Proud owner of a Project Maserati 3200 GT

kasel

kasel

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I am since a month the happy owner of a Maserati 3200 GTA that is in need of lots of love.
For years this was the car on my wish list to own, now i have one :)
Last summer I almost bought a nice 3200 GTA Verde Mistral with beige leather, but due to too many issues since last maintenance and the steep asking price I postponed my dream.
Then early December there was a 3200 GTA in Nero with Beige Leather on auction in the Netherlands, it was a Japanese import and the bids were quite low so just for fun I placed a bid which was €200,- higher.
expecting that someone else would place a higher bid i did not think about it that much, then 1 1/2 days later I got an email I had the highest bid and that the seller was ok with selling the car for this low price.

So suddenly I was the owner of this "Beauty", knowing the starter motor was broken and it needed quite some love to the interior.
Since it was a binding bid, there was no way out, and I now am starting on the journey of bringing it back to life.
At least i can say I bought the cheapest Maserati 3200 GTA in the Netherlands ;)

IMG_5663.jpegIMG_5664.jpeg

The history is that the car was imported last summer by a Japan import company, the same company that also sold it to me.
It seems like they did not invest much time or effort in the car and just wanted to sell it again.

The records from Japan state that the last inspection was in 2015, since then it seems to have been stored somewhere in a wharehouse or something like that.
current mileage is 60775 KM

No rust on the body but the paint is cracked at several spots, but nothing that cannot be fixed.
On the interior the passenger seat has a tear in the seat, of course we have the sticky buttons problem and some loose leather on the door cards and the passenger airbag module.

Technical things till now discovered:
  • heater unit needs replacement, white coolant residue on the dash and vents.
  • starter engine needs replacement
  • knock sensors give an error (bought the cable to check the errors, and only these poped up.
  • Door switches probably need replacement as the windows do not always go up after closing the door
  • wheel bolts on the rear a few need replacement
  • Battery is draining, already placed a new one but without the trickle charge it empties the battery in a day
So this will be a long journey with lots of fun and pain I guess.
I will start with first dismanteling the interior and making sure all extra equipment is removed, the car had an extensive DVD/GPS/TOL system installed which i already removed, but possibly there are some more items behind the dash.
at the same time i will replace the heater and try to re-glue the airbag leather.
Once that part of the interior is done and back in place I will focus on the engine.
The plan is to replace:
  • starter engine
  • knock sensors
  • all hoses
  • all seals
  • belt
  • oil filter etc.
probably during this journey we will find other stuff that needs attention.

If there is anything you would advise to directly replace when doing the interior or when replacing the starter motor, please let me know.
Already been reading through all the extensive reports of what and how things can be fixed, this forum seems like the go to place for information during my Journey.

Looking forward to share more details of the whole process
 
Welcome to the forum and has I've done a Project 4200 12 years ago now and before that I had another that back in 2010 was the cheapest one for sale for what was an 8 years old car.
There's lots of love for the 3200 on here and lots of work has been done and still ongoing so you'll find all you need.
Keep the posts coming along with your pictures and Good Luck.
 
Welcome. This is going to be a great story and we all look forward to sharing your journey.
 
Hi see NZRossi he also recently bought a 3200. Both of you are on a similar journey. Lack of history is an issue for me also as you need to do all those services jobs that should have been done in the last 5 years/30,000km just to be sure. But boy is "Isabella" a joy to drive when she's in the mode!
 
Hi meant to ask is this a LHD car? Could be an ex Singapore car into Japan. Humidity is a known issue on electrics out of Singapore and Southern Japan. Most cars out of Japan new are normally RHD. Poor basic maintenance is a big thing here in NZ with older cars from Japan.
 
It is an LHD car indeed, from what I can figure out is that many Japan delivered 3200's were LHD, also seen some Assetto Corsa with the badge mentioning Japan delivered being LHD cars.
From the history mine has been delivered new to Japan and since the Japanese Shaken is quite strict it seems the car stopped being driven since approx. 2015.
 
Nice!
And welcome.
Battery drain: take the alarm syren out.
Its internal battery is probably shot, draining the system fast.
Imported two Japan cars in the years behind, both very good, low mileage cars.
But not without some technical problems.
Yours has seen some sunshine, looking at the colour of the boomerang lights.
How is the leather on the dash and behind the rear seats?
 
Sun it definetly has seen, but interior leather looks quite ok, of course it needs a cleaning, but besides the doorcards and the airbag module I could not find loose spots yet.
once I have all the technical issues fixed I will focus on the body and lights.

@boomerang where would I find the Alarm Syren?
I could not find anything in the boot, and expect to find something like that or a tracker in the interior when taking it apart. But if you can point me where to check I can solve that issue maybe sooner.
 
Don't be tempted to try to start the engine until you have (at least) fitted a new cambelt. If you do start it, and the old belt snaps, the cost of the ensuing engine rebuild would render the car as scrap.
I hope you can do much of the work yourself, other wise you are in for a very costly few months ahead!

BTW, while you can buy a 3200 at an apparently low up-front cost, by the time it is all up together you will have discovered that there's no such thing as a "cheap" 3200!

Best of luck, and it'll be great to see this car saved. You are a person of excellent taste.
 
boomerang said:
It is in the boot, lh side if i remember correctly.
Behind the side panel covering.
Click to expand...
ok finally found a good picture of where it should be located and what i though is true, that siren is not fitted (anymore?) in my car.
According to the service manual it should be located on the left side as detailed in below picture.

Screenshot 2026-01-13 222210.png
The connector is there but is covered off so most likely not fitted on mine, also i cannot see any damage on the position where it would have been fastened.
Would have been an easy one to remove, the search continues for the culprit of the battery draining in a day
 
Stumbled on this. Congratulations on finding one!!

