Rugd1022 Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 The problem arrises though when origianl blocks and internal parts become hard to find, a classic example is the original 997cc model of the Mini Cooper, introduced in 1961. Around 25,000 were built before it was replaced with the slightly smoother running 998cc version, but there aren't many left still with their factory fitted 997 lump. Back in the day a lot of owners dropped a bigger lump in anyway, or crashed them because the early 7'' disc brakes were rubbish! Staying with Minis, quite a few folk have dropped Vauxhall 2 litre engines into them, with specially fabricated subframes to accept them. And yes, they are quick...! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted August 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2013 ...and you do have to upgrade the brakes and suspension to cope with it. I think perhaps the word "should" might be relevant here. Again in the Landrover field (sorry) it is possible to squeeze a V8 into a lightweight (air-portable) version, but the rest of the vehicle isn't designed to accept that sort of power gracefully. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 A fairly common mod is to put a Rover K series engine (does that count as modern?)into an MG Midget. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 There used to be a lively industry specialising in putting 2-litre 16v engines into Vauxhall Novas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted August 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2013 There used to be a lively industry specialising in putting 2-litre 16v engines into Vauxhall Novas. Not to mention replacing the fragile 3 litre V8 engine in the Triumph Stag with a Ford V6. I can see the point of keeping an MG (sports versions) going, as there isn't, MX5 apart, much to replace them in our time, so transplants are the best hope. Quite odd that a whole genre of car - the affordable, insurable, crumpet-pulling British sportscar - has been allowed to disappear, Mazda apart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumblestripe Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Had a lovely day out at Raby Castle Classic Car Show (near Darlington) and here for those who do still like to see ridiculous old tin and non-conformist motoring are some piccies... A rather depressed looking Vauxhall Velox pick up (which surprised me, is this a custom job or a rarity?) A Nova (kit car based on a VW beetle floorpan) some additions of dubious stylistic merit but I've always loved the shape of these and the aircraft lifting canopy for access to the passenger compartment! It's a Mini, Jim but not as we know it! Great name too! A Mercedes model W108. An absolute delight for the aficionado of "proper" engineering, just ask the own of one to shut the door and watch it carefully it is engineered to close in a rather lovely way and listen for the THUNK! Just lovely! My, my, my... look at the bum on that! Now this is the back end of Frazer Nash, there was no-one nearby to ask (quietly) "Is it the real thing?" I don't think it is. BUT it was superbly built and detailed, there are other pictures of this and some other lovely old tin (and GRP) from my day out on my Flickr photostream. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rumblestripe/sets/72157635125309305/ 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted August 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2013 (edited) More than that. I can take my 40 year old MG Midget into London's Low Emission Zone with impunity. My VW camper (diesel) attracts a charge of £100 per day. Bit like allowing steam trains in smokeless zones really! Ed Not that many pre-72 cars about, and most only come out occasionally. I must admit to a bit of nostalgia for some of them but I don't think I'd want to drive a 1950s/60s brakeless wonder too often in modern traffic conditions. The 'ordinary' stuff has a distinct lack of go, too. An immaculate MGB had been pushing to overtake my 11-year old 206DT the other day but he seemed to lose interest once we got to Haldon hill! John Edit - None of the above would keep me from looking for a nice Healey 3000 if I ever came into enough money to keep one in the style it deserved. Edited August 19, 2013 by Dunsignalling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Love that Nova.... it looks like something from a Gerry Anderson TV show.... fabulous! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted August 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2013 Not to mention replacing the fragile 3 litre V8 engine in the Triumph Stag with a Ford V6. I can see the point of keeping an MG (sports versions) going, as there isn't, MX5 apart, much to replace them in our time, so transplants are the best hope. Quite odd that a whole genre of car - the affordable, insurable, crumpet-pulling British sportscar - has been allowed to disappear, Mazda apart. I don't think the British motor industry, as it currently exists, is suited to producing niche products other than at the high end. Sales for open toppers in the UK are mainly 4-seaters nowadays of which we apparently buy more than almost any other nation. With our weather! The little Mazda is very good but its sales must be helped by a lack of affordable competition, though I have heard their CEO is a sports car enthusiast, which can't do any harm. The MX5 is justifiably well regarded and it would be a brave competitor who tried to take it on. It also offers a clue to why the affordable Brit roadster bit the dust - they improve it every 3 or 4 years, to make it worthwhile buying a new one. As for keeping old MGs active; good luck, at least you can identify what all the bits do (unlike much modern stuff where they don't even seem to want you to find the engine!). I gave up crawling about under cars as soon as I could afford to pay somebody else to do it and I don't think they make jacks high enough to let me start again! John 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 19, 2013 The Vauxhall Velox/Cresta pick up was made in Australia so it probably is genuine as some have been re-imported. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 The Vauxhall Velox/Cresta pick up was made in Australia so it probably is genuine as some have been re-imported. If it was made here, it's a ute not a pick-up. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam '43003' Tanner Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Now that most certainly should not be in an "Old Cars" thread - the E type is absolutely timeless! ... and a very good picture too! Thank you kindly Gents One of the many off-shoots of my fathers company is his decal kits for classic and new Mini Coopers etc.. With that in mind, we get some nice cars turn up from time to time. This particular Mini is quite unique to Europe. It is one of only 2 4-door Mini's in the world. The other resides in Japan! In addition to this, I noticed James Braxton & Charles Hanson filming a new series of "Antiques Road Trip" many months back. The producers, as ever, supplying some sublime heritage wheels. Sam. