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Thread: It's time for a change.

  1. #21
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    You need a newer model year.

  2. #22
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    I just don't want to overstress chassis components. A little extra care now results in a firmer ride down the road.

  3. #23
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    I hear that can also be arranged. Nothing a little chassis bracing can't fix...

  4. #24
    Ask me about my bottom br FaultyMario's Avatar
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    I've heard Alex is not too picky about age-induced sag, as long as his models are authentic and not tuned-up showroom queens.
    acket.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by KillerB View Post
    How often do you need to move a 4' ladder? Maybe I missed something in Taimar's post... but the only time I've ever had my 4' ladder in my car was when I brought it home from the store.
    I'm sure some people are wondering "What's the deal with the ladder." The deal there is that I'm often doing aircraft photography, sometimes from inside the fence, sometimes from outside the fence. Sometimes I'm doing other kinds of photography where I need a higher angle. Hence, that ladder lives in my car much of the time.

    As usual, now that I'm like "hey I'm ready to do something with my cars" I found that this entire week I barely had time to focus on anything. And next week I'm away for four days.

    Today I found out that the big old dent situation may be fixable with a suction cup repair. So yeah, there's that at least. Also, it'll only cost $100 extra to park the LeMans someplace else until it's sold, freeing up the carport for the 98.
    Last edited by Taimar; May 16th, 2014 at 12:23 PM.

  6. #26
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    So...I did not buy the ninety-eight.

    I did, however, agree to buy it and then decide not to at the last minute, losing $200 in deposit. But that's fine.

    After agreeing to buy, there was something that just didn't feel right about it, and I realized maybe I didn't want that large a car after all - or maybe no old car for awhile. It wasn't clear to me exactly why I was buying it - yeah, it looked great and it'd be great to cruise around in - bit I don't think it'd be used much and it would need some more stuff to make it really nice.

    Stuff that included pulling and replacing both cylinder heads, because one of the studs on the broken exhaust manifold was broken, and there looked to be perhaps the beginnings of a crack in the head. Maybe. Pulling big block heads is too much of a job for me to do on my own. I also felt that it probably wouldn't fit in our carport, at least not completely, and that this could be a problem with the neighbors. All of that also meant that if you spend some dough (rather than time) on the 98, you won't have dough for camera gear, random airplane and helicopter adventuring, etc.

    So I decided not to do anything until the LeMans is sold, and it's on CL now.

    Today we tried on a 1980 MGB LE for size and SURPRISE I fit in it. I haven't sat in an MGB roadster in probably 15 years - and could not fit at all back then - and it's been 13 years since I parted with my GT. Getting into that black LE was like putting on a suit you haven't worn in a long time and finding that it fits BETTER than when you last wore it. Which was a nice feeling, even if the MGB is a slow and agricultural car. "Feeling safe" in that car is still an issue.

    The focus is still here, but I'll be detailing it over the next three/four weeks and then...

  7. #27
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    I agree with not buying a car if you don't have the right feeling about it.

    Yay MG ! Wonder if the car you tried today has had any seat rail modifications or anything? Sounds cool.

  8. #28
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    I've never bought secondhand, but tend to agree.

  9. #29
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    So...

    The LeMans is gone. Sold in one hour to a classic Stoner dude (complete with Jimi Hendrix & Peace pins in a beret) back in November. Sad as it was to see it ride off into the sunset, it immediately opened up ideas of what could replace it.

    And sunday we're gonna go see this:


    http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/4876576294.html


    A car we can agree is rather more pragmatic than an MG, and probably alot nicer to drive too. MG's are lots of fun, but it's 1950 under there. I'd still have another GT if the right one came along, and one almost did - but I was sick for much of early January and couldn't deal with the four-hour drive (each way) to Okanagan to get it.

    Still, I've been looking mainly at MG, Triumph, and other cars of that ilk. I'd been holding out hope that a nice X1/9 might come along too - but there seem to be very few of them around now, at least in the northwest. I've also done that before.

    The Opel seems like a good cross between it's two immediate predecessors - the 320i (which YW got to ride in long ago) and the LeMans. I'll need to source some 70's wheels to replace the moderns but altogether not a bad little all around toy. I've always liked the Manta (to be fair, I like the Manta B more, but we never got those here) but have never been able to find a nice one.

    We'll see....
    Last edited by Taimar; February 6th, 2015 at 06:40 PM.

  10. #30
    mAdminstrator Random's Avatar
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    Coworker picked one up as his "teach the kid how to work on cars" car. So far the kid hasn't worked on it. Coworker is having a blast, though.
    Whoomah!

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