Certainly no cheap 3200's. Once they're up to scratch; you've spent a small fortune :)
  • heater unit needs replacement, white coolant residue on the dash and vents.
    -> Alfa Romeo. NRF 53220
  • starter engine needs replacement
    ->Search Peugeot 205. Buy any. Swap aluminium housing with the one off your existing unit!
  • knock sensors give an error (bought the cable to check the errors, and only these poped up.
    -> Make sure they're plugged in. One is right below the throttle body on LHS. Second is against the bulkhead behind the inlet manifold. Bosch 3x pin black plugs. there are a couple there. Don't swap MAP sensor and Knock sensor or you will have dramas too.
    New units. Can get alternatives NGK, I use genuine as they're the right length for the position.
  • Door switches probably need replacement as the windows do not always go up after closing the door
    -> Door locks. NLA hard to find. Ensure lights go out inside cabin with doors closed. Trunk light might stay on if you leave it open for too long. IGE unit in passenger footwell should switch it off after a while.
  • wheel bolts on the rear a few need replacement
    -> Superformance UK. Hills engineering. Front and rears are different lengths!
  • Battery is draining, already placed a new one but without the trickle charge it empties the battery in a day
    ->Parasitic Drain. -> Check heat from relays above the battery.
    ->Check Passenger footwell for dampness from heater-core -> IGE. Most circuits are key-switched from ignition. Not many live.
    ->Alarm; LHS of trunk space. Most die/fail as internal button batteries bleed and no longer hold charge and then set-off every 5 mins. Disconnect and leave separate. No easy fix/replacement for these. Try Abbacus Alarms.
    ->Aftermarket radio. Pull it out and disconnect. I can only think someone hasn't complied with the standard ISO plug and it stays running the entire audio system(albeit nothing out the speakers).
  • Hoses
    -> Roose motorsport. Bit pricey but can't go wrong with brand new.
  • Belt
    -> Do both SKF roller bearings(Explorer 3205 A-2RS1, original's no longer available/made) and a brand new tensioner(Mitsubishi 3000GT). Inspect front cam seals and the front cover seal too. Good time to do cam cover and rear cover re-seal. Inspect front main and oil pump for leaks. Good time to do these now.

    Any questions. Fire away! GOOD LUCK. ENJOY!!!!
kasel said:
It is an LHD car indeed, from what I can figure out is that many Japan delivered 3200's were LHD, also seen some Assetto Corsa with the badge mentioning Japan delivered being LHD cars.
From the history mine has been delivered new to Japan and since the Japanese Shaken is quite strict it seems the car stopped being driven since approx. 2015.
Click to expand...
I have a Japanese delivered car that's RHD in Australia(brought into the country 2008)
Certainly mixed delivery!
NZ320GTA said:
Hi meant to ask is this a LHD car? Could be an ex Singapore car into Japan. Humidity is a known issue on electrics out of Singapore and Southern Japan. Most cars out of Japan new are normally RHD. Poor basic maintenance is a big thing here in NZ with older cars from Japan.
Click to expand...
I have had two Singapore RHD cars through my shop too. Also early 2007-08-09 delivery.
More mixed delivery!!!
 
about SKF Roller bearings: you can also use F.A.G. 3205-BD-XL-2HRS-TVH (i'm told they are better quality)
tensioner is: Mitsubishi MD319040 (saw some very cheap but original on Ebay!)
 
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good luck and congratulations.
The best advice is always buy the best condition car rather than a project. But when does a car guy ever take much advice.
If you have patience to learn new skills and practice them you can make it viable. Watching with interest.
 
I am also not allowed to drink while browsing auction websites anymore ;)For months i was on the lookout for the perfect well maintained 3200 GT for myself and just for fun I hit the bid button thinking it would never happen.
I guess it was meant to be, together with a friend that has restored multiple cars from the ground up we are going to handle this one.
Next week Friday is planned to remove the interior and replace the heater, ordered one this week, but it arrived all dented. Hope it will arrive next week in good condition.
 
Wally said:
about SKF Roller bearings: you can also use *** 3205-BD-XL-2HRS-TVH (i'm told they are better quality)
tensioner is: Mitsubishi MD137302 (saw some very cheap but original on Ebay!)
Click to expand...
I'm not sure Mitsubishi MD137302 is the correct tensioner for the 3200, looks more like MD319040. hth.
 
You're correct. The MD137302 is not the correct one. Any of these should do.
ACDELCO T43213 , GATES T43213, DAYCO 85009
Fitted the Gates myself last service.
 
I'll just correct previous statements. MD137302 look like this:
1768709919792.png
THESE ARE WRONG!! MUST BE:

MD197922 MD308588 MD156659 MD319040 MD185241
1768710012853.png

James3200GTA said:
You're correct. The MD137302 is not the correct one. Any of these should do.
ACDELCO T43213 , GATES T43213, DAYCO 85009
Fitted the Gates myself last service.
Click to expand...
There are a lot more cross references to other OE manufacturers.
 
Wally said:
about SKF Roller bearings: you can also use *** 3205-BD-XL-2HRS-TVH (i'm told they are better quality)
tensioner is: Mitsubishi MD137302 (saw some very cheap but original on Ebay!)
Click to expand...
The only difference is the inner cage.
Sheet metal - Polyamide.
1768710297217.png1768710310257.png

If rotational rating is 10,700RPM compared to 8500RPM.
Then ***-3205-BD-XL-2HRS-TVH is a better roller bearing!!!
Original 633186A(which I have saved in my brain for some fun reason) rating is also 10,700rpm.
So the latter bearing is THE OE specification.
 
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