5 days, 1 Ferrari, 150 pictures, La Bella Firma by Bella Macchina

[Lumadar]

Top notch turn-around Todd- truly amazing attention to detail.



As for the rather blunt comment someone else made, a slightly more constructive way of posting it may have been a suggestion of a steam cleaner. I think that might be the only tool left missing from your arsenal, and it does wonders on removing grime and dirt from leather cracks.



If you had a steamer you would be truly unstoppable! haha



(Although, we didn't see afters, so maybe you did get it out and we are all just missing that fact)

 

[RaskyR1]

Amazing work Todd! Very, Very detailed work, pics, and write up!



You are a true insperation to all of us! :bow







Rasky

 

[DaGonz]

Fantastico!



If I were ever fortunate enough to win the MegaMillions lottery, I would fly Todd up here to New England to detail my vehicles just to watch and learn!

 

[Bigpoppa3346]

Jesus that is absolutely amazing. I have been using KAIO or ZAIO on those types of trim (obviously not on Ferrari's, but similar style trim) for a while now, glad to see someone else discovered the benefits of it in those applications. :hifive:



And I really don't see anything wrong with the leather...? :think:

 

[Todd@RUPES]

Wow, incredible job as always. :wow:



Was that done at your garage then? Do you do a good amount of your concours details in your garage? I could see how it would be easier for you.

Thansk Brian! I do 'some' work out of my garage. My goal has always been to (obviously) make my garage a high end little shop area, but given the fact that I am looking at new houses (for a year now, lol) I haven't gotten around to it.

Very nice as always Todd. Thanks for the informative writeup!

Thanks Todd, I appericate your comments!!!



Todd

You sir, are INSANE! Unbelievable work! I'm speechless. I don't have the ability in my brain to even "think" of some of the things that you did. For example, how u restored the edge of the Ferrari badge.. unbelievable. It certainaly is in the "details" of a detail.

I used to joke with some of my detailing buddies that I will always try to do something new with each 'super' detail. The down side is that I have really become overly anal (cleaning wires under headlight buckets for example) but I have improved overall. This whole experience has been a process of a constant search in improving even the littlest aspect of my knowledge and skills. Thank you for the compliments!

from way up in the peanut gallery all i can say is, holy crap!





oh, and your work and diligence define the word "detail."

Thank you jcandiman!

No offense, but the driver seat needs to be refinished. Good job on the rest of the car.

The driver seat 'could' use refinishing as some of the leather has seperated, but the truth is that it fits the charcater of the car. I personally see nothing wrong with a worn bolster of a driven car, but I understand your expertise in leather, and why you would make that comment. I appericate the compliments!

Just Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Pampos!

Nice job Todd, you did that Ferrari right. Nice attention to detail as well.:2thumbs:



The 328 is still one of my favorite body designs.



Josh

The 328 is a timeless design for sure. Thanks Josh for the compliments!

Good job on the 328.



Question: Why is your pal Brian jacking my threads?



Ask A Professional Detailer - Page 2 - Lamborghini Forum



He made another earlier bash post on a separate thread but it's since been deleted by either himself or by the moderators.

Thanks Tyler for the compliment. Please leave invented drama off of this thread and please dont' 'jack it'.

Excellent work as usual Todd! How do you like the Flex rotary's? I want to get a partner for my Makita 9227C.

I REALLY like the little one, the larger one is 'okay'. I think as far as full sized polishers, the Makita just fits me perfectly (cannot wait to get it back!!!).

Simply amazing Todd. You never cease to take detailing to the next level. I can't believe how big the little guy is getting. Looks like you are training him well.

Thanks Pat! See you in Orlando soon!!!

Out of Control craftsmanship. I enjoyed the detailed write up, I've learned something because of it. I look forward to the march issue.................



Cheers,

Greg

Thanks Greg!!! I hope all is well buddy, I still have the Febuary issue to post (maybe someday) but this was a fun car and I wanted to get it up asap!

As usual; stellar job and write up! Fantastic!



Why did you reach for Blackfire instead of the P21s 100%? I know you said the P21s is the best boutique out there in your opinion. Are there noticeable differences?

Hey Spilchy, P21s 100% is one of my favorite waxes (for sure it is up there). The truth is that I tend to get into a 'kick' from time to time with different lines and reach for different products for no other reason then they are new to me or I haven't used them in a while. There are so many great waxes that I love, infact I have Souveran, Fuzion, regular P21s, Collonite #915, Dodo Super Natural and Dodo Rainforrest rub, Blackfire, and Meguiars #26 in my drawer right now... Along with various sealants including Werkstatt, Zaino, Duragloss, Blackfire, and Polyseal for sealant selections. I just love the ease of use and the great look that the Blackfire line produces.

Beautiful! Great work as always Todd! love the write up aswell.

Thanks Jason S!

Top notch turn-around Todd- truly amazing attention to detail.



As for the rather blunt comment someone else made, a slightly more constructive way of posting it may have been a suggestion of a steam cleaner. I think that might be the only tool left missing from your arsenal, and it does wonders on removing grime and dirt from leather cracks.



If you had a steamer you would be truly unstoppable! haha



(Although, we didn't see afters, so maybe you did get it out and we are all just missing that fact)

The leather came out completely clean, I don't think steaming it would have cleaned it any better then Rejuvinator Oil did. We can only repair and restore with in our limits and our art is to take a vehicle to its absolute highest potenital, which I believe is done (with out repair work).

