Thousand Dollar Supercar

On 15/07/2025 at 21:06, Snoozin said:

You know what helps?

Having a sheepers handy to abuse you into finishing it.

And if your car is not a Toyota, the sheepers will abuse you into selling it, which will also help. 

On 28/06/2025 at 14:09, rotormotor said:

Pretty interesting article about his  Lambo conversion.

"Nolan said the project would cost about the same as restoring the car to its original combustion engine specification."
I can't understand ditching an engine which defines an enthusiast ICE car, e.g. doing an EV conversion on the Mazda 787B in your signature, putting an LD28 in an E-Type etc. Buy a Tesla if you want a Tesla, and save the EV conversions for Citroens, Rolls Royce etc. 

On 30/06/2025 at 17:31, Doug Hill said:

Define amazingly better though

For the past two weeks I rented a Kia Stonic  with a 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine. The RAV-4 hybrid which I drive for work does not get amazingly better economy, in fact it's no better (though it is bigger and faster).

I sometimes drive 5~6h on the open road in a day, loaded up with tools and parts. If I had an EV, I would be booking extra overtime while waiting for it to charge on days like that. EVs are close to being viable though, and I've been told my next company vehicle will be an EV. 

6 hours ago, keltik said:

It's bad enough we're advocating EVs on here. To be recommending Chinese ones... Is this a step too far? 

I feel there's a depressing amount of enthusiasm for EVs on this 'oldschool' car forum, but I'm pleased to see that even Ned gets annoyed by new car tech sometimes.  
I would have thought you'd have to be special to spend $50k on a new Chinese EV, but...

1. They're everywhere 
2. You can also spend $280k on a Geely EV with a Lotus badge, perfect for Gen Z David Bowie to use as a family car. https://www.lotuscars.com/en-NZ/configurator/eletre/eletre-900-sport-carbon

41 minutes ago, 440bbm said:

Have you tried just turning the pulley by hand to check other then the click click of the key and starter sounds? 

Yeah, if Uncle Bob did start it recently after all, perhaps the engine is OK and the starter's just not working when in the car. Have you tried starting the car with the lights on? Lights dim when trying to crank engine = starter is drawing current = more likely that engine is seized.

Oldschool projects are tougher now than they were 20 years ago, when the cars were that much newer. I could still pick up parts Alfa 33s for a few hundred bucks and drive them back to my flat - I went through three of them. 

7 hours ago, yoeddynz said:

I'll never ever get that big low grunty porsche sound from a tiny 1500 cc six cylinder engine.  

Maybe. I assume the pitch of an exhaust note would be a function of pipe diameter, which should be a function of engine displacement, assuming you want to keep the gas flow speeds high for good performance... but I suppose you could still put fat pipes on a small engine to make it sound deep like a Harley... in exchange for it performing like a Harley. 

2 hours ago, mjrstar said:

I wonder what doing some funky slip on tip to go to two smaller diameter pipes might go for you.

Don't go for a cheap rolled tip like I used to have on my Alfa 33:

The rolled ends of the tips were in the path of the exhaust and I think they were responsible for adding a wooshy turbulent air noise.

7 hours ago, yoeddynz said:

This reminds me of oldschool Nats 2016, where someone brought a 911 to the track day and swapped on a manifold like that in the pits:

I don't think I knew who those guys were, and I don't know whether I still have the original footage without music over it.

Are these the stock headers from your generation of Goldwing engine?

They don't look equal length, which might mean less of a smooth / clean straight 6 sound than you're currently getting?

Here's what you do:

1. Swap the headers left and right - they'll bolt straight up and fit perfectly without fouling the crossmember (guaranteed), and the outlets will point forward
2. Run new pipes from each header to partially merge in some sort of crossover x-pipe under the engine, but offset it slightly to one side (make the blue pipe and red pipe different lengths) to vary the amount of flat 6 vs straight 6 sound
3. Put mufflers under both sides of the car alongside the engine, with exhaust outlets close enough to the ends of the bumper that the fumes get swept away
4. Put some chrome tips on so it looks staunch as 

Alternatively, I see the classic Porsche single rear muffler was a hotdog shape / cylindrical with rounded ends, which must be for a reason.. Maybe you want to avoid large flat parallel surfaces where possible, to break up standing waves / reduce resonance / for strength? I definitely know what I'm talking about because of all the exhaust fabrication I do for a day job. 

^^ The future sure looks bright - you could cut three hours off that time in a Morris Marina. 

59 minutes ago, Sc@ Chi said:

Probably why it's a 'truck', and exempt from crash test requirements in the US. 

Yes, I thought I remembered hearing something like that but couldn't find any proof. I think this is how the Cybertruck gets to exist in America, while other markets take issue with the fact it cuts through pedestrians and never needs sharpening.
https://www.jalopnik.com/1796315/nhtsa-tesla-cybertruck-test-results-pedestrian-safety/
"Because of this, the truck isn't allowed for sale in Europe, and buyers across the pond have to cover all the Cybertruck's sharp corners in rubber to pedestrian-proof the truck."

