Viva Mexico - bringing #854 back to life | Page 15 | FerrariChat

Viva Mexico - bringing #854 back to life

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by lbird, Aug 3, 2014.

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  1. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    And now onto the questions:

    1) The door ashtray on the passenger side is in a rather sorry state. The chrome frame is ok and usable, but the basic metal is more or less gone. Does somebody know where to get a usable inner section? I have a good series 1 door ashtray, but (like always) they are quite different from the series 2 thing.

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    2) The space around the door knobs: Is there some sort of guidance piece (probably plastic) around the pull up door knob (see picture)? If yes, how does it look?

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    3) The rubber part above the inside mirror: You need to pull it aside to access the fixing screws. But how on earth do you pull the rubber back in space so it stays there? We tried for a couple of times already to no avail....

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    4) The twister knob for the quarterlight: It seems there are knobs with a different length. We have a longer one which works fine on the drivers side, but the other one we have for the passenger side is roughly 5 millimeters shorter. It works, but when you tighten the screw the door card is pulled back into the door too much so the ashtray frame sticks out. Not perfect - does anybody have one for swapping or selling?

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    5) Last question: One of my plastic knobs for the seat recliner lever is completely broken, the inner plastic parts are gone. Does anybody have one or a source for them? I can glue it on, but i am afraid it would not survice the first few uses....
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    As usual i appreciate any help on these detailing questions...
     

    Attached Files:

  2. red27

    red27 Formula Junior

    Sep 7, 2010
    829
    London UK
    Full Name:
    Mark Oliver
    Hi Lbird. MIE sells a door lock knob trim for the Ghibli which may work for you. It is in their webshop.
    I found these quarterlight handles on ebay which also may be good. I have used the seller before, he is very good and maybe would give you measurements first. The item number is 401344217989
    Best regards to all.

    Mark.
     
  3. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    Thank you Mark, the Ghibli knob trim will not fit, but it should be possible to farbicate something fitting from that picture. I will check for the other items, but no signs of an ashtray base yet.

    A good friend of mine just got back from England and brought me that door strip which was the final big trim part i was missing. A very talented artisan in England reproduced it from stainless steel, i had the right hand side part and needed the drivers side. A real difficult part to remanufacture due to the complex profile, but he did a very good job in a very short amount of time. We will see how it looks on the car soon...

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  4. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    Finally! The car has been completed. Got the remade door strip, the guy did a fantastic job. Check the pictures and guess which is the remade one. A big thank you goes to Vienna, where i got the missing ashtray and the seat knob from Bernhard.
    The next steps: I have to put the car on a rolling road to get some proper idling and throttle response. The jets fitted at the moment are probably no the right ones. And then its off to MOT and test driving, woohoo :)
    I will post nicer pictures when all tasks are finished! If anybody needs help with the differences in the two and a half Mexico series, drop me a question. I think i hit all the pitfalls until now.....

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  5. tifoso2728

    tifoso2728 F1 Veteran
    BANNED

    Apr 30, 2014
    8,215
    IL
    Full Name:
    DRM
    Wow! What an awesome thread. Thanks for sharing.
     
  6. wilde

    wilde Formula Junior

    Jan 12, 2009
    254
    France

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  7. Mexico074

    Mexico074 Formula 3

    Aug 14, 2008
    1,225
    Harriman, TN USA
    Full Name:
    Michael Demyanovich
    Hello Wilde...

    Give us some details of this Mexico.. Is it yours? If not, whose is it? Where is it?
    How about some pictures before the restoration bagan.. I vote for a new thread
    about this restoration!

    Mike
     
  8. lussoman

    lussoman Karting

    Sep 7, 2008
    130
  9. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    If you will post about the whole restoration i would prefer a new thread to avoid any confusion with my car #854.

    By the way - a funny thing happened: Through an ad in ebay the matching numbers engine of my car surfaced in Germany. It ran in another Mexico for a while and is now sold as a spare engine. Since the engine in my car is as new right now i have no ambition to shell out big bucks just to have a matching numbers car. A couple of people already urged me to buy it, but to be honest: I'd rather buy another Alfa Gulia or whatever to have fun with than put the money towards an engine which would be only sitting in my shed...

