Hey nip I set the turbo timer to 1min 40sec any longer and the operators get pissed off as they can’t leave the machine until its isolated.
Trucks run 24/7 i’d say they work 22hrs everyday the operators do prestarts/brake tests every new shift so the engine/converter/tranny stay warm nearly all the time only at serviving do they get a break…
Not 100% but I think they cost about 1.5mil each and get hired out at around $200 a hour or $30,000 a week. So with servicing costs etc you would own the truck in about 2yrs…
Cars, Bikes & More Cars
Mac
#841
nipper575
#843
Haha, that’s funny. I know that feeling of impatience waiting for the turbo timer, my Pajero had one.
So they run pretty much constantly, can’t imagine how much diesel they go through. Probably quite efficient for the amount of work they are doing though, would beat having 100 x 1 tonner utes, lol.
I had little doubt in my head that they would be warmed up a bit before just getting to work.
I still cringe when I see practically all of my mates jump in their cars from cold and drive them like they were stolen. Then they wonder why their cars are developing faults, why their 2nd gear synchro is botched, why their car uses excessive oil, the list goes on. The least they can do is drive their cars softly until they reach regular operating temps, I go one step further and let my car sit for ~5 minutes every morning before I jump in it and I still drive it softly (no excessive rpm) until the car has reached its operating temp.
It escapes my comprehension as to why people think that just because they are driving a later generation car, that they think they can treat them like shit and there won’t be any drawbacks. This goes for people who reckon that new cars don’t need to be run in any more also, when I see a freshly built engine that doesn’t need to be run in, then I’ll believe it.
nipper575
#844
Over the last couple of months, Dad and I have slowly been collecting parts to freshen up the old Fiat 500 engine, or to be more specific, build a second one. We thought that if we were going to trouble ourselves with rebuilding the engine, we might as well make some modifications to get some more power out of it (18HP just don’t cut it, lol).
We started assembling yesterday, still waiting on a few parts but the engine is mostly built. It’s been pulled apart and rebuild from oil cap to sump plug, haha. Being such a small engine, it is a piece of piss to work on, it’s very light and doesn’t take long to put back together.
Here’s the first change, high top, oversized pistons. The cylinders were bored by a local engine workshop, had the head reconditioned, checked the clearances between the valves and the top of the pistons etc…
Naturally such a BIG motor needs a monster crank, lol.
Here’s the new Abarth 4l sump (twice the capacity of the original tin one).
Reconditioned head on, wish I took a pic of it before hand, it looked like scrap.
Rockers & shaft on, after the tappets and pushrods went in obviously, we have a custom grind on the cam to give it a bit more oomph, should sound tougher too. Clearances have been set, first time I have actually ever done it. Put it this way, lucky that it only has 2 valves per cylinder, and that it only has 2 cylinders, haha. Would of taken me forever to get it right with a V8.
Abarth valve cover on.
Now before I post the next big upgrade (by far my favourite) I just want to show a picture of the old carburettor on the tired old engine.
As you can see, it’s a pissy little downdraft weber.
Here’s the new baby.
Dual throat, sidedraft 40 DCOE Dellorto. Looks so big on the engine that you think it’s going to topple over, haha. Only concern now is that I think the inlet on the head is far too small to make the use out of that carby, it’s going to be a bottleneck. We got it ported as large as we could go, the intake manifold was matched to it. We’ll see how it goes.
I’ll post more pics when we have the cowling and the new sports exhaust on, we are also going to repaint the engine bay (as you can see it’s in a sorry state) before the new engine goes in.
No idea what sort of power we will end up getting out of it, not that much more than stock but it should sound 10 times better. Going off the specs of some of the bigger standard engines, we might be around the 21 - 25 HP region. So it’ll be all wheelies and 10 second qtr miles from here on in, haha just kidding.
nipper575
#847
Happy and a bit sad to say that I’ve sold my GTV (the silver Alfa Romeo in the first post on this thread).
I’m happy because the buyer, after driving the car, said in these exact words “Yeah, I’ll buy it from you, I won’t even haggle”. Stands to reason, nobody can resist the Alfa Romeo driving experience, haha.
Wish it was always that easy, I put a grand on top of what I really wanted (which is what I paid for the car) just to offset the haggling as nobody ever wants to pay the full price, guess there’s a first time for everything.