2 hours ago, shizzl said:

Yes the wingless sprint cars (6 shooters) powered by commy v6s are the hotdog class of open wheel racing. 

Apparently the meeting on New Years Day is gonna feature the Six Shooter "Predator Series". 

Is that one of these? 

On 26/12/2024 at 20:24, piazzanoob said:

I did it once in a honda odyssey at waikaraka park. Did the jalopy race going hard in the van and it stopped going on the last lap... Didnt quite get to roll over the line and it ended up being I snapped the camshaft right by the spocket. 

Not one dent and was sad I didnt make the derby haha so if I did it again I wouldn't bother doing the jalopy race.

There was an Odyssey in the derby last night. It managed to complete both jalopy races and come close to winning the derby, but something started burning underneath it. The derby was won by what looked like the remains of a Primera.

The number of entrants in the derby was fairly low compared to what I've seen in the past - only around 25 cars. Maybe some of the entrants couldn't make the rescheduling, or there was less advertising, or it's already getting hard to find suitable cars. The racing was good though - a race leader blew an engine, there were a couple of rollovers etc, and they have a whole field of cars running the Buick V6. It sounded like a herd of cattle.

Next event is the 1st of Jan, and it includes a fireworks display.

Back when I entered, they were not allowing '4WDs', presumably because they get too much traction even on a wet track, so they can hit too hard? A car-based 2WD SUV like the Nissan Cashcow could be OK on that basis.

20 minutes ago, shizzl said:

I’d be keen to give a derby a rip if I can find a suitable car.

The next one's in April, so you've got time. @sentra and @peteretep have both entered in the past, as per photo in first post.

I wonder what they're going to do with derbies now that end-of-life cars will be starting to include a lot of SUVs and EVs...

I've already done it three times.

It's more effort than you think, and assuming they're still doing jalopy racing, it kinda helps to have an engine that's running properly. I was more thinking about going along as a spectator. 

Quote

Its the last 2024 Demolition Derby time and this will have you splitting your sides with laughter as they are hell-bent on destroying each other until there is only one car moving. It will be a bumper-to-bumper race when every driver will be trying to win the title.

Plus we have an action from the Shannon Engineering Modified Challenge, Six Shooters, Saloon Masters, Super Stocks and Saloons, then ending the night with a whole lot of crashing and banging that will have you in laughs as we end it with our Demolition Derby!

Grab the family and friends then head to Prestige Pools Waikaraka Speedway for a night of exciting racing. You won't be disappointed!

Purchase your tickets online here from Eventfinda or at the gate on the night.

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/christmas-special-demolition-derby-modified-challenge/auckland/onehunga

Food is available at the venue serving up Hot Chips Chups, Hot Dogs, Burgers, Coffee, Hot Chocolate and much more are available to purchase on-site.

Children 7 years and under are free - no ticket is required!

A Gold Card Concession ticket is available for Sheepers but note ONLY at the main gate on the event day (ID required).

 

Main gate opens at 4pm. The racing starts at 7pm
https://fb.watch/wE_wunppM-/

Back in our bogan days:

9 hours ago, BiTurbo228 said:

Not sure you'd need an O2 sensor to be confident about pushing the timing forward a bit. Plenty of engines running with slightly advanced timing to no major harm. O2 sensor would let you dial that in though.

If you want to get ambitious, I have it under good authority that 3.6l AJ6s are a set of ARP rod bolts (and presumably the appropriate regrind on the cams) away from 6500rpm  

No, I was thinking that since aftermarket ECUs support O2 sensors, that would be a sensible addition for magical self-learning idle and fuel maps? I am not informed on this subject. This XJ-S is the only fuel-injected car I've ever owned.

I bet an AJ6 would feel ready to explode at 6500rpm! I hear that AJ6s have plenty of limitations that keep them from even making their quoted power, and so they have no business doing such crazy engine speeds. 

3 hours ago, yoeddynz said:

ITBs on an AJ6

"Fully rebuilt, balance & blueprinted engine with custom intake and Jenvey throttle bodies. Custom exhaust headers and system. Link engine management. Engine rebuild and setup carried out by Dyno Tuner Uk Ltd

351 BHP @ the Flywheel"

1 hour ago, BiTurbo228 said:

Hum. Crank sensors on Alfa 156s like to die in a similar way to what that sounds like. Start off by working ok when cold, but losing the top end once the engine's warmed up a bit. Then the range of revs they work at progressively shrinks until they just stop working altogether.

I know crank angle sensors are one of the first things to check under 'won't start' conditions on AJ6s. No idea how much they are these days, but might be a reasonable thing to swap around anyway.

Yes, I’ve heard that the crank angle sensors on AJ6s are known for instantly and completely dying. I can’t see anything wrong with the signal from mine though. Its pulses get a bit rapid for my oscilloscope at higher rpm, but you can still see enough detail to be fairly confident it’s OK. 
 

