A special collaboration on a beautiful, unique 355 Ferrari. The owner contacted both of us to improve and enhance the overall appearance of the vehicle. Out of mutual respect we try not to actively compete for business, despite our close proximity. We decided this would be a big enough job for us to collaborate on, thus eliminating any competition. Our inspection visits and paint measurements revealed a few repainted sections and a pretty rough front clear bra. We decided to go for a safe 85% correction detail so that the vehicle will have plenty of life and leeway for maintenance. Total time of 30 man hours over the course of two days. Read on more for picture instruction and descriptions of all the work involved. Unfortunately we did not take as many photos as we originally intended to document the work. About the vehicle: In 1995, Ferrari introduced the GTS model to the F355 family. The GTS model is based on the Berlinetta but offers a removable “targa-style” hard top roof, which can be stored behind the seats. Other specifications were identical to the Berlinetta. A total of 2,577 GTS models were produced, with 2,048 delivered with the 6-speed transmission and another 529 with the F1 transmission. This was the last GTS Targa style model produced by Ferrari. Product Usage: CarPro IronX, Eraser Stoner Tarminator 3M Adhesive Remover Menzerna Top Inspection, SF4000 (PO106FA), FG400, PF2500 (PO203s) Optimum Car Care Power Clean, Opticlean, OptiSeal, Eraser, Hyper Polish, Optibond, Poliseal, No Rinse, Opticoat 2.0 Meguiars M100, M101, D300, 205, All Purpose Cleaner Plus, White Clay (mild) Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection, Midnight Sun Carnauba, Total Polish & Seal Ultima Tire & Trim Gel Eiszett Gummifledge 303 Aerospace Protectant Day 1: We started at a bright 9 am. Vehicle was on jack stands and wheels removed due our choice to coat them with Opticoat 2.0. Due to the low clearance of the vehicle it was a rather involved process to remove the wheels so the owner took care of that before our arrival. Unfortunately that meant no sun shots prior to starting. While the paint had a decent glossiness to it there was huge room for improvement. From afar, a beautiful Ferrari ready for surgery. In the background, Chris from Nth Degree preparing the madness to ensue. Wheels off, before decontamination and full cleanup. One wheel revealed to have been refinished. We found the shop involved simply cleared over staining and incorrect preparation. It was suggested Opticoat 2.0 would be used to protect the wheels due to the awesome protection it offers. A few shots of the paint condition before beginning: Ugly paint protection film, notice the swirling and orange peel? Client requested removal and a good preparation on the mirrors. The PPF on the front was heavily swirled and had terrible orange peel. The owner wasn’t quite ready to replace it so we would do what we could with it. This would be Woob’s view for a few hours as he would apply vapor steam, Optimum Power Clean, and 303 in various doses while Chris began with the ONR wash, claying, drying and taping trim. Woob would then venture out into the hot sun to take on the wheels while Chris polished the PPF on the front of the car before also moving outside to supervise, errr, help the progress on the wheels. To prep the wheels for Opti-Coat the old wheel weight tape was removed with 3M Adhesive Remover, faces and barrels were first cleaned with OPC, then almost an entire can of Tarminator was necessary to remove all the tar spots. After all that the wheels looked very clean. Barrels were sprayed with IronX. This is how it looked: Our lone refinished wheel turned a bright purple from all the iron deposits stuck in the coarse clearcoat. When we brought the owner over to show him the condition of the refinished wheel he commented about the wonderful smell of IronX. Hyper Polish by hand was used next. After more than 2 hours the wheels were left to dry in the sun. Mirror Clear bra removal; pretty easy and painless thankfully. Optimum OptiClean was used as an aid to avoid scratching the surface. 8 man hours in and we are just getting started with polishing. Woob did extensive testing of various combos for the compounding. The weapon of choice was M100 Meguiars, M101 Meguiars, and D300 Meguiars with various pads. For the next several hours Woob would compound the large areas with the Rupes while Chris focused on the smaller, tighter areas with a PC and GG6. Looking a bit better: Fun rear section removal. Not fun and everyone agonized over the worked involved. Tailights were polished with Menzerna Power Finish and sealed with BFWD. Wiping down the panel before cutting with M100. Opti-Coat was applied to the wheels and we called it a day @ about 5:30.
Day 2: A few more hours spent polishing with Menzerna SF4000, again Woob doing the large sections with the Rupes while Chris took care of the small areas. The engine cover was removed for easier access for correction. This was the only part of the car we got to inspect in the sun before correction. Unfortunately the high clouds obscured it some. The mesh was taped to save a lot of time later in cleaning compound from it. The engine was wiped down with ONR and Opti-Clean and dressed with 303 Aerospace, as was the Targa top. The plan is to have the top painted to match the rest of the body. Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant & Blackfire Midnight Sun. Then it was on to the details. The prancing horse on the rear panel was removed and polished. The following shots show how beneficial it is to remove emblems to polish the paint behind them. While the car has significant orange peel the crispness of the reflection and the paint directly surrounding the horse show the significant improvement, even in the shade of the garage. Front grill was removed, cleaned and protected with Opti-Seal. (No photo) Tires have Optimum Optibond @ 1:1. The original, yellow center caps were cracked and unsightly. The owner purchased new ones in red… a nice touch. Woob suggested painting the calipers red too. I think I know what the owner will be doing next weekend. Wiper arms sealed with Opti-Seal. Ultima Tire and Trim Guard applied to black trim under hood. Einszett Gummi Phlege applied to the rubber around the Flying Buttress rear window. The F355 was the last of the mid-engine Ferraris to adorn the Flying Buttress window with lineage going back to the 1965 Dino 206 GT, unveiled at the Paris Auto Show. Lower door vents had to be polished by hand. Door jambs hand polished and protected with Optimum Poli-Seal. The car was finally backed out into the sun. Unfortunately the high clouds still remained so we were unable to get any crisp reflections of the sun. The car was put back into the garage and covered. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Thanks for looking.
