible and as much of the original fabric of the car be preserved.

 

The later 308's and all 328's were painted with Glasurit and it is very high quality stuff. Here most of the cars I see still have original paint unless there was crash repairs and they still look great.

Give me a car with original paint anytime.

 

Separate topic, but I agree with you -- the notion that cracked paint over rusted metal is somehow representative of how the car left the factory is ludicrous.

That said, beautifully preserved original paint would be my choice on anything other than a professional restoration.

 

Not on the 84-85 galvanized steel 308s!

 

your question might be valid for a car that was just built, but your expecting perfection from a old used car. you have no real idea of how it has been handled and repaired through out the years.

Brand new Ferrari's suck in the paint department btw.

Going to robots doesn't always make a good paint job.