Fixing a Lamborghini with replica parts

Thoughts

Thoughts

 

Don't do it.

If it's a track car, sure why not. If you're 'restoring' a road car and envision getting a fair market value for it at some point in time, not in a million years. The $$ lost in buying/building the fake parts will be 10x the cost if you put it up for sale, aside from the already reduced value of a car with a blemished history.

 

It's also going to bring a lot of skepticism, if you can't afford to use authentic parts, what else couldn't you afford to fix properly?

 

Restoring italian sports cars and pinching pennies just don't work well together. If that's your MO, build a replica AC Cobra and build it how you want it.

Depends on the car and the purpose it's going to serve after it's repaired.

The only build that I approve of like this is the proper restoration of those two fire damaged Countaches that are on FChat. They're having to remanufacture some parts that aren't available any more but they're doing it 100% correctly by using only the best technology and exact measurements and specifications as the old parts by using an intact car for reference.

In general, I'd say take it on a part by part basis. Are you going to drive the car and not want to die? Modern repro. Are you restoring for value? Authentic.

It's also going to bring a lot of skepticism, if you can't afford to use authentic parts, what else couldn't you afford to fix properly?

 

Restoring italian sports cars and pinching pennies just don't work well together. If that's your MO, build a replica AC Cobra and build it how you want it.

1970's Italy had style, not quality. I'd trust some newer reproduction parts over the shit Luigi and Giuseppe poorly torqued down made from melted down WWII surplus between bottles of Chianti.

 

"It's not authentic!"

"But I am authentically alive!"

To be 100% clear, if the parts are replicrap, then hell no, never ever.

 

If the parts are superior than OEM, then it's 50/50 and it becomes a restore-mod. Take for instance the speedo mechanism at the front left wheel on the Countach: it was not well engineered, the square peg in the cable is notoriously known to round off over time thus making the speedo inoperable. The gearing hub itself was also known to break apart due to excessive grease being boiled by the churning gears (essentially, the grease turned into hydraulic fluid and pushes the hub apart from the inside) . So if aftermarket parts that have been proven to be better engineered and work properly, then why not? This, of course, is not the same as replica parts which are mostly junk! That being said, the other 50 is for absolute genuine OEM authenticity, if that's the goal then it should only be restored with 100% OEM parts despite some of them being inferior.

 

Like enamon said, restoring/fixing Italian sports car with a low/limited budget is an oxymoron.

To be 100% clear, if the parts are replicrap, then hell no, never ever.

 

If the parts are superior than OEM, then it's 50/50 and it becomes a restore-mod. Take for instance the speedo mechanism at the front left wheel on the Countach: it was not well engineered, the square peg in the cable is notoriously known to round off over time thus making the speedo inoperable. The gearing hub itself was also known to break apart due to excessive grease being boiled by the churning gears (essentially, the grease turned into hydraulic fluid and pushes the hub apart from the inside) . So if aftermarket parts that have been proven to be better engineered and work properly, then why not? This, of course, is not the same as replica parts which are mostly junk! That being said, the other 50 is for absolute genuine OEM authenticity, if that's the goal then it should only be restored with 100% OEM parts despite some of them being inferior.

 

Like enamon said, restoring/fixing Italian sports car with a low/limited budget is an oxymoron.

 

Totally agree. Best explained

No, this never ends well.

Kerplop's thread is a perfect example of how to do a sympathetic restoration on a budget.

I suspect this didn't go quite as Allan had hoped. Darn.

 

 

Yes guys, as Allan attempted to skew to make me look bad, I am restoring a Diablo. Not all of the parts will be OEM for a number of reasons mentioned. There are actually a few of us out there who enjoy working on things and have taken on this very challenging project.

 

I have kept it sort of out of site here because I didn't really want the criticism early on as that can be very discouraging.

 

So what's my story? Well- a couple of years ago I decided that many of my previous hobbies had lost their charm for me and it was time to do something that's not a complete waste of money and time. Key word, complete. It's still a waste of time and money, like any hobby.

 

Some points made which I will absolutely echo...

 

NO= this will not be a $400k 6.0 example.

NO= this will not be oe correct.

 

With that being said, the car will have a lot of parts fabricated by me, it will have minimally, a Murcielago drivetrain and aftermarket EMU.. something I can program myself. Which? Don't know. I am many miles away from needing to even shop.

 

Why murcielago drivetrain? Because they're readily available at what I feel are reasonable prices. I am holding out as long as I can for A 6.0 setup, but I'm no longer married to the idea. V12 Lamborghini is a certainty. It will sit as a roller as long as it needs to iuntil I can put it together.

 

The car will have mostly OE suspension bits, with the exception of the shocks and possibly the lower front arms. I had already modeled the whole arm and had ball stud sockets machined because I intended on fabbing them. Still up in the air because arms aren't that expensive if you look hard enough.

 

Already have a 9.9/10 set of 6.0 wheels, need tires but not any time soon. Ideally, a set of out of date tires in decent shape for rolling around purposes would be found, obviously to be replaced when the car is running.

