Everyday Classic
Discussion
Thanks, Nick.
Maybe the recession is the time to lay down a classic or two. In the doldrums of the early 70's my brother bought a 1969 Mk II Cooper 'S' and still has it. All the cars that have come and gone from his drive, and he kept the Mini. Good work. When he decided to keep it, the car was still in production albeit in less-loved Mk III form.
It's in my lock up at present and I exercise it periodically. A gaggle of local lads in look-at-my-exhaust 105s and Corsas dared to laugh at it at one end of the dual carriageway. Ha! That'll learn yer. It's nigh on 40 years old and still very quick.
Maybe the recession is the time to lay down a classic or two. In the doldrums of the early 70's my brother bought a 1969 Mk II Cooper 'S' and still has it. All the cars that have come and gone from his drive, and he kept the Mini. Good work. When he decided to keep it, the car was still in production albeit in less-loved Mk III form.
It's in my lock up at present and I exercise it periodically. A gaggle of local lads in look-at-my-exhaust 105s and Corsas dared to laugh at it at one end of the dual carriageway. Ha! That'll learn yer. It's nigh on 40 years old and still very quick.
I've used a few of mine to do the daily work run for the last seven years.
Though some may disute the classic status of one or two....
Lancia Montecarlo, 25 Mpg, no real problems, little rust.
Lancia Beta HPE Volumex, 20 Mpg and a blown supercharger. Bit of rust. And two clutches.
BMW E30 M10 Bike carb, 18 Mpg but no problems at all.
Alfa 1977 GTV 2.0L, 25 Mpg, rust but no other issues.
Now have the triumph but still havent done the MOT yet, but expect about 22/25 Mpg.
Sadly sold the others....I get bored too quickly.
Though some may disute the classic status of one or two....
Lancia Montecarlo, 25 Mpg, no real problems, little rust.
Lancia Beta HPE Volumex, 20 Mpg and a blown supercharger. Bit of rust. And two clutches.
BMW E30 M10 Bike carb, 18 Mpg but no problems at all.
Alfa 1977 GTV 2.0L, 25 Mpg, rust but no other issues.
Now have the triumph but still havent done the MOT yet, but expect about 22/25 Mpg.
Sadly sold the others....I get bored too quickly.
[pic]
In reply to the two above....
Bike carbs cost £30/50 quid, are about 1/4 of the weight and size of a set of Weber or Dell'Orto's. easier to keep in tune and sound just as good if not better.
Problem I had was I was always buggering about with different setups and driving the car pretty hard. The std Pierburg carbs are about the same size and weight as a large dog and about as reliable as a weather report. Besides, it was something different. The std setup is only good for 27 Mpg in real terms and is very restrictive. I got an easy 20bhp from the swap.
Bike carbs cost £30/50 quid, are about 1/4 of the weight and size of a set of Weber or Dell'Orto's. easier to keep in tune and sound just as good if not better.
Problem I had was I was always buggering about with different setups and driving the car pretty hard. The std Pierburg carbs are about the same size and weight as a large dog and about as reliable as a weather report. Besides, it was something different. The std setup is only good for 27 Mpg in real terms and is very restrictive. I got an easy 20bhp from the swap.
I too like the look of those Lancias.
I use my 1984 Lancia Beta Coupe ie for the station everyday and have done since I moved house in April. About 8 miles each way and it is a great car for the car park, with those large stainless steel bumpers and bump strips all round, perfect protection against the careless!
I use my 1984 Lancia Beta Coupe ie for the station everyday and have done since I moved house in April. About 8 miles each way and it is a great car for the car park, with those large stainless steel bumpers and bump strips all round, perfect protection against the careless!
dinkel said:
Aren't bikecarbs designed to deliver well at over 8K?
No, because a carb is a mechanical device that dosn't know (or care) what speed the engine is running at.At the basic level the only variables affecting the carb are how much air is passing through the venturi and how quickly it's moving. These both affect the pressure difference in the venturi and this is what the carb uses to control how much fuel is added.
