1967
Lamborghini 350GT (JC) Total restoration |
Restoration Log by Dan Mooney |
![]() |
With all of the bodywork complete, our 350 GT project has now been primed.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Jake continues to make excellent progress with the body restoration.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Jake has been making excellent progress with the body restoration.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Jake fabricating replacement panels for the right rear quarter.
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Gas tanks and rear panel fitting.
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Jake has now fabricated and welded in the new close out panels for the rear trunk floor.
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
The following photographs show Jake fabricating a repair panel of the left rear quarter using the rusty original as the template.
Jake is making excellent progress in the Team CJ Coachworks.
With the chassis repairs completed, Gerardo has now sealed everything up in epoxy primer and the car has been placed on our custom 350 roll-around jig. We will shortly start the process of hanging the outer panels.
We now have your cylinder head rebuilds underway. The following sequence of photographs show Corey removing the old valve seats and installing the new bronze tapped guides.
The following sequence of photos show Jake making a new removable battery floor panel. On the early 350 models accessibility to the differential bracket bolts (beneath the battery floor panel) was extremely difficult. Making the battery floor panel removable will make servicing the differential much easier in the future, and the modification will be all but invisible.
Excellent progress coming along in the Team CJ Coachworks.
Beautifully fabricated aluminum fuel tanks and a coolant expansion tank for our 1967 350 GT project.
![]() |
![]() |
Stunning
workmanship |
Fuel
tanks have been painted satin black, per the originals |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Coolant
expansion tank will also be painted satin black |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Your gauges have now been fully restored and rebuilt.
Andy James has been making fantastic progress in the Team CJ Coachworks.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Lots of progress in the Team CJ Coachworks!
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Lots of progress in the Team CJ Coachworks!
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Removing out skins of A pillars to deal with rust beneath |
Drilling out A pillar spot welds |
![]() |
![]() |
Zero primer or rust preventative used when the
cars were built |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Main front inner substructure is now restored
and totally sound |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Foot wells will be installed next week |
Lots of progress! |
Jake continues to make great progress in the Team CJ Coachworks.
![]() |
![]() |
Trial fitting the new driver's floor pan |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Work progressing well in the Team CJ Coachworks and also in the machine shop, where Corey machined new bronze bushings we needed to rebuild the pedal box.
![]() |
![]() |
Jake has been making great progress this week |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Welding the new pedal box and toe board panels in place |
Corey machining new bronze bushings to rebuild original pedal box in the Team CJ machine shop |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Assembling pedals with new bronze bushings |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Jake has been busy fabricating new footwell and firewall panels.
![]() |
![]() |
Making a chipboard template for the new passenger footwell |
Trial fitting the template in place |
![]() |
![]() |
Trial fitting new footwell |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Clekos hold the new footwell together |
Now spot welded together |
![]() |
![]() |
Left side firewall is in poor shape and will
need a lot of work |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Fabricating new driver's footwell kick panel |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Trial fitting the new kick panel and marking
the location of the holes required for the pedals |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Trial fitting the pedal box |
|
![]() |
To be continued.. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Upper drain entering the right hand cowl panel |
Exit hole for the lower drain in new cowl side
panel |
![]() |
![]() |
Cleaning off spot welds |
Trial fitting new panel in place |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Jake has now begun fabricating and welding new replacement panels into place. First up is the right hand chassis rail that runs the length of the body and has a jacking point at each end.
![]() |
![]() |
This is the front right jacking point shown
with the body inverted |
Now shown with the body the right way up |
![]() |
![]() |
The first of many repair panels fabricated |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Jake welding the first repair panel into place |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
After sealing all inner surfaces with epoxy
primer, the area is sprayed with Wurth Body Wax |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Bottom section of the chassis rail now TIG
welded into place |
On to the next panel! |
Original starter motor and alternator have now been rebuilt and restored.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Josh has your transmission rebuild well underway.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Jake has been busy cutting away corroded sheet metal.
![]() |
![]() |
Jake is stripping the body down to a virtually
bare skeleton |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Rear section now removed |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Original cracked plastic window gears have
been replaced by new bronze gears |
The following sequence of photos show Jake removing the rear wings and license plate panel, as well as cutting away the floor pans.
![]() |
![]() |
Cutting away welds around the left rear wing |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Repeating the process on the right side |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Rear wings, cowl and license plate panel now removed |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Cutting away the rusted floor pans |
|
![]() |
![]() |
The following sequence of photographs show Jake removing both front wings to reveal previous accident repairs and damage to the Superleggera framework beneath.
