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The Car Thread ... !

Is it just me or....

older 4x4 used to be rough and ready. looked like they take on most rough tracks easy...

new models look like road warriors rather than off road machines.
I know gotta move with the times but that's just my view of these new 4x4s.

I'm not saying they not capable machines, they just look too nice these days to go a thrash in woods or up a mountain side.
 
over here we have what's become known as "Chelsea Tractors" there are wanna be fake 4x4s.

They look like 4x4s but are mostly FWD chassis with zero off road capabilities and driven by mums taking kids to school.
You state side call them soccer moms? I believe.

My neighbour has one, A Vauxhall Mokka
MOKKA_768x432_5.jpg
 
elf69 said:
over here we have what's become known as "Chelsea Tractors" there are wanna be fake 4x4s.

They look like 4x4s but are mostly FWD chassis with zero off road capabilities and driven by mums taking kids to school.
You state side call them soccer moms? I believe.

My neighbour has one, A Vauxhall Mokka
MOKKA_768x432_5.jpg
Click to expand...

That class of vehicles are broadly called "crossovers" in the US, and I'd dare say they're more popular these days than full blown truck-based SUVs.

When the station wagon became "uncool" the minivan took its place in a lot of ways. Most minivans are the same principle-a small to mid-size FWD sedan with a van-type body on them.

Minivans are now considered by many to be "uncool" so the crossover has more or less taken their place. Fundamentally, they're not a lot different except they have folding doors rather than sliding doors, and generally less interior space :)

Still, crossovers are spacious enough for most folks and generally get a LOT better gas mileage than a truck-based SUV. Many of them are not much worse than the cars on which they are based.
 
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the crossovers are not really cool here as above seen as soccer mom cars.

the mini-van/MPV however is cool over here and is see on the modified scene a fair bit.
Favourite being the vauxhall zafira.

Station wagons, estates, tourers what ever they get called I like personally.
Have big soft spot for early model Volvo V40s.

But my dream car comes from state side 57 bel air nomad.
Not that is ultimate car porn for me!
 
I didn't update on my heat problem...

I went home that evening and before heading out to the hardware store for hose clamps, I popped the hood. Sure enough, I had a loose clamp-I don't know how I'd missed it, especially given how loose it was. It was on the lower hose which goes from the heater core to the heater valve. It probably has been that way since I changed the head back in the summer.

In any case, I've put ~150 miles on the car in the past two days, and the smell of anti-freeze is MOSTLY gone.

After the family leave tomorrow, I think I'll tackle doing my annual oil change on the car and probably mess with the carbs some more. I have a persistent high idle even with the idle screws all the way off, which makes me think I didn't get one of the replacement throttle disks centered and thus it's not sealing the throttle body as it should. This seems to be supported by the fact that even though the mixture is correct at idle(where a small "leak" is significant) it smells rich and is getting pretty poor gas mileage(~22mpg-it should be more like 28) at speed. Plus, my plugs are darker than I like.
 
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@bunnspecial that is great to hear, and inspiring!

Not the same car, but I have been chasing a coolant smell in my 190e, and one thing I haven’t checked was the water lines behind the 1st firewall that go into the climate control. I had thought it was the coolant bottle cap all this time, but I still got a strong smell of it last time I had a spirited drive in the river valey.
 
elf69 said:
over here we have what's become known as "Chelsea Tractors" there are wanna be fake 4x4s.

They look like 4x4s but are mostly FWD chassis with zero off road capabilities and driven by mums taking kids to school.
You state side call them soccer moms? I believe.

My neighbour has one, A Vauxhall Mokka
MOKKA_768x432_5.jpg
Click to expand...

I hate those sloped edges; those bulbous hoods are ridiculous and make the car feel larger than it really is. Visibility from the inside, to the outside, is lame. I had a hard time parallel-parking a new Lexus (which, too, is a big bubble), but I have no problems parallel-parking a 1990s Landcruiser or 1998-2011 Ford Crown Victoria.
[doublepost=1511769381][/doublepost]Recent photo of the 2005 MR QP. We were parking it and needed to find a spot in the shade; and, luckily, this "parking spot" was available and was away from everyone else. Wasn't my intention to do a photoshoot, but I grabbed the camera and shot this as we were walking back.
testtest.png
 
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bunnspecial said:
Took a Sunday afternoon drive...unfortunately the car needs a bath. I burned some film and put a bunch of files on a CF card, although photographing the car wasn't my main intent.

