Automotive Myths

[barefoot]

I'm sure everyone on here knows exactly how easy it is to fit a Porsche engine to a VW beetle using just the original four bolts

 

& I'm guessing most of you know about the MG Allegro coupe with its octagonal steering wheel and its completely re-designed rear light clusters...

 

but what about other automotive myths and legends?

 

I'll start you with this, which sounds like a tale from the pub which amazingly I heard for the first time yesterday.

Whilst discussing Vauxhall Chevettes, I mentioned that it didn't matter how long a run up I gave it, I was unable to persuade mine to venture to the naughty side of ninety. Chap next to me advises that, 'there's a great big weight on the bit of the prop-shaft that extends beyond the differential' and apparently the mere removal of this results in an extra 20mph! Not only that, but his did 115miles an hour.

 

Has anyone heard this?

Is it a complete load of bollocks?

Do you have similar tales of wisdom/mythology/crap from the pub/garage/workmate?

[warren t claim]

I'm sure later Vivas had a weight on the back axle to neutralise vibrations at certain speeds.

[garethj]

Weight on the propshaft will alter the throttle response; take weight out and they’ll spin up quicker so feel more responsive which might feel like more power. But maximum power is made at a certain revs with the throttle wide open, having a granite block on the propshaft means the engine will still achieve those revs so will still make that power.

 

And a car that does 90mph has got about 70bhp. A car that does 115mph needs about 120bhp to get there. If he can get an extra 50bhp by unbolting something, I feel sure he’d be getting noshed off by Ron Dennis every waking moment.

 

By coincidence, I know someone with a VW and there is a Porsche engine in it, but it’s a 356 engine. The throttle cable needs to be changed for the twin carbs linkage, the cooling tin needs to be trimmed and the exhaust changed, but otherwise it goes right in. This is an early ‘60s car with smaller clutch and 6V starter with smaller flywheel. Later ones with 12V starter are trickier.

[fiatdaft]

factory flat front mk2 escort rs2000, urban myth.

 

they don't exist.

[Rocket88]

Lancia Beta's engines fell out due to rust.........this has never happened.

[dollywobbler]

Messerschmitt bubble cars used left-over aircraft canopies.

[scaryoldcortina]

The ford 2.0 ohc "pinto" engine was not first fitted to the Ford Pinto but to the Cortina mk3. Most Ford Pintos do not have a pinto engine (*except in the sense that it is an engine fitted to a pinto)

[scooters]

A Citroen BX TZD19 Turbo estate......but it did exist - the 1900 PSA oil burner was fitted with a turbo and sold in a very limited run aimed at the eastern european market at the end of the production run. Citroen had run out of 1.7 engines so instead adapted the turbo to fit the 1.9. My father bought a brand new one of these in 1996, some years after production halted. It had been mothballed by the Citroen master dealer for Scotland and was the only 1.9TZD in right hand drive configuration.

 

I owned the car from 1998-2001 and then foolishly sold it (the days before I was a shitter)

 

the BX club brigade poopooed my claim and I haven't pushed it with them, the only way to convince them would be to provide paperwork which I no longer have. But I know what I owned and also recall the horror of the citroen mechanics when faced with this vehicle - mind you at t he time they were used to dealing with XMs so couldn't have been THAT bad

[Guest]

Isuzu Piazza back axles (with LSDs) bolt straight on to Chevettes and Kadetts. The 4CZ1T engines drop straight in too. The Piazza is a rebodied Chevette. The Piazza design was bought off VW when they decided not to renew ItalDesign's contract. The Piazza uses the same engine as the M100 Elan.

 

All of the above are bollocks.

[autofive]

bloke in a supermarket carpark once told me that Mk4/5 Cortina's were never sold as a V6, only a pinto (i was leaning on my 2.3 Ghia at the time)

does that count?

 

or how about the story of the Viva that came off the production line with one door on one side and two doors on the other?

ive seen this on many forums, and i suspect its total bollocks

[dollywobbler]

There's the Marina one too - that it had a drum front brake one side and disc the other. Not sure how you prove/disprove that one mind.

[theorganist]

Not sure if this is true.

 

I was told when I was younger that someone died trapped in his "bubble car" in his garage.

 

Apparently he drove it right to the end of the garage and could not get out as he could not open the door (obviously hinged on the front of the car)! Also it did not have reverse!

 

or how about the story of the Viva that came off the production line with one door on one side and two doors on the other?

 

IIRC I remember reading in Auto Express in the early 90's a Ford concept car based on the then new Fiesta Mk3. It was called something like City Car and had two nearside doors and one offside door. I think it also had some gimicks to make parking easier, they may have actually been early parking sensors and I think there was some kind of four wheel steering, then again I may be imagining it all!!

