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Salvage Murci Rebuild

7K views 48 replies 20 participants last post by  Lambo2018 
#1 ·
Hi Guys!

I guess it's about time that I start up a thread on my Murci rebuild. The car is a 2006 e-gear that I purchased from salvage auction a few months ago.

Just throwing it out right off the bat- I'm a mechanical engineer and a wannabe mechanic. I'm decently mechanically inclined, but definitely have lots to learn when it comes to wrenching. I spent my college years building Formula SAE cars (I was suspension lead and team captain), so I have a decent idea of the basic principles but that's about it. FSAE cars are pretty basic compared to road cars. That said, I can make just about anything given access to a mill/lathe/autoclave.

My plan is to do as much of the rebuild work myself as possible. I got ahold of the LP640 service manual, but there are definitely spots where it leaves questions unanswered- and that's where I am hoping you guys can come in.

So as it stands right now, I am still in the process of tearing everything down to find what all I am going to need and getting stuff on order. I don't expect this project to be quick or easy, but I think it will be a lot of fun and hope you guys will enjoy the ride along with me. I'll throw in some pictures of the car as she sits tonight, and will start updating as I run into questions.
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#3 ·
As that is probably my old car, I’ll help where I can. Been out of the loop for a while. Back on the scene. You are, extremely, brave. Insurance Co told me there was 200k worth of damage. I’d be really interested in how much you are able to do the repair.


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#5 · (Edited)
As that is probably my old car, I’ll help where I can. Been out of the loop for a while. Back on the scene. You are, extremely, brave. Insurance Co told me there was 200k worth of damage. I’d be really interested in how much you are able to do the repair.
Awesome to hear from you! Any history that you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Are you going to do a youtube channel on the build?
Well as a matter of fact, I am! I have 2 videos up currently and am releasing a new one every Friday. The channel is really small right now, but the dream is to turn it into a Tavarish thing and get paid buku bucks to hawk mobile phone games and wireless speakers 😁 I'm actually a few weeks ahead of what I am showing in the videos to give myself a little time to edit and a buffer to wait for parts. Here is the link to my latest video:

As far as the economics goes- it wouldn't surprise me if I do end up spending 50k in parts but my labor is free. Even considering the reduced salvage value, I think that I should at least break even. My plan is to try and get ahold of broken body panels on the cheap (since they are broken...) and repair/graft back on to the sections that I already have. It's probably considered sacrilege, but I'm planning to run fiberglass bumpers at least in the short term. I will do a cost breakdown at the conclusion of the project to show exactly what it took to get the car back together.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Are you going to do a youtube channel on the build?

That looks like a monumental task and a lot of cost in parts, so I think it would do well on youtube. The bigger the train wreck, the bigger the views.

I am always curious on the economics of these rebuilds. I know you have to be in it for the challenge than any potential savings over buying one in good condition, unless you can get sponsors and tons of views like Tavarish. The value of a Gen 1 e-gear in good shape with low miles is around $120-130K. Just a quick look from limited photos looks like $50K in parts, and that's without seeing what other damage is not shown. How are you expecting the financials to work out?
 
#8 ·
I did a bit of hunting around before I settled on the the LP version. Everything that I could find for the Pre LP was "missing many pages" at best, and most of what I read people were saying that they used the LP version for the Pre LP. But if you've got a link to where I can find a decent Pre LP version at a reasonable price, I'm all ears.
 
#11 ·
Oh there is definitely frame damage... I'm going to have to cut out and reweld some bits up front and on the passenger side. The outside rail on the passenger side got whacked pretty good. The right rear corner is pushed up a little bit. I haven't measured it yet, but it's definitely not level. I'm hoping that I can get the car on a frame rack and get that bit pulled back down (closer to) where it should be.
 
#10 ·
Wow, this one went cheap:

With less than 5000 miles, no stories, and only $135K. Makes it really hard to think about picking up a salvaged car when the parts prices are so high.
 
#20 ·
👍 This is just great, I'm inspired... :)
 
#22 ·
The kiss of death on a car like this is if the roof skin is wrinkled. If that is the case the whole car has a bend to it and that can be very difficult to repair. On a $1million dollar classic you repair anything but on a $100K car you have to think of the costs at least a little. The scariest thing here is the parts bill. If one control arm is $5K (which looks like a nothing part) imagine the number of line items and their total costs. I urge you to go to the Eurospares website and start pricing out some items you may need. Even at 1/3 the cost for used the totals may shock you. I'm super supportive of this initiative but also don't want to blow smoke either.

As for YouTube, bear in mind that 1,000,000 views for one video is worth about $1-2K and dropping. The key to revenue is LOTS of videos each bringing in their share. Most YouTubers will admit they fell butt backwards into it and the numbers needed to quit your day job on is pretty intense.
 
#23 ·
Maybe I just missed it, but what kind of accident was it in, any idea?
 
#26 · (Edited)
From what I could tell, the car went under the safety wires in the highway median.

