Resurrecting Jalpa #359

In the 60s today. Damn it's nice outside. Used the opportunity to work on prepping it to drop the engine.... and also clean up the garage (which I'm doing now) because it's messy as hell.

 

What's that behind where the license plate goes? Looks like a light, but that makes no sense.

Nice angle!

What's that behind where the license plate goes? Looks like a light, but that makes no sense.

 

I honestly have no idea. There are so many buttons and switches on this car, I'm vastly confused by many of them. I'll have to RTFM sometime.

Put your tools away before you lose them damnit

It looks like some sort of back up light. Mine doe not have it, nor have I seen another with it.

That's very strange. behind a plate is baffling.

But considering all that extra wiring.....could have been an electronics store showcar with strobes and bright light.

That's very strange. behind a plate is baffling.

But considering all that extra wiring.....could have been an electronics store showcar with strobes and bright light.

 

Considering there was 3-4 amps, a car phone, 2 stereo decks and a giant phone receiver unit... I would not be surprised. I'm just amazed there isn't a disco ball to boot.

Put in an inquiry for main bearings, rod bearings and camshaft bearings. Waiting to hear back on availability. Does anyone know where I can order some of the recommended Viton seals?

 

CR35412, CR19606, CR11611, CR12746, CR9730, CR7740. A google search has come up with nothing.

Put in an inquiry for main bearings, rod bearings and camshaft bearings. Waiting to hear back on availability. Does anyone know where I can order some of the recommended Viton seals?

 

CR35412, CR19606, CR11611, CR12746, CR9730, CR7740. A google search has come up with nothing.

 

Best bet is to see if GT Car Parts still offers a "full" gasket kit with head gaskets and most others...this kit was around $ 800 15 years ago... likely much more now, but much cheaper than trying to put together individual gaskets.

 

The motor does not use "cam bearings"...the cam runs in the cylinder head directly without any inserts. Good luck with rods and mains

 

Paul

Best bet is to see if GT Car Parts still offers a "full" gasket kit with head gaskets and most others...this kit was around $ 800 15 years ago... likely much more now, but much cheaper than trying to put together individual gaskets.

 

The motor does not use "cam bearings"...the cam runs in the cylinder head directly without any inserts. Good luck with rods and mains

 

Paul

 

Paul,

 

I was unaware that was the case with the cams. In that case I'm sure it will be fine. I got a mirror and a light into the camshaft area and they look pristine. I'll check tolerances either way.

 

Why put light because license plate?

 

Because cocaine.

 

Why doesn't every car have one there?

Why put light because license plate?

 

Because cocaine.

 

Why doesn't every car have one there?

 

hahahahaha

Put lights under the seat too, why? WHY NOT? LET'S JUST DO IT! LIGHTS EVERYWHERE NOW!

hahahahaha

Put lights under the seat too, why?

 

 

for that akward moment when your small bags of "stuff" fall under the seat DOH !

There should be lights fixed facing towards the driver, so they can look better in the mirror and people can see their face (even at night).

There should be lights fixed facing towards the driver, so they can look better in the mirror and people can see their face (even at night).

 

Here's an artistic concept.

Sent in a quote for new valves (I figure if I'm going to go through this engine, I may as well update it). Ordered engine gasket sealing set, new head gaskets and also put in a quote for ARP hardware to see if they could special order some head studs at specified lengths.

Going all out!

Going all out!

 

Things are starting to feel a bit more real with parts on the way to get it back on the road. I am quite excited.

Things are starting to feel a bit more real with parts on the way to get it back on the road. I am quite excited.

 

Yep! Felt like i had made zero progress until parts arrived. Good feeling once they are there!

My only problem is that thus far the parts have all come from Australia and Germany. So it's a huge waiting game. In the mean time will work on getting this engine out! It's like a dream come true either way restoring my own Lamborghini with my bare hands. Today is nice outside, hope to get more done later. Will post pics as progress is made.

Does anyone by off chance know the thread pitch for the head studs?

Alright, well, I got most everything disconnected on the engine except the coolant lines. I should be able to drop it soon. I worked on the linkage today and could barely get the damn shifter to move. I thought, "oh great, well, it worked when I got it and now it hardly moves... I'm going to absolutely shit myself if something is wrong with the transmission."

 

SO I decided to go ahead and do some easy troubleshooting. The shifter was stuck in neutral, literally could hardly move it.

 

- Disconnected linkage

- Attempted to move shifter, shifter still did not move

- Grabbed linkage with my hands, click click, shift shift, went into gears just fine.

- Consensus that shifter is frozen up.

 

Took the shifter apart and man... the grease that is in it looks like 50 year old axle grease. It felt like glue, definitely was doing the opposite of lubricating. That said... I gotta comment that WOW, lamborghini gated shifters are the coolest thing I've seen. They are engineered in such a simple manner, but so precise and it would seem the play is next to ZERO. Impressive. No weird wear parts, no odd bushings... just some simple linkage, a simple design and a bolt that holds it in leveraging the ring. Seriously cool.

 

Shifter hadn't been out in what looks like ever. The linkage bolts were all pretty rusted up but not seized, so they came out easily.

 

This is a flash picture, so the rust looks worse than it is, it's just surface rust. I plan on sandblasting it down and then brushing it to bring it back. Obviously leaving the linkage area alone, once cleaned up, it looked perfect.

 

Here's the reason it wouldn't move... that grease looks like GLUEEEEEEE

 

After everything was cleaned up a bit, it seems to be just fine. I plan on letting them sit in some solvent over night and then clean them up more tomorrow. I'll clean up the shifter box as good as I can, glass bead it (minus any areas that the moving parts go in of course) and then lubricate it with some decent grease or lubricant that won't seize up like that.

 

That said... linkage to the transmission is disconnected now. Just need to do the coolant system, get the car high up enough and then drop the engine out. Making progress.

 

Final opinion: GATE SHIFTERS ARE COOL. THERE. I SAID IT.

I am loving this thread

I am loving this thread

 

Haha, thanks Fortis! I've always wanted to bring a car like this back to life. I really feel like half the adventure is understanding the car, tearing into it and learning it inside and out. I think a lot of that is because of my fascination with how things are engineered. I like taking things apart and putting them together and seeing and understanding the puzzle of how it works.

 

It's interesting as there are things on this car designed in ways I didn't expect, and haven't encountered on the other cars I've worked on (shifter setup is a great example). Just when I think, "I love how xyz is designed on the 911." I come across little things like this and go, "Man that is so simple, so cool and engineered so well... why aren't other things like this?" I mean, I'm really used to looking at something and going, "That could be done better here or there. I could probably fabricate this, order some bushings like that and make it better." Nope, not necessary, already engineered in a manner that is great.

 

It's like diving into a new automotive world and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

 

PS: is your title correct, am I reading you may be getting a Huracan?