[Station]

The Vauxhall C20XE engine is a called a 'Redtop'. I cringe whenever I hear them called that.

[dollywobbler]

I call 'bullshit' on the bubble car thing. I thought that was a Jasper Carrot joke...

 

All you'd need to do is open the door and the car's so light it'd roll backwards.

[Richard]

I'm sure later Vivas had a weight on the back axle to

neutralise vibrations at certain speeds.

Mine did, one on each side IIRC.

[morris_ital_lover]

or how about the story of the Viva that came off the production line with one door on one side and two doors on the other?

ive seen this on many forums, and i suspect its total bollocks

 

I've heard a similar story of how a Discovery managed to make it through the painting stage only for someone to notice it was a 3/5 door cross, it would take spectacular incompetance for one to get off the production line.

 

m0rris

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

"they all do that, mate".

[Rhythm Thief]

"I had a 2CV once, used to get 75 mpg out of it." Err, no you didn't.

[RENOMAD]

A renault myth that I often heard was that the rear window on a Fuego was original a Porsche 924 Back window!!!!

Always sounded good from a Renault persceptive, but Porsche owners would disagree!

[Station]

It does look very similar ...

 

 

 

 

The bottom corner (where it meets the body) is in a different place though.

[richardthestag]

Triumph engineers told managemnet that the rover v8 would not fit the new Stag because of brand pride. Bollocks ? I am told BL could never have upped production of the RV8 to cover Stag, new Range Rover, Rover saloon range in 1970 and at such short notice - IIRC Triumph nobs forecast 25k units / year (but managed 27k across the entire 7 year run). The idea was almost certainly mooted but at that time the Triumph V8 was already at prototype stage so somebody, thank god said no.

 

A new triumph stag arrived at a new york showroom and on pre sales checks was found to only have 4 pistons fitted. dunno if it is bolloxs or not but might just be true

 

Vulva 340 range was still being produced way after the presses should have been melted down because of the british pensioner market?

 

"My mates" fizzie would do 52mph on the Ewell by-pass.

 

Any of those lead ball wrapped in chickenwire ads on ebay to counter the lack of lead in petrol. Solely design to liberate money from fools

[Rusty Pelican]

Hillman Imp engine is a fire engine water pump , No its not , loosely based on yes but you couldnt wrench one from a fire engine and stick it straight n your car , different CC and upright in the fire engine for a start .

[Negative Creep]

VWs are reliable

 

Fitting a loud exhaust and driving in high revs will make people think you have a fast car

 

Car safety systems will get you out of anything

 

Get caught at over 100mph on the motorway and it's an instant ban

 

Not buying fuel at BP or Shell will force prices down

 

Buying a brand new car is better for the environment

 

Speed kills

[Skizzer]

^^Good list

 

 

German racing cars were silver because one day in the early 1930s they had to scrape the white paint off to get under the scrutineering weight limit.

 

Reliant Robins are called Robin Reliants (Jasper Carrott started this one too I think).

[dollywobbler]

Oh, how could I forgot. The Triumph TR2 has a tractor engine. Well, not really. Some similar engineering, but different capacity and many different parts. Not exactly pulled out of a Ferguson agricultural machine.

 

A bit like saying that a TVR Griffith 500 has a Land Rover V8.

[M'coli]

Hillman Imp engine is a fire engine water pump , No its not , loosely based on yes but you couldnt wrench one from a fire engine and stick it straight n your car , different CC and upright in the fire engine for a start .

Cast iron block in the waterpump too.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Could I fit a Hillman Imp engine in my fire pump?

 

[Rusty Pelican]

Could I fit a Hillman Imp engine in my fire pump?

 

Quite possibly , or you could just stuff this in instead

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/coventry-climax-f ... 500wt_1156

[chaseracer]

A renault myth that I often heard was that the rear window on a Fuego was original a Porsche 924 Back window!!!!

Always sounded good from a Renault persceptive, but Porsche owners would disagree!

Nah, mate, but the 924's winda came from this:

 

 

Well-known fact, that...

[autofive]

those coventry climax engines sometimes were replacement units that had vehicle head, cam, tappets etc

 

but most of em are totally unsuitable for vehicle use, unless you want to run them at 1500 revs all their working lives

 

ive just thought of another one; usually voiced by idiots

 

"all scimitar front suspension is Triumph, and easily interchangeable"

 

they are not, they look similar and share bushes, wheel bearings and rod ends, but they are a slightly different size.

 

and just for balance, one that is true:

 

"scimitar steering racks are LHD Princess units, used upside down"