    Just for fun: Picture of #854 waiting for rolling road tuning at a special Weber shop, getting friendly with a couple of Porsches. Car is probably not on the perfect jetting at the moment.
    After that it will MOTed and off we go....

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  10. wilde

    wilde Formula Junior

    Jan 12, 2009
    254
    France
    Hello everybody, no I won't open a new thread now. I don't have enought material to publish. Maybe later. In fact, many things are already done. Chrome work, entire interior, many parts already painted etc... I managed to find a set of Borrani wire wheels which suit better to this car. Mine is AM112*314, original french car. I bought it in 2012. Out of the road for 25 years. I have no illusions. It needs a complete restoration.
    I also manage the Mexico Registry in order to catch all the cars still in existence, really funny!!!

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  11. sinkman

    sinkman Karting

    Oct 28, 2010
    245
    Melbourne Australia
    Full Name:
    Phil
    That is fantastic! Well done. My Mexico (#452) is coming up to 2.5 years of full restoration work and it has been a very trying time.
    Lots of parts and work...
    Send me your email address and i will forward some before and after pictures.
    I cannot post here as my limit has been reached.
     
  12. wilde

    wilde Formula Junior

    Jan 12, 2009
    254
    France
  13. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    The car passed the german MOT today with flying colours, no problems. Here it is in good company with my trusty Rover P6.

    One more question: The seating position is more than awkward for me. I am 6 feet tall with relatively short legs, but i feel like i am sitting like a frog in the car. I know italian cars are like this, but this is far from perfect.
    Is there any feasible method to lengthen the seat rails to get more legroom with the drivers seat? How are your experiences with that and what is recommended?

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  14. eogorman

    eogorman Formula Junior

    May 10, 2005
    322
    Buhl, ID
    Full Name:
    Eugene O'Gorman
    I know some taller people have remounted the seat rails to get more room
     
  15. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    Hello fellow Maserati enthusiasts, my car is on the road now and in its "shakedown" phase. After solving the seating position to a point where longer people can sit almost comfortably and some small gremlins left and right i am still not satisfied with the suspension. The axle geometry has been measured and adjusted, that is fine, but the car is stiff as a rock at the moment. Especially the back axle feels like there is not much suspension there at all.
    We used the old original leaf springs, with new leaf spring interlayer, new bushes and dampers all around. Is that something that takes some time and cobblestone roads to settle or what are your experiences with a brand new restoration?
    I drove an older car which never has been restored, that was very smooth but a bit swaggy too - not the most precise handling in the world.
    Any clues what to do or just wait and see?
     
  16. Dr. K.

    Dr. K. Karting

    Mar 23, 2011
    115
    Drive the hell out of it.:D
     
  17. sinkman

    sinkman Karting

    Oct 28, 2010
    245
    Melbourne Australia
    Full Name:
    Phil
    Hi
    Sorry about the delay in responding.
    No that is not my car in the picture, my car, (AM112452), is a series 1, but also in Chiaro Celeste.
    The factory records say the factory colour was Bianco (white) but when we stripped the car it had never, ever been white. Only Chairo Celeste. Bizarre!
    Even the insides of the doors, under the rear parcel shelf were only ever chiaro celeste.

    Was it usual for the factory records to be wrong?

    My car is almost finished, perhaps another two weeks. It has been a long road. The box sections had a lot of hidden rust that is not discernible when first stripped. To fix that properly took a lot of time, effort and $.
     
  18. Mexico074

    Mexico074 Formula 3

    Aug 14, 2008
    1,225
    Harriman, TN USA
    Full Name:
    Michael Demyanovich
    Sinkman…

    Car is looking great! I always thought that color looked really good on a Mexico !!!

    A right hand drive Mexico must be rare, given the build number of these cars!

