Maserati Khamsin

Marc suggested I have a should have a look at Khamsin thread after bieing in contact with him about the Khamsin Register.
I have owned a Australian spec Khamsin since 1990. I restored the car from 92 till 2002 after an accident.

Its great reading the different snippets of info about the variations from US to European cars. I was quite interested in the luggage blind and didnt know such a things was available so thats food for thought.

My Car is chassis no AM120 403 late 1978 car. I am the third owner and bought the car from a lady who used it every day including taking the kids to school! I had had lots of weird mods done like extra drains under the windscreen gutter.

The car was concoursed for a number of years till I got board with spending weeks cleaning it.
The car has had some use ability mods done recently Aluminum radiator and electric headlights and an uprated Air conditioning condenser. All these just make that car that much more user friendly in the Australian conditions.

I have also had Peladies in the UK overhaul the hydraulic units except the regulator and pump. i also plan to redo the accumultors soon as they are 10 years since last recharge.

I have done all the mechanical work my self except specialist machining and painting.
During the restoration I found the source of the Khamsin Fuel smell gremlin which is the gap between the rear valance and the second boots skin. Once sealed with a rubber strip in the appropriate areas no more fuel smells. The rear valance and the rear wheels combined increase the pressure in the wheels arches and pump the fumes back into the cabin.

Graeme
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Welcome Graeme!

VCM 86, page 146 has the very interesting and entertaining story of the restoration of 403, including a unique tool: hypnotism read and you will understand!

Everybody certainly seems to agree that the fuel smell problem encountered on some Khamsin comes from the back though a small minority have mentioned that some of the fumes might come through the gear lever gaiter.

Here are a couple more photos of 403 hich Graeme had previously sent to a Swedish F chatter.

Best regards,

Marc
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I doubt Gandini would approve. My god, it's one of the signature styling features of the car. That's like putting moon hubcaps on a Miura or an Espada even ...!

Sacrilege!!! ;>))

Bob S.

 

Looks like a very nice job Graeme and I much prefer that color red to the standard orange-red color Maserati had at the time.
Is that another Maserati color or something custom?

Bob S.

 

Hi Bob, the colour is Mercedes Signal Red. The car was originally Rosso Rubina ( metallic red Brown ish) which at the time I didn't like.
the Color I was looking for was the Maserati Race red but I couldn't find the formula. That colour is much deeper than the current red.
Honda Monza Red I know know would have been closer buts that life. One thing I did like was this red works with the Polished stainless trim and it was seeing a 500SL Merc one day on the way to work is the reason I chose the colour.

and just for the record the Story in the VCM about 403 I wrote

Graeme

 

Can`t agree more! I never understood why those chaps made one of the most significant styling detail of ANY Italian car not work.

Ciao!
Walter

 

Because Walter, unlike you and I no one else has any taste! ;>))

Bob S.

 

...eh.....yesssssssss!!!!!! :)) We both...and the rest of this funny planet!

Ciao!
Walter

 

Hi Graeme,

I came across that undercarriage picture quite some time ago whilst surfing the info. highway. Your restoration work appears top notch. Those look like adjustable coil overs you have. Makes for interesting adjustments!
George

 

Hi George
The Rear shocks are stock configuration however they were made by the Australian KONI agent using revalved Aston Martin units in 1994. This was about half the price of the originals. The best part about the KONI's is that they I believe have two sets of valves not one as the originals and are adjustable for rate. The only difficulty is that the coil overs need to have the springs removed to adjust. The retainers have been CAD plated.

Graeme

 

For the astute Khamsin owners out there spot the differences.
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That's stunning Graeme: there is no doubt that yours is amongst the best out there, original or restored. I will let the likes of Ivan spot the detail differences!

Have you driven it on track? One flaw is that in hard cornering the seats don't give enough side support wich considering how precise the steering is then becomes more of an issue than it normally would.

To go back to your restoration can you nw, with a few years of hindsight, let us know what the biggest difficulties were and also, since that is your number one field of expertise, any other discoveries you made and tips to facilitate a Khamsin restoration? Thanks in advance.


Best regards,

Marc

 

Clearly you don't know your right from your left ... ;>)

Bob S.

 

First off I will ignore Bobs comment and clarify by saying "detail differences"

I have become aware of a range Khamsin niggles over the years my car had big mileage/Kilometers on it I suspect 100,000miles 160,000 Ks.
Points of note
Cracking in three places.
The body at the rear left hand side of the boot/rear window. Fix welding a gusset underneath the area but that didnt turn out that successfull

The rear subframe in behind the left hand lower, suspension control arm. I have now seen this on quite a few Khamsin's. Fix long tapered doubles over the area.

Cracking in the engine bay there are two small gussets that run from the suspension support to the steering support. these cracked from the rear edge forward. Fix replace the L cross section gusset with a U section gusset

Ventilation.
The previously mentioned ventilation problem of sealing the rear body against the rear valance on the inside.

