engine and drivetrain Photos of my 69 1600 Cabriolet

[dirk2602]

and a People's Vote from the dark side:

wrong tires and rims - too big and heavy

wrong steering wheel - really ruins the interior

just sayin

You missed the side mirrors, side moldings, trunk (not supposed to have an emblem), the antenna, and the black wipers.

None of these however take away from the pleasure of driving a cabrio.

[Collinster742002]

I think it'd look good with the factory alloys from a later 2002; not MAHLE's like mine but those other ones...turbines?

Beautiful car though. I love what you've done with it. I just hope you don't drive it like a prius I'd drive the bmw everyday and let the prius rot into the earth where it belongs.

[mattdanchris]

Thanks c.d. and Dirk. You confirmed my reasoning for not posting photos months ago. I knew that if I posted photos my car would be picked apart, even if it were perfect. When I bought it, I was sort of glad that it could never be perfect (wrong engine), even if I repainted it to the original white color. So, I did as many do, I modified it a bit and left some of the non-original feature there. I could put the original tires and rims back on (plain), put the 16 inch bus steering wheel back on (that's fun), remove the side trim and rear emblem (the holes in the body would look cool) and so on.

It really does not bother me what you think, but it goes to show why I feel this site has more negative posts than others and is not so friendly. There are many great and helpful people here and I appreciate that. I have joined 3 other car forums in the past 5 years (Datsun 2000 roadster, Triumph TR4, and Buick Reatta) and they were all much more "friendly". I never feared asking a question and if people had nothing nice to say.... If you don't agree, you can state it in a nice manner. It would be nice if the tone changed some, but I can live with it.

Just sayin.

Carl

[1972_Targa]

Carl, a beautiful, beautiful car. It's obviously a labor of love, and it shows. As owners, we all make personal choices with our cars. Your task is to create a car that makes you happy—and you've done a fantastic job of that.

There's no right or wrong to this process, unless you're taking part in some Concours d'Elegance, which isn't the case here. And you're right, this site could stand a bit more kindness on occasion, because kindness and honesty aren't mutually exclusive to how we treat each other. Your joy isn't coming at someone else's expense, so it's disheartening to see cold water thrown on your enthusiasm.

Your car is your statement—and you've said it well. Be proud of what you've created:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

—Dr. Seuss

[jgerock]

Carl -

Despite some comments that other folks have mentioned... they may have been meant to point out irregularities in the car and hopefully not criticisms.

It's your car and it looks fantastic to me. Love the wheels, color and steering wheel. Please share more about it when you have time.

Jim

[dirk2602]

Thanks c.d. and Dirk. You confirmed my reasoning for not posting photos months ago. I knew that if I posted photos my car would be picked apart, even if it were perfect. When I bought it, I was sort of glad that it could never be perfect (wrong engine), even if I repainted it to the original white color. So, I did as many do, I modified it a bit and left some of the non-original feature there. I could put the original tires and rims back on (plain), put the 16 inch bus steering wheel back on (that's fun), remove the side trim and rear emblem (the holes in the body would look cool) and so on.

It really does not bother me what you think, but it goes to show why I feel this site has more negative posts than others and is not so friendly. There are many great and helpful people here and I appreciate that. I have joined 3 other car forums in the past 5 years (Datsun 2000 roadster, Triumph TR4, and Buick Reatta) and they were all much more "friendly". I never feared asking a question and if people had nothing nice to say.... If you don't agree, you can state it in a nice manner. It would be nice if the tone changed some, but I can live with it.

Just sayin.

Carl

Carl - I apologize for the unsolicited listing of non-original items on your cabrio. They were meant as constructive criticism and not to knock down your car. Sorry.

[mattdanchris]

1) Dirk, no worries. I'm a big boy and can take it. It's just that every time I see posts that are negative, I cringe. I know that there are members out there that are afraid to post. There will be more posts if we eliminate smart ass answers and "use the search". BTW, can you educate me on what mirrors are correct (I may like them more than what is on there now)? Done.

