My New Shitbox

Neil Choi · June 02, 2011, 11:19:24 PM

Datsun 180B

dehne · June 02, 2011, 11:21:33 PM

fuel consumption is pretty good on these and as for water i plan on going flat out right over the top of it. i might take the topgear challange and put an outboard on it and that will keep the other crap dry

and no sheldon was not joking though of the 2 best alfa 90 owners teaming up for an all out assult.

alfagtv58 · June 03, 2011, 11:52:59 AM

Quote from: Sheldon McIntosh on June 02, 2011, 11:04:14 PM
A 90 should be pretty good for it, but a few more electrics to worry about through the water. The lack of ground clearance could be a concern too, but easy enough to raise a bit I suppose.

Actually Stu and I were discussing last night what to do it in next year, and a V6 75 did come up. After the first 4 days of the rally I'd thought a 164 would be perfect for it, but I don't know how it would have coped with the river-crossings on day 5, and if something does go wrong it's not as simple to work on.

Isnt it great to be an Alfisti and have so many options for appropriate cars to take on a shitbox rally

pep105 · June 03, 2011, 02:17:22 PM

Quote from: Neil Choi on June 02, 2011, 11:19:24 PM
Datsun 180B

A Datsun 200B with 20 less mistakes

Quote from: alfagtv58 on June 03, 2011, 11:52:59 AM
Isnt it great to be an Alfisti and have so many options for appropriate cars to take on a shitbox rally

Yes so true!

Well done Sheldon good stuff mate seems Mario was like an old faithful friend
now the search for the next one
Cheers

Pep

Sheldon McIntosh · June 03, 2011, 02:53:08 PM

Don't worry, a 180B or 120Y was discussed at some point. Hey, it's supposed to be a challenge right, no point making the drive easy or comfortable.....

Quote from: pep105 on June 03, 2011, 02:17:22 PM
Well done Sheldon good stuff mate seems Mario was like an old faithful friend
now the search for the next one

Thanks pep, yep Mario was all that and more, he was an excellent companion for this trip, and he showed what a well-prepared, albeit clapped-out Alfa can do, and I was quite sad to see him go. We actually got top three in the "least likely to survive" category, so stoked to have proved them wrong. Wish I'd had a 2-litre though, or better-yet a V6.

It's going to be tricky finding the right car for next year, I can't do a joolie again, that would be too easy. I'd love a 1977 Honda Civic, but they're getting hard to find these days.

MD · June 03, 2011, 03:07:15 PM

Honda ?

Nah !!

What you need is the grand daddy of shitboxes.

The Austin 1800.

http://www.elevenhundred.com/austin1800/

Paul Gulliver · June 03, 2011, 04:06:20 PM

QuoteWe actually got top three in the "least likely to survive" category

Did Dolly get the choclates in that category

Paul Gulliver · June 03, 2011, 04:21:58 PM

Bump, Forgot to add my congratulations on dreaming about it starting and finishing it. Without getting to mushy about it I read this a couple of days ago;

"All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they dream their dreams with open eyes, and make them come true."

- D.H. Lawrence

Great effort Rex & Sheldon.

Gully

Sheldon McIntosh · June 03, 2011, 08:44:31 PM

Quote from: MD on June 03, 2011, 03:07:15 PM
What you need is the grand daddy of shitboxes.
The Austin 1800.

While it's true that they are complete shitboxes, and you couldn't pay me enough to drive one, they do have some pedigree, finishing 2nd in the 1968 London-Sydney.....

Sheldon McIntosh · June 03, 2011, 08:46:48 PM

Quote from: Paul Gulliver on June 03, 2011, 04:21:58 PM
Bump, Forgot to add my congratulations on dreaming about it starting and finishing it. Without getting to mushy about it I read this a couple of days ago;

"All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they dream their dreams with open eyes, and make them come true."

- D.H. Lawrence

Great effort Rex & Sheldon.

Gully

Thanks Paul, and nice quote. Not sure if it was dreaming or lunacy, but either way, it got us to the finish line.

Just put another update on www.hoonanism.com , detailing the last two days. Hopefully put up a wind-up post this weekend.

Mr Frog · July 01, 2011, 01:03:55 PM

I have a 105 which I am driving daily at the moment Cairns-Innisfail-Cairns, and used to drive every three months Cairns-Melb-Cairns. It's never missed a beat.

I also own a Bushpug (Peugeot 505) which is used fore the same sort of driving. It's never missed a beat.

Both are wonderful cars, and take just a little care to keep in tip-top shape, and I've never had a problem finding spares for either. (for example I once got an Alfa water pump delivered in one and a half days to Swift's Creek pub, and a s/h Pug power steering unit delivered to Miles in two days - both I might add victims of idiot mechanics)

The Gregory River campsite and Lawn Hill in general is all that it's cracked up to be.

Sheldon McIntosh · July 01, 2011, 10:40:54 PM

Thanks Mr Toad. Yep, preparation and pre-emptive maintenance is certainly the key. Interestingly, we briefly considered a Peugeot 505 for next years rally, watch this space...

Agreed, Gregory Downs was quite spectacular, the river was amazing, and the view of the night sky was better than I've ever seen before. The Puttanesca was disgusting though, I had to pass it on to someone else and go back for some Carbonara.

I posted a final, uhh, post about the rally at my blog... http://hoonanism.com/2011/06/shitbox-rally-the-wash-up/ , including auction information and more.