shin2chin
Part of things
Making curse word cars slightly better
Posts: 820
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I recently had this very dilemma. The Beetles I was looking at where curse word in my price range yet I could get a pretty mint looking Moggy. The thing that swung it for me was the style though. Wheels + low and any beetle looks the business. Don't get me wrong a modified Minor looks cool but I think it just needs more to get there and I just love the look of a Bug.
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1977 PORSCHE 2.0na 924 1974 VW Beetle 1600
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Two words Nurse Gladys End of argument. 😀 I would have been up for putting Nurse Gladys through her paces.
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Back on topic now. As a serial BMC owner since 1983 I may be biased but having driven both I prefer the Minor. I drove a fellow member's Beetle at a club event a couple of years ago and enjoyed the experience but it didn't strike me as something I could happily daily. The Minor (belonging to an elderly friend) that I drove in a VCC rally celebrating 75 years of Morris cars in New Zealand on the other hand I could easily have lived with.
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I’d have to do the old school mods with the fiat twincam though, and where would you find one of those? Mate had an early split screen moggy with that conversion, it was fantastic
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mk2cossie
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,948
Club RR Member Number: 77
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Having worked on more Minors than Beetles, my opinion is slightly biased. But the Morris is much nicer to work on and night and day difference to drive. As said above, the Minor would be a whole lot easier to live with as a daily. And I cant imagine theres really a lot of difference when it comes to modifying either if it comes down to cost. Other than the peoples car having a separate chassis
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Had three Minors, repaired (weld) one Bug. Minor all day long.
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Proton Jumbuck-deceased :-( 2005 Kia Sorento the parts hauling heap V8 Humber Hawk 1948 Standard12 pickup SOLD 1953 Pop build (wifey's BIVA build).
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May 16, 2020 10:57:08 GMT
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i was all about getting a beetle , loved the idea until i drove one , knew before id done 100 mtrs that it wasnt for me in the slightlest , maybe it was a really bad example but havent looked at them since
guess it depends what you want it for , beetles can be customised so many ways , don't even see many stock ones about , where the minor has a bit of a old mans rep , doesnt shout look at me
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91 golf g60, 89 golf 16v , 88 polo breadvan
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May 16, 2020 11:55:58 GMT
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I am somewhat biased, owning a Minor Traveller, but they are far more practical for general useage than a Beetle, in terms of boot space obviously, plus usually better heating/demisting, and more economical, plus lighter and easier to drive - my mate was heavily into Beetles, and I drove and rode in a couple of his, for trips to Bug Jam, etc. They are pretty poor for long motorway trips, and struggle on steep hills that my Minor would take in its stride, even with the original 1098cc engine. Rather cramped in the back too.
Then again, some features of the Beetle are admittedly better than the Minor, such as the easy engine removal, tough transaxle, usually better build quality (less rattles), better door seals and weatherproofing, etc.
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May 16, 2020 12:35:07 GMT
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I am somewhat biased, owning a Minor Traveller, but they are far more practical for general useage than a Beetle, in terms of boot space obviously, plus usually better heating/demisting, and more economical, plus lighter and easier to drive - my mate was heavily into Beetles, and I drove and rode in a couple of his, for trips to Bug Jam, etc. They are pretty poor for long motorway trips, and struggle on steep hills that my Minor would take in its stride, even with the original 1098cc engine. Rather cramped in the back too. Then again, some features of the Beetle are admittedly better than the Minor, such as the easy engine removal, tough transaxle, usually better build quality (less rattles), better door seals and weatherproofing, etc. On the whole I'd agree with this. My first car was always going to be a Minor or a Beetle. What swung it for me was that there was more experience within the family with Minors, and when you're a new driver/owner it's always handy to be able to pick someone's brain. Plus I'd learned to drive on a Minor. The Minor is more 'conventional' to drive, so if you've driven anything from the 70's or a Mini/Austin Metro, it won't be much of a culture shock. OK, there's no synchro on 1st, but if you get the 1098-engined one, you won't really need 1st once you're rolling, I've gone down to 15mph in top!. Also, because the handling is so predictable, you soon get to know its limits, so you can achieve good cross-country progress despite only having 48bhp (1098 model) to play with. They're not really a motorway car in stock form, but they will stay at 60mph all day without a problem (just set out a bit earlier). It'll be a bit noisy and the seats ain't too comfy, but those issues can be overcome. That said, I like Beetles, and haven't ruled one out at some point in my life. They too have their good points, but I just think if you're looking for something to use regularly, the Minor edges it. Get one with a 1098, and it's every bit as usable as a daily as any modern car, just needs a bit more maintenance (as does the Beetle). You can upgrade to electronic ignition, an alternator and a spin-off oil filter to make it a bit more practical.
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1953 Minor (Long term project) PT Cruiser
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May 16, 2020 14:41:39 GMT
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I like both.
Beetles are great. They are a bit like a cross between a car and an old British motorcycle. You can simply unbolt the engine and lift it out. Stamping on the gas sees a monumental increase in noise before a moderate increase in speed is evident. They are prone to having little oil wees on your drive. The brakes on old ones with drums up front are truly worrying in modern traffic. They have bags of charm just as they left the factory, but they are so "scene" I would only really want to own a fairly early fairly standard one, and they command big money & don't represent value for it objectively.
