Here they are, I do think I have seen these photos before about a couple of years ago and we may even have discussed them here. best regards, Marc Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
this has probably been treated one way or another in the past but i'll ask any way. my khamsin was clad in connolly VM 3498 Crushed according to the build sheet. i need some dye to respray a few areas which have discoloured a bit over time. which colour is this and where would i get the dye? much appreciated. P
Hello Paul... I would recommend you check out Ivan's article on restoring leather in the manuals section of his website site www. thecarnut.com. Depending upon whether you are in the US or not, Color Plus or Leatherique could be good options. You may end up having to send them a sample of the leather for a better match, as the original leather color may have faded slightly over the years.. I believe they can create custom matching colors, but would recommend talking to them as well, if you choose this option. Another option is to redye the whole interior to the original color. You may find a non-faded sample of the leather color underneath the seats. Again Color Plus or Leatherique may be able to match the color needed. If not in the US, a good dye house should be able to help you match the faded or non- faded color depending on the option you choose. Good luck and keep us informed! Mike
thanks Mike, will check that out. thing that interests me is to know the name of the name of the original colour. entering the code i have on the build sheet does not seem to get me anywhere. i'm in europe by the way but i don't really mind where i get whatever i need from. i partly replaced the regional leather which was torn and replaced it with a contrasting black. 3498 is beige with a pinkish undertone. like i said i only want to touch up some much used areas like the door handles and part of the luggage area. best p
Paul, Most of the suppliers of materials for the restoration of leather-finish require a sample, because the leather you want to bring back to life has discoloured over time. Problem is, that in different spots of the interior, it will have discoloured differently, and you run the risk of getting a very patchy result. There are a few companies in the UK that offer kits, have a look in any classic car magazine for addresses. For a good result you need to really follow recommended procedures, and it is not a 2-minute job! Best, Jack.
Paul Jack is correct. I'll be doing this, this year. I'm matching the dye to the new leather which is very close to the original unexposed places. When I moved samples all around in the car up against the the original leather it was different everywhere I tried. I'll dye the leather not being replaced. In my car there's a very substantial amount of leather used in the car and only the front two seats plus one rear seat cushion needs to be replaced.
Hi Paul, the UK licensee for the old Vaumol leathers is ukhide. Their website shows a selection of colours, but not your code. They are here- http://www.ukhide.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Vaumol-Web.pdf#zoom=60 The footnote states that they have records for many more. I think they will send out a sample if you email them. I am sure there is reference to this service in Portenos's splendid 3500 restoration log. Let us all know how it goes, with pictures too! Regards. Mark
thanks Mike, Bart .Jack and Mark. i was travelling and only had my iPad for i forgot the password. i know redying leather is tricky but i've done it before and learned the hard way. preparation is everything and then i use an airbrush normally. aim just curious about what they would have called this colour and baffled by the all the variations. i can try and take some pics over the weekend but don't know if the colours will reproduce correctly. best P
no problem Paul.. I am in the process of deciding what I will do with my Ghibli SS interior, either a full re-dye in a different color, or touch up in its current color.. So your question was very timely. I have requested some samples from Color-Plus.. These may help me decide! Please keep us posted and pictures are always good Mike
ok will do some over the weekend. my car was originally beige and monkey s**t brown inside which may have been cool to some in the seventies. since some of the leather was torn i decided to save what was still good but patina'd and use contrasting (black) to offset. got rid of the mouse hair and thought doing the dash top in alcantara (black) would make it too lounge like, i went for some old black connolly hides i could get. quite like the two tone seats. will show some pics. i take originality with a pinch of salt because we always had special cars around the family and they were invariably 'optimised'
The next person who tears up an otherwise good dark brown dash-top is going to sleep with the fishes Best, Jack.
who said it was otherwise good? taste is a very personal matter but this stuff was seriously smelly with a good number of creepy crawlies feeding off it or so it appeared. here is another pointer. the sun visors were of the cheapest, wobbliest plastic (that brown again) material. i exchanged that for finest connolly black of course. objectionable? maybe. looks a lot better, works better. maybe in 1981, when my car was built, maserati had to cut corners or had lost interest, doesn't mean when i replace broken stuff now i need to apply the same principle!
