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Classic Cars as daily drivers

552 messages,  Last post on May 11, 2009 at 8:03 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Convertible, Sedan

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#473 of 552 122 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 08, 2002 (10:51 am)
Yeah, grandpa's car. Somehow it seems so undignified to throw a 122 around, but the 544 just seems to love it.
#474 of 552 Funny though... by andre1969 Oct 08, 2002 (11:22 am)
...to the Volvo-uninformed (i.e., me , the 122 looks like it should be more fun than the 544. The 544 (if the one y'all are talking about is the same one I found on Google) looks like it's right out of the 40's. The 122 looks kinda like a mid-50's Mopar to me. I guess looks can be deceiving though!
#475 of 552 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 08, 2002 (1:21 pm)
The 122s feel very sluggish and heavy, but you can get them to go. A 122 GT with overdrive, better cylinder head and cam, etc., and some good shocks and tires would be fun enough I think.   Teh 544 is fun right out of the box for some reason.Runs faster (must be lighter), handles better, just about everything better except maybe sound-deadening.
#476 of 552 122 vs.544 by amazon Oct 09, 2002 (4:50 am)
The brakes were better on the 122. The 544 had drums whereas the 122 has front discs. The 544 feels more nimble because it's lighter. Also, the later 122s had better suspensions, at least in the rear. The 122 had the stronger B20 in the last two years of production. The B20B engine propelled the 122 from 0 to 60 in about 9.5 seconds, which was pretty good back then.
#477 of 552 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 09, 2002 (10:07 am)
That is pretty good. Faster than an MGB.   I don't know how the Swedes designed the fun out of a 122, but they did. Must have realized their mistake with the 544   Drum brakes are not always inferior, strangely enough. Drive a '65 Corvair sometime. The drum brakes are fantastic.
#478 of 552 What size are the drums... by andre1969 Oct 09, 2002 (10:25 am)
...on a '65 Corvair? My '68 Dart has 10" drums, which aren't bad for a car that size. I never had any complaints...well, not TOO many! Just for comparison, GM was putting 9.5" drums as standard equipment on cars they had no right to be doing that to, such as the '73 Grand Am and other fairly heavy cars.   The Corvair was a pretty light car too, with high-winding engines that didn't put out much torque. Maybe that's why the drum brakes worked out well with it?
#479 of 552 by speedshift Oct 09, 2002 (2:04 pm)
Corvairs? High revving?   They had the same 9.5" diameter drums that came standard on the GM intermediates, including a few that put out well over 300 hp. I can tell you that in a 3600 lb. GTO this meant instant and complete brake fade at speeds of around 85 mph or above.   The '65-up Corvair used a wider brake shoe that increased braking area from 126 to 169 square inches. Sintered metallic brake linings, the usual cure for small brakes in those days, were offered on '62 and '63 Corvairs. Unlike regular brake linings, metallic linings work better the hotter they get. Chevy metallic linings for the Chevy II and Chevelle will work on '65-up Corvairs.   The aftermarket, including CRAGAR, offered disc brake conversions for a while.
#480 of 552 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 09, 2002 (4:23 pm)
Yeah, the engine was a rev slug I'm afraid. This is why a 2.0 liter Porsche will blow it away.   Really, no kidding, Corvair drum brakes are unbelievably efficient. Yes, I think the light weight on the front end definitely helped. If you dig through old car magazines, you will this is noted time and time again in 1965 on up road tests especially.
#481 of 552 by speedshift Oct 09, 2002 (5:25 pm)
You're right, the only time I ever had a problem with Corvair brakes was when a cat ran in front of my car and I stood on the brakes at about 30 mph. I ended up facing the other direction right in front of my neighbors, who I'm sure appreciated this manuever.   But really it was hard to pedal fast enough to get a Corvair to fade its brakes.
#482 of 552 Volvo 240 Turbo by sundaydriver3 Feb 21, 2003 (8:03 pm)
While certainly no bargin, becasue of high running costs it may hint just enough at fast class.

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