"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
01/10/2020 at 17:51 • Filed to: Alfa24v
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"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
01/10/2020 at 17:51 • Filed to: Alfa24v | 7
| 15 |
Hey folks, long time no speak! Been loitering around here less and less since work barred kinja websites so I can’t peruse at lunch, but thought I’d keep in touch with what’s been happening.Onto the rest of the fleet!
New car!
Lookit! Bought a new car!
Fuck yeah it’s an Alfa 75 with awesome wheels.
PO had run it as the 3.0l 12v with a twin-turbo setup with about 300bhp, but that engine’s now been sold. There’s a 3.0l 24v from a 166 that’s partway through a strip-down and rebuild with various bits for the RWD conversion. Still a decent amount to do, but a load of the bits and pieces have been crossed off the list already :) definitely on the list to get sorted in 2020.
The new addition has prompted a bit of a rationalisation of the fleet though.
E30
To make some space and provide some funds, the E30 and bits for the M52 swap have had to go. Got about as much as I’d put into it which is nice :) dead cool cars, but the 75 is much more my kind of car.
Also on the chopping block are the two Spitfire shells I’ve got. Yellow one will be stripped as it’s a bit beyond repair, but the dark blue one might get built up with parts left over from the Spit6 and sold as a project.
MGF
The MGF has been my only reliable car for the past 6 months or so! Who’d have thought it ;)
Only a couple of bits and pieces doing to it. The main one is when you put stiffer shocks on (like I have) you need to brace the shock towers or this happens:
Not great, but still easily fixable. There’s kits you strengthen them, but they look like they’d only really work on intact ones rather than ones that have already gone a bit. Welded up the crack and made some neat lightweighted braces )
Sorted :)
Jaaaag
Not a great deal has changed on the Jag since I set light to the boot. Yeah, I did that. It wasn’t smart. Was draining water from the fuel tank and there was more fuel in it than I thought, drilled a drain hole with an electric drill which sparked when it stopped. Whoof. No eyebrows. Melted loom in the rear. Funtimes.
But I have plans!
Bought a rear section of loom to repair the burnt bits, and a new fuel tank that hasn’t had the galv burnt off it. Also bought this:
That is a very ropey E46 330d...but it’s been remapped! Plan is, given that the Jag’s engine has blown its headgasket and spun a bearing (no fault of its own, ran low on coolant and overheated), I’ll swap in the 330d engine and have a car that’s more powerful and more economical. Not a massive amount of work needed to get them up to 300bhp/500lb-ft either. Not quite an OM606, but will do nicely :) hopefully that’s this summer’s job :)
Citroen
Poor Citroen :( after the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I drove it daily for a few thousand miles, clattering away. Unfortunately, at some point I put the clutch in and the cable snapped, mashing the release bearing as well. Since then it’s done sterling duty as parts storage, but it’s only a clutch job away from being serviceable again :) it’s on the list this year, we’ll see if it makes it!
That’s it car-wise for this year. Will see how much I can get done by 2021 ;)
vondon302
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/10/2020 at 18:16 |
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You need to post more often. Good stuff.
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> vondon302
01/10/2020 at 18:21 |
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Thanks man :) that I do!
Will try to more this coming year ;)
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vondon302
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/10/2020 at 18:26 |
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You got a hell of a fleet.
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> vondon302
01/10/2020 at 18:38 |
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Thanks man! Don’t be fooled though, only one is currently running :S
Lots of potential though ;)
Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/10/2020 at 19:18 |
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Wait. Just hold up.
You own a 75 now and your user name is biturbo 228.
Clearly we’re best friends and just never knew it.
someassemblyrequired
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/10/2020 at 22:10 |
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How are the MGF’s /MGTF’s in general? I wanted one bad when they first came out and they seem to be pretty much worthless in the UK. Is it worth bringing one over? Or should I just pick up a MGB that’s a decent driver?
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru
01/11/2020 at 01:04 |
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Haha I expect so! Wanted a 75 for ages, and I will own a Biturbo someday too (the eponymous 228 is my dad's and is a lovely car) :)
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> someassemblyrequired
01/11/2020 at 01:16 |
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They’re really quite good, although I might be biased ;)
You’ll hear people moaning about headgaskets but that’s easily fixable with a Land Rover-designed headgasket. Most of the surviving ones will have had that done already so they’ll be solid. That’s the only real problem they suffer with.
