348 spider soft top cover problem. | FerrariChat
Buy

348 spider soft top cover problem.

Discussion in '348/355' started by eddie348, Jul 15, 2025 at 2:02 AM.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. eddie348

    eddie348 Rookie

    Nov 20, 2024
    16
    Full Name:
    edwin JOHN buckland
    #1 eddie348, Jul 15, 2025 at 2:02 AM
    The cover on my 348 spider needed some tlc. The foam inside like most is disintegrating. You drive alone it either blows off or fills the car with 90s foam dust One trick is to cut the inside material and remove the foam but I think that would take away its thickness and form. So I set about glueing with a fabric spray glue a very flexible fabric that’s also micro pourous but will trap the foam in place. I also renewed all the tenax fasteners. A simple home project that’s given great results.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  2. Portofino

    Portofino Formula Junior

    Sep 17, 2011
    832
    Yorkshire UK / Switzerland/ Antibes France
    Full Name:
    Portofino
    #2 Portofino, Jul 15, 2025 at 4:22 AM
    You have to physically remove the old deteriorating foam liner and all the bits . If you don’t what will happen is the foam will carry on collapsing on the other side of your “ glue “ side , the side next to the leather - and huge lumps of free dust will collect at the corners making it lumpy and diff to fit .

    What you have done by the sound of it ( if I understood your post ? ) is just cover up the internal fitting side to prevent the dust escaping? If so it will migrated around forming lumps at the extremities.

    It works fine with this foam layer removed and made good . Plenty thick enough as the foams already in effect gone anyhow with it disintegrated.
     
  3. Chippa

    Chippa Rookie

    Nov 8, 2018
    33
    New Zealand
    Full Name:
    Colin
    #3 Chippa, Jul 15, 2025 at 4:33 AM
    Nice work @eddie348! A few months ago I put a call out to the brotherhood for a pattern of the tonneau cover for a 348 Spider, (mine's a '94, and the PO had lost the cover), but received no responses:( But that's ok I said; one day I'll have a shot at making one myself!:)

    However, now I see your fantastic, neat work, all laid out there, literally BEGGING* to be traced, so I thought I'd ask! Tbh, I have no idea how difficult it would be, with the compound curves, and the size.... but maybe a photo of yours laid out on top of 50mm gridded paper would be a good starting point, from which I could make adjustments for a closer fit? Maybe others have better ideas? (And I'd fully understand if you felt that it was too big a headache to do!:))

    * Let me know if I've plastered the love on too thickly haha!!:D

    Cheers!
     
  4. eddie348

    eddie348 Rookie

    Nov 20, 2024
    16
    Full Name:
    edwin JOHN buckland
    #4 eddie348, Jul 15, 2025 at 5:01 AM
    Obviously I disagree my foam is just starting to disintegrate with no lumps nor bumps and a soft cushioned feel to it. If the worst happens in another ten years time I’ll get the whole unit taken apart and rebuilt but for now this method both works and looks acceptable ( you never actually see it to be honest. ) I’m never happy removing original inners from parts as they always have cause to soften the pinch points of the soft top structure. Plus lots of separate sewed in panels mean you’ll be making lots of cuts to fully remove all the foam. Like most ideas the best is to get it completely rebuilt but this to me is a great stabilised solution.


     
  5. eddie348

    eddie348 Rookie

    Nov 20, 2024
    16
    Full Name:
    edwin JOHN buckland
    #5 eddie348, Jul 15, 2025 at 5:07 AM
    [
    To be fair no amount of pictures will help you make one from scratch. The main thing you have is the car. The tenax fasteners are on Amazon I will post the link soon. I’m sure a trimmer could knock one up out of mohair which I think would look better than leather.
    next year I might get one made and keep patterns for future orders.

    QUOTE="Chippa, post: 150190731, member: 222530"]Nice work @eddie348! A few months ago I put a call out to the brotherhood for a pattern of the tonneau cover for a 348 Spider, (mine's a '94, and the PO had lost the cover), but received no responses:( But that's ok I said; one day I'll have a shot at making one myself!:)

    However, now I see your fantastic, neat work, all laid out there, literally BEGGING* to be traced, so I thought I'd ask! Tbh, I have no idea how difficult it would be, with the compound curves, and the size.... but maybe a photo of yours laid out on top of 50mm gridded paper would be a good starting point, from which I could make adjustments for a closer fit? Maybe others have better ideas? (And I'd fully understand if you felt that it was too big a headache to do!:))

    * Let me know if I've plastered the love on too thickly haha!!:D

    Cheers![/QUOTE]
     
  6. Chippa

    Chippa Rookie

    Nov 8, 2018
    33
    New Zealand
    Full Name:
    Colin
    #6 Chippa, Jul 15, 2025 at 6:16 AM
    Cool, thanks for your thoughts and tips!:)
     
  7. Portofino

    Portofino Formula Junior

    Sep 17, 2011
    832
    Yorkshire UK / Switzerland/ Antibes France
    Full Name:
    Portofino
    #7 Portofino, Jul 15, 2025 at 8:05 AM
    You only have to make one cut along an existing seem to access the whole inside when removing the disintegrated foam and the loose bits .
    A single piece of what my wife calls “ banding “ re sown back in to close .

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Use a vac to remove the dust stuff through that incision.
    Hang it up on a windy day to complete the dust removal.

    Looking at the pic mine needs a valet as it’s got oil stains …..another job on the to do list

    It’s up to fellow spider owners to decide which way they choose to “ skin this particular cat “ .
    We got rid of the foam / dust as opposed to cover up the porous layer - see pic 1 ^ that allows it to fall out .

    There’s no wrong answer.
     
    eddie348 likes this.
  8. eddie348

    eddie348 Rookie

    Nov 20, 2024
    16
    Full Name:
    edwin JOHN buckland
    #8 eddie348, Jul 15, 2025 at 10:24 AM
    so true every project will have its own condition verses action. My foam still feels intact and in place with a degree of body. Yes it’s giving off dust but this no doubt is being made worse by some degree of wind /air making it worse. The new fasteners will help too. This idea now stops that friction and looks so much better. If mine were is such a mess and had lumps of foam I would definitely cut it out or re line the whole thing.
     

Share This Page