Hi Boralogist, Those openings will have very limited effect on your driving [ summer or otherwise] unless you are driving at a rate of speed that will force air into the radiator area. I do not know if you have modified anything on your Bora. If you have the hood vent arrangement as I believe you do, make sure your fans are turning in the correct direction way. The factory installed the connectors in reverse order on my Merak. Imagine that! On the Merak, the factory design was to have one fan run once the temp reached the trigger point with no AC activated, while both fans kick in when the AC is activated. My set up is to have both fans kick when the temp trigger point is reached, regardless of the AC function. This is the way the Merak should have been set up in the first place. Not being a Bora owner, I do not know how much of this would apply to the Bora, but in some way I hope it helps. Ciao, George
Hi George--- EVERYTHING you have pointed out applies directly to the Bora! 1972 4.7 Factory Euro Bora with no hood vents. Cooling upgrades: Evans custom 500+ bhp rated racing radiator;Spal fans w/Bosch 100 amp alternator;70% distilled water/ 30% antifreeze with 2 bottles Redline WaterWetter;Racing oil cooler up front; 75 degree thermostat;custom hot air exit vents under the Spals (critical importance);never use engine cover etc. Always looking for additional insurance for 100+degree days! Thanks. Regards.
Mine is the last Bora actually made in late 78 to early 79. It also has the large rubber bumpers. It's two serial numbers after Ivan's. I'm not certain about any of this in terms what's right or wrong from an originality standpoint. It's also why for a lot of cars like this I think concours judges are pretty much full of it when they think they actually know for certain what is original. If you strip the paint you can tell ... Take photos! I doubt it would hurt to have them though. Boras suffer from getting too much air under them at high speed and it gets stuck in the engine compartment and lifts the tail up significantly!
Work is slowly progressing on my Bora. I am at the stage where my restorer wants to remove the Bulkhead to obtain access for the last of the rust removal. Has anyone removed the bulkhead that can shine some light on the best method to remove the bulkhead. The double pane glass has been removed. Greg
Just saw a levante in Rame, it is a very deep rich color under fluorescent light, in low light it is a bit nondescript hard to tell exactly what color it is. Under direct sunlight it is spectacular the paint comes alive the metallic glistening with red copper and orangish hues.
When you put the double pane window back in make a thermopane unit out of it. Then take the rubber gasket and remove the center divider with a hooked linoleum knife. It's easy as pie to do and that window works better and stays clean. I think the bulkhead is riveted in but you could ask Jacques @ Maseratisource.com. He took one out years ago now and made it removable for easier engine service. Image Unavailable, Please Login
im pretty sure by the bora/merak they panels were all stamped and not pounded out of a wooden buck if memory servers, Pandane and OSI provided the stamped panels. cracks were most likely due the tight radi' used for striking detail designs. stress risers... great to see all these bora/meraks being restored and striped down to see the bare metal. cheers hf
Hello---Bit the bullet and all the glass came out as well! In retrospect, I am glad we went all the way. The show continues... Regards. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
LH and RH doors have very differing radii. I made a panel hugging pattern while looking into mounting alternate mirrors in the early 1990s. It's off a full 1/4". On the rear hatch it appears to me that the cracks are from seams which do get stressed just opening and closing that glass heavy monster. I bet that hatch was expensive to manufacture. Roof too ... At the time wasn't the Bora the most expensive of the bunch?
Funny you would say that! If we had broken the glass during removal, no telling what we would have done! Regards.
How 'correct' will this be... and to what exact 'standard'? Prior discussions were entertaining there. Personally love that Thepenier look... and deleted avoirdupois, etc. To the point that I deleted entire front bumper on my 73... no Euro bits either. Lots of lightness added. Then put Carello driving lights into the corners. Ahhhhhh...
you can still had a high level of hand finishing blending these stamped panels together. unlike modern cars were they are bolt on and off with a split line on the base of A-pillars design to eliminate labor intensive assembly and alignment. yes i reckon the rear bora hatch do flex and the tight radi and the old school paint didnt help with preventing cracks.
REALLY Great to SEE all pictures... hopefully the entirety of which to be made available as a collection for viewing at the finale, with your notes, hints, tips, admonitions, et al. Best wishes!
Thank you for your kind thoughts... BTW, I have a detail question that I always meant to look into which I never did---till now! My Bora radio antenna opening never had any type of cap / cover etc. As you can see in the above pics the antenna simply comes out of a perfectly finished round opening in the fender. I have seen some Boras with a black cap mounted on the fender, through which the antenna emerges. How is yours set up? Could you guys please post some pics to identify what Maserati may have done on different Boras? TIA. Regards.
Thanks. Good to know. This detail always struck me as an elegant touch, as well. Given that the model years of our three cars cover pretty much the entire production span of the Bora, I now wonder if any Boras originally came with those clunky caps from the factory? Warm regards.
I have seen few Boras with Caps but I believe they came from thee factory with just the hole. I agree with Ivan I think it is a very elegant look, and one not seen on other cars
But then it is an elegant car and not simply a raw performance machine. I wish they would make another just so I could boost a ride. It would be out of my league now. A fellow Bora owner at one time and long time friend rode in an NSX to the Ely Silver State Race and he thought that was nearest replacement at the time to the Bora. Just no torque ... Not as visually interesting either but a hell of a car. I saw a new on at Cars and Caffeine in New Canaan last fall and was just staggered at the price tag. The one there was over $225K with tall the options.
One of the coolest features of the Bora is the subframe, which can be unbolted to give access to the drivetrain and rear suspension. Image Unavailable, Please Login
