Car tinkering

ICBM

Monkeybone said:

a slightly throaty exhaust (although that isn't through choice, I think there's a hole in it...)

The back part of the exhaust fell off my BX, just leaving the long straight pipe to about halfway under the car, which must have tuned it just right... sounded spectacular, like a WWII aero engine. I drove home flat-out with the windows open just to listen to it! It was sad to have to fix it really.

Monkeybone

ICBM;246214" said:

Monkeybone said:a slightly throaty exhaust (although that isn't through choice, I think there's a hole in it...)





The back part of the exhaust fell off my BX, just leaving the long straight pipe to about halfway under the car, which must have tuned it just right... sounded spectacular, like a WWII aero engine. I drove home flat-out with the windows open just to listen to it! It was sad to have to fix it really.

Mine just gurgles a bit around 2700 rpm, annoyingly town cruising revs, mildly embarrassing with the roof down. I did buy a slightly damaged aftermarket exhaust in the hope that my dad knew someone who could fix it. He didn't.

FX_Munkee

I've driven a V8 MX-5, it was... dull*. Made a good noise though and surprisingly didn't affect the balance too badly. For a car that small and light I much prefer the original 1.6 lump with some form of forced induction or even better a seriously tuned naturally aspirated unit (but that's much more expensive perversely). Supercharger is probably my favourite (think howling spitfire sounds). It needs to keep the "fizzy" / sewing machine / always revving, quality that it started with.
About the only engine conversion I would consider would be a rotary (which has been done a few times).

*yes it had grunt, but it was a bit like driving a modern diesel turbo. Just lumps of torque.

chillidoggy

http://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/

I couldn't find the one I wanted, but this link is the next best thing. Dull? 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds? Surely not? Or was it the lack of V8 noise?

chillidoggy

FX_Munkee said:

Friend of mine used to have an Esprit S4, nippy, but pretty unreliable (electrical gremlins) and I always felt the finishing was a bit poor.

I think the Esprit dovetails nicely with my suave, sophisticated, 'international man of mystery' type image that I've been cultivating for a while. Clearly, it shows through on the forum.

Van_Hayden

Anybody tried a hayabusa in an MX5?i suspect the car is a touch too heavy to do the Caterham thing though it should drop the weight. Or forced induction on a Hayabusa....that could be silly.

Shame it looks like a half sucked Wurthers Original in wheels.

Van_Hayden

chillidoggy;246255" said:

FX_Munkee said:

Friend of mine used to have an Esprit S4, nippy, but pretty unreliable (electrical gremlins) and I always felt the finishing was a bit poor.






I think the Esprit dovetails nicely with my suave, sophisticated, 'international man of mystery' type image that I've been cultivating for a while. Clearly, it shows through on the forum.

Only if you get it in white....

holnrew

I'll be in a position to buy a car next year. I'm wrestling between getting something sensible like a focus, or a modern classic like an Alfa GTV or Fiat Coupe...

chillidoggy

Van_Hayden said:

chillidoggy;246255" said:

FX_Munkee said:

Friend of mine used to have an Esprit S4, nippy, but pretty unreliable (electrical gremlins) and I always felt the finishing was a bit poor.






I think the Esprit dovetails nicely with my suave, sophisticated, 'international man of mystery' type image that I've been cultivating for a while. Clearly, it shows through on the forum.

Only if you get it in white....

I'm working on being able to lift one eyebrow.

GuyBoden

The Mazda RX8 is a good car in the right hands.

boogieman

holnrew said:

I'll be in a position to buy a car next year. I'm wrestling between getting something sensible like a focus, or a modern classic like an Alfa GTV or Fiat Coupe...

Hope you've got deep pockets, good breakdown cover and oodles of patience then. I've toyed with the idea of having an Alfa in the past. Then I read the reviews: beautiful to look at, just don't expect to actually get where you set off for. Or to (eventually) arrive with all the bits attached to the car that you set off with.

FX_Munkee

boogieman said:

holnrew said:

I'll be in a position to buy a car next year. I'm wrestling between getting something sensible like a focus, or a modern classic like an Alfa GTV or Fiat Coupe...

Hope you've got deep pockets, good breakdown cover and oodles of patience then. I've toyed with the idea of having an Alfa in the past. Then I read the reviews: beautiful to look at, just don't expect to actually get where you set off for. Or to (eventually) arrive with all the bits attached to the car that you set off with.

And if you do arrive at where you set off for and still have all the bits you set off with, expect to be on fire.
And yes I do drive an Alfa
That's why I have an MX-5 as well....

FX_Munkee

chillidoggy said:

http://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/

I couldn't find the one I wanted, but this link is the next best thing. Dull? 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds? Surely not? Or was it the lack of V8 noise?

Oh I'm quite well versed in Flyin Miata their stuff is top notch. I've also had a play in one of their FMII turbo conversions, which was borderline frightening (about 250bhp IIRC) with no traction control
And when I say "Dull" what I'm trying to convey is the way it just constantly pushed along, you didn't rev it really, Small cars like the MX-5 are best (IMHO) when your thrashing them down country lanes, snatching between 2nd and 3rd to keep the revs over 4K.

IanSavage

I tinker with one of these:

 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2850/8944181993_cb59120896_m.jpg

 

And it will hopefully end up like this by the summer:

 

 https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4097/4884966161_d07e2d9ceb_z.jpg

 

holnrew

Very cool!

chillidoggy

It looks like it should be in RoboCop!

boogieman

@IanSavage. Have you got shares in a matt black paint factory? >:D< First the bike, now the van. Cool looking van btw.

IanSavage

I like matt black

FX_Munkee

Well at least you'll be prepared for the Zombie-pocalypse.
It will have shovels won't it?

Van_Hayden

Gotta have shovels.