What's Trent been driving?

Lets go with the disparate cars thing again

Meeting a dream car of mine. A 1965 Buick Riviera GS. I think they are beautiful and no car ever made looks as good lowered as these.

Turns out I hate it. At least driving it. This is peak 60's GM power steering feel here. Disconnected, effortless and numb. Wallowy, seasick inducing ride. Zero traction.  This sucker is made for long stretches of highway that I simply don't drive on. 

I could still look at it all day long though.

83 Ferrari 308 quattrovalvole. This one is the opposite. The looks don't do much for me but I want to drive it forever.  It isn't "fast" but it does everything the way I want it to and feels amazing the whole time it is doing it. As a die hard Fiat enthusiast I appreciate the Fiat-ness of the whole thing. Yeah, I'd have one if I didn't have to take out a second mortgage to pull it off.

Old_Town said:

Awesome thread! I do have some projected anxiety seeing you drive some of these beautiful cars on 'normal' roads with traffic knowing some of the knuckleheads out there...  

Probably gives some comfort knowing that the craftsmen who work there could rebuild any of these cars from scratch it seems!

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

And possibly already have.

Trent, while I agree with you about the looks of the Riviera, I have to say you are very wrong about the looks of the 308. So pretty.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

It is just a bit too garish for my comfort levels. Tone it down with something other than red and swap the euro bumpers on and I LOVE 'em. I did some work on a metallic brown over tan 328 and it was AMAZING. I am usually anti silver cars but it works on these

The one I really like is the Dino 308GT4. Giugaro really nailed that design.

This morning

1972 Ginetta G15. The Hillman Imp powered one. The race prep and cage makes it hard to judge the actual ergo, but the steering wheel points out the door window and the shifter is located in my knee pit.... so.... pretty bad.

Small bore, rear engined, lightweight euro trash is my thing. I am automatically predisposed to love this kinda stuff. Darty in a good "point and shoot" kind of way. I want to autocross this thing.

Damn dude, I work on nuclear submarines but you have a way cooler job.

I grew up with a friends who's grand dad had a barn full of neat E36 M3. We used to play hide and seek in it. I clearly remember a couple various Citroens, 356s, an Isetta, and many more European heroes.

In reply to Trent :

I always loved the Revolution classic 4 spoke wheel. Just checked to see it they existed in anything bigger than 13". Was thinking 16 or 17" for future product fodder. NOPE.

You're making want to apply to work at this shop. 

OK. Last one for the week. Since I just took it from mechanical shop to upholstery across town

1958 Ford Fairlaine convertible. It is LONG, It sits high!. It has the little 352FE with a column shifted 3 speed.  Driving dynamics you ask? None to speak of. The amount of brake dive it has should require scuba gear.

With bias ply tires, a bench seat and 50 miles of headroom I will forgive its lack of nimbleness. Makes me want a burger and a milkshake. I like it. The reason the trunk is so spacious is to haul all of its charm with it.  

This is so much fun... Nothing else to add, just want to make sure I see this thread frequently!

I am in the middle of moving my entire workspace and machine shop to a different building so not much driving but

1955 Thunderbird. The textbook auction car. Pull it out the barn, slap a coat of paint and an interior kit into it and hit the block. Poor car still had the 50 year old shocks and coolant hoses on it. The new buyer tried to take it on the maiden voyage and the radiator blew up. We refreshed the minimum and gave it back.

I expected to hate it  I totally didn't. The legend of how terrible these are to drive didn't hold true. 

1977 Toyota FJ40. Chevy 327 swapped. 

I genuinely do not understand the appeal. Awkward and tippy feeling. I am sure it is relatively capable off road but asphalt definitely isn't its element. Gets a lot of attention on the road. 

I hate it. 1 out of 10. I'd rather take an Isetta cross country than this farm implement.

Trent said:

Speaking of Cobras. 1965 289 Hi-Po track package car that for some reason Shelby put an Automatic transmission in!?!?! 

It's ... fine. The auto sucks the fun out of it. 

This Nardi wheel in this Ferrari 400i is my favorite steering wheel I have ever touched. The squareish profile just fits my hands perfectly. 

The car itself surprised me. It drives like a 90's BMW 7 series but with that Ferrari V12 soundtrack. I enjoyed it.

 

Bill Cosby had a 289/automatic Cobra.  I assume ol' Shel made them for whoever wanted one.

Trent said:

I guess I should add this info to the thread. I am 6 feet tall and 220lbs with a 30 inch inseam. So not a small dude, but not a tall one either. This will go some way to explain my ergonomics statements.

Lets go with two very disparate cars

1968 Corvette. 427 4 speed car. The appeal of a big block and a manual transmission is not lost on me. The rest of the car? Who TF is this made for? The steering wheel is way too low, the door mashes into the drivers arm. Typical GM power steering feel (I don't understand how anyone could live with it) I do have a nostalgic affinity for the feel of the side shift linkages on old american transmissions. The way I fit into this car makes me reassess the way an E type holds the occupant.

