She needs some love but I will spend the money and get her back to her golden days. For the money, it will make a fun-spirited driver until I find my 430 or the Lamborghini gets finished.
Other roof problems were mentioned in the advertisement. I would make sure the roof works properly before having the canvas replaced. Sometimes the roof mechanism needs adjustment and this could affect the fitment of the canvas. Also, if you have roof hydraulic problems, the job could get messy. We've seen blown hydraulic lines on FChat. You don't want hydraulic fluid all over a new canvas. Doing it yourself has an added benefit. With the canvas removed, it's a lot easier to work on the roof. I'm in the middle of doing my own roof and I must say it's not for the faint-hearted, but the decision to do it myself was based on a number of factors (not the least of which was the excellent guidance from FChatters).
I read the thread going on now about replacing the roof. I’m really good mechanically but I don’t think I’ll have the patience to replace the top. I watched the video about 355 roof problems and plan on going through the mechanics of it thoroughly. My plan would be to remove the canvas and thoroughly inspect and fix the mechanical problems and then take the car to the pros to have the top put on.
Sounds good, although you'd have to find someone really familiar with the 355's roof. If you remove the canvas, you have a good idea of knowing where all the pieces go during installation. I was a little "gung ho" and removed some parts of the roof without taking photos. I would at least give the pros the old canvas to give them some clues.
I would have a guy lined up to do the top before u remove it. I bet some may not want to touch the job if the top is already removed. I had a guy bring in a car once with his engine in the trunk in pieces. It cost him more than if we would have pulled and disassembled it in the first place.
Did you see it in person first?? I saw it when the owner Nic was trying to sell it. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Good point. The guy that was recommended to me a few years ago apparently didn't like working with aftermarket tops. I gather from that that he made his own. The 355 top is a complex top. I can just imagine how expensive a 1-off top would cost.
Flew out today and drove the car 400 miles home. She ran strong and needs some TLC, will be a fun project. Good: Top works perfectly mechanically. Ran strong. Not dripping any fluids. Brakes and rotors almost brand new. Things I expected: She was a daily driver and not a garage queen, has the normal signs of being driven on the road 75k miles in chips. Interior is appropriate for a 23 year old car driven 75k miles. Headers are leaking and probably need to be replaced. Top needs to be replaced. Things that I noticed need to be fixed: AC blows cold but only on floor vents. Thinking it’s the HVAC control box and going to disassemble it. If replacement is needed $850 Stereo doesn’t work, it has a custom subwoofer, Alpine head unit and amp. I can fix this myself. No record of last major service so I am going to do the 70k mile service and major service which includes replacing water pump. Looking at $9k. Things I want to look at and find what needs to be done: Verify all dash lights are operational. Passenger window rolls up very slow and struggles to fully close. Clutch goes to the floor before I can shift gears. Read about the hydraulic pump and cleaning the springs. Around 100mph there is a buffeting sound. First I thought it was the engine but playing with the gears I can’t duplicate the sound in that RPM range. But at 90-100mph you can hear and only with the top up and windows up. Things I plan on upgrading: Rims, previous owner must have been drunk and had a few cans of spray paint. Interior, redoing the seats. Will deep clean some pieces and if I can’t get them to my standards I’ll replace/refinish. Carbon fiber interior layers and tunnel. Overall it’ll be a fun project and will be a car I can drive wherever and not worry about it.
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When you are replacing the top, if you are ditching the leather top cover please let me know. I'm looking for a tan cover in descent shape. Good find.
I have heard of a lot of people do the same amount of work you are doing but paid a lot more for the car. It probably wpn't be a money maker, but it will be fun and you will learn a lot. I have spent 30K on a 20K car more than once and enjoyed it. Keep posting the progress.
Despite your control panel's appearance, it's more likely to be the tambour actuator (no longer available and extremely hard to find). Lots of information in this message thread: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/146306075/ Best left to the experts. The magnesium alloys need special treatment/paint. Bradan (FChat sponser) has some interesting tips/techniques. The usual problems with the windows include broken welds, bad motors, alignment problems,....
Yeap same car, Those floors are unique. Congrats. You’ve got one hell of a great project ahead of you. Welcome to the club. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
