That spacer plate between the block and the head is interesting. Having only had experience with 2 valve cars I was quite curious why the liners stuck out of the block in the earlier photo. Now I know. Must make setting deck heights interesting. As I recall the 5000S has a 69mm stroke and the QV has a 75mm, was this spacer needed because the block is the same?
Exactly, the saved the Money to make new castings for the block. What is ridicolous, for the jalpa they did, but the QV engine they built about 4 times as many they didn't... italian logic, sometimes not easy to understand...
The spacer looks like a terrible design. I always thought the reason I saw more head gasket failures on a QV verses the 2v was just due to the production numbers & not something like this.
I don't think they are spacer related. The gaskets are the issues themselves. The spacer is usually deadly stuck onto the block. The spacer does increase cylinder distortion over time, imho. So a QV should be deck height matched and deck honed to be precise.
i have the same feeling on the QV spacer....as Raymond said i never understood why factory did not made a new casting for QVs since they made hundreds of these for QV, anniversary ... former lamborghini engineer Molinari personally told me the ugliest failures on countach engines they see in factory assistenza clienti was on the 4V engines.
Fair enough, but I think Dani is wanting to know why these are low compression FI pistons instead of the Downdraft pistons?
Correct. Of the many Countach I have owned, the only one that had a head-gasket failure whilst in my care was my former LP500S 12562. The gaskets let go in spectacular fashion, with green coolant spewing out of the exhaust pipes Fortunately, this occurred whist I was starting the car up in the garage, and my then-very-young son Sterling who was standing behind the car waiting for a ride came running up to the driver's door with eyes as wide as a bug and yelled: "Dad, something's wrong!!" to which I immediately shut the engine off. The perfect place for head-gaskets to let go Needless to say, it went off on a flatbed to get new head-gaskets and no harm was done.
Another thing, the head studs. MAKE SURE, if you had removed them, to RE-TORQUE each of them in the block. Factory specs say 21 ft lb. If you do not do this, it is possible when you install a head, that the head nut may be tight on the stud and start turning it.. Not good at all. 60 ft lb torque on stud most likely will cause stud to pull threads out of block. Chadbourn Bolles 803 532 6257 803 798 3044 cell [email protected] Image Unavailable, Please Login
Highly valuable input, Chad! Some very uncertain situations had happened to me earlier with ARP hardware, when a stud did not a have a stop (open-end), so I know what you mean.
Another thing I do, and I recommend it to anyone building and engine. I always fit each head nut to the stud, running it down BY HAND ONLY. Doing this lets me know the stud and nut threads are clean with no burrs or anything like that. Takes a bit of extra time, but in the long run well worth it. It is kinda like what a carpenter told me years ago"Measure twice, cut once" When working on these old Lamborghini V12 engines, I have found that little bit of extra time to check things like that, makes the job go so much easier. Chadbourn Bolles 803 532 6257 803 798 3044 cell [email protected]
Well the QV is done, will post pics later. Working on a 400GT engine from 1965, and as I usually do on any engine I build, I check the pistons and rods for weight. The pistons came out around 1/2 gr difference. Most engine builders, even for race engines, consider as much as 2 gr difference to be good. Well checking the rods, which all had 495 written on them, one rod weighed 475, a 20 gr difference or around 3/4 oz, totally unacceptable. All weights were taken on my Harbor freight $10.00 scale, which a lot and maybe most will laugh at. So I too rods to a friends shop and weighed them on my friends super hi dollar digital scale. Guess what his scale showed exactly the same number I got on my $10.00 scale. That makes me feel pretty good. We figure the difference was due that day to TOOOOO much wine at lunch. Thank goodness, I never build an engine without checking the weights. When working on these old Lamborghini V12 engines, I have found that little bit of extra time to check things like that, makes the job go so much easier. Chadbourn Bolles 803 532 6257 803 798 3044 cell [email protected][/QUOTE]
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login A small update. After waiting for quite a bit of time for the carbs, finally they are back. Remember what they looked like to start. Attached is a pic of 2 of them now. Have not had time to install them, but with several Dr. apts in the near future, they will have to wait. Hope all have a good christmas and happy new year.
Wow that was the worst I've ever seen. Interesting the brass insert in the fuel inlet. What awful thing befell this poor motor to look like that? Best of luck with the docs. They really do disrupt the schedule as well as the wallet! Bob S.
Interesting Chad. I have another engine, not a lamborghini, that had exactly that symptom on one head nut so I stopped. The nut didn't seem to be tightening. That engine still needs to go back together so perhaps I'll try this. I don't think they specify a figure for torquing the stud though. ONTOH the old Maserati V8 uses head bolts instead of studs and nuts. So in the end how are these two setups any different so as to strip the threads on one but not the other?
QV engine done, thought everybody would like to see a pic. Also, did a Jarama engine see the pic. Am starting to work on my 6.1 ltr Countach engine. Will be gone for a week or 2, as I am going to the hospital to have my prostate operated on, Monday 5 March. Will be glad when it is done.
Well an update. Operation is off, I am not feeling well so everything is being reschedule.... DARN, I am ready to get this done. Also turns out, after talking to the Dr. operation would have been an in the hospital and go home later that day. I remember the first time I had it done, I was in around 10:30 that morning and around 3 PM a friend drove me home. Amazing what they can do today. Everybody, that is MEN, do not have a physical and not get the Dr. to check the prostate. THIS IS NOT A 50 YEAR OLD MAN PROBLEM. Getting out of the Army at 23 years old, had had by then 14 bouts of prostate problems, have had around 70 since then. I promise if your prostate closes up and you cannot P, you have not been in pain yet. Hit your thumb with a hammer, it will not hurt as much. Mine closed up years ago, I staggered into an emergency clinic the Dr. took 900 cc of urine out of me. I asked if my bladder could have bust, Dr. said yes, but I would have not known it, as I would have been passed out from the pain, then most likely would have died from uremic poisoning. SO TO EVERY MAN HERE, DON'T PLAY WITH NOT GETTING THE PROSTATE CHECKED. I can get off my soap box now
Roger that on the man-plumbing, Sir. Thanks for sharing your shop projects, totally cool of you to afford us this access. I remember the first time I "graduated" to working on an Alfa 4-cyl, to do a headgasket...compared to the MG and Triumph motors I'd wrenched on to that point, it was just a jewel. The engines you're playing with are another step up, although still mercifully simple compared to the crazy gear trains and variable timing mechanisms found on current vehicles, particularly those Made in Germany. That cylinder head spacer plate is amusing, but I believe the reason the company spent the lira on tooling for the V8 and not the V12 was that they remained under the delusion that the Uracco series would still someday become their "911 beater" and sell in serious volume, even ten years into the program when it should have been clear their "little" V8 car was a commercial flop. They'd thought (hoped) that from the beginning, but 'twas never thus. Best of luck on your own health. John in CT.
Got call from Dr. on 2 Mar, that he could do operation on Monday 5 Mar, if I could make it. SURE did, got out of hospital on 6 Mar. Home now, sore as heck but it gets better each day. I hope this is the last time with this problem. People at the VA were SUPER, could not have asked for better attention and the help they gave me. I always say, you get more fly's with honey than you do with vinegar , taught that by my Mom. With the VA people and most everybody, you get back the attitude you give them. They did the operation using a robot, my stomach looks like I got caught in a staple machine. They do not suture any more for things like this. Am so grateful for the treatment I receive. Am going to my shop, but just to do paper work, no lifting.