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 What! No old landrovers...... I'll have to put that right. Landie at Callander.jpg 'Daisy' in Concourse condition at the Callander Classic. Shame about the mud. Jim Smellie of 'Caley Coaches' fame was just a few yards away with his Triumph Vitesse. Landie at Perth.jpg A Rover run around the Perth area, in the rain. Again one or two railway modellers included. Pictures from No2 card 044.jpg And working for a living, collecting 500 kilo of Scottish pink ballast. Suitably weathered.... Daisy is a Landrover Series 2A 1966. All the best, Dave. Well, here's a shot of the SIIa Forward Control that Dad and I owned for 10 years from 1986. It had a pretty chequered history prior to our ownership and much of it, including the registration number, was non-original. However, the chassis number revealed it to be a very early pre-production prototype. It certainly explained why it appeared to have been built by two blokes with a hacksaw and a welding plant. Because it probably had . It had many problems, some stemming from the design, some from decades of abuse and neglect and some from our own tendency to work it far harder than was probably fair to a vehicle that, even then, had passed its quarter century. Nonetheless it was a lovely old beast and I deeply regret having had to let it go. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 (edited) Well, on the subject of old Land Rovers, My1976, ex military, Forward Control 101, doing what it was designed for, towing a heavy load. I've had it since 1999, still with original spec. 3.5 petrol V8, although I fitted a Pertronics electronic ignition and a 'Flamethrower' coil, sourced from the States, which transformed it's starting and running. It used to burn though points every few hundred miles. Like Ian's Series II, it's shifted a few tons of horse manure in it's time too, it still does. It was preceded by a Series III Lightweight which also gave several years good service. Ian and I exchanged a few notes on another thread a while back about these vehicles and about RR Services, in Battersea, who sold ex military stuff through Exchange & Mart. Edited August 20, 2013 by Arthur 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Well, here's a shot of the SIIa Forward Control that Dad and I owned for 10 years from 1986. It had a pretty chequered history prior to our ownership and much of it, including the registration number, was non-original. However, the chassis number revealed it to be a very early pre-production prototype. It certainly explained why it appeared to have been built by two blokes with a hacksaw and a welding plant. Because it probably had . It had many problems, some stemming from the design, some from decades of abuse and neglect and some from our own tendency to work it far harder than was probably fair to a vehicle that, even then, had passed its quarter century. Nonetheless it was a lovely old beast and I deeply regret having had to let it go. I remember South Wales Electricity Board using these for their 'hot-wire' emergency teams; one of our old neighbours used to drive one. It was replaced by a Unimog in the mid 1970s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 I remember South Wales Electricity Board using these for their 'hot-wire' emergency teams; one of our old neighbours used to drive one. It was replaced by a Unimog in the mid 1970s Realistically the 'Mog would have been a far superior vehicle in almst every respect. Although I loved our FC I was far from blind as to its shortcomings. I couldn't be really as I had to live with them every day. For five years of our ownership it was our day to day work truck in our landscaping business. Bristolian RMWebbers may remember it trundling around the wealthier suburbs or grinding up Bridge Valley Road with two tons of gravel in the back. At the time I was young and resilient enough to be OK with crawling around underneath it in the freezing darkness of a winter's evening in order to bodge it into some semblance of roadworthiness for work the next morning. Looking back, it was awfully hard work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
43179 Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 My Pride and Joy - a 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 jon 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 (edited) My Pride and Joy - a 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 IMG_6204.jpg jon To quote from The Italian Job.... ''preeeety caarrraahh...'' Can't stop looking at Alfas at the moment, got my beadie little mince pies on a V6 Brera at the moment but SWMBO would rather pay a chunk of the mortgage off instead. I shall never understand female logic as long as I live. Which probably won't be for very much longer if she ever reads this...! Edited August 21, 2013 by Rugd1022 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 My Pride and Joy - a 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000.... ...and have you seen Mrs. Robinson lately? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted August 21, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 21, 2013 ...and have you seen Mrs. Robinson lately? I think that predates the 2-litre? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Any reason why the bonnet's up? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
43179 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 To quote from The Italian Job.... ''preeeety caarrraahh...'' Can't stop looking at Alfas at the moment, got my beadie little mince pies on a V6 Brera I don't think there will ever be a better looking 'normal' car - don't think even alfa can top the Brera/159 styling (im not a huge fan of he mito/giulietta) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
43179 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 (edited) I think that predates the 2-litre? It does indeed, The Graduate featured an earlier series 1 Roundtail 'Duetto' spider with a smaller engine, 1750 i think . Series 2 cars had the restyled kammtail and also gained the 2L engine. Any reason why the bonnet's up? Ed Yes, there was a reason Jon Edited August 23, 2013 by 43179 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
43179 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 ...and have you seen Mrs. Robinson lately? Great soundtrack , but the actual film , the acting , i find it all bit , "meh" - just me? Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Just found an old paper in the loft whilst clearing out. Middlesex Gazette, Feb 15th 1964, and saw this advert. Note the prices! (Click for larger image) 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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