328 center console knobs?

I have the same problem; the issue being that the square plastic escutcheons- "faceplates" if you like- are printed or silkscreened on the outside first, with a translucent base color, then black over that. If one isn't careful, turning the round dial with your fingers rubbing the faceplate will eventually rub the paint off, resulting in a messy, smeared appearance. To make an entirely new plastic plate, if the plastic plate were just a square part with a large hole, not too hard to make a copy; but the hole is recessed, and there's a slight rim at the edge of the plastic. Such a part would have to be injection-molded in clear acrylic, then painted... or else a printed plastic cover attached (stuck on), leaving the edge to be painted somehow, or else light from the bulb underneath would spill out all around. Very tricky.

The next option would be to remove the existing damaged paint from the plate by sanding then polishing, which would remove the very slight lip but oh well, then spray the edge (only) black, leaving the upper surface clear, and after having printed plastic film overlays made in color & black, stick them to the top of the plate. Possible BUT uneconomic unless a number of people get together to justify the setup costs involved in having printed plastic overlays made. I talked to the person who does the "Unobtanium" stuff, who agrees that unless there's a substantial order involved it wouldn't be worth the cost of setup and production.

The last option would be to simply take off the faceplates and paint them black- that would eliminate the backlighting, but at lest the ruined paint wouldn't mar the looks of the interior.

If anyone reading this might have an interest in going together on redoing the plates somehow, reply to this posting and see what can be done. Personally I think that having sheets of new stick-on overlays (in all 3 colors; black over light blue, yellow, orange) wouldn't cost that much IF several parties went together , and would probably work out fine. I got such a sticker from a supplier in the UK (in blue, the only one he had left), but frankly I think one could do just as well here in the USA as anywhere else! Remember, the graphics for all the plates are identical; only the base color changes, making camera-ready art really easy! Off to the printers and...

Cheers,
Rich

 

OK, I've spoken to a label manufacturer who tells me that such a label can be made, for a few hundred dollars, more or less. The major cost is in the setup of course; once that's done as many sets as are needed can be cranked out. In sets of four, of course, in all 3 colors. So if (for example) 100 sets were made at $500 that would be $5 a set of four. The more the merrier!

Right now the last one original faceplate I was able to buy cost me about $50... for one.

Of course to make these work the faceplates would have to be removed, the old paint removed, the surface cleaned up, the center masked off then the edges painted, the masking removed and the new label applied. The adhesive and printed colors (color and black) would be on the underside of the label, with the 10 mil clear film the label is made from serving as a protective film for itself. End of story. For that price each owner should buy 2 or 3 sets as extras in case of mis-application or damage. These types of labels are commonly used in industry which is how they can be made at all, and fairly cheaply at that.

Any one interested- keep in touch!

Cheers, Rich

 

BTW, the easy way to remove the faceplate is to use a very small hex key to undo the knob setscrew (only needs to be loosened, not removed- if removed it might fall into the console, which you REALLY don't want to do!). Next, use a (metric) socket to remove the large nut holding the faceplate onto the switch, and the faceplate will lift right off. It might be stuck to the leather, but that's all. Remove carefully; it's only plastic. Do NOT try to pry up the switch itself! Also avoid letting the switch fall into the depths of the console, when the retaining nut for the faceplate is removed. If done carefully there's no need to undo the console, which is a real PITA, trust me!

Good luck-
Rich

These 4 square faceplates are the only ones that can be removed without undoing the console, though.

 

I would be interested. FYI—the early plates are flat, the later ones have a thin frame around them...

 

It seems that I have both. No real surprise after all these years; the only new one I got had the raised ridge around the edge.

Although it might be possible to carefully remove the paint in the raised-edge versions of course it would be much easier to simply sand off the face to clear plastic. No more ridge, but who'd really notice? On the other hand damaged paint is pretty noticeable, isn't it?

Anyone interested in pursuing this is invited to reply to me by email; mine is [email protected]. When I have a few folks on board I'll get serious & do some camera-ready copy to send to the outfit I spoke to for a firm quote. As I said it's the setup that costs, not printing a handful or several hundred or more. So far it looks like we might have 3 of us already; maybe as few as 10 might make things affordable, especially for typical Ferrari prices!

As for preparing and fitting the labels, I could probably do a set of 4 in an hour or so, should anyone rather have it done for them.

Cheers,
Rich

 

I'd be game for a complete set also.

Craig

 

So I have the same problem - would love a new set as well, but my solution was a bit cheaper and DIY...