    Mike
     
  19. sinkman

    sinkman Karting

    Oct 28, 2010
    245
    Melbourne Australia
    Full Name:
    Phil
    HI Mike,
    I would love to advise this is one of the 8 factory RHD Mexicos. This is not the case. The car was delivered new to Adelaide and converted to RHD by the dealer for the first owner. We can see the conversion in the firewall. A friend of mine has a S2 auto that is one of the 8 factory RHD cars. Car is getting closer bit we had a hiccup - put the dashboard in before the front the screen...Doh!
    Phil
     
  20. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    Its detailing time and the last pieces of trim arrived: The hubcaps are there. They were the dream of the rechroming guys - all kinds of different materials between them - a small nightmare for their chemical stuff. But the final result is very good i think. I would be very interested about your opininon of my choice of wheels: Since i don't like wires and the starburst rims are not my favorite either i have chosen Quattroporte rims and hubcaps. And i really like them on the car. They were first chosen as an interim solution, but the more i look at them the more i appreciate them. And the trimming of the trunk has begun too: Some woodwork first, then the trim shop will work their magic. The first oil change was a blast too, no signs of any unwanted material, now the engine can start to stretch its legs above 3000 rpm.....

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  21. Mexico074

    Mexico074 Formula 3

    Aug 14, 2008
    1,225
    Harriman, TN USA
    Full Name:
    Michael Demyanovich
    Hello lbird…

    The car looks great!! I like the look of the QP1 wheels on your Mexico, but I much prefer
    the look of wires as on my car (see picture)… :) I have a set of these QP1 hubcaps that I am
    not sure what to do with, but who knows, maybe someday I will use them...

    Also, good to hear the car is running well with no break-in issues.. Please keep us posted
    on the progress of the trunk trimming...

    Mike
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  22. bj69

    bj69 Karting

    Mar 4, 2009
    52
    Hi Lbird,

    Fantastic looking car. And great to hear you could now remove your ‘vettura in rodaggio’ window sticker. (Don’t!)

    Look forward to meeting you at an event sometime.

    The hubcaps certainly will be easier to clean than Borrani wire wheels. Man, i am bad at scheduling time for that!

    Make VERY sure the caps are firmly attached. I once drove my QP on the motorway and heard a ‘clunk’. Couldn’t find any problem when i stopped. Only later i noticed a missing hub cap. I had it off the wheel just a few days before this happened. Failed to attach it properly. Never found the cap again, despite walking a 2km stretch along the motorway.
     
  23. wsaarbib

    wsaarbib Rookie

    Jan 25, 2018
    12
    I have a mexico under restoration in Macedon NY. The engine has been redone. All woods redone in Italy. The guy made few of my cars and is excellent. The interior redone in Connolly original color. The trunk is being refurbished and I got the complete kit from Maieli in Italy. Will repaint in original blue notte wirg blue carpet. I believe I am missing a part in the trunk. Have the lock but believe there is at the left a part to unlock or a safety catch.
    If someone has a photo will appreciate. The Borrani wheels sent to refurbish them and the original size tyres already acquired. Will soon put photo on line. Going to Padova the biggest part show in Europe to look for parts as well for a second car under restoration a ferrari 330gt 2+2 series 2.
    I am from Toronto.
    Rgds
    Walter

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  24. lbird

    lbird Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2012
    288
    Germany
    #374 lbird, Oct 4, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2018
    Hey Walter, thats funny. I am going to Padua, too. And you will meet a couple of other people present on FChat there, no doubt.
    You sometimes can find some good parts for the Mexico or the 330 there, but almost no bargains no more. Except for whole cars, there are always interesting and rare cars on offer and sensibly priced....
    I will try to check on my Mexico trunk for the lock mechanism and post a picture. But you have the release lever in the doorframe, do you?
    CU Olaf
     
  25. wsaarbib

    wsaarbib Rookie

    Jan 25, 2018
    12
    Yes I do have it. I know a good Buy that has a lot of mechanical parts in Padua. Will be there 25/26/27. You can ready me at 14162716855 that is my Canadian Phone. Rgds

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