Car tinkering

chillidoggy

I need to finish the project I'm working on first before I buy anything else!

Bloke across the road had an MX5, great fun for not a lot of money. It was a old, but he had no problems with it at all, unlike his brand new Renault Clio. There's very few cheap sports cars on sale these days, but the MX5 seems to be satisfying the market.

mudslide73

chillidoggy said:

At least you've actually GOT an engine in the car! I'm still fannying around with alloy panelling.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cobra/DSCN1554_zps3206f49d.jpg

I'd love one of those. There's a guy down the road from us who has one - I don't know which v8 he has but it sounds incredible. What are you going to put in it?

Nunogilberto

@KarlosSantos

A 1990 998 Studio 2 in black - Revolutions alloys, LCB exhaust and Stage 1 kit. Been off the road more than on it!

chillidoggy

mudslide73 said:

chillidoggy said:

At least you've actually GOT an engine in the car! I'm still fannying around with alloy panelling.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cobra/DSCN1554_zps3206f49d.jpg

I'd love one of those. There's a guy down the road from us who has one - I don't know which v8 he has but it sounds incredible. What are you going to put in it?

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cobra/Cobraengineampgearbox001_zpscc2ccd0a.jpg

Karlos

Love it...I love all Minis... Broke my heart a while back to sell my last Mini. First time for 15 years that I haven't owned a Mini.

Mini Cooper Sport 97 in Surf Blue. I'll have another when the time is right. Don't have a garage at the moment and also my wife is starting to drive again after a 10 year gap and she wouldn't drive the mini. It was time to let go. 

Dunno if you have seen he Ch4 prog 'For The Love Of Cars' - next one on Sunday is about the Mini. 
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/for-the-love-of-cars/episode-guide

mudslide73

chillidoggy;232061" said:

mudslide73 said:



chillidoggy said:

At least you've actually GOT an engine in the car! I'm still fannying around with alloy panelling.http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cobra/DSCN1554_zps3206f49d.jpg










I'd love one of those. There's a guy down the road from us who has one - I don't know which v8 he has but it sounds incredible. What are you going to put in it?










http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cobra/Cobraengineampgearbox001_zpscc2ccd0a.jpg

Is that a Corvette engine? Power to weight of the gods!!

chillidoggy

Yes, and no. It's a 5.8 litre Chevy, but the only thing left that's Chevy is the block and crank. It's very highly tuned, about 425 BHP. This is the third time I've rebuilt the car since I've had it, and wished I'd never bloody started.

FX_Munkee

Must admit, that is a pretty little thing

Foster

I've just made an acid bath* to aid in cleaning the built up carbon deposits.

*plastic box with cheap cola in

Van_Hayden

BX not characterful - not having that, Marcello Gandini designed it. Admittedly not as advanced or desirable as the earlier cars but it was the last characterful Citroen.

And the only person who looks stylish standing next to a broken-down Alfa is an Italian.

Now an old Lotus, could fancy doing that. My dad ran an Éclat when I was a kid in the 80s, it was the coolest car in school, where his E-Type was the most un-cool.

The Lotus was crap though, makes Alfas look like the most reliable cars on earth.

chillidoggy

Citroen was always an innovative company. The DS was gorgeous, the ride was incredibly smooth, and even back to the Traction Avant, another first, and a swoopy-looking car when compared to its contemporaries. I like the new one with the different coloured panels too.

When I finish the current project, probably next year, I'm definitely going to have a serious look at a Lotus. I don't mind tinkering about with cars, and I think that by now, as with so many other old cars, the problems are all known ones.

I made the mistake of buying a Triumph Stag years ago, the thing looked drop-dead gorgeous and sounded amazing, but within two weeks the engine had broken its jack shaft, and lunched itself. The 3-speed Borg Warner bogwash 35 gearbox was horrible, and the rear suspension was so bad, it felt like a wheel was coming off every time I went round a corner. I fitted a new engine, enlarged radiator, uprated water pump, and an engine oil cooler and the poxy thing STILL ran hot!

I spent ten grand on it and the following year sold it for 3 grand. I couldn't wait to see the back of it. I was praying the bloke that bought it would make it down the road before it broke down. These days, all the problems are a known quantity, they've all been ironed out, or are manageable, so owning one is probably a different experience than it was back then.

Foster

In the classic car mag I buy there tends to be letters about overheating Stags - it's still something that is being battled.

chillidoggy

Hmmmm, probably by those who haven't taken the proper steps to correct the problem, I'd imagine? I know a few guys who have them around here, and they don't have such issues with their cars any more.

Fatfingers

Foster said:

In the classic car mag I buy there tends to be letters about overheating Stags - it's still something that is being battled.

Which mag do you buy, if you don't mind me asking?

Foster

Practical Classics - I like how it's down to earth and full of Soviet motors :P

ROOG

Early to 80's 911's have so much character, big capital investment, but inflation proof values.

They are mad, every thing evolved from the first ones in 1962 and it shows, bits of electrics all over the place!

Always needed some attention if if it was usually fairy minor

chillidoggy

Well, I never did. Bit of a shocker when I got home tonight -

Me (flying a kite, big time) - 'When can I buy a Lotus Esprit, then?'

Mrs C - 'Whenever you like.'

So, all I have to do is finish rebuilding the pile of junk in the garage, get it running, sell it for the right price, borrow some money from somewhere to top up the inevitable shortfall and look for a decent Esprit. On second thoughts I can see this could be a long job........

Foster

Clearly that was permission to remortgage the house.

chillidoggy

I think she realised she was probably on safe ground,

Fatfingers

Foster said:

Practical Classics - I like how it's down to earth and full of Soviet motors :P

Ah - I used to edit that!