Knowing what you know now. . . ..

ihatesissycars · Post by **ihatesissycars** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 6:30 pm

If you could go back in time to when you started building your car building projects and start again but armed with the knowledge you now have and the money you've spent in total so far what would you do differently?

I would've bought a Griffith and i would still have had enough to buy a full itb intake setup, wildcat heads and cam! Tvr did the rest for me so i could then just get in, turn the key and thrash away to my hearts content!

You?

Post by **Coops** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:36 pm

no as i have enjoyed building my engine, learnt a lot going the way i have, yeah its cost money(not just mine), but i built it, and its been reliable,
yes i know every one says go chevy ford etc, but im enjoying getting the next little bit from the ole RV8 engine, yes i know i must be mad,

mgbv8 · Post by **mgbv8** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:57 pm

If I could go back 5 years when I bought my MGB V8, I would leave the thing in the garage, and spend the next two years buying Rover V8 engines on ebay with my spare cash. I would then spend my spare time stripping and cleaning the parts to re sell on ebay. Two years later I would probably have made enough profit to shave 2 years off my build.

I should have bought the blast cabinet and big compressor instead of my new gearbox. I could make more cash by cleaning engine parts. I think that will be this years objective.

Ian Anderson · Post by **Ian Anderson** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 8:07 pm

I'd but a totally completed and on the road GT40

It cost a lot more to put together than expected and the others were done and had the gremlins ironed out already

That said it has been fun doing work on the beast but I'd rather be driving!

Ian

ihatesissycars · Post by **ihatesissycars** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 8:38 pm

Tony i agree with what you say about the rover rather than another v8, its more fun eeking more and more power out of it and seeing what you bujild and find! If i were to just plonk a ls1 in it there would be nothing left to do. Boring.

Post by **katanaman** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:04 pm

ihatesissycars wrote:Tony i agree with what you say about the rover rather than another v8, its more fun eeking more and more power out of it and seeing what you bujild and find! If i were to just plonk a ls1 in it there would be nothing left to do. Boring.

Umm you already just said you wanted a griff so you could just get in and turn the key and thrash. Dropping an LS1 in seems to fit your first post perfectly. You think Stevieturbo isn't having fun? Course he is just he is talking 750bhp and probably wants 1000bhp where with the rover guys are all week at the knees dreaming about 300bhp lol

As for me I would have a 302 in the car but I was told they didn't fit. I know this isn't true now as they fit really well. Unfortunately several thousands later its a bit late to go swapping the engines out now. If I had spent what I have on a 302 I would probably have 100-150bhp more or the same power and a hell of a lot more torque and drivability.

stevieturbo · Post by **stevieturbo** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:08 pm

I'd have bought a couple of houses, and considered retiring by now lol....

Only thing I'd change over current spec, is build a 2 door Granada, maybe with some better suspension

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 10:47 pm

I would NOT have started the project with just an age old dream, a rotted out bodyshell and a 8 x 12 garage. No way. Never again.

If/when I build another car it'll start out with some decent steel in, or be all glass fibre, and not need two years welding to get it drivable. And I might even use one that already has chassis, suspension and running gear, to make the job even easier!

There were times I wish I'd never even heard of people 'building a car'.

It's worth it all now though

kev_the_mole · Post by **kev_the_mole** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:04 pm

I would have bought a a car with a good chassis or have started the re-build with a new chassis. I would not have said let's go to RHD because that meant new pedals and pedal box, new steering column and a a rack instead of a steering box. I might have not gone the 5 speed box route had I realised that the new transmission tunnel made the only seats that could fit would only be sized for a snake-hipped limbo dancer.

It's not what you spend on your car; it's what car you could have bought with the money instead

ihatesissycars · Post by **ihatesissycars** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:04 am

Griffs have rover v8s? I like rovers! I don't like the idea of too much power, it would make a car very difficult to drive fast from a to b on the road rather than straight lines. A rover that makes 300bhp will feel very fit and healthy whereas a bbc making 300bhp will feel like somethings broken which is why i odn't want a mega massive mega powerful engine. Anyways a griff with a 5.0 and some of wildcats finest would be a wicked engine and coupled with the tvr chassis would be a wicked drive! Perfect in my book.

Real Griffs have 289/302 combos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I could start again, the rover would have to be replaced with a 302/351 windsor, scat stroker kit, cabable of taking the engine out to 427, set of good ally heads, keep the bodies, and 500 hp is a easy goal

IainB · Post by **IainB** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:57 am

Hmmm - I should have either stuck with the original TR7 and used all my V8 bits, instead of changing projects and getting the Menace or I should have gone straight to a 'big' engine in the Menace and then stuck with the spec, instead of chasing horsepower.
What I shouldnt have done, is finance everything with loans and credit cards though - as im paying the price for it now!!

plastic orange · Post by **plastic orange** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 2:16 pm

I wish I'd gone Chevy small block instead of Ford 351C (still could I suppose) due to ease of getting bits for chevy. I'm going to have to get headers made, but could have got off the shelf ones for the chevy - still, I'll be different from the masses i suppose.

Pete

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 5:24 pm

plastic orange wrote: - still, I'll be different from the masses i suppose.

Pete

And that is probably the essence of all the grief we go through: to have something different from the masses.

Hell, if it were easy, the whole populace of the country would be driving around in specials, and hot rods, and 750hp street cars etc

kev_the_mole · Post by **kev_the_mole** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 6:14 pm

....oh and I promise never to buy a car again sight unseen on Ebay from the US. Even if people I know say it's very good it will be bound to be sh1t....

.... well until the next time anyway!

JC. · Post by **JC.** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:04 pm

My MGB is coming off the road on wednesday for its Rover V8 conversion.
My first engine swap.

Can I post in this thread in 12 months time because i'm bound to bugger up something!