Old Timer's and Maintenance

Carbon wrote:

> The new ZR1 is arguably the best and certainly the fastest Corvette ever
> made. True supercar performance for half the price of the Europeans.

Larry said that the Corvette has been unrefined since 1968. I don't
think of either early or later model Corvettes as being particularly
refined.

I do know that if a 1967 or earlier Corvette driven by a comparable
driver were to try to keep up with this new one here, it would be a sad
thing to see as it was completely blown away by the newer model.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6mEirkQN8o

Not defending American cars at all, BTW.

Never, ever again will I own one unless it is a gift or a "prize", and
the plan would still be to sell or trade it.
That includes the Corvette, of any year model ever made.

Pat

On Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:07:59 -0600, pws wrote:
> Carbon wrote:
>
>> The new ZR1 is arguably the best and certainly the fastest Corvette
>> ever made. True supercar performance for half the price of the
>> Europeans.
>
> Larry said that the Corvette has been unrefined since 1968. I don't
> think of either early or later model Corvettes as being particularly
> refined.
>
> I do know that if a 1967 or earlier Corvette driven by a comparable
> driver were to try to keep up with this new one here, it would be a
> sad thing to see as it was completely blown away by the newer model.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6mEirkQN8o
>
> Not defending American cars at all, BTW.
>
> Never, ever again will I own one unless it is a gift or a "prize", and
> the plan would still be to sell or trade it. That includes the
> Corvette, of any year model ever made.

I agree, of course, but I do believe the LS3 is an excellent engine,
even if it is outdated in certain respects.

My wife and I both have Mazdas. Very little trouble with either car. A
fellow I work with has two Chevies of comparable age. Often one of them
is in the shop, and both were at least once. I know because I drove him
to work that week. With his SUV the door hinge fell apart. Who ever
heard of that happening on a Japanese car? It still doesn't close right.

Carbon > wrote:

> Also, did you know that LS3 Corvette engines will fit into a Miata
> engine bay? They have aluminum blocks and really don't add much
> more weight than a traditional hop up with turbos, intercoolers,
> etc. I can only imagine what 435 HP is like in a Miata...
>
> http://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/index.php

And for more pictures: http://www.diamondmotorsport.com/greenmiatas.htm






--
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The Usenet Improvement Project:
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Yep, That was the rebuild on them. On most of the Vegas, the body rusted
out befor any thing else went away.


Bruce Bing '03 LS

I drove the Vega for 11 years and it was going fine when I sold it. I
put 100 miles a day on it going to work and back. The miles add up fast
just doing that. I have 75,000 on my '03 Miata and I retired 10 years
ago. Yep, I drive alot.

Bruce Bing '03 LS

I too miss mine, as crazy as it sounds I think it was a great little car. Of
course, it was my FIRST car, that couldn't have anything to do with it,
could it? ;-)

Chris
99BBB

"Dale Beckett" > wrote in message
...
> Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
>> Ouch! You're as hard on cars as you are on GM ;-)
>>
>> I too owned a Vega GT. Didn't know much about cars at the time and I
>> wrecked it in an early training session learning about under-age
>> drinking! While I had it, it was a blast and was quite a runner. IIRC, it
>> had been rebuilt with cast iron cylinder sleeves. Does that sound
>> correct? I seem to remember getting a book with the car from a
>> performance company Iveco? I can't remember for sure, does that ring a
>> bell to any of you old-timers (like me)?
>
> I owned a '73 hatchback 4-speed (new). Although they were known to have
> engine problems, I may have gotten one of the few good ones they ever
> made. I installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge incorrectly, and late
> one night on the freeway the line broke, emptying the crankcase quickly.
> My first clues were an awful lot of engine clattering and a red light on
> the dash. I did have the presence of mind to turn the key off, but almost
> put it into the center guardrail when the steering wheel locked.
>
> After being towed home and fixing the problem, I put 3-1/2 quarts of oil
> into the 4-quart engine. It was always a bit noisy after that, but still
> ran great. I put 104,000 highway miles on it over a four-year period, and
> enjoyed driving it immensely, but after only four years the body was
> turning to iron oxide powder at an alarming rate. The cowl in front of
> the windshield for instance - you could push your fingers right through
> it. Sad.
>
> Those were the days of the oil embargo. I paid $2450 out the door for
> that Vega in the fall of '72. Two years later I saw one on a used car lot
> for $2450.
>
> I miss that car to this day.
>
> --
> Dale Beckett

What can I say ..... I'm jealous!

Chris
99bbb

"BRUCE HASKIN" > wrote in message
...
>I drove the Vega for 11 years and it was going fine when I sold it. I
> put 100 miles a day on it going to work and back. The miles add up fast
> just doing that. I have 75,000 on my '03 Miata and I retired 10 years
> ago. Yep, I drive alot.
>
> Bruce Bing '03 LS
>

Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
> I too miss mine, as crazy as it sounds I think it was a great little
> car. Of course, it was my FIRST car, that couldn't have anything to do
> with it, could it? ;-)
>

That could well be. It was my first *new* car.

--
Dale Beckett

Mine wasn't too old, wow, I just realized I don't know for sure what year it
was. Maybe 1970 model, my brother and I bought ($1,800 IIRC) together in
1975 when I was 15 (too young to legally drive.

Chris
99BBB

"Dale Beckett" > wrote in message
...
> Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
>> I too miss mine, as crazy as it sounds I think it was a great little car.
>> Of course, it was my FIRST car, that couldn't have anything to do with
>> it, could it? ;-)
>>
>
> That could well be. It was my first *new* car.
>
> --
> Dale Beckett

Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
> Mine wasn't too old, wow, I just realized I don't know for sure what
> year it was. Maybe 1970 model, my brother and I bought ($1,800 IIRC)
> together in 1975 when I was 15 (too young to legally drive.
[snip]

Maybe it was a '71, the first model year?

--
Dale Beckett