Mis-pimp My Ride

[protege]

The T97 had a flat-four just like the VW, just another of the many design similarities. A patent dispute between Tatra and VW was forestalled by the invasion of Czechoslovakia... not a coincidence, I think.

Nope, the V570 had the flat-four; T97s made do with a V8. Still, the earlier car was enough to get VW into trouble--both shared similar ideas. Rear-mounted engine, suspension, etc was enough to cause a lawsuit. Rumor has it that Hitler took many ideas from Hans Ledwinka (who designed for Tatra), and then passed them along to Dr. Porsche. That dispute was settled after the war--VW paid a large settlement in 1961.

Tatras were interesting cars--one of the few Eastern Bloc companies to have any success in the West. Restorers just love dealing with these cars. Acres of poor-quality steel means that they can rot pretty badly. Plus, many have been 'rebuilt' over the decades. That is, an old Tatra would be sent to the factory...be 'updated' to the current styling...and then sold on as "new."

Oh, and I'd very much like a T603 for my model collection

[emax4]

Heh, I love reading these kinds of posts. I can definitely see the suck, but sometimes these people are trying to make the best of what they can. There's no accounting for taste though. I'll assume that most builders don't wait until they have every single part they need and then start adding them to their vehicle one by one. Sometimes it's nice to add parts as you go along though to get a feel for how things look.

I've got an '07 Civic Coupe that's mostly stock. Eventually I'd like to add the halo-type headlights and smokey fog lights to the bottom, but I'm happy with how it is. On the inside, I have added some aftermarket blue lights to match the rest of the lighting. It looks pretty cool in the dark, but by no means is it show quality. Those same interior lights are located with those gaudy parts you add to the exterior of your vehicle though; the side vents that make it look like you have extra vents on the fender like an old hot rod, or non-factory lettering so you can put your own words on your vehicle. I have a stock muffler tip as well, and I'm happy with that. I guess I'd rather have my vehicle as much of a sleeper as possible.

My first car was a pimped-out 1971 Chevelle SS with an engine from a 1964 Corvette, and that's the way I bought it. It also had cherry bomb mufflers that sounded throaty and badass when driving, but it also alerted any cops within a certain range. I'd rather not have that anymore.

[Kogarashi]

...that tree is staring at me....

[dalesys]

...that tree is staring at me....

Have you been bad, and are in need of a birching?

[blas]

A little OT, but back when those little tree faces first came out, my parents bought one and put it on the huge tree in the front yard because our neighbors across the street weren't used to anyone living in our house for quite some time, and they have a really long driveway. They'd come barreling out in reverse and nearly hit whoever's car was parked on the street (there is really only a single car parking spot in the driveway, we made it into two, but everyone has a vehicle so that leaves two more that need to go on the road).

One or two times of backing up and seeing that ugly face on the tree kind of forced them to use their brakes and not speed out of their driveway in reverse anymore.

[protege]

My first car was a pimped-out 1971 Chevelle SS with an engine from a 1964 Corvette, and that's the way I bought it. It also had cherry bomb mufflers that sounded throaty and badass when driving, but it also alerted any cops within a certain range. I'd rather not have that anymore.

I hear ya on that one. My MG has a similar exhaust setup--I currently run a glass-pack muffler of some sort. That's how the cars were originally. Noise really wasn't a concern in the late 1960s Also, the car is only a four-speed, and I don't have an overdrive fitted. It gets a bit loud at 70mph on the highways. Even at legal speeds, it's a bit louder than say...a Corolla. That's why, even at legal speeds, I'm always on the lookout for police cars.

I have no problem with people that want to fix up their cars. My own vehicle has been a "work in progress" for years. But, instead of worrying about how it would look, I was more concerned about how it ran. There's no point in building up a car that *looks* fast...if it doesn't have the balls to match. Nor is there much of a point in building a fast ride...if you can't stop it! Trees don't exactly get out of one's way

But, sleepers are fun! Locally, I know of a Volvo 240 station wagon...that someone put a Mustang 5.0 V8 into. Except for slightly wider wheels and tires, plus a slight lowering job, the car looks nearly stock. Right down to the gold paint. Other than the extra exhaust pipe, very little gives the game away. From what I've heard, when this car was started, it was a total mess. It looked horrible--rust spots, loads of primer and paint...but it was fast. Eventually, it was stripped down, had lots of bodywork done, and a new paint job. That's not the only such car I've heard of--both the 240 and its 700-series successors have huge engine bays. Getting a V8 in there isn't a problem

[wolfie]

But, sleepers are fun! Locally, I know of a Volvo 240 station wagon...that someone put a Mustang 5.0 V8 into. Except for slightly wider wheels and tires, plus a slight lowering job, the car looks nearly stock. Right down to the gold paint. Other than the extra exhaust pipe, very little gives the game away. From what I've heard, when this car was started, it was a total mess. It looked horrible--rust spots, loads of primer and paint...but it was fast. Eventually, it was stripped down, had lots of bodywork done, and a new paint job. That's not the only such car I've heard of--both the 240 and its 700-series successors have huge engine bays. Getting a V8 in there isn't a problem

From what I've heard, the diesel Volvos are popular with hot rodders in California. Due to a quirk of local laws, at "smog check" time a car gets the testing that would apply to the engine that was ORIGINALLY INSTALLED in the car, and has to meet those standards. Since Volvo diesels (the cars, at least) were of a vintage where the diesel "smog check" was opacity only, a gasoline engine (even a "souped up" one that won't meet gas engine emission standards) will pass easily, and the engine bay on those cars will accomodate a V-8. As for the newer Volvo diesels, you could easily get even a 454 under the hood of a VNL780 (stock engine is a straight 6), but I doubt if it would be very fast.

I wonder - since the Nissan Leaf is a plug-in electric, is it exempt from "smog check"? If so, that would make it a prime candidate for fuel-burning conversions.

[raudf]

I drive a Toyota Echo with a huge deer-sized dent on the hood. The closest that car will ever get to being pimped is to have a deer antler attached just under the dent with a small piece of red fabric during the holidays. Eventually, I'll get the hood replaced, but I like being evil...

Anything else would look flat silly on that car. *tries to imagine it pimped out and just falls over laughing* It'd look like an Easter egg!