Hi Guys; I'm in the process of going through a prepurchase inspection on a 1987 328 GTS with 17,000 original miles(California car).However.for some silly reason one of the previous owners painted the side louvres,rear deck grill,spoiler,side mirrors and Targa top RED.My plan would be to bring these parts back to original black.Is the process more detailed than just having a shop paint them? Any help would greatly be appreciated. Bobbys
You may like the look of the top red. But the rest of the stuff you could remove yourself and have a shop strip and repaint black.
Thanks Sean,you might be right,because I've been in love with the GTB for some time.However as you know very scarce.Maybe paint everything as you said drive it for a while than make a decision whether or not to bring targa back to black. Good Point. VIN # of car I'm looking to purchase is ZFFXA20A6H0071555 should anyone have any details.
I looked at one here in northern calif. that was all red louvers and everything if its the same car stay away from it I belive it was about the same many miles gears grinded in 2nd,3rd and it needed belts it was on e-bay about 2 months ago some body here might remember the car I brought it up to everyones atten. it might be the same one, how many could there be painted all red even the roof, anyway make sure the ppi checks compression,trany,and the clutch, the one I looked at sold to a auto dealer in texas for 36k,maybe that deal fill through
If you want a GTB, buy one. I think there's one listed on FerrariAds here (link above). IMHO, the GTS is a classic with the top and louvres in black, in part because (my hunch) Pininfarina designed it with the targa in mind after the 246 GTS, so the roof section on all 308/328s is rather flat. When targa-topped cars are painted red, I've always thought it was the automotive equivalent of Hair Club for Men -- not fooling too many people. I'd say embrace the era. The full louvres on the GTS echo the decklid profile and seam line, and rear fender curvature. It's a very graceful part of the car, and you lose a bit of that with the GTB's extra exposed glass. [bias]Or, get a black GTS and you have the best of both worlds. [/bias] As to how involved: I think the side louvres could be stripped, but you might have to replace them if they were 'roughed' in preparation for paint. The targa top was probably smoothed/ruined and would need to be replaced. If you want a nice GTS, check Motorcars in Springfield MO or Sport Auto in NC (nice 87). Image Unavailable, Please Login
This I believe sold for about that to an auto dealer on Long Island.Interesting,because I drove the car today and it was tough to get into 2nd grear.I also did some Columbo work found out who the previous owner was called in San Leandro,CA and he mentioned that he sold it for cheap beacuse he did not want to go through the belt service. I feel like a detective.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164434&highlight=painted+louvers Here's the previous thread.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/87-Ferrari-328-GTS_W0QQitemZ170142942666QQihZ007QQcategoryZ6212QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem He sold it for $35,100. You can likely find a better car for a bit more money and come out ahead.
BTW, The targa roof is fibreglass, molded with a leather grain pattern. Most likely the leather grain was sanded smooth before repainting red. Repainting black won't restore the leather grain texture, you'll still have a smooth black top. Don't know what would restore the leather grain other than finding another targa top.
The top is fiberglass, once it's red you likely can't get it back to the original "vinyl" finish. The louvers perhaps could be stripped or replaced. Stripping them would be difficult as there are lots of nooks & crannys, and I suspect painting the rear louvers over the engine is a pretty major job. Mirrors are plastic, probably paintable. You'll never bring it back to factory looks, IMO.
Guys,thanks for all your help,I'm so happy right now.Think about it I drove this car today,join FerrariChat today and got more info on this car than I could have on my own WOW--what value!!! Ok,back to my search.Although I love the GTB I think I;ll stay with the GTS. Any idea on where I should keep looking for one(price range $50,000 to $55,000).
Call Steve Jones at Sport Auto about the two red ones they have. www.sportauto.cc. I remember my first drive in a 328. Kind of like losing your automotive virginity!
gatorfl, your right that is the one I went out to look at the owner abused the car when he took me for a ride grinding gears telling me it was adjustment,then I looked at the history he had (not much) that it never had belts or any service to speak of or he just didn't have them there with him any way I felt this car should be behind me like history, so be careful,and do your homework and have it check throughly, and plenty of money in the bank if you buy it so if anything needs fixing you can, good luck, always ask us first if we know the car chances are we do
There was a black one, I think metallic like yours, incoming to someone you mentioned in a previous thread. IIRC it was in the price range the OP is looking. Where was that car? Thought he might be interested in that one as well, just can't remember where it's from. Jeff
I bought mine there. If it's the one I posted one, that one sold in 3 weeks - an extremely nice black metallic over black '89 GTS, under 20K miles, at Motorcars. Asking was $68K-ish, have no clue what it sold for. If I didn't have my '87, I would have bought it. Was there another one? The only other black I know of right now is at Boston Sports Car, but it's plain black over tan, and in average cosmetic condition (interior needs a bit of help, IIRC...) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login