"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
07/30/2014 at 16:49 • Filed to: None
13
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"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
07/30/2014 at 16:49 • Filed to: None | 13
| 32 |
Hi, I'm Tucker & I'm an autoholic. I work on German cars in CA and work on race cars professionally when I can get time off work. When not working, mountain bikes & trailbuilding are my thing. I like writing, and have some cool stuff to share so I look forward to contributing to Oppo! Here's a pic of a couple of kickass NSU TT's I took at the 'Ring during the 24H weekend for your trouble, I'll do a photodump later.
Big thanks to 505turbeaux for requesting authorship, and $kaycog for approving it!
HammerheadFistpunch
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 16:51 |
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welcome. Always nice to have more Mt. Bikers. Were are you located?
505Turbeaux
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 16:52 |
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my pleasure, and welcome. TFritch let me bounce all kinds of Benz W210 questions off him, and had a ton of knowledge on the subject!
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 16:53 |
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I think somebody needs to make a collection featuring a Singer Chamois, an NSU TT, and a Corvair, and have them all painted the same.
ttyymmnn
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 16:53 |
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Congratulations. You're hired. Can you start right away?
treesmakewater
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 16:56 |
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welcome! You said that you work on German cars, what manufacturer and time period is your favorite? On a side note, too bad I live on the other coast, I could always use some more people to bike with.
twochevrons
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/30/2014 at 17:00 |
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It's a bit bigger, and has the engine in the wrong place compared to the others, but you could add the Mk1 Triumph 2000 to that list, too:
The man in the iron mask
> treesmakewater
07/30/2014 at 17:00 |
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Right its always better to ride in group.
If you had an accident in the woods, and you're alone well, thats bad.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> twochevrons
07/30/2014 at 17:03 |
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The later rebodied VW 1600 would be a good candidate to add to the Rear Engine Four-Headlight Idiot Brigade. Maybe the Triumph can be the wacky uncle of the family.
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twochevrons
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/30/2014 at 17:09 |
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And for a bit of Japanese weirdness, the Hino Contessa:
PatBateman
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 17:11 |
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Welcome. Now please remove your wallet from your back pocket and turn around.
*pulls out fraternity paddle*
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> twochevrons
07/30/2014 at 17:13 |
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And the Skoda 110LS.
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RallyWrench
> HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2014 at 17:18 |
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Thanks! San Luis Obispo, otherwise known as SLO. Lots of good riding here.
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RallyWrench
> 505Turbeaux
07/30/2014 at 17:19 |
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Thanks man!
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RallyWrench
> The man in the iron mask
07/30/2014 at 17:20 |
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I've done that, and yes it is.
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treesmakewater
> The man in the iron mask
07/30/2014 at 17:28 |
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whenever I don't bring someone with me, I go on "busy" days
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RallyWrench
> treesmakewater
07/30/2014 at 17:32 |
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Favorite manufacturer is time period dependent. I've always loved 911s, but have never owned one and they're now all out of my reach. I own a 68 BMW 2002, one of my all time favorite cars. I've had lots of other BMWs over the years, so i guess that'd be my favorite.
As to eras, the Germans have built good cars throughout so hard to pick. There aren't many cars I still like after working on them, and the most cars i still like were built either before 1973 or from 1980 to 2003 or so. I'm a child of the 80s, so lots of cars i like from that era.
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RallyWrench
> PatBateman
07/30/2014 at 17:33 |
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Braced & waiting!
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RallyWrench
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/30/2014 at 17:34 |
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I concur!
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RallyWrench
> twochevrons
07/30/2014 at 17:36 |
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My 64 Lancia coupe has the engine in the wrong place too, but I'll include it in the 4 Headlight Idiot Brigade as well. It's already painted white!
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RallyWrench
> ttyymmnn
07/30/2014 at 17:40 |
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Yep!
Your boy, BJR
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 17:49 |
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If Turbo vouches for you we'll get along just fine. I'm Benjamin. I'm into Cadillacs. Welcome.
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RallyWrench
> Your boy, BJR
07/30/2014 at 17:54 |
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Sweet! Love me some CTS-V, and I really want to test and evaluate an ATS so I can see myself how it compares to all the 3 series BMWs, C-class MBZ, and Audi A4s I work on but don't really want to recommend to people.
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Your boy, BJR
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 18:00 |
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in short, it's better (not due to my personal bias, but I genuinely think it is.) in long, I was a valet for awhile and have driven pretty much every German vehicle from the past 10 years. The ATS feels more nimble, and I personally like both the Cadillac flair and swagger (which a lot of people mistake for gaudiness) on the interior and exterior styling- also, badge engineering, probably everybody's biggest complaint on GM products, means it shares bits with cheaper cars meaning maintenance wise it'll be cheaper to run.