2) Thanks everyone for the compliments. Any questions, just ask.

3) Andrew, I switched the grill and it does fit better. Thanks.

4)FuneElan VIN # 1557809

5)Jgerock and FunElan. Engine number is: 22 TI A98 "C". The "C" is not really a "C" it looks like a sideways "V" or a horse shoe. The head is stamped "A2" and "121TI" and "71" in a circle. There is also an "s" stamped near the water jacket. Any info you can give me would be great.

[FunElan]

Ours is 1557868, so yours was built 59 cars before ours! Crazy to think about it.

From the head pic, it just looks like a regular head from a '71. It looks like some of the other marks were just stamped in by maybe someone who rebuilt it. All 71 02's had the 121ti head if I remember correctly.

Think about bringing it to Cars and Coffee in Irvine this coming saturday!

-Matt

[roadhog0]

I'm envious now! That's a car I would love to have down the road!! Best of luck to you and the new 02!!

[Slavs]

Carl,

You have a clean car. I don't think that the guys here really intended to be negative. But a cabriolet is a rare sled and some of us are merely trying to offer constructive criticism. If you look at some pictures of early cars, you may notice that many of the cabrios were equipped with the rare single spoke steering wheel. I don't know if the 69 came with one, but it really compliments that early dash. It is aslo just a little bigger than the steering wheel you currently have in the car, and it is not a "Bus" size. If you ever repaint your car you may consider removing that trim and the trunk emblem.

If you prefer alloys, you may also consider using some period correct 13" alloys or wider steel wheels. And don't forget about the mirrors. They are 74ish looking. Remember, your car is like a Porsche Speedster, and you don't find many Porsche Speedster owners throwing things on their cars from later Porches. The 121Ti designation on the head does not mean your motor is a Ti motor. I've never seen any diffrence between 121, 121T and 121Ti heads. Somebody here can correct me if I'm wrong. Personally, if I had a cabrio, I'd install all stock equipment including the 1600 motor and 4 speed Porsche synchro gearbox. I'd save all the mods for a less significant car. I have a very clean 66-67 1600 which the PO had converted from 6v to 12v and installed a 2.0L engine with 5 speed overdrive. The car drives really nice, but I wish it had all the stock equipment. Someday, I'll convert it back.

Slavs

[John_in_VA]

Steve/BluntTech should be able to get them for you, if desired.

Beautiful car!!

[mattdanchris]

Slavs,

I guess we are all different in what we want. If I had a 67 1600 with a 5 speed and 2 liter engine, I would be fine with driving 70 mph @2900 rpm. I would never consider changing the car back to a 1600 engine and driving 70 mph @ 4000 rpm. I could not justify all of the work and money, since it would not be the original matching engine.

If I had a $250,000 Porsche Speedster, I would not be driving the car. It would be a trailer queen and the only enjoyment I would get from it would be looking at it. In that case We can agree, keep it original. In my case, I bought my car to drive it and I can only wish it was worth anything close to $250,000. It will never be as the factory made it. Does anyone have the original engine?

Carl

[nbristow01]

Dayum nice car. I love the cabrio and want one some day. A friend of mine here in Dallas has a Cabrio. The interesting thing abut these cars is when you look at the hardtop car, it looks like a kind of small car. When you look at a cabrio with the top down it appears to be a larger size. I will have a cabrio one day when I have garage space

[Mark92131]

Carl:

I think you did a great job with the upgrades on your Cab. I know how hard it is to find stock pieces for this model, so sometimes you are forced to make compromises. (I have been looking for a passenger side mirror and sun visors for years). In your case, you ended up with the best of both worlds, a very presentable example with all the modern additions to make it a reliable and fun driver. My cab was restored with a 2 Liter motor out of 2000C and the original 1600 motor was long gone. I don't regret that from a purist point of view, it isn't factory original, it still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.

I hope to see it at the SoCal Vintage this year or during a San Diego roadtrip.

Mark92131

[BrentF]

Nice! How about a shot with the top up?