![]() |
![]() |
Jake preparing to remove the nose section |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Note damage to Superleggera tubing and failed welds |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Separating welded seams in order to remove the RH front wing |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Inner structure behind RH front wing looks to
be in reasonable condition |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Lots of evidence of previous accident repairs |
Drilling out spot welds at the rear edge of
the cowl |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
More evidence of previous bodywork repairs |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Corrosion at the rear edge of the LH front
wing |
|
![]() |
![]() |
To be continued! |
The threads in Lamborghini rear hub carriers are often damaged because the steel bearing retainers can become seized to the aluminum housing. When this occurs, subsequent removal of the steel retainers can damage the much softer threads in the alloy carrier. The solution is to machine oversized threads in the housing and machine similarly oversized steel bearing retainers. The images below show each stage of this process.
![]() |
![]() |
Note damaged threads in hub carrier |
|
![]() |
![]() |
The carrier on the left has now had new
threads machined |
Fabricating the oversized bearing retainers |
![]() |
![]() |
Cutting the threads on the bearing retainers |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Special tool to install and remove the bearing
retainers |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Now that the body and frame has been media blasted back to bare metal, the full extent of corrosion and previous damage repairs can be seen.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
The following sequence of photos show the car during the blasting process. Initially the panels were blasted with crushed plastic media to remove the paint, then 120 grit aluminum oxide was used to strip everything back to bare metal.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
We have now placed the 350GT on one of the roller-hoop jigs and we will be blasting the body back to bare metal next week. Jake removed the outer sills and the obviously rusted lower rear quarter panels as we need to make templates for the replacement panels.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Our 1967 350GT project is now stripped to a bare shell.
![]() |
![]() |
Interior roof lamp |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Removing the headliner foam |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Note battery tray in rear of boot compartment |
|
![]() |
![]() |
The main wiring loom has been carefully
labeled prior to removal |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Firewall and dash now completely stripped |
|
![]() |
![]() |
All of the glass has now been removed |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Sturdy inner frame structure on show peering
into the car through the grille opening |
3 vintage Lamborghinis in the Team CJ Works
today! |
The disassembly process is well underway!
![]() |
![]() |
Godwin has been busy stripping the engine bay |
Hector has been carefully removing the
interior trim |
![]() |
![]() |
Hidden beneath the passenger seat was the
previous owners copy of a 400GT workshop manual |
Interesting that the late Mr Borin always
thought his car was a 400 GT Interim model |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Note quilted vinyl padding on firewall |
Elaborate boot and spare wheel well lining |
![]() |
![]() |
Trim at base of handbrake is our best example
of the original Senape (Italian for mustard) color |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Polystyrene glued beneath carpeting |
|
![]() |
![]() |
The rust color is actually trim glue on to of the Polystyrene |
Hector starting the laborious process of
scraping away the Polystyrene |
![]() |
To be continued! |
Floors appear to be pretty solid |
This restoration is now officially underway! During the disassembly process we will be observing and documenting everything in minute detail. One of the interesting things about this particular car is that it was thought at one time (by a previous owner) to be one of the 'interim' 400 GTs, although at this stage it seems much more likely that it was actually one of the late production 350 GTs that were built using a steel (rather than aluminum) body. In due course we will measure the cylinder bore which will tell us whether we have a 3.5 or 4L. Watch this space!
We are very lucky to have our good friend Andrew Romanowski of the Lamborghini Club America advising on points of originality for this project. We already know that the car was built 5/18/66 and the original chassis plate, as well as the chassis stamping in the engine bay, both identify the car as car number 0433. Furthermore, the chassis plate also describes the car as a 350 GT. The rear of each cylinder head is date stamped 5/65, exactly the same date stamped on the heads of a 1965 350GT we also have under restoration, although the 65 car's engine number is 174 units earlier (0241 versus 0415). This leads us to believe that a significant run of cylinder heads were cast in May 1965, possibly enough to last throughout 350 production.
![]() |
![]() |
Matching number engine block |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Chassis number stamped at right hand front corner of the engine bay |
Godwin removing the right bank of Webers |
![]() |
![]() |
Josh helping out with the other side |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Out with the engine and transmission! |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Both cylinder heads are date stamped 5/65 |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Engine and transmission weigh 532 lbs |
Tran weighs 112 lbs, meaning the engine is 420
lbs |
I am delighted to report that your car has arrived safely in the Team CJ Workshop and we will have this exciting restoration underway in the next few days.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Touring Superleggera badges |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Original bonnet badge |
Steering wheel, radio and dash mounted 400GT badge are later additions |
![]() |
![]() |
4,910 kms showing on the odometer, true miles
unknown at this point |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Original looking pedal pads show very little
wear, so it is possible this is a very low mileage car |
|
![]() |
![]() |
Typical Touring design feature |
All of the glass in the car is original and in excellent shape |
![]() |
![]() |
Original color was Blu Notte |
Original interior color was Senape (tan) |
![]() |
![]() |
Original door seals have furflex on the
interior side, rubber to the outer |
Chassis rails are 100% straight and look to be extremely solid and rust free |
![]() |
![]() |
Spare wheel well rests on rear chassis legs |
Inner wheel well is trimmed in leatherette |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
To be continued! |
Matching number engine and correct 20/21
Webers |