Mark Karacsonyi
Established Member
I am, thanks for asking. A good reason to now buy a aged Defender.
Your Cars
- Thread starter billw
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Paul Narramore
Established Member
Phil, That sounds like the bike with the faulty cast alloy wheels. Quite a number of these were involved in crashes and extra webs were added to the wheels and they were fine after that. I've a BMW R100/7 and an R100GS-Paris Dakar, smashing bikes, and tough as old boots.
Paul Narramore
Established Member
Phil, In 2006 I shipped my Honda Pan European to New Jersey and rode her to San Francsico and back before shipping her back to the UK. 17,000 miles in three months. Brand new tyres when I started the journey but after six weeks I'd reached Tucson AZ where she need another new rear tyre (7,000 miles) and rear wheel bearings.I went through a Michelin rear in six days once. I had a KH 250 for 18 months. 16,000 miles, five rear tyres, six chains and six sets of sprockets. New plugs every 400 miles.I'd get 3000 miles out of a rear tyre on the Yam - that was a 190 x 70, Bridgestone only so not cheap.
That brings back memories. My first car was an 850cc Mini Traveller. I rebuilt the engine with 731 cam, 12G295 head, LCB exhaust, twin SU carbs etc. After that the car went like a ... snail. It was an 850cc Mini Traveller after all. However, it was no longer like an arthritic snaal and I convinced myself it was a vast improvement.
What I find eally odd is that over 40 years later I still remember part numbers for the rebuild.
heimlaga
Established Member
For 20 years I have driven an Opel Kadett E with 1,2 litre push rod engine manufactured in 1984. The same model was sold in Britain as Vauxhall Astra. It is the only car I have ever owned. Now it has 340000 kilometres on the clock and still going strong.
Fairly good for it's size I would say. However the steadily worsening shortage of spare parts will probably put an end to it's days as daily commuter within a few years. Otherwise I rekon it would be good for 10 more years at 12000 kilometres a year.
At the moment I am cleaning up various nooks and crannies in order to repaint a front corner which was damaged in a collision recently. The other driver's liability insurance paid out but the professional who was to repair it caused more damage than he repaired because he didn't understand that the damage was to be repaired and not just covered up temporarily. When I got the car back I had to start by removing all his work and pulling the frame back to correct shape and measurements........ then I started redoing the rest...... At the moment I am a bit sick and tired of certain sorts of "professionals".
Fairly good for it's size I would say. However the steadily worsening shortage of spare parts will probably put an end to it's days as daily commuter within a few years. Otherwise I rekon it would be good for 10 more years at 12000 kilometres a year.
At the moment I am cleaning up various nooks and crannies in order to repaint a front corner which was damaged in a collision recently. The other driver's liability insurance paid out but the professional who was to repair it caused more damage than he repaired because he didn't understand that the damage was to be repaired and not just covered up temporarily. When I got the car back I had to start by removing all his work and pulling the frame back to correct shape and measurements........ then I started redoing the rest...... At the moment I am a bit sick and tired of certain sorts of "professionals".
XH558
Established Member
But, but, but ... I thought this was a woodwork forum?
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
Certainly. They were known to be $hitt. I didn't have the cash to pursue BMW in a legal case. I wouldn't touch a BMW with a bargepole.
Incidentally, the cross members of my bench were purposely put in different planes to help avoid racking. All the stress points of those wheels were in a perfect circle. I wonder how much more than me their engineers and designers were paid.
No point spending all that money on an 850cc engine. Most power comes from extra capacity.
I had a few races in an 850cc Mini 7 many, many years ago. 649 cam, 12G940 head, Reece Fish carb, straight cut drop gears and gearbox - 70bhp at the wheels.
Still the most entertaining form of club racing in the UK in my opinion. They use 998 engines these days and the Miglias use 1275cc.
Very true. I would not do that now. Who knows what my reasoning was as a teenager.
I have never been into circuit racing except as a spectator. My thing has always been rallying and when I started I did quite a few events in Coopers and Cooper Ss. Then over the years a wide range of other stuff up to WRCs and R5s etc. Usually as co-driver rather than driver. I suppose I could have done more driving; it was only a total lack of talent, commitment - and money - that stopped me
The only time I ever drove on a circuit was in a 1600cc Ford-engined single seater during a test day at Mallory Park. Not particularly enjoyable and not something I have ever wanted to repeat.
Very true. I would not do that now. Who knows what my reasoning was as a teenager.
I have never been into circuit racing except as a spectator. My thing has always been rallying and when I started I did quite a few events in Coopers and Cooper Ss. Then over the years a wide range of other stuff up to WRCs and R5s etc. Usually as co-driver rather than driver. I suppose I could have done more driving; it was only a total lack of talent, commitment - and money - that stopped me
The only time I ever drove on a circuit was in a 1600cc Ford-engined single seater during a test day at Mallory Park. Not particularly enjoyable and not something I have ever wanted to repeat.
