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

Who wanted an MG recently?

How does that golf steer? Must have hydraulics.

Also second hand prices are really wierd at the moment. Have found a alfa 156 v6 full alfa history 2 owners and below 100,000 miles for sub £500 as there have been no buyers so the price has been dropping.

Is this normal or odd as others cars of similar ilk go for alot more.

been busy buying stuff for my car. just ordered some stuff to remove the DOD (displacement on demand lifters, basically 1/2 the lifters are collapsable, but holden actually didn't activate it). includes new lifters, head gaskets etc. am tossing the stock cam as the lobes are different and putting in a ls2 cam (HSV 6.2 litre engine). at the same time i'm decking the heads 100thou, to bump compression to 11.5 ish which will work really well with the E85 fuel. throwing in some new pushrods at well, new valve springs, a 25%UDP (underdrive pulley).

also going to put in my 4600 stall convertor and some 4.11 lsd diff i need to pick-up tomorrow. then get it tuned, so aiming for 290-300rwkw (420+rwhp). going to pick-up some 15x4 front runners with radial tyres next week.

although, hopefully get down to the strip this sun, to see what it can do relatively stock and 270rwkw. hopefully low 12's.

How's it going to drive with the 4600 stall?

4.11 = Gas guzzler!

Sounds like maybe mid, high 11'd when you've finished? Sweet.

stall is a modern lock-up convertor (set at 70-80kmh), pretty much drive like normal, may a tad of slip on steep hills. 4.11's don't really change fuel economy that much, total myth. you get off the lights easier, so don't rev them as much, on highway it will be 2400rpm doing 100kmh (instead of stock 1500rpm). i had both of these in my old car, only 5.7 litres and 225rwkw, that ran 11.95. this with way way more hp (290-300rwkw), will run 11.3-5 once set-up, car only 1620kg.

That's all impressive stuff, but such a waste of time and money when you could turbocharge and rip out consistant 9's or lower.

Actually, what will the box take? That's probably your limiting factor, and why you are better off doing what you are doing and keeping the power fairly low.

Carry on.

Mint - I forget modern cars have overdrives. Most of the old trannys I'm used to are 1:1 final drive - if I stuck 4.11s in the back of mine, it'd be turning over 4k @ 70....for which read about 5mpg.

Also second hand prices are really wierd at the moment. Have found a alfa 156 v6 full alfa history 2 owners and below 100,000 miles for sub £500 as there have been no buyers so the price has been dropping.

Is this normal or odd as others cars of similar ilk go for alot more.

Everybody wants low tax, economical, cheap to insure, small cars these days. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria is going down in price. There are some great cars going cheap at the moment.

I wouldn't mind a sub £500 Sport Wagon. Ebay completed sales listings

YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO PISS YOURSELVES WHEN YOU SEE THIS!!!

http://community.evo.co.uk/users/Mike-Duff/blogs/index.cfm/2011/8/16/Lotus-loses-the-plot

put a donk on it.

That's all impressive stuff, but such a waste of time and money when you could turbocharge and rip out consistant 9's or lower.

Actually, what will the box take? That's probably your limiting factor, and why you are better off doing what you are doing and keeping the power fairly low.

Carry on.

i'm doing all the stuff on a tight budget ($AUS5k for all performance mods, lots of 2nd hand stuff or trawling forums, fitting stuff myself), to get a reliable 11sec street driveable car that is relatively legal and that the cops won't hassle me.

plus this will be near the limit of stock fuel system(fuel pump, injectors, lines), stock auto, stock driveshafts, stock tailshafts. could run a monster cam or turbo or supercharge, but seriously 290rwkw is enough hp. finally once start running sub11 you need a cage, tailshaft loop, trans blanket, andra license etc.

all has been done for a purpose ie budget, low 11's and stock appearance.

Fair enough, all good points.

But- once you can run consistant 11's you are going to want more I reckon.

Also second hand prices are really wierd at the moment. Have found a alfa 156 v6 full alfa history 2 owners and below 100,000 miles for sub £500 as there have been no buyers so the price has been dropping.

Is this normal or odd as others cars of similar ilk go for alot more.

To be honest for that kind of money you may as well just buy it as long as you're au fait with the running cost of the V6. If it turned out to be a dog you wouldn't have to break much off it before you were in profit.

Alfa residual values have never been as strong as German offerings and their pub fodder reputation of unreliability doesn't help.

I looked briefly at the 156 wagons and I was surprised at how little they were going for. Trick interiors and nice styling but in the end I opted for the familiarity of an e36 BMW, plus I still have half a garage filled with usable spares.

Factory Sport but the BBS I have added

Fair enough, all good points.

But- once you can run consistant 11's you are going to want more I reckon.

there are talkings with a mate about building LSx based drag car (quite possibly E30 coupe)

David Ryle Alfa-Bertone

YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO PISS YOURSELVES WHEN YOU SEE THIS!!!

http://community.evo.co.uk/users/Mike-Duff/blogs/index.cfm/2011/8/16/Lotus-loses-the-plot

Not being a self-aggrandising tit here but did anyone actually read this...

Swiss Beatz is now EMPLOYED by LOTUS in DESIGN....

Never heard of him.

Land rover got victoria beckham

One for Richie

http://www.frontlinedevelopments.com/content/le50.shtml
The LE50 will be hand built at the Frontline 'Special Works Division' in Abingdon-on-Thames using a highly developed, brand new monocoque chassis and powered by an all-new 215 bhp aluminium twin cam engine weighing a mere 85kg. Combine this with the new aluminium 6-speed manual gearbox, suspension, brakes, cooling system and even the seats, the reduction in weight of these cars is exceptional offering a power to weight ratio of 240 bhp per tonne.

Just changed the lower ball joints and the track rod ends on the derv. So much nicer. Need to change one inner track rod though as it had a small amount of play there. Next is going to be a new rear beam lowered to match the front with stiffer torsion bars. Might have to get some different dampers for the rear when I do this. See how it goes.

One for Richie

http://www.frontlinedevelopments.com/content/le50.shtml
The LE50 will be hand built at the Frontline 'Special Works Division' in Abingdon-on-Thames using a highly developed, brand new monocoque chassis and powered by an all-new 215 bhp aluminium twin cam engine weighing a mere 85kg. Combine this with the new aluminium 6-speed manual gearbox, suspension, brakes, cooling system and even the seats, the reduction in weight of these cars is exceptional offering a power to weight ratio of 240 bhp per tonne.

£57 000 (fifty seven THOUSAND pounds!)

In other news, the Brockley Express has just completed 955 miles of North Yorkshire moors. Casualties: a flasher unit.

I love my little car.

I have also found one of the best British B roads. Between Silpho and Troutsdale lies one of the most enjoyable twisty roads on this island.

I am also on the lookout for a rover v8 and lt77 gearbox (pref together). I anyone hears of anything, gimme a shout.

Well i have a classic campervan that ive put up to sell but no biters yet. But im seriously considering keeping it fixing it up and travel in it. Other GREAT new i found out today is that it is EXEMPT yay! From the ldn emissions zone rules. Im sooo chuffed.

I love the look of that MG- would be a great project.

Would I be burnt in effigy by the MG police if I put a modern engine in there?

And now- Volvo content:

I am also on the lookout for a rover v8 and lt77 gearbox (pref together). I anyone hears of anything, gimme a shout.

Please don't kill an SD1 for them.
However, get an old LDV ambulance or police van and you get a v8 and the strongest LT77 (or even an R380!), and nobody cares about vans.