computid
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 07:28 PM |
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Just bought a new kit car... A Minari Road Sport!
Saw this advertised on piston heads last week and just knew I had to have it. Its a MK2 Minari Road Sport based off a 1.5 Alfa Sud (Im yet to work out
which engine variant). It was built professionally by chameleon cars in around 1994/1995, It was put into dry store in 1999 and hadn't been on
the road since. It was put through an MOT in september and passed first time after just a new headlight bulb.
We were intending to drive it the 118 miles back from bristol after getting the train up, however when we arrived we were informed by the owner that
the car had developed a rather bad fuel leak. The alfa tank has the filler pipe at the bottom of the tank and a rubber elbow to connect the tank
filler to the filler hose. The rubber elbow had some (read: a lot) of holes and splits in it. The owner had managed to bodge it with some Morris Minor
inner tube to stop the fuel leak for the time being. The only draw back to this was that if you put more then 15 Litres of petrol in it would pour out
of the pipe.
We decided to drive it home none the less. By this point it had started to pour down with rain, the car had a hard top so that made it easier but as
we later found out the car steams up something dreadful even with the heater on cold and pointed at the screen. To make matters worse as we were
driving down the motorway with the windscreen wipers on the battery light came on. When we looked at the battery gauge it appeared to be dropping
quite badly. We decided to press on.
By the time we got off the motorway things had gotten a bit worse. The battery gauge was showing the battery as being almost empty, the headlights
were getting considerably dimmer (If it wasn't for cats eyes we wouldn't have been able to see the road) and the windscreen wiper was
operating a lot slower then before. We pushed on and made it onto the bypass about 1/2 a mile from home before the electrics pretty much died. The
indicators didn't work, the lights were pretty much out and the car started to miss fire, we coaxed it up the hill and turned into our road, we
turned onto out driveway and just before the car was about to mount the curb it finally died slap bang in the middle of the road. I ran in to get my
mother to sit in the drivers seat and steer whilst we tried to push it onto the drive, we got it to the curb but couldn't get up the slightly
raised edge (as we later found out the brakes were binding). I went and got a neighbour who helped us push it onto the drive.
All in all, it was one of the most terrifying car collections of my life (and I've had some pretty bad ones) but it was all worth it for the
car. It needs a little work but its a very nice little car.
With regards to the electrics, we found out the next day that the alternator belt has an awful lot of play in it, I have since ordered a new one.
Anyway, sorry for the long story. Here are the pics:
Note: If the above post doesn't make any sense, its probably due to the horrific man flu I have at the moment. Sorry!
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wylliezx9r
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 07:38 PM |
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Cool, I like it. Is the engine a boxer configuration? Is it mid or front engined ?
I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.
George Best
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Xtreme Kermit
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 07:40 PM |
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I like it too. I always had a soft spot for the sud engine.
It's crying out for a twin weber conversion though 
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computid
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 07:40 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by wylliezx9r
Cool, I like it. Is the engine a boxer configuration? Is it mid or front engined ?
Thanks 
Yeah, flat 4 boxer engine. Front engined and Front wheel drive.
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computid
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 07:42 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Xtreme Kermit
I like it too. I always had a soft spot for the sud engine.
It's crying out for a twin weber conversion though
You read my mind! The single webber does sound brilliant with its sucking sound so two can only sound better! It'll probably be getting a full
rebuild in winter 2012 so Im going to have a play with the engine then.
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theduck
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 08:21 PM |
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Looks like a very strange mix of BMW z1, Mazda mx3 and Mazda mx5.
Pretty sure the rights to the manufacture of these was for sale recently to.
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computid
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 08:57 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by theduck
Looks like a very strange mix of BMW z1, Mazda mx3 and Mazda mx5.
Pretty sure the rights to the manufacture of these was for sale recently to.
Not sure I agree with the Z1 comparison, but your right about the other bits. The front lights are from a Mazda MX3, the rear lights from a Mazda 121,
the windscreen from a Citroen Saxo, the windscreen edging from a transit, the door openers from a panda and the fuel cap from a panda.
The car is pretty much made of other production car parts.
The rights to make the car were sold recently to Peninsula Sports Cars (http://www.peninsulasportscars.co.uk/). I am currently chatting with them as I
have some documentation that they're interested in and they're helping me out with some bits I need.
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zilspeed
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 08:59 PM |
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Regarding twin weber conversions to Alfasuds.
It's not as simple as unbolting the centrally mounted carb and replacing with a pair of downdraughts and manifolds liberated from the
scrappies.
Ask me how I know this...
The inlet ports can be wildly different.
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theduck
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 08:59 PM |
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Was this since the classic car show last month? Peninsula ring a bell as being the ones selling it?
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whitestu
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 09:00 PM |
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I've always liked Minaris and been a sud / 33 fan for years.
I've taken apart and rebuilt more suds than I care to remember so if you have any mechanical questions let me know.
The best sud / 33 engines are either the 1286 from early sud tis [enough power for a sud and amazingly smooth] of the 8/16v 1.7s which have way more
grunt than the smaller engines.
The 1.5 engines are strong, but big end bearings go if the oil isn't changed. A telltale rattle from a cold start with low oil pressure gives
them away.
Stu
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 09:06 PM |
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Great looking car with a lovely engine, I've always liked the Minari. The interior colour might be an acquired taste though!
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Xtreme Kermit
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 09:07 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
Regarding twin weber conversions to Alfasuds.
It's not as simple as unbolting the centrally mounted carb and replacing with a pair of downdraughts and manifolds liberated from the
scrappies.
Ask me how I know this...
The inlet ports can be wildly different.
Go on zil, tell us how you discovered that one...
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whitestu
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| posted on 14/12/11 at 09:43 PM |
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quote:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by zilspeed
Regarding twin weber conversions to Alfasuds.
It's not as simple as unbolting the centrally mounted carb and replacing with a pair of downdraughts and manifolds liberated from the scrappies.
Ask me how I know this...
The inlet ports can be wildly different.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go on zil, tell us how you discovered that one...
On a standard motor twin downdrafts don't make much difference. You can fit them if you swap the heads as well, but cr will be a bit lower.
The only way to go with the motor is a 1.7. They are miles better.
Stu
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zilspeed
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| posted on 15/12/11 at 07:06 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Xtreme Kermit
quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
Regarding twin weber conversions to Alfasuds.
It's not as simple as unbolting the centrally mounted carb and replacing with a pair of downdraughts and manifolds liberated from the
scrappies.
Ask me how I know this...
The inlet ports can be wildly different.
Go on zil, tell us how you discovered that one...
I think you already know.
The scrappie was good enough to give me a full refund.
I just wanted the howl of a pair of Webers.
Mine was a 135o ti.
Fabulous little car.
Many years later, I tride to recapture the feeling by buying a 145 with the boxer motor.
That was a massive dissapointment and was no way for the boxer motor to bow out.
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