". ." (xllx)
04/14/2015 at 14:25 • Filed to: shoebox, blue torpedo
4
0|
". ." (xllx)
04/14/2015 at 14:25 • Filed to: shoebox, blue torpedo | 4
| 0 |
...and it's quite crazy.
So we set the geometry late last week and today I went on the first drive since the car has been (mostly) put back together (so first drive since January). It was hilarious, but also kinda stressful. It definitely needs a good tuneup, buecause it was close to undriveable, it's still loads of fun though.
The brakes work better than I expected so I'm happy with that. The geometry seems OK as well. What's not so good is how the engine behaves. It makes decent power, but would stall anytime I let it idle without choke even for a very short time. That was annoying. Another irritating bit was getting going. I'm a person who drives a wide array of manual cars on a daily basis, so I have some experience with them, this however still gave me trouble. I didn't stall it or anything but I still must have looked like a right idiot while trying to get moving. The clutch is brand new and rather grabby (it's a solid clutch as well, no springs), and the engine wasn't of much help. If I tried applying just a tiny bit of throttle to get off the line it would sputter and slow down. So the choices in terms of getting going were: try to ride the clutch on idle and do it while controlling the idle revs with the choke lever, or give it a good helping of gas and take off like a scalded proverbial. Getting off the line on steep uphills wasn't easy. :P
I can't wait until the car's poperly ready. :D
Another fun bit was when I parked the Fiat after my drive and switched back to my Merc to drive it home. I got in, right foot onto the gas pedal, and it goes straight to the floor. 'Ooookay', I think, 'I need to get used to my car again'. I start the engine, grab the steering wheel and attempt to turn it clockwise to drive out of the parking space. I give it a healthy tug and it feels like I was going to rip it out. PROTIP: Power steering doesn't require a lot of force compared to the unassisted sort. I got going (somehow), and the first four braking attempts ended up pretty awkward when the car just stopped on a dime and I had to unglue my face from the windshield. Turns out four decently large disc brakes with a servo are considerably more effective than four unassisted drums. Who woulda thought, huh?