Just painting my brembo's ....

[macp]

Im also with the OP on this and have spent 1000`s of hours over the years on my "interesting" cars.

[TheJimi]

WarnieV6GT said:

To many my car looks great but to me all I can see is things I need to do.

See, I *hate* that.

I want to be able to look at a car of mine and enjoy it. Seeing a list of stuff that needs doing completely takes the edge off the enjoyment of the car for me.

Nothing worse than constantly chasing snags and issues.

[AdamIndy]

Oh yes, I get that alright.

I spent the winter rebuilding the engine(amongst other things) in my kit car. It went on the rolling road and blew the rear crank seal so the engine had to come out again.

My neighbour thinks I'm mad. He did say "do you wish you had just left it alone?" Nope, not one bit, st happens! If it breaks, I'll just make it stronger. I can have the engine out inside an hour so no big deal. Yes, I've spent a small fortune, I could have bought an MX5 for what I have spent on it but where's the fun in that?

Half the fun for me is the tinkering. Fixing it, making it better, faster, better handling etc. It's my hobby after all. He likes playing with his toy trains etc, I like messing with cars. Each to their own I say!

[rxe]

Your wallet has serious stones to take on a Maserati. I was having this discussion with the local Alfa specialist on Saturday - he was trying to persuade me to get one, but we agreed that the parts were the killer. Alfa wishbone - £70, fits everything from a GTA to a 156 1.6. Maserati equivalent - well, £350 if you're lucky, but £1000 if you're unlucky. Fundamentally the same bit - a triangle of metal, 2 bushes and a ball joint, just a slightly different shape.

My problem is that I fix cars up, get them to something approaching perfection, and then need another one to fiddle with. I've currently got two on the go - an S-reg 156 V6 - the engine is nearly finished:




...and a GTA Sportwagon that is getting a full overhaul documented here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=158...

I have great difficulty selling them. That's slightly overstating my capabilities in the sales department: I have never sold one!

[wack]

Your knees must be killing you if you've done a rebuild on the floor

Since maseratis started getting older a number of 3rd party parts have become available , wishbones that were £1200 are now £400 plus a lot of the electronics come out of the Alfa parts bin and the info is out there now

If it wasn't for a tame mechanic and forums like sportsmaserati I wouldn't have gone near one

Example, during the respray the back window had to come out at my risk , it'd been out before my ownership and they'd cracked it under the seal and yes it broke.

Maserati £1500, eBay £400 then a forum member found me one for £85 , it was a 400 mile round trip to go and get it but that's just time and diesel.

I can stand outside for 10 minutes looking at it with a smile on my face , something you don't get with a nice reliable diesel focus and worth every penny

[rxe]

I've got a Lister air cooled diesel in the engine stand, so needs must. Having not done my research, I decided to rebuild an engine that they sold about 20 of .... so it has been blocking the stand a long time, parts show up occasionally.... I do have a rubber mat to kneel on!

Don't get me wrong, I'd love a Maserati, I'm just not sure it would love me back.

I want to be able to look at a car of mine and enjoy it. Seeing a list of stuff that needs doing completely takes the edge off the enjoyment of the car for me.

Honestly, for me, the fixing is the fun bit. If you ask me "what are the stand out drives of the last few years?", they'd all involve purchasing some dodgy car and driving it daft distances to get home. Nothing better than diagnosing some gawd awful clunking, pulling into a layby and fixing it with a bit of duct tape and wire!

Edited by rxe on Monday 16th May 09:02

[Shakermaker]

I do love a good tinker and since I'm currently without anything to tinker with I'm resigned to reading everyone else's threads on here.

But at least in my road, the chap opposite is forever rebuilding his motorbike, his neighbour does much the same on another motorbike, and the chap next door to him is a builder who understands that need all of us have to keep things going as we do. I'm pretty sure I don't care what anyone else thinks about it - especially the wife who really doesn't understand why I do it either...

[Roastie ITR]

My car Integra Type R failed it’s MOT on the front wheel bearings, as the car has done nearly 120k miles & is 16 years old my Dad & I took the opportunity to replace the whole front suspension.

I’ve fitted new upper arms, lower arms, track rod ends, springs, dampers, ARB bushes, drop link bushes, ball joints, front compliance bushes & of course front bearings, should hopefully make it handle a little better than before





We hit a small snag with pressing the old bearings out so I’m only half way through reassembly on one side, but should hopefully get that sorted shortly.

Hopefully get cracking on the rear suspension shortly too, just a few more parts that I need to buy.

[WarnieV6GT]

jonah35 said:

I agree that modern cars, even exciting modern cars are pretty much white goods.

No need to garage at night, no modifying due to warranty, just start and go but lacking a bit of character.

That being said, thats exactly what most people like. Its the technology on modern cars i like - heated seats, keyless go, good nav, good auto box, good handsfree etc.

Post a pic of your brakes though - i like alfas

Here are some before and afters. 1st attempt so not 100% but they look fantastic and nearly factory fresh from behind the wheels.





Images gone to thumbsnap for some reason..

[WarnieV6GT]

DS197 said:

How and what are you painting them with if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking to do mine this summer too

Just standard brake caliper paint. Under a tenner off ebay, I forgot the name now but the maker supplies paint for a lot of classic cars. I've used about 2 tenths of the tin putting on 3 coats so plenty left to do the little rears.

[WarnieV6GT]

Mikeyjae said:

If I could find a good 156 GTA estate then I would buy it in a heartbeat. I painted my old 156 brake calipers red but they where not Brembo. I cleaned, polished and waxed my red 156 monthly during the spring/summer months and I have never had a car since that I wanted to keep as clean. My current car gets a full detail in spring and then autumn.

If your anything like me then the older the car the more I want to keep it gleaming, I always keep older cars in the garage as well. New cars I just take to the hand car wash then wet wax it before drying.

Not arsed with them as people expect a new car to look good, an older car on the other hand....

[WarnieV6GT]

wack said:

I get it, I could have spent 10k on an uber reliable 60mpg euro box but I didn't

A masseratti will be next on the list. Seems a natural step up from a V6 Alfa, then onto an Aston if I ever get that lucky!

A V6 Alfa is hard to beat for the engine note unless your spending stupid amounts, the masseratti though manages it.

[WarnieV6GT]

TheJimi said:

See, I *hate* that.

I want to be able to look at a car of mine and enjoy it. Seeing a list of stuff that needs doing completely takes the edge off the enjoyment of the car for me.

Nothing worse than constantly chasing snags and issues.

I get it.

Your like my bro-in-law. He has to spend straight away to get his cars tip top before he can enjoy them, problem is though is that he gets bored with them quicker as a result.

Each year I try and do an upgrade that will keep the car fresh for me. This year it was the wizard exhaust, next year will be a quaif/Q2 diff. Then a suspension re-fresh and so on..

I suppose that if I had the money here and now then it would be hard to resist so there is that to it as well.

[Vi16v]

Been painting my calipers this weekend too, wouldve been straight forward except for some airgun jockey romping the locking wheel nut key on and rounding it off 😡

[Vi16v]

This is the before!

[CO2000]

^ Nice work