# Polished Bliss: Ferrari 348ts



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Another full Zymöl detail for this great looking 348, belonging to someone who had been referred to us by a previous customer 










The car was generally pretty clean considering its around 15 years old, however i could see even under natural light that the paint was a bit flat and lifeless, just shows what pics on the internet can hide as it looks quite reflective in the above pic!

I could clearly see alot of RIDS on many of the panels that i knew wouldnt come out fully and there were a couple of nasty scratches too...










Anyways, onto the *wash* stage:

As usual, all the normal areas were treated to APC before the car was foamed with a Safe Degreaser through the foam gun and then rinsed at high pressure, taking care around a few small sections (more on that further down the page). It was then washed with the TBM and then clayed with Zymöl lehm clay before being foamed and rinsed again theh dried with the leaf blower. The wheels were cleaned with a non-acidic wheel and tyre gel and a MF mitt/wheel brush.

*Total wash time: 2.5 hours*

*Polish*:

Once inside and under the halogens, the defects were clear to see:





































There were also a couple of areas on various places on the car that would need masking off, as they had begun to corrode:



















These were masked off as i wasnt about to risk making them any worse with the Rotary, especially as the 348's are mainly aliminium panels and can get hot very quickly.

There were light rotary holograms and some deep cutting pad "pig tails" which suggested that the car had probably seen some paintwork in its time...the Gauges confirmed this:










348's were also hand painted so readings can be a bit inconsistant ,but there had definitely been paintwork done on just about every panel of the car, as there were a few tell tale signs as well as the PTG readings 

The plastics though, were rather thin, especially the bonnet:










The max reading i got on the bonnet was in the 80's, the bumpers and other plastics were between 60-90 mircons.

As the car had obviously been re-sprayed, i worked my way up the aggressiveness level, firstly starting with a finishing pad and the lighter of the finishing polishes, this did nothing so i went to the more aggressive FP and a polishing pad - this was alot better, although i had to do 2 or 3 hits @1500rpm's on some sections of the bonnet and the other plastics to get them spot on as i didnt want to go any harder considering they were on the thin side.

*50/50 on the bonnet*:










Onto the rest of the car, which was alot thicker paint wise. These panels appeared to be a hell of alot harder than the bonnet and the roof and i eventually settled for the cerami-clear compound and a polishing pad @1800rpm's, luckily the lubricants in said polish were working perfectly so the heat of the panels were kept to a miminum. There were alot of deep defects (including some crazy micromarring and holograms!) that needed 2 or 3 hits again on some panels, and even then they didnt come out 100% although greatly improved.

*before*:










*after*:










*Drivers door before*










*after*:










You'll notice that in the above after pic there are still a couple of small defects left, these were typical of what couldnt be completely removed from the majority of the car, but it was a small amount so i was happy considering what it was like before!

*Another 50/50*.....










...And fully corrected.....



















The tighter areas around the engine cover were done with the PC and a 4" cutting pad 

The lower intake vents were done by hand as the spot pad and PC were too big....










*Total polishing time: 8.5 hours*

After seeing some examples of different finishes, the owner decided to go for Vintage, so after the car was dusted down with the Zymöl duster it was then HD cleansed, including the bits that can so easily be missed....










The Vintage was then applied via applicator pad and left to cure while i turned to all the other small details, and on a car like this there's a few!

The grill on the bonnet had turned really grey so this was brought back to colour with an all season dressing.

The rear grill over the lights were the same:










These were treated to Zymöl Carbon, some staining remained but they were significantly improved:










The exhaust tips were polished too but the pics were a bit blurry so i never bothered uploading them this time 

The interior was given a full detail, with the leather and vinyl being cleaned with a mild solution of APC and then fed with Zymöl Treat. The dash etc got Zymöl Vinyl and the rubbers around the doors etc were fed with Zymöl Seal.

The door shuts were also HD Cleansed and then waxed with Vintage.

A couple of afters:



















Lastly, the wheels were sealed, tyres were dressed and i went over the last remaining bits of exterior trim with either an all season dressing or Carbon, depending on how faded they were 

The arches were dressed outside after the car had been washed and dried :thumb:

One last wipe down to remove any light smears and the job was done!

*After pics*:













































































































Remember that scratch on the front wing?

*before*:










*after*:



















*Total work time: 18.5 hours*

I was quite pleased with this one, as was the customer :thumb:

Many thanks for looking


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## typefern (Apr 7, 2006)

I haven't even read your detail, just want to beat Gaz (13 year old)

John :wave:


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

Awesome, Stunning Work :thumb:

Your correction shots are always perfect, tell us your secret, please!!! :lol:


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## typefern (Apr 7, 2006)

Sorry Clark for the above.