They’re sweet handling things. Really nice balance to them. Early ones like mine have hydragas suspension (not overly different from Citroens) which some garages are scared of as it’s unfamiliar. Nothing overly complex with the system, but TFs come with coils if that’s an issue.
Engine-wise the K Series is a staple of tuning in the UK, but you’re unlikely to get mega power out of them. If you’re importing one then a VVC at least is a must (140ish bhp). Trophy cars and later TFs came with 160bhp versions too (mappable up to about 180 with exhaust, air filter and a slightly hotter cam). Lotus versions were up over 200, but did away with the VVC so are peakier.
Gearboxes are Honda PG1s. Parts availability is good and cheap (although you’d probably have to get bits from the UK as I don’t think there were any k series cars in the US).
It’s a much more capable car than a B, although V8 swaps and a Jag IRS do wonders for Bs ;)
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someassemblyrequired
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/11/2020 at 10:42 |
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Yeah I figured the ones that are still around after 25 years probably have the headgaskets sorted, plus most of the other issues that cropped up when they were new.
I think I’ll need to try one out next time I’m in Europe. Yeah, parts would be an issue but back when I had a Jag I used to get parts from the UK. Was a lot cheaper, and usually arrived in about the same time things took to come from the West Coast of the US.
Ha yeah the B’s are very much of their time, but lots of fun. Ironically the Buick 3.8 V6 (1st cousin of the Rover V8) was a popular swap for North American B’s in the 80s.
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> someassemblyrequired
01/14/2020 at 16:52 |
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I can see a 3.8 v6 MGB going very nicely ;) didn’t they do some 24v versions in later cars?
You could probably come to the UK, buy an MGF, drive it around and sell it again for cheaper than renting. They really are very affordable over here.
LHD ones on the continent are more expensive, but I’m sure converting them wouldn’t be too hard. The more I look at mine the more I think they were designed for the US market. Al l the master cylinders and stuff is on the left hand side, and BMW who had just bought them had a good dealership network. Apparently they were prevented from selling in the US for fear of competition with the Z3.
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someassemblyrequired
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/14/2020 at 17:45 |
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The very late supercharged versions gave about 240-260HP. Most of the MGB swaps were with the earlier naturally aspirated 125-140HP engines, but they had over 200ft-lbs of torque and could be tuned quite easily.
Some of the later supercharged versions had 240-260HP - all were 2V engines to the best of my knowledge.
Would be a fun rig to cruise around the UK in, especially if you found a nice one. Not to fussed about RHD here, I really don’t mind that much on a car that I would never commute in, but probably a UK tour in one would be the most sensible option, since shipping to the US is a pain.
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> someassemblyrequired
01/16/2020 at 09:19 |
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Yeah any of those would make an MGB fly :) the NA ones are quite similar to what the MGB V8s were making back in the day (without any further tuning of course).
Yeah I figure you’d want to make sure it’s a car for you before going to the effort of shipping one over. I think the earliest ones were 1995 so you’ll be fishing around in a limited pool to meet US import laws as well. Could still get a VVC at that point though (you definitely want the VVC).
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someassemblyrequired
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/16/2020 at 09:32 |
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Ha yes - there was always more tuning... :D
I have the luxury of putting it in Canada for a few years (so can go up to 05)
, but yeah spending a bit of time with the car would be key. If I get one I’ll definitely get the VVC! Though I could also get a ZT-T too...
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> someassemblyrequired
01/16/2020 at 10:37 |
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This is true ;) being able to get a later car gives you the option of either an F or a TF as well, so you can choose whether you want regular coilsprings or the funky hydragas :)
If you can find one, you could also get a ZT-T 260 ;) RWD with a Ford modular V8. MG’s swansong, and a hell of a car :)
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someassemblyrequired
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
01/16/2020 at 10:48 |
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Having grown up on a steady diet of Abingdon, Longbridge and Coventry’s finest, hydragas is not a scary proposition...
Yeah the 260 is probably the way to go in North America, as most mechanicals are cheap and plentiful. Plus I always liked the Rover 75 to start with.