Bruce K Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 16 minutes ago, panamericano said: Well said, Bruce. So happens I had a long chat with a Morgan trike owner at C&C this morning and he sounded a lot like a Seven owner. However his interior was so beautifully trimmed I could hardly believe it. Turns out he liked so much of a similar experience as a road driven Seven. As an aside, the slant 6 Valiants did very well in Mexico against the Falcons. @panamericano- thanks! ATTACHED is a blog by the creators of the Valiant Eleven. Evidently, there was real science behind their venture. The cars used the straight six motor as a stressed chassis member, with which they created the first and probably only rigid Elevens. But this was only because of another fact: Many engines were big, heavy hunks of iron or aluminum, but WERE NOT RIGID. They experienced lots of torsional flex under duress. These motors made for horrible-handling sports cars when incorporated into the frames. The slant six was one of the first torsionally rigid motors of the modern era. In fact, it was the experiences of the Valiant Eleven men, imparted directly to Colin Chapman, that made possible his V8 DFV Indycars with engines as stressed chassis members - the cars that elevated Indy into the realm of modern motorsports: https://www.lotuseleven.org/DarkAges1/LVnotes.htm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, Bruce K said: IMO, autocross and track days are the closest most Caterhams come to authentic track competition, though they can be made into penultimate track monsters (see "CROC" on this forum). Speaking personally, racing capability was never my primary motivation regarding a Seven purchase. I was looking for that inimitable lightweight driving experience for the road. I imagine a modern Morgan trike to be a quite similar experience to a Caterham, minus a measure of traction - another ultra light-weight. Hyper-powering lightweights like Sevens by inserting heavy 6 and 8 piston motors reduces the wonderful fingertip control, the incredible chassis dynamics, the rev happiness of small oversquare four bangers, the tossability resulting from reduced mass, and the bottoming-anchor brake response. Adding pressurization to the motor, like the Cat 620R, can be a great compromise, which amps power and retains lightweight benefits. However, too much power can overwhelm a lightweight chassis - the 620R rides the razor's edge with its conventional S3 chassis - right at the limit of beneficial power. I agree - there is pleasure to be found in most motorized conveyances not appellated Trabant - I think I would have fun driving a vintage Porsche ag tractor. But we all have limited choices. For myself, light weight, proven handling, substantial power and pleasing appearance have been the determining factors in my most of sports car car purchases. . I'm impressed. We are on the same page as far as that goes. I'm also a big fan of recycling what is completely overlooked/dirt cheap. Along those lines, I'm a fan of Max Balchowsky's 1959 "Old Yeller" considering the pre-web info void. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30124/max-balchowsky-old-yeller-ii/ It's been written that Shelby employees preferred the 260 and 289 cobras and would place bets on how long a 427 would be on the road before it came back in pieces. I've driven an original "Monster Miata" and preferred to build a v6 instead, considering the engine's placement in the wheelbase (polar moment of inertia). Edited March 5, 2023 by MV8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 1 hour ago, MV8 said: I'm impressed. We are on the same page as far as that goes. I'm also a big fan of recycling what is completely overlooked/dirt cheap. Along those lines, I'm a fan of Max Balchowsky's 1959 "Old Yeller" considering the pre-web info void. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30124/max-balchowsky-old-yeller-ii/ It's been written that Shelby employees preferred the 260 and 289 cobras and would place bets on how long a 427 would be on the road before it came back in pieces. I've driven an original "Monster Miata" and preferred to build a v6 instead, considering the engine's placement in the wheelbase (polar moment of inertia). We are friends with Chuck Cantwell (original Shelby engineer) and family, his recollection is that the story as told, was a bit "off", any bets had to do with the type of buyer, not the body style of which car they purchased. Yes, the 289 roadster was/is limited by what essentially is a 205/70/15 tire size due to the lack of body flairs, while even the