Ohlgren

If you mess with the relays make sure they connect properly when you plug them in. Almost every time I mess with the relays, I have to take the box appart and connect some dropped connectons on the back. The plugs just push the connectors out of thier sockets into the box.

I bought a Jalpa about 6 months ago that was said to be in excellent mechanical condition. The list priovided by topcarbon is almost word for word what the last owner had done and what I have found wrong. His letter looks like a combination of the records from the seller and the letter I got from my shop. WORD FOR WORD. There are maybe 2 or 3 things that have not appeared on my car from his list, and 1 or 2 I could add. I am going to get the things from his list checked out! The rest can be applied to my car in almost every detail. I feel my car was not well maintained, and the one you posted pics of looks in better shape, but keep this list of issues in mind. Topcar... that was a bit creepy.

Pictures will be on the way soon. There are several -what the hell is going on here- type of things that can be only described in pictures. I hope to start getting into things this weekend. Most people seem to be on the same page with me. worry less about stock, get it safe, reliable, and enjoy.

No worries Mike! I was not offended in the least. I said I was stupid. I would never recommend doing what I did without being prepared. Even then, what I did was abad idea. That was all I was trying to say. I appreciate the advice tremendously. It will not be an easy project, but I look forward to it. Are you going to stay close to stock when you get yours?

(Oh yeah, I got the books before I got the car. I have been able to locate pretty much everything I need.)

In response to Carreaper (Mike), The modifications I plan to make are to add all steel braided lines for fuel and oil. The place I talked to about doing this would replace the connections and or modify them to have the required fittings (not hose clamps). I am wondering if it is worth trying to save those old connectors or just modify and replace them to accomodate the braided lines. The bracket is going no matter what, just wondering whether I should throw it in a box or not. As I move on in the restoration, I plan to replace the engine mounts if not done, I am pondering replacing the valves with stainless (I heard the stock ones can rust and break), wiring needs attention, I might get a higher output alternator. Nothing too specific at this point. Just wondering if anyone out there thinks it is worth the time, expense, and living with issues in order to stay stock on a Jalpa. No plans for NOS or Zebra seats at this point. As for how I could I be dumb enough to buy a Lamborghini, sight unseen, and have it shipped from coast to coast? I had seen this exact car several years ago and it had some issues. When talking to the recent seller, he was aware of issues I knew the car had and he had resolved many of them.... Which is true. I expected the car to have more issues. MOST stories I hear about Jalpas involve spendy overhauls. I LOVE THIS CAR. This exact VIN car. Black on black, red badges, with side skirts unlike any I have seen elsewhere. It was a purchase based on passion and lust with reason thrown out the window. I took a gamble. I was willing to take the risk for a car I loved. The car has a lot of great features as well. When I get it sorted, it is going to be an amazing example of the Jalpa. Anyway, I was really really stupid. Buying an older Lamborghini sight unseen, is a really really bad idea if you are not willing to do some major work. I had seen it, but things have changed since then. Buying a Lamborghini is never practical, but yeh, I could have been done better (most likely I would have negotiated a better price). I hope my story helps people know where to look for issues and what can happen if you are not careful. My goal is to get the car in as good of condition as I possibly can. NO regrets.

I have coolant leaks all over the place. Judging by past repairs and conditions of things, this car was very poorly maintained. I will look into the cooling system. I am pretty sure there is a lot of unpleasant stuff going on that I don't see throughout the car. I will most likely be under repair for quite a while. I hope to fix a bunch of stuff, drive a little, fix stuff and drive a little, so I can spread the cost and downtime out. I enjoy doing it so no worries. As I have said before, I didn't expect to have to do so much right off the bat.

Hey everyone, I am still getting a handle on the extent of my needed repairs. I wanted to show the list of issues from my shop. This was what they found on the surface. 1. Fuel pump leaking fuel from housing (addressed). 2. Spark plug caps missing (addressed). 3. Ignition coil connection to lead wire. C connector crushed with pliers and stuffed into coil outlet. 4. messy wiring and dropped wires (addressed several). 5. Alternator bracket (glued... yes glued, bent and tack welded to valve cover) Alternator is leaning and threatning to drop belt. 6. Choke improperly mounted on alternator bracket. (welded at an odd angle) 7. Fuel lines blistering and recommended to be replaced with braided lines. 8. Gasket leak under the carburetor box. 9. Throttle cable routed improperly (addressed?). 10. Air pump wires cut. 11. Air pump missing belt. 12. Air pump missing bracket. 13. Air pump has cut and missing hoses. 14. Panel missing from belly. 15. Wire harness had bad connectors all around. 16. Recommended rebuilding Carburetors while they were off the car. There is gas sludge in one of the boxes. This is on the surface. I am missing parts here and there. There are little anoying things wrong I would like to fix, but above are some bigger issues needed to be taken care of before driving. I fear there are more issues deeper in the engine bay. My mechanic took off the air boxes and looked around. He did not get into the engine. A quick look made the list above. My current line of thinking is to get the carburetors rebuilt professionaly. replace the fuel lines and probably oil lines with steel braided (Aeroquip) professionaly. I plan to try and get the air pump running myself. These repairs will get me running and through DEQ. Once I clear that hurdle, I will dive deeper. I am having a dilema about stock versus modifications. I had hoped to stay close to stock, but parts have been really hard to find and I have seen lots of recomendations for improvements. (I want to avoid engine fires) I don't plan on selling my car for a very very long time. It is important for me to drive it and enjoy it. I love car shows and would like to share the car I love, but I plan to drive to said shows. I am not looking to win concourses. However I do not want to destroy the value or potential value of my Jalpa. Try to keep it stock, or put in upgrades to make it more dependable is the question?

Here are some pics of mine. I am gearing up for a round of repairs. This Jalpa has been poorly maintained or rather has very sketchy workmanship. I have a gasket leak which is making it impossible to tune, which makes it fail DEQ, which makes me unable to register it, which makes it illegal to drive. You get the idea. I hope to show some pics of the work soon. I am sure I will be bugging everyone for part leads soon.