Old cars

[wilsbrough]

Yeah, thats true. I used to go to all the shows n swapmeets and everyone was always on the lookout for genuine empi gear, tho i think someone bought the trade name and started making some bits again, but the quality was not all that good. I had empi rocker/head covers on my '63 notchback and a Gene Berg qucikshift... I think the Gene Berg parts are still available new these days. Tho i could be wrong as my last VW was about 6 years ago now.

[Mag00]

VW wise, I here any old air cooled 911 flat 6 will bolt right up to the air cooled VW flat 4 mounts and gearbox. The 914 entry level budget porsche was just a 911 stripped of any strip-able fripperies like A/C and fitted with a 4 from the beetle. find a 2.4, 2.7 or 3.0 porsche donk and double your beetles power

Yeah, your kinda right there, tho due to the size of the flat 6 you need serious mods to the engine bay/drive train/gearbox/rear bodywork etc to get it to work. it would be cheaper and give you just as much performance fitting a modified 2ltr out of the type 4 as that would fit much better, tho there was this guy in Sweden who fitted a 1950's oval window body shell onto a early 911 turbo Chassis and running gear... The 914 was a 1970's collaboration between Porshe and VW and was fitted with a mid engined 2ltr, tho i believe there were a few fitted with the flat 6 (916) but i'm not sure if they made it past the prototype stage. But it had a completely different body and floor plan to the 911 and all came with a removable targa roof, but there was an early version of the 911 which i think was called the 912 which began production in the early '60s and was the replacement to the 356.

Yeah the VW porsche as it was known everywhere but the USA where it was the PORSCHE 914.. marketing at it finest.. Yes the 914,at least in the US came with 1.7 1.8 and last the 2.0 liter engines.. which were also what powered the post 1971 buses.. talk about parts bin share... The 912 from 1966 used the old 356 1.6 in a decontented 911 shell. the 912 stayed in production until, i believe '69...A later 912E came out after the 914 was killed so as to offer alower price point at the PORSCHE dealer.. The new 2.0 engine was not much more than a 2 liter bus with fuel Injection.. and aPORSCHE name tag...As to the EMPI deal..EMPI was sold to Filter Dynamics in the early seventies.. after a checkered stint the name was sold ,and to this day many substandard POS parts are churned out under the once highly respected EMPI banner.. Yes Gene Berg is still in biz.. Gene died back about 1996 or so, but his Wife and son Clyde still make some damn nice parts for racing and performance street..The other two sons Doug and Gary are also heavily involved in performance VWs. Like original EMPI, many BERG parts bring more than when new... 

[maxx]

A page and a half about VW you guys need some seriose help. Lets talk some real cars. I owned a 79 Dodge Charger Daytona. 360 cubic inches of Detroit muscle.Edelbrock intake  with a Holly 650 double pumper.This car came stock from the factory with A/C cruise tilt,Electric windows.And electric seats.Everytime I drove this car.I ended up getting a ticket.Way to much car for a 18 year old kid.

74 Dodge Dart swinger 2 dr hardtop.318 bored and stroked.You stomped the gas in this car off the line.You were going to be replacing the rear end or the tranny.You eased into this one .Till it was rolling good.Then you could stomp it.And everything would hold together.

74 Chrysler New Yorker.2 door hardtop.440 big block.With a carter Afb carb 4 barrel.And dual cherry bombs.For the exhaust.You could here this car comming from a couple of miles away.I ran it up to 120 mph a couple of times across eastern Colorado.The motor wasn't even beginning to wind up.I got scared and backed out of it.The car front end would start to float.At about 100.When I drove this car around town.It would only fire on 7 cylinders.Sounded real bad.When you got it out on the highway.The last cylinder would start fireing.I finally put a hotter spark plug in that cylinder.And routed the spark plug wire away from the motor it seemed to fix it.

