Seen tons of these floating around for silly money. I remeber when they was fresh out and wanted one. Might get one and tidy it up, someone slap me in the face if this is a bad idea.
There is just something I love about them. Always had a soft spot for them. I would've got one but at the time new house, kids, newborn on the way there was no such money about. I'm interested in getting another car if not just to tinker around with and fix up, got a little free time.
what do you lot reckon.
MkI or MkII?
MkIs rot quicker than an Alfa Sud.....
Dwfinitely the MkII.
I'd look for something more interesting.
Maybe. Do you have anything in mind ?
If you want to tinker, you want something a lot older and less complex than an MR2.
Capri, Manta, Alfa GTV..... all mechanically simple cars but fun to drive.
Then unless you get a turbo with some suspension work, they are lardy=20 slow and bloaty. Still handle OK, but no finesse and the bad as well as=20 the good points of mid-engined.
Turbos were all imports, a lot of the non-turbos imports were autos.
The Mk2 Generation3 turbos are the ones to go for, but all the Mk2=20 turbos aren't bad. The 3S-GTE is a solid motor but can get oil thirsty (my GT4 had the same=20 motor) but as long as you keep it topped up, it will keep running and=20 drinking it.
Toyotas are rock solid build quality wise and the dealer can get most=20 parts at a premium. cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk can find a most things=20 cheaper. takakaira.com can get modding and tuning parts if you wanted to=20 play, and will pull out a lot of the stops to avoid customs asking=20 stupid expensive questions.
--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:
Hows this one grab you
BTW, solid nearside wing mirrors are like hens teeth. I paid £50 for a NOS one.
Parts wise, there's tons around, plenty of modifications, a good range of specialists and a good range of forums. They share many of the mechanics of a MK2 Essie so a lot of the Essie mods fit.
Make sure you see them before you bid/buy.
Main points to check are:
Rot:
Strut tops. Inner wing near bonnet hinges. Front of wings above headlights and around side of headlights. Passenger side mirror. Lip across front of bonnet. A posts, mainly drivers side (seems to be the first to go) where it curves at bottom of windscreen and near sill - if it's rotted on the A post, WALK AWAY. Rear arches. Lower rear quarters Rear chassis legs - again, plated OK but rotten, walk away.
Mechanics: Wobbling on braking - usually worn TCA bushes. £15 a side for parts. On 2.8i with LSD (1985 on), banging on cornering. Means they've not added the Ford LSD Additive - it costs £15. Rear diff cover for oil leaks - they rot. Handbrake. Overheating/signs of water coming out of expansion tank on 2.8i's. Knocking on rear suspension - usually spring bushes. Parts cheap but a pain to do. Many 2.8's seem to have heavier steering when turning right compared with turning left. There doesn't seem to be an adequate explanation why that's been found yet but every one I've had has been the same. A replacemtn rack is around £150.
Interior: Cracked parcelshelf - most will be by now if original. Cracked dashboard top - again, many are now. Worn leather on recaros around kidney height on the front seats - most are now.
Money wise, you 'll get a decent V6 needing a little work for around £1500. A good one is £2000+ Knock about £500 off for the 2L.
It's worth considering a 1600. There's some really good ones dirt cheap and the 2L engine is a straight bolt in swap. You're looking around £100 for a 2L engine S/H or £800 for a good recon.
Fantastic post, I've printed that out. Time to find some enthusiast forums and read up and google a bit of history and finally beat the bushes for a nice straight one.
I aprreciate the post, its given me the movtivation to get cracking :-)
You ideally want a 2L rear diff as well though.
Registration fee although there's a 2 week free trial:
FUCK NO. Stick with the 1600 diff. The 3.77:1 compared to 3.44:1 diff ratio gives far better acceleration, which helps to give it something near a 2.8, and there seems to be no trade off in fuel economy and mine seems happy blatting up the motorway at 70MPH doing just over 3000 RPM.
It's like the V6's. To get the acceleration that they really should have, instead of the lethargic standard the motorway crusing 3.07:1 diff ratio gives, you get a 2L axle, pop the backplate and driveshafts out of a 2.8 one and put them in the 2L. Knocks 3 seconds off the 0-100 time and results in an extra 500RPM @ 70MPH.
If you want to see what fun you can have with an old Ford, and see what your money will get you, there's the Classic Ford show at Santa Pod on the 10th June. Drag racing, drifting, rally stage, show cars, autojumble, vehicle sales - all sorts.
Thanks again, looks like I have a lot of interesting reading to do :)
Oh nice, not to far from me. Bookmarked.
What are the specs of you carpi \ any photos of "her" :)
Looking very nice indeed
Fingers crossed I'm taking it to CF show and putting it on the Capri Power stand if I cna persuade the missus to let me off helping her parents move house for the day.
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