458 ITALIA. TODAY WE’RE BUILDING THE FRAME
Leaving the engine components, which we’ll soon assemble, behind, we’re moving to Modena, to the Ferrari works named after the great coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti, to work with aluminium and create the car’s entire frame.
Panel Shop
Before the assembly of the engine, we spent the next morning at Modena – at the panel shop that still bears the name Scaglietti, even though it is 100 per cent Ferrari. The construction of the body/chassis complex, entirely in aluminium, takes place in parallel with that of the engine and gearbox. It starts by being inserted onto the line.
The chassis is made up of parts that are cast, and carry the suspension, and parts that are extruded. The various elements are either welded or – as in some cases – in order to save weight, glued.
The work is partly automatic and partly manual. The parts are welded or riveted, a classic technique in working aluminium that guarantees maximum reliability and durability. The machines, meanwhile, carry out work that would not be easily done manually and ensure consistency of quality; the rest of the work is carried out by skilled craftsmen who are certified by specialist institutions.
At the panel shop, the quality control is constant. We are building the car with extensive surfaces and therefore any defect would transform itself into something unacceptable. When the roof panel is fitted and the body-shell completed, a piece of equipment inspects the body-shell through 360 degrees in order to check its alignment and correct positioning. At this point the car goes through the aesthetic compliance check, the structural compliance having already been checked. The most delicate check, carried out with electronic templates and gauges, takes place on the alignment of the various parts – most importantly between the engine cover and the wings. Another check looks for the imperfections in the aluminium panels, carried out using oblique light by specialists with highly trained eyes; any imperfections are worked on by either filing or panel beating until it passes scrutiny – everything must be 100 per cent perfect before the car can be sent for painting.
Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 7, December 2009
PUBLISHED IN CARS, HOME BY ANTONIO GHINI ON 08.05.2011
Credit: Ferrari S.p.A. (www.ferrari.com)
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