 

Already have some OE body panels here, as well as some aftermarket parts that were copied from OE. Some are quite nice and bolt up ready, others need a lot of work. Most of them will be re-mastered and then rerun as vacuum formed carbon fiber. I see nothing taboo about this after seeing the Countach restorations that were mentioned.

 

I have fabricated a new steel roof skin and replaced 98% of the damage to the frame. This is where it currently sits. In the coming weeks, the chassis will be blasted and primed at which point I will be focusing on creating my own vacuum formed, carbon fiber floor panels to replace the steel floor that remained in the car but was beyond repair.

 

What is the budget? There isn't one. I have no clock to punch. It will cost as much as it needs to and be completed when it's completed. I buy a part here, part there. Some parts are necessary (to me) to have OE, some are not.

 

Please don't fool yourselves thinking these cars are technological marvels.. they're not. They are beautiful, they are glorious. They are nothing short of amazing!! All at the same time, just a steel frame with a V12 and a nice body.

 

What is the end goal? To have a toy to play with on Sundays.

...I am restoring a Diablo.

 

Look, I'm sure that everyone here, me included, supports what you"re doing and will applaud you when you're done, but it seems to me that it's a little disingenuous to say you're "Restoring a Diablo".

 

Apparently I like fake Rolexes too?

 

Actually, in 2003 we picked up a BNIB 16610 K series Submariner. If I recall it was $3600 out the door after a small discount which saved us tax.

 

 

 

 

I also have no problem standing at a urinal because I'm not ashamed at the size of my penis.

 

 

Man, I thought Ed O'Neil straightened you out, Doyal...

Look, I'm sure that everyone here, me included, supports what you"re doing and will applaud you when you're done, but it seems to me that it's a little disingenuous to say you're "Restoring a Diablo".

 

 

Think so? How do you suppose I should claim it?

 

 

How about "I'm reimagining" a Diablo? Does that separate me enough from Allan?

 

 

Edit, that sounded snippy. I'm sorry, not really aimed at you.

In general, I'd say take it on a part by part basis. Are you going to drive the car and not want to die? Modern repro. Are you restoring for value? Authentic.

 

1970's Italy had style, not quality. I'd trust some newer reproduction parts over the shit Luigi and Giuseppe poorly torqued down made from melted down WWII surplus between bottles of Chianti.

 

"It's not authentic!"

"But I am authentically alive!"

 

 

Thank you-

 

 

I'll tell you what guys, I'm sorry I bugged you. It's probably best if I just went back to keeping to myself. This is supposed to be my leisure time and when it becomes a good old fashion gang bang, insulting stuff that people are quite proud of, even when it is just one or two jerks, it takes a bit of the fun away.

 

 

 

Cheers-

 

 

:badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:

I'll tell you what guys, I'm sorry I bugged you. It's probably best if I just went back to keeping to myself. This is supposed to be my leisure time and when it becomes a good old fashion gang bang, insulting stuff that people are quite proud of, even when it is just one or two jerks, it takes a bit of the fun away.

 

 

 

Cheers-

 

 

Come on, your skin is thicker than that. For those who don't know what Keith is doing, he started with half (Or less) of a 6.0 frame (really, frame only) that was chopped up and robbed of almost every usable part to build another car.

 

I don't have Facebook and haven't followed his progress, but I understand to date he's rebuilt the entire frame on his own and is amassing oem parts (and will hopefully shit can the replica parts) and is moving towards eventually having a complete car.

 

Keep posting photos of the progress, I for one commend him for bringing what was essentially something that should have been thrown out into what looks like it's on it's way to becoming a car again.

 

JUST LAY OFF THE DAMN POLITICAL THREADS!

I don't have Facebook and haven't followed his progress, but I understand to date he's rebuilt the entire frame on his own and is amassing oem parts (and will hopefully shit can the replica parts) and is moving towards eventually having a complete car.

 

Keep posting photos of the progress, I for one commend him for bringing what was essentially something that should have been thrown out into what looks like it's on it's way to becoming a car again.

 

It's looking great. I've helped provide a few various measurements off my 6.0. Hopefully he posts a picture here.

It's looking great. I've helped provide a few various measurements off my 6.0. Hopefully he posts a picture here.

 

 

Keith, stop whining and post up some pics.

Cheap replica parts (not repro/oem) = risotto

 

1970's Italy had style, not quality. I'd trust some newer reproduction parts over the shit Luigi and Giuseppe poorly torqued down made from melted down WWII surplus between bottles of Chianti.

 

"It's not authentic!"

"But I am authentically alive!"

 

GOLD

I agree with VCR's POV.

 

Where I draw the line, with a slight caveat, is at utilizing non genuine body parts and major components.

 

The caveat.

 

If you were working on salvaging a very rare car where body parts aren't available new or used anymore for sake of bringing a rare car back to life I agree with using remanufactured parts but making parts for a relatively run of the mill exotic which you could easily find new or used is not acceptable in my book.

I would never attempt to build one of these cars because I for one don't have the patience but Kieth will end up a nice car I bet. I have seen some of the pics.

How many engineers have you known that would settle for anything less than perfection, Lol

None of this really matters if the car is not sold. At this point the only real value the car has is what the builder assigns to it. I assume the car is being built to drive.