narrow hip 427 (and subsequent FIA small block powered race cars) afforded what is now essentially a 235/60/15 for the front and 295/50/15 for the rear. Given the tire limitations, the short wheel base of the car, power to weight ratio, it came down to the buyer/owners previous experience, as well as their attitude, cocky, demure, or otherwise. Some didn't make it out of the parking lots at the dealership they purchased the car at (unless purchasing a race car, you could not purchase directly from Shelby like in the movies, Shelby did not deal with non race customers, no matter what was written or shown)......I've owned all three body styles, and prefer the 289 FIA and 427 SC body styles for their looks, and their handling...... As for the Monster Miatas, I've now owned/built/rebuilt/restored 8 of them, everything from a stock 5.0L drivetrain, to a crazy supercharged, 347 stroker with almost 600hp at the rear wheels (unreliable and almost undriveable on the street, but a great autocrosser by it's current owner), it's a matter taste, and as with the Cobras, a matter of experience. With stock heads, the nose can be a little on the heavy side, with aluminum heads, the car has the same weight distribution of a new Mustang or Corvette, within 1% of a stock Miata....An Acura V6 is the way to go these days, but that type of swap was unavailable at the time I was building them....Later Miatas, like SWMBO 06 GT, got a 2.5L Ford Duratec swap, similar to what we now use in the Caterham......All fun cars in their own right. Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 That could be. It was a long time ago, and as many versions as there are people involved. An iron 8.8 helps offset the v8. I just made a connection Bill. This is me in the miata.net archive (mv8..etc): https://forum.miata.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=32 Did you rejoin in '06 with a new, less personal log-on as mrmustang? I remember a Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, MV8 said: I'm impressed. We are on the same page as far as that goes. I'm also a big fan of recycling what is completely overlooked/dirt cheap. Along those lines, I'm a fan of Max Balchowsky's 1959 "Old Yeller" considering the pre-web info void. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30124/max-balchowsky-old-yeller-ii/ It's been written that Shelby employees preferred the 260 and 289 cobras and would place bets on how long a 427 would be on the road before it came back in pieces. I've driven an original "Monster Miata" and preferred to build a v6 instead, considering the engine's placement in the wheelbase (polar moment of inertia). @MV8 Indeed, our great minds think alike! I always enjoyed the Old Yeller saga because of its up-from-dust, Amercan ingenuity aspects. I was surprised to learn that a racecar so famous gathered dust in a backyard for 3 years before being purchased for restoration. It now competes regularly at Goodwood, other vintage races and numerous concourse, frequently winning in various categories. Many people agree with you regarding the performance of the 289 Cobras vs the 427's. I prefer the 427 body because of its bodacious and (IMO) sexy appearance. I also prefer the big block cars when they are fitted with upsized Windsor motors (especially the 302W), because they are significantly less nose-heavy than the original 427 side-oilers. They remain real sports cars unafraid of the twisties, whereas 427 side-oilers were most comfortable in the straights. If you are only stoplight-racing, or want authenticity, go with the original 427 big block. If you want a balanced sports car with solid stoplight ability, you can upsize a 302W to 363 CI and get good life out of the motor. A 351W (IMO) should not be upsized to a full 427 CI because of concomitant dependability issues. An original 427 CI side-oiler can can bored out to about 480 CI, and tuned for monster power, yet still enjoy a long life. I agree with your Miata V6 vs V8 comment, as well. Instead of a drag car only, you get a sports car that still handles and stops. The chassis can handle the V6 power and slight weight increase, and still hang in the corners nearly as well as the 4-banger version. All the virtues of the Miata, with just a bit more excitement. If I was building it, I would build the motor for power and revs. Starting with a base Acura V6 as suggested by Mrmustang sounds like a winning solution. Edited March 5, 2023 by Bruce K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 6 hours ago, MV8 said: That could be. It was a long time ago, and as many versions as there are people involved. An iron 8.8 helps offset the v8. I just made a connection Bill. This is me in the miata.net archive (mv8..etc): https://forum.miata.