turning point on my life happiness graph

[chris p]

OK - so technically I don't actually own it .....

CP w RB6.jpg

[heathen]

Yeah but with that grin Chris it sure looks like you do.

I agree Myles as long as it has 2 wheels and stays upright then they are all good. The Buells are a bloody great bike but it kept breaking engine mounts and had all sorts of other design issues but the sound of the things and the torque is insane. All probs solved but they stopped making them, soooo if we can't find another one as a spare then if it breaks it's had it.

6 speed and race kit in the spider would be sweeet.

[Ausrock]

Late '72 I was looking at a then current, but near new Spyder but made a smart decision and opted for a 12 month old XU-1 instead. The less smart decision was to trade it in a couple of years later on a new HQ V8..........not that there was anything wrong with the V8, I ended up having a love affair with Holden V8's that lasted almost 30 years............I realised too many years too late just how much fun the XU-1 really was.

Unfortunately, various experiences have confirmed that cars of Anglo/Euro origins are invariably piles of s*#t............usually wonderful when they're going but constantly problematic

[Milo]

I tend to disagree: I have had 14 Alfas, and only one was a classified lemon. My GTV coupe turns 40 next year, and its never let me down to the extent where I couldn't fix it enough to get me home.
I bought an Alfetta in Melbourne in the 90's for $1,000, subsequently drove it from Melbourne to Perth, back to Adelaide, Adelaide to Brisbane, Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne-Sydney, not a hiccup.
The famous 'electrics' are always due to a bad earth. A case of this on the left front parking light took out my fuel gauge, the generator light worked in reverse, and putting the left indicator on flashed the brake lights .
Of course, the rust is a different matter, but you can blame the Russians for that one

[audioio]

Of course, the rust is a different matter, but you can blame the Russians for that one

I thought we had to blame the Italian unions for that. Lamborghini used to ship their bodies to Switzerland for proper treatment!

[anj]

well Ive almost sold all my labor of love and passion...my recording gear.....now will be getting a small home setup just for me so i can start up my original affair with music...recording myself and making music for me
Anyway now that I have some cash after some massive losses from selling my gear....just had to winge
I can finish restoring my ZA fairlane 500...back to metal respray
does anyone know where I can get some bits and pieces for these beasts...I especially need hood lining in green and some green vinyl for my center arm rest....the place that I got the rest of my new old stock trim carpet etc. has run out.
It sucks having a rarer coulour its been madness trying to find what I need...while im at it i need kick panels in you guessed it green!!!!!
ive tried forums the usa and still no luck?
oh did i mention ive got a 2" tape machine for cheap on ebay oh yeah and a mint amek angela is up there too.

[headman]

"I thought we had to blame the Italian unions for that. Lamborghini used to ship their bodies to Switzerland for proper treatment!". I think it was the Russian steel cured in salt water (what were they thinking), imported by the Italians, that caused rust in Alfettas, GTV's, 33's and Suds in the 80's.
The Cold War never would have got going if the West had know about the abysmal work practices in the USSR. The CIA probably did but it never filtered through to Milan.
Thankfully all new Alfa's are not rust prone at all, and old ones can be cured. By the way, I've seen many rusty Holdens, Falcons and Chrysler's from the same period that are covered in rust. I admit it, I see the world through clover leaf coloured glasses.

headman

[heathen]

Even the new fords and holdens are prone to rust in certain areas and depending on where you live, I always make sure I buy country cars then bring em down here to finish their final years rusting away. Anyhow now I have a garage not too many worries there.

Fords new superchared V8 is killer, can't wait to get my hands on one of those in 5 or 10 years time.

[rick]

I cannot see how our new spider is going to rust anytime soon
it's mostly made of fiberglass plastic and leather with some tyres and a very pretty looking engine that appears to be made of a shiny alloy

[heathen]

Yeah same with my XR6, nice alloy engine and mostly plastic body kit, but...... my bro in law who is an exceptional mechanic says it's the places where plastic meets metal that causes the probs, dirt and all sorts of crud get stuck between and is abrasive, wears through the paint and well.............. I found a few minor spots like that on my car, I just put some touch up paint on and check them occasionally. He was right though, up under all the skirts and everything first time I hosed it out all sorts of junk came out like leaves and dirt. Clean as new now.

Spider may be better made than the ford, hmmmm actually sure of it. I always hope when buying a car it's not a Friday afternoon build.

[Ausrock]

I cannot see how our new spider is going to rust anytime soon

No, rust mightn't be a problem and as long as they've done their homework on composites you may be OK for a while.