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

I keep looking at these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-early-bay-window-crew-cab-1971-tax-exempt-/151078073299?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item232cf473d3

Crew cabs are nice but things like dropsides can be very expensive to replace.

See, I had no idea about that. Maybe I should stay away from these things.

The appeal to me is to be able to put four bikes, luggage and a tent in the back, four of us in the cab and then head to the Chunnel.

I can see this simple dream becoming very expensive quite rapidly however.

Don't you already have a car which you can put four bikes in the back and a tent and four of you in the car?

It's not that large, to get complete bikes in the back means folding down the rear seats.

See, I had no idea about that. Maybe I should stay away from these things.

The appeal to me is to be able to put four bikes, luggage and a tent in the back, four of us in the cab and then head to the Chunnel.

I can see this simple dream becoming very expensive quite rapidly however.

Because they were commercial vehicles, they weren't produced in great numbers and were then abused by builders, plumbers etc so finding crew-cab specific parts can be difficult.

All the running gear/engine etc is standard so not much of a problem (although still getting expensive) but bodywork etc can be a pain.

They are very cool though!

Volvo Wagon goes 190mph! AKA Volvette outruns 04' Yamaha R1 - YouTube

http://campervanculture.com/2012/10/volvo-powered-vw-syncro-doka-double-cab-syncro-for-sale/

!!

^ bullbars can gtfo

Aesthetically it's not for me, I was remarking on the engine more than anything.

Nothing, but then who wants to settle with "pretty good"? If you're going to go B road storming or do trackdays, you're going to eventually reach the limits of handling. The suspension design is also 50 years old, bringing it into the 21st century is no bad thing.

The guys who went racing didn't run standard suspension, neither do any of the race series now. Out of the factory the tolerances were good old Rover/BMC quality (read: massive), and think how they've been affected over the years, adjustable suspension allows you to bring the settings back to what was originally intended, or go beyond that and go more aggressive.

But this is a road car, not a racing car. Stuff for track cars isn't necessarily good for the road.
Road cars drive at lower speeds on worse road surfaces with dodgy camber and carrying more weight.
It might be a 1959 design, but a standard Mini (with not-knackered suspension) will run rings round pretty much everything else on a twisty B road as it is. There really isn't that much room for improvement on the handling front, so you spend a lot of money for a setup that isn't really that much better. Most reported improvements probably just come from replacing knackered components with new ones.
The area where Minis need suspension help is their bloody awful bouncy ride, not handling. If it was me I'd be looking at the Moulton Smootha-Ride kit http://www.minisport.com/mini-spare-parts/info_MSLMS0400.html. And you can do the camber as well.

There really isn't that much room for improvement on the handling front

LOL.

There's always room for improvement.

Fiat over the pit at the MOT station today. Passed with flying colours :-)
They said they'd only ever had one car on with narrower track.. guess?

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^^^£300 for a slightly better ride? Roads aren't even that bad around where I live. The reason why I am getting the tracking and camber kit is because it's relatively cheap (£100) and will allow me to run camber I want (1.5 genuine degrees has been said to make a huge difference and way less understeer, which has been a problem for me on B roads as it has o.5 degrees positive right now and finally allow my car to track straight. For the same cost of replacing the knackered tiebars or even subframe, I can have the car running dead straight with all the other perks (toe, camber, castor). I already have hi los all round and lowered shocks so don't really see any reason not to complete the pack!
And finally a low mini running on 10's with a bit of camber looks boss

do minis have the same castor issues as mgbs? ie set up for cross ply tyres?

i agree with bq, too. why not refurb the suspension and see how it should handle first? although - as i said pages ago, we all did the mod thing when we were 18, each to their own, etc

Fiat over the pit at the MOT station today. Passed with flying colours :-)
They said they'd only ever had one car on with narrower track.. guess?

/attachments/70404

2cv?

do minis have the same castor issues as mgbs? ie set up for cross ply tyres?

i agree with bq, too. why not refurb the suspension and see how it should handle first? although - as i said pages ago, we all did the mod thing when we were 18, each to their own, etc

My point is, if you can refurb to adjustable for the same price, why wouldn't you?

^this

2cv?

^?

My point is, if you can refurb to adjustable for the same price, why wouldn't you?

i hadn't seen the post above mine when i wrote mine. it's a fair enough argument.

^^^£300 for a slightly better ride? Roads aren't even that bad around where I live. The reason why I am getting the tracking and camber kit is because it's relatively cheap (£100) and will allow me to run camber I want (1.5 genuine degrees has been said to make a huge difference and way less understeer, which has been a problem for me on B roads as it has o.5 degrees positive right now and finally allow my car to track straight. For the same cost of replacing the knackered tiebars or even subframe, I can have the car running dead straight with all the other perks (toe, camber, castor). I already have hi los all round and lowered shocks so don't really see any reason not to complete the pack!
And finally a low mini running on 10's with a bit of camber looks boss

I'm all for messing with cars. However, with all the best will in the world and no disprespect, if you want to get more out of your car and be a better driver, spend the money on driver training. That will make the single biggest difference to anyone's car over fitting suspension/tyres/engine mods and it's completely transferable.

The area where Minis need suspension help is their bloody awful bouncy ride, not handling. If it was me I'd be looking at the Moulton Smootha-Ride kit http://www.minisport.com/mini-spare-parts/info_MSLMS0400.html. And you can do the camber as well.

Yes, they grip well (though do they on 10s?) and change direction nicely, but fuck me they're bouncy. I think that's just a mini thing though. Increased camber made my Metro hang on like a randy gibbon, so I'd go with it for that, but I just fitted some funky bushes for a lot less money.

Need a new car. Needs to fit a bike in the back, needs to do 50+mpg, have a bit of poke, and be relatively small and easy to park. I'm thinking new fiesta Ecoboost, CRZ, or at a stretch, e9x BMW estate. Any thoughts?

I'm all for messing with cars. However, with all the best will in the world and no disprespect, if you want to get more out of your car and be a better driver, spend the money on driver training. That will make the single biggest difference to anyone's car over fitting suspension/tyres/engine mods and it's completely transferable.

I've already told him to do that. He gets free instruction as part of the day at Cadwell Park. I'll also get my mate who races in TA to jump in with him as he is really good at instructing.

Yes, they grip well (though do they on 10s?) and change direction nicely, but fuck me they're bouncy. I think that's just a mini thing though. Increased camber made my Metro hang on like a randy gibbon, so I'd go with it for that, but I just fitted some funky bushes for a lot less money.

The great thing about the kits you can get for the Mini are that they come with uprated bushes.