The Best ///M/Barge/General Rant/Look at this/O/T (Vol XVII)

The Best ///M/Barge/General Rant/Look at this/O/T (Vol XVII)

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Output Flange

16,793 posts

210 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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Sounds about right.

4941cc

25,867 posts

205 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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olly755 said:
M54, 3400cc wink The single VANOS is standard BMW fayre though.
There isn't a 3.4l M54 - the ALPINA B3 engines are mostly M52 TU with an M50 cast iron block which can take the additional bore, whereas the M52/54 ally blocks can't increase past 3.0 without running into cooling problems due to the thin walls between adjacent cylinders.

M54s (2000-) are all double VANOS, M52s (1994-1998) single, M52 TU (1998-2001) double. I thought the ALPINA sixes in E46 were all double VANOS.

4941cc

25,867 posts

205 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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>blush & coy giggle<

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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A noisy VANOS isn't necessarily indicative of a real problem with the unit.

olly755

3,070 posts

161 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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4941cc said:
There isn't a 3.4l M54 - the ALPINA B3 engines are mostly M52 TU with an M50 cast iron block which can take the additional bore, whereas the M52/54 ally blocks can't increase past 3.0 without running into cooling problems due to the thin walls between adjacent cylinders.

M54s (2000-) are all double VANOS, M52s (1994-1998) single, M52 TU (1998-2001) double. I thought the ALPINA sixes in E46 were all double VANOS.
Every day a school day. Based on little more than the year of the car. I'd wrongly assumed merely a bored/stroked M54 from the 330i with the usual hot cams, exhaust, and a bit of engine management work. Might have known it wouldn't be as simple as that, and my tiny brain didn't spot the matter of single VANOS.

So next question, how many times better is the B3s than the M3? wink

Crook

6,713 posts

223 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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Re the 930s and etc. it is so frustrating that once attainable cars have become simply not even worth dreaming about. fks me right off.

Anyway at the other end of the scale, I saw one of these driving along a country road that sits atop a gentle hill (in the village of Mentmore if it makes any difference) with the sun gently shining in the early morning and it looked so crisp and white and modern in that way that things don't any more.

Sadly it doesn't quite live up to that sort of fluff when observed on a gravel drive in front of a gravelled semi.



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L100NYY

35,075 posts

242 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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I'd still like a Cinq' Sporting. Used to sell them new!

Crook

6,713 posts

223 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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L100NYY said:
I'd still like a Cinq' Sporting. Used to sell them new!
Here's the excellent commercial encouraging people to buy one so they can drive around like little hooligans.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrgxd2_fiat-cinqu...

Although of the later car.

The earlier ones looked much crisper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kwmeirlbzw

braddo

10,399 posts

187 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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Crook said:
Re the 930s and etc. it is so frustrating that once attainable cars have become simply not even worth dreaming about. fks me right off.
yes For those 10-15 years after the last classic car crash, the future looked full of fun trying all sorts of varied cars for attainable budgets, say £20-50k (e.g. Aston V8s and DB4/6, Maserati Meraks and even 3500s, Ferrari 308s and GTCs etc, Porsches, E-types, Pagoda Mercs, Espadas....).

Then again, I used to always look at the Condition 2 prices in the classic car mags, so there was probably the real threat of bankruptcy hanging over my pondering of "useable" classics. hehe



Crook

6,713 posts

223 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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Maybe avoid crashing one though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kwmeirlbzw

jeremyc

Original Poster:

23,335 posts

283 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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Crook

6,713 posts

223 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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braddo said:
yes For those 10-15 years after the last classic car crash, the future looked full of fun trying all sorts of varied cars for attainable budgets, say £20-50k (e.g. Aston V8s and DB4/6, Maserati Meraks and even 3500s, Ferrari 308s and GTCs etc, Porsches, E-types, Pagoda Mercs, Espadas....).

Then again, I used to always look at the Condition 2 prices in the classic car mags, so there was probably the real threat of bankruptcy hanging over my pondering of "useable" classics. hehe
Hopefully people will fall out of love with them again if/when this one pops...

L100NYY

35,075 posts

242 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Crook said:
L100NYY said:
I'd still like a Cinq' Sporting. Used to sell them new!
Here's the excellent commercial encouraging people to buy one so they can drive around like little hooligans.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrgxd2_fiat-cinqu...

Although of the later car.

The earlier ones looked much crisper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kwmeirlbzw
I had 4 or 5 of the Seicento Sportings as company cars way back when and although not quite as 'peppy' as the Cinquecentos they were a better car. The best one I had was dark grey, orange detailing and Abarth bodykit.

Probably the best Fiat company car I had (again had a succession of these) was the Punto Sporting, thoroughly underrated imo.


Crook

6,713 posts

223 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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jeremyc said:
Is it picky to suggest that a £22k fibreglass fettle would have removed any imperfections around the door mirrors or is that a standard feature?

jeremyc

Original Poster:

23,335 posts

283 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Crook said:
Is it picky to suggest that a £22k fibreglass fettle would have removed any imperfections around the door mirrors or is that a standard feature?
I think you'd consider yourself lucky if that was the only imperfection in the 'glass. biggrin

Elans are not known for their fit'n'finish, and you don't talk about shut lines, more how many buses can fit between panels. wink

Crook

6,713 posts

223 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
jeremyc said:
think you'd consider yourself lucky if that was the only imperfection in the 'glass. biggrin

Elans are not known for their fit'n'finish, and you don't talk about shut lines, more how many buses can fit between panels. wink
biggrin

braddo

10,399 posts

187 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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The Elan was another one on my list that I wanted to try. I wanted a coupe.

L100NYY

35,075 posts

242 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
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braddo said:
The Elan was another one on my list that I wanted to try. I wanted a coupe.
A FHC would be my choice too, I sold a lovely early one many years ago.



Gruber

6,313 posts

213 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Crook said:
Re the 930s and etc. it is so frustrating that once attainable cars have become simply not even worth dreaming about.
Dad "retired" just over 4 years ago and took a voluntary redundancy package that he was going to stick in his pension pot. At the time, I'd not long bought a 635csi from 4Star and they had a gleaming red 930 up for sale for about £25k. I tried for a few days to persuade Dad to buy the car of his dreams but he was fairly adamant it was a silly idea.

And now... the same car would be £70k. banghead

KrisP

596 posts

179 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
olly755 said:
4941cc said:
There isn't a 3.4l M54 - the ALPINA B3 engines are mostly M52 TU with an M50 cast iron block which can take the additional bore, whereas the M52/54 ally blocks can't increase past 3.0 without running into cooling problems due to the thin walls between adjacent cylinders.

M54s (2000-) are all double VANOS, M52s (1994-1998) single, M52 TU (1998-2001) double. I thought the ALPINA sixes in E46 were all double VANOS.
Every day a school day. Based on little more than the year of the car. I'd wrongly assumed merely a bored/stroked M54 from the 330i with the usual hot cams, exhaust, and a bit of engine management work. Might have known it wouldn't be as simple as that, and my tiny brain didn't spot the matter of single VANOS.

So next question, how many times better is the B3s than the M3? wink
You might want to check further on the Alpina forum, but from my perusal on 3.4's, they seem to like a head gasket, perhaps due to the increase in bore?
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