The carb doesn't care it it's a 0.6L bike engine running at 10,000RPM (so drawing 100 cubic liters of fuel/air mix every second) or a 1.2L car engine running at 5,000TPM (also drawing 100 cubic liters of fuel/air mix every second).
The only issue with bike carbs is altering the throttle cam.
On a bike you have sod all torque low down the rev range, so the cam is shaped such that a small movement of the accelerator results in a relativly large initial opening of the throttle butterfly. Move the accelerator the same small amount again results in a smaller invrease in the throttle buterfly opening.
On a car you DO have torque low down and don't really want to jump from 600RPM to 3,000RPM when you just touch the accelerator - well not all the time anyway.
What do you drive? Does a 1996 Mini Equinox count?
What kind of engine? 1275cc single point injection.
What kind of fuel economy do you get? At the moment cos of the 50mph on the M1 about 45mpg.
What's the yearly mileage in said classic? Circa 12k
Do you commute to work in said car- if so how far? 50 mile round trip.
Who looks after the car- you-or someone else? Me and someone else.
What do you do about rust?
and bear it!
Is rust even a problem?
It is a Mini, what an unnecessary question! 
For 4 years now, that little car has been my daily companion and I would not change it for the world.
...although I am sure it looks at me reproachfully when I take the bike!
Trace
What kind of engine? 1275cc single point injection.
What kind of fuel economy do you get? At the moment cos of the 50mph on the M1 about 45mpg.
What's the yearly mileage in said classic? Circa 12k
Do you commute to work in said car- if so how far? 50 mile round trip.
Who looks after the car- you-or someone else? Me and someone else.
What do you do about rust?
and bear it!Is rust even a problem?
It is a Mini, what an unnecessary question! For 4 years now, that little car has been my daily companion and I would not change it for the world.
...although I am sure it looks at me reproachfully when I take the bike!
Trace
The definition of classic always seems to be evolving so I hope my car counts as one because its a great daily driver.
It's a 1987 Porsche 944S, with a 16V 2.5L 4-cyl engine.
Economy isn't great at around 17mpg but most of my petrol costs are reimbursed by work - yes, I use the car to get to patients and clinics in the small rural hospitals we still have here in Cornwall.
I cover about 12,000 miles a year and its my only car. It has been fairly reliable - just the wearing out of 22 year old components here and there to deal with occasionally.
Rust has been a problem - although these things were galvanised and enjoyed a good reputation for strong bodywork it is now an old car and has had new sills and some paint.
I don't own a garage - otherwise I'd quite enjoy doing most of my own maintenance stuff but we have a good specialist here in Truro who's very good and trustworthy.
All in all, I haven't had any problem using this as a daily car and can recommend the experience wholeheartedly.
The 1974 Spitfire I used as a company car (back in the days before I was struck down with medicine) was also a joy to have around but it wasn't very reliable...
What are you considering?
It's a 1987 Porsche 944S, with a 16V 2.5L 4-cyl engine.
Economy isn't great at around 17mpg but most of my petrol costs are reimbursed by work - yes, I use the car to get to patients and clinics in the small rural hospitals we still have here in Cornwall.
I cover about 12,000 miles a year and its my only car. It has been fairly reliable - just the wearing out of 22 year old components here and there to deal with occasionally.
Rust has been a problem - although these things were galvanised and enjoyed a good reputation for strong bodywork it is now an old car and has had new sills and some paint.
I don't own a garage - otherwise I'd quite enjoy doing most of my own maintenance stuff but we have a good specialist here in Truro who's very good and trustworthy.
All in all, I haven't had any problem using this as a daily car and can recommend the experience wholeheartedly.
The 1974 Spitfire I used as a company car (back in the days before I was struck down with medicine) was also a joy to have around but it wasn't very reliable...
What are you considering?
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