Countach Anniversary Restoration
Discussion
I mentioned on the other Countach thread that we were doing a restoration on an Anniversary at work (Amari Super Cars) and a few said they would be interested to see the work, so here we go….
We bought this Anniversary around December 2012. It looked to be in quite good condition and has only 10,000 km on the clocks, however it had been sat unused for around 2 years.
The colour is Ballon White (not the original shade) and the interior is full Rosso hide.
So, as it needed some tidying and some mechanical work, we decided to go the full length and do a proper restoration job on it.
Here are a couple of pics from when we first bought it:
Now forgive me as some of these photos may not be in the correct order, but I shall do my best. Also some may be repeated as there is some from my DSLR and some from the tech's tablet.
At the beginning of October we sent the wheels for a refurb and started to strip the suspension and brakes.
All the components were laid out to show the condition. Most of these were then sand-blasted, then some were painted and others were sent away for zinc coating:
More soon…...
We bought this Anniversary around December 2012. It looked to be in quite good condition and has only 10,000 km on the clocks, however it had been sat unused for around 2 years.
The colour is Ballon White (not the original shade) and the interior is full Rosso hide.
So, as it needed some tidying and some mechanical work, we decided to go the full length and do a proper restoration job on it.
Here are a couple of pics from when we first bought it:
Now forgive me as some of these photos may not be in the correct order, but I shall do my best. Also some may be repeated as there is some from my DSLR and some from the tech's tablet.
At the beginning of October we sent the wheels for a refurb and started to strip the suspension and brakes.
All the components were laid out to show the condition. Most of these were then sand-blasted, then some were painted and others were sent away for zinc coating:
More soon…...
We started work on taking the engine out, as it needed a service and belts, and we had no idea what condition the clutch was in.
It took a while to strip the parts off that needed removing first.
When we went to lift the engine, the gearbox was trying to move with it, even though everything had been un-bolted and loosened. Our tech thought it must be a spline sticking inside so decided to bolt it back up and bring the gearbox out with it!
It took a while to strip the parts off that needed removing first.
When we went to lift the engine, the gearbox was trying to move with it, even though everything had been un-bolted and loosened. Our tech thought it must be a spline sticking inside so decided to bolt it back up and bring the gearbox out with it!
Robert W said:
Are you sure it wasn't silver originally?
Hi Robert, you were correct, it was originally silver.More pics!!
To make the engine bay / cradle look like new, the old paint finish needed to stripped right back to bare metal. Doing this we could get rid of the surface rust and repair any bits that had rusted badly. This was done by hand with a sharp blade and also with a drill attachment.
loving the excellent pics and detailed text on this. . .i dont know my Lambos very well mechanically anyway, am i seeing this right that the gearbox is at one end of the engine and the differential is at the other ? why would you do it round that way . . .or is it my understanding of the pics that needs looking at ?
benters said:
loving the excellent pics and detailed text on this. . .i dont know my Lambos very well mechanically anyway, am i seeing this right that the gearbox is at one end of the engine and the differential is at the other ? why would you do it round that way . . .or is it my understanding of the pics that needs looking at ?
It's all about packaging. Look at a Countach from the side and picture where the engine sits in relation to the back wheels and the cabin and it should be clear why they had to do this. The differential obviously has to go in between the rear wheels, but the only space within the wheelbase for the gearbox is at the front of the engine, with a propshaft running back through the crankcase to the diff. If they had used a conventional transaxle gearbox like most mid-engined cars do then it would have ended being a much longer car, without the distinctive, short, upswept tail.
thegreenhell said:
benters said:
loving the excellent pics and detailed text on this. . .i dont know my Lambos very well mechanically anyway, am i seeing this right that the gearbox is at one end of the engine and the differential is at the other ? why would you do it round that way . . .or is it my understanding of the pics that needs looking at ?
It's all about packaging. Look at a Countach from the side and picture where the engine sits in relation to the back wheels and the cabin and it should be clear why they had to do this. The differential obviously has to go in between the rear wheels, but the only space within the wheelbase for the gearbox is at the front of the engine, with a propshaft running back through the crankcase to the diff. If they had used a conventional transaxle gearbox like most mid-engined cars do then it would have ended being a much longer car, without the distinctive, short, upswept tail.TSS said:
Those wheels look great. Do you mind if I ask who did them Adz? Are they lacquered over the polished surface and did they take them apart or just polish the front of them?
WRC in Bamber Bridge did them, we use them for all our wheels. They fully split them and rebuilt them. As for laquer, Im not sure. I dont think so, as we normally use wheel polish and sealant to keep them looking shiny.
benters said:
makes sense. . so that raises the engine a touch I guess. but as you say, the way to go to fit all that in the space. Would there be much loss of power through this idea ? that said would you notice with Twelve cylinders banging away !! appreciate the cut away drawing cheers.
actually not - the idea being the main drive from the gearbox runs through the sump to the differential at the rear of the engine casing.Unlike the contemporary Testarossa which literally had the engine sat on top of the gearbox with a much higher centre of gravity !
The same engine layout is employed in the Diablo and I believe the Murcielago. Unsure about the Aventador?
Adz The Rat said:
WRC in Bamber Bridge did them, we use them for all our wheels. They fully split them and rebuilt them.
As for laquer, Im not sure. I dont think so, as we normally use wheel polish and sealant to keep them looking shiny.
Thanks Adz. Always useful to know who can be trusted with Countach wheels.As for laquer, Im not sure. I dont think so, as we normally use wheel polish and sealant to keep them looking shiny.
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