Practically Classics Forum

Hands up how many of you still run your cars on 4*?

Do it! If that's what you want then there is no reason why not to.

We were having a discussion the other day about thinks you like doing to your old cars, and I'm at the stage where I'd prefer to just drive them, despite currently sorting mine for a respray, so I'm all for electronic points etc so you're not constantly cleaning and adjusting points carbs etc.

I suspect suffolkpete may not have appreciated the "If" in "If I wanted a more powerful car". I was meaning more in the terms that I already had the "ideal" classic car and found it lacking rather than buying a car with the intention of making a hot rod or drag machine. My thoughts were say a lowlight Minor that never set the world on fire (even when new). So, if I already had a lowlight and decided to put a 1275 engine and gearbox in, it might be the ideal car (I liked the looks of the lowlight more than the later ones with the boring dashboards!). However, I would make sure that the suspension and brakes were able to perform safely - not to make a racing car, but to have the reassurance that I could stop quickly and safely if I needed to!

I agree with his comments about potential "problems" if some of the proposals became law, but is the "250HP Mini Clubman" that I saw on eBay a sensible mod for the chassis/suspension? The proposals may spoil a relatively simple mod (say 1100 Escort fitted with 1300 engine), but it might keep a few potential death traps off the road. I'm minded of a young lad who had a diesel Corsa (or Nova) into which he'd shoehorned a larger engine (2 litre petrol Cavalier I think). I gather he used the diesel's drive shafts. Unfortunately, he was killed when the car left the road on a curve just after coming off a motorway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Mini- ... 1e7e5f4e26

I also remember a PC staff car - a Capri with a V8 engine. I wonder how practical that was (apart from fuel costs!). Those sorts of mods were in "Hot Car" in the 60s and 70s and that mag died a sudden death for some reason! It had been a good magazine in its earlier days and had interesting, relatively simple, suggestions for tweaking and not too radical tuning (eg 1 1/2" SU on a Mini being better than 2 x 1 1/4s). Stuff that PC readers might have found interesting and useful rather than "Custart Cart's" radically modified machines!

tractorman wrote:I also remember a PC staff car - a Capri with a V8 engine. I wonder how practical that was (apart from fuel costs!).

I remember that car - Will Holman's aim was to recreate the South African market 'Perana' (sp?) model. It used a Ford engine/box and the whole thing looked to have been done properly.

And that is the point - do it properly. Whatever the vehicle, performance upgrades to the engine should be preceeded by upgrades to brakes and suspension. Fitting EFI is not necessarily all about performance, though, but perhaps the owner will be concentrating on driveability, reliability, economy etc.

Richard Moss wrote:

tractorman wrote:I also remember a PC staff car - a Capri with a V8 engine. I wonder how practical that was (apart from fuel costs!).

I remember that car - Will Holman's aim was to recreate the South African market 'Perana' (sp?) model. It used a Ford engine/box and the whole thing looked to have been done properly.

And that is the point - do it properly. Whatever the vehicle, performance upgrades to the engine should be preceeded by upgrades to brakes and suspension. Fitting EFI is not necessarily all about performance, though, but perhaps the owner will be concentrating on driveability, reliability, economy etc.

Yes. That car was a very well executed replica of the Perana (if your spelling wasn't right then neither is mine). I saw it at the NEC show and it had none of the telltale signs of something that hadn't in fact left the factory exactly as it was presented.
In a sense, that conversion was more like fitting a 1098 and late Minor 1000 brakes to an 803cc car than it was to fitting a 1275 to a Minor as the former was simply to replicate the later car where the latter was to create something that the factory didn't build. Even if they should have.

wasnt it a South african spec car? or am i thinking of something else?

rich. wrote:wasnt it a South african spec car? or am i thinking of something else?

It started as a 3L mk1 I believe - UK car i think.

were the south african spec cars a 5 litre v8 & thats what he was trying to recreate??

rich. wrote:were the south african spec cars a 5 litre v8 & thats what he was trying to recreate??

All you need to know

http://www.perana.org/

TerryG wrote:Hands up how many of you still run your cars on 4*?

According to the Green Bible I can run mine on stuff like 70ish octane if I retard the ignition enough.
IIRC some 6 cylinder Landrovers have been run on kero when out in the bush and nothing else was available. Probably ran like the result of an illicit liason between a slug on mogodon and a bag of spanners mind you