3500GT Barnfind

Maybe http://www.reoriginals.com/

 

good contact.

 

Very cool thread..

 

These carbs look very good! How can I get a hold of Gary Martin?

Ivan

 

Excellent, well done!

Pete

 

Yay! Congrats. Gearbox all rebuilt yet?

 

What happend too your car?

Magnus

 

I have just finished (I believe!) to put everything right on my 3500GT, which had not run for 34 years. One of the problems was the two fuel pumps: they were nicely packed in plastic bags and looked as new, but did not work. On both the diaphragms had become so hard that they could not work any more. And one of the pump had the thin cable to the internal switch broken. I contacted the factory in Milano, but they told me that no spares were available. They sent me a set of original drawings for the pump. I made the two diaphragms using three layers of 0,3mm thick (gasoline resistant) rubbertissue foils. You have to undo (by careful grinding) the rivet that holds the membrane to the stem, and then put in the layers of new foils, a bit bigger than needed. Then I used the cover as a templet to stamp out the four holes. Once assembled I cut the stuff outside. The two pumps work fine now.

Regarding the wheels: my 5 wheels were of the metric dimension 400 x 185 (a norm which was invented by Michelin and Pirelli?). The 4 tyres were Cinturato 16" x 185 and the spare tyre Cinturato 400 x 185. Today you cannot get any more tyres of the 400 x 185 with the speed index for 210 km/h. (Michelin makes one, but only good for 190 km/h, and the Swiss TüV would not accept this for a car that is given max.speed 210 km/h). Borrani does not make any more the steelwheels with 16" rims. They offered me as sole solution a conversion to 16" wirewheels including adapters. As I was not prepared to spend a fortune on ww, I had the original wheels transformed to 16", which means adding 6mm to the diameter. That cost me 3000$ including a polish of the alu rims. The steel center I restored myself with paint remover and repainting. I mounted new Vreedestein 16 x 185 which have the right speedindex and are reasonably priced, and look rather good. The hubcaps had very little damage but needed a rechroming.

I just found this ferrarichat forum today and find it obviously most interesting. I have been working on my 3500GT now for more than a year and have encountered quite a number of little problems and had to find solutions more or less alone. Until now I only had experience with restoring Jaguar, MG, TR, Morgan and DB2, for which cars one can find workshop manuals, parts catalogues with vendors for those parts. For Maserati that is another story: I think I could not have made it without internet.

Even finding oil filters (there are 2 in series in the housing) and fuel filter was a major problem. I use now for oil two MANN FILTER H 816 x and for fuel FBN SN 296.

On the cooling system there was no thermostat, but instead just a Y tube. (Seems to be original during a certain periode at Maserati!!) Stupid, because the engine warms up slowly and once it is really hot a part of the hot water leaving the engine at the top is recycled immediately into the engine again at the bottom. Only a part goes to the radiator to be cooled.

 

Careful with the leather treatement, see this thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=248600

Pete

 

I hope your word "just" was well chosen, because on my project the brakes were a lot more than "just"!
My car has disks at front; I had to disassemble both calipers, replace the six pistons and seals, the 3 flexibles, revise the servo, revise the vacuum tank (with the not any more workinh non-return valve hidden in the banjo), the master cylinder (I had to remove the whole bracket with the two master cylinders for cluch and brake from deep under the bonnet), change the seals in the two secondary cylinders in the rear wheels, clean the reservoir for the liquid etc. (I obviously also revised the cluch master cylinder at the time the bracket was out)
This was going on in parallel with searching parts. As an exemple: I needed six pistons for the front brake. Found a local supplier offering at the price of X. Looked further on internet and found a british supplier at the price of X/2. Ordered happily. The day I received them I found a third supplier in the USA (maseratisource) offering at the price X/4! Too late!
I will try to attach some pictures of the finished car, just without the hubcaps. (I kept them in the trunk, because I was not sure if I had to remove them soon again: it spoils so easily the paint when just put the screwdriver between cap and wheel)
..........
As suspected, I did not manage to put the pictures in. There seem to be to many pixels! I'll work on it for the next time!
Lavaux

 

Here they are:
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Lavaux,
the 1st. version of the 3500 GT! Very nice! Can you disclose the VIN and Touring-no. of your car? History?

Many thanks.

Ciao!
Walter

 

Very nice car and excellent job. Congrats.
I should only get you a little note . The new exhaust you fitted is the one of the series 2 from 1963. The 1st version of GT fitted a different exhaust.

Ciao
Andrea
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Sounds like good forward progress! I myself disinterred a 1960's Alfa from a few years' slumber- very exciting taking that first drive.!

My only caution is regarding cocoa mats- they can be very abrasive, or so I've heard. Perhaps something rubber-backed?

 

Hello Walter,
VIN 101.1634
Touring 12059

First immatriculation 22.06.1961 in Kanton Bern, Switzerland. I bought the car 1976 from a dealer, who had taken her in from the first owner, with 67'000 km on the clock. Drove her for a few hundred km and put her aside. Was busy during 32 years to buy and restore other cars. Last year I took her out from storage and put all the things right which had deteriorated during the 32 years. Took me more than 500 h, but was a pleasure. Brakes, fuel system, cooling system, wheels and tyres, clutch hydraulics, exhaust system (it is exactly the same that was originally on the car, with all the suspension points!) The paint is still the original one (Blue sera) with some imperfections if you look closer, chrome nearly perfect, same as upholstery and carpets.

After so many hours of "contact" with her, I start to appreciate this italian car. (All my other cars I have restored were british, with two german exceptions).

Lavaux

 

Hello Andrea,
I have fitted the same type of exhaust that was fitted originally in 1961. I am not familiar with "series 1, 2" etc.
May it help if I say that the car has front disk brakes, 5 speed ZF, Weber carbs, fog lamps built in, no rear deflectors in the side window, bonnet hinged on the rear, no thermostat (I have changed that).
Regards
Lavaux

 

No problem if you have fitted this kind of exhaust , but the original and correct one for a 1961 model was a two pipes exhaust on the left side.
I send you an old picture of your car.

Ciao
Andrea
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Do you believe that the first owner had the complete exhaust line changed to the later version?? If that was so, the shop who has done it has made a really good job modifying the rear suspension points to fit the new system. When was the new system introduced?

Ciao
Wilfried

 

The new system was introduced at the end of 1962 .
Many cars of the first period were modified to receive the new exhaust, in case of substitution, since it wasn't a complicated modify.
I bought the new type of exhaust for my 1963 GTI at Campana/Candini of Modena in 2005 .
I remember that, at that time, they had available the older one too.

Ciao
Andrea