Maserati
Maserati Parts Information Page - Edited 7/15/2012
This page offers a short history of the now deceased Maserati Bora #966
1977 Bora #966 as delivered to our shop in 1982. The front end was crunched and there was major sun damage to the paint and interior from storage. Otherwise, the car was mechanically sound and the engine ran perfect. The original tires were still like new!
he front end was reconstructed using new body panels, the interior was refurbished, and the powertrain was cleaned up. Ready for a paint job and re-assembly.
The bare body shell was in storage awaiting a paint job when the building burned down. The rest of the parts were stored at a different location and escaped a fiery death.
A cheap Polaroid photo of the speedometer showing the original mileage. I still have this part.
This photo shows the engine before any clean up was done. Aside from some peeling paint and a coating of dust, it was very clean. No evidence of corrosion or oil leaks.
The whole power package cleaned up and ready to install. This photo was taken the same day I decided to check valve clearances and found the cam chain master link clip was missing. (see story below) The engine is currently disassembled with all new gaskets and seals to put it together.
Brief History of Bora #966
This car was a 1977 Bora, serial # 966. The last year of production was 1978, and the latest serial number I know of is #1024. There were an estimated 570 Bora's sold in the US. It was originally sold in Florida, and we purchased it wrecked with 6973 original miles from a body shop in Georgia in 1982.
The car had a badly damaged front end, and sun damage from prolonged outdoor storage in a hot climate. The paint and interior suffered the most, but the mechanicals were well protected. The car had a regular (not salvage) title. Even though the radiator was damaged and leaking, they managed to fill it with coolant and start the car while I watched. We only ran the engine for a few minutes but it started easily, idled smoothly and sounded great.
Over the next 2 1/2 years I put in over 500 hours in disassembly, cleaning, inspecting and reconstructing the damaged front end. In the process we both fell in love with the car and decided to keep it versus fix it quick and sell it. When we closed the business my partner kept the Bora and I kept all the shop machinery. He worked on it some more at home until the body was fully prepped and ready for paint. He then moved the bare body shell to another location where it was involved in a building fire and completely destroyed. All of the mechanical parts were stored at his house, so they were spared.
He settled with his insurance company for the loss and I purchased the remaining parts. Since we became involved in 1982 everything has been in heated storage.
The car had 6973 original miles on the odometer. This is consistent with the wear on the original tires, clutch, brake pads etc.. We believed the car had a very recent tune up because there were signs of fresh gasket sealant around the valve cover - probably its first service? While the car was disassembled for cleaning and repair, we decided to check all the engine specs.. When I was rotating the cams to check valve clearances I got the shock of my life when I noticed the cam chain master link had no retaining clip on it!! This would have caused a catastrophe when the end plate finally worked loose. We figured it got knocked off during the last tune up since we saw other signs of recent questionable workmanship, such as unevenly ground valve shims. - maybe the owner did the work himself?
I spent days fishing around in the sump with a magnet on a wire, but failed to find the clip. We probably could have installed a new one and left it at that but since we were going to keep the car now we decided on a precautionary teardown. We found the missing clip in good condition, and also got a chance to inspect the internals. We were always suspicious of the low odometer mileage, but now we were sure its correct. The engine was still apart when the body was lost and it remains that way now. I am uncertian as to whether I will keep the engine or sell it and it may be better if the prospective purchaser has an opportunity to inspect the internals?.
Current condition of parts:
About 30 years have passed since the above pictures were taken. After the teardown, the engine was oiled and packed away in dry heated storage. All crankshaft journals, cam lobes, cylinder bores and other critical parts look as they should considering the low mileage. The valves have been lapped, and the heads have been repainted, but no other modifications or alterations have been made to this engine. I have all new gaskets and seals needed for assembly.
I sold the original air filter assembly but have one from a Q-porte.. It is almost the same, but the intake snorkels are different. The clutch, flywheel and pressure plate were sitting on the concrete floor in the burned building. The flywheel is probably still usable because it never got that hot, but it will need to be resurfaced. The friction disc and pressure plate were burned badly. I am told the pressure plate and disc are standard Borg and Beck parts for a Chevy V8. Maybe the flywheel is as well? All other parts have been sold except the bumpers.
Doug Walsh
hobbyvac@yahoo.com