All of the images that I post are from my own site or my photobucket account.Originally Posted by Moose
Order of Dr. Kilopi
All of the images that I post are from my own site or my photobucket account.
Order of Dr. Kilopi
I was looking at corvair convertables just the other day. I'm thinking this would be fun if I ever sell my '55 Ford or come across a good deal of money.
http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2880233776.html
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Thanks everyone.
My folks had a 1974 "Ford" Capri Mk II (though it was built by three different car companies and very hard to get parts for), and my 4-6yo self liked it, mostly because I could (barely) see over the dash from the shotgun seat. I couldn't really do that in the much larger 76' Cutlass (not the 442).
/ I'd love to have either of them back.
// [Edited to fix details, after speaking with Dad just now.]
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Not that its considered a classic but I am currently saving to purchase a Ferrari 308. The only classic car I ever owned was a 71 Impala - but it didn't last very long and didn't make it out of Omaha when I moved back to Rochester. There's a *very* short list of classic cars I'm interested in but a weird work situation prevents me from having any projects of any size.
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If we go way back, I love watching Jay Leno's videos on some of his veterans, especially the steam cars. They are just so quiet. It isn't the whine or roar of an internal combustion engine; it's more of a wet poppity sound.
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build your own
my fiero has a caddy V8 northstar 4600cc 300hp 4 cam 4 valve
tube A-arms with coilovers , 13'' vett brakes 18'' wheels with race rubber
a new teck hot rod
corvairs are fun but like to rust I had a 1/2 dozen back when they were 100 dollar cars
but skip the 64 for a 66 the rear set up is way better and the 4 speed is bulletproof in 66
I would skip the 308 a nice looking but way underpowered car that is a nitemare to work on
or buy a fiero kit body called a muria that has the same look and swap in a V8 or buick supercharged 6
more speed 1/4 the cost to keep up
wish my dad had keap the 356 carrera 4 cam 4 banger race motor
they go for 1/2 million up today
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It's classic, and very desirable, in my book.
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Surely a Ferrari 308 is a classic! IMHO, the Ferrari's of this design (308, 328, eighties GTO...) are some of the prettiest Ferrari's. One warning though, because you say you're "saving for a Ferrari": you should buy brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini with your income and not with your savings. What I mean is that maintenance is expensive, so the car will needs a constant stream of quite a bit of money. Any (old car) requires a constant stream of money. But if I can keep my 4 cylinder Porsche running for about 50€ a month -if nothing bad happens- on parts and repairs (I buy most parts second hand and I do a LOT myself; that saved me over 4000€ on repairs in one year!), you can't do that with a Ferrari 308. No easy access to second hand parts. Expensive parts. Expensive dealer. Quite a bit more cylinders and stuff than in my car. If I'm well informed, a regular large maintenance on a Ferrari will be close to 2000 at the dealer. An engine rebuild on a Lamborghini (and not even a top model) will be 10000-15000€.
But if you have a reasonable constant stream of money to spare (and things like engine rebuilds luckily aren't standard maintenance as you know) after buying the car, by all means go for the 308 and love it like a baby! It's one of the cheapest Ferrari's to buy and run (but as said that's a relative thing and if you have bad luck with this type of car it's really bad luck financially; otoh if you have good luck it's about as cheap as any other car to own) and one of the prettiest ones. I wish you all the best with this great, great car!
Underpowered is a very relative thing. It's underpowered compared to an F40, yes. But it's still a powerful sports car with a nice sound!
Personally, I'd rather have a real original Honda Civic than a plastic kit that resembles a real car from a distance. To each his own, of course. For myself, I make an exception for "ground up" replicas that are not butchered Fiero's but dedicated chassis. Nothing against Fiero's by the way, great cars. If they are simply left as a fiero.kit body on a Fiero
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That would've been a keeper indeed.wish my dad had keap the 356 carrera 4 cam 4 banger race motor
they go for 1/2 million up today
My father in law wanted to buy an Alpine A110 back when. But his dad didn't allow him, because he would kill himself in it. He was probably right. Still, I love that car. And they're a bit above my budget nowadays.
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I'd never kit a Ferrari or any other car for that matter. I am a master tech and have no problem keeping the 308 going (and have worked on a good number of Ferraris and other cars from that era). I'd also never overextend myself on buying a car like that - I make a pretty good amount of money... most of which is going towards saving for a new house right now. I'd say give me five years and I'll have the new house with my 308 sitting in the garage.
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When I turned 16 in 1997 I looked at a Fiero. Even then, 15 years ago, they were recognized as inferior cars. The mid engine is a great idea, and the car could have been spectacular, but the result was poor.
I'm glad you made one into something nice. That's the important part. I'm trying to keep my truck as original as possible for cool factor and for possible resale.
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Ah, now that is a good basis for buying and owning a 308. You got the money, the experience and the skills. So it boils down to parts costs for you. That should make you one (very) happy 308 owner! A car to be proud of. Many happy miles whenever you get the car!
Have you also considered things like a Lamborghini Urraco? A b-e-a-u-tiful car (not on pics, but in reality) that is more or less what a 308/328 is to Ferrari, and relatively cheap because here too people are afraid of the running/maintenance costs. Lambo's tend to have (in that era at least) sturdier clutches and the like though. Tractor heritage.
