348 to 355 tail light conversion

Hello friends. Long time to hear from. First of all, I apologize for not getting back to the original poster. I am dealing with two elderly parents and their health issues and care right now so that is consuming my life for the time being.

Allow me to clarify some things about the LeMans Grill:

1. I did not design it as a "355 conversion." This is the most common misnomer.

I designed it as a traditional round taillight conversion: The taillight treatment on the 348 (and TR of that time) were the primary criticisms of these models. The LeMans Grill was designed as a simple, straightforward remedy for owners that desired the more traditional Ferrari taillight set up.

2. When installed correctly, the lamps on the LeMans Grill do not point upward, yet neither are they 45 degrees to the ground. Both of these look silly and conflict with the rear angles of the car. The lamps are supposed to be oriented at about 42 degrees, in precise agreement with the angle of the decklid. Installed any other way, IMO the conversion begins to look like a kit.

I no longer make the LeMans Grill. It was very tedious and the cost I had to charge to cover everything was objectionable to many. It was never a profitable venture by any stretch. I did make up a couple of "batches" of these at once, and announced to the F-Chat board that I had them, but I took some criticism for that from certain posters (and the website founder) for "advertising" when I wasn't a "paid subscriber", so I ceased to do that. No worries.

The 348 looks beautiful either way; in my opinion the 348 is one of the best all-around Ferraris ever made. From taking a quick glance at the prices out there, it appears to be very underappreciated at this time.

Best wishes everyone.

 

Husker, thanks for the update on this and the detailed explanation on the LeMans Grill.

Regarding your parents, I wish you and them the best, you are an incredible human being for taking care of your parents.

 

I bought the "Husker" grill a couple years back. It was awesome and the craftsmanship superb. I installed it. It's reversable and I think my 348 looks proper right now. Just my opinion. I don't believe in stock. I think since you paid for it, you can do what you want with it. I didn't buy a Ferrari for resale. I bought it for fun. I love the fact that I have a 348 that makes most enthusiasts look twice. In my opinion, the car looks like it came from the factory like that. Thanks again to Husker for making those kits. The wiring was awesome too!

 

Good post Husker ..... I wish you the best of luck with family ... it can be very tough to go through ... stay positive and feel free to PM ...

 

WAS BEAUTIFUL!, CONGRATULATIONS!

 

if you wanted the 355 or 328 look then you should buy that. Please why are people hacking up the 348.. the grilles are beautiful and yes look mean along with the side strakes....purely awesome and 1 of very few Ferrari's that have them.

 

Yep.
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Whilst I agree with you in principle (I'm not a fan of 355 style lights on the 348, especially when the rest of the car has been left original [at least with the 355 body panels fitted as well it doesn't look so obvious], and I think the original 348 lights look awesome at night! [I don't even like the Speciale 348 lights that don't have a grille over them] ), I would have to say that your theory of buying a 355 or 328 if you wanted that look is slightly hampered by the affordability of those cars.

In the UK (where to be fair, we tend to modify our Ferrari's far less than in the US), 355's at the moment are @ £10K ~£20K ($15K ~ $30K) more than a 348, and 328's are currently @ £40K ~ £70K ($60K ~ $105K) more than a 348.

I'm afraid you just have to accept that it is up to the individual owners as to how their car looks, and that here on Fchat,you tend to be frowned upon if you voice your opinion if you think certain modifications don't look "awesome!" (Been there! - Done that! - Got told pretty much to mind My own business!).

Some people even go as far as to stipulate that if you don't like a mod that's been made, don't bother posting!

As I have already said though, I think the 348 looks fabulous as it left the factory and the rear grille adds an element of aggression to the rear end.

And at night, the standard 348 rear lights give the car a real "Miami Vice" look as My Sister in Law puts it!:
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Yes, but the 348 is superior to both of these. 😎

 

Here is my conversion and the car is for sale
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Sorry pic did not post
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Car is for sale

 

It appears that the above conversion example isn't properly fitted/shaped: The right side of the panel, where it meets the rear quarter, is protruding by what appears to be a half inch or even more. Pretty rough work for the Ferrari crowd I would suspect.

 

Husker, are the rear light mods still available? If so what's the cost. Thanks

 

+348 the back and sides go together . The grates are a part of the character of the car

 

...and unfortunately for the 348 (and TR), the back was roundly criticized by Ferrari aficionados at the car's launch, through the model years, and still is to this day. Ferrari would eventually clean up the mess on the TR with the traditional Ferrari round tail lamp treatment - which came about as close to an admission of a design flaw as you're going to get.

Ferrari would wait until the successive model (f355) to correct the flaw for the 8-cylinder car, although they fumbled and bumbled with it a bit for the 348 "Especiale" model with a setup that would have Ferrari enthusiasts further scratching their heads.

 

I would love to - just haven't the time these days. Maybe some day.

 

That may be true but it still has become the character of the car. 512m looked like as it was made with parts lying around not like it was designed this way .

 

Exactly ! Maybe its because i live in an area with very few ferrari's , but judging by the reaction of people around here when they see the car it can hardly be described as a " flaw "

And i would hardly describe the design and strakes as dated , lets see ford flex straight lines down the side mimicing the strakes , chrysler aspen , straight lines up the hood , as well as that little roadster whatever they called it , crossfire maybe ?car design has focused on hard straight edges and angles , if anything the design was the precursor of things to come . Hats off to the 348 design , its a 20 year old classic car not pretending to be something it is not , ( or newer than it is ) by slapping scoops on it instead of strakes

Imho , with its tail spoiler / extension , the 355 lights fit the 355 design , and with its side strakes , the grate fits the 348 design , but without the tail extension / lip , the 355 lights/ grille look awkward on the 348

As far as the round lights of the 512 as opposed to the grates on the testarossa , its kinda like when you see a non passable crossdresser, big hairy guy wearing a pink dress , and you just want to say hey buddy you just aint pulling it off .
1994 ferrari 348 spider , third owner purchased may 2013 w/ 27804 miles

 

I really enjoyed my Husker grill. Very well made.
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As stated previously, the misnomer of the LeMans grill is that it was an attempt to make the 348 look "newer", or "like a 355."

That was not the purpose of the LeMans Grill. The purpose of the Grill was to allow enthusiasts to give their 348 a more traditional "Ferrari" look - nothing more, nothing less.

The "355" lights are actually just round lights - they fit several mass-produced later Ferraris - there was nothing particular to their design that tied them to the 355. We chose them for the LeMans Grill because they were a very common part and easily obtainable.

 

Very good explanation

 

You can be a cheapskate like me and make your own from aluminum mesh... Then you can really horrify the purists (the spoiler probably doesn't help in that regard).
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