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=32 Did you rejoin in '06 with a new, less personal log-on as mrmustang? I remember a Bill S. Only used mrmustang on miata.net, lurked for years before I actually joined, as I have on several dozen other sites here and there over the years. Only participate on a select few these days. Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 5 minutes ago, mrmustang said: Only used mrmustang on miata.net, lurked for years before I actually joined, as I have on several dozen other sites here and there over the years. Only participate on a select few these days. Bill S. Please explain your observation "An iron 8.8 helps offset the v8." I understand the 8.8 diff to be fairly lightweight - in what way, then, does it counteract the weight of a heavy V8 motor in a Miata installation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 3 hours ago, mrmustang said: Only used mrmustang on miata.net, lurked for years before I actually joined, as I have on several dozen other sites here and there over the years. Only participate on a select few these days. Bill S. Me too. It's a small world. Much smaller back then. I remember when it was just nerds on boards, with no browsers yet and car stuff at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 3 hours ago, Bruce K said: Please explain your observation "An iron 8.8 helps offset the v8." I understand the 8.8 diff to be fairly lightweight - in what way, then, does it counteract the weight of a heavy V8 motor in a Miata installation? A heavy duty diff can help to balance a nose heavy car without ballast but at the expense of greater curb weight and polar moment. The 90s thunderbird 8.8 is 90 lbs where the 7.5 is 80 lbs and the miata diffs are less than that. There are also a few different axle thicknesses and cv cup sizes used with the 8.8. The 7.5 is adequate, physically smaller, and a better choice to reduce parasitic loss but fewer ratios and diff options are available. I don't remember the balance percentages with the sbf. The oil pan is cut and shut very close to the rod bolts for rack clearance with a double sump pan. The hood needs notching for the normal upper intake clearance and sometimes the intakes were milled for a little more clearance or the subframe lowered a little with shims. Since we are talking about weight, the slant six is a real porker based on the component weights in the rebuild article. With aluminum intake or webers and a tube header, it should be around 500 lbs. It's interesting how many different non-production engines were fitted to the early leaf spring and coil spring cobras and some with power adders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 27 minutes ago, MV8 said: A heavy duty diff can help to balance a nose heavy car without ballast but at the expense of greater curb weight and polar moment. The 90s thunderbird 8.8 is 90 lbs where the 7.5 is 80 lbs and the miata diffs are less than that. There are also a few different axle thicknesses and cv cup sizes used with the 8.8. The 7.5 is adequate, physically smaller, and a better choice to reduce parasitic loss but fewer ratios and diff options are available. I don't remember the balance percentages with the sbf. The oil pan is cut and shut very close to the rod bolts for rack clearance with a double sump pan. The hood needs notching for the normal upper intake clearance and sometimes the intakes were milled for a little more clearance or the subframe lowered a little with shims. Since we are talking about weight, the slant six is a real porker based on the component weights in the rebuild article. With aluminum intake or webers and a tube header, it should be around 500 lbs. It's interesting how many different non-production engines were fitted to the early leaf spring and coil spring cobras and some with power adders. Your observation about the slant six engine weight is correct - 475 lbs raw vs 535 raw for a much larger displacement V8 SBC Chevy. However, for reasons unknown to me, Chrysler built tremendous torsional rigidity into the motor, which evidently required some mass. I'll bet that rigidity is part of the reason slant sixes had a reputation for longevity. This special property was important for the Valiant Eleven, which required a torsionally rigid motor as a stressed frame member. I couldn't find torsional rigidity stats for the SBC as a comparison, but I do know it's crank deflects 1/3 of a degree at 