If I end up going with an aftermarket ECU as Bigfoot suggests, perhaps that would be a good opportunity to fit an O2 sensor and to get a bit more power via advanced timing (a common AJ6 mod was to move the crank angle sensor because the ignition timing of the factory ECU is too conservative). Lots of work and lots of learning though. Stock ECU replacement sounds easier if I can get one. 

1 minute ago, h4nd said:

  oof, whassit doing / not doing?

The spark signal from the ECU to the ignition module deteriorates with engine speed and throttle angle. The engine still runs normally in normal driving, but the ignition problem seems to be creeping further down the rev range over time.

I found a small amount of water seemed to have leaked into the ECU, and maybe that has done some damage, maybe not... The reason for involving the auto electrician is that I wanted to rule out what seemed to be electrical noise on the 12V supply / from the alternator. My oscilloscope seemed to show this noise being absent at idle but increasing as I got to the engine speeds where the misfire would begin, and I thought maybe the noise could be 'confusing' the otherwise-functional ECU. I hoped the auto sparky could tell me whether the noise was normal / could test the alternator safely without blowing its regulator or something.

I told him not to hurry, as I'm back and forward from Australia for work at the moment. I haven't checked in on him lately.

28 minutes ago, DriveBy said:

Ooh a Tesla without a personalised plate. Possibly rarer than the celica.

They all need personalised plates so the owners can tell whose is whose. Without that, the owners would all have to wander around carpark buildings blipping the 'fart' button on their Tesla app. 

PFT - a 21-year-old photo of a Thunderbird negotiating a hairpin.

14 hours ago, BiTurbo228 said:

Very brave indeed opening up some of Lucas' finest! I know the XJ40s of that era had some issues with dry solder joints in their various boards.

I opened up my dash cluster as the rev gauge wasn't working, only to be duly terrified and put it all back together again. Need to get some soldering practice on something less delicate. Oh, and discovered that the rev gauge can be 'cured' by a gentle tap on the top of the dash each time it starts, which hasn't helped motivation to get to the bottom of the issue.

My previous car was an Alfa Romeo, and the speedometer got progressively more intermittent due to a bad connection between parts of the instrument cluster. It took me years to discover that, because I had figured out a temporary solution to kick-start the speedo using a seemingly unrelated button on the dash.  

2 hours ago, kws said:

 As you've seen with the "specialists" you visited, these skills are quickly fading away as it becomes more common to just "plug it in" and read codes instead. 

I actually discussed with the fuel injection guys the fact that my Jag's ECU predates OBD1. It has a circular serial connector which you could presumably connect to your BBC Microcomputer, but once you loaded the Jaguar software from floppy disk, it would probably tell you nothing is wrong. My version of the Advanced Jaguar Six engine wasn't advanced enough to have an exhaust gas oxygen sensor for feedback, so its ECU presumably believes it's sending perfectly good pulses to the injectors and coil and everything is fine.

Edit: Also, when I went to the European car specialist, they said they didn't work on these cars much any more. I could hear the fear in the guy's voice when he asked if it was a V12, and I got the impression I'd have been turned away immediately if I'd answered 'yes'. 

There's now only one guy left in Auckland who hates himself enough to work on classic Jags for a living, and last time I checked, he had a 3-month waiting list.

2 hours ago, Sungai Sungai said:

came here to remark that you sir might be the perfect owner for any jaguar at this stage in its life cycle.

Let's not forget that I put the Jag into the wall AND the barrier because I'm Leadfoot Larry. It will only ever be a driver-grade example now, if it even survives my ownership at all. That makes it OK that I took it on grass skids at the last Nats.

24 minutes ago, Gee said:

Not sure what the component '21' is as I can't see the prefix but it looks like it has leaked...

That's actually R121 - the prefix is under the heatsink. It might be responsible for some of the rusty stuff, so I guess I should change it too. 

The way that there was a delay before the misfire would kick in at medium rpm makes it seem like the ECU is limited in the amount of power it can draw without overheating/draining/collapsing something. If it has to generate pulses too rapidly, it soon starts to drop some (one, two, miss a few, ninety-nine, one hundred!), but gentle driving is fine. I hope this is just down to a few off-the-shelf discrete components and/or dirty connections, so it's an easy fix.

On 10/07/2024 at 23:21, BlownCorona said:

I am however sick enough in the head to assume that i can build anything, so why not, how hard can it be to build a high end instrument?

My brother made this guitar using an existing neck:

He put the bridge too far out of position, which meant that even when the open strings were tuned to the correct pitch, the notes produced by fretting the strings would be sharp or flat (can't remember which). Also, something else was not quite right about the bridge mounting which would result in the tuning being thrown out if you used the whammy bar. Finally, the mounting of the neck to the body left a bit to be desired. His subsequent attempts have been more successful, and I think he has built a bass as well.

Good luck, this should be an interesting project.