The sun-visors are identical to those in some Volvo or another, was said in here some years ago. I agree, they look terrible, and on #435 black vinyl. There is no black anywhere else in the interior., except the faces of the instruments on the dash! I agree with you Paul, that some of the color-combinations used are somewhat, erm, objectionable, but this is a seventies car. Other than the new type seats at some point, was anything else in the interiors ever changed during the production-run of the Khamsin? Best, Jack.
Similar issue with the ones in the Bora. I think the earlier cars were better built in that regard. My Espada has crappy visors as well with a center latch point that's poorly made as well a crummy pivot up/down mechanism so that net result is that they flop out of the holder and droop down as well. Terrific ergonomics! The PO used self stick velcro as an attempted fix. It didn't work. These are the sorts of issues the "super car" manufacturers in Italy had very little experience with and quite frankly just didn't bother about. Today it's sticky/gooey knobs.
ah yes taste is a wonderful thing. i once met a guy who was the second owner of a Lele which was completely upholstered in beige Corduroy.by the factory. everything, seats doors dash. i wouldn't mind fitting an early version steering wheel if i can find one. is it a 'Personal'? different diameter as the later version or the same? i always find the padded a bit boy racer.
Gents, On my K268, the hydraulic cylinders for headlights are leaking. I got the in/out pipe gaskets and want to change these according to earlier discussion/advise in this forum. But how do I get the cylinders dismantled from the car? It seems to be not an easy job, involving removing the bonnet and headlight assembly? Is there an "Easy" way to do this Thanks for your advises. Carsten
Carsten, I haven't had the need to do this, but I'd think if you take the bumper off and lock the headlights in the 'up' position (they installed pins to do this already!) you should have ample access. If I'm wrong, somebody who has been in there will correct me, but I can't imagine what you describe to be necessary. Best, Jack.
i contacted Ukhide but sofar got no response. mr jonathan connolly on the other hand responded almost immediately. the leather VM3498 crushed in my car is indeed a pattern they have and first used in 1957. they refer to it as a light beige with a pink hue. this corresponds totally with how i see the colour.it is a rare colour and most probably special order only, according to him. they can make up the same colour for a minimum of three skins. any one have the same colour? depending on the cost i might just do this. P
looking through the papers of my car to find the colour code i was reminded of the fact the original owner, a malaysian diplomat called dr Lim, living in london, already had a Khamsin when he ordered what was agreed to be the last rhd khamsin.this is a well documented and discussed story. suffice to say that the correspondence with the factory (mr Lim seems to have been a good friend of mr Condivi's) confirms that the contract stipulated the 'last rhd khamsin'. my question is, does anyone currently own the first 'Lim Khamsin'? quite sure it was a rhd. not important but interesting. P
Can't help with Dr. Lim K, but I own the ex-Mandarano K.. FGM promised some interesting stories on my K, but I think he has been a little busy with his 3500GT's... Interestingly, there were some pictures of my K for sale on e-bay very recently... Well, at least I assume it was my K as the pictures indicate it was owned at the time by FGM. I think the pictures came from a newspaper article done in the Seattle, WA area back in 1981 or so.. Mike
Carsten, Jack is right, take the front bumper of but leave the hood on. By playing with the opening of the hood, cut a stick to size and put some masking take on the areas you might touch with your tools, you can create enough access to take them out. Success with it! Cioa, Bart
The last Khamsin, chassis 439, resides with a collector in Johannesburg. Solid bright red with biscuit/light tan interior. Mine, chassis 435, was 3rd last, there must have been 437, no idea if it survives or where it might be. Best, Jack.