Nuvolari, Stimpy- thanks for the great feedback. I knew I was going to get Stimpy's thoughts whether I asked or not :)

As far as the Youtube thing goes- I do need to be realistic about it. I'll keep it as a fun side project and a neat way of sharing progress. I won't stress out about it. Maybe it'll go somewhere someday.

So I will say, you guys forced me to think long and hard about the point of my project (I've been thinking about it pretty much non-stop since you posted). I realized that I am doing it for me. I went in to this wanting a Lambo, and I'm going to do what it takes to get one. I think it's going to be a combination of making/repairing what I can, and buying what I can't. I enjoy making things and fixing things, and at the end of the day this is something pretty cool that I can point to and say "I did that".

I get that parts are pricey, and have no problem paying for things that I can't make myself. I can always buy OEM parts in the future if my parts don't last. It's not like when I bolt a part on it's stuck on forever. The car already has a salvage title, so I figure I'll have some fun with it- do some stuff that I otherwise would never even think of doing with a clean titled car. The way I see it, money in = money out. If I'm able to save a buck with some homebrew parts then I won't expect to get that buck when I sell the car. At the end of the day, like I said, I'm doing this for me and if I lose some money on the rebuild then I'll chalk it up to cost of ownership.

I appreciate you guys helping to reel me in a little.
 
#27 ·
Passion is an incredible motivator, and you’ve got it. You’ll do fine just follow that passion.
 
#29 ·
At least you appear to be going into this project with your eyes wide open but........heck when I bought my 2019 Huracan with 1600 miles I thought I was doing something that was risky and gave me pause but I guess I am risk averse. This endeavor sounds like it floats your boat, good for you........best of luck!
 
#30 · (Edited)
Passion is good, but it rarely works out well to go into such a big and expensive project with eyes wide shut.

Alternatively, if he parts out the car, and then uses that money to put a big down payment on a Gallardo in good condition, that would be a lot better way to achieve his ultimate goal of owning a running and driving Lamborghini.

The Gallardo is not going to cost a lot to run, and it's not going to depreciate much, if at all. This Murci is going to cost way more to repair in parts alone plus the initial auction price. Labor is the cheap part with a V12 Lamborghini, and it's not unusual for a young guy to jump into a Lambo without realizing that beforehand. Many years ago, I bought a Ferrari 355 F1 that cost all my money to buy and I didn't have anything left for repairs and maintenance. I knew nothing about the cost of Ferrari parts. Within 2 weeks, I had the F1 system go out, and the mechanic charged me $2K just to tell me something is very wrong and it's going to be very expensive. I got out of that car quick because I realized I didn't have the money at the time to live that life. Fast forward, and I am back into expensive exotics now that I can afford the parts.

Keep in mind, once he fixes the structural damage, he's going to need to troubleshoot the extreme strangeness of a car that had the engine management cause it to accelerated on its own and not allow a shift into neutral, and then clearly something was out of whack with the braking system that caused the rear to lock up and spin the car out of control. The fronts should always lock up first on a properly working brake system, and the ABS should kick in to make sure you don't spin out of control. Maybe a proportioning valve issue - maybe a huge issue with the ABS system - who knows. I really doubt the auction house gave him the info that he was buying a car that had other serious problems before the accident damage. Just wait until he prices out the Lamborghini computer needed to do some diagnostics.
 
#34 ·
We have a lot of experience fixing salvage cars, our best advice - find a parts car or it will bankrupt you. Good luck with your project!
 
#35 ·
Hi Guys!

I guess it's about time that I start up a thread on my Murci rebuild. The car is a 2006 e-gear that I purchased from salvage auction a few months ago.

Just throwing it out right off the bat- I'm a mechanical engineer and a wannabe mechanic. I'm decently mechanically inclined, but definitely have lots to learn when it comes to wrenching. I spent my college years building Formula SAE cars (I was suspension lead and team captain), so I have a decent idea of the basic principles but that's about it. FSAE cars are pretty basic compared to road cars. That said, I can make just about anything given access to a mill/lathe/autoclave.

My plan is to do as much of the rebuild work myself as possible. I got ahold of the LP640 service manual, but there are definitely spots where it leaves questions unanswered- and that's where I am hoping you guys can come in.

So as it stands right now, I am still in the process of tearing everything down to find what all I am going to need and getting stuff on order. I don't expect this project to be quick or easy, but I think it will be a lot of fun and hope you guys will enjoy the ride along with me. I'll throw in some pictures of the car as she sits tonight, and will start updating as I run into questions.
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All the best in your rebuild! Looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you but sounds like you have a great attitude which will go a long way. I just subscribed to your Youtube channel and look forward to seeing your progress.
 
#40 ·
Guys- thanks for the both the support and the realistic advice. Both are much appreciated.

I haven't touched the project for a couple weeks- it's given me a lot of time to research, read, and to think about what I really want and why I am doing it. I'll probably continue to think it over for the next couple weeks. I'll keep you guys posted on what I come up with.
 
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