Seeing as I can no longer post from work

"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228) 12/29/2013 at 05:56 • Filed to: None

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I'll do this now :) been browsing the classifieds for a cheap jag to steal the shell from, but !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It looks to be in gorgeous condition. 3.6l early car like mine (good thing), but square headlights and sunroof (bad things). If it was perfect, I'd be buying it now and to hell with the costs. Hella NP. Also found this utterly gorgeous !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but it's priced too high for me. Love the wheels.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 05:57

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I quite like the square headlights, don't know why though.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 12/29/2013 at 06:02

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Yeah, they're not bad, but I do prefer the twin-rounds. Probably just because that's what's on mine.

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 06:06

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Italian pepperpot wheels are the way! Not sure what Lambo calls their 5-hole rims of gorgeousness but I always see a relation betwwen the 2

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 06:14

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The twin-rounds = proper jaguar, square headlights = Daimler/Vanden Plas which means eighties yuppies? I think the round ones are prettier, but there's something about that yobbish face on the sovereigns. I guess it's the punk in me that want's to buy a Rolls-Royce silver shadow 2 and paint it in two tone green with tons of flake and slam it to the ground..

But I'm rather off kilter. Here's a thing I did in photoshop a few years ago..

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 07:31

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Heh, here's my haul from last night's ebaying:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-Jagua…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STUNNING-C…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maserati-B…

I told my friend that you'd probably work on his Biturbo for free just to stop it being sad, if he bought one. Right? ;)

Your jag ad looks good, but worryingly cheap - why would he sell for that price if the car's as good as he says?

davedave1111 > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 12/29/2013 at 07:34

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"Daimler/Vanden Plas which means eighties yuppies?"

The distinction was starting to disappear by then, but if anything it meant the opposite. Daimlers were always old-money cars, whereas Jags were a bit arriviste.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > davedave1111 12/29/2013 at 07:44

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I guess you're right. My bad :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 12/29/2013 at 08:06

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They are absolutely gorgeous aren't they? I don't think they're stock items, so I must find out what they are.

I'm thinking they'd go very well on anything 70s/80s and Italian.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 12/29/2013 at 08:09

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I'd work on it for some beers and a drive definitely :)

I am slightly concerned about the price, but it can't be any worse than mine at the moment :) plus, if I did get that one I'd in essence have a parts car to build it up with.

All of those are nice, but alas I've spent all my money on the Spitfire and I've still got about £4k's worth of spending to go :S anything I do get will either have to be cheap or wait.

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 08:27

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The rims are actually made by - Daimler! It seems that's how it ended up on Maserati AND Jags, so it works for both those cars you linked!!

Also, those other rims I was talking about, are called teledials! Big Lambo fan that I am, I have to admit nothing will beat Alfa's:

Looking at this stuff, I'm feeling that ache brother...both such beautiful rims ... also

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Saf1 12/29/2013 at 08:32

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'Dose rims.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 14:46

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I'm not sure there's enough beer in the world to pay for all the work that would need doing. Won't buy it, because my friend only has an auto license - still, despite all my arguments - but I was quite impressed that he looked at it being LHD and said 'oh, perfect for a road-trip to Beijing'...

The Jags are soooo tempting. Especially the V12, but I can just imagine the maintenance costs. The straight sixes seem sane in comparison, but only in comparison :)

And I know where you're coming from with the cash. Frustrating looking at ebay and seeing bargains go by that I could buy but have other priorities and no room. And then even more frustrating seeing them a couple of years later once they're no longer bargains.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 12/29/2013 at 17:59

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Hum, I'll do the work if he's ok with me swapping the auto in ours for the manual in that one :)

I'm not sure about the V12. They must be pretty harrowing, but I don't think they're as bad as people make out. I'll let you know when I get my V12 XJS :)

I had that exact thing happen with a Lancia Fulvia 1.3s about a year ago. There was a solid daily driver, garage kept and very well maintained, for the princely sum of £1300. Unfortunately, that was at a time when I would struggle to bring together £200 at any one time and now they're up around the £12k mark. Very irritating.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 12/29/2013 at 18:04

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Interesting :)

I do love teledials. Here are my set:

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 19:07

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Is yours RHD? Maybe easier just to swap cars :)

My friend really wants a V12 XJS as well, but, well...

That engine bay is one of the scariest things I've seen on a car.

Heh, I just found this:

http://www.brianschreurs.org/neptune.spaceb…

The rear two bolts are a little harder. No matter how we tried, we could not get a clear shot at the bolts. What's needed is a sort of dogleg-type bar for a socket wrench, allowing any socket wrench to be used like a distributor wrench. Sadly, we've never seen such an animal.

To get at the rear-right bolt, we started with a 7/16" socket. Then we put a cap on it — a little black thing that pushes into the drive side of the socket, allowing the socket to be turned with a conventional wrench. Craftsman sells a set of them. We used the telescoping magnet to drop the socket/cap onto the bolt (this kind of precision work is the reason the flexi-rod magnets suck). Then, as it happens, the cap is 9/16" — the same size as a GM distributor wrench! We used the distributor wrench on the cap and the bolt was free.

The rear-left bolt looks like it should come out the same way but alas, the bolt is too close to the pedestal - - the distributor wrench can't fit around the cap. Also, this irritating bracket that serves no apparent purpose gets in the way. Instead, put a 9/16" crow's foot on a long extension bar. It won't be able to snap right on to the cap but it'll reach at an angle; enough to get a grip and loosen the thing. It's time consuming, but with patience even this bolt will come out.

...

Pretty complicated work, isn't it? And to think you didn't really accomplish anything — this is only what's necessary to get at everything else .

Awesome. Sometimes I forget Jaguar was a BL brand...

