unrealistic ambition

[Dave Adams]

I often wonder how many cars get sold as projects because the owner blew all the money on a daft engine and alloy wheels rather than just using the engine it came with.
for me the fun is in driving it not in how fast it will go. what do you lot think?

[Paul Sheridan]

Behave yourself Mr Adams ........ ENGINES,  the dafter the better !!!! as far as I'm concerned, OH YUS., tee hee.

The problem is more likley that people decide that they want the preverbial sports car, can't afford to buy a quality bit of kit already to go, (Like me) and go out and buy a project. Thinking that it will be an easy option and with out understanding just how much time, money and effort,  you have to throw at it. Then you get the forums saying .... ' You know you'll never get your money back '  and so it ends up being junked or back on ebay ..... Well I stick me two fingers up to anyone who says ' It's not worth it '   because when my Phaeton rolls out of the workshop next May after me labouring away for the last three years and spending an awful lot of money on it ......... it will be mine, it will be fast, and it will be fun ...... and it wont be for sale.  

[1midz0wwbl268]

Paul good on you, like you when, note, WHEN, not if my cars rolls onto the road like you i will be giving the 2 finger salute to those who said, "you will never do it", "it's not worth it" etc etc,  My view on engines is quite simple, if a 1300 is fast enough for me, why go any larger, then you have to think, is the rest of the car up to it, after all, how many times have we as kids heard our friends boast i've got this, or that, thhen watch as it goes straight into the verge because their brakes are not up to it, I,m the founder member of the tight as a ducks **** club, i never pay over the odds for anything  

[Adrian Southgate]

Green Legerra was originally powered by a pinto donated by Dave and James Sierra consequently a freebie as I owned it at the time.

The Sierra is powered by a pinto donated by a kind chap who wanted to borrow my engine hoist..Cost me about £20 in fuel.

I'm consequently in the 'tight b*st*rd' category when it comes to engines.

The most I have ever spent on wheels was £150 for the monster wheels on the Sierra, even the Legerra alloys were second hand and cost me £101...although the tyres were a lot more expensive they are classed as a safety investment :-)

If you have an engine and its working why not use it.?

As to how fast it will go... the legerra has seen three figures on the digital GPS speedo once... I was scared.

I don't think the Sierra will ever go that fast although it has the same powerplant, gearbox and axle ratio so is theoretically capable if I can summon the courage...

[Big Vern]

DOH!

thousands spent on a lairy 2.1 pinto that I'm not now going to use and could never get back what the engine's cost me:-(

Getting the mk1 Cosmics retored was worth the investment as I've been offered £700+ for them already:-o

Original engine that came with the car was b%ll%xd but a boggo engine could have been had at the time for £30!

Getting the car on the road first and then fitting a 'daft'engine and alloy wheels after is the more sensible approach but then I could never be considered sensible :-)))

 

[Pete Clayton]

My car would probably be almost finished if I had used the original engine but as it needed a complete ground up rebuild I thought it was a good time to change. I wouldn't say I blew all my money on a daft engine, the engine with ancillaries, gearbox, flywheel, clutch and starter motor set me back about £300. I am however pushing my knowledge and my abilities which is partly why progress has been slow. I think thats probably why a lot of people end up ebaying projects because they get out of their depth, if I stick at it ultimately will be more satisfying I hope!

I will add though that the project is still being done on a very tight budget I think the whole think has cost circa £600 so far, it just happened I had some money when I found the engine for sale.

The chap who owns the unit I share said I should fit 7 style bodywork as it will be worth more. However like Paul i'm not doing it to sell it, I quite like the look of the Phaeton and I am looking forward to the wtf factor when I beat some chav from the lights!

[1midz0wwbl268]

Don't you dare fit 7 style bodywork young man,  and no you can't have your old engine back !! at least wait till ive finished rebuilding it, ha ha,  Thats what i'm looking forward to my first WTF moment  but here in sussex its very hard to get above 40, but the  local roads with their bends and hills will make it entertaining, plus the night time run down along the lenght of  hastings sea front  with the top down next summer to really piss off the local boy racers  :-)))))))

[Pete Clayton]

I won't, I promise! I like the fact that not many people know what they are, makes it stand out a bit from all the 7 clones...

[Paul Thomas]

I own a very nice S3 which was suposed to be a budget build and a lot of fun when finnished. I personally enjoyed the build, I sometimes think more than the drive, I am guilty of of getting carried away with the budget because once I had an a plan I went  ahead with it, Before you know it your committed and after that you cant do half a job. I built my car with 95% new parts.I have now got a car that cost me 5 times more than its worth but its built the way I want. SAFE

[Dave Adams]

its just that my second S1 has been off the road since 1983 when it had a triumph 1150 engine and clearly the then owner decided that it needed a little more "go" so a Lancia 2.0l twincam was found and fitted......then some one decided that it could use some more "go" and bought a new Cylinder head and some radical piper cams plus a new webber 38 DGAS...all new. some time later it got new wheels and big tyres (still a non runner you understand) then i got it

All that money on tuning parts for the engine (i have the standard parts as well) but it never got finished, and the engine is looking likely to be just scrap anyway because of being left out side with no spark plugs in it. the price of those tuning parts alone could have produced a lovely 2.0l car and had change left over. and more importantly the car would have been used.

[Dave Adams]

no exhaust otherwise i would have it.......

[Paul Sheridan]

Now ya talkin .....  recon I can fit that to a type 9

[Pete Clayton]

Probably not much heavier than a pinto :-p