Cooling
Replacing the copper 35 lbs radiator with 18 lb aluminium one. and before evrone gets on the copper is better than Aluinium argument the main difference is in the way they are made lead solder v aluminium solder. I don't care the difference is so good.

The water pump seal the latter cars have a ceramic sealing face on the impeller

Air con
Bigger condenseor to cope with the poor performing R32 gass.

Hydraulics
Good if right, bad, start a new thread................................

Interior
This one isnt noticed on LHD cars but us RHD people suffer in that the Left hands seat on the latter cars is 1 1/4 narrower.
The seat side bolster foam is too soft and as Marc said sort of OK on the Street but very hard work on the track.

Wheels
If you are going to paint them and read this carefully DONT STRIP THEM and dont say i didn't warn you the process needed most places cannot deal with the prep required and the arguments afterwards are not worth the trouble. Very carefully scuff back WITHOUT GOIG THROUGH THE PAINT and repaint. interesting thing is there is so much paint on them its only the edges to be careful of.

Electrics.
early Italian wiring is poor and with out being crewel. Key things here and my favorate.
The rear window demister rely's on the conductivity of the hinge pin!! go figgure they get surface corrosion bingo blown fuse and blown fuse bigger fuse burnt wiring.......... Fix take the cover of the hinge on the left hand side. remove the terminating wire splice in a longer section, drill small hole on the other side clean the paint (if any) and replace the screw. Some care is needed to put the new wire as close to the hinge line and cover the wire with a plastic sleeve to stop chafing.

Earth points are critical they need to be clean there was a "telephone junction" size point above the (RHD) drivers side.

The Indicator stalks are vulnerable and will break with little provocation. They are repairable but great care is needed.

Having the Alternator regulator remote may have been the way to go in 1974 but with it under the dash and with stronger all in one units available who put up with it.

Fuel tanks
Humm the RH top small reserve rusts out on the bottom ...............

The body of the car inside where your cannot see has on corrosion protection and the sills especially......

Final observation, I have not seen two Khamsin's the same there are so many variations due to the nature of the build so using an unmolested car as a reference isnt worth the trouble.

Graeme

 

Graeme,
Awesome car!
George

 

raeme:

Thank you for those excellent comments: it is strange specially to normal car mechanics how such a refined car can be well...shoddily built in places, particulalry the electrics and the cockpit sealing: it is much more more than the sum of its parts! In contrast so many normal cars are bult from good quality bits and amount to transportation with mediocre performance and personality...

I was not aware of the drivers seat on right hand drive cars being narrower: interesting. One thing Cleto Grandi who conducted much of the Khamsin development for Giulio Alfieri told me is that had there been more time and a less sterssful situation they would probably have put a hard spring under the brake pedal, facilitating habituation for Khamsin driving newcomers.

Best regards,

Marc

 

Hi Marc
It is an interesting comment about the spring for the brake I have also thought of that and I recon that a progressive rate spring would be the answer.

It is an interesting observation it appears that more is known about the individuals behind the classic Maserati's. The peolpe you have mentioned and Bertochi the man behind the street development of the cars.
I would love to have a plaque with the signatures and names of the people behind the Khamsin design and developement including the name of the engine builder (from memory is "S F" stamped on the block) for my Car. After all the Khamsin on the whole were made by people. A bit like an artist it would be nice to have it signed.
Graeme

 

I agree, Maseratis are Italian Art on wheels. We may not gravitate to all the artwork, but it is art nonetheless.
Ciao,
George

 

Hi Graeme:

Yes it is always nice to have mementoes from the authors though Giulo Alfieri and Guerrino Bertocchi are no longer here...Marcello Gandini, Cleto Grandi and Ermanno Cozza are still here: it is Cozza shown in some of the photos of the big Khamsin brochure. What is interesting when you interview those people is the small down to earth amusing anecdotes you get as well as unexpected reasons for certain things they did to the cars.

Will be posting some intersting data this weekend.

Best regards,

Marc

 

One photo from 1992. Knutstorp ring a race circuit in Sweden. I think the Khamsins owner came from Bern in CH.
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Tank you Magnus:

Did you go to the big car show at that castle? It is in August I think? I was looking for the chassis number of the navy blue Khamsin owned by an Ulf: the only person on the planet who did not want me to have his chassis numnber: very strange?!

Best regards,

Marc

 

Maybe that red car is this one, now in Zhurich, Switzerland, not far from Bern....no not same interor...I aim to g to Zurich within the next to months and will try to meet him: there are 4 Khamsins I know of there.

Best regards,

Marc
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Rosersberg is 30 of August this year. I will go there. I will talk with Ulf if he is there. Can i give him your phonenumber and adress email?

 

Hello again Magnus: no that's been tried before but as he will open his engine hood if you could just read the chassis number (as you know it begins with AM120, any other number ios not the chassis number) then I will know which Khamsin is where: thank you. If he does not open his hood I will writ him a letter.

Some more photos would be great too: tack sa mycket!

Best regards,

Marc

 

I will look if i can find some more photos. Can you send me your mobile number? You have my email-adress.

Best regards,

Magnus