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 12/29/2013 at 19:44

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It is yeah, and I'm fairly adamant that I want a RHD one as well.

That does look horrendously complex, although I think it just looks messy (think, or hope?).

It does seem like one of those things that you'd have to take off 3 or 4 things just to get at the bit you need to fix though.

Still, worth it for the sound:

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 19:57

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Is the bonnet there held up with a piece of wood?

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 12/29/2013 at 20:00

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Yes it is, good spot :)

Chapman would be proud.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 20:05

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You reckon it was weight-saving? I figured the bonnet strut had broken...

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 12/29/2013 at 20:17

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Sounds like killing two birds with one stone to me ;)

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/29/2013 at 21:27

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How long you had the Alfa for? Tell me some quirky details, curious how cars differ in the long run

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 12/30/2013 at 08:25

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About 4 years now I think :) great little thing. Excellent noise, and it really picks up for a 2.5l. Oddly for Alfa's reputation, the engine's been utterly solid. I think I've had a MAF sensor go and that's it. My dad owned it before me and he didn't have any issues either.

Couple of odd electrical things though. The indicators stopped working for a week or two, but then fixed themselves of their own accord. I think it was just trying to be more like a BMW. Central locking sometimes won't play ball either. You just have to turn the ignition on and off and it's back in business.

Chassis' great too. The bushes went on the ARBs at about 100k, so I took the opportunity to swap them for ones from a GTA estate, so stiffer overall than the stock car, and slightly stiffer still at the rears. Really transformed it. Eager to turn in, and you can get it to rotate really easily with a dab of trail-braking.

Oh yeah, and I mucked up a repair on the driver's side door and now if you roll the window right down and roll it back up again it detaches from the rear pillar and rotates forwards. I fixed it before, but I think it's doing it again.

I just don't roll the window all the way down :)

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/30/2013 at 10:18

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Hahaha that all sounds so enticing! I can't wait till I own my first car - I'm gonna go for something Italian used and I'm gonna go for a 2 door, most likely Alfa...though looking at your pic, it seems there is a rear door somewhat? Is yours a coupe of a saloon? Or you took off the handles? I don;t even know what mnodel that is :P

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 12/30/2013 at 12:13

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No worries :) it's a '99 156. There's some more pics of it here .

Good spot, it is a 4-door, but Alfa hid the door handles in the c-pillar (the first guys to do that). Causes a lot of confusion with rear seat passengers. I've had people try to get in the front with me, try to tilt the front seat forwards or just sit there with a puzzled look on their face.

Where abouts are you based, because that will affect which Alfas you can get. If you're in Europe, then you've got your pick of everything. Older Alfettas and Giulia GTVs , or newer GTVs , GTs or the Brera . Then there's the old Spider (built in 4 series from '66 through to '93, all based on the old-school Giulia chassis. After that you had Spiders based on the GTV and the Brera. There's also the dinky little Alfasuds and Sprints , although they were fairly rust-prone so there's not many left. Those that are left though will most likely be pretty solid. That's just the 2-doors :)

If you're in the States, then the old Spiders are the most common, and I think they stopped selling cars after the Alfetta GTV6 and 164 so you can't get the newer stuff.

If it's your first car, then I'd recommend something newer unless you want to get stuck in with working on it (I like that, but it's not for everyone).

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/30/2013 at 15:06

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Hmm, between the GT and GTV it would be the GT, I was also considering a 155 or 164 (I really love 90s), I live in England so when it comes to Euro cars there's no problem! REALLY liking the look of that Sprint you linked, but last model year older than me? Daunting for a first car. Insurance is the only concern, it can easily be multiple times the value of the car for my demographic (single, male, 23), but anwyays these are just dreams bro I need to get a job that isn't temporary and also take lessons first :l thanks for the info though, I guess I'm only getting closer to the day! AND WHAT A DAY IT WOULD BE :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 12/30/2013 at 16:11

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Huh, coincidence. I'm 23 and living just south of London. Insurance is pretty nasty, but it's better when you're our age. I'm getting quotes of £400-£600 with a couple years no claims.

Sprints are really cool, but yeah they might be a bit much for a first car. Rare too.

I've worked out car ownership to be £300 a month for my relatively thirsty 2.5l V6, so so long as you're earning comfortably more than that it should be alright (this is based on my low insurance cost though).

155s are good, but the 156 was a good leap forwards. I've never heard a bad thing said about a 164 from anyone who's ever owned one. Only ever 'I wish I hadn't sold it'. Might be a bit cheaper on insurance as well, less popular with boy-racers.

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/31/2013 at 07:00

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I live in MK so I'm North :D Hmm might have to go 4-door or atleast 2 rows of seats for insurance...it all just kills me because I was THIS close man. I was a health advisor for NHS D and was on nights so made good money; I got laid off early this year because my Visa went for renewal and they wanted originals even though it's unnecessary, then never had a stable job since....loved that job too! Also, would love some feedback on an article I wrote ? I love Kinja but if I want to talk about something unless there's a relevant article it doesn't work - could do with a forum!

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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 12/31/2013 at 22:36

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The GT's a 2+2 if that helps :)

That's a bummer about the job situation. Periods like that are rarely permanent though, so the time will come around.

Can you post to oppo's front page? If not, I'll share your article to there with a note to the mods asking to give you authorship. I like the article. I've always been curious about the couple of experiments with plastic engines I've come across. Plus, I love that it's referenced :) very professional.

Saf1 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/01/2014 at 09:59

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THANK YOU BROTHER!!! I am so so pleased about this, and article I wrote is on Oppo!! Really man, I am so chuffed about this! I'm starting to get more feedback now because of it :D

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Saf1 01/01/2014 at 15:03

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No problem whatsoever :) we're a very welcoming place. Looking forward to the next one :)