Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 18]

[McGee_22]

W201_190e said:

bolidemichael said:

Are timing chains likely to prove a terminal issue on a 170k and twenty year old motor?

I would have thought so!

It depends on the car; I had to replace the engine in my 130k mile B10 V8 and as a precaution I replaced the chain, sprockets and guides on the 131k mile replacement engine when we examined the original engine and discovered the guides were on their last legs.

[Macron]

bolidemichael said:

With regards to erroneous claims of 'FULLYLOADED' in ads, that's why I like Collecting Cars as they raise the bar for the presentation of information. talk bags and bags of ste and take a massive percentage but everyone loves them because Haaaaaaarrrrrrriiiiiiis

FTFM.

[bolidemichael]

Macron said:

bolidemichael said:

With regards to erroneous claims of 'FULLYLOADED' in ads, that's why I like Collecting Cars as they raise the bar for the presentation of information. talk bags and bags of ste and take a massive percentage but everyone loves them because Haaaaaaarrrrrrriiiiiiis

FTFM.

There's also The Market

[bolidemichael]

McGee_22 said:

W201_190e said:

bolidemichael said:

Are timing chains likely to prove a terminal issue on a 170k and twenty year old motor?

I would have thought so!

It depends on the car; I had to replace the engine in my 130k mile B10 V8 and as a precaution I replaced the chain, sprockets and guides on the 131k mile replacement engine when we examined the original engine and discovered the guides were on their last legs.

It was a poorly worded question on my part.

Rather, if they haven't gone by now, are the likely to become an issue?

Alternatively, would an engine have covered 170k without them having been done already?

[McGee_22]

XMified said:

McGee_22 said:

Incidentally, of Volvo beardage - should I attempt to buy an old 480 purely for the pop-up lights, what engines could be dropped in to replace the wheezy and powerless renault 1.7 turbo and 2.0 n/a lumps please?

Hi there!

I can tell you from several years of experience that the 1.7 Turbo can be easily tuned a little through the boost ecu which IIRC lives underneath the centre console (forgive me, it's been a long time). I think taking off one of the footwell side carpets (the passenger one?) reveals the ecu.

I think it was just Bosch Jetronic, and having it breathed on makes quite a difference. Quite a bit more torque- remember a 480 only weighs a little over 1000kg so that small power hike really changes the car. I am sure we were getting 0-60 in the low-mid 6s back then with this mod.

Good plugs, HT leads and dizzy, boost/turbo hoses replaced with new, and this ecu mod will see you right. I don't know what's available now but some new shocks and subtle lowering help too.

The 480 is can be quite clunky ride-wise, so checking on bushings and drop links is a must.

I think there are still people who can do this for you at the wonderful Volvo Club 480 Europe here.

Obviously there are a whole world of other things to be aware of regarding the 480, but as you asked about performance, those are my initial thoughts. Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks for this - I half owned one a lifetime ago and a quirky little hatch with pop up lights might be a useful and economical work wagon. More general research need methinks.

Gruber said:

McGee_22 said:

M635CSi's are light by modern standards but perhaps not by sports car standards (our old TVR Griffith tipped the scales at just over 1000kg). My friendly recycling centre let me put the M635 on the weighbridge once and with a full tank of fuel it was 1470kg. It drives pretty much identically to an E28 M5 but sitting quite a lot lower, a bit longer and with a sharper suit (imho).

It's the engine that takes centre stage with the both cars - the M88 and the S38 are simply magnificent when on song and howling up through from 4k to 6k rpm - they will rev to 6.5k but the car and powerplant are nearing 40 years old so a I deem a little mechanical sympathy necessary as some parts needed for engine rebuilds are currently NLA.

Interesting to hear you say that (e24 vs e28). I went M5 rather than M635, feeling that the handling in the e28 was noticeably sharper and that the e24 better suited the slushbox/M30 combo. That said, I appreciate much of that is heavily contingent on the freshness of the suspension in each of the cars.

But I completely agree about the engine. What a peach.

