Jinx's Record of Improvement

I was lucky, being that I have just turned 40, my first car was a Mini 850 back in 1987, I think I had to pay about £120 for insurance, but dont quote me on that, certainly wasnt £750 :shock: My love affair with the car was due to my father & elder brothers, dad always ran Rovers & Jaguars, same as my brothers, but I broke the mould by being into US muscle cars & Hot Rods, same old story as a 9 yr old kid,,,The Dukes Of Hazzard... General Lee,,,what a car, had no idea that it was a 69 Dodge Charger of course or that Daisy Duke would indeed be of far more interest later on than the car!! :wink:
But that started my instant love affair with the 69 Charger, nearest I got to owning one is my old 74 Dodge Challanger, these days it would be a remortgage to consider the Charger :( Of course Starsky & Hutch, NightRider, A-Team, the Fall Guy, they all had cool cars/trucks/ vans!
 
harveyp6 said:
DaveHerns said:
What was it Jim Rockford drove in the Rockford Files on TV ?
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Camero IIRC
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It was actually a 2nd generation Pontiac Firebird. (I've got one too, but mine's a '71 Bullnose)
Here's a (not very good) pic..
rockford.jpg


Easy mistake though, as they are basically the same car as a Camaro, different lights, nosecone, engine, but essentially the same body, many interchangeable parts
This one's mine... (Taken years ago, without an engine in it)
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Hi V8P6B,, (sorry dont know your name)

Love your Firebird, one of my favorites in the 2ng gen Pontiac / Camaro models!!!

Great that you still own it, is it still on the road? worth a small fortune these day!

One other favorite of mine is the 3rd Gen Pontiac Firebird Formula, 5ltr HO, awesome looking car, unspoilt by body skirts, quite rare now, there is one for sale at SPUR CLASSICS for £2500, Light Met blue, NON T-Top..tempting but just not as classy as the P6 or have that leather smell or the satisfiying door clunk when closing... :D
 
Hi Damian, I've owned it for many years, but alas it is not on the road at the moment. I've got it tucked away in a dry garage though, and now I've got my new garage built, I will be lavishing it with love and attention soon, right after I finish the P6. I've owned it since 1990, and it had no engine in it when I bought it. The previous owner used to take it to Santa Pod quite a bit, and I think he blew the engine up quite spectacularly; the block was cracked when I got it. It used to be a 350ci, but I couldn't find another one, so it now has a 400ci (shame..) It has (had) a full padded roll cage in it. I've still got the roll cage, but its not going back in. I'm going to return it to its former original glory, and the original 1970's wolfrace wheels are being replaced by the correct rallyeII style steel wheels it came with from the factory. (They look like Rostyles)
Anyway, I seem to have hijacked this thread for long enough.. (sorry) :oops:

Tony
 
A couple of updates on Jinx, despite the bloody cold weather I've still managed to do a few bits. I fitted a pair of clear front indicators (with orange bulbs, natch) and a new pair of engraved plates from Steve at Framptons. They went missing for a week in the postal system, so I was most relieved when they landed! (As was Steve). You might think the old plates weren't too bad, but the original front plate had one digit "8" in a different font, and the rear plate didn't fit the mounting and was looking a little tired anyway.







It also gave me a chance to give Jinx a well deserved run to get totally warmed up, it's behaving well considering the temperature, lack of use and K&N filters. Off choke in 10 minutes and burbling away nicely. It had been a couple of weeks since I'd had the chance to have a blast what with the weather and a general busy period. Sometimes it takes reacquainting yourself with your car to remind you why you love it.
 

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adamhotrod said:
It also gave me a chance to give Jinx a well deserved run to get totally warmed up, it's behaving well considering the temperature, lack of use and K&N filters. Off choke in 10 minutes and burbling away nicely. It had been a couple of weeks since I'd had the chance to have a blast what with the weather and a general busy period. Sometimes it takes reacquainting yourself with your car to remind you why you love it.
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Interesting, I've found that my car runs better in the extreme cold (its not on the road, but I have to move it out of the garage from time to time). When I start mine, I leave it running to warm up thoroughly, and find that it'll tick over beautifully for as long as I want it too when its really cold outside, but the tickover will gradually die and stop if the weather's warm. I'm going to have to give it a good tune up when I get it on the road..
 