My brief dabble scratched an itch and calmed down my boy racer antics.
Your experience sounds far more interesting. Rally co-driver job is a tough one.
I have a lot of admiration for rally drivers - better all round drivers and car control.
Closest I got was being a marshal on the 1980 Manx Rally - Tony Pond won in his TR8.
I was lucky enough to get treated to a Jonathan Palmer race day a few years back. I can highly recommend it. Several different race cars which you are encouraged to drive as fast as you can. Far better than usual track days.
billw
The Tattooed One
Talking of rally cars, one of my close neighbours owned a Renault 5 Turbo 2, the second iteration of the banned Group B monster, and let me drive it on the road once. I was about 18 at the time and so scared of it I never got out of second gear. They were obtainable for about £20-25k at the time, so well out of affordability for me, but now....£75k if you ever find one.
I'm guessing that a lot of what's on the road now would outrun one of those. I recall as a kid that the cheap speed car at the time was a mustang LX. 0-60 in about 6 seconds, probably not the greatest at keeping the rear tires in contact with the road and 225 horsepower.
65 fewer horsepower than our grocery getter now and almost the same 0-60 (but our grocery getter has traction control - like everything else now).
One of my fellow high school students worked 35 hours a week at a service station to be able to afford a new LX and promptly rolled it completing the roll not by running out of speed, but by hitting a telephone pole laterally. He came out of it with only a broken collarbone.
My point being, the cars that used to scare us back then probably wouldn't seem as fast now. But some of that is due to the current generation of adults and children being less interested in testing the safety limits of everything. I almost feel bad for the current generation of kids - they're less interested in seeing when a car starts to leave the road and more interested in checking instagram.
65 fewer horsepower than our grocery getter now and almost the same 0-60 (but our grocery getter has traction control - like everything else now).
One of my fellow high school students worked 35 hours a week at a service station to be able to afford a new LX and promptly rolled it completing the roll not by running out of speed, but by hitting a telephone pole laterally. He came out of it with only a broken collarbone.
My point being, the cars that used to scare us back then probably wouldn't seem as fast now. But some of that is due to the current generation of adults and children being less interested in testing the safety limits of everything. I almost feel bad for the current generation of kids - they're less interested in seeing when a car starts to leave the road and more interested in checking instagram.
Found more information on that renault - anywhere between 158 and 345 horsepower from the factory? That's quite a range.
I could see 345 horsepower in a square shaped car (the types that don't seem to have a preference in terms of their orientation vs. the orientation that the car is moving) with probably questionable clutch feel and a notchy shifter being a bit of a problem.
Renault and alfa and other euro cars never lasted long here as brands because......their individual cars never seemed to last very long as cars. Other than the pike's peak climb, there wasn't much rally car here in the mainstream, and the same for motorcycles (racing was more regional than a national sporting event - something one of my english friends here hates. "american motorcycles are equivalent to tractors from the 1940s. This country has no real motorcycle racing scene!")
I could see 345 horsepower in a square shaped car (the types that don't seem to have a preference in terms of their orientation vs. the orientation that the car is moving) with probably questionable clutch feel and a notchy shifter being a bit of a problem.
Renault and alfa and other euro cars never lasted long here as brands because......their individual cars never seemed to last very long as cars. Other than the pike's peak climb, there wasn't much rally car here in the mainstream, and the same for motorcycles (racing was more regional than a national sporting event - something one of my english friends here hates. "american motorcycles are equivalent to tractors from the 1940s. This country has no real motorcycle racing scene!")
Nice one. Something for you to remember.
Jean Ragnotti in one of those was a sight to behold. Worth a look on youtube.
sploo
Somewhat extinguished member
The old Group B rally cars (Group B - Wikipedia) were my absolute favourite; unfortunately they were also pretty lethal (hence being banned).
billw
The Tattooed One
billw
The Tattooed One
A good opportunity to add one of my all time favourite car videos - Ari Vatenan's record breaking PP run in the Pug 405.
Climb Dance - 1988 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Ari Vatanen - YouTube
violent!!
Love the pioneer ad. Don't know if that brand got over there, but everyone worth their salt in the redneck group over here had a big pioneer rack system with a glass front door and huge towers. (my parents wouldn't go for it). Seen not only in homes, but in many trailer parks back then (don't think you have those in the UK). Here and there, you'd see a trailer with a new corvette and pioneer's best inside. No money for a house, though.
Had to do a double take with the helicopter sound - it came across like it was a drone at first!!
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