3500GT Barnfind

Sorry for the delayed response, I've been abroad. I doubt that any of us are capable of truly discerning whether one oil is better than another, but I've read enough to believe that ZDDP is important in older engines and I believe also that detergency is particularly valuable in engines that are used only sporadically.

With respect, I disagree with Redfred. Detergency merely helps to keep dirt in suspension. I don't believe that any detergent oil is a powerful enough solvent to dislodge deposits so rapidly that they would result in clogs. If so, I'd imagine that they would break up the clog as effectively as they would dislodge it. In any case, as I have converted various cars over to Brad Penn, I have never seen a rapid or abrupt discoloration of the oil that would suggest such drastic cleaning action.

The old Kendall green was a well respected dino oil, and Brad Penn has modernized it with a small dose of synthetic and other additives. Knowledgable lubricant specialists have tailored this oil specifically for older collector cars, just as other specialists have tailored racing oils for that purpose. My only real insight is to choose the product that was specifically designed for the need that I have.

Don

 

I am on the home stretch with my car. I am hoping to have it ready in time for the Concorso Italiano. I need to remove my bell housing to bolt it up to my newly rebuilt transmission. I removed all of the bolts, but it does not want to come off without some convincing. I soaked the studs with penetrating oil. Any suggestions on how to remove it, without damaging it? Thanks.

 

Has anybody come up with a solution for mounting the battery in the original battery box, without drilling holes? Mine appears to have never had any type of mounting system as evidenced by a couple small stars on the paint where the battery tipped during hard cornering. Thanks.

 

I'll have to get back to you on that one, as my batt is a modern replacement, that was "J" hooked to the original tray, but may have a non-original top bracket that the "J" hooks secure the batt with. I too have the tell-tale "sack of marbles" bulge from loose batteries flopping about.
There should be a cradle, or tray with eyes, or holes to accept the "J" hooks. This tray would be mounted on the floor of the trunk in the battery compartment.
RF.

 

Hi Mark,..could you post a photo of what your battery box looks like?

Ciao and best!

~Trev

 

RF, thanks for the response. A J-hook arrangement makes sense as the least intrusive way of holding the battery down.
Trev, I will post a picture of it tomorrow.

 

I was not able to complete my car in time for Monterey. I guess that I was being overly optomistic. My upholstery is still at the shop. The leather that we selected as a match for the original (Jaguar ivory) is not available for at least two months. We selected a Mercedes leather that the shop is checking for availability.

I am also waiting on the front Koni shocks for my car. I have the rears, but the fronts have been on back order for weeks. As soon as I get the shocks, I will have the car towed to a friend's shop, where he will let me use his lift and assist me with the shocks, A-arm bushings, and pinion seal. I will then have the car towed to the exhaust shop to install my Quicksilver exhaust.

Brian Moore has been helping me with a few parts on my car. He cut my trident surround to fit and sent it off to the plating shop. He also sent my aircleaner base to be nickel plated. He sand blasted my trident and found that it is brass. We decided to leave it brass, rather than having it chromed. It matches the center of the horn button. I removed the black paint from the grill. As soon as I get the trident surround back, the front of my car should look closer to the way it did when it left the factory.

I am ready to reinstall my transmission; however, my brother removed it 30 years ago and I do not know how the back of the transmission mounts to the car. It has two mounting points on the transmission that do not match up to the frame of the car. My manual does not show how it mounts. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I had a local shop replace the U-joints in my drive shaft. My chin spoiler did not have enough paint on it from the factory to bring it back to life after 50 years. I stripped it to bare metal and had Brian paint it...it is a shame to bolt it on the underside of the car. I bought some imitation Cheney clamps off Ebay to use on my lower radiator hoses. They are absolute garbage. They will not draw down tight enough to even work as hose clamps. At $20 a pair, it was an expensive lesson.

I hope those of you that do make it to Monterey have a wonderful time. I wish I was there.
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Trev, here is a picture of my battery box. If you still have the aircleaner decals, I would love to buy one.
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Marc,

The transmission is only fitted to the engine, no supports at the rear.

Ruud

 

Ruud, thank you very much for the information. Do you know what bolts to the two holes at the back of the transmission? They are visible in my picture behind the shift lever....you can see the flanges, not the holes.
Thanks again for your great website. Your project was one of the reasons that I decided to paint and detail the underside of my car.

 

Thanks for posting the photo Mark. I guess I'm missing the proper battery hold down clamp.

Happy to send you a FISPA decal. Send me a PM with your address.

~Trev

 

Marc,

The 2 mounts are used on other car(s) fitted with this type of gearbox, like
BMW 507. This gearbox was also made for column shift.

Ruud

 

Ruud, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Thanks to you, I should have it installed this weekend.

Trev, PM sent. Thanks.

 

Two steps forward and three steps back....I finished connecting the cooling system up today and filled it with fluid. I discovered that I had a pin hole leak in the lower radiator hose connector/junction. I previously had it repaired by a welder. I will probably have him fabricate a new part for me, unless someone here has one in good condition that they would like to sell.
I also installed a fuel pressure guage in a location where it should only be visible through the wheel well opening.
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THe Sebring and early Mistral also use the mount on the rear of the S-17 transmission. Your car has a four point engine mount. The Sebring and Mistral only have a two point engine mount so the transmission mount is necessary

 

Thanks Eugene. After 30 years apart, the transmission is finally back where it belongs. My son helped me install it. My wife was kind enough to help me make templates for the cocoa mats. It has definately been a family effort.
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I'm amazed it just hangs off the back of the engine. Fascinating.

Pete

 

I see you have the very rare Touring of Milan heal pads in your car.


ciao,
FGM

 

Pete, I am surprised that it is unsupported. I thought that I was missing the mounts before Ruud informed me that there were none.
Frank, I am currently having the front seats recovered. I am debating having the door panels done also, since they were in poor condition. I plan on leaving the back seat area original, except for the cushions. I am tempted to replace the carpet....at least the cocoa mats will cover the wear areas, but they will also cover those original heel pads. While going through the box of transmission parts, I was happy to find the original knobs for the battery cover. If you had not posted pictures of your's, I would not have known what they were...thanks.

 

Here is a little bit of jewelry for the engine compartment. I just got it back from having the base and hardware nickel plated & polished. Can anybody tell me if the small screen goes on the top or bottom?
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Since I have never seen the aircleaner screen visible in any pictures of 3500 GT engine compartments, and the manual did not show it in the diagram, I decided it must point down...possibly in case the webers overflow?
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You must be real close to the first road test!!

Pete

 

Hi Pete, I'm getting close. I need to find the Koni struts for the front and I will need the seats back, before it's maiden voyage.

 

Thanks for the decal Trev. The front Koni struts are enroute from New York. I registered the car for the Serrano Concours on October 2nd.
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I scheduled my car to have the Quicksilver exhaust system installed next Wednesday. Thursday it will go to a friend's shop, with a hoist, where we can install the Koni shocks and A-arm bushings.
I put gas in the car this afternoon and hooked up a battery to start it. As soon as I touched the second cable to the battery, the engine started turning over. The key was in the off position. I previously had the starter solenoid replaced with a Bosch solenoid (that I was told would work perfectly). I connected the wires the same as I had them on the stock solenoid. I reversed the wires and the system was dead. I swapped them back, made sure there was no contact between the solenoid wires, and tried it again.....the engine again turned over as soon as the battery was connected. I will call the starter shop tomorrow to see what the problem is. I hope it is something that I did, and not an issue with the solenoid being compatable with my system.
Here is a picture of my choke cable. Has anybody replaced the cable on a 3500 GT?
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