Here's Tiffany drifting my old red one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MYCeaQKJEA

You nailed it with the suspension comment; having driven well over a dozen E24's over the years the suspension can make a car feel old and baggy, or shiny and new. The looks are in the eye of the beholder but put an E24 next to an E28 and you'll see where the crowds gather a little more. Of the engines, my friends M1 engine was discovered to have impressively blueprinted (balanced to fractions of grams) and puts out about 330bhp - having driven it on the autobahn it really does sing through the revs - especially close behind your head.

[Macron]

bolidemichael said:

It was a poorly worded question on my part.

Rather, if they haven't gone by now, are the likely to become an issue?

Alternatively, would an engine have covered 170k without them having been done already?

You'd think wouldn't you, I mean if something is still functioning after that many revolutions, it's either been changed, or is within tolerance.

Unless there's a wealth of data suggesting at oh, I don't know, 171k you're absolutely fked!


ETA, I used to think a driving style may change things, I mean if Mrs Miggins owned the car from new doing two trips to the local shops each week and that's that, then someone buys her car after 15 years and hammers up and down the M1 all day, the car won't like it. But I suspect that's more just faults that are present showing up faster, and more wear and tear items going too. But what do I know?

Edited by Macron on Monday 1st March 21:01

[LetsTryAgain]

bolidemichael said:

Are timing chains likely to prove a terminal issue on a 170k and twenty year old motor?

If they've lasted 170k...

[Macron]

Do these late C70's with folding roofs have big tax for the 2.5?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/volvo/volvo-c70-converti...


And atthe other end of the size scale, does the S80 3.2 have a gearbox made in Bournville?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021022293...

[Nicks90]

It's on a crossover year, so could have the aisin Warner box, which is chocolate fireguard stuff.
Later boxes are the tf80 geartronic, which is much more reliable. But they can suffer from the valve body gumming up and causing banging gear changes or flaring between 3-4. Usually a fluid change sorts it, but if not its not major money to sort out by replacing the valve body

[Bear-n]

5 In a Row said:

stickleback123 said:

g3org3y said:

Seller and I have different definitions re 'lots of equipment'.

I tried for a while to find a decent S350d, and there were loads of adverts saying things like "MEGA SPEC, £££££££ OF EXTRAS" and it'd be a bog basic car with plastic seats, no DAB radio, a twisty turny key etc.

Mega spec seems to still mean electric windows and a heated rear windscreen for some sellers.

BMW dealers are bad for this, if you look at the approved used site everything is flagged as 'High Spec' yet when you go into it a lot of them have had zero extras added.

Bloody right. I've been perusing for an F11 estate for about a year now and every one is "high spec". They may as well read: Steering wheel - professional. Transparent glass. Visibility pack (headlights).

Edited by Bear-n on Monday 1st March 23:06

[Timberwolf]

Bear-n said:

Bloody right. I've been perusing for an F11 estate for about a year now and every one is "high spec". They may as well read: Steering wheel - professional. Transparent glass. Visibility pack (headlights).

The trick I found for getting the Approved Used site to only return high spec cars is tick two of the rarest options you can find in the filters (for F31s it's something like heated seats and reversing camera if I remember correctly, not sure on a 5) as most with options from two different expensive packs will have almost everything.

Although beware the unwary original owner who ticked almost everything but failed to realise the kind of seat pockets and storage cubbies standard on almost every car made since the 1970s is a £270 or so option called "extended storage" when you're in the hall of Bavaria!

[anonymous-user]

Macron said:

Do these late C70's with folding roofs have big tax for the 2.5?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/volvo/volvo-c70-converti...


And atthe other end of the size scale, does the S80 3.2 have a gearbox made in Bournville?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021022293...

The 2006 - 2007 MY C70 T5 auto is in the mad tax bracket, manuals aren't, and from some point in late 2007 for the '08MY the autos aren't either. The autos use the 5 speed box and it really blunts them, they're great as a manual if you can bothered changing gears.

That shape of S80 as a 3.2 or 3.0 T6 used the SI6 inline six with it's cool "wrong end of the engine" ancilliary drive, and they all came with the 6 speed AW TF80 gearbox which is miles better at shifting gear than the 5 speed but is as prone to death over 100k as any modern box that never has the fluid changed and I don't think it's any better than a late 5 speed (which had all the bugs solved by 2003). Really late versions of the car might have had the VEA engine and 8 speed box, but I refuse to learn any facts about four cylinder cars on principle.