79 AMC Jeep J-10 this is a off shoot of what the American Military.Used in WW 2.Some of them are still in service with the forest service.It had a straight 6 cylinder called a 258.With a four speed tranny with unsynchronized gears.In first and second.And reverse.It has a Dana 60 rear end.And a Dana 40 up front.It was a 4/4 .Top speed in 4 wheel drive low is probably around six mph.It would climb anything.If you could keep at least two of the tires on the ground.I used to take it to lake Powell.And pull the big motor homes out of the sand.Its top speed in 2 wheel drive.Was about 65 mph.At 65 you were winding it real hard.

The only drawbacks these trucks had.Was that they are slow.And mine had a two barrel side draft carburetor.That would freeze up.When the temperature dropped below zero.I tried everything I could think of.To stop the carb from freezing up nothing worked.I finally figured out how to work with it.I would start it early.And wate till I could here it start missing and chocking.Then I would go out and shut it off.Then go back to it 5 minutes latter and restart it.Then it would be fine.For the rest of the day.

I had the motor rebuilt.New clutch and pressure plate.I cut out the rusted floor boards.And fabricated new ones.I took the brush guard off.And fabricated a new grill.I added fog lights to the front bumper.And re arched the springs.Serviced the front differential and the rear differential with new seals and new lube oil.I Pulled out the bench seat.And put in bucket seats and center counsel.Out of a Eddie Bauer Ford bronco.Rebuilt the carburetor.put in a new fuel pump.I did the body work.And painted it back to it's original two tone paint job.Chocolate brown on top.And white on the sides.I replaced the floorboards rubber mat.And added insulation in the floors.And under the hood.And installed better looking wheels and tires.I added a pull switch to the heater box.If you pulled it back the warm air would go to the windshield.If you pushed it in.It would put the hot air on the floor.After I added the insulation.I would drive around with the temperature selector.in the middle.And the vent in the floors opens about half way.Because it would get to hot in the truck.In the middle of winter.

This AMC jeep is really something.I drove it 300 miles threw the Colorado Rockies.In a raging Blizzard.I drove the whole way.With it locked in 4 high.It wouldn't run faster then 45 mph.In 4 high.This Jeep never spun a wheel.On any of the mountain passes.I stopped on the East side of Wolfe creek pass.And filled up with gas.When I popped the hood.The top of the motor was coverd with snow.I raked the snow off the motor.Restarted the motor.And it just purred away.It took me 8 hours to drive 300 miles.But I made it.And the jeep never gave me any problems.

Three weeks ago I tried to drive my 2005 GMC 1/2 ton 4/4  over the same roads.Thiere was just enough snow.To cover the rd.So thiere was probably 3 inches.I locked it in 4 low.It tried to jump off the mountain side.So I turned back east..Then ran south  into New Mexico.And tried to cross the Rockies just west of Taos.Same thing locked it in 4 low..It spun all the way over one pass.And almost left me and the family stranded in a blizzard.On the second mountain.Finally got it unstuck.And drove back to Taos New Mexico.And got a hotel. The Rd was still snowy the next mourning.So I ran south again almost to Santa Fe New Mexico.Before I turned west.And then turned North to get home.2 days spent trying to get home.My jeep would of climbed thoose mountain passes no problem.That GMC wouldn't.

To be fair to the GMC.It is a true highway truck.It has highway gears in the rear end.It will run 100. before the computer shuts it down.The Tac shows the motor turning about 3,000 rpm at 100 mph. So I know it will run faster.If the computer didn't shut it down.I can kick the gas peddle to the floor.And it will push you back in the seat.It has a better ride then the jeep.And better stereo,heater, A/c

[Vince G]

Talk about the old Jeeps reminded me of racing ON Lake George. Most of them were jeeps but there were other 4 wheelers. Even thou I had my 4 wheeler there I didn't race. Instead I was racing around on a snow mobil. Photos attached / That large dot on the left is me. Hope to get the other photos attached.