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Unfortunately that was because of the perception difference between how it was intended, and what people thought.
It was a commuter car with a sporty design and marketing test bed for new technology (space frame and plastic body panels)
People bought it thinking it was an inexpensive sports car.
Pontiac just fueled the misconceptions by later comming out with the V6 gt version.
It was actually a nice car. We ran a few road rallies in one.
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I neglected to respond properly earlier: nice looking truck.
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I hadn't considered one - but I do have to admit its pretty amazing looking. I'll do some research on them and get back to you on where it lands in the likely-hood category. Though I notice the Jalpa came after it - and I always did like the Jalpa.Ah, now that is a good basis for buying and owning a 308. You got the money, the experience and the skills. So it boils down to parts costs for you. That should make you one (very) happy 308 owner! A car to be proud of. Many happy miles whenever you get the car!
Have you also considered things like a Lamborghini Urraco? A b-e-a-u-tiful car (not on pics, but in reality) that is more or less what a 308/328 is to Ferrari, and relatively cheap because here too people are afraid of the running/maintenance costs. Lambo's tend to have (in that era at least) sturdier clutches and the like though. Tractor heritage.
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the Fiero was just going to get good when it got cancelled.. the new chassis in the 88 model year got rid of the Chevette front suspension in the front and Citation front suspension in the rear in favor of dedicated parts that weren't shared with anything else, and the Quad 4 and the 210hp DOHC 3.4 was scheduled to go into the car starting in the 89 and 90 model years- with a turbocharged version of the Quad 4 thrown in, too, eventually- but the bean counters at GM killed it before it became a world killer.
some say the Corvette people didn't like the idea of a low end commuter being better in every way than the Corvette, so it had to go.
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Loved the old Opel Mantas. And AMC wasn't the only company that had a Matador. Dodge/Plymouth did too.
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I once saw an Opel GT which had received an engine upgrade. Allison aircraft engine in the back...
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.
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Gave the Porsche new engine mounts yesterday. Vibration problem solved! Still some fighting with the slushbox though.
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I took advantage of the central Texas bluebonnets this weekend and took a few more photos of the truck.
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Lamborghini Muira - one of the most beautiful cars ever made! Like most exotics, it had its issues...like spontaneously catching fire because of the fuel system (and transverse mounted engine?). Apparantly a fuel venting system rectified the problem. Way too much front end lift at high speed was another problem. Electrical issues aplenty...
Still a gorgeous car though!
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That is slightly out of my price range, to say the least.
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Miura?
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Yup, that's the one! Beautiful car however you spell it...
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LOL, a Miura buys you at least 10 Urraco's.
Anyway, I'm happy because I've found a rare automatic gearbox+differential for my 944. It's a comfortable feeling to have those (in bad shape) as a spare, because then I can always make 1 good one out of 2 bad ones. Especially since the casing of my current gearbox is cracked, and overhaul services don't take cracked casings.
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I personal would not inflict an auto box on a 944
but the guts of one is from an audi an much cheaper to buy audi parts
and the failure point is the rubber mounted tork-converter most times
if I had to put a auto in a 944 the 968 4 speed unit is a better pick then the 944 3 speed
many feel an auto is an instant DQ for classic cars
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It's not that I'm inflicting an auto box at a 944, it was an automatic 944 from day one and I'm buying spare parts. The automatic gearbox is similar to the one used in an Audi 5000, which is a) rare and b) more expensive than the 944.
The rubber part that fails is not the torque converter but a damper plate. I replaced it with an (old type, rubber centered) clutch from a manual one + a flywheel. That way I was done for 70€ rather than 2000.
I doubt a 968 4 speed would be a direct match for the 944. And if it involves a lot of tinkering, you might as well do a manual conversion.
Anyway, the 3 speed works fine on a 944. It has a flat torque curve, and that way you never end in a "deep hole" without any torque with this slushbox. And it's nice to always have 2 hands on the (no powersteering) wheel while doing some major cornering. There's always the kickdown to pick a lower gear if required. Slushbox get their bad name from being used in cars with large low-torque areas. There they seem to never shift when you'd want to. In a (relatively) high torque throughout the rpm range car such as the 944, you don't have that problem. There you can drive very sporty even with an archaic three speed auto.
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I have a 1969 Chevy C10 shortbed step-side with an L-6 (but I am not sure about the engine size; 292? 270-something?)
I bought it at a government auction in 1989 and drove it for utility purposes, but since I have a 2006 Honda Ridgeline now, the Chevy sits in my garage.
I paid US$750 for it back then and the low Bluebook value today is well over 10 times that -- not a bad investment.
I am very happy to see the book value appreciate, every time I look.
I'll post a link (private website) to a picture when I can round up one from my 'archives'.
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I'd like to see a picture of that one!
I seem to have solved the oil leak and ATF leak on the 944. Well, there are 2 tiny oil leaks left, but hey the engine is 30 years old so let's not be overly critical there. A few drops per year won't get me bankrupt. After 120km, the oil level still appears to be stable now whereas it was going down fast before fixing the significant leak.
Wheather's been perfect here this week, so I've done some nice rides with the 944. I've noticed that it's very very hard to get it into oversteer with these huge rear tires.
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We bought a fun car. I love it! I drive it every day - except when I have to share it with the hubs. He kinda likes it too.
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