 

The C3 did provide me with an experience for life when it led to me being catcalled at a traffic light by two of the most run down and haggard ladies asking for rides  

 

 

I believe Ford is to blame for the power steering, if it still has the hydraulic ram setup with a dozen little leaky hoses and the valve on the center link that adds character.  

I like the way C3s fit me.  I have a few inches on you but 5" more leg, so slightly less torso.  Looking at the driving position, you have the seat a notch or two too far back.  Then it all makes sense.

If you don't punch yourself in the junk if your hand slips off the wheel, with your legs crooked up behind the steering wheel, it won't feel right 

Most C3s that I have driven were small block/auto cars, with one T56 conversion (what a mess to make that fit under the floor)... but one freshly restored '69 427/4 speed car.  I have Opinions about a big block connected to a transmission with four gears placed where most cars have only three...  it's probably great when bang shifting at 6500 but I could never manage to drive it around town without looking like a driver's ed student having a bad day.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I believe Ford is to blame for the power steering, if it still has the hydraulic ram setup with a dozen little leaky hoses and the valve on the center link that adds character.  

No. I am referring to that corporate "feel" that all GM products have. From an early 60's Buicks to later Vettes to a 70's C10 pickup to a 90's Malibu right up to my old 2005 Avalanche. There is a commonality between them when compared to all the other cars I drive. You can definitely tell and it isn't something I care for. 

This is a fantastic thread!

You've actually included 5 separate cars that I've been tracking (watching for a bargain). Thanks for the fodder on the FJ40... might help me talk my partner out of one!

Keep it coming!

Tell me more about the driving experience of the MGA and the MGA twin cam

SV reX said:

Tell me more about the driving experience of the MGA and the MGA twin cam

MGAs are a tight fit. In my opinion, skip the coupe if you are over 5'6".  I don't even try driving them with the top up. Top down, they are nice little things.

The Armstrong lever shocks and trunion front suspension has more pro-brake dive geometry than others. You will ony notice it if you are a suspension geek like me. The brakes are Disc/Drum and are totally up to the job of stopping the car repeatedly. Plenty of pad and shoe choices out there for performance situations too.

Every time I drive a good one I come back saying "It just needs some sway bars". 

 There is no room for your left foot while driving. Unlike most cars with this issue I find my foot stays on the clutch pedal which can put a little pressure on it, wearing the throwout puck or just give me a leg cramp. In a mini or a Fiat I will tuck my left foot behind my right ankle without noticing it. In an MGA I have to make a conscious effort to do so. Something about the seating position I'd guess. 

The gearbox is fine. The single cam, 1600 3 main motor is what it is. Plenty of torque but dull up top. No point in taking it up past 4500rpm. The twin cam is a delightful thing. It behaves like a modern person expects a 4 cylinder to. I have rebuilt and dynoed a twin cam that made a genuine 115hp as opposed to the 55-60 of the single.  The difference is all after 3500. 

The twin cams legendary problems are pretty much sorted by now. Fuel frothing caused by a second order vibration caused them to go lean right when they shouldn't have. We still have some custom billet DCOE manifolds if someone is serious about fixing it. 

The twin cam does not fit in the little mail slot of an engine bay very well. It is a radiator out job to properly set the timing. A 123 distributor with bluetooth control is my solution to that issue. 

I bet some more compression and a hotter cam would pep the single cam motor up significantly.  

All in all I dig them and respect them. Something about the lines of the grill and the way they bend around the curves does my head in and I just can't quite like the look, but the rear three quarter angle is glorious.

In reply to Trent :

Thanks!

Commenting just to say I love this thread and look forward to seeing more.

Love the updates and insights.  My mind goes on to try and conjure what it must be like to run such a business and I must confess it seems daunting due to the uniqueness of clients and vehicles.

I think that t MGA is the last remaining Brit that might get me back into the fold. But only for the style, I am well aware of the agricultural DNA.

Now THIS is how you start the week. Fresh in from Savona Italy via Florida

An early 70's Alfa Giulia Super 1.6. 

These are one of my top five cars of all time. I prefer them to the GTVs and Spiders. The seating position is perfect for me. The view from the greenhouse is amazing. They drive like an Alfa should. 

Perfection! The wind tunnel assisted design gives a drag Cd of 0.34, plus it looks amazing (to me)

It is in for a good amount of hot rodding. Building up a rowdy 2 liter twinspark motor and throwing the Alfaholics catalog at the suspension. 

The amount of brake dive it has should require scuba gear.

Fantastic!

Trent said:

These are one of my top five cars of all time. I prefer them to the GTVs and Spiders. The seating position is perfect for me. The view from the greenhouse is amazing. They drive like an Alfa should. 

 

I'm strangely relieved to hear this one meets your approval. It's a favorite of mine too, but I've never driven or owned one yet. If you'd panned it, I would have been pretty sad. 

Do Citroen DS next.  

Mezzanine said:

Do Citroen DS next.  

I don't get a choice of what comes in the door.