Adam, that is looking very very nice indeed.

I can't imagine why you would want to make me an offer for Sparky, as I will be dead chuffed when he looks like that.

Excelllent stuff 8)
 
quattro said:
Adam, that is looking very very nice indeed.

I can't imagine why you would want to make me an offer for Sparky, as I will be dead chuffed when he looks like that.

Excelllent stuff 8)
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It might be the RPI motor and the LT77 that are seducing me, but more than likely it's the sheer joy of knowing Sparky's base unit is rock solid and protected to nuclear attack level. :D In all seriousness though, I'm really pleased with how Jinx is looking now just doing a bit at a time. I'll be sticking with it for a good while yet, it can be easy to get disheartened when it's winter, but we'll soon be out the other side of it!

I'll tell you how my front end could look even nicer though... *AHEM! - Nudges Richard*
 
D'you notice how boring all the other cars in the 2nd pic look compared with Jinx? :D

Looking good Adam!
 
Glad the plates finally arrived mate. They look nice now the digits all match and the rear one fills the plinth properly too.
 
Thanks for all the nice comments guys, it lets you know you're not completely on the wrong track with your choices! The next things to do are:

Moto-Lita wheel, 15" semi-dished if I can find one for sensible money
Sorting the heater out
A decent stereo
Suspension Upgrade, poly bushes, lowering
Power steering

All money permitting of course, so the cheaper stuff is more likely.
 
Hi Adam,

Plate & clear front indicators look awsome dude! 8)

How you going to lower the front suspension? are there upgrade versions available off the shelf?

Car is looking brilliant, do have a set of Cragar wheels on your Christmas wish list? :D

Mine are still on back order, I have asked my girlfriend for the tyres for a Xmas pressie but she gave me a 'F-off look from across the room' :? so I guess thats a no!

cheers Damian
 
DamianZ28 said:
Hi Adam,

Plate & clear front indicators look awsome dude! 8)

How you going to lower the front suspension? are there upgrade versions available off the shelf?

Car is looking brilliant, do have a set of Cragar wheels on your Christmas wish list? :D

Mine are still on back order, I have asked my girlfriend for the tyres for a Xmas pressie but she gave me a 'F-off look from across the room' :? so I guess thats a no!

cheers Damian
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Ha ha...

Well I'm still investigating how to lower the front. You can (According to the much quoted New Zealand Guy's Article) shorten the rod that sits in the spring cup on the front, which I considered, but from what I gather you still have to get spring compressors to do this anyway. So since then I'm thinking poly bushes, lowered springs, and a thicker anti roll bar which can be had from Classeparts; I know Ian Wilson at Rover Classics knows someone who winds springs, and I used to work at an engineering company that can make me a thicker anti-roll bar (Much as I like Classeparts, £300 is a touch too much for 4ft of hex-ended, spring-steel bar in my opinion). All this is academic really as I'm trying to save the deposit for a house with (or with space for) a garage, so I can work on the car, which means I'm not spending money on the car... (?). So there is a good chance none of it will happen any time soon, unless I get impatient... which is also likely.

The Cragars look beautiful, but if I were to choose the ultimate wheels for me it would be the Rostyle alloy replicas (Magnums) in 7x16, if they made them...

Just like these.
 

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Very nice! Have a look at Northhants Tyres web site, they cater for all sorts of American racing rims! or Donington Raceways which is where I have bought mine from.

Cheers Damian
 
Those solutions for lowering the front are very undesirable. I could explain, but at this stage you don't want a whole page - do you? There is now a simple and intelligent solution that retains all the good points about the P6 front suspension. It's care of Simon Owen - so check out his thread for the full detail and photos - and comprises cutting and shutting the tubular suspension upright above the front hub. This is much more satisfatory from an engineering point of view. All lowering actions will give you an increase in negative camber. Particularely on the V8 (shorter bottom wishbones). Depending how far you've taken it, it might be necessary to counteract this by shimming the top link pivot against the bulkhead.

Chris
 
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