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RallyWrench
> Your boy, BJR
07/30/2014 at 18:22 |
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That's why I hate recommending late model 3's, C's, and A4's, because I know that people will have to see me way too often. Good cars dynamically, but I can't recommend them in good faith, unless they promise to get a good extended warranty. Kind of a conflict of interest.
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treesmakewater
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 19:19 |
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I like the cars in the 70s-80s best as far as styling (the rs2 and rs6 avants are my favorites though). The only non Audi/vw that I have driven so far (I'm only 18) was a E39 M5. I like my car less and less (things keep breaking). Stupid 2000 audi transmission and electrical problems..
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RallyWrench
> treesmakewater
07/30/2014 at 19:39 |
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I actually got to drive a real RS2 Avant years ago. Dream car, for sure. I'm always on the hunt for a 95.5 S6 Avant, someday I'll have one. It'd be the coolest family sleeper I can think of. I'm a total Audi dork too, BTW. I've owned a couple & still have my LeMons 4000CSQ.
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treesmakewater
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 21:57 |
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My a6 is my second car (I sold my Tacoma senior year) I'm currently deciding if I like it enough for an o1e swap. If I sell it I might have to try a late 80s 944. I don't really need AWD anyway since it snows once every 2-4 years where I live. I've never seen an Audi made before 1998 in person, but the 4000s do like nice in pictures. BTW I'm so jealous about that rs2.
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RallyWrench
> treesmakewater
07/30/2014 at 23:02 |
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I've had several Toyota trucks & loved them all, nice first rig.
The only A6 that's worth an 01E swap is a 4.2, IMO. If it's a 2.8 or 2.7tt, just sell it & find one of those with a stick, they're out there. 01Es & their attendant parts are expensive, and you can get a whole car for not much more than the trans & swap would cost in many cases. Turbos on the 2.7s are a bitch, though. Engine out.
944s are cool, particularly the S2. The '86-up cars have vastly better interiors. The single cam cars just don't have enough power, and the 951 turbos are no fun to work on. Clutches aren't as bad as everyone says, just time consuming. Wonderful chassis though, I've always enjoyed them.
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treesmakewater
> RallyWrench
07/30/2014 at 23:42 |
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My a6 is the 4.2. Too bad its near impossible to find a clean 944 where I live. That s2 engine bay= sex. I haven't done too much reasearch in the engine comparisons (besides turbo vs non turbo) but I really do not like the interior on the early 944s. The deciding factor for the swap for me is if I feel like I can do all/most of the work myself. I've never done any work with a clutch (I did help a friend replace his auto with a rebuild for his f-body). There are no euro specialists shops in my area so I would have to bring my car at least 200 miles to a good shop (heck if I do it myself I still have to mail my ecu to a tuner).
After typing all of this I realized how long it was, sorry.
sdwarf36
> twochevrons
07/30/2014 at 23:44 |
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Welcome.
I actually had a NSU as a field car. It was my fathers-gave up on it once the floor pan started to seperate from the rest of the body. Typical New England rust.
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RallyWrench
> treesmakewater
07/31/2014 at 00:37 |
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No worries, I'm not a tl;dr guy, and I'm too old to say anything meaningful in 140 characters or less.
If you're comfortable with the packaging on a late F-body, you can work on the A6, with the right tools. Removing & installing the trans is the easy part. Limited access, and the transmissions are large & unwieldy, but just nuts & bolts when you get down to it. You do need to drop the front subframe (with suspension attached) to gain access to the lower bellhousing bolts & have enough room to move the engine & trans around, so you have to hang the engine from the top. Doing the pedal cluster & shifter will be harder.
I'd expect most shops to estimate 20 hours of labor or more, so maybe $2k+ just in labor. A good 01E is worth a couple grand, clutch & flywheel about a grand to $1500, and so on. It'd be easy to spend over $5k if you're paying for the work. Not trying to discourage you, but that's what it is. Cool car nonetheless. If I were you, I'd try to keep that and find a decent 944 on the cheap, maybe one that needs some cosmetics, and run that as your fun car. If you need help finding one, CA Craigslists are your friend. $2500 or less, all day. If cheap 944s were water, California wouldn't have a drought.
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> RallyWrench
07/31/2014 at 06:23 |
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Duuude, I love those little NSUs :) very cool cars