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markbt73

The reason for the big sell-off

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I have set a challenge for myself: compete in the 2017 edition of the Monte Shelton Northwest Classic Rally, as cheaply as possible, and write a book about the experience.

So... I need a car. Must be pre-1980, able to handle twisty roads, and not look completely embarrassing next to a bunch of classic Alfas and Jags. I maintain that it can be done for about $2500-3000, all-inclusive, the car, the registration, the hotel, everything. And I aim to try.

I have been looking around, and, as long as I'm willing to replace a head gasket or a clutch, or maybe revive a car that has been sitting for a few years, there are possibilities in the $1500 or so range. I've seen MGBs, Fiats, Datsun Z cars, the odd BMW 320i, and a few interesting rarities like a Lancia Beta and a Sunbeam Alpine GT changing hands for that little recently. The trick seems to be to be in the right place at the right time, cash in hand, to snag one as it goes by.

So some RC stuff has to go. In fact, most RC stuff has to go. Gotta fund this endeavor somehow. But hey, you can't take it with you, right? And I'd rather take on a new challenge than hang on to a bunch of dusty model cars. And by the way, if I succeed in getting the book published, everyone who buys a model to help fund it gets thanked in the acknowledgements page, and gets a free signed copy of the book. (Putting the cart before the horse quite a ways, I realize, but hey...)

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Sports sedans, sports cars or other special interest cars. 

I would be looking for a hearse,ambulance or police car and go in the last category.

i know it is well off topic but if you started a thread I would love to follow it. A thread or blog is also a great way to framework a book and sell the idea to the publishers. 

 

Good luck

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40 minutes ago, Nobbi1977 said:

Sports sedans, sports cars or other special interest cars. 

I would be looking for a hearse,ambulance or police car and go in the last category.

i know it is well off topic but if you started a thread I would love to follow it. A thread or blog is also a great way to framework a book and sell the idea to the publishers. 

 

Good luck

Nah, not so into the big heavy cars. Been there, done that, just sold a Coupe deVille. Besides, I haven't had a European car in about twenty years, so this is a good excuse to look for one.

As for a blog/thread, I will try to keep this thread updated, and I'm working on a treatment to show to publishers. I don't want to get tied into blogging the whole experience as it happens, because it gets to be too much like performance art that way. I work better when I can just scribble down massive volumes of text and then whittle it down later, when I have time to put things in perspective.

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I saw "northwest rally" and thought that would be fun to do too,then noticed the cars driving on the wrong side of the road 😩

Maybe an 1275 Austin Mini? (although the prices have shot up over here,the past few years).Head, cam and exhaust should be enough to have fun playing with the rest of the classics. 😀

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Oh, man, I would love a Mini. And there are a couple of them in the photos. But the last one I saw for that price was a "make one car from two" deal: one rusty shell with a title, and one running wrecked car with no title. Not sure I'm up for that...

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Most pre 80's stuff is getting more and more expensive,the Sunbeam Alpine sounds like a good buy if rust free! 

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A Beetle! 

Can be had for cheap (at least here), parts a-plenty, and if you're feeling quite adventurous you can always swap in a Porsche flat 6 or a Subaru Boxer. Also, everyone and their uncle loves a Beetle.

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18 minutes ago, GooneyBird said:

A Beetle! 

Can be had for cheap (at least here), parts a-plenty, and if you're feeling quite adventurous you can always swap in a Porsche flat 6 or a Subaru Boxer. Also, everyone and their uncle loves a Beetle.

Thought about that... probably too common for this crowd. I'd consider a Karmann-Ghia or a Type IV, except that my wife has decreed that it absolutely must have air conditioning if she is going to navigate for me, and I don't even know of a way to add it to an air-cooled VW.

I have been widening my search to include some American cars, however: a two-door '60s Dodge Dart or Plymouth Valiant/Barracuda would do well, as would an early Mustang... nice simple inline sixes, comfy seats, still small enough to handle well with a little suspension work...

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You can get a mopar for $1500!?! 

If you must have AC, that rules many UK cars out, my first car with AC was in 2003! 😯

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54 minutes ago, Wooders28 said:

You can get a mopar for $1500!?! 

If you must have AC, that rules many UK cars out, my first car with AC was in 2003! 😯

Well, you have to remember that for every 383 four-speed monster they built, they built 10,000 or more with slant sixes and bench seats. They're not hard to find, especially here on the West Coast where cars don't rust as easily as in other places. $1500-2500 is about the going rate for a plain-Jane project, maybe a little less for a four-door (if I could get away with one).