OK put as many photos as I can. There's the two Lake George photos. My 72 Bronco I rebuilt the motor on. Reminds me of the early jeeps. My 78 Bronco this one was fun. The two VW's I had. The Rabbit (later called the Golf) and the van I mentioned before. In that photo is the chevy 427 I was going to put in but changed my mind, thinking the engine torque might twist the frame when the front wheels came off the ground.     There's also my Jag XKE I rebuilt the engine on (long story). And the 71 Mustang, my street racer. It was called a sleeper because it looked like nothing special but if you really looked you'd see the goodies and realize it's not stock. Just below the lic plate you can see the Moroso label on the 10 qt oil pan. Many other car photos but I have to scan in all the photos.... so?

[shaun]

Ah but Maxx you do not understand the culture of the VW's.  For many of us it was the first car we owned. I owned a '68 Fastback Mustang, a '72 Gran Torino that looked exactly like the Starsky & Hutch car only green, a '63? Chrysler 300F with a 440 Ram air inducted Hemi, '50 Chevy Pickup (Still kick myself in the pants for ever getting rid of), '61 Karmann Ghia, several different kinds of cars including VW's.

But the sound of a VW with a header and a glass pack makes my hear skip a beat almost, but not quite, as much as Peggy's does.

[Pineau]

This is a pair of 64 Galaxie 500's ready for a ground up restoration. They both run and will set you back in the seat. (especially the blue one). But alas Jing and the home owners association forced me to sell them for practically nothing.
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_003.jpg
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_004.jpg
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_005.jpg
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_006.jpg

[shaun]

Gerry nice projects.  It is a shame you had to get rid of them.  You reminded me that I had a 64 Galaxie 500 years ago too.  When I run across my pictures I'll scan them in and post them here.  They are in storage.  Maybe someday.  It is great that we have some old car nuts on this site.  You know, Chinese women, old cars, and good beer...    wait a minute...   I don't drink! 

[Kiwi303]

  wait a minute...   I don't drink! 

Don't worry, I'll have your share of the booze

[JamesMarvin]

Hi all,

On this subject, I'm about to buy a 2004 Mustang ragtop here in Germany. Its bright yellow and I love it. Its stored in my barn and the woman that owns it moved to the States and wants to sell it. So I told her that first of Feb. I would buy it. ANYWAY to make a long story short, my question is if I was to move to China would I be able to import it with me?

Thanks,

JIM in Germany

[wilsbrough]

Maybe if you drove it there you might get around any possible import charges, and it would be one hell of a road trip.....! Ps, if you need anyone to ride shotgun...

[maxx]

That would be a hell of a rod trip.I wouldn't think it would be a big deal to import it to China.The problem once you get it thiere is going to be the drivers license.Last I heard the Chinese don't give the driving test in English.And China doesn't recognise a international drivers licence.So you have a nice car in China.That all you can do is look at.Or have your wife/girlfriend drive it for you.

[JamesMarvin]

Hi all!

A road trip from Bavaria to Beijing, now that's an idea! That would be, what, around 6,000 miles? My pony gets 12L to the 100km. I bet I could airmail it there cheaper!

About the DL, that could be a problem. BUT about 10 or 15 years ago when they opened the first VW factory in China, the VW company in Germany was selling driving trips thru China. You started in Beijing and went to someplace forgot now. But the price included the use of a new Chinese VW and a Chinese DL was given to you at the start. 

Jim

[Paul Todd]

Last September I think it was the Chinese government brought out a new law, which states that you can now only import new cars into China. My wife wanted a Mini and I was looking into bringing one over that was maybe 2 years old, so that idea didn't work 

[Kiwi303]

Everything I have read on eChinacities and other places is the chinese govt is working as hard as they can to limit by any and all means the proliferation of cars in China. Taxes, import restrictions, manatory obsolescence crush dates and anything that will dissaude people from buying cars.

A Nissan 370Z in china costs the same as it's big brother the Nissan GTR does here in NZ... A $20,000 NZD stickered on the showroom floor Hyundai in NZ, costs over $35,000 NZD in China when converted from RMB on the Chinese showroom floor to NZD. I hear there is now a 10 yr old personal use law which means on a privately owned cars 10th birthday the govt can seize and crush it, leaving the owner with the need to buy another heavily taxed replacement. Anything to keep cars off the roads without causing a revolt by the status seeking new middle class who see the car as meaning status.