"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
02/04/2015 at 15:22 • Filed to: None
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"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
02/04/2015 at 15:22 • Filed to: None | 4
| 9 |
Have some humor. Car shit after the yump.
So my rough & trusty '01 Outback, bought because I needed ground clearance & AWD for trail building project access, and which has been pouring oil from its heads for some time, started overheating & smelling distinctly of coolant on the way to work this morning. I turned the heater on full & got the temp down long enough to limp it in & parked it at the shop. I bought the car as a cheap beater and have done fuck all to it in the last 2 years, and have been waiting for this, so it's time to fix it or just off it. No big deal, I'll drive the old F150 in the interim & pull the engine some weekend to do the gaskets.
Here's the thing: Having acquired said 4x4 F150 as my trail, camping, & mountain bike rig, I no longer need the Outback for the reasons I bought it, and I've been bored with it for awhile as a daily. It doesn't snow here, so AWD hooning isn't a thing. It's worth about $3500 once fixed, so I'm looking for something else to daily in that budget range, maybe up to $5k if something really stands out (like a good Alfa Milano).
As it happens, I was searching for cars last night, as you do. The Suby must have known. I've been leaning towards a Saab 900 Turbo because they're a car I've worked on & always liked, maybe a 9-3 if the right one comes along, but then there's this little gem:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
So simple. So honest. So understated, yet classy. It's a set of Mexican blankets away from perfect. What I've really wanted is a 64 or 65 Galaxie for a long time, but this is a nice little slice of similar styling without the bitchin' but thirsty V8. I live in fairly rural coastal CA, where daily driving a classic is a viable proposition. I've done it before, and wouldn't mind doing it again. That makes this very, very tempting.
What else is fun or interesting, reasonably reliable ("reasonably" included because Alfa Romeo), has 4 seats and a manual, and is $5k or less?
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> RallyWrench
02/04/2015 at 15:26 |
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The lowering with as soft as those springs are is going to be a bit giggly, but he was smart enough to add air shocks in front, so...
I didn't realize that by that point they'd moved all the way up to a 200 six. That thing should do great, even attached to a weenie auto. Or you could swap in my 144 six and three-speed stick I have spare and have mileage for days... and apocalyptic rage from other drivers.
Nibbles
> RallyWrench
02/04/2015 at 15:29 |
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You can buy a Saab classic 900 SPG, with likely very little "wrong", for that cash. Four seats, two hundred horses, five gears with which you can row your own, and million-mile reliability.
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RallyWrench
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/04/2015 at 15:37 |
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Yeah, I'd probably want to do the springs right, but that's cheap enough, and a manual would be killer. Do you have a pedal box to go with it? I cut my teeth working on a friends' 200ci Mustang when I was a young'n, so I have a soft spot for these things.
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RallyWrench
> Nibbles
02/04/2015 at 15:39 |
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Oh yeah, that's what I've had my eye on. SPG or GTFO. Most have well over 250k on them, which really doesn't bug me too much, but I don't want something I need to work on right away.
505Turbeaux
> Nibbles
02/04/2015 at 15:47 |
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your display name is killin me
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> RallyWrench
02/04/2015 at 15:48 |
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THE PEDAL BOX IS MINE
AS IS THE STEERING COLUMN
Ahem. Sorry. What I mean to say is, I'm using those for the Super T-10 setup, so they are not spare, as such. Also, they're Falcon, so they *might* be slightly different, or they might not. I definitely do have a Z-bar and a 3-speed stick box for a Ford six I won't be using, though. Not much of an idea what shape it's in, but pushing a low rear end it probably didn't get too banged up.
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Nibbles
> RallyWrench
02/04/2015 at 15:52 |
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250k is nothing for the slant 4! Mine had 350k before I accidentally blew the original head gasket (among other parts) by foolishly pushing wayyyy too much boost down its throat!
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RallyWrench
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/04/2015 at 16:06 |
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KEEP YOUR DAMN PEDAL BOX!! I DIDN'T NEED IT ANYWAY! Hahaha, I might take that 3-speed off your hands if I end up with this thing. Cheers!
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> RallyWrench
02/04/2015 at 16:08 |
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I'll also have a set of spare Falcon front springs, since I'm going to QA1 coilovers with adjustable upper pivot (long story), but ten to one they're a different rate.