Congrats Jack That layout in the engine bay on a right had drive car looks really full compared to left had drive car Cheers Mark
Jack, I had my exhaust replaced as well as the original was less artistically patched up than yours! I used http://www.stainless-exhaust.com/ who have the correct Maserati patterns. Fit perfectly the first time and all I had to do was order by phone! High quality and highly recommended. Just remember to order fittings (if needed) from MIE or another Maserati specialist as it will not come with the system. Pascal
Hey Jack, She still looks as good as in the pictures I saw a few years back. Didn't realise she was delivered new to South Africa. Always assumed she ended there via UK, maybe due to something I read about her somewhere. I too had a Stainless exhaust system fitted to my car, I used P D Goughs in Nottingham. Like the other link they also have the patterns and ended up fitting it to my car, though I did make the mistake of not ordering a new fitting kit. That latter item has now been corrected via MIE parts. Surprisingly the manifolds on my car look original and are in good shape even after 65K miles. I had the anti-polution connections cut off and welded up, but found that if you used a coarse sand paper that the surface rust went quickly to shiny steel. I didn't bother changing these as it seemed a waste of money. I posted details of the LHM equipment reconditioners on a Bora thread, but just in case here are the last contact details I have; Pleiades Unit 12A Brookside Industrial Estate Sawtry Cambridgeshire PE28 5SB UK +44 1487831239 I don't think the web site Marc put up has been maintained in a while, but teh owner Martin is a really helpful chap. Bal
Thanks for advice and compliments, Gentlemen! I have found a local Citroen-specialist who can replace the membranes in the accumulators. The exhaust I'll have made up here: there are many shops who are really great with stainless fabrication, and they'll cut up the old to copy from. It'll probably cost less than just the transport from overseas alone, and will be quality work. The manifolds look like they just have surface rust. Btw, I thought the bungs were for gas-probes for adjustment of the Webers? I do have a problem though, I need material to re-cover the dash-top, which was attacked by a mouse. Colour is dark brown. Just spoke with the driver of the truck, he's less than 100kms away Oh, about the crowdedness of the engine-bay: I am used to Ferrari V-8 and Jaguar V-12's, both of which make the Khamsin engine bay look like a ballroom!
Easy language, Forrige bilde (in Dutch: Vorige beeld) and Neste bilde (Next..)! Very nice pictures, I've attached the one I like best! #1228 en #435 looking good too! Obtaining a Khamsin from Zimbabwe.......amazing. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well, she's here! Got her off the truck, only to find out that we don't know how to switch on the lights or they are not working. The pods came up fine, but the switch didn't do its' thing. It was dark already, and we stand at a pretty busy road, so put the hazards on and off we go, about 3 kms to the house. With broken exhaust and all, wow, this car is a brute! My first few km's in my Khamsin
Well AMLC if you try really hard you could find one in Sri Lanka, 3 in Venezuela, a 4th from that country which is now in countless parts in...a suburb of Stockholm...an ex British one which had for some time a mahogany rear wing (yes! don't know what he smoked) and was converted from right hand drive to LHD and is now in Norway, one in Tehran, an ex Saudi car in a remote part of Canada, one or two in Hong Kong, an ex New York car which lived some time in Lebanon and is now in Belgium, another which spent years in Saudi and is now in Norway, one with British plates in Monaco -in which I enjoyed a recent ride.-)-a British one now in a museum in Athens, a Norwegian one now in a museum in the Carribbean, one in Croatia (photo AM120.062) and the K fossil in Egypt land of the wind called Khamsin....but yes the "Zimba K" is as exotic as it gets in terms of location best regards, Marc Image Unavailable, Please Login
Jack special women and special cars have a way of grabbing you...enjoy falling under the spell best regards, Marc
Zim may sound as a very exotic location, but there is a rich history of cars: Since the independance, many ex-pats have left the country, and most took their toys with, but over the last 20 years, many people bought mainly British classics from there. Lots of Jags and Rollers. There was even a Costin-bodied Jag D-Type there... 435 shared its' garage-space in Zim with a mouthwatering collection of Ferrari's since 1991, and with a smaller collector since 2005. During the first years she was used on long weekend-trips, but the detoriorating infrastructure caused her to rest rather than roll, with short stints to keep the systems going. She now has 63.000kms on her.