8,000 rpm, so it may not be structural material for a chassis (a weakness of most older motor designs). The slant six was one of the first modern torsionally rigid engines - pretty remarkable for a long motor, plus it was capable of excellent power and torque. My cousin had one in a sweet old Barracuda, in which he set a number of dragstrip records in his class. I was in a passenger when he took down a number of different V8 cars on the street. Regarding Cobra motors, you are correct again. Many replicas are running around with Chevy power (not my cup of tea). But the AC Ace was selected by Caroll Shelby because of the long, wide engine bay, which could ingest a small block Ford motor with room for dessert. As a result of that inviting bay, fitting a Cobra with almost any motor is NBD - never seen one with a Viper V10, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 2 hours ago, MV8 said: Me too. It's a small world. Much smaller back then. I remember when it was just nerds on boards, with no browsers yet and car stuff at all. Having spent time in the computer business in the early years, I can still remember dial up, and UUnet, long before web forums and such. Then again, I can remember typing in the word "mustang" in to lycos, and having just two web sites pop up, mine, and someone in Hanford, California........I joined earlier than 2006, but uncertain why I had to register my user name...Think Gary might have had a server meltdown at one point in time...Sadly, that happened to the saacforum 1.0 as well, years of excellent information up in smoke, with no "uncorrupted" back ups to be found. Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 5 hours ago, Bruce K said: Please explain your observation "An iron 8.8 helps offset the v8." I understand the 8.8 diff to be fairly lightweight - in what way, then, does it counteract the weight of a heavy V8 motor in a Miata installation? Actually, MV8 made that statement, yet I understand part of what he was saying, as the cast iron 8.8" rear differential, along with the beefy, custom, Monster Miata brackets, did help offset the front to rear balance of the chassis. The following posted back in 2014, the last time I owned a V8 Miata, a 1991 chassis in Mariner Blue, I sold the car in mid 2014, the car was then sold in April 2017, and again in July 2021 on BAT New Vette: 53% front and 47% rear New Camaro 52/48 New Mustang 54% – 46% Stock Miata (2014) 52/48 Flying Miata V8 (with aluminum heads) 52.3F / 47.7R Monster Miata (cast heads) 53F / 47R Monster Miata (aluminum heads) 51F / 49R 1991 Mustang gt weighs in at 3190lbs 1991 Miata weighs in at 2182lbs Mustang engine in stock form puts out 225hp/300ft/lbs of torque Miata engine in stock form puts out 116hp/100ft/lbs of torque Adding the 5.0 engine, transmission, 8.8" cast iron IRS rear end to the miata only adds 170lbs to the entire car Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, mrmustang said: Actually, MV8 made that statement, yet I understand part of what he was saying, as the cast iron 8.8" rear differential, along with the beefy, custom, Monster Miata brackets, did help offset the front to rear balance of the chassis. The following posted back in 2014, the last time I owned a V8 Miata, a 1991 chassis in Mariner Blue, I sold the car in mid 2014, the car was then sold in April 2017, and again in July 2021 on BAT New Vette: 53% front and 47% rear New Camaro 52/48 New Mustang 54% – 46% Stock Miata (2014) 52/48 Flying Miata V8 (with aluminum heads) 52.3F / 47.7R Monster Miata (cast heads) 53F / 47R Monster Miata (aluminum heads) 51F / 49R 1991 Mustang gt weighs in at 3190lbs 1991 Miata weighs in at 2182lbs Mustang engine in stock form puts out 225hp/300ft/lbs of torque Miata engine in stock form puts out 116hp/100ft/lbs of torque Adding the 5.0 engine, transmission, 8.8" cast iron IRS rear end to the miata only adds 170lbs to the entire car Bill S. The weight gain resulting from a 2016 Miata to a Chevy LS3 crate engine conversion is 250 to 300 pounds, so you gain a fat passenger or a big NFL middle linebacker. But power is up an over-compensatory 240%, and the total package is still well under 3,000 pounds. Without flares, there's not enough tire to really grab n' go, but the car is still fast, handles well and was lauded by the reviewer in the ATTACHED Motor Trend article. Cost of the complete installation (all-new parts) was $55,000 in 2019 plus the car, so a complete all-new Flyin' Miata would cost well over $90,000 today - yes, the package includes Wilwood 6-pots and custom-valved Fox shocks, but still hard to justify for any