Thanks
It's worth noting that that particular dealer has a great selection of cars. I've been to the shop a few times and I bought my Khamsin from him. But his statements as to the car's restorability are often "optimistic". So I advise figuring on the high side for restoration costs of anything you might buy from him.
Technical Update: KHAMSIN STEERING.. it is getting closer to the Bora in steering quality... ... and WANTED: Does anyone have a spare tie rod adjuster (Khamsin Table 20, Part 50) for sale? My problem was primarily a "dead zone" of wandering behavior at the center of the steering position. The Kh's steering was very sensitive to pavement curvature. Hard to relax and keep straight. Also, I felt an asymmetrical steering effort once I turned the steering wheel to the edge of the 'dead zone'. I am extremely happy to report the Kh is now far, far better on faster country roads and more confident and fun to whip around corners. I'll try it on the highway tomorrow. Recent automotive events involved meeting and talking with a good many Francophiles and Citroenisti, who were happy to talk about the Khamsin's LHM systems and troubleshooting the SM steering rack. It boils down to this: The LHM part of the boosted SM steering rack is not the problem. - The wandering behavior was caused by an incorrect 'toe-out' alignment. I fixed this problem FIRST. - The asymmetrical force required to steer was the rack itself not being centered accurately. I fixed this LAST. I used the following tools: 13mm ratchet and box wrenches. 11mm ratchet and box wrenches. Carpenter's string. Masking tape. 1.) Check Alignment: - Start the Kh. Make room in front of it on a flat level surface, about 10 feet is enough distance. Drive the Kh forward with your hand off the steering wheel to let the steering find its natural center. Shut the Kh off. - Take two lengths of string, tape one end at the front of the tire, let it pass under the false knockoff hub, and keep it tight as you tape it to the back edge of the rear tire. Do this on both sides of the car. The goal is to tape the string such that it can touch two points on the front tire and two points on the rear tire to use as an alignment guide. (Carpenter's string from the hardware store is useful lightweight woven nylon with some stretch). - Sight along the strings and see how the front tires align with the rear. Ideally the string just barely rubs the rear edge of each front tire and aligns with the rears. - If the string has a gap at the rear edge of a front tire, this tire is toe out. Conversely, if the string rubs the rear edge of a front tire, it's toe-in. 2.) Adjust Toe-In/Toe-Out Alignment at tie rods: - Tear 4 squares from a roll of wax paper. - Start the Kh. Make room in front of it on a level surface, about 10 feet is enough distance, and drive the Kh forward with your hand off the steering wheel to let it find its natural center. Shut the Kh off, leave in Neutral. - Place 2 squares stacked on top of each other in front of each front tire. Roll the Kh by hand, such that the front tires are on top of the 2 squares. This provides less friction between the front tires and the ground, and a truer alignment result. You can chock the rear tires to prevent rolling. - Adjust toe-in or toe-out at the tie rod end adjusters (Table 20, part 50). Use 11mm wrench to loosen the clamps (Table 20, Part 52), then rotate the tie rod adjusters a half or full turn then check the strings. Adjust until strings show neutral Toe-In/Toe-Out. If you aren't sure, start by erring with some Toe-In. Take the Kh for a drive. Does it wander? Does it feel straight? Does it drift more left or more right? If it doesn't wander and drives straight and true with the steering wheel centered, then you are done. Bon adventure! If it doesn't wander or feel vague at the center, then your toe is correct. If it steers off to the left or right, move on to the next step. 3.) Adjust the steering rack for left or right drifting*. - Refer first to all the steps in "1.) Check Alignment" above to set up the strings again after your test drive. Now sight the strings to see whether you have left or right misalignment of the front tires.. NOTE: If your test drive revealed left or right drift, but you don't see it in the strings when parked - you can still adjust the rack position to get straighter steering. - Place the Kh on squares of waxpaper per 2.) Adjust Alignment above. - Index the existing position of the steering rack -> Look closely at the steel anchoring clamps at either ends of the steering rack. Index the location of the rack ends' left/right location against the steel anchoring clamps. You can use a center punch, or I carefully placed and wrapped a length of masking tape around the ridged shaft right against the steel clamps. - Use 13mm wrenches to remove bolts holding the steering rack clamp. The "base" piece isn't really necessary to remove. - When the rack is loose, use muscle power to shove, jiggle, and move the steering rack a few increments of the ridges, checking the amount of movement by looking at your index marks vs the clamp. Moving one increment of ridge equals about 1/16" of tire movement at the alignment sighting strings. - When you've struggled and sworn and shoved the rack enough, then reinstall the clamp and bolts, checking the steering shaft and steering box are in the right position and not conflicting with adjacent hardware. - Look at the strings. Are they all just touching a little? - Then bolt the rack back in place, and take it for a test drive. This process was trial and error, so it took a few hours of checking, then adjusting, then test driving, then checking, then adjusting, then driving. I did three rounds of this to get it very, very close to exactly the way I like it. I'll drive it this way for a while. *NB! - I was told by Citroenisti that the SM steering box has an external fine-adjustment for the steering rack's centerpoint, eliminating the need for the rack's "brute force" adjustment described in 3.). I am researching what this all involves. Cheers, - Art Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hey--- Bosch coil 0 221 121 007 failing on the K. Replaced it w/a very old spare Bora coil I had sitting around---Bosch 0 221 120 002. All is well! But can't find any replacements for either. MIE quoted a beyond-ridiculous number! What have you guys been using? TIA
I just went to my local NAPA store and paid maybe $50 for a standard 12V ignition coil.. Here is a photo from the Bora with a failed Bosch ing coil - I have rigged up a test of the new NAPA coil. Since I didn't want to cut off the original Bosch plug that fits over the original coil + and - terminals, I fabricated a small wiring adaptor from the Bosch connector and crimped on standard 'eye' terminals to screw down onto the new standard coil. Once I confirmed the engine ran as usual, I tidied up the installation with heatshrink and electrical tape. Viola! - Art Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hey Art--- Brilliant. Thanks. Any chance you could advise what exactly you picked up from NAPA so I can find it online? TIA.
