Aussie Chit Chat

[lwood]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Have you guys, down under, bought Chinese mfg goods? They are all crap. China is in their infancy stage of the manufacturing evolution. Here in the Philippines, Chinese crap is all that is available, unless you pay an arm and a leg for American or euro imports.

Some consultant could make a lot of money teaching them quality principles.

[david s]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Shanghai, like a few other cities in China has banned motorbikes, so only bicycles or electrics are allowed. They have sold millions of these things, I think/hope that theybhave the reliability sorted out. When I was in short pants the cry from anything made in Japan was "Jap crap" now their quality is unquestioned. Have seen the same with Sth. Korean products. Less than 10 years ago I bought a Currie (USA) system of motor driving the rear wheel via a tiny chain running on 24V lead acid batteries(souped up to 30V with another 6v in series) The quality and performance of my new system is light years ahead.But I take your point, it's all a gamble, but that is part of the fun when you're breaking new ground.
Dave

[david s]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

This is my recumbent bike I built in '02. it is the second one i have built and I recently upgraded the motor and batteries. The motor is a "Golden Motor" from Shanghai. It has no transmission and makes less noise than a mountain bike with knobbly tyres. The motor has an internal controller that can be connected to a computer to alter various settings. It has regenerative braking and cruise control. The batteries are 48 V lithium ion phosphate and have a range of around 50 Km (haven't flattened them yet) Top speed on the flat without wind or pedalling is 47 Kph, higher if pedalling ,tailwind or going downhill, but I expect this to improve when I fit the front and rear fairings.I use it as a commute 20Km round trip approx. twice a week. The kids at the school I teach at call it 'The Time Machine".

[nissanneill]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

and the furry dice hanging from the rear view mirror!!

[david s]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Mick,
You forgot about the bodgie balls around the back window.
Dave

[nissanneill]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

bris-pizza-oven

the plan for the car isn't fully decided yet but i am looking at going with a ls1 v8 with a 6 speed manual

you might like to contact the boys at

http://www.eddywreckers.com

as they have a 130,000 km VZ SS Commodore 245kW Gen III V8 with all looms, computer, starter kit, pedals, exhaust, the works available. It has a 6 speed box on it but i believe that it has been sold to a fellow employee of the company.
Email either Rob or Ian and they will provide all the details and photos to you. I spoke with them yesterday and said tht I would contact you with some details.
They are Mitsubishi specialists but happened to also get into Commodores for their biggest customer, a taxi repair company.

Good luck

Neill

[OscarA]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Great thread you started Doug reading about some of the car restoring stuff has made me reminisce of some of my first cars. I had a 1972 HQ GTS Monaro Coupe then a 1974 HJ GTS Monaro sedan. Loved both those cars and nothing I've had since has had as much character and nowhere near as much fun to drive.
If I had the space and more importantly the money I'ld love to get another Coupe, sexy muscle car a real head turner.
Oven stuff is on hold due to weather/work but come September (4 weeks off) I'll get it finished.

[david s]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Neil,
I love your Clubman. I have lusted after one of those for years, but now I want the Suffolk SS Jaguar kit. I have currently just upgraded my recumbent LWB bicycle with a new hub motor and lithium ion 48V batteries. It is wickedly quick, pulls 48kph without touching the pedals and minus the front and rear fairings. Shall take some pics to post soon. Weather up here in T'sville is gorgeous. Just about to harvest tomatoes. It's more like a Victorian summer.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Ive just been reading about the proposed carbon tax the the government want to introduce and for the life of me cant see how it will reduce co2.

The good thing is that my firewood for the oven will be carbon tax free.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Bring on summer Im frozen.

Ive got the oven going right now, got up at 7 to relight it, had it going friday to do some bread.
Im hooked on your pides Doug going to make a few for next weeks lunches.
Bacon, cheese, dried tomatoes, yum.

[nissanneill]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

My vehicle engineer is a fan of Toyota running gear and I also have 2 friends who own wrecking yards (1 is a specialty Toyota wrecker) but as you can tell by my chosen name, I prefer the Nissans. Apart from that, I rather like the thought or around 500 hp running in a 700Kg vehicle. Do you reckon that that will turn the heads of a mid 60's driver leaving them for dead from the lights?
I also have access to a load of Mitsubishi vehicle parts as the Robin Hood is running a 4G63 twin cam but normally aspirated but bolt on a turbo and and double the output without much trouble. Also looked at running a Lancer Evo 8 or 9 when one comes in. The yellow kit is the Dax as it arrived home. The chassis has been reinforced to meet the Australian Design Rules and is now double that when it arrived. The Robin Hood has had extensive chassis strengthening and is very rigid for high horsepower.
For the Dax, see:

Kitcars: Dax Cars the kit car manufacture of component kitcars

For those wanting to learn more about the Robin Hood, check out the Robin Hood Owners website:

Robin Hood Owners Club and Register (RHOCaR)

Cheers.

Neill

[bris-pizza-oven]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

theres another engine you may be interested in its the zze engine out off the corolla front wheel drive get an adapter plate made to adapt it to rear wheel drive

i have a clubman hillclimb car it wasnt a kit just an old racecar that was reshelled into a spaceframe chassis....and if i told you what it was origanly you would cry

[nissanneill]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

Ain't that a bummer when you have to sell tour prized asset to buy a house!
I did that very same thing 38 years ago to buy out current house block when I had to sell my ski boat. Then built and developed the house and bought another boat which got us back in our chosen activity.
Bought a new one after the kids arrived and built a new one with a small block 400 Chev with Borg Warner velvet drive which we still have. Used it in a ski display team for years towing up to 12 skiers and still have a permit to tow 9 with conditions.
In 2000, I fell in love with a clubman kit car in the UK, a stainless steel monocoque bodied 2 seater which I got put into a container together with a Dax Rush kit clubman and had it delivered later that year. Shares that were given to us from the AMP Society paid for it all which I sold at their high point, a real bonus when you see their value now.
I used the Robin Hood for my daughter's wedding but it let me down as we were about to take the pics, 2 of the 4 plug wires fell out of the coils which were only accessible with the alternator off.
It has been sitting in the shed collecting dust for the past 3 years but hoped to get registered this summer if I get my finger out.
I have 2 turbo motors for the Dax )a Mazda 13B turbo with 5 speed and an east west Nissan SR20 intercooled turbo with a N/S 5 speed) but the gearbox doesn't mate up so it is back to the drawing board.

Neill

[bris-pizza-oven]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

i kinda know how that feels...im only 35 with a couple off young kids. i lent my missus younger sister my old car to go for a drive one day not long after she got her licence her and her female freind pulled up at a servo to get a drink when she walked out there was a crowd around it and the look on there face was priceless when she opened the drivers door and hopped into a 1940 ford pickup powered by a fairly stout 350 and started up and drove away like she stole it

thats the only car i wish i still had but something had to go when i brought a house.

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: Aussie Chit Chat

heres a few more

does anyone else on here have a project or two that isnt wfo related i'd like to see some pictures and maybe a story or two as well

cheers paul

I'm a bit of a rev head myself Paul. i have built up an old '67 XR Falcon for street/strip duties. 351 Clevo, C10 auto, and 9" diff. Runs 11's at HPR. Still a nice car on the roads, stall is high @4500RPM, but fun on the street. What the young blokes cant understand is when they pull up and rubberneck at the car, and then see a mid 60's driver,lol.