If I found one of these under an old shed I might get the urge:
http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/...-100-star-ride
If I found one of these under an old shed I might get the urge:
http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/...-100-star-ride
....or one of these:
http://martynorth.wordpress.com/2011...fetches-4-62m/
Did a 1971 MGB years ago. Never figured what engine was in it. Pistons in 1971 were supposed to be domed or really scooped out. This had almost flat pistons. Had to replace one and found one like in on a 1967 I believe. The only car I ever hated. Piece of junk (never let me down though). Had oil pressure issues and the crankshaft would make a throaty rattle even after new bearings and all. Was probably the oil pump but by the time I figured that out I was too poed at it. I'm a graduate engineer by the way.
Yeah. Dual SU's. They were never a problem. Like I said the thing never really quit on me even after it blew a head gasket due a little crack between number two and three cylinder. Ran on two cylinders until I got it home. So after the rebuild, including new head and one new piston, all new bearings, the thing still wouldn't give me any oil pressure when it warmed up. Maybe someone had machined the crank though it wasn't scoured. Didn't have a micrometer so just replaced with regular size bearings. The ignition switch even failed. It's a real bitch to get that thing off. They sheared off the bolt heads so you couldn't just take the collar off and get the steering wheel unlocked. Used a chisel to screw the bolts out enough to grab with some vise grips. Knowing the trick was sure helpful when I had to take one off at a junk yard. And do you know what you have to do to remove the oil pan. Yep raise the engine about four inches to access the front bolts covered by the front cross member. I am not a fan of MG's.
Me neither particularly. Other than carbs and wire wheels, I didn't have to get into them much tho.There was an old guy in Shreve who collected TDs and TCs ....wouldn't mind having a dozen myself just to look at . The first British make I owned was out Katy Hwy down your way.
Last edited by hoppinmad; 01-29-2012 at 11:02 AM.
My neighbors wife had an mg. Of course he did all the maintenance on it. He said there was a saying, "I'd rather be _____ than British". I can't recall what goes in the blank but he definately hated that little car.
That sounds familiar. However, I had a 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV and it was one of the easiest cars to work on. The whole front from the firewall forward lifted up to give access to the engine compartment. I could sit on one of the tires and reach the spark plugs and distributor without bending over. It was fun to drive except on long trips. Took it to Acapulco one year and to Halifax, Nova Scotia another year from Port Arthur, Texas. Beat you to death on the road but it got you there. Horrible to drive in the rain on the interstate -- got roadwash from VW Beetles. Still regret I traded it in on the next car (a 280 Z), but I was single and couldn't justify two two-seaters.
My 03 Dodge. LOL. Had to put new brakes and shocks. A new rear seal and a new power steering return pump. It was fun anyway. Just not "vintage".
I guess "vintage" makes it sound more like a hobby. My current toy is a 2001 Sebring Convertible Limited which I bought new and have aged myself. It has a bad bearing on the air conditioner pulley which whines. It actually changes tones when the AC is turned on. My mechanic thinks he may be able to change the bearing without changing the compressor. I've got 139,000 mile on it and would like to keep it until it becomes a classic. The body, top, and interior are all excellent as is the engine/tranmission. I heard that little V6 (2.7L) had oil sludge problems so I have religiously changed the oil every 3000 miles. I can only complain about that AC bearing and a loud thump in the left rear when I go over a bump which is probably the wheel well shroud. If I wasn't afraid that bearing would freeze I would take it on longer trips. Now I only go about 30 - 50 mile jaunts.
Im hoping to get time this weekend to visit a bone yard i found in north la. This guy must have 50 ir more cars and trucks. Im talking 57 chevy bel aire (including 1 station wagon), apache pickups some really cool stuff. Ive never seen my son react like he did when we drove up. He was pointing everywhere "look at that one dad!" "whats that one? He said he wanted the 57 chevy station wagon. Sadly im afraid many of the cars are not rebuildable.
Just found this thread. Very cool projects guys. I don't have any really old cars, but I have a pair of 91 Camaros that I am planning on getting to work on sometime in the near future. Both cars are originally 305/5 speed cars with the latest purchase being a 1LE. The 1LE has been heavily modified with a 350 and a 6 speed, so the plan is to pull the 305 and 5 speed out of the Z28 and swap it into the 1LE with some small modifications. The plan is to semi-restore the car to close to original condition. I'm facing three major hurdles in the project though: time, money, and space to work. Money isn't a huge problem except I have to have the wifes approval. It would be even less of a problem if I had a nice garage to work in and could do a lot of the work myself. With a 3 year old, 1 year left on the MBA, about to take the PE, and about to start a new job, time to work on the cars has been the biggest problem. I may have to start paying for the work.
here are some pics:
91 Camaro Z28 1LE small.jpg91 Z28 small.jpg
1979 Spitfire still runs. The 32-krewe saw it a couple spring games ago. Taking space in the garage. Wish I had more time to tinker. At the tipping point of to sell or not to sell.
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