Sorry Matt, I flogged those bumpers several years ago. You are right that the 90+ 700 series bumpers are a cleaner look, but they also mount differently, the pre 90 air dam would be a tad challenging to install, but not impossible. I am like you, when I looked at the fitment of the 90+ bumpers on my car, the mods needed, playing with plastic etc, etc, that is why I left them alone

I'll bet the reason the fenders on the show car "droop" is because they cut it right at the crease and pulled it out. Then they added horizontal material to fill the gap, rather than adding vertical material to make the crease horizontal or taking off vertical material to give the flare transition a bit more slope...

I'm not taking sides. That BMW Greg posted is likely one of my favourite vehicles. I like those flares. This is the other...



Affordable favourite cars, that is...

all the hotness.

+1,000,000.

Mmmmmmmmmm Quattro

Matt, just wanted to say, whatever you decide to do with this car, I'll be stoked.

^+1

I like thought experiments almost as much as building. This has been a pile of fun .

*cough*

Yes, I still have this car, and yes, it's still eluding me as to what it deserves. That's why I've done precisely NOTHING to it so far.

The 123GT is going to require several years of labour and money, and this 780 is just sitting here, mocking me. I think I need to do something about it, so I'm considering pushing the GT out into the back yard for at least the first part of the winter and bringing the 780 indoors to work on it. It needs some stuff taken care of - some various rattles and squeaks, a lack of radio antenna, and a stock-ish stereo installed. I'm in the process of refinishing the Berturbo 15x7 wheels and mounting a set of tires I got from Alex. That's the bare minimum for the car to be sold, but I think I'm going to drive it for a few years.

In order for me to drive it much longer, I need to sort out the odd running issue: It runs very poorly when hot (down probably 20 hp, and the clutch fan locks up which drags the power down even more). It has that intermittent failure to run at all when it heat soaks in temperatures above 30* (not a problem this summer). It leaks oil and coolant, and it pressurizes the cooling system with compression to boot. The differential needs to be aimed at the engine a bit better (I built my own front bushing for it and got the alignment wrong).

Or, I can turf the V6 and put something else in. I currently have to choose from: (1) B18B (wouldn't that be funky?), (1) B23 bastard turbo, (1) B5234FT (high miles, lots of piston slap, still needs removing from Roberta's car), and could probably still put together (1) B300F (B280 V6 plus Eagle Premier parts).

(1) Is just stupid.

(2) Requires valve springs and reassembly, and would certainly require Megasquirt. Ignition & fuel systems would need sorting. I still have this T5 tranny that I could use, but I've sold the clutch so I need to deal with that. Needs a driveshaft and a pedal swap.

(3) As Roberta will be getting a newer car shortly, the 850T is available. The engine runs pretty well, but makes lots of piston slap when cold so I don't know how bad the bores are - I hear tell that they build ring ridge mighty quickly. With the liberal application of parts from a random 960, I could probably get it in there, mated to an automatic tranny, pretty easily. The electronics may not be as easy to sort out, though: I'm not sure if the 850 computer would drive the 960 tranny or not, but it may. Then again, the computer would have to be de-OBD'd to play nice with my '88, so monkeying may be necessary, or even a standalone and christ knows what the transmission requires. There may be a way to put a 5 speed behind the T5, though.

(4) Would require wrenching and money, and would put another lump of an engine in place of this lump of an engine. Not the best idea, unless it was taken to the logical extreme and built for boost.

There's the possibility of (5) and (6) too, or even more options, but I haven't fully lost my mind and I've only budgeted half a winter for this, 'cause I DO want to get something done on the GT.

Annnnnnnd.... the peanut gallery erupts in laughter.

I still think you should make it as sellable and reliable as possible with a B23/230FT and LH2.2/2.4. Keep it looking and working as factory as possible.
I think of all the options that is the least amount of $ and work as well.

What Athal said. Having a redblock instead of the frog motor and not being too mod'd will definitely be more sellable down the road which is the most likely fate for this car?

Yes, though it would require a clean 2.2 harness, computers, AMM, etc... all the stuff I gave Greg for his car (aside from the harness, which I never had).

If I were going through all the trouble, a semi-decent 740 turbo would become the donor, so I could get a B230FT as well as all the other junk.

That was option (5).

Selling it would be an option in a year, or five, or fifteen. I'm not sure. I'm not going through this trouble just to sell it next week, though, so I should remember that this is to be a driver for myself. It's not to be completely whacked out, but it's still got to be fun.

If I put all my parts into it, make it crazy and insane and undesirable to 99.99% of the potential buyers, I'm no worse off than I am now. Nobody seems to want it the way it is, and for the sake of a $1000 car, why would I worry about wasting half a winter making it boring enough to sell?

why no just use the bastard redblock and collect parts from pickyerass? One 740T and a couple hundred bucks tops and you'd have everything. I still have computers, amms, and a few other bits, so you just need relays, sensors, wiring harness etc.

My votes on the redblock as well. Easiest, cheapest, more sellable, and you can still get decent power out of it. I have doubles of a lot of the 2.2 stuff Matt, so if you need some pieces back its no worries. I say go for it!

Tough questions.

But the first one is: What's the car worth at the end of the day? None of you guys have stepped up with anything even resembling a lowball offer, and I'd like to think that you boys & girls represent my best shot at selling the car. Now, say I do the 2.2 swap, and put in a redblock: what's it worth now? Is anyone (aside from you lot) going to be able to trust the car after some rando has swapped operating systems? Dropped in an engine of questionable origin?

What's the incentive for me to not part out the car and squish the body? Right now, before I do ANY work to it? Headlights & taillights will get me just about what I've got invested into the thing.

So if the car's worth that little, why would I care how easy it will be to sell down the line?

Hey, you're the one talking about putting a bunch of time, and some money, into it so you can drive it for a couple of years. If you're really just going to crush it if you can't sell it, then limp the V6 along for now, it will be cheaper and less work than ANY of the options you've mentioned in the long run!

I would have taken that car off your hands and given my old motor a home long ago if I had the space, or could have in any way justified getting a fourth vehicle.