Hi Jack Congratulations the jurney has just begun The Dash material was an early version of Alcantara. This stuff is available and the version you want is the vinal backed type. The colours this material come in just amazing, a good starting point is http://www.alcantara.com/#/en/home Regards Graeme
Thanks Graeme, shot them a mail. How many different colours were used in these cars? Mine is a very dark brown, but the dash-top has lightened somewhat due to the sun, so it can't really serve as a sample for them to match.
Hi Jack As far as I am aware the colour of the dash top should be the same as the door inlays and from what you have said is dark brown. There are variations to this which have been discussed here. The removal of the dash top has been discussed before, however to recap, but basically remove both the instrument panels and the glove box liner. From memory there are bolts in the middle and two in the ends in a very awkward spot which is tucked in the return channel see diagram. Cheers Graeme Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Jack... Didn't see a response to your pods going up but no lights.. Maybe I missed it... Anyway, maybe this will help... After talking to other owners this is a common problem... The switch located in the engine compartment on the little box by the left wheel well (US car) is probably to blame.. I have heard these are difficult to find... On my car, and I believe others, there is an "over-ride" switch typically located by the radio.. If the pods come up, but the lights don't illuminate, flipping this switch should do the trick... Mike
Graeme, thank you for the schematic, I was affraid it all had to come out. Oh well. Brings me to the following dilemma: my cubby-lid is also covered with the alcantara, but I don't really like that. Is this common? I saw 439 a week ago, and the lid is the same as the rest of the leather upholstry, looks better IMO. What should it be? Mike, thanks for that advice. I haven't studied the system yet, nor have I figured out what all the switches there do. It looks a bit of a mess to me with all the different style switches and knobs, almost kit-car like. In any case, nothing appears to come on, not the rear lights either, so it can't be a big problem I'll have a look for said box! I have a small crack in one of the plastc fronts of the headlight-pods, took it out thisd afternoon, only to find that everything inside is good as new. All the Carello units, the rings, buckets, as if it came from the factory the other week. Makes me happy! Didn't find any LHM around there either, makes me even happier! I haven't tried the seat adjustment yet, and apart from the leaking accumulator have located 1 small leak, the return from the clutch slave, the plastic line has a crack on the barbs of the banjo. Not strange, sitting so close to the exhaust. Easy fix. Oh, and what were they thinking at Maserati" There was no GPS back then, yet I don't find a single map-pocket, nor any storage-space apart from the cubby. Love the footrest in the passenger footwell, very snotty Can you guys tell I'm enjoyingm myself?
Hi Jack, The lights are strange to say the least. The toggle switch in the centre console is as said above the emergency light switch, which from memory only turns on the sidelights and tail lights. The headlight switch on the dash just lifts the pods, light function is as below. On the right hand side of the steering column there are two stalks, the one nearest is for indicators. The one furthest from you is for the headlights. Lowest position sidelights on when pods lifted. Second position (moving upwards) dipped headlights Third position is for high beam. You can pull the stalk towards yourself in the bottom position to flash. (Note you have to have the pods raised to make that worthwhile) Not very clear in the handbook. Also on your car do you have two swithes on the radiator to control the fans as per the handbook, i.e. on coming on at a higher temp than the first? My car has only one switch with both fans coming on together, again at a vaiance to the handbook. As they are only one number away from each other I'd be interested to know if this is the same or maybe my car has received a mod in it's past. Cheers Bal
Hi Bal, That's what I thought, the stalk on the column. Nothing happens. I didn't try the switch on the centre console, will do so tomorrow. Switches on the radiator? I'll have to have a look, no idea. What does your cubby look like? Leather or alcantara? Unexpected, the car did have the jack-bag complete, but no tool-roll nor owners manual. I did download the manual from Ivan's site, and sae that a re-print can be ordered from MIE, but that's not quite the same, is it? Also the toolroll...oh well, there's nowhere to stick it anyway
Mine is covered in the same alcantara as the dash top and is original as I am only the second owner. Tool roll goes into cubby on left side of boot. As a small idiosyncratic aspect of the Khamsin, the original owners' manual does not fit in the glovebox! I use the totally irrelevant rear "seats" to store odds and ends. Pascal PS: anybody know of a source for the boot covers that I have seen on some cars?
