What is the best modification you have made to your car?

[Tim Bancroft]

6 minutes ago, Alex said:

1144 pads are great and work right from the off. I’ve never had brake fade but then I’m no race driver either ….

Worst mod to Alex's car, those blasted stripes!

[Alex]

34 minutes ago, Tim Bancroft said:

Worst mod to Alex's car, those blasted stripes!

Wow you just don’t care do you! 
You and I both know my spitfires amazing 😘

[Alex]

[McJim]

LED headlights (can now see where I'm going on the RBRR night sections) and some modest stripes.

I'm with Alex on some racy stripe action.

Tim loves 'em.

Jim.

[Alex]

2 minutes ago, McJim said:

LED headlights (can now see where I'm going on the RBRR night sections) and some modest stripes.

I'm with Alex on some racy stripe action.

Tim loves 'em.

Jim.

You need to get the number plate onto the bonnet though 😉

[Tim Bancroft]

And the windscreen finisher on, looks unfinished without it.

[McJim]

I added chrome to the grille already. 

Any more is just bling and tacky. 

Jim. 

[Clive]

9 hours ago, Tim Bancroft said:

And the windscreen finisher on, looks unfinished without it.

I rather like a squaretail sans the chrome screen surround. 

I also rather dislike fitting them. A lot.

Maybe the 2 facts are related?

[RobPearce]

My GT6 lost its chrome screen finisher shortly before its (and my) first RBRR in 1994. I feel no urge to attempt to replace it.

[Alex]

11 hours ago, Tim Bancroft said:

And the windscreen finisher on, looks unfinished without it.

My car didn’t have a screen finisher when we got it in 2002. I didn’t realise it was meant to until I was putting it all back together after I painted it in 2011/12. 

[Tim Bancroft]

Anyway, any more mods that are liked?

[Clive]

Having just sold a mk3 spitfire to some people we vaguely know, I fitted a swingspring. And when I drove it I realised how sweet a setup it is (and yes, thicker ARB fitted at the same time, along with std front springs and std shocks)

[iani]

Alfa 156 seats in saloons & estates, very comfortable indeed, buy the right ones and you even get an opening cubby box in the armrest.

[yorkshire_spam]

1 hour ago, Tim Bancroft said:

Anyway, any more mods that are liked?

I posted my top mods for both the Dolomite and the Spitfire close to the start of the thread as the "best" modifications for me.

In addition to those I'd also say:

• Spitfire and Dolomite - stiffened and slightly lowered suspension (by different degrees on the 2 cars) has much improved the driving (Spitfire used to be scary at Autobahn speeds)
• Spitfire added a centre resonator to the wheel barrow exhaust, doesn't make your ears bleed at motorway cruising anymore
• Spitfire - built a fast road spec engine, seems to have a bit more "pep"
• Dolomite already had TrackerJack brakes when I got it, but I'd have fitted them if not.
• Spitfire - 1144 mintex pads... what a difference!

Edited February 16, 2023 by yorkshire_spam

[JohnD]

 

Velocita Rosso, are you there?  Hello?  Please tell us, what are the "right pads"?

No answer.    I just love it when people make opinionated statements and fail to back them up.

On the rest above, yes, 1144s are good for road use.   But I race mine, and with the vented discs I use 1155s that have a higher operating temperature.   The result is that my brakes never fade, even when I 'm using late braking.      And what's more