[Bart]

I am posting this on two very good Ferrari sites. I want to find out who can give me the correct answer the fastest. I will not be able to use the information until the following Monday. I just wish to see which web site has the best answer. The Question is this:

I have had a very nasty rock hit on my sweet thing in the lower right hand fender area. It was very low. Yipes! The gash is the size of a quarter. Pissed off. It went all the way, right through the clear coat and the color. It is down to the primer and maybe the metal. Some of you may think I am nuts driving my toy at speed. This is what I purchased the fastest production car of the 20th Century for. It went twice in 4 weeks to Las Vegas which is about 280 miles one way from me. Garage queens are for queens. Drive it or lose it.

Anyway, I need to cover the metal now, not in six months if I have the money. My daughter says I should cover it with some of her clear nail polish.

Get the Idea? I need an idea and I need it now, not next Tuesday. Bare metal does not like the atmosphere. Paint just protects the metal around the engine which makes me happy.

Smiley Face.

 

[Andrew]

This is what I purchased the fastest production car of the 20th Century for. It went twice in 4 weeks to Las Vegas which is about 280 miles one way from me. Garage queens are for queens. Drive it or lose it.

Anyway, I need to cover the metal now, not in six months if I have the money. My daughter says I should cover it with some of her clear nail polish.

Smiley Face.

Bart,
Get your facts strait and come off it. Any self respecting 550 owner should know it isn't a production car, that would be a Porsche. Ferraris are handmade.

What you should do is goto PepBoys or Napa Auto (an auto store, which ever you have in CA). At this store ask for some help on finding a primer. Apply the primer and apply it to the spot. When you have the money take it to a body shop they will sand and repaint it for you. Or you could goto Sears buy the airgun, paint, primer, and clear coat and do the whole thing yourself.

 

[sduke]

Bart

Enzo is right.

If the chip is all the way to the metal use a little metal prep on the bare metal after a light sanding to knock down the sharp edge of the damage. Use a good 400 grit wet/dry paper with a little water. Dry completely and shoot an even but pretty light coat of primer. If the car is red, a red oxide primer will look a bit better and be easier to cover. If the car is a light color, use the grey primer.

Primer will not last indefinitely like paint. It will finally allow water to penetrate after a while. If you take the "Beast" to a body shop, they will remove all you have done and start from scratch. If you repair the job yourself, a light sanding with 600 or 800 wet/dry before painting is all you will need. Get the paint professionally matched if you can. Most auto refinishing supply houses will color match for you if you buy the materials from them.

Good luck

steve

 

[justynb]

Bart,

you obviously aren't driving it fast or hard enough. Drive it faster and further for the next 6 months and when the front spoiler is completely bare get the whole panel resprayed.

Justyn.

 

[EBRINK]

Bart

What do you mean by: In six months if I have the Money

You must be joking right

Otherwise save some fuel and buy a gorgeous 8 cyl :lol:

Never drive 12 cylinders when you can't afford it :idea:

 

[modenaTwinTurbo]

bart i am 500% with you. DRIVE IT OR LOSE IT. it may be what it may be but it still is what it is. A CAR.

 

[4kids3fish]

Any self respecting 550 owner should know it isn't a production car, that would be a Porsche. Ferraris are handmade.

Enzo, so what is the significance (and veracity) of this?

Are Ferraris therefore better made or worse made? Do they not use any automated or robotic fabrication? How much is actually done "by hand"? I would like to think that individual attention (how much, really?) gives a car more "character" but what does this really mean "on the road"? I would aslo expect "handmade" to mean "less consistency" in quality (eg when the upholsterer has had too many red wines the night before!).

 

[Andrew]

Enzo, so what is the significance (and veracity) of this?

Are Ferraris therefore better made or worse made? Do they not use any automated or robotic fabrication? How much is actually done "by hand"? I would like to think that individual attention (how much, really?) gives a car more "character" but what does this really mean "on the road"? I would aslo expect "handmade" to mean "less consistency" in quality (eg when the upholsterer has had too many red wines the night before!).

I'm not suggesting that one is higher quality than the other. But after having this argument on here before I guess we could call the 550 a production car. It was always my understanding that production car meant assembly line like Ford or GM vs handmade like Ferrari or Rolls Royce.

I like your analogy of the upholsterer, very true. I just like to give Bart a hard time more than anything.

 

[Pete04222]

I'm not suggesting that one is higher quality than the other. But after having this argument on here before I guess we could call the 550 a production car. It was always my understanding that production car meant assembly line like Ford or GM vs handmade like Ferrari or Rolls Royce.

I like your analogy of the upholsterer, very true. I just like to give Bart a hard time more than anything.

The 550 is a production car. Ferrari has a production run on them. They are not "mass produced" like your cookie-cutter Fords or GMs. Think about the fact the GM makes 50,000 Corvettes each year. Was there even that many 308's made period?

I haven't done any research into Ferrari's production methods but I envision the cars being assembled individually rather than on a rolling production line.

 

[Bazil]

It was always my understanding that production car meant assembly line like Ford or GM vs handmade like Ferrari or Rolls Royce.

I always belived that to be considered as a production car, a car had to be:

a) Not a limited edition
b) Available for anyone to order/buy

Therefore an Enzo is not a production car, but a 550 is.

By your rule, a Model-T Ford (which was assembled by hand) wouldn't be a production car!! They made bloody millions of them - of course it was a production car!! :green:

 

[4kids3fish]

So back to my question - (pls refer me to previous threads if applicable) - can it be defined how or where a Ferrari is better than a Porsche because of how it is made? I have never driven a Porsche.

I confess to knowing much more about (cough) Lotuses. They were REALLY handmade / unmade / remade / dismayed(!) and this gave them a unique ability to shed unnecessary pieces along the way. A friend's tweaked Europa even shed a wheel hub one day at speed. Eeek!

 

[Andrew]

So back to my question - (pls refer me to previous threads if applicable) - can it be defined how or where a Ferrari is better than a Porsche because of how it is made? I have never driven a Porsche.

I confess to knowing much more about (cough) Lotuses. They were REALLY handmade / unmade / remade / dismayed(!) and this gave them a unique ability to shed unnecessary pieces along the way. A friend's tweaked Europa even shed a wheel hub one day at speed. Eeek!

Look for more of Bart's esteemed insights on his car by clicking on his profile then clicking, "view all post by user" and just look for the numerous subject lines about greatest car, beast, etc and you'll find the conversations here.