mrsnak
4814
That A108...
The fellow that bought it lives not to far from me, so I may see this car soon. The motor is was hand made by Alpine in France, which will make a full engine rebuild very difficult. The car lived most its life in Brazil. Even though it's basically a Dauphine 1000cc motor, the pistons and some parts were hand made for this. Parts will need to be made from scratch. As it is now, the car cannot be driven for the way it was designed- as a racer, but still runs fine for street use.
Big automotive benefit yesterday!
Got a call Thursday night that my friend Jonathon Burnette was in town. He is probably one of the most experienced and knowledgeable vintage French car mechanics (particularly Renault and Matra) in the U.S. and has a shop in Austin, Texas. I have been try...
Have tools, will travel.......
Not only does this guy sound like an expert, he also seems to be extremely passionate about cars! With all his experience, must be fascinating talking to him. -MW
Some guys are amazing ...
Snak ! Your Caravelle is really a beauty ... i'll add some pics of some more recent Renaults ... . I wonder if these little atmospheric two litres will become classics in some 40 years ... . Bim...
You make me sad, Bim...
If only Renault would come back to the US so I could buy a legal Clio.
Which one ?
The upcoming Clio RS "Ange et demon" (angel & devil) Shown here with one hell of a devil-driver Or the ultimate last version named the Clio RS-R lightweight with around 230 atmospheric horses ? Drooling Bim...
Snak, I laughed when I saw the "cardboard creeper"!
I use cardboard boxes for that purpose all the time! Great cars, by the way. Best, CaliforniaJed
I offered to let him use my "real" creeper...
...but the cardboard gave him more headroom to wiggle around under the car.
It's ironic that living near L.A., a mecca for vintage cars...
...that it's relatively difficult to find mechanics with the sensibilities or even the interest to work on these older cars. It's not like they are hard to work on at all, and these Renaults are quite hardy. Jonathon drove his Dauphine from Austin, TX to ...
Garage Benefit, part deux...
My birthday present from Mrs Snak this year was a mid-rise lift for the garage so that I can do servicing inside. It was delivered earlier in the week and left crated on a pallet near the garage door. Only took an hour or so to unpack it and use a furnitu...
Mrs. Snak is so thoughtful!
It's not every wife that buys their honey a lift for the garage! Have fun tinkering on your cars! Cheers, Daos
No 108 photos? :-)
I can't see how that scissor lift adjusts to meet the pick up points? Does it have a mechanical lock-out for when you get underneath? Looks like something I need to consider.
Yes, mechanical lockup...
I'll post pix when I hook up the hydraulics this week. Sadly, I was only able to see pictures of the A108 from his camera. He had dropped off the car prior to seeing me. Here is a catalog shot The compressor and fluid tank come on a dolly for mine, not on...
That A108...
The fellow that bought it lives not to far from me, so I may see this car soon. The motor is was hand made by Alpine in France, which will make a full engine rebuild very difficult. The car lived most its life in Brazil. Even though it's basically a Dauph...
Didn't they make Alpines in Sth America somewhere?
...not sure if it was 108s or 110s or where it was, but I recall an old, old article (Classic and Supercar?) talking about how the bodies were made a little beefier (or was it flimsier??). I was actually commenting on the lift, but that info is fascinatin...
I want to say that this car was made in Brazil...
...but the engine was made in France and shipped to them for installation. As I understand it, this was one of two cars in that configuration.
If they ever...
...rebuild that engine, please please see if you can get some shots of its innards. Alpine...Brazil...+ google=Willys Interlagos. Thanks, snak, I have that one out of my head now.
Don't I know I'm lucky...
..if I could only interest her in watches or expensive jewelry...
You're definitely lucky mrsnak
Very cool of the Mrs. to get you such an awesome b-day present. And Happy b-day! Regards, ED-209