Full Body Repaint

All,

For Valentine's Day, the wife gave me a full body paint job for the car... they started on it today....

Note, for those who don't know, it's a 1992 348 TS, but a previous owner had converted much, but not all, of the body with 355 panels. Frankly, the paint job was not all that well-done. The side intakes and rear hood were locally-made from fiberglass, and have a few stress cracks and could have been better made. So, the shop I've taken it to is removing all the fiberglass and will either repair or remake, as necessary. I'm having the work done at a place called Gemballa's in Kuwait... many of the people I've talked to can't praise them enough, others (a few) have had bad experiences, but more with a specific person (one of the salesmen), not the shop itself...I've seen their finished work, and I have to say, it's top notch. The shop manager says it will take 25 days for them to do the work... I told him to take 35 if he wanted, or needed to, just to do it right...more to follow as the work progresses.

Mike in Kuwait
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thanks guys,

I'm going to stay with Rossa Corsa... originally the car was yellow, but was repainted LONG before I got her.... and, like the wife says "Ferrari's SHOULD be red."

I'll tell you though, when I went to the shop this evening, and saw her in bits and pieces....well, it was a weird feeling...

More pictures to follow... this is just day one....I was actually surprised that the work had started...

Since it will be finished in mid April, the wife just told me that my Birthday present (3rd of May), will be a new interior...!!! Woo Woo!

You're right.... she's the best.

Mike in Kuwait

 

Man, some of you guys have REALLY sharp eyes.... yes, there ARE wrenches on the roof....the shop was closed by the time I got there, but the all night guard recognized me from when I brought it in late yesterday evening, and let me in to take pictures.

It will be interesting to see this 'work in progress.' I'll try to stop by and photo-document it every few days or so... The shop is in a place called Al Rai, which is wall-to-wall garages, paint shops, etc. I'll try to get there early enough to get some photos from the outside...

Mike in Kuwait

 

Night Life, thank you for the compliment. The guy did a fairly decent job on the '355' conversion, but I'm thinking it can be improved upon. An you are right, the interior is unique... kind of an egg shell white leather for the seats, off-white carpet, and black dash, with silver accents on the doors, steering wheel and center console... but it's getting a bit long in the tooth...and doesn't really 'flow' the way I think it should.

I think I'll go with a little darker leather, not a lot darker but a bit, and with black carpets, and remove the painted silver trim on the doors, steering wheel, and center console.

What do you guys think? Momma said the check book is open, and whatever makes me happy and looks good will be what we do...I'm thinking black carpet on the bottom half of the doors, leather covering the diagonal door trim and upper door, but keeping the armrest area so that it matches the dash. Any and all ideas would be welcome... if anyone has photos of a really well-done interior, please share!

Mike in Kuwait

p.s., I'm attaching a photo of the interior for reference. The great thing about having a 348 under all that 355-looking body work is that you don't have to stock up on hair gel...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

F512M,

I can't speak for anyone else, but the intake inserts on my car are held on by six screws with a hex or Allen-type head.

Actually, I'm kind of enjoying getting to see the car with bits and pieces off of it... I will say this, it makes it a whole lot LESS scary when I think about working on it myself.

The day before I took in in to the paint and body shop, the alternator light came on. I jacked it up, removed the alternator, took it down to a rebuild shop, had the new parts installed (total cost: KD20 or about $73), and an hour later was turning the battery switch back on to go on a test drive.

Worked like a charm, MAINLY because of the info from this website....for that, I thank everyone.

Mike in Kuwait

 

That's why I had a Skiddlectomy ten years ago.... no more little Skiddles!

Mike in Kuwait

 

Kai,

I don't have any problem posting the cost...the garage I took it to has a great reputation, and as I said, I've seen some of their finished results, and they do what I consider to be a great job...

It's costing KD800 (800 Kuwaiti Dinar). At the current exchange rate, that equals to USD$2,940.00. That's about KD300 more that an 'average' paint job in Kuwait: KD500 (which would be about USD$1,840.00) and for the less expensive shops, you can get a really BAD paint job, done outside with very little prep for about $200 to $300.

You have to remember that labor costs in Kuwait are very, very cheap compared to most countries. The average worker here is from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, and depending on experience, a paint and body man (called a 'denter') will make between KD80 and KD150 a month (USD$300 to about USD$550). So in a shop like the one my car is in, it's not unusual to see as many as three or four, or even more, 'denters' working on a vehicle .... one on the front, one on the back, and a couple on the roof or sides... and that's in addition to the guy who specializes in the repair or fabrication of the fiberglass parts.

I'm estimating that the new interior, complete, will run me about KD500 (just over USD$1,800), give or take about $300. I'm sure that, where ever you are, like me, you'll need to do your own research on the various shops, check references, go to the shop and see for yourself, etc.

More photos tomorrow (hopefully)...it will be Friday, our normal day off, and maybe for the shop too.. if so, it will be Saturday or Sunday...

Mike in Kuwait

 

Hey! I had to have a title that would get people to look, didn't I???? I think Anthony would say it's smart marketing! Would you have looked if the title was "Same Old Color" or "In The Shop"???

Mike in Kuwait

 

Hey Steve,

Yeah, 'denters' ... can you imagine leaving home, coming to Kuwait, and writing back to tell the folks you got a job as a car denter?

All black? Now, that's a thought....but do you think the continuous line of the dash and the diagonals on the doors would get lost? I wonder how black carpet with slate grey leather would look...?

By the way, what'd you do with that Iraqi money? I've got about 3 million of the new Iraqi Dinar (seriously) in my home safe ... of course that's only about $2,500 in real money... so, don't spend what I sent you all in one place....! (0ne US Dollar equals about 1,211 Iraqi Dinar)

Mike in Kuwait