Amazing work as always and great attention to detail, its a real shame to see that type of corrosion, still a good looking car though.

Cheers John :thumb:


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Lovely work there, pitty about the rust as it's a lovely looking motor.


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## Mr Singh (Apr 4, 2006)

Dribble! one of my fav Ferrari's, a superb turn around sir! 

Flake popping is nice too!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

typefern said:


> I haven't even read your detail, just want to beat Gaz (13 year old)
> 
> John :wave:


Lol!!



13yearoldetailer said:


> Awesome, Stunning Work :thumb:
> 
> Your correction shots are always perfect, tell us your secret, please!!! :lol:


Do you mean the camera shots or the actual correction?



typefern said:


> Sorry Clark for the above.
> 
> Amazing work as always and great attention to detail, its a real shame to see that type of corrosion, still a good looking car though.
> 
> Cheers John :thumb:


Yeah the corrosion was a pitty, looked a bit like Galvanic corrosion to Rich and I (although the bonnet was composite so guess it wouldnt be), but the owners getting it sorted after the winter i think :thumb:


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## Wheelie_Clean (Jun 16, 2007)

Superb work as usual Clark, I am always hugely impressed with the work @ PB.

Kind of surprised that the owner did not have the corrosion sorted before having the detail.

Doh, not quick enough!

Suppose it gives you guys another job when it comes back from the bodyshop.


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## cdti_sri (Jul 17, 2006)

Thats another amazing detail!


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## Tiauguinho (May 1, 2007)

Amazing detail! 18.5 hours is a lot of work for sure! Love the interior shots


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## drive 'n' shine (Apr 22, 2006)

Top work as usual Clark.

18.5 hours, is that your longest one to date?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Wheelie_Clean said:


> Superb work as usual Clark, I am always hugely impressed with the work @ PB.
> 
> Kind of surprised that the owner did not have the corrosion sorted before having the detail.
> 
> ...


The owner's not actually had the car all that long from what i can gather, so he just wanted it back to shiney again ASAP, just hope we dont get it back covered in holograms if he does get it fixed!



Tiauguinho said:


> Amazing detail! 18.5 hours is a lot of work for sure! Love the interior shots


You get out of it what you put in! :thumb:

Ange was moaning at me last night telling me to go home cos i was still at work at 8 o clock lol but it meant i could relax a bit more today and get all the smaller details sorted


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

drive 'n' shine said:


> Top work as usual Clark.
> 
> 18.5 hours, is that your longest one to date?


nope, 27 hours on a Porsche GT3 is my longest :doublesho :thumb: :lol:


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## Renmure (Jan 18, 2007)

That looks fabulous. I am sure the owner is delighted.

Black Ferraris look mean, and shiney black ones look especially mean!!


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## ZSimon (May 30, 2006)

stunning car always liked the 348s and as per usual great work


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Renmure said:


> That looks fabulous. I am sure the owner is delighted.
> 
> Black Ferraris look mean, and shiney black ones look especially mean!!


Its a funny colour as it looks like a slate grey in some lights, although it certainly looked alot darker after the detail 

Really is a nice colour for a great looking car :thumb:


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

So beautiful!!! excellent work!!!!:thumb:


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## pcc (Oct 11, 2006)

Nice work Clark. That car really needed it. Looks great


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## Peter D (Oct 26, 2005)

Looks great! Magnificent detail on a lovely car.


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## Nica (Jul 4, 2007)

Very nice turn around there Clark. So I got this right, you used Carbon wax on the plastic peases? Is that right? They look great by the way...the entire vehicle looks very nice.

I enjoy your write up's to.

Thank you for sharing.


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## Ruth M (Feb 27, 2006)

Wow that looks so good now, nice flake in it too! Wouldn't mind trying some carbon on plastics.. hmm


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

yup, you can use the Z waxes on pretty much anything :thumb: 

cheers guys


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## SURFERROSA (Feb 7, 2007)

Magic stuff Clark. Love the pics.

