Alfashark

The layout in the back goes - Expansion/header tank connected to the main hardline that has the elbow on the end to the water pump. The black hose circled in red, comes off the thermostat housing at the back of the block and joins onto the other hardline to the front of the car.

The last of the rear-engined Skoda family, built from '79 until '91. Alloy block, cast-iron head on the 1100/1200s, all alloy on the 1300s. Extremely sensitive to any cooling system issues - Usually caused by owner neglect, as the works cars ran the stock system with no issues.

Other than your fancy EWPs, the 120/130 system is exactly like your MS-Paint masterpiece, Alex. Try looping the lines to the rear rad, and see what that gives you. Unless you've got some fancy valving in there, directing water where you need it to go, as opposed to where it wants to go will be like herding cats.

My feeling is that the system is overcomplicated - A simple rad + thermo fan up front, should be all that's needed. As per the 120/130L design, they have a very thin bleed line running from the top of the rad, along the channel in the top of the guard where the bonnet closes into, with a very small bleed tap. Even the works 130 cars ran that setup, with a rad that looks about the same dimensions as yours but with a thinner core, and using all the revs, all day long.

Since that kit's a 5 as opposed to a 5A, I take it there's some beaching gear included? I made the Revell 1/72 5A kit in about 1998, and while the molds weren't in terrible condition, the rivet detail on the upper surface of the wing was overkill - If you scaled it up, they'd have been about 6" proud of the skin.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The skill and talent out there astounds me. 1/32 Wildcat diorama...

Great to see another Beetle getting some love! As far as getting the pics to a manageable file size, open each one in your gallery and take a screenshot. Then upload the screenshot and you should be good to load up a pile with each post.

Some incredibly talented people out there. The ill-fated Edmund Fitzgerald - Presumably appearing somewhat as she did before she went under and was immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot's song.

1:35 scale... Some geezer converted the standard assortment of Tamiya soldiers into modelers.

Is this a 3.8 or the 3.6? Autodelta took the alloytec 3.2 (same core as the 3.6) to over 4L in one of their Alfa 159 projects.

Big aftermarket parts and knowledge around them too. Not too shabby stock, but angrier cams and a decent exhaust wakes them up really nicely. Old mate has an Alfetta GT and even just a bigger plenum feeding the stock Solex carbs and a muffler delete gave it a shitload more top end.

They came with a coupling to connect the crank to the driveshaft, and then on to a clutch/5-speed transaxle unit if from Giulietta/Alfetta/75. I can't see why the usual Fiat/Alfa parts bin shouldn't have everything you need to bung a conventional flywheel+clutch on it.

Also living vicariously through this thread. The old lady had one for about 2 weeks and ended up taking it back to the dealer as "It were shite" and got her 635 CSi back... The brother in law had a red one a few years ago but since he has the mechanical knowledge of a banana, when it popped some plastic cooling system components he just pushed the car off to one side and left it for a year or two - I was very close to taking a bunch of cash to him and rescuing it: If it hadn't cooked up, replace the rooted plastic parts and proceed. Or if it had, remove the dorito and replace it with something terrible such as a well built 1.9TDI. Hopefully your WOF list is very minor and you can enjoy the car over summer!

Were you driving it over the hill towards Ararimu on Saturday?

How's the compression when it's warm? Thinking you may have the reverse issue that plagued a lot of Bountys - They'd smoke like a motherfucker when cold, then when they got a bit of heat in them it stopped - Cracked heads I think in their case. Seems like something expanding when warm in your case and allowing oil to pass.

The weapon of choice for many heavily tattooed Scandinavian women in their late 20s/early 30s. They're a load-hauling lounge suite, but they sound so good and drive so well - Enjoy!

My white S110L had been painted by a previous owner in white with a brush and roller. Couldn't really tell other than a few small spots of roller texture showing at the very leading edges of the front doors down low and the trailing edge of the rear door down low.

Nicely packaged Helmholtz chambers! My Pug had a small one tucked under the inlet plenum for intake runner gains allegedly.

Or make it many times worse... A few haircuts ago I was in a mate's 120L with our patented performance exhaust - Cast manifold, downpipe into 300mm Coby, meaning the entire exhaust from the fourth port to tip was in the order of 800mm - When we happened upon a well-modded Mk2 Escort. Side by side at 70 created an absolutely brain destroying resonance.

Swing-axle life - If you think you've come in too hot, don't lift. Bury the loud pedal and keep that rear suspension loaded, left-foot brake to punch the nose in and as always, make sure your bollocks are safely tucked into the wheelbarrow you're carrying them in.

Seems like an awful lot of Barrys don't understand the fundamentals of driving something with the engine in the right place...

Maybe, just prior to the VAG takeover would make sense. 50/50 really - Time, effort, money either way just in differing amounts.

The ole 4x98 problem strikes again... I'm sure I found something else incredibly obscure that ran the same stud pattern, besides the usual Fiat/Alfa/Lancia/Lada suspects, but that was a few haircuts ago now.

Probably thin on the ground now, but 33s had a nice simple 14" pepper pot alloy, with Series 3 QVs having a 14" with "spokes" and larger teardrop shaped slots.

Thanks guys, I'll pass that on in case he doesn't check back here.