I'll probably have to plan on a repaint and maybe some other restoration, but my dad is so excited about this idea that he has volunteered to help a bit with the cost.

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It's OK, I'm not jealous at all ! 👹 

Anything pre 80's AND rust free over here would need to have had a restoration or meticulously garage kept all its life! 

 

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If you wanted to, back at the end of the 70's ford australia released a model of falcon that was basicly a UK ford granada put in the photo copier to enlarge it slightly, came as a ute (think el camino) panel van (think of that overlander project in the builds) sedan and wagon. the choices of motor at the time were a 3.3L 200 ci straight 6, a 4.1L 250 ci straight 6, a 4.9L 302 ci V8, and a 5.8L 351 ci V8. There were column 3 speed manuals, and 4 spd floor shift, as well as a 3 spd auto either on the column or the floor. AC was fitted to most of these cars as they are aussie cars.

 

At the same time Holden released it's midsized commodore, it was basicly an opel with some changes to the front end to allow the fitment of Holden's straight 6 motors, from memory motors for this model were limited to the 2L opel starfire straight 4, the 186 ci straight 6, the 3.3L 202 ci straight 6, the 4.2L 253 ci V8, and the 5L 308, if there were more choices I know the aussie Holden fans will correct me (they often can't help themselves), it came in seden or wagon body styles.

 

Of the 2 the commodore is the better one for the twisty bits, as it is smaller and lighter than the falcon, the flip side is, the falcon is a better ride on the long haul and has more space for you and the missus as well as the gear you'll want/need.

The holden is a GM car, so there is bound to be compatible mechanical parts for it there in the US, and ford is well American so mechanical parts will be there also. You may be able to find compatible body parts in the US, but not sure. You'll most likely want to talk to a specialised car importer to find out what the cost would be to get one over to the states, And you will need to enlist the help of the aussie members in locating one of them that is untouched, running and driving with a straight 6 for the ford, or with a straight 4 or 6 for the holden. Those ones are the unloved ones and generally have the motors swapped out for 1 of the V8's, and are the ones most likely to fall within your budget.

 

To see what these cars look like, just search "ford xd falcon" and "holden vb commodore". I should add these are the only models of cars made in Aus that are pre 1980, with AC, and able to be found rust free if located in the right spot of Aussie, and are of european styling, I should also add they are also strong cars as they were built near the end of the steel era, so they can take a lot of punishment and keep going due to being designed to handle the aussie outback.

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Importing a car from Australia, huh? Interesting idea, and would be undeniably cool, but probably not practical.

That Falcon you mentioned, however, is very similar to our Ford Maverick. Might even be the same car. Most commonly seen here with the 200ci six, but a few had a 302 V8. Definitely on the list, as it's popular over here as a low-cost Mustang alternative. The "Grabber" model in particular is attractive, but getting rare these days. Our old '60s Falcon is an interesting possibility as well.

As for GM, I'm not much of a fan. Their cars always seem like good ideas, but feel like a letdown once you have them. A '70s Camaro is a possibility, but it would have to be exactly the right car.

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The good thing about the ford is you could get it in as a rolling chassis, and drop almost any ford V8 (I have seen a couple in car mags with 427's and 429's) or straight 6 in the engine bay, and back it up with pretty much any ford auto or stick shift.

They commonly came with power steering, always came with power assisted ventilated disc brakes at the front, the rear brakes were commonly drums, but disc's were fitted on some, the specs above the base GL falcon did have things like electric windows, and mirrors, instramentation was commonly temp, fuel, speed, manifold vacuum, but it's not to hard to change it to be fuel, temp, volts, oil pressure, tacho, and speedo. fitting a V8 to a S6 model and vice versa is stupidly easy, just a matter of changing the front springs to match the weight, and rerouting the fuel line (v8's fuel line enters behind the shock tower, S6 is in front of the shock tower). As for the practical side of it, I would suspect it might be a bit of a phaff, paperwork wise, but logisticly it shouldn't be to bad, the tricky part is if you get stung with import charges on it, which is what would need to be looked at first.

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I'm guessing the shipping and taxes from Australia would be greater than the budget, costly to get one here, a mates spending a fortune doing a mad max rep.

A 2nd Gen F body would be cool! 😎

Think I'm living in the wrong county 🤔

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19 minutes ago, Wooders28 said:

I'm guessing the shipping and taxes from Australia would be greater than the budget, costly to get one here, a mates spending a fortune doing a mad max rep.