Miata, especially one that has lost a lot of its Lotus luster. For example (unmentioned in the review) the conversion includes lots of belching heat, driveline shudder, a stiff clutch and sub-12 gallon fuel tank (my Lola's smallish fuel cell is more than 2 gallons larger). Resale is also a bit dicey. IMO a nice used low-mileage 911 would prove itself a better all-around sports car and superior investment. NOW, if you buy only parts, including used, and provide all remaining equity with sweat, and then install these in a used but fairly new Miata, the proposition changes. You may be able to build the car for a bit over $50,000 - but that is used Superformance or Backdraft Cobra territory, and more than the resale value of even well-assembled Factory Five Cobras. Once again, its a value versus desire proposition: https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/exclusive-first-drive-flyin-miatas-v-8-powered-2016-mazda-mx-5/ Edited March 6, 2023 by Bruce K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 10 hours ago, Bruce K said: The weight gain resulting from a 2016 Miata to a Chevy LS3 crate engine conversion is 250 to 300 pounds, so you gain a fat passenger or a big NFL middle linebacker. But power is up an over-compensatory 240%, and the total package is still well under 3,000 pounds. Without flares, there's not enough tire to really grab n' go, but the car is still fast, handles well and was lauded by the reviewer in the ATTACHED Motor Trend article. Cost of the complete installation (all-new parts) was $55,000 in 2019 plus the car, so a complete all-new Flyin' Miata would cost well over $90,000 today - yes, the package includes Wilwood 6-pots and custom-valved Fox shocks, but still hard to justify for any Miata, especially one that has lost a lot of its Lotus luster. For example (unmentioned in the review) the conversion includes lots of belching heat, driveline shudder, a stiff clutch and sub-12 gallon fuel tank (my Lola's smallish fuel cell is more than 2 gallons larger). Resale is also a bit dicey. IMO a nice used low-mileage 911 would prove itself a better all-around sports car and superior investment. NOW, if you buy only parts, including used, and provide all remaining equity with sweat, and then install these in a used but fairly new Miata, the proposition changes. You may be able to build the car for a bit over $50,000 - but that is used Superformance or Backdraft Cobra territory, and more than the resale value of even well-assembled Factory Five Cobras. Once again, its a value versus desire proposition: https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/exclusive-first-drive-flyin-miatas-v-8-powered-2016-mazda-mx-5/ Most of my 5.0L Miatas were built for less than $20K-24K, that included, at that time, the rust free, original paint, sub 60K mile Miatas, which I then sold off the original drivetrains, radiators, and misc parts to recoupe another 2K-3.8K........Anything you purchase at retail, especially a Flying Miata conversion of a 2019 and up, will be HUGE money, not really best bang for buck as you have already stated above...SPF/ERA/lower quality FFR (I've had more than my fair share of them, including their prototype-spyder from way back when), can all be had for less than 90K....Of course the trick with any of them is to make certain you know what you are getting for your money, as not one of them is built the same as the other. I'll leave it at that. Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 4 hours ago, mrmustang said: Most of my 5.0L Miatas were built for less than $20K-24K, that included, at that time, the rust free, original paint, sub 60K mile Miatas, which I then sold off the original drivetrains, radiators, and misc parts to recoupe another 2K-3.8K........Anything you purchase at retail, especially a Flying Miata conversion of a 2019 and up, will be HUGE money, not really best bang for buck as you have already stated above...SPF/ERA/lower quality FFR (I've had more than my fair share of them, including their prototype-spyder from way back when), can all be had for less than 90K....Of course the trick with any of them is to make certain you know what you are getting for your money, as not one of them is built the same as the other. I'll leave it at that. Bill S. Bill - you are definitely an enormously experienced custom car BUILDER. I am absolutely not, and my comments originated from my perspective as an experienced custom car CONFIGURATOR. As a configurator, I would not specify an older conversion - too much opportunity for used parts to fail, to little recoup of the