Hi Nick, while I haven't driven a manual geared QP3, the sheer weight of the car combined with the low end torque of the V8 would lead me to believe that the automatic tranny might not be such a bad match for it. I'd like to hear what you find out though, it's always interesting to learn more and see new alternatives. I wonder if anyone who's driven both could comment.
A couple of new questions- Has anyone rebuilt a Benditalia brake booster from a Quattroporte III (or does anyone know a dependable re-build service on the east coast/ mid-atlantic region)? How did you set your idle speed screws? My idle, power brakes and interior vent controls have all become a little erratic & slow lately so I suspect a leak in the booster. But my idle speed screws are way out of spec if I'm reading page 3-8 of the service book correctly: IDLING MIXTURE ADJUSTMENT AND CARBURETTOR SYNCHRONIZATION step 6) - "Lock completely idling screws B & C (shown as speed screws in photo) without forcing them and unlock them 1 1/2 turn." I followed this instruction but the throttle plates are open so much I can fit a screwdriver behind them. That seems..... incorrect. If you can help, please give a shout. Thanks everyone!
Nick, I have a spare ZF S5-18/3 if it will suit your gearbox ambitions. I don't know if it's correct for the Quattroporte but manually-shifted QPs had a dogleg on 1st gear.
Hi Mike, can't help you with the brake booster, sorry. As far as the carbs, I'm getting to the point where I can do them blindfolded, lol. If we're talking about the idle speed, the actual idle speed, there should only be one screw in use, the others are backed off so that they do not interfere. Each carb throttle arm is connected to the linkage with a pair of nuts to allow adjustment. When you set airflow between each carb, you adjust each one on the linkage to flow the same amount as the second one from the firewall, which is the "reference" carb. Settings here determine settings on all other carbs. You'll note that each carb has it's own idle speed adjuster, but because they are all connected together as a unit via the linkage, only *one* adjuster should actually be in use, and that is the one on carb number two from the firewall (the reference carb mentioned above). Back out all the other screws so that they do not touch at any throttle setting. That way you adjust the overall idle speed with one screw and one screw only, as each of the carbs have already been set to flow identically. (and also set to have optimal idle mixture settings to provide ideal combustion, but that is a separate, although related topic). 1.5 turns out from contact is your starting point. Set it so that your tach (or an strobe) shows 900rpm at idle as per the manual. It might be a half a turn in either direction from there, but shouldn't be any more than that. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes, and post a pic or two of your car! If you need help syncing airflow or setting ideal idle mixture settings, let me know.
Thanks for the offer, but i think without a specific ZF bell housing, I might be up the creek without a paddle. N
Brake booster done in Portland Oregon as is same as Ferrari 308 and used to charge around $!50.00. This was a few years ago. I believe I found him in Hemming for Ferrari.
Thank you everyone. I forgot about Dewey in Oregon; $155 seems very reasonable. Still tackling the idle speed issue but I noticed that the springs on my speed screws were missing. Time to wait for the mail! Also does anyone have a coachwork book? This car is in desperate need of some body & interior tlc but I would just like to have the diagrams on hand.
I have some problems here now... The QP has been standing still for a long time in the warehouse, and now have some electrical gremlins... The fuel pump comes on when the low beam lights are switched on. The cooling fans only comes on when the HVAC button "Max AC" or "AC" is depressed. The instruments does not work properly. The rev counter comes if the engines is revved.. The instruments (most of them) comes on when the AC button is depressed... The thermoswotch for the cooling fans is only one year old and worked perfectly before, so that is likely not out of function. The engine does not run smooth (especially when the AC/fans are on). I suggest maybe a voltage drop to the ignition bow. The turn signals flash, but the bulbs barely glare.... The starter motor however spins fast however.. What should I look for...? And where? I assume there might be a grounding point that's weak. But no real clue.
I'm wondering if anyone has attempted a MoPar manual shift bell housing to mate to the QP III V8? This would hopefully allow for a modern Tremec manual transmission? Seems like it should be a bolt up? RF.
I have a hood for sale. It's in good condition, is located in Woodside, just 25 miles south of San Francisco, CA, and is only $100. Try me off list at [email protected] if you want it. Thanks, RF.
AFAICR when I rebuilt my transmission I checked into a lot of these alternative options. Unless I'm completely mistaken, Maserati made their own custom bell housing, and I believe we also did a photo comparison and found that the back of the block is different between the manual and automatic cars. Seemed implausible at the time, until the pics came up. I think it's probably in this thread, somewhere close to the start, as that was pretty much the first thing I did when I got the car.
Does anyone visit Lime Rock regularly? During my last trip I passed a shop on Rt. 7 with two Quattroportes out front, both basket cases but with salvageable parts. The shop looked very out of business. One car was green, one was red.