View attachment 738526
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beautiful.
Also interesting you state side got the wing mounted lights the UK never had.
Must be US legislation?

Nice chrome bumper model, I hate the rubber bumper version personally.
 
elf69 said:
beautiful.
Also interesting you state side got the wing mounted lights the UK never had.
Must be US legislation?
Click to expand...

Yes, the side-markers are a US-only thing.

Here's also another US-only pecularity, and only for one model year. Let's see if you can see it

_DSC1595-1.jpg


I don't drink, but none the less bourbon is firmly entrenched in my state. It's a pleasure to see this place in the middle of nowhere coming back to life after 40 years of neglect.

I could smell the Angel's share while taking this series of photos

_DSC1590-1-2.jpg


And also smell the mash fermenting

_DSC1615-1 copy.jpg
 
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bunnspecial said:
Yes, the side-markers are a US-only thing.

Here's also another US-only pecularity, and only for one model year. Let's see if you can see it

View attachment 738588

I don't drink, but none the less bourbon is firmly entrenched in my state. It's a pleasure to see this place in the middle of nowhere coming back to life after 40 years of neglect.

I could smell the Angel's share while taking this series of photos

View attachment 738589

And also smell the mash fermenting

View attachment 738590
Click to expand...
Rear quarter clear panels?
 
Apple fanboy said:
Rear quarter clear panels?
Click to expand...

Good guess, but as said the configuration was used later, and the vast majority of new production tops(or hoods to you all) use this window configuration.

In the US, Robbins the most popular brand of repro tops. Mine is "crush grain vinyl", which is a bit heavier than the original material(Robbins calls it Everflex, although it's available from the OEM supplier also) but also(slightly) w a bit more durable. Plus, it has a zip-out rear window.

Also, I'll mention that at this point in production(and through the end), MGBs only came from the factory with black tops. The tan color is popular in the US on BRG cars, and it's a combo that I really like. That's why I opted for it when I bought mine.

elf69 said:
But the split rear bumper is different. ;)
Click to expand...

Indeed. That was a 1970-only North America configuration.

1970 is an interesting year to own-there are actually quite a few things that are unique to the 1970. Interestingly enough, I've fought tooth and nail over the charcoal canister with folks telling me my car should have them. There's no evidence they were ever installed, and the carbs are not fitted appropriately for them. Fortunately, Clausinger came to the rescue and shows a 1970 NA car without one, and notes that only west coast cars had them in 1970.
 
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bunnspecial said:
Good guess, but as said the configuration was used later, and the vast majority of new production tops(or hoods to you all) use this window configuration.

In the US, Robbins the most popular brand of repro tops. Mine is "crush grain vinyl", which is a bit heavier than the original material(Robbins calls it Everflex, although it's available from the OEM supplier also) but also(slightly) w a bit more durable. Plus, it has a zip-out rear window.

Also, I'll mention that at this point in production(and through the end), MGBs only came from the factory with black tops. The tan color is popular in the US on BRG cars, and it's a combo that I really like. That's why I opted for it when I bought mine.



Indeed. That was a 1970-only North America configuration.

1970 is an interesting year to own-there are actually quite a few things that are unique to the 1970. Interestingly enough, I've fought tooth and nail over the charcoal canister with folks telling me my car should have them. There's no evidence they were ever installed, and the carbs are not fitted appropriately for them. Fortunately, Clausinger came to the rescue and shows a 1970 NA car without one, and notes that only west coast cars had them in 1970.
Click to expand...
Agree the tan/BRG works well. BRG is the only colour for old MG's imo. Although a burgundy or cream would be my second choice.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Agree the tan/BRG works well. BRG is the only colour for old MG's imo. Although a burgundy or cream would be my second choice.
Click to expand...

I agree-when I was shopping my criteria, in order of importance, were rust free body, chrome bumpers, and BRG or some close color. This one was repainted several years ago(I'd guess some time in the 90s) and the color actually matched to "Jaguar Racing Green" when I bought some touch-up paint at the paint store. Its original color was "Dark British Racing Green"-I'm basing that on areas like inside the engine compartment and down in the footwells. The Jaguar green is a touch darker than Dark BRG but it's close enough to fool you unless you have them side-by-side.