So how did you get rid of the big scratches on the door. Wet sanding then machine? Want to know good fella, you missed it in your report


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

SURFERROSA said:


> Magic stuff Clark. Love the pics.
> 
> So how did you get rid of the big scratches on the door. Wet sanding then machine? Want to know good fella, you missed it in your report


Everyone knows you get rid of deep scratches with T-Cut!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

SURFERROSA said:


> Magic stuff Clark. Love the pics.
> 
> So how did you get rid of the big scratches on the door. Wet sanding then machine? Want to know good fella, you missed it in your report


Sand paper didnt touch the car


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## Nica (Jul 4, 2007)

Clark said:


> yup, you can use the Z waxes on pretty much anything :thumb:
> 
> cheers guys


Very interesting, I'll need to pick up some Carbon and give it a try on plastic...thanks for the tip :wave:


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## SURFERROSA (Feb 7, 2007)

Morgan and Clark,

I believe one of you but I'm not saying who.:lol:


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## base-1 (Jul 3, 2006)

Sexual


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## wd40 (Jun 20, 2007)

Briliant work and a lovely car !!!!:thumb: 

When you getting that 360 to detail?!!!


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Superb work and and a great finish


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## lomax (Feb 5, 2007)

pimp, miami vice style


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## spectrum (Mar 6, 2007)

cool ride and amazing work Clark!! That was swirl central


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## jedi-knight83 (Aug 11, 2006)

very nice.

did you apply the vintage to the whole car and then do other details and then go back and remove?? or am i reading it wrong?

what did you use when you did the difficult bits by hand aswell?

thanks


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## n_d_fox (Apr 18, 2007)

never thought Fezza's looked right in black but that is simply stunning... awesome work as always... you would never have guessed that interior was 15 years old, it look so fresh !


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

jedi-knight83 said:


> very nice.
> 
> did you apply the vintage to the whole car and then do other details and then go back and remove?? or am i reading it wrong?
> 
> ...


Vintage was buffed off after 5 mins mate, maybe i didnt word it right 

You're such a pest, u know we cant name non Z products in these threads  so i'll have to PM you or tell you on MSN 

(you can actually see what i used though in the reflection of the paint in the pic showing me doing the bits by hand )


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

wow stunning motor, excellent write up. Amazing work as always


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

verynice work there.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Looking good there, nice finish on the black and great defect correction as always... :thumb:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Thats fantastic Clark, especially like the interior, that looks very swish. Great work on the paint too, especially the deep defects, great stuff!


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## 190Evoluzione (Jun 27, 2007)

Mr Singh said:


> Dribble! one of my fav Ferrari's, a superb turn around sir!
> Flake popping is nice too!


Yep, one of my faves too. That paint colour is fab, much preferable to Rosso
on this occasion. Top work! 
That interior is rather special...


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

typefern said:


> I haven't even read your detail, just want to beat Gaz (13 year old)
> 
> John :wave:


:lol:

Very nice detail mate :thumb:


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## Refined Reflections (May 12, 2006)

Clark, I hope you never get bored of doing these great turn arounds, as I'll never get bored of reading them  Top work as always :thumb:


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Top work as always, taht is one of the best wright ups i have ever read, simple yet tells what and how was done with loads of pics


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Refined Reflections said:


> Clark, I hope you never get bored of doing these great turn arounds, as I'll never get bored of reading them  Top work as always :thumb:





james b said:


> Top work as always, taht is one of the best wright ups i have ever read, simple yet tells what and how was done with loads of pics


wow! cheers guys!  :thumb:


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## astra-bertone (Mar 16, 2007)

you are one of the best on here mate without a shadow of a doubt


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## Thomas-182 (Mar 5, 2006)

Thats looking absolutely lovely. Another great bit of work.


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Great work Clark, as you say looks alright in the first shot until you got it clean.

Really looks good for its age now.

Amazing car and great colour - One day maybe


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## King Eric (Feb 27, 2006)

Ooooooooawwwwwwww! 

I LOVE that Rari. 

Thats a fine example of one as well and I LURVE the colour! 

Superb work Clark really good correction as usual

What sort of money do these things fetch? Anyone got any idea?


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## Rich @ PB (Oct 26, 2005)

Same age/condition as above, £30k ish.


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## zey (Jul 24, 2007)

I'm addicted to Clark's posts. Great detailing comes along with great photos. Keep up the good work bro!


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## andyollie (Dec 5, 2005)

Awesome work.

Menz IP (the square bottle kind) is ssssssooooooooo good by hand


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## dino (Oct 26, 2005)

Superb work Clark!

Agreed, Andy - IP is so easy to use by hand in tight spots or alloys!


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## mouthyman (May 1, 2006)

lovely car and great work. someone i know has just asked me to detail a red 348 in the near future


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