investment. You, on the other hand, have many options which are unavailable to me. In retrospect, I wish I could have invested more time into actual mechanical repair and assembly over the years, to gain your skills. Instead, my business was like a bitchy wife, always nagging and dragging me away from anything avocational. On the other hand, my businesses eventually gave me ownership of the cars I wanted, so I have at least been partially successful. But I still envy your skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 7 minutes ago, Bruce K said: Bill - you are definitely an enormously experienced custom car BUILDER. I am absolutely not, and my comments originated from my perspective as an experienced custom car CONFIGURATOR. As a configurator, I would not specify an older conversion - too much opportunity for used parts to fail, to little recoup of the investment. You, on the other hand, have many options which are unavailable to me. In retrospect, I wish I could have invested more time into actual mechanical repair and assembly over the years, to gain your skills. Instead, my business was like a bitchy wife, always nagging and dragging me away from anything avocational. On the other hand, my businesses eventually gave me ownership of the cars I wanted, so I have at least been partially successful. But I still envy your skills. Bruce, In my eyes, I am nothing of the sort, just a retired, ex bodyshop owner, race shop sales person and backyard mechanic/inventor, who happened to be obsessed with convertibles, and has built, driven, even raced a few of them. Having grown up in the near shadows of Dockery Ford, a place I visited in my diapers on, and most likely left soil imprints in several Cobras I was given rides in at that time, no seat belts, no grab handles, just dropping a very young child into a passenger seat and hearing "watch this" as I was forced into the back of the seat and propelled at great speed down the back roads behind the dealership in NJ, was enough to warp my mind into what it is today. I envy your toy ownership, wish I had the wherewithal to own the same, or similar....As for my skills, and my ownership of such a vast volume of convertibles over the years, it was more a necessity, kind of like a lend lease program......When business was up, and the funds aplenty, I bought mostly abandoned builds/restoration projects, socked them away in corners of my warehouse, or storage buildings, and grabbed one or two at a time out, when business was slow (in the northeast, that would be December-mid February), and I'd work on the mechanicals, usually finishing off, or fixing the mistakes of others, I'd also let my employees work on them (mostly bodywork and paint), so I did not have to lay anyone off when funds where tight...Come spring, 1-6 cars would have been finished, and I'd be able to sell them for a nice profit, to essentially pay myself for wages I did not, or could not take for myself, all while replenishing my toy fund for the next cycle to begin. Times that by the number of years, not to mention the ups and downs of the actual market (say 2007-2009 as the perfect example), where people where dumping such things at 20-30 cents on the dollar, and you get my drift....Of course that was with mostly Cobra replicas, miatas, with the occasional FR500 Ford Mustang race car, or 1995 Cobra "R" model thrown in..I did the same with commercial realty, even invested in a company who owned the actual land under the billboards (who would have thought of such an idea)..So while we are at times, on opposite ends of certain parts of the equation, we are still enthusiasts, both with a means to our eventual end...Your car ownership vastly overshadows mine, yours in higher quality vs my higher quantity, I am envious of them, and perhaps in the future, may own one or two like them....Only time will tell. Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 (edited) Thanks for the insights, @mrmustang. I haven't received any notices regarding this thread in about a month. That is a shame, because this thread has been so interesting and so much fun. Therefore, I will introduce for consideration another vehicle: My 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition. This car has received a full Stage III power and handling upgrades. Stage III ECU plus a larger Garrett air-to-air intercooler and larger, smoother, non-collapsible silicone intake tubes and airbox. Larger air filter and Brisk racing plugs. Exhaust is 1/4" wider with one muffler deleted and thus a shorter run, and the new Scara73 cat is substantially wider with only 200 larger cells. Stouter anti-sway bars were fitted, and a semi-solid motor mount. 