This automotive restoration project began in June 2010, with the customer’s eye on displaying it at Pebble Beach. This 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfaria Cabriolet (PF Cab) had been in storage for 30 years in Arizona before being purchased by the current owner. Ferraris during this time were hand-built by Italian coach manufacturers and the engines were also hand-built by Ferrari. The 250 GT series was built for the customer who wanted a street legal car that they could also take to the race track. Of course, not everyone raced their Ferraris, some customers just wanted the incredible power and beautiful styling of the 250 GT. Pininfarina is still in operation and continues to manufacture car prototypes and prototypes for major companies around the world.

After the Ferrari 250 GT PF Cab was disassembled and destroyed by the media, I set about repairing and rebuilding the body to its original factory condition.

This client was particularly concerned with making the reconstruction perfectly symmetrical. I had an idea, born from my experience working in the prototype industry: to build a box with a measurement system to help in the construction of the vehicle. The photos below are a brief sample of the posts to follow.

The first part of this post covers a measuring device that we specially designed and built for this Ferrari PF Cab and the second part explains how it was used to rebuild the taillight area.

The purpose of the gauge box is to determine whether the body of an automobile was built square to the chassis and is symmetrical from side to side. Before we delve into the body measurement, remember that this was a hand-built Ferrari body from the 1960s, so no tight tolerances are expected. The idea is that the body and chassis of the Ferrari PF Cab sit on a centerline within a three-dimensional steel-framed box. The box perimeter acts as a measurement data so that measurements from the box to the Ferrari PF cockpit can be taken on the left and right sides and then compared to check for symmetry.

The three-dimensional box is divided into 3 planes that represent length, depth, and height. On each axis there are 1/2 ″ machined holes spaced 200mm, these holes are locations for the measuring stations. A line runs down the center of the box and the center of the chassis is aligned with a custom bracket to the body. The center line only runs the length, as the body is only symmetrical in one direction. The body is divided into a grid, with the help of a laser, and numbered to facilitate recording.

These were the most important findings for this Ferrari PF Cab:

1.The right headlight housing is 10mm ahead of the left headlight

2. the body style line is 6mm higher on the right side than on the left

3. The entire rear of the car is kicked to the right side 50mm from the rear of the doors to the rear of the Ferrari. Not by accident / damage, just by how the car was built.

4.The peak of the left rear taillight housing slopes inward 8mm

After discussing the above findings with the customer, the first issues to address was the left side taillight issue. Now we will show the step-by-step rebuilding and fabrication of the light housing. Why rebuild this area? At first glance, the sheet metal casing clearly looked as if the top was angled inward, and secondly, the casing was too large for the light bezel, which had the appearance of a step. For proper appearance, the bevel surface must be level with the paint surface. As part of the ‘measuring box’ process, we recorded results showing that the top of the case was 5mm to the right of center. To solve these two problems, the most practical and profitable thing was to make a completely new carcass and then insert it into the fender.

Steps:

1. Cut the original taillight housing from the car body.

2. Make a pattern from the original and cut a new piece of sheet metal to match.

3. Shape the new part, using the old part and the actual taillight until it fits perfectly.

4. TIG weld the new sections together.

5. Offer it for the bodywork, adjusting it again until it fits snugly. Cleco instead.

6. Check the bottom, top, and sides against the gauge box to verify that the squaring and symmetry are perfect.

7. TIG weld the new shell to the Ferrari body.

8. Finish the metal and you’re ready to paint!

Visit my website to see step by step photos of the measuring box and this process.