I just walked up to the counter and asked for a coil for a 1975 Maserati Bora. My records show it was NAPA part number IC14SB, MPE line, Ignition Coil, $36.99. Cheers, - Art
I don't think there is anything that special about the original coils, wouldn't a Bosch Blue with the right Ohms work as well?
-Who would have known: the Khamsin was not the first car with its spare under the nose, this car even goes one better: it comes out in its own drawer, see photo. Seen at the Villa d’Este Concorso this past weekend: one off Isotta Fraschini – 8C Monterosa 1948 from the respected Lopresto collection. -In other news the most mediatized Khamsin in the world the one formerly owned by the late Doug Magnon which I recommended Jay Leno do a segment on (video done May 2013) is now for sale in Texas. It is one of the magnificent seven fly yellow K's -all US market cars- of which only 1272 (now in London), 1290 (ex Wyoming now in Holland) and 1118 (rough project for sale in SoCal) are still yellow so that is four. Hopefully it finds a good home. https://www.driversource.com/vehicles/1343/1975-maserati-khamsin?mc_cid=be4c61aed3&mc_eid=dd4f724f8f 668000+ views as of now. This video has done a lot for the appreciation of the model, thank you Doug and Jay. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Marc with respect to yellow cars: do you know which one has been restored in Hungary lately? see the following link: https://www.enginefanatic.com/karosszeria-restauralas Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Roger, Great find once again! No idea but will contact them, am finishing two articles on deadline so sometime this week. I doubt it is 1272 and 1290 was redone in Holland very recently.
Sad to see Doug so alive and then suddenly ... Nice video though. The car sounds great. When we visited fellow Maserati fans Carl and Cecile Canales in their California abode I took a group of fellow enthusiasts from the Lamborghini community to see his museum where we met his wife at the restaurant they had nearby. They were friends of Doug's.
Yes I had spent nearly a month with Doug and his gf in Riverside and Palm Springs that April till early May, then he took me to LAX, my big suitcase barely fit his 500 Abarth, we said goodbye, exchanged emails but I would never see him again. I was hugely shocked to hear the news...then his widow decided to auction off all the cars. Here is a photo I took of him at the museum that month. The restaurant, Magnone's IIRC in Riverside is highly recommended. Image Unavailable, Please Login
See the link in my post, the dealer is in Texas. I am not involved in that sale. When the car was auctioned a few years ago it was bought by someone in Colorado.
Ah, so it's already been restored then? Sorry if I lost the plot there but I was asking about the "rough" one.
I misunderstood you sorry. The Socal car, chassis 1118 is or rather was at the Beverly Hills Car Club dealership in LA. https://www.beverlyhillscarclub.com/ It seems it must have just sold...it was very cheap though high 60's$ but an automatic and needed lots of work. https://www.beverlyhillscarclub.com/sold-inventory.htm?make=[Maserati]&model=[Khamsin]&orderby=make,year Theoretically it could be the Hungarian car but the time span between when it was still available and those photos seems too short for the sea journey, delays before and after and the work done, specially with 2021 Covid induced shipping delays. I just asked Alex Manos head of BHCC what country it went to, he has been helpful with info in the past. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well I got a reply from someone at BHHCC and lo and behold: "Good Morning Marc, It went to Hungary. Thanks" So that is it. Amazing fast work!
From the first time I saw this video, it stuck out as something unusual: Jay is talking in front of an expert owner, about a car he doesn't own, and he doesn't *fully* know what he is talking about. As down to earth as Jay Leno is in most videos.. I wanted him to stop talking and let Doug present the Khamsin. He cuts Doug off at 3:18.. But then again - I guess an expert on *any* of the cars Jay owns and presents may find factual nitpicks.. I'll be quiet now. - Art
It is very sad that Doug died at such an early age. I knew Doug through The Maserati Club when he was President of the California chapter. Also had the privilege of seeing his museum, in the mid 2000's if I remember correctly. The yellow K he bought came out of Knoxville, TN. When I moved to TN in 2005 I would see the car in the lot of high end car dealer. I believe the car at one time was owned by and eye doctor in Oak Ridge, TN and was a member of the Southeast Chapter of The Maserati Club. At some point, in 2005, Doug mentioned to me that he was on the lookout for a Khamsin. I told him about the yellow one in Knoxville and he had me take a look at it. He ended up buying it and it is interesting to see it being discussed years later. Attached is a picture (not very good) of the engine bay from back in 2005... Mike
