www.tomyang.net

Re: Foil Seat Trim

Was this used extensively in 50's and 60's Ferraris, or just 2+2 models?

Mine (330 4HL) is in OK shape but I would like to purchase some for future interior redo.

BINGO! I met with the guys at Danchuk last week and was very impressed with their operation. Imagine, a 200 page catalogue of parts just for 1957-1959 Chevy’s. I was not sure if I should be jealous of the ease of getting parts or excited about the rarity of my car. Anyway, they were not sure what to make of my request, but after a few phone calls, have agreed to sell us the aluminum for our kick-panels.

I’ve got a (scratched up) sample and it looks great. The stripes vary slightly in width, so do not exactly line up with the original. However, after taking a micrometer to the original aluminum, I found that it varies about the same amount. The overall quality seems to be quite good. Check this link to see what I have.

http://wagnerstreet.com/Toms%20Photos/Kick_Plate1.JPG

The raw stock material comes in panels 9” x 72”, although only about 8 ½” are usable due to holes needed for the milling process. It looks like the 250 needs 7 1/2"” and the 330 needs 3 1/2”, so can get both sides out of half a panel. Each panel is $139.95

The length of the 250 piece seems to be about 12 ¼” on top and 10 ¼” on bottom, so if we flip every other one upside down, we should be able to get 6 to a panel or 3 cars. Excluding cutting and shipping, we are talking about $47.00 or so per car. We can probably get 4 330 panels or two cars per panel.

So, how do we want to handle the cutting? Enio45 said he might have a source. Let me know. Maybe we could ship it directly to him. The raw stock is clearcoated, and I do not know if that will be a problem with laser cutting. If it is, we could probably order it without the clearcoat. Also, how much extra material does the cutter need around the piece? We certainly do not want to cut it too small and not allow him to get a grip for cutting. Does anybody know if we can reuse the trim piece around the panel and the hole? I have not taken mine apart to see.

So there we are. Once we are ready to go, I can make a group buy and ship it to whoever wants it, at cost. If you are in, email me with your address and requirements and I will figure out how to ship it and get paid.

Tom (the other Tom)

tom@duckettwilson.com

Tom, great news.........and the picture looks like to be a great match.........

I contacted my guy to get the info on the company that did the cutting..........they do a laser cut matched to the old piece. I left him a message a few min ago and will update the site as soon as i hear from him.

enio45
(Ed Montini)
66 330 GT 8289 - in the paint shop as we speak

Tom,

I'm in for at least one set for my 330 2+2. I would recommend that we get the stock without clearcoat and anodize the parts once they are cut. The anodizing process should be quite cheap if we do it as a group.

Tom Yang, do you think Francois would want some spares for some of the cars he is working on?

Art S.

I would like to have a set for my 330 America to put away until the interior is restored. So, count me in. Michael Greenspan

Hello All,

First off I want to say, WAY TO GO TOM WILSON!!!
I knew that we would get a better deal with a little persuasion. We all owe you a beer for making the effort!

I know Francois will order at least one set for a GTE, but I will give him a call tomorrow to check.

It will be far cheaper to have one laser cutter cut all the panels at once than to have all of us do this locally. My 330 America panels are available for use as a template(for GTEs as well) if Ed's sheetmetal fabricator agrees to do them.

There's also the issue about the collar for the GTE/330 America owners...


http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari378.htm

I have received an email from Paul Leonard who has been through this process before. He said that the clearcoat was not effected by the laser cutting, so we can leave it on if we do not opt for anodizing. He was concerned, however, that the slots for the clips that hold on the trim may vary from car to car. Anybody live close enough together to compare panels from two cars? We certainly don't want to cut and find out the slots are in the wrong place!

Paul Leonard is my guy i was referring to that has the contracts to cut the panels. I have seen the pictures of his installed on his door panels and they do look great. He also recommends that considering as stated above, one template may not be good to use to make all of them, as there may be some marginal differences between door panels and especially on the door panel holes where the trim fits aound the kick panel. The mounting pieces on the trim may be slightly different per panel. So the recommendation is to use your originals as your personal template for the new cut.

I might be able to do some measuring on my 330 GT panels this weekend and someone can compare my measurments to theirs to see if they are the same. I seems to me these would have been mass produced vs individual cuts - but hey its italian and why not!!!

Ed Montini
330 GT 8289

Hi Guys,

The slots on the edges of 250GTE panels were wide enough to make up the variations in the mounting posts, but everyone can decide how they want their panels cut. I'm sure each owner can file the panels slightly to fit if there are problems. The prices will vary from shop to shop, but doing a bunch will certainly bring the price down.

Tom

ughh...i cannot measure mine since the car is in the paint shop, but I do have a 63 250 GTE. I can work with a generic size and cut it down, if needed.

I too am unable to measure these panels as I do not have any! I will make do with whatever the group consensus is.

Thanks for all your efforts.

Rad

So Ed, can you contact Paul's aluminum cutter to get a price? We still have a few minor issues (clearcoat or anodizing, size and location of clip notches, etc), but once we know how much the whole thing will cost, we will know who is in and will be better able to make the decisions. Do you have the panels to use as a template? And if so, are they panels for a 250 or 330?

Oops, I guess he already said he could measure his 330 panels over the weekend! We still need measurements for 250 panels. I am out of town this weekend. Can anybody else get the measurements?

OK will do - -

Ed

Tom:

Count me in for some door panel metal.

Mark