The car was sold as a “rolling restoration”, and had been extensively restored and cared for by the BPO (before previous owner). As far as I know the PO mainly just enjoyed the car (as have I, thus far).
It runs, in fact it started up on the very first attempt after 3 months of waiting at the docks, shipping to Europe and waiting to be picked up. As the seller quipped, “I don’t know of any other 30 year old Italian exotic that could manage to do that”. Good point.
That said, it does have some rough spots, and needs more than a little TLC to bring it back to looking and running its best. While the engine, suspension and parts of the drivetrain have all been carefully restored, the transmission hasn’t been touched. And the paint is showing it’s age, with a hint of a few small rust bubbles here and there on the wheel arches and lower door panels.
I went over the car when I received it and started making a list of things I wanted to address. After having had and used the car for a while now, I’m probably going to change this list somewhat, having learned to live with some things as idiosyncrasies and others as being more important to fix.
In no particular order:
transmission & torque converter rebuildbare metal respray (eliminating rust spots, smoothing out the bodywork, remounting glass and chrome, polishing same)fix radio and antenna (this is way up high on my list!)- fix sun visors (they sag)
restore/condition leather interior- restore/replace cracked wood veneer on dashboard shelf
check fuel pumps, change filters if necessaryreplace fuel filter/regulatorreplace spark plug wires- repaint cam covers
go through wiring to get all courtesy lights and stuff working correctlyfix speedometer (probably pulse send unit or toothed gear on sender)- buy a scissors jack that will support the car and fit in the trunk
- possibly, maybe, remove US emissions stuff from the engine
- rebuild/lubricate windshield wiper motors
- rebuild/lubricate electric window motors
replace rubber sealant around trunkremove all sound isolation material, replace with non-flammable and non-hygroscopic alternativere-fabricate rear trunk panel, the one that hides the gas tank
ToDo list update:
– Transmission and torque converter have both been rebuilt, winter 2011. The kickdown linkage still needs to be adjusted though.
– The radio is now working (turns out the fuse was hidden under the panel surrounding the gear shift lever, replaced it and everything – including antenna – worked).
I took the aerial apart, cleaned out all the old grease and put new grease in, prettied it up and reassembled. When I put it back in the car, it refused to work :-/
At some point later (after I accidentally shorted a few contacts working on something else) it suddenly started working again.
– Am still working on the interior, most of it is really nice now, but the rear parcel shelf is still really dry and hard. I’ll keep adding Leatherique Rejuvinator until it gets better. I wasn’t able to remove the rear parcel shelf, unfortunately, as I know a leather specialist who would refinish it for me, but it seems to be permanently installed in the car.
– The fuel filter and regulator have both been replaced (summer 2011) and the new Malpassi filter king is supplying a steady 2.5psi to the Webers.
– Much of the electrical issues have sorted themselves out, just by using the car on a regular basis. The rear view mirror adjustment still doesn’t work, but it’s on the driver’s side and no big deal. Half of the door courtesy/warning lights work, half don’t. All lights, windows, seats, horn, windshield wipers, A/C and heater fans all work.
– Speedometer is still not working, after several attempts. I might have to call a specialist, as it needs to be working to pass my M.O.T.
The bare metal respray is under way, and includes several of the other items I had listed. F.x. all weather stripping, seals & gaskets around all apertures are replaced with new ones, all doors will receive new sound-deadening treatment and many minor quibbles will be taken care of as well (new bushing around steering column through the firewall, install new catalytic converters on the exhaust, install new windshield, fixing tear in bumper, etc).
The rear parcel shelf is riveted in place, making it impossible to repair without removing the rear glass. While the glass is out of the car, I’ll have a specialist take care of re-covering the shelf in a matching quality and color of leather.
Many of the electrical issues will also be sorted when the car is put back together, as each switch and connection is tested systematically on reassembly.
I’ve also purchased a replacement speedometer sending unit and angle, and will finally have the speedo working properly again.