Bradan F355 Berlinetta bare metal paint job, Upholstery, mechanical service | Page 15 | FerrariChat

Bradan F355 Berlinetta bare metal paint job, Upholstery, mechanical service

Discussion in '348/355' started by BRADAN, Feb 6, 2018.

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  1. BRADAN

    BRADAN Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Aug 29, 2009
    22,661
    West Babylon, NY
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    BRADAN
    Allot of guys bought F355s a very long time ago and just want to freshen them up after owning them for a decade or two and don't really care about cost. You could buy a brand new California/FF/612 and loose the value of a F355 in depreciation in a few short years. Its similar to guys putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into 60s muscle cars.
     
    INTMD8 likes this.
  2. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jun 11, 2004
    10,625
    CT
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    John Kreskovsky
    This goes way beyond freshening up. :)
     
    Dave rocks likes this.
  3. steved033

    steved033 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Apr 12, 2017
    7,672
    Atlanta, GA
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    Steve D.
    I stopped totalling up what I have in my muscle car binder years ago...it's 2" thick though...

    sjd
     
  4. Dave rocks

    Dave rocks F1 World Champ
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    Nov 23, 2012
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    Dave Lelonek
    Obviously, at the current time, the economics of this don't make sense. But, does it ever? I own my cars because of passion. If I didn't blow money on them, I'd blow it on something else.

    It's nice to see one being saved :)
     
    Beetle, GSF355, 338Lapua and 2 others like this.
  5. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,485
    Lake Villa IL
    I don't think this is the worst route to go. This will be as close as you can get to an as-new F355 without buying a zero mile car.

    Even if you did find a low/no mile car in the spec you want there would still be a bit of maintenance and refreshing to do.

    This way leaves no doubt you will be getting exactly what you want when completed.
     
  6. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2008
    5,561
    Central NJ
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    Dominick
    I would buy this car from owner in a heartbeat .. in many ways this is better than 0 mile car

    Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
     
  7. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jun 11, 2004
    10,625
    CT
    Full Name:
    John Kreskovsky
    The thing is, if you want a pristine muscle car or a pristine F355 you can buy one for less that it costs to start with a project and have someone else restore it, and probably less than it might cost you if you do most of it your self. Why people get emotionally attached to this or that material objects is beyond me. I do admit to having problems in letting some things go, but that doesn't mean I'd throw money at it so it's perfect. No, there will be a time to let it go and then it's up to the next guy to decide what to do with it. I'll pocket what I get out of it.

    Saved or not, this 355 will always be a high mileage car that was damaged, then cut and pasted back together. And it will never be a rare car.
     
  8. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,485
    Lake Villa IL
    Depends on your definition of pristine.

    Probably 90% of "restored" musclecars I would not want with many details left untouched or just poorly done overall.

    Is there even one pristine F355 on the market now?

    Entropys car was probably one of the only one's I've seen fit that description and we have an idea of what that sold for.
     
  9. Dave rocks

    Dave rocks F1 World Champ
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    Nov 23, 2012
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    Dave Lelonek
    If this car was 1 of 25 for example, nobody would care if it was rolled over 20 times and then fully restored. Yeah, I know it's not 1 of 25 but the owner obviously wants the car to be as new so good for him :)
     
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  10. usshelena725

    usshelena725 Karting

    Nov 22, 2014
    83
    Johnson City, TN
    This thread is simply amazing. The quality of the work is astounding.

    Question for Bradan: Roughly how long is this project expected to take from start to completion?
     
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  11. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
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    John Kreskovsky
    Well, I see Home Depot has the Christmas decorations out already, so Bah, Humbug. :mad:
     
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  12. BRADAN

    BRADAN Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Aug 29, 2009
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    West Babylon, NY
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    BRADAN
    It seems silly to keep debating if its worth it or not 15 pages deep through a thread, its a personal choice if its worth it or not and the owner feels it is. I have seen 1 truly perfect F355 through the shop in almost a decade and it had 1,200 original miles.

    I will be finished with the car around thanksgiving so about 8-9 months of work. 4-5 months of actual hands on work the rest sourcing parts and sub contractor refinishing.

    Theres 7 more F355s lined up to start this winter so apparently a few people feel the same way.
     
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  13. steved033

    steved033 F1 Veteran
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    Apr 12, 2017
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    Atlanta, GA
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    Steve D.
    7 more lined up? Awesome!

    Mark this moment. In a few years it'll be "Remember when you could get one of those for....."

    sjd
     
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  14. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
    10,625
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    John Kreskovsky
    I appreciate that the owner wants it done at what ever the cost. And I enjoy the thread. But he is a different type of owner. Personally, I don't want a museum piece. Doesn't means I don't appreciate them. Now, with all the engine work, and the friction coatings etc, does the owner really plan on driving the piss out of it? If yes, why bother will all the cosmetic work? If no, and it's going to sit in a show room, why the performance work?

    As for the debate, it's just harmless discussion of different points of view.
     
    Beetle likes this.
  15. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,485
    Lake Villa IL
    Could use the same argument for the question, why buy a new sports car?

    Lots of restored cars are driven.
     
    usshelena725 likes this.
  16. usshelena725

    usshelena725 Karting

    Nov 22, 2014
    83
    Johnson City, TN
    Bradan, Thank you for the response. I was anticipating an answer of close to a year, so it seems I wasn't far off.




    Johnk, Don't forget that there are others with different interests and ideas than where your head may go. As a more moderate example, I have always loved the NB Model Mazda Miata (1999-2005), so a few years a go, I bought a 2004 with 84,000 miles on it.

    The thing is, I am a nitpick when it comes to cleanliness and care and want all of my cars and other items in my life to be as close to perfect as possible. So I spent nearly the price of that car getting it up to a perfect spec, paint reconditioned, all new suspension and cooling components, new top, new carpets and floor mats, new braking system, every belt and hose replaced, new exhaust system, etc. I then proceeded to drive the snot out of it every summer. Even on the weeks I daily drove that car, I would still spend 30-45mins every evening after work when I got home meticulously polishing and cleaning every piece of dust off the car and every spec of dirt off the floor mats.

    For many, they would have thought I was silly to spend so much time cleaning it only to go and drive it in the rain the very next day, but to me - I loved every aspect of it.

    Sold that car about 3 years later with 121,000 on it for about what I paid for it to fund the purchase of a BMW E93. Certainly never came close to recouping my investment in that car, but I would do it exactly the same all over again.

    Why? Because it made me happy.

    I believe the same is going on in the mind of this F355 owner.
     
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  17. redwedge

    redwedge Formula Junior

    Sep 30, 2012
    324
    London
    Full Name:
    Steve C
    I absolutely agree with it being a personal choice and perhaps not everyone will get the reasons for not going for a pristine example in the first place (you seem to be saying that such things don't exist on the open market, which is the answer to my original question). I didn't intend to question the owner's decision; they're going to have a fabulous car at the end of this journey.
     
    Jakuzzi likes this.
  18. Skippr1999

    Skippr1999 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2009
    4,209
    Any idea how hard a car like this must be hit to make it necessary to straighten the chassis ?
     
  19. BRADAN

    BRADAN Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Aug 29, 2009
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    BRADAN
    Anything that cracks your bumper is enough to bend a chassis. Figure 10-15 mph or greater or sometimes just hitting the wrong spot on the car.
     
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