The really crap gearbox you have in mind may be the one fitted to the 1st gen S80 (and XC90) in T6 and 2.9 form and was a GM 4 speed box.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 2nd March 08:58

[5 In a Row]

Timberwolf said:

Bear-n said:

Bloody right. I've been perusing for an F11 estate for about a year now and every one is "high spec". They may as well read: Steering wheel - professional. Transparent glass. Visibility pack (headlights).

The trick I found for getting the Approved Used site to only return high spec cars is tick two of the rarest options you can find in the filters (for F31s it's something like heated seats and reversing camera if I remember correctly, not sure on a 5) as most with options from two different expensive packs will have almost everything.

Although beware the unwary original owner who ticked almost everything but failed to realise the kind of seat pockets and storage cubbies standard on almost every car made since the 1970s is a £270 or so option called "extended storage" when you're in the hall of Bavaria!

I was looking for a 4 cylinder 3 series with electric seats but sadly that's not one of the options you can search on so you'd have to look at every single car!
I used man maths to get into a 6 cylinder 4 series (albeit one that sips from the Devil's Pump) because at least that way you can guarantee you don't have to go to the extreme effort of pulling a lever to adjust your chair!

It was eye opening to see how many 'top of the range' 3 series (335d for example) had no options, not even heated seats.
There was also a clear trend within cars that had obviously been specced as management cars, you could get a whole load with the same specific options and usually on similarish number plates.

[ian316]

Getting a car with the options you want can take forever, That was one of the main reasons we ended up with the one from motorhub the stabby one wanted red leather heated seats and airscarf, the colour and the engine capacity didn't matter to her

[bolidemichael]

ian316 said:

Getting a car with the options you want can take forever, That was one of the main reasons we ended up with the one from motorhub the stabby one wanted red leather heated seats and airscarf, the colour and the engine capacity didn't matter to her

I must've missed this revelation over someone's personal experience with Motorhub during my days in the wilderness. Can you tldr the story for me?

[Krikkit]

bolidemichael said:

I must've missed this revelation over someone's personal experience with Motorhub during my days in the wilderness. Can you tldr the story for me?

Ian bought a good SLK from Motorhub, it hasn't exploded so far.

[louiebaby]

Timberwolf said:

Although beware the unwary original owner who ticked almost everything but failed to realise the kind of seat pockets and storage cubbies standard on almost every car made since the 1970s is a £270 or so option called "extended storage" when you're in the hall of Bavaria!

Do they carpet the door pockets on the "extended storage" pack?

Carpeted door pockets are the true sign of refinement in a barge.

[paulguitar]

Krikkit said:

bolidemichael said:

I must've missed this revelation over someone's personal experience with Motorhub during my days in the wilderness. Can you tldr the story for me?

Ian bought a good SLK from Motorhub, it hasn't exploded so far.

It's caused some lively debate though.

[Krikkit]

louiebaby said:

Timberwolf said:

Although beware the unwary original owner who ticked almost everything but failed to realise the kind of seat pockets and storage cubbies standard on almost every car made since the 1970s is a £270 or so option called "extended storage" when you're in the hall of Bavaria!

Do they carpet the door pockets on the "extended storage" pack?

Carpeted door pockets are the true sign of refinement in a barge.

One of the features I liked most about the XF was in Portfolio spec they had Alcantara'd door pockets. Very nice.

[Timberwolf]

5 In a Row said:

It was eye opening to see how many 'top of the range' 3 series (335d for example) had no options, not even heated seats.

It's a surprisingly popular thing to do, order the big engine with none of the options. It seems strange if you grew up with the "tick-tock" model ranges of e.g. Rover where the 3500 was only available with the top couple of trims and you had to buy a 2300 if you wanted poverty spec, but I guess it makes a bit more sense now even the "base" model will come with electric windows, air conditioning and a CD player. (Even if the latter is the aural cheesegrater that is "Business CD" when it comes to BMWs)

I found that same thing back when I had the S40 T5. Mine had everything bar navigation and the top level sound system, but that was exceedingly rare; most would be standard SE models with no extras, and it's not that unusual to see them as an S complete with big plastic blanking plates on the steering wheel where you're deemed unworthy even of having the radio controls to hand.