More progress today....wheels and tires deep cleaned and dressed...they will turn more natural in shine within a couple days.. Front end put on and looks good... Time to asses the next steps.. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Says he who is currently repairing a door ding that some (insert not nice word here) person added to the side of my car, seeing the big abrasions on your car just made me laugh. To have a dented 308 would be so liberating; park it anywhere, drive it anywhere. Worry free travels. Enjoy. Just enjoy!
Looking Good! Paintless dent removal guy can take a lot of those out, saving you quite a bit of coin. (Sure you already know this)
This stencil isn’t the most ideal! Hoping it comes out ok...if not, black it will be, and see if someone can cut some vinyl, or go the screen printing route.. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Went the stencil route on my old 84 GTB. Sprayed the stencil with two coats of my wife’s hair spray, positioned the stencil and taped the outside edges with paper. Hairspray kept The paper stencil tight against the surface and white paint from bleeding through, made all the lettering crisp. Then washed the hairspray residue off with water after the paint has dried.
That’s exactly what I did, however, since this car is from the era of hair bands I went with Aqua Net hairspray. Seemed appropriate..
Hey there Adam - Looking good! From here, looks like my old front valence turned out to be a fairly close paint color match – Good thing that my car wasn’t yellow, huh? Now that some of the dust has settled, do you have a revised “Parts Needed” shopping list that folks here can browse for a possible match? For just one easy example that I can see, the 308’s front side marker lights (looks like your passenger's side got whacked) are the exact same size and configuration with those fitted to the Fiat X1/9, and Midwest Bayless here in town (that bumper shock guy that I had mentioned to you) always has plenty on the shelf for way cheap. Might want to buy a pair, just on the off chance that there’s some minor secondary cosmetic differences. What’s going on with your driver’s door rear area? Was it hit there? Or does it look like an easy paint-n-polish fix? ( ... and be prepared to receive comments from folks here who will advise you that you should consider pushing in the large USA-spec front bumper, for a 'cleaner' appearance). Cheers - DM
Thanks Dave! The paint is pretty darn perfect! I have ordered a side market light, it should be in soon... I am thinking the car was in a frontal impact and the reason the front bumper/valance was missing. This could explain the "wrinkling" on above the front wheels. The drivers side looks to have been run up against a building or garage or something. Who knows the stories this car can tell...It would require some pulling, smoothing, and paint. The door jamb near the VIN plate is pretty messed up...
Don't forget to give TRutlands and All Ferrari Parts a try on whatever else you need. TRutlands still has an incredible amount of 308 parts.
Well, the last three weeks have been interesting, and yesterday it became even more interesting. I was presented an offer on the car that was too good to pass up. I have learned a ton on this forum, and really appreciate the words of encouragement, advice, and meeting some of you in person and on the phone. The car will make its way out west soon. Thanks again!!
The question now is, has he caught the bug or not In a month or a year you will spot another Ferrari and your mind will do strange things. Only time will tell.
Just out of curiosity - repainting the damage on the drivers side - would people tend to paint the whole car or just the affected panels? Can a good painter match the paint (and sheen) if they're using a base/clear coat with modern paints vs. what was originally on the car?
How can you not catch the bug? Very very cool car! I have always had a soft spot for the little horse... If it was me I would paint the entire car. The car has single stage paint, and it would be a disservice to base/clear only a portion of the car. Thank you!
You MUST change the cam belts AND the tensioner bearings as well. I would not even think to start the engine w/o changing the cam belts and the tensioner bearings. And then there are the 10 quarts of oil, oil filter, anti-freeze, brake fluid and all belts and hoses. I have had my 308 QV for over 28 years. There is a lot to know and do. Parts are becoming hard to find and expensive. One of the good parts is that these cars are simple and fairly easy to work on. There are some special tools you will need to perform certain tasks. The Ferrari Shop manual used is the Mondial QV shop manual. The electrical manual is separate and goes by the year of your car. My '83 does not have the Bosch Lamda that you have. There are differences. I have the Ferrari 1983 parts book, shop manual, wiring diagram / electrical manual, the Service Times Schedule manual and the Ferrari Service Bulletins Thru 1984. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
I believe the 2-belts he was referring to were the accessory belts, not the timing belts. Early cars only had one accessory belt.