Maserati Bora clutch replacement

There are two styles of engine/transaxle subframes. The earlier and European style does allow one to detach and hoist up the transaxle so that you can get at the clutch or service the transmission.
Mind the hatch! The engine will have to be supported from below. Fun it is not.

The later style USA subframe 75 & up I've not heard of anyone doing this. I dropped my entire engine for more reasons that just a clutch.

Dropping the entire engine subframe involves its own difficulties with getting all of the attachments disconnected. A good time to replace and upgrade wiring & hoses.

In any event get yourself or make a tool to push out the taper pins that hold the shift linkage together.

My bet is that you might end up dropping the subframe with engine and tranny together.

Then you'll need more work area and probably and engine hoist & stand as well.

Not a small job.

 

Another question should be where to source a replacement clutch plate.

There can't be too much mystery unless different plates were used by DeTomaso, Ford, etc in their ZF's..
But I recall Ivan had some issues with a new clutch plate - it gave him too much "shudder" when engaging.

Is it clear what clutch plate to use on the Bora?
I would like to know a part number myself as I am sure the time will come during my ownership when I'll need to replace mine.

Ciao,
- Art

 

Coming from a sketchy memory ... I think I got mine from BMC in SF on Van Ness in 1988 when I had my Bora all apart and could physically compare the pressure plate with that of a factory Jag plate for a Jag E-Type V12.
They were also the west coast Maserati distributer at that time. They serviced QP IIIs and older GT cars there.

I beleive there have been other substitutions as well. Check the Maserati Yahoo Groups website. I bet it gets discussed on there.

 

Thanks Bob,
That's a great start.. I recall not having much success accessing Yahoo groups, but I'll go back see what I can bring up..


...and I'm sorry, I totally forgot my manners...

- Welcome to the Forum, Zoltan !

 

I've been a member there for eons but I don't know what the joining procedure is like for that specific group. The moderator /owner was quite obstinate back in the day which is part of why people left. But there's good info there.
You first have to join Yahoo and get one of their email memberships and IDs. It's a very old forum format but there are are some interesting Forum Groups which are quite useful.

I might have this wrong but I beleive Zoltan was a member of one of them?

A Bora parts interchange list developed out of that website, Mocna and a George Perfects old website. I thin Ivan may now have it up on his website, have a look ...

 

The parts book list the same part # as the Ghibli a 10 1/2 pressure plate. The clutch disc has a different part # than the Ghibli. The parts list developed by MOCNA shows a chev 10 1/2 clutch disc. I don't know if this is correct. I would go to MIE they have the best current information. I would wait until you get the parts out of the car since Maserati has done some different things in the past, and check the part numbers before you order a clutch

 

Hi Zoltan,

Mine's apart now and I was having no clutch problems. I'll see if I can find a part number on the clutch disk. I was lucky - the shift linkage taper pins were obstinate, but not impossible. Pulling the drivetrain is some work, but it's relatively straightforward compared to jobs on modern cars (e.g. replacing the turbo and resetting the balance shaft timing on one, replacing the clutch on a modern MINI, both of which we did recently). I took quite a few pictures of the Bora work. If you decide you need to do the job, let me know and I'll send them along.

 

Nice if somehow those pics could be cached in some accessible referenced place, for future look-up when need arises. Serial no.? Could be some differences early to late. Thanks!

 

OK, I'll look into that. They're not great photography, but they might be useful. The car is US974, a 1977. I think it's a little odd in one respect - it has bolt-in adapters to mount the raised US transmission mount. The others I've seen have this assembly welded in. It does not have the short tabs used for the European mount because they would have hit the US muffler, so I can't guess what the point was in making the other parts removable. It does make it easier for me to finish the Euro bumper conversion the previous owner started.

 

Boy ain't that the truth. I watched a friend pull his Countach drive train out and Bora owners should feel blessed by comparison. I had a unique garage advantage in that I had a one ft ledge at the rear of the garage so I parked the front of the car on that and put it up on jack stands with the rear stands right at the edge. This left the engine/drivetrain/suspension with enough vertical drop so that it could just roll out the back once it was on the floor. You attach a pair of big casters to the front subframe mounts and then it's totally mobile.