New project. 1987 Lamborghini Jalpa. There's no easy way out.

Awesomely awesome !!!!

Very cool.

That is awesome. Congrats!

Is the vaguely wastegate-like noise it makes when letting off the throttle due to all the throttle bodies? Wherever its coming from, it's badass.

Wow. Just wow.

Sounds A M A Z I N G. I'm going to drink a beer tonight just so I can toast you sir.

NorseDave wrote: That is awesome. Congrats! Is the vaguely wastegate-like noise it makes when letting off the throttle due to all the throttle bodies? Wherever its coming from, it's badass.

Yeah ITBs always have that wonderful sucking noise. A lot of people say they love the sound of carbs, but I LOOOOVE the sound of ITBs, they're intoxicating.

So the motor I thought was bad for the headlights, is actually good.

Tonight I started the process of taking it apart and putting new solder in it, cleaning it out, cleaning the magnet, cleaning the coil. I buttoned it back up without any lubrication and it's much smoother.

Need to get some silicon grease so I can properly lubricate it, but it appears to be good to go. Need to check the other one. If they're both good, then I can simply rebuild them and that's one less hassle. Then it's just a matter of making my own wiring harness for them.

Congratulations! This has been a long time coming.

Nice!

BERK. YES.

Engines like this have such a unique sound. The super mechanical sounding cam drive plus the ITBs plus the exhaust, mmm.

mck1117 wrote: Engines like this have such a unique sound. The super mechanical sounding cam drive plus the ITBs plus the exhaust, mmm.

I'm excited to see how much more RELIABLE it'll be in moving from the webers. The largest complaint from fellow owners I've seen (and witnessed firsthand), was them running inherently super rich.

There's no real barometric correction on them, and tuning them is a total whore.

I personally hate tuning carbs, and synchronizing multiple carbs. So the thought of doing 2 carbs makes me go, "Ugh, fine. OK, I'll do it." but 4? It makes me want to stab myself in the face with an icepick.

Fun story:

So a guy who goes by "Ohlgren" on LamboPower, incredibly nice guy. Also has a Jalpa. He's the guy who drove his black Jalpa down here just to see my project and it's progress.

My other friend who goes by "Emissary" on there is a local. So they're both like, "Well hey, let's go drive the Jalpa. I'll take my 993 and we'll go for a cruise after we check out the car."

We decide to go to smith rock. Ohlgren is talking about how the car seems to be bogging down really bad and when he rolls up I can smell gas and can tell it's clearly running pretty damn rich. We go for a drive anyway and it's doing pretty well as he flogs it. We get up to smith rock (about 5 minutes from my house) and then we get stuck behind a subaru looking for a parking spot. This dude is following a couple walking back to their car at the speed of a moldy fart.

Ohlgrens car is starting to get warmer, and it's starting to sound like it's about to choke out. There's about 5 people behind us piling up and people are looking at this subaru like they're ready to pull him out and choke him. (sadly, this has been the case with our state parks since bend has blown up)

Finally, the Jalpa stalls. He goes to turn it over and it chugchugchugchugs and won't start. I go, "Don't don't don't.... just wait. Give it a sec, it's flooded and it needs to clear. Just give it a sec."

So I stumble out the passenger door like a worm wiggling out of a wet lawn. I get out, and I start directing traffic. Ohlgren is sitting there looking slightly embarrassed and a little frustrated. Emissary is in his 993 with my girlfriend in the passenger seat, and he pokes out of the window and goes.... "You know, this is a real defining moment. This moment right here is more Lamborghini than anything." And everyone gives this kind of, "yeahhhhhh" laugh because here we are, people waiting on mr subaru up ahead, while people are going around this Jalpa that won't start.

Finally after a few minutes he gives it a go and it fires up. And he keeps having to bump the throttle to keep it from lowering idle and stalling out.

That's when I was like, "Yeah, berkeley carbs."

Congratulations! What's needed for the first drive?

sweet

2_3 wrote: Congratulations! What's needed for the first drive?

A this point, I need to really button everything up.

Wiring - Turn signals - Headlights - Tail lights

Interior - Finish carpet - Once wiring is finished, can put interior back together (dash, seats, etc)

Mechanical - Axle shafts and springs need to go back in. Rear suspension is currently disconnected - Rebuild calipers since previous owner decided to take them apart

Much easier than rebuilding and getting a fuel system set. Hoping by mid august it'll be ready to roll for first drive.

Amazing. Congratulations. Excellent work.

Can't wait to see video of it backing out of the garage!

YAY!

I do have an odd concern though. Now that I'm on the ITBs and have nowhere to really pull vacuum from.... what options would potentially work for the brake booster? I've seen there are electric pumps for vacuum, has anyone had any success with this?

I've used hydroboost systems with success getting an old bronco to brake hard with 36" tires. How much does it weigh? Could you get away with unboosted brakes?

corsepervita wrote: I do have an odd concern though. Now that I'm on the ITBs and have nowhere to really pull vacuum from.... what options would potentially work for the brake booster? I've seen there are electric pumps for vacuum, has anyone had any success with this?

Very common. Electric pumps with a vacuum block you could use. So many big cam muscle cars don't pull enough vacuum at idle that it's not uncommon mod.

I'd check Summit racing.

EDIT: Here you go

Link

Plenty of newer cars (VVT, DI gives you the opportunity to throttle with things other than the throttle to avoid pumping losses), and diesels use mechanical or electric vac pumps. My Focus, for example, drives a mechanical vacuum pump off of the end of the intake cam.

Awesome, thanks guys. Never used one or dealt with one, so I appreciate the feedback.

In reply to mck1117:

My Focus runs the pump every time I unlock it. Its a weird thing to hear at first. Then once the engine is running you can't hear it.

BTW, for those of you thinking of playing with ITB's and think you can avoid the lovely experience of "balancing" them, you're wrong. You do get to balance them. Just the nature of the beast and even the best manufacturing tolerances make this unavoidable.

That said, unlike carbs, they won't drift as much so you can generally set them once and only check them if you change gaskets or alter something intake related.

A syncrometer isn't too bad to buy/make, but you can sometimes borrow one from your local motorcycle shop in a pinch.

Stefan wrote: BTW, for those of you thinking of playing with ITB's and think you can avoid the lovely experience of "balancing" them, you're wrong. You do get to balance them. Just the nature of the beast and even the best manufacturing tolerances make this unavoidable. That said, unlike carbs, they won't drift as much so you can generally set them once and only check them if you change gaskets or alter something intake related. A syncrometer isn't too bad to buy/make, but you can sometimes borrow one from your local motorcycle shop in a pinch.

I made one from bottles and rubber stoppers and some clay at a store back when I had carb'd motorcycles. I still have it somewhere though it'd be a good idea to make some new ones. Easy peasy to do really.

I bought an Edelbrock Uni-Syn for dirt cheap at my local auto parts store. Works fine, just tedious with one.

I've seen the bike guys have a board with four vacuum gauges on there, syncing all four throttles.

I have also heard (no pun intended) of folks just listening through a section of hose to the sound of the air in each throttle, and making them all sound the same.