Do you have any other pictures of the 727 transmission, in addition to the shot on page 5 of this thread? finding a manual bellhousing that will fit the engine is not difficult, but Maserati "modified" the 727 transmission bellhousing to accommodate starter being on the other side. I spoke with a guy that has converted MOPARS in the past, and he said I was crazy. Like a fox. I'd like to send a picture of my madness. N
The car is for sale in Germany, it looks fantastic in photos and in such a great shape ! And a manual gearbox, that's awesome ! Kudos for taking good photos of the car ! It's the first time I see really good pictures of a QP3. So many times it's hard to see the beauty of this car in photos, but here you see it's pyramidal Roof, the low line, and so on. Great Job by yourself or your photograph ! The photos are here https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AC32B1KUO85pcAI&id=8E2F8470D0A0B4F0%219675&cid=8E2F8470D0A0B4F0 And you can find the ad in european Website like autoscout or mobile.
I have just purchased a 1980 QPIII and have been busy attending to it's issues. Up until now I have been able to fix things with the help of the manual as well as some assistance from MIE. However, I now need to replace the front brake pads, as they are original and very noisy. All I get from MIE is that only semi metallic are available. I assume these calipers come from something else and are not bespoke. Can anyone tell me what vehicle these calipers are from? I would like to get a set of ceramic pads to cut down on the obscene amount of brake dust accumulating on the wheels. Additional question: Where can I get a drop in replacement fan for the radiator? One of my originals went kaput. Many thanks
The mirrors on the QP3 - Does anyone still have the Tornado decals on theirs? Mine art there and perfect, given the car is a very low mileage one owner I assume they are correct. Can anyone verify this?
Just sent the pads out to relined, will advise how well that goes. I thought the pads may be from the Pantera or the Lamborghini 350GT but that does not appear to be the case exactly. Without option this appears to be the only course for us QP3 owners who dislike brake dust.
Looking very sharp! Does anyone have an overview or even impression of the current market? Have any QP3s sold recently, and for how much? I recall that the foam green King of Morocco car was auctioned off a year or two ago, but don't recall the price. I know that the QP3 hasn't seen the fantastic appreciation of the older models, but wonder if it hasn't crept up in value all the same.
Here's some recent auction numbers: BONHAMS: LES GRANDES MARQUES DU MONDE AU GRAND PALAIS 9 Feb 2017 Paris, The Grand Palais Lot 351 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE III 4.9 LITRES BERLINE 1984 Sold for €17,250 inc.premium,(US$ 18,419.) RUSSO AND STEELE: SCOTTSDALE 2017 19-22 January 2017 1985 Maserati Quadraporte Sedan Consignment # 8311 Sold For: $12,650. MECUM: ANAHEIM 2016 17-19 November 2016 LOT T12 1982 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE Sold for US $3000. BONHAMS: GREENWICH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE AUCTION 5 Jun 2016 Greenwich,CT USA Lot 23 1982 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE III SEDAN Sold for US$ 33,000. inc.premium RM SOTHEBYS: MONACO 14 May 2016 Lot 119 1979 Maserati Quattroporte III, 5 speed Chassis no. AM330/49 0270 Engine no. 8050 Sold for €14.000 BONHAMS: LES GRANDES MARQUES DU MONDE AU GRAND PALAIS 4 Feb 2016 Paris, The Grand Palais Lot 348 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE III 4,9 LITRES BERLINE 1984 Sold for €32,200 inc.premium,(US$ 34,383) BONHAMS: THE SCOTTSDALE AUCTION 28 Jan 2016 Scottsdale, The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa Lot 101 Painted by Junior Conway's House of Colors 1986 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE III Sold for US$ 39,600 inc.premium There have been some nice prices achieved at Bonhams auctions. I believe they do the best job photographing and presenting these cars.
Quote - I have some problems here now... The QP has been standing still for a long time in the warehouse, and now have some electrical gremlins... The fuel pump comes on when the low beam lights are switched on. The cooling fans only comes on when the HVAC button "Max AC" or "AC" is depressed. The instruments does not work properly. The rev counter comes if the engines is revved.. The instruments (most of them) comes on when the AC button is depressed... The thermoswotch for the cooling fans is only one year old and worked perfectly before, so that is likely not out of function. The engine does not run smooth (especially when the AC/fans are on). I suggest maybe a voltage drop to the ignition bow. The turn signals flash, but the bulbs barely glare.... The starter motor however spins fast however.. What should I look for...? And where? I assume there might be a grounding point that's weak. But no real clue. Mice!!!! Don't underestimate them. Ask me how I know! Cheers, Kurt