So... I would go for a Moggy. Being rather staid they are sort of anti-cool a bit like my A55, I like that.
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May 16, 2020 16:01:47 GMT
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MR TIKI
Posted a lot
TIKI,style from a different angle!
Posts: 1,154
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May 16, 2020 17:20:33 GMT
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is it relevant that it's easier to put a V8 in a Moggy than a Beetle?
asking for a friend.....
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Boldly driving faster than a tin worm can wiggle.
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tofufi
South West
Posts: 1,452
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May 16, 2020 18:41:44 GMT
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That's a lovely bug! Sea blue? Just trying to work out the wheels though, as you've got flat caps on them not the usual for that era domed version? I see it's a late 65, so 66 specification 1300. Does look cool. Very nice to see a standard height beetle for a change. Thanks! Yes, it's sea blue - the original colour for this one... Though it was light blue when I got it... It is a '66 model, which means it has one-year-only hubcaps and wheels (wheels also fitted to low spec 1967 cars). I was lucky enough to find a reasonably priced set of NOS '66 only hubcaps during the 10 year restoration The main reason it is back at standard height is because you never see them stock any more. It's still hiding a 1600 engine and a longer ratio box, which does give it a very unfair advantage over the worn out 1098 in the Morris
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May 16, 2020 19:01:57 GMT
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Beetles are cool but it's A Moggy for me
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madmog
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,153
Club RR Member Number: 46
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I’d have to do the old school mods with the fiat twincam though, and where would you find one of those? Mate had an early split screen moggy with that conversion, it was fantastic The engine wouldn't be the hard part it's the gearbox for RWD that's harder to find. There's a Fiat 131 box on Ebay at the moment though. Lada gearboxes are supposed to fit but most are 4 speed - plenty on Ebay. Then, and here's the great part, late Alfa twin sparks and Fiat/Alfa JTD front wheel drive engines will fit the old Fiat RWD gearbox. I was actually getting serious about changing my old school Lancia T/C petrol-engined Minor to Alfa diesel and got as far as going to Autolusso with a spare Fiat RWD bellhousing to confirm they match (they do) Even the 2.4JTD though that would stick out the front of the Minor as too long. I've just come back from another look on Ebay and spotted among other things, this: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fiat-twin-cam-engine-and-gearbox/114229008966?hash=item1a98945a46:g:UNkAAOSw1BNdjgaINearly useless engine but it has the gearbox attached. Engine might yield a RWD oil pump and sump - or not but if the gearbox is any good, worth it for that alone and the gearboxes rarely go wrong and will handle plenty of power. A modernish Alfa engine in a running Alfa will be a lot cheaper than an old school Fiat Twin cam engine any day. You can guarantee the latter will need money spending. Of course then you have to spend on brakes and suspension.
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I’d have to do the old school mods with the fiat twincam though, and where would you find one of those? Mate had an early split screen moggy with that conversion, it was fantastic The engine wouldn't be the hard part it's the gearbox for RWD that's harder to find. There's a Fiat 131 box on Ebay at the moment though. Lada gearboxes are supposed to fit but most are 4 speed - plenty on Ebay. Then, and here's the great part, late Alfa twin sparks and Fiat/Alfa JTD front wheel drive engines will fit the old Fiat RWD gearbox. I was actually getting serious about changing my old school Lancia T/C petrol-engined Minor to Alfa diesel and got as far as going to Autolusso with a spare Fiat RWD bellhousing to confirm they match (they do) Even the 2.4JTD though that would stick out the front of the Minor as too long. I've just come back from another look on Ebay and spotted among other things, this: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fiat-twin-cam-engine-and-gearbox/114229008966?hash=item1a98945a46:g:UNkAAOSw1BNdjgaINearly useless engine but it has the gearbox attached. Engine might yield a RWD oil pump and sump - or not but if the gearbox is any good, worth it for that alone and the gearboxes rarely go wrong and will handle plenty of power. A modernish Alfa engine in a running Alfa will be a lot cheaper than an old school Fiat Twin cam engine any day. You can guarantee the latter will need money spending. Of course then you have to spend on brakes and suspension. There is another small problem with this scenario...., I don’t have a moggy, and REALLY don’t need yet another project 😀
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May 26, 2020 11:04:54 GMT
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Mx5 engine and box or suzuki swift gti motor and samurai box?
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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mungo
Part of things
Posts: 318
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May 26, 2020 12:10:40 GMT
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I know I'm biased but ..... You can get horrible beetles and horrible moggys but choosing between a tastefully modified early example of both ?? I'd take the bug ....obviously ....I did
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56' bug 2332 +ida's 56' lowlight ghia 72' bus 1600 devon 67' type 3 square - gone 83' gti - gone 90' gti 16v - gone 82' chevette - gone 70' GP1 Beach buggy -gone 78' lightweight landrover 3L v6 -gone 89' gti - gone 83' gti - gone
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May 27, 2020 11:07:58 GMT
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1953 Minor (Long term project) PT Cruiser
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May 27, 2020 19:50:50 GMT
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Apparently as a small child I threw a huge trantrum at the dealers when my parents were part exchanging a Mk1 Cortina for a Minor....think on that basis I would go with a Beetle(never had one, and often wondered about trying one).
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2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro 1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck 1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban 1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop 1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan 2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T 1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate 2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet 2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
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