I am in the middle of a bare metal respray on my 1979 308GT4. I need to source two door skins and a new muffler "diaper" section. Any ideas out there? Also any suggestions for rear view mirrors? Painting the car black, and have crappy aftermarket mirrors...
For mirrors... Vitaloni Californian or Cromodora Astro (getting hard to find) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It's been a long time since I last saw them, but I believe T.Rutlands had a bunch of NOS muffler diapers for sale at a reasonable price.
If you think of going vitaloni californian, I really suggest getting convex ones, makes the world of difference
Thanks for bump on Superformance. When I checked their site a month ago I only saw the 1/2 panels for the doors - below the break line. Now I check again, and I find the whole panel. Has anyone bought panels from Superformance? Thanks I'll try T Rutlands for the diaper section. I dont have any recent pics unfortunately. I pulled the trunk apart as it had some rust issues, and when I had a soda blasted they messed up the paint (which was crap anyway). I did a major in 2010 and was hoping to just do the trunk last winter. Then the interior next winter, then the paint a few years after that...
Some of their stuff is Ferrari nos. I bought a valence from them which was original. From what I've seen most of the stuff they carry that is aftermarket is good to ok. Some things just aren't right. Such as the wiper arms, they are generic chrome, the gt4's aren't chrome, the nut was completely the wrong size and thread, from home depot I guess. Though a coolant tank I bought was very good amongst other items I've purchased. Guess it depends what they are able to source out.
The California mirrors are not correct but at least they are Italian and will probably give you better visibility. Mine are like the square chrome ones but are black. I guess it depended what was on the shelf each day...
I believe the California were for the euro cars, if they had mirrors at all. The cromadora square type are US only. I have a nos cromodora for sale if anyone needs.
Why do you say the Californians are not correct? I see them on most gt4s and most 308s generally through early 1980.
308's yes, GT4's no. All the originals I've seen are the square type not the California's even on the Euro's but I could be wrong. The parts book lists two part numbers, one Vitaloni one Cromadora
Well, hopefully Robert Garven will chime in. He has a US gt4 with Vitaloni Californians left and right. Maybe he knows if they are original to US cars.
I think mine was changed by the dealer when they did all the factory upgrades. I even had a ferrari badged glued on the dash. I talked to the second owner and he said it was on the car when he bought it first owner died a short time after original purchase. PO added one to the other side. I am sure the car came from the factory with one of the square ones but almost as sure the california was added. My car was originally red, and painted before sale to rubino metallic (sp) boxer paint scheme. PO painted it back red not knowing it was originally red. It even came with 4 7.5 campagnolos star wheels and one 6.5 for the spare. My grills are also dark mettalic grey which the cars were not supposed to have but I have found at least 5 or 6 other US cars with the same grey grills, they all cant have been owner mods and all the same color.......... I have been marked off for them as the grills, etc. I am trying to keep the car as original as possible, but for the 75 cars, some which had all the factory mods some had a few and some had none, the "what is truly original" is a hard question to answer. Im just glad i did not have the two front badges mounted.........although this would be factory "correct".... Rob Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have the black plastic mirrors so I guess what I have is "stock", for what that's worth. They do not offer any view of behind the car, and they move out of adjustment rapidly. I really don't want to go with anything chrome as the car will be black, and there is just the right amount of chrome / silver on the car now I feel. The car is not stock - I have deleted the side marker lamps front and rear for example so keeping the mirrors original is not important. I just want the car to look good, and still be able to see behind me - if only occasionally...
True, but the GT4s used two styles. The first was a simple, three-part assembly which had a flat perforated screen (the perforations were staggered, flattened, oblong-shaped holes), capped off on either end with a multi-shape fiberglass piece. Used on the first series U.S. spec cars and the Italian-market 208's (with only one tail pipe outlet hole). The second style used on second-series GT4s were nearly identical to the GTB/S cars which were a one-piece, stamp-formed, louvered panel. These may not be interchangable, but not impossible to modify to make it fit. When T.Rutlands were offering them for just a couple of hundred bucks each, it would've (or still could be if they have stock left) been worthwhile to get one and modify. Believe me, I wish I could've gotten my hands on an original first-series example for my own car, but never could and went as far as making my own (with lots of help from Rob Garven)! Way too much work...
FWIW, my car has Vitaloni "flag" mirrors which were installed long before I got the car. These are not the originals though, as it had a single, driver's side chrome one when new. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
