Other weekend mods

[bnbmike]

Noooooo
            ooooooooooo
                                ooooooooooooooooo
                                                              oooooo
                                                                         oooooooo
                                                                                       oooooooo
                                                                                                     oooooooo
                                                                                                                   oooooooo
                                                                                                                              oooooooo!

Don't carb a GTI.  That's what separates them from spooty Datsun 510's.


Please, I beg you.    Don't do it.

[Tailgunner]

Not to poop on anyone but isn't that the whole idea behind the GTI: G - Grand (or something), T - Tuned, I - Injection.  I used to have an '87.

I can understand the desire for dual Weber's though, as I installed a pair on a Celica coop I had. Upon install I got so excited I forgot to connect the throttle return spring. The accelerator would not snap back after the block long burnout  whoops!

[ryandalling]

I thought this was a motorcycle forum... what's with all the car talk? 

Just kidding.... I am so bored... I need entertaining... anybody??

[GAAN]

Noooooo
            ooooooooooo
                                ooooooooooooooooo
                                                              oooooo
                                                                         oooooooo
                                                                                       oooooooo
                                                                                                     oooooooo
                                                                                                                   oooooooo
                                                                                                                              oooooooo!

Don't carb a GTI.  That's what separates them from spooty Datsun 510's.


Please, I beg you.    Don't do it.

Spooty 510's...


Die Hippy

[duc_fan]

Well, I'm looking at a '70 Chevy 4x4 in Stevenson or this '72 Blazer in the 'Couv: http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/1224210040.html.

The '98 GTI would go down the road.

The '86 GTI would become "the car".

Hence... probably no carbs.  Carbs would only be for a weekend-only toy.  I think they look and sound cool, and I like the idea of tuning with a screwdriver.  My '86's FI needs gutted and redone.  New injectors, new pump housing (and possibly the pump), may need to find a new fuel distributor and the little brain on in the raintray, too.  It runs like crap right now, and I really, really, really hate complicated systems.  Gimme a stripped engine bay with basic mechanical stuff... but... if it needs to be driven regularly, it will need FI.

I really want to build a 2.1L stoker, and that's bloody difficult to do with the KE-Jetronic.  I'd have to gut it and do standalone engine management.  I hate, hate, hate putting computers in cars.  I'd prefer to just put a set of carbs on at that point, because the idea of tuning a car with a laptop makes me puke.  Plus: the carb setup runs around $1500.  ITBs are around the same price, PLUS a crapload of money for standalone engine management.  I hear that MegaSquirt EFI is a lot cheaper, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to finish soldering my own computer then mapping it with a PC or laptop, plus sourcing all the miscellanious FI hardware.

So anyway... I'm torn.  I don't like electrical garbage and sensors, but the Weber sidedrafts really aren't any good for a car that needs to be used in a practical manner.  It will remain a 1.8L with KE-Jet for the time being, until I determine what it's mission in life is.  The changeover wouldn't happen anytime soon, so you can rest easy, Mike.    You'll have other opportunities to convince me otherwise.

Maybe I just need to leave it a 1.8 8v and restore it to "OEM+" (anti-roll bars, strut tower braces, suspension, brakes, etc).  I wasn't planning to carve up the exterior anyway (keeping the classic small bumpers).  I did replace the front seats with a set of factory power Recaros, though, after the driver's side seat frame broke.

[Bendy]

Dan, if you buy a bowtie, Mike and I are going to take turns holding you down and kicking you in the crotch. Just FYI.

[duc_fan]

Ha!  You can try.  Wait... why would Mike have a problem with that?  I'd be keeping my Mk2 GTI.

Mom & Dad had a fulll size Dodge van with a 318 for years.  Never really fond of it.  I've driven a few Fords and hated all of them.  Haven't driven a full-size Dodge 4x4, so no idea how one of those is.  I've just inherited the Chevy gene.  My dad has been a GM guy, and his dad before him was a GM guy.  I like european cars & motorcycles, and GM trucks. 

You drive Mopar, right Bendy?  Maybe I'll throw "Dodge diesel" or "Dodge Cummins" into Craigslist.  I'm specifically looking for a snow and mountain country 4x4 for life out here in the Gorge.

Oh, that reminds me... saw a beasty Dodge 4x4 at the gun show this weekend.  Lifted (6" or more), at least 35" tires, gnarly brush guard/winch/bumper.  It was a great looking EOTW (End of the World) rig. 