IMO, red has been overdone on them, and it's not a color that appeals to me. "Old English White", which is a cream, almost yellow, color suits at least the CB cars well. I like Iris Blue, and I've seen "Pale Primrose" pulled off well but I've also seen some plain ugly cars in that color. The North American 1979/80 "Limited Edition", which is black with white stripes down low on the side, a luggage rack, and special wheels is a sharp looking car to me and IMO is one of the more attractive cars of the rubber bumper era(from anyone). I agree on burgundy.

BRG was not an option on the MGA. There again, "Orient Red", which is kind of an orange-red color, is overdone to me. Black looks sharp on an MGA. With that said, my MGA(originally orient red) is going to get painted Old English White with a red interior. That, to me, is a color combo on the MGA that just speaks of class. My body shop guy really wanted me to put a walnut burl dash in, but after I showed him what it looks like with an original body colored metal dash he was completely sold and agreed that the walnut was too much. Now I just need to find a dashboard :)
 
840quadra said:
Well this just happened. Picked this car up for a song. For mod haters I am sorry. Yanking the 4.2 v8, and will be installing a 2.7t with a few OEM+ accessories attached. FWIW the existing 4.2 had timing chain failure, so I am not recycling a good running motor.

View attachment 736824
Click to expand...

I’m not sure I’d go with the 2.7t. That engine has a very poor track record. My mother had an allroad with that engine, very problematic.
 
A.Goldberg said:
I’m not sure I’d go with the 2.7t. That engine has a very poor track record. My mother had an allroad with that engine, very problematic.
Click to expand...
The one I own has 230,000 miles on it and has only ever needed general maintenance (German car level) since new. I have owned the outgoing S4 for 5 years, with the previous owner (a good friend) having owned it since 15,000 miles. It has always been in a very small and light Audi S4, and driven by people who took care of it. A close friend of mine has 330,000 miles on his, and we know of a few over 400,000 miles in our area. THe engine (block and heads) are relatively bulletproof, it is the breather systems and original gasket materials that have issues. All of which have been upgraded as of now.

The Allroad is a good car, but it is significantly heavier than the S4 sedan that I had, and engines in that car have to work a lot harder to propel those cars.

I will be doing a bit of supporting modifications, including the critical additional cooling needed for a stage 3+ Setup, and working on getting parts to refresh the normal wear items.
 
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PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Recent photo of the 2005 MR QP. We were parking it and needed to find a spot in the shade; and, luckily, this "parking spot" was available and was away from everyone else. Wasn't my intention to do a photoshoot, but I grabbed the camera and shot this as we were walking back.
View attachment 738543
Click to expand...

Wow! Look at that beautiful beast! Neiman Marcus Edition right?!
 
Is it a bad omen to inhale your morning cup of tea on an empty stomach as a result of laughter?
 
840quadra said:
The Allroad is a good car, but it is significantly heavier than the S4 sedan that I had, and engines in that car have to work a lot harder to propel those cars.
Click to expand...

Not just the heavier weight! The Allroad also came with the forever broken™ air suspension system.
 
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Zenithal said:
Is there anyone who makes a reliable air suspension system?
Click to expand...

They’ve come a long way since the 90’s. But essentially it is just something that can and will break. I’m actually shocked how all these new military vehicles (LRAP, MRAP) are using air suspensions. It’s overly complex, debilitating when it breaks, and probably not easy to fix.

I think my dads Range Rover Sport (2012... over 100k) has only had 2 air suspension problems that I can recall. One of them was related to driving over a deer. His 2001 Range Rover had issues on a regular basis.

The problem with the p38 Range Rover system were crappy air bags and air lines that would leak. Then the air pump would over exert itself and burn out. The valve block also was garbage (sensitive to contaminates) along with the sensors. The entire system was poorly programmed and if you parked on an uneven surface sometimes the car would continuously dance around trying to level itself. There’s a reason he only kept that car 2 years.

I actually think FCA/Mercedes probably has the best system right now. They used sealed nitrogen systems rather than sucking in wet, contaminated air from the the outside which is bound to cause much more problems.
 
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