4C Suspension Blocks were added to the front suspension, which permits more camber and finer adjustments. The rubber rear suspension bushings were exchanged for stouter nylon versions. Tires were upgraded to larger Bridgestone Potenza RE-71 R's, 215 x 40 front and 245 x 35 rears. For appearance and greater stability in crosswinds, I added wheel and hub-centric billet aluminum wheel spacers, 1/2" front and 1" rear (no rubbing). The final step was replacement of the stock coilovers with an excellent Nitron 2-way package which significantly improved handling, in part by reducing weight by 8 pounds per corner. The car also sits about 1/2" lower now. The results? I wrote the following description for an article in "Alfa Owner" magazine: The Results Everything affects everything else in complex projects like this, so it is not possible to fully define improvements provided by any single 4C upgrade. But if you think of an IC engine as an air pump, my Stage III motor now pumps a lot more air a whole lot faster. The engine spools much quicker now, as if I’d removed the flywheel. When pushed hard in race mode, the car accelerates through gears with manic intensity, and I have difficulty pulling paddles fast enough to prevent rev limiter intervention (after so many years of saying “Put it away”, I’m the one who needs more video game experience). Instead of leaning and squealing, the car remains flat, oversteering at the limit and correcting with a stab of the superpower switch (AKA the throttle). Gator teeth at some tracks, including my native Waterford, have unsettled several cars I’ve driven, but not this 4C: Tires follow pavement as though quantum entangled. When challengers finally catch up, the uninitiated want to know the size of my V8: When apprised of the 1.7 liter capacity of the car’s I4, various states of wordless catatonia ensue. My 4C is earthy, close to the ground, full of pregnant scoops and breast-like fenders. She got her sultry supercar silhouette from the sheet metal sex hustlers at Centrostile. Since Imperial Rome, Italians have been deficient at war-winning, but weaknesses often induce compensatory strengths, and Italians create cars that seduce like Sophia Loren in her prime. The beating heart of this 4C is everywhere: In the air, in the wheel, in your seat, in the pedals, just like it was in your chest the first time you fell in love. And, yes, Roberto, when you lay on her throttle, the earth does move. I am thrilled and privileged to own and drive this timeless exotic. I said it earlier, and it bears reiteration: My name is Bruce, and I’m an Alfaholic. Images: Edited April 5, 2023 by Bruce K 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedwagon Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 at first I just thought you were waxing elegant--But then I saw the pictures. You sir are leading The Life. Now I envy you for 2 of your cars. It is good to see one spending his money wisely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce K Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 I apologize for inspiring envy of any sort. An outlaw Miata which has dirtied the owner's hands for years can provide just as much fun, and instill the same justifiable pride of ownership. By sharing the development details of my cars, I hope only to inspire fruitful conversation, and perhaps help others navigate their upgrade path. Not every change is an upgrade. I had to perform months of research to separate the good from the bad, with all three of my cars. As I explained to Bill S (@mrmustang), I performed little of the actual work (except during Covid), but I am responsible for all of the research. I wish I could have laid hands on more often, as it bonds an owner to his car in special ways. Every time I see that seat-mounted extinguisher in my Porsche 935, I am reminded that I modified it to fit, and installed it. Every time I adjust the driver's seat, I am reminded that I rebuilt the Brey-Krause slider system. Those unique connections provide a special satisfaction every time the key is turned. I would like to hear more from other owners regarding their ownership journeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 In the words of Gretta Thunberg with a 'Jersey accent, "HoouudaaaUUU"! Oh, the humanity! All I see is high maintenance, like a abnormally pretty girl. Gimmie a fatty. They are grateful and can protect me from antifa. Plus, I can do whatever I want as long as it's ok with them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now