A 2nd Gen F body would be cool! 😎

Think I'm living in the wrong county 🤔

he's spending a fortune, coz that car as a basic rolling shell costs a fortune *lol* worst thing is, I had the chance to pick up a coupe that needed motor and trans for 1200 aussie just over 10 yrs ago, it all the parts, and all the glass, and there isn't a day that passes that I don't kick myself for letting it go.

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Actually I figure the biggest hassle with an Australian import would be getting it registered. Anything after 1974 has to pass a smog test here (no exceptions) and I'd probably have to get some special exemption for bumpers and lights and whatnot. And even then, it's still right-hand-drive, which adds a whole other layer of complications to just driving the thing...

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smog test isn't a problem, like I said, the engine bay will take pretty much any ford motor  you can get in the US, the V8's were 2v cleveland jobs, with some 4v clevelands used. So the 5L V8 from the 2005 mustang should drop in and bolt up, have seen that motor dropped into the XF falcon which, for all intense and purpose, is the exact same car (yea yea aussie ford nuts, coil spring rear in the sedans is the only non visual change between the 2 models)

The bumpers I don't know, I do know the bumpers on the XD are a rubber like plastic with a steel backing just like most (if not all) european cars were at the time, and I would think there would be something in the ford parts bins to dip the headlights to the right instead of the left, the tail and brake lights are 2 blubs, with 1 each for reverse and turn signal, turn signals wrap around the front and rear corners to provide the side repeater signal.

the RHD could be a problem, and a costly one if it has to be converted, those cars were only sold in aus and nz to my knowledge, so the firewall doesn't have the holes for a LHD conversion so lots of cutting and welding would be the order of the day if the conversion had to be done. You should be able to find a tidy example of the sedan or wagon with either no motor, or the gimp 3.3L 200ci low compression S6 pretty cheap, but I'll leave pricing to those members in aus.

Oh, I should add, ford did do a prototype test on the xd falcon, was going to be a revival of the GTHO moniker as a phase 5 version, it didn't gain traction tho, as the memory of the supercar scare 10 yrs earlier was still fresh in peoples minds, photos do exsist of the like 1 or 2 that were actually built.

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19 hours ago, markbt73 said:

 it's still right-hand-drive, which adds a whole other layer of complications to just driving the thing...

By 'complications' you mean fun! 😀

You really have to trust your passenger for over taking, but they have to hand over the cash at the drive through!! 

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Update: I have found the car!

My lovely wife was kind enoguh to let me count the car purchase as my Xmas/birthday/everything else gift for this year, as long as it was within reason price-wise. So yesterday, this appeared in our driveway:

12496004_10208785301461784_3759503590256

1971 MGB GT. Originally sold in Hawaii, brought back to the mainland US a couple years ago. Because it lived its whole life on Oahu, it has what might be only 18,700 miles on it. (How far can you possibly drive on Oahu?)

Full disclosure: it didn't so much appear here as had to be towed; I intended to drive it home, got about a third of the way here, and the radiator blew. And before I could get pulled over, something started knocking, and I don't know what yet. So it was towed the rest of the way. (Before that, however, it drove great!)

Few more photos:

13653088_10208785301381782_7180413476800

13662232_10208785301421783_8750118868733

13667879_10208785303741841_4593425526426

The interior is what makes me think the mileage is original. There's just no wear anywhere. Seats look near-perfect, door panels and carpet are nice, dash has one big crack in it from the sun, but that's it. Outside, there are a few tiny rust spots, but not even worth addressing right now.

Obviously it won't need much in terms of cosmetic restoration, but the mechanicals are pretty rough. (Cars don't like sitting around doing nothing.) But it's all fixable, and it wouldn't be any fun if I found something that didn't need any work at all.

So thanks to those who have bought stuff from me already, that is now the "parts fund." And more stuff will have to be sold to pay for the entry fee, so I'll be updating my sales post soon as well.

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Your so lucky with your good weather if this was in the uk it would be a rust bucket by now. Look Sharp ..

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Good solid classic. Great spares availability and upgrade potential 

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if you want to see the spares line up of them, do a search for wheeler dealers show, they do that same model MG in one of the episodes

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20 hours ago, mad maz said:

Your so lucky with your good weather if this was in the uk it would be a rust bucket by now. Look Sharp ..

If it was in the UK , it would have been a rust bucket by 1972! 😁

Great find, looks a really nice car.

Sounds like you need an engine rebuild, but fairly basic on the old stuff,personally I'd go through the brake system too, they hate being sat for too long.

Ps, a Ford 302 fits! (ish)

http://www.britishv8.org/MG/PaulSchils-MGB.htm

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