Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

all of those "special" voices are really fun for about 5 minutes and then you go back to the default ones
I even changed back from John Cleese, and he was actually funny!

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Here's the Polizia Astra you requested a while ago :mrgreen:
 
The TG sat nav voices never got off the ground did it?
 
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The TG sat nav voices never got off the ground did it?

And I still say I would never change the James May one back to the default one, EVER
 
I went to the salvage yard and collected my 'new' rear axle assembly for my Pathfinder, complete with LSD and disc brakes. While I was there, I poked around in the "recently added" cars in the aisle and found this.

Sooooooooo much fail.

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Why did my tax dollars pay for this???? Do these asshats in Washington have to spend my money to destroy beautiful things in the name of their Gaia religion?

And before someone mentions the potential Nikasil issue, this was a 99 with an apparently replaced engine per the VIN and a quick call to the dealership. What's worse is that according to the markings on the other side of the car, someone traded this in for a Toyota - probably a Prius.
 
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Spectre, keep in mind the stupid owners are just as much to blame as the executives that put the C4C into action. Nobody forced them to trade the things in, they did that on their own stupid accord. Perhaps the dealer could have offered them the same money in trade in to avoid them going to C4C as well. Try as you might, you can't place all the blame on the president you get to live with.
 
Spectre, keep in mind the stupid owners are just as much to blame as the executives that put the C4C into action. Nobody forced them to trade the things in, they did that on their own stupid accord. Perhaps the dealer could have offered them the same money in trade in to avoid them going to C4C as well. Try as you might, you can't place all the blame on the president you get to live with.

No, the blame belongs in Washington, whether on the desk of the President who signed the bill into law or in the offices of those corrupt congresscritters who came up with and then voted for the bill. Gee, I wonder what they all have in common?

If the car companies actually wanted something like this, they should have funded it themselves - and several did, after C4C was over. I do not understand why my tax dollars were necessary to purchase and destroy this X308.
 
1969 Alfa Romeo GTV

I got it in California, body is rust free, I have no time to play with it.
The engine is race ready. It has Borgo 10.5:1 compression pistons, hot and high cams, low duration.
The head was built by ADRIA. It has new timing chains.
The crank and rods are balanced and polished and have new bearings. The oil ways in the crank have been tapped and set srews inserted as an alternative to the usual hammer-in type aluminum plugs that sometimes fall out.
The gearbox is freshly rebuilt by ADRIA.
The headers are from Alfa Ricambi and are steel with thermal conductive wrap.
It has Weber 40dcoe carbs with lots of aeroquip hoses and fittings.
The cooling sytem is different than usual but can easily be replaced with original. It has an aeroquip fitting where the water pump would be and an electric pump moves the coolant. This allows for no pulleys or belts on the engine.
It has remote mounted oil filter and cooler.
It comes with an extra set of Ricambi suspension springs.
It has spare glass for all except front. Lexan rear and sides.
The dashboard is very thin and light carbon fibre. It resembles the original but is more of a racing type.
The wheels are CROMODORA. I think I may have 2 of the original steel wheels as well.
It has 69' rearend in it and there is also a limited slip- complete with axles and rotors/calipers.
There is also an assortment of trim parts and small parts.
It has racing aluminum flywheel.
It has many logo frames and trim parts- like light frames, door trim etc. There really is too much to list.
The bonnet is fibre glass and painted with the car.I have steel hood also.

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:think:

How hard could it be?

(No, seriously, how hard would it be to put it all back together. Looks relatively clean and rust-free with complete parts, and I'm seriously considering one of these after I graduate.)
 
1969 Alfa Romeo GTV

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:think:

How hard could it be?

(No, seriously, how hard would it be to put it all back together. Looks relatively clean and rust-free with complete parts, and I'm seriously considering one of these after I graduate.)

Bothers me to no end when they say "rust free" and there's clearly rust in the floorpans. Sure, it's not really bad hole in the floor rust, but it's still rust for cripes sake! How hard is it to prime or even rust seal over the floorpans while you have the carpet out?
 
It makes you wonder what else is "rust free" on the car huh?
 
Bothers me to no end when they say "rust free" and there's clearly rust in the floorpans. Sure, it's not really bad hole in the floor rust, but it's still rust for cripes sake! How hard is it to prime or even rust seal over the floorpans while you have the carpet out?

Well, it's still repairable, right? This IS New England. :cry:
 
Because it is NE and it has started to rust, you would probably have to replace all rusted bits or make sure it spends most of it's time in a heated garage.
This is why I am so picky with looking at old beetles. Anything even slightly rusted on the body would have to be replaced fairly quick.
 
Yeah, unless you're fleeing to a desert soon as you get the car (and before the towns around here start salting the roads), that's going to be a paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiin. Yes, all those vowels are necessary.
 
Well, it's too hard to say how bad that rust is. However, it only looks like it could be bad in one spot which looks easily repairable. The rest of the floorpans appear to be covered in usual surface rust. A good wire brushing followed by primer or POR15 or similar would do wonders. The underside, no telling. Good undercoating would be a wise choice I think. From the pictures it doesn't look bad, but I do question the big rasp sitting on the floor in that picture. Makes me wonder how much body filler is on the thing.

Honestly, I've seen cars that looked like the Lancia Beta in 14x03 salvaged, so that particular Alfa wouldn't be too bad.
 
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