Having room in the shed is worth getting rid of it though, was getting a bit cramped in there. Even though the XR8 doesn’t give me the same sort of satisfaction to drive, it is much easier to live with, and the power is nice too. It’s something you really appreciate when you are used to driving a 130BHP classic.
nipper575
#848
New Walkinshaw commodore, it’s a wagon! Very tough, even if the snout is hideous. I wish Ford would release a hot wagon, let alone a regular FG wagon to begin with…
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/50036/2010-walkinshaw-performance-ss-v-superwagon-revealed
buzuki
#849
As much as i love VE wagz, i dont like it, i think holden made a mistake with those front ends, leave it in america.
And walkinshaw made a much better bonnet in VE’s earlier days, only thing decent would be the motor.
id rather buy the clubsport R8 VE wagon. Extra 43 k is over the top.
When i bought my vx there was a ve calais there with a 430kw blown motor by COME racing, and it was cheaper then 70k. That was 2 years ago.
nipper575
#850
I agree with you about the front end, pontiac style nose looks like crap.
Speaking of powerful engines (lmao), we finished putting the cowling and generator back on the 500. We spray painted the cowling back to black ourselves, wasn’t worth getting something like that done professionally. Looks fine for what it is.
ultrakilla
#851
ok serious question here guys
and i rly want your input on this on aye
ok i currently have a hardish choice to make,
i currently have the oppitunity to aquire a 2001 Nissan Skyline (R34) my question is to i keep my 06’ lancer or do i sell it and buy the skyline
the skyline has been in a crash ( i was in it when it happened) but it has been fixed and has a cert from Nissan saying its basically good as new.
what do u think on this subject?
nipper575
#852
Hold on to your own car obviously, cars that have been pranged are never the same. I’m guessing you are talking about nightfall’s skyline…
Better to own something a bit more basic and reliable whilst you are young, even if the skyline wasn’t in a crash, I would still recommend that you hold onto your newer lancer, it will cause you less grief.
ultrakilla
#853
you have to also remember that my car has been in a prang that wasnt my fault and one that was
i will say that they did a good job fixing the skyline, had to put the rear from a donor skyline onto it, very well done
nipper575
#854
Most people wouldn’t have any clue as to what is a good job.
What sort of damage are we talking about here, just cosmetic?
I still say you should hold onto your car for the reasons stated above, it would also make you somewhat of a hypocrite to buy a non turbo skyline after you gave nightfall SO much shit over it.
ultrakilla
#855
reasons i gave him shit:
- Cuz i could and we are tight
- jealousy most likely
demage was main cosmetic and a suspension arm
nipper575
#856
It doesn’t really matter why you gave him shit, doesn’t change anything. It’s like someone saying “I wish I could shoot people in the face that are better off than me because I can and because I am jealous” wouldn’t make them any less of a murderer.
I won’t give you any more shit over it, but save yourself the typing and don’t try and justify it.
I will never buy any car that I know has been crashed, I’ve seen too many horror stories. Even my Mum’s Saab was involved in transportation incident when we moved to QLD, the car had constant issues right up until the day we sold it. Once the car gets hit hit hard, they start getting all sorts of problems that you can’t predict. The tyres may start wearing unevenly for example.
If the car needed a new suspension arm, imagine what else got hit hard and wasn’t replaced, the car is probably bent for all you know, it most likely has other busted or twisted parts that you don’t know about that will cause you trouble later on. Why did nightfall really want to get rid of it so quickly after he crashed it, why has it taken so long to sell. These are questions you need to ask yourself.
I know we are all mates here, nightfall included, it’s just very suss when somebody wants to get rid of a car after not even owning it for a substantial amount of time.
buzuki
#857
+1 with nip
not only that, dont waste ya time on a NA skyline, you’ll be upset that you didnt buy a turbo one.
Patty
#858
Wouldn’t bother, don’t care what anyone says about the condition of it, buying cars that have been in a decent size accident is never a good idea. I very much doubt that wasn’t any damage to the chassis from what we’ve heard about the accident, meaning there’s every chance you’re going to have nothing but trouble with it.
Azalin
#859
only car id buy that been in a prang is a wreck to get spares id need for my own.
engineer i know has tagged so many cars as wrecks due to the discprepencies in the chassis after prangs … insurance companies wreck em due to the cost to stretch/align em back to true.
Lancer seems a more suitable ride for driver still learning to drive.