1969 Maserati Ghibli - The Resurection
Discussion
Chad speed said:
4.7 litres of Maserati V8 with Quad camshafts, four twin choke 42 DCNF Webbers and dry sump lubrication.
I knew the engine was likely to need at least a top end rebuild, the car had been stored for a number of years, smoked badly and had low compression on three cylinders. Observing the exhaust at various throttle positions and oiling the bores before and after doing a compression test indicated worn bores/pistons on the three low compression cylinders and probably poorly seating valves on all cylinders. The distance from the front of the bonnet to the centre of gravity of the engine/box unit is huge and an estimate of the combined weight plus a bit for safety indicated that l would need an engine crane with a capacity well in excess of the usual one I borrow. The solution was to hire a commercial plant lifting crane, which was an absolute monster and able to lift 2500kg at 2 metres, sadly can’t find any pictures of it. As with most cars, extracting the engine takes most of the day to remove as many obstacles as possible, and then 15 minutes to lift the engine, roll the car back, and lower it onto a dolly. All went smoothly with the exception of removing the prop shaft as the bolts on the Hooke’s type UJ’s had previously been rounded. I was able to overcome this by sliding the female splined shaft out from the gearbox output shaft. A word of caution, this should only be attempted if you are prepared to do further work on the box or replace the now obsolete output shaft bearing. The rollers in the bearing are retained in a cage that, if even slightly worn, allows them to drop out when the prop shaft is removed. Guess what happened when I did it?
Engine out and two days worth of scraping to remove the ¼” thick underseal in the engine bay and the bulkhead sound proofing. Note holes in engine bay through to nearside inner wing along bonnet edge, and remains of original green paint.
A fascinating thread Roger - thanks for posting.I knew the engine was likely to need at least a top end rebuild, the car had been stored for a number of years, smoked badly and had low compression on three cylinders. Observing the exhaust at various throttle positions and oiling the bores before and after doing a compression test indicated worn bores/pistons on the three low compression cylinders and probably poorly seating valves on all cylinders. The distance from the front of the bonnet to the centre of gravity of the engine/box unit is huge and an estimate of the combined weight plus a bit for safety indicated that l would need an engine crane with a capacity well in excess of the usual one I borrow. The solution was to hire a commercial plant lifting crane, which was an absolute monster and able to lift 2500kg at 2 metres, sadly can’t find any pictures of it. As with most cars, extracting the engine takes most of the day to remove as many obstacles as possible, and then 15 minutes to lift the engine, roll the car back, and lower it onto a dolly. All went smoothly with the exception of removing the prop shaft as the bolts on the Hooke’s type UJ’s had previously been rounded. I was able to overcome this by sliding the female splined shaft out from the gearbox output shaft. A word of caution, this should only be attempted if you are prepared to do further work on the box or replace the now obsolete output shaft bearing. The rollers in the bearing are retained in a cage that, if even slightly worn, allows them to drop out when the prop shaft is removed. Guess what happened when I did it?
Engine out and two days worth of scraping to remove the ¼” thick underseal in the engine bay and the bulkhead sound proofing. Note holes in engine bay through to nearside inner wing along bonnet edge, and remains of original green paint.
You sound a man after my own heart. I have always carried out my own work on my cars as you seem to be doing and, despite the inevitable frustrations, have always found it very rewarding in the end. I could do as many do and throw a blank cheque book at one of the many marque specialists happy to take your money, but I prefer to do as much work as I am able. I get the most satisfaction that way. I do know my own limitations and entrust key jobs to professionals as required - more of a "project management" process really. However, when I do so, I tend to go direct to the craftsmen/tradesmen/engineering-specialists themselves rather than do so via a "marque specialist" - most of whom farm out these jobs themselves anyway and charge you a mark-up into the bargain. I have found this tends to apply more to the bigger firms - certainly in the Jaguar world. It is surprising how many of these large "marque specialists" employ relatively unskilled labour and have very few facilities of their own - almost everything is farmed out. The owners of these firms may be very skilled and experienced but simply trade on their name/experience and most of the actual work is carried out by spotty Halfords-rejects ....
Having said all that, I do appreciate that some people may not have the necessary facilities, confidence, imagination or time to restore a car and so have no other choice other than to go to a marque specialist.
-- Neville climbs down from his Hobby-Horse --
I look forward to reading about your continuing progress.
CY88 said:
What a Fantastic car!!!!!
Although if you want a metallic green one, don't do the Verdi Bosco!. Go for the stunning Verdi Gemma instead
Excellent thread, I can't wait to see how the restoration turns out.Although if you want a metallic green one, don't do the Verdi Bosco!. Go for the stunning Verdi Gemma instead
By the way, I have to agree with CY88, Verdi Gemma is the way forward!
king stunning
.
It seems that Spyder is for sale..
http://www.kidston.com/WORLD-CLASSIC-CAR-EXPERTISE...
Dear god I want that car...
http://www.kidston.com/WORLD-CLASSIC-CAR-EXPERTISE...
Dear god I want that car...
found the piccies;
DSC03860 by jamie and the magic torch, on Flickr
DSC03855 by jamie and the magic torch, on Flickr
DSC03860 by jamie and the magic torch, on Flickr
DSC03855 by jamie and the magic torch, on Flickr
Non-SS Spyder - yours for just £230k... http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...
Wonder how much the above green SS will go for...
Wonder how much the above green SS will go for...
McClure said:
It seems that Spyder is for sale..
http://www.kidston.com/WORLD-CLASSIC-CAR-EXPERTISE...
Dear god I want that car...
Original price - "Base price US$13,750 plus extras totaling US$16,590"http://www.kidston.com/WORLD-CLASSIC-CAR-EXPERTISE...
Dear god I want that car...
Dave Hedgehog said:
thats my fapping material sorted out for tonight
This should sort you out for at least a week http://www.kidston.com/sold-carsGassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff