bastomatic wrote: Megasquirt would indeed be a great upgrade on these. The OE carbs have been known to warp on the shelf in the original boxes, and heaven knows most folks aren't comfortable with the complicated carbs Mercedes employed at the time.
Especially given that "most folks" in this case included "most Mercedes techs in the last 25 years".
In reply to 93EXCivic: In reply to BoxheadTim:
Oh, believe me, I'm well-aware of what's going to be underneath. I'm just thinking that these days, even nicer MGBs and the like are gonna need just as much cutting and welding, and you could basically drop that fiberglass body on a totally new chassis and drivetrain if you really wanted. How cool would it be with some sort of reasonably powerful, light, modern motor in there? Maybe an F22 from an S2000 or an SR20 or something.
Or, for the car most likely to catch on fire in the history of the universe, a turbo 13B.
ddavidv wrote:ahutson03 wrote: I split DD duty between my 63 Cooper S and my ae86, I have no complaints about either one. The Cooper actually gets used most out of two. I don't know why more people don't do it.Because where I live, simply parking my Mini outside for a few days causes it to rust. They are made of the steel equivalent of paper mache. If I lived in another climate, I would drive nothing but classics. I just can't stand to see them crumble living where I do.
I live by the ocean, rust doesn't scare me i've already replaced every panel on mine once I'm sure I'll do it again sometime. I just keep my welding cart parked right off the nose of the mini, I think that scares the rot away.
i could jump in my belair and DD it if i wanted. it's the most reliable vehicle i own.
otherwise i'd prefer a 71-72 chevelle wagon or el camino.
My daily
It is the only one in that picture that still lives here AND currently runs (Biturbo and Montero are here but don't currently run)
in no particular order:
Karman Ghia, BMW 2002, Fiat X1/9, MGB, Classic Mini, Datsun 510, MG Magnete,
Been pretty much daily driving my 1979 Civic CVCC for the last 5 years. Love $10/week gas.
Before I sold my 1980 rabbit truck I did 12000 miles a year in it. When I wasn't driving it I was driving a 84 GTI. I actually sd the Boxster because the GTI was more stimulating to drive. I know those two don't quite make your pre-80 prerequisite but they are pretty close.
I feel like if I didn't have the mini a 2002 would be the perfect daily, it was actually what I was looking for when I picked up the mini as a project. Also, at the same time I was dd'ing a 914 so I've never been the most practical person...
I love that X1/9. Then again I love Fiats, and orange is my favorite color. I daily drove a 124 Spider from age 17 to 18 (totalled, sadly). Then I daily drove my Lancia Beta Zagato. Well, as daily as a car like that could run.
Aside from the Exxie, I'd really dig this sweet '75 Rolls Silver Shadow on BaT:
I know it's thirsty, odd choice of color, but it's classy and successful.
In the same vein, a Jag XJ6/12C would be high on my list:
Gorgeous looks, swank interior, nice to drive, and the reliability issues can be sorted. As cool as it would be to drive a V12, I think my ownership preference would be for an I6 with a stick.
BAMF wrote: In the same vein, a Jag XJ6/12C would be high on my list:
That is a beautiful car.
Its been my experience that Mercedes Benz was almost never concerned with fuel efficiency. The mentality appears to have been, "if you can afford our car, you certainly can afford the gas." I've owned huge American land yachts that got more miles to the gallon than my tidy 450SL. Don't get me wrong, I love driving the 450SL, but man, 14 mpg (on premium, no less) gets old after a while.
mguar wrote: I would love to own a Morris Minor woody. 35+mpg, a 2 door woody, darn simple to maintain, cheaper than dirt to own. There are still a lot of rust free woodies out there and whoile the wood might have seen better days there is a company in England that will sell you a complete wood kit sides doors etc.. for less than 1600 pounds.. The disk brakes from a sprite bolt on you can swap in a 1275 for real sporty performance, Real knock off wire wheels like from a MGB make the car ultra cool..
I would love a Minor with 1275 and the K-series head swap.
FWIW, I DD'ed both a 1968 Spitfire and a 1972 MGB roadster back in the 80's (obviously not at the same time!) and while they were fun, the lack of A/C in the Deep South is a real problem. It's tough rolling up somewhere, getting out and the back of your shirt/seat of your pants are wet with sweat. Wimmenfolk tend to look at you funny...
Also, the wipers in both cars were at best crappy. That's odd, what with the cars coming from a country known for rain. Hell, the Spitfire had only single speed wipers! The Jensen Healey has better wipers but not by a whole lot. Unfortunately, the 1970's wipers overall were not very good, regardless of the country of origin although the 1978 Plymouth Arrow I had was WORLDS better than anything else I had owned, including a Mustang II and Pinto. That's probably my single biggest concern about DD'ing a classic, the crappy wipers of the time.
Curmudgeon wrote: FWIW, I DD'ed both a 1968 Spitfire and a 1972 MGB roadster back in the 80's (obviously not at the same time!) and while they were fun, the lack of A/C in the Deep South is a real problem. It's tough rolling up somewhere, getting out and the back of your shirt/seat of your pants are wet with sweat. Wimmenfolk tend to look at you funny... Also, the wipers in both cars were at best crappy. That's odd, what with the cars coming from a country known for rain. Hell, the Spitfire had only single speed wipers! The Jensen Healey has better wipers but not by a whole lot. Unfortunately, the 1970's wipers overall were not very good, regardless of the country of origin although the 1978 Plymouth Arrow I had was WORLDS better than anything else I had owned, including a Mustang II and Pinto. That's probably my single biggest concern about DD'ing a classic, the crappy wipers of the time.
My DD Civic's A/C is dead and I drove it last summer in 'bama with dead A/C. I have never understood somethings about British cars. Britain is an island where it rains a lot and so they build cars that rust with no encouragement, leak, have crappy wipers and seem to randomly decide not to run when it rains. 
Although the wipers are easy to fix. RainX FTW.
mguar wrote: I would love to own a Morris Minor woody. 35+mpg, a 2 door woody, darn simple to maintain, cheaper than dirt to own. There are still a lot of rust free woodies out there and whoile the wood might have seen better days there is a company in England that will sell you a complete wood kit sides doors etc.. for less than 1600 pounds.. The disk brakes from a sprite bolt on you can swap in a 1275 for real sporty performance, Real knock off wire wheels like from a MGB make the car ultra cool..
There's an aqua one around the corner from my new house. The same guy also has a early Midget with a white top etc. I need to stop and pester him sometime.
Curmudgeon wrote: the lack of A/C in the Deep South is a real problem.
I kinda have this problem with the 911 coupe in the north - it gets hot a berkeley in there in the summer with no AC. Showing up everywhere with swamp ass or wind burn (or both when it's muggy) is not endearing.
At least when you get off a bike people understand why you look like a hot mess with poor hygene. They don't really expect it otherwise.
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