My A/C control was looking bad, so i found a good picture of one and then printed it on a Stcker page - and then cut them out ... and applied it to top of the face plate, painted the edges.

so at night you can still see the blue, but its not as bright, but looks very good to me.... not concours but nice. I cant find the file but when i do I'll post a pic.

 

Hi, I'll do some artwork, talk to the label company, & get back to you.

Cheers, Rich

 

Hey all

I am also interested in this. Has this gone anywhere?

Can you find the original Pantone # for the three colors? I sure all of ours have faded to different hues by now.

 

Well, so far it hasn't gone anywhere yet. As for myself, I'm still mulling over ideas on how to reproduce the clear plastic faceplate, then have two two overlays done- one in color, the other in black. A mold can be made of the original faceplate, then injection castings made, but it's very expensive to do and I'd need to have buyers lined up to support the costs involved. The other issue is that there were at least two types of faceplates made- one with just a flat upper surface, and the second one having a ridge around the edge, like a "picture frame" surrounding the top. The latter was apparently supplied to later cars; I have examples of both types.

So- stuck for now. If anyone wishes to discuss the issue they can contact me at [email protected]!

Cheers,
Rich

 

It appears that the root cause of this is the OE knobs. They’re small/short and cause the finger tips/nails to rub on the faceplate when making adjustments. Also, the position indicator needle will sometimes scratch the surface. We can replace the faceplates (if they somehow become available again), but the replacements will also become scratched if the root cause of the problem continues. Taking a preventative measure on this issue, I made some new knobs. They’re slightly larger in diameter and taller to prevent my finger tips from touching the faceplates. Much easier to rotate and no more worry about ruining the OE faceplates. It’s a simple mod and takes only a few minutes to replace the old knobs. For concours events or when it’s time to sell the car, it’s very easy to change back to OE. Made a few extra sets when having the parts machined – they’re listed on ebay. A few sets with smooth surfaces and a couple sets with knurled surfaces.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Damn, that's a really smart idea. They don't even look out of place.

 

I would be in for a yellow and blue plate. I've been looking around and haven't been able to find them anywhere. In the cars being parted out, IF they have them, they want to sell the plate with the switch.

 

I would love to have some for down the road when mine show wear.

 

Rich,
Count me in for a set - flat style. Let's proceed with the project.

-Paul

 

Rich - any update?

 

Not yet. However with the interest seen so far it might be a good idea to proceed with some real quotes. As I see it the real difficulty is the clear plastic molded faceplates themselves; or else the only other direction would be to have thin plastic overlay "labels" made in the various colors, then apply then to the original molded plates. Then there's the issue of whether or not to go with the flat faceplate design or the one with raised edging; I have both- my 328 (an '86) has the all-flat face, but the only new replacement plate I found was the raised one, in orange/black, for a later car. "88 or '89? I don't know.

If the consensus is to restore the original plates with an overlay piece, it night be possible to have them cut 2 ways- to fit over the entire surface, edge to edge, and also to fit within the raised edge type. To sand off the paint from the original flat plate would be easy, but less so on the raised edge type, which would involve scraping paint off the middle,with an xacto knife or something. Or else sand it flat and be done with it. Making the stick-on labels is of course much less difficult and expensive; making the entire part- new- would be a lot more expensive, but anything can be done if the financing is there. I could most likely interest one of the aftermarket suppliers in committing to buying all new parts- in full sets, of course, even though many owners would only want a few, but then again if there are slight differences between new & old it would be best to change all 4, yes? So- if that's the consensus, fine, but first I'll have to get prices and minimum quantities.

Input, guys? BTW I really like the look of the new, taller knobs! Nice job!

Cheers,
Rich

 

Personally, I'm interested in the overlays, but either way is better than what's available today (nothing)....

 

Beautifully done!

 

I don't know enough about 3D printing, but can pieces be made in clear with that process? If so we could then may an over lay in the appropriate color and then a black one over that.

As a temporary measure, I completely sanded one of mine to the clear plastic, painted the color on the back of the piece and then made a photo copy of a piece onto a sticker, placed it on the top and used a hobby knife to cut everything away leaving a sticker over the clear part. I then painted it black and peeled off the remaining sticker portion. Not perfect but looks OK for a temporary piece until a better method is found. The weak link is how good you are with a hobby knife in cutting out the pattern.

 

Has anyone used this?

I ran across it today. I have no idea how old it is, if they have any in stock, the cost or the longevity of the sticker.

Not a perfect solution.

Sticker / sticker - 61838700 - ferrariteile.eu

http://www.superformance.co.uk/328/badges.html
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Love these - they look better than original!

PM sent just in case you have any....

Cheers

Mark