Amazing work Todd! Very, Very detailed work, pics, and write up!



You are a true insperation to all of us! :bow







Rasky

Thanks Rasky for the compliments!!!

 

[tom p.]

Todd, I'd like you to come work on my 328 for 5 days How much should I be expecting to pay you for such an extreme detail? Thanks.



Nice job, BTW

 

[imported_Denzil]

Another brilliant detail Todd! Keep supplying the writeups and I'll keep reading and enjoying them!

 

[kaval]

Fantastic work as always Todd!



How did you correct the 'dip' in the doors near the handle? Did you do that by hand? Sorry if I missed it in the write up. I skimmed through it as I'm studying for an exam



Is the world going to be seeing another Todd Helme in a few years now that you are showing your son the ropes? lol :chuckle:

 

[Barry Theal]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Auto detailing is the practice of performing an extremely thorough cleaning, polishing and waxing of an automobile, both inside and out, to produce a show-quality level of detail. It can be practiced for personal satisfaction, and it is also performed to prepare a car for a Concours d'Elegance (often shortened to just Concours), a car show that features the appearance of cars. Elements of exterior detailing include claying, polishing, paint defect correction, and waxing. Interior detailing involves the cleaning of the interior of a vehicle using vacuums, liquid cleaners, and brushes. Engine detailing involves cleaning the engine bay area of dirt and grease by using degreasers and all-purpose cleaners



i don't even think wikipedia understands the level that you truly take a car to! todd, amazing as always. i wonder if the inside of tool bag where the tools fits in were polished? lol im kidding your attention to detail truley amazes me. outstanding!!!!! keep up the incredible work!

 

[gtpaul]

Great work Todd!





Is that little flex really that little? it looks cute.



do you have a pic comparing it to the normal sized one?

 

[Deep Gloss Auto Salon]

Sick work Amigo!

 

[MarcHarris]

wow. completely in awe. thanx for the write-up

 

[imported_slicknickis3]

Stunning work as always Todd!!

 

[paco]

Hey Todd,



What do you recommend for leather/jean dye transfer on Lexus leather? I've tried the LTT products but they didn't help. How much cleaning power does the Rejuv. have?



Awesome work by the way, truly inspiring. You've got me almost convinced to brave the 0C weather and have at it!



Paco

 

[Quality Leather]

You can't clean cracks off of leather wise guy, maybe you care to explain your critisizing comments instead of hit and run like you did?:bat

I don't think I hit and ran. As for the cracks, it depends.

As for the rather blunt comment someone else made, a slightly more constructive way of posting it may have been a suggestion of a steam cleaner. I think that might be the only tool left missing from your arsenal, and it does wonders on removing grime and dirt from leather cracks.



If you had a steamer you would be truly unstoppable! haha



(Although, we didn't see afters, so maybe you did get it out and we are all just missing that fact)

I don't recommend using a steamer on leather unless you are prepared to refinish it. A steamer can easily damage the finish. Do I use one? Yes, but rarely on cars. I just used it Tuesday and did damage the coating on a couch in a couple of spots. I was refinishing some other areas, so not a big deal. What are you guys with a steamer going to do if you damage a customers leather?



As for the blunt comment, I don't think the OP took it in a negative way. I have seen damage on two year old cars with very little mileage. From the pics, it looked like the drivers seat needs to be refinished. Whether the OP or the owner wanted to go that route is up to them.



As for the cracks, if the coating is damaged then yes I would recommend refinishing. If the coating isn't damaged then you need to clean the dirt and grime out of them. Either way, cleaning with a Scotch Brite delicate duty scrub pad should get all of the junk out of the cracks. It won't eliminate the cracks, but it will lessen their appearance. I just did this on the same couch above that the maid thought she did a good job of cleaning every day. I had to refinish that cushion, but the maid was astonished at the improvement that two minutes of scrubbing achieved.

 

[DetailersDomain]

great write up as always. great work!

 

[imported_rydawg1]

Absolutely amazing work Todd!



You'll have to come up to Mass. this year so we do a couple cars together and hang out.

 

[Lumadar]

I don't recommend using a steamer on leather unless you are prepared to refinish it. A steamer can easily damage the finish. Do I use one? Yes, but rarely on cars. I just used it Tuesday and did damage the coating on a couch in a couple of spots. I was refinishing some other areas, so not a big deal. What are you guys with a steamer going to do if you damage a customers leather?

A properly covered (wrapped in towels) steam head, along with some common sense and a little experience allows for practical use of a steamer in automotive leather cleaning IMO.



I use it fairly regularly and it works fantastically well. I have also played with it to see how and when it can remove the finish, and create issues. Obviously, you can't always know how each new vehicle will react, but you can be reasonably sure. If it does cause damage, (never has in my experience) I would simply notify the owners and ask them what they wanted me to do about it (I always use test spots, so if it did it would be minor and not in a highly visible location...they may not even care, or they may want me to pay for the re-finish- in which case I would :doh )



Either way, I like the steamer as a leather cleaning tool in my arsenal, and I won't be leaving it at home anytime soon, so to speak. :bigups

 

[Eisen Hulk]

Do I even need to say, "amazing work, Todd!"?



You're the man. Enough said.

 

[David Fermani]

The paint looks like liquid. You rehab'd this workhorse into a full stallion. Andrea Pininfarina would be very pleased.



Bravissimo Bello!