Hi all: Wonderful to see two owners take possession of their K's almost the same week and on two different continents! Mark and Jack: don't forget to drive them and let us know your thoughts and feelings after your first adventures on the road! Jack the foot rest is meant for the expensive high heels of leggy models I am surprised to hear of cubby hole lids covered with alcantara, I can't remember seeing one like that: I thought the were all in the same leather as the sides of the trunk. Meanwhile I am actually sending my book chapters to my publisher and have just finished my own final edits on all the Khamsin chapter text portions: 20883 words: phew! best regards, Marc
Hey Jack, My car is finished in Bianca (described as white) leather, but in reality it is a pale cream. The carpets are silver grey (though much faded with age ans LHM damage in the driver's footwell) and in the lower door inserts. The dash top is grey alcantara as is my glovebox cover. The centre dash is also in grey. The centre door inserts behind the pull handle are also grey alcantara. I too have seen doors with leather rather than alcantara and the glovebox too. Looks more cohesive like that but it appears there were various differences in the cars produced. I've seen pictures of one car with wood veneer backgrouds to the dash areas, again nice but I don't think original from factory. You can get a reprint of the handbook from the factory in their classic binders, look like the orignals I believe but not seen one in the flesh so to speak. Cheers Bal
Wait Jack: when you say cubby hole are you talking about the glove box or the trunk's cubby hole? You can see the cubby hole here on the left side of the trunk in AM120350 which is a very original and low mileage original car in Japan. That is where the tool roll goes, lots of room in there for Jack, tool roll, an LHM bottle or two rags... Glove boxes however can be in alcantara or leather, yes. best regards, Marc PS: Bal yes true I see that you have understood the laws of Modenese logic Image Unavailable, Please Login
Bal: That's how mine is, apart from different colours. Beige leather, red carpets and lower inserts on doors, brown alcantara for all the rest. I'll have a look at the Maserati classic binder. Marc: I meant glove-box; the cubby in the left rear has leather. Thought it was just to house the battery and didn't look inside yet. Btw, did you receive my e-mail and pics of 439? Can anyone tell me what the correct names for my exterior/interior colours are? First real road impressions in the week, need to have the accumulators re-done first.
Hi Jack: Ah glove box thought so! You will find lots of room in the trunk cubby hole (and who knows what) but not the battery which is in the front and very hard to remove by the way since you have to take things apart first. Yes I did get the photos thank you very much and sorry it has been very hectic here and my MKR mailbox fills up very quickly so after saving the photos I deleted your email but apparently forgot to thank you so, with my apologies I do now: merci! Will find out your colors for you! best regards, Marc
Marc, No problem, just wanted to make sure you received the mail, as the files were rather big. Looking forward to hearing what colour it is! Inconsistency in car-building: My battery is in the rear storage compartment, and looks like it's always been there. I thought the batteries of K's were in the passenger footwell, but on this RHD car that footwell is quite deep. I'll take some photo's.
After three weeks and quite a lot of money! I finally got the car back from the paint shop today. We decided to retain the same colour but with a pearlesant effect to make it more shiny. The original factory gold colour is a couple of shades darker and quite a bit 'flatter'. I decided to be brave and wash the dashboard top whilst the windscreen was out ( the original reason I decided to do a bit of paint, which then turned into a full respray!) . I washed it using a nail scrubbing brush and some clothes washing liquid in tedid water. I used light stokes of the brush and then tried to soak up and rub the surface with clean white clothes. Needed about 3 clothes for the dash top. I had always had water leaks at the base of the screen and the dash top had become stained with a few 'tide ' white marks on it. The results were impressive! It is a 34 year old car and material, so wont look 'as new' but is fine for me and now of a uniform colour and no 'tide marks'. We noted a leak from the n/s ( it is RHD) power steering rack where two pipes go in almost at the far end of the rack. Assume it is a simple 'o'ring??? Can these be sourced separately? Also a leak from the o/s front caliper which we assume is a seal. not bad leaks but any leak needs attention So project is: Screen back in Attend to leaks Fix main beam ( garage did something wrong? Couldnt fix it) Repair seam on o/s front seat Cure minor misfire, possibly duff plug lead AND GET OUT THERE AND DRIVE IT LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO BE DRIVEN! Will post pics if have any allowance left or will send to Mark. Paul
