400i #39155...for sale again?

Respray; used to be silver.

 

Good ol generic resale red. Best red for the 365/400 2+2 body is Rosso Rubino, IMO.

Another rule for buying 25+ year old Ferraris: Overall condition before color, always.

I'd rather repaint a bright-turquoise C/4 with a good engine than rebuild the engine in a car with my exact preference in color & interior.

 

Really? I would much rather rebuild the engine on a C/4 (or any Ferrari) than have to paint and / or upholster it. It will be much cheaper to rebuild the engine- figure $10 to 30k depending on what needs to be done (and once rebuilt you KNOW it is right) versus easily $20k+ for a proper bare metal respray plus another $10k+ for a interior redo. You can also rebuild the motor without losing patina or originality - not so for the cosmetics. I have lived through Ferrari engine rebuilds, tranny rebuilds, paint, body and leather work on my various former (#13141) and current (#10704, #18265, #49773, #65247) Ferraris and I can say absolutely the mechanical work is cheaper, faster, and easier to do and you get a lot more benefit in the form of performance, peace of mind and reliability. NO disrespect intended - just a different opinion.

A

 

Agree, difference in opinion.

My information source tells me $40K+ to rebuild a 4-cam 12, top to bottom, and that's probably getting off cheap.

A very good paint job will run me $12K-$14k.

I'll still go with good mechanicals and body over interior and paint, any day.

 

Well, all I can say on the engine rebuild cost is that I have lived it more than once, and I don't see how you can get to $40k unless you need a new block, etc. My 365BB (#18265) motor has just completed a very thorough top and bottom end engine rebuild including new pistons, rings, liners, align bore, bearings, valves, guides, etc., etc. by Bill Pollard (one of the very best in the country, IMHO) and did not approach $40k. My 365gt (#13141) got a similar rebuild (admittedly, it was a two cam not a four cam like the BB) again for much less than $40k.

That said, in all seriousness if you know where I can get a proper paint job done for less than $20k, PLEASE let me know (in PM if necessary) as I have spent much more than that painting these cars. Even once I factor in the cost of shipping to Texas and back, I would still come out way ahead. Thanks!

Alex

 

Scott,

I think Alex means a bare metal respray that fixes any rust issues and other problems prior to applying color. These are issues not necessarily experienced in TX...

Actually, what was the quote to fix your 330's fender bender ? Mind you, I think that price was insane but...



Alex,

You are assuming regular wear for the rebuild, not undoing prior incompetence.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Alex,

You have a lot more experience than I do on Ferrari engine rebuilds. Luckily, I've not had to do it yet!

You've given me food for thought, though. Purchasing a car with solid body under very nice body and interior, but needing an engine rebuild has always been contrary to my way of thinking; however, starting off with a fresh, zero time engine and drive train in an already-nice car is a very appealing idea if I went into it with eyes open and the numbers worked.

My ball park figures for rebuilds are of the "give me to it straight", complete rebuild, all-catastrophes-factored-in variety, during my times of car-looking.

These came from top-tier Dallas equivalent to Bill Pollard's shop.

Bill did PPI on my current 308 in late '07, we talked A LOT. He is truly among the best.

$13K quote for bare-metal job on my old 330 2+2 was given six years ago, mid-2003. Comprehensive but with firm understanding that unknowns lying beneath 3 paint jobs weren't factored in.

I'll PM you two names in Dallas area if you want.

Hey Art,

The $13K quote was for that very level of work, not counting "unknowns". Lots can change in six years. I'm sure the same shop would quote $20K now.

When I mentioned $12-14K to Alex, that with a really good job in mind, but not to bare-metal level.

High $70K's were given by five or six places, enough for Hagerty to not want to fix it and give me a check for $80K instead.

 

I am very much in this camp. I will always look for body, upholstery , engine in that order. You can put any thing you want in a Ferrari engine block and as long as it runs well nobody cares, Not so with paint and upholstery.

 

Do please send me the names. It can't hurt. That said, in the last 6 years the cost of insurance and materials has gone up dramatically, so I think you are right that today it would be $20k to start AND they will ALWAYS find more to do once they are in there.

In the end, I think we basically agree, as all I really meant was that the value of a motor you KNOW is right (done by Pollard or equivalent) because YOU had it done is greater than the value of fresh paint or nice interior (since you can see that more readily). I just took it a step further as my experience had been it is also cheaper to do a motor on these cars than to do cosmetics. Of course, YMMV. Anyway, a fun debate and I appreciate the thoughtful response.

A

 

Thanks, anytime. I'm always thinking a car or two ahead!

You have a PM.

 

Jalopnik article on this car:

http://jalopnik.com/5278139/1982-ferrari-400i-for-a-rain-man+approved-23995

Aidan

 

Or you could buy mine, Jason! '84 400i #47583, absolutely original and excellent condition.

Brennan Johnson
San Luis Obispo, CA