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I am sure that every hot rodder has their own list of nevers in their cars.
Mine is:
1: No Ford, Mercury, Lincoln. I am three for three in negative experiences with the brand. I got to drive the '73 Mustang a whole 35 miles before being arrested because I'd bought a stolen car. Mercury Lynx is an Escort and teh suxxor. And I had a real Escort too. Sours one on the brand.
Exception: There are a couple of really old Ford bodies I'd own, but they'd have GM engines, transmission and electric in them.
2: No red interiors! The Rust Monster and Lynx convinced me that it's the most brittle and delicate plastic color in the world.
3: 305 never again. I have gotten rid of two of those misbegotten emissions compromised engines and replaced them with 350's and I would have been money ahead both times shopping a little harder for a car that came with the larger displacement mill. It's not like a 4.8L LS motor. You can get decent performance from a 4.8, not from a 305.
4: Throw away all the wiring in any MOPAR. Even Ford does better with electrical systems. Only Lucas does worse.
5: Nothing German. I like simplicity over "elegant engineering".
6: No carburetors! It'd have to be special to give up multi-port fuel injection. My complaints about computer controls is being locked out of making changes and not that there's a computer running the show.
7: Yellow is not a good hot-rod color.
Some strange things appeal to me.
I have a recurring desire to replace an old Chevy inline 6 with a DOHC inline motor. If only the Atlas engine had a more common transmission bolt pattern. If only Toyota had not farmed out their latest I-6 to BMW. If only.
Given the popularity of Jaguar IRS in hot rods, perhaps a Jaguar XK engine? For bonus McThag start with one from a Scorpion light tank. Then you can talk about your tank engine rod with a wink.
ReplyDelete:-) I went the other direction on Ford, but the first "several" cars I drove were Mustangs pulled from junkyards here in the States and overseas... Driving the GT on the Autobahn was a lot of fun and why I no longer drive them... But then my brother worked at Ford, so the family bought Ford for a time... Until he no longer worked there and then... Well, our brand loyalty was as strong as their loyalty to their employees. Nothing super bad, and if I can find an old Ranger I'll likely snag it for a cheap pickup to haul cargo locally, but...
ReplyDeleteInteresting your "No German" rule... Owned a Mercedes for a bit while in Germany... So, a lot like owning a Chevy here not that I was rich enough to own one here or anything. It was OK to work on, but it was an early 80's sedan, so nothing really interesting. Guessing the German love of complexity gets in the way here...
I think I'd be OK with an '80's or older German car if there was anything like parts availability.
DeleteAfter a certain point they get to nearly planned obsolescence for common wear items and the difficulty of accessing them.
While I dearly loved The Precious, it taught me a great deal about being too clever in packaging the subassemblies.