[bnbmike]

I love Dodge Trucks.  I have a Dakota with a V6.  It's a 318 with 2 cylinders missing.  Vintage Power Wagon it's what got me hooked.  I got into the Land Rovers, because at the time I got my first one, they were the same price as a Chevy Blazer 4-door.  Let's see, Discovery or Jr Soccer Mom?  We have the VW Touareg now, but we don't abuse it like we did with the Discovery's.  We do go on the beach and in the snow.

Whatever...

As long as you don't carb a GTI, I'm happy.

[Bendy]

Plunk in Ramcharger or Trailduster for the Mopar Blazer-equivalent. It's hard to beat a B-model Cummins. '94 to '98.5 have the best engine, a mechanical 12-valve, the purest computer-free/EMP-immune End of the World rig you could ever want. Torque demon. Mine gets a typical ~21mpg. They're cold blooded, though, so it helps to plug in the block heater and install a grill front in the winter, among typical anti-gel precautions for the fuel. And not the best for actual off-roading--my regular cab 4x4 weighs 6500 with me and a half tank of diesel, but road snow is laughable with my mud terrains when I'm locked in. There's a lot to say about an engine whose rebuild interval, not lifespan, is 350,000 miles. 12-valves come with the Bosch inline P7100 fuel pump, which is the Holley 4bbl of the light diesel world. Turning more power out of one is all parts, whereas the newer models allow for chipping and other computer goodies at the expense of a less desirable fuel system.

As much as I hate to admit it, there is no disputing that there's also a lot to say about a bowtie with a 350. All the parts in the world you could ever want, and lifting a Blazer is a fraction of the cost of lifting anything else.

[GAAN]

you may know this already dan

but

that '68-'72 model year was prone to severe rust under the A piller at the floor

It is very hard to find one that is in any kind of shape worth buying anymore

but keep at it

I prefer Chevy over Fords based purely on the divorced/married T-cases

I know nothing about Dodge rigs except at one point they began using a stouter version of the NP203 T-case than everyone else  (although i don't know what was better more splines on the output or wsomethng maybe)

and that the grill on a dodge has been stupid since forever

[duc_fan]

Ah-ha, some interesting discussion.  This weedhopper is learning much. 

Mike, I was looking at Discoverys (pre-Ford), since a Defender (*drool*) is way outta my price range, and the mid-to-late 90's Discovery can be had on the cheap.  However, the British luxury car interior in the more civilized Land Rovers is hard to wrap my head around.  I also have no idea what I'd be getting into mechanically, but it looks and sounds complicated.

Kyle, great info on the Dodge trucks.  I had no idea what I was lookin' at as far as years, mileage, and whatnot.  One of the reasons I default to GM is because I know what I'm looking at when dealing with a SB 350 and GM drivetrain (and yeah, parts are everywhere).  I'd probably be comfortable with a Dodge truck if I knew more about what I was looking at.  I suppose I could look for a gas rig with a 318 or 360, but that kinda defeats the longevity.  I'm really diggin that 350k mile rebuild interval on the 12v Cummins. 

Mudder, I knew those years were really prone to rust, and to be REALLY careful about looking them over.  I knew the floorboards were very prone to rust, but did not realize they had a specific issue under the A-pillar.  (Oh yeah, and I like the "face" of a Chevy better, too) 

The guy with that black '72 K5 has dropped his price again to $8k.  Might be time to go take a look.  Seems sharp around the outside, and he's poured a crapload of money into the drivetrain and miscellaneous parts.  If it's still sitting around next weekend, I may give him a call and go look at it.  I don't have 8 grand in cash right now, so I'd have to figure out where the money is coming from.  Anyway, I'll also do some looking at the Mopar options and see what I find.

[Bendy]

and that the grill on a dodge has been stupid since forever

I don't care how true that is, Jeep boy, shut your mouth!

[GAAN]

 

I don't hate everything about a dodge

I always liked the body

right up to that stamped tin grill...



My fantasy 4x4 back in the day was a 1-ton short box

Dodge bodied with a chevy front clip (all mid 70's stuff)

Chevy motored except with the distributor in the front like a ford...because really in the back like that...stupid
(how to accomplish that, I have no idea)

big blocked as well because Chevy small block exhaust configuration on the heads was dumb also

pair of Dana 60's, high pinioned in the front

with a 6" superlift softride and 36" swampers

and as much as I dig the married T-case idea, the dewd who made that stupid shaft coupler for the SM465 and NP205 should be beaten with a spoon

[bnbmike]

The Disco is powered by a 4L V8,  Remember the Buick aluminium V8 for yesteryear?  That's it.

[GAAN]

The Disco is powered by a 4L V8,  Remember the Buick aluminium V8 for yesteryear?  That's it.

The 215 AVO?

automated vehicular oiler

you fired it up and it oiled all the surfaces of your vehicle from the frame to the ground