Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

amazing

ha! oops

Quality. There's a definite waft of Detroit about Mercs N/A V8 rumble. In the best possible sense.

A monkey on fuel is almost enough to go cross country here, at 10mpg!

The first tank was at £1.59 a litre!

There's a definite waft of Detroit about Mercs N/A V8 rumble.

It's funny, you'll be cruising on the motorway thinking about American films, then slowly realise that's because of the just-audible V8 soundtrack.

Congratulations mate! Having a garage is one of the coolest things ever. There's so much stuff I've done in the last couple of years that I could never have afforded to do without one.

Be warned...you may find yourself locked in a tool and fastener acquisition binge. I'm already in need of another roll cab...

Ha! I’ve just bought a new cab and middle box.

I never knew how much I needed a vice...

how much I needed a vice...

In addition to the midget porn and gambling?

'kinell, he's on fire of late.

Sorry- I left out “new”

My dad's had a vice on the workbench in his garage since I was a kid and I can't believe how many times I've used it. It's one of the best tools you can have.

Also having a workbench is next level, my mum and I were forever getting into arguments because she used the workbench for storage and I'd just swipe all of the things onto the floor like the annoying teenager I was.

friendship bracelet - really!?

I've got some minor flaking and a few curb scuffs on my wheels. What sort of service am I looking for to get them sorted? I've read stuff online that says powder coating is sometimes a bodge and will start to flake off eventually.

Am I looking for someone who does diamond cutting and then powder coating? I know very little about this stuff.

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No expert but I think powder coating is pretty bombproof, I imagine if it flakes off then it's a preparation or application problem.

I'd have thought they need to be stripped and repainted as a minimum, but if they're out of true or cracked, you'd fix that at the same time.

If you're in West London I took mine here:

http://www.alloywheelrepaircentre.co.uk

I don't know if they're better or worse than anywhere else, but I'd go back again.

Great story and a lovely collection of cars. Your dad got into the Dino at a good time too. They've only gone one way in value in the last 5-10 years!

Yep it's insane. Basically all of the affordable classics of my youth are now out of reach. It'll not belong before the ugly duckling of the Range Rover/Land Rover world start going up and P38 Rangeys and Series 1 Discos start getting silly money.

Dino went through a phase of only being worth the value of the engine. Knew at least two that had the engine removed and a few other choice bits and the rest went to the crusher as no one wanted the rest of the car.

Look at the price of BMW E30.

I fucking hated the slammed/drifter scene for that. 318is was a particular dream ownership for me. I remember when they used to cost under a grand.

Same. I remember reading that the 318iS was a 'baby M3' and thinking that it was what I would buy instead as I'd be able to afford one. Thats out of the window now.

E30 318s were rare, I know of people have bought the more common e36 and put the engine in the E30. Not sure of why it had the mini m3 moniker. Was a 2l version of the engine used in touring car racing?

It was more about the LSD on a lot of the European model (optional). Not all, but a lot as it was quite popular, combined with the McPherson setup, made them handle really nicely, with a tendency to slip the back out in a non M3 death kick style.

There's around 800 or so left according to DVLA

The M42 engine in the 318iS was the basis for the S42 engine that was used in the Tourenwagen series in Germany.

The 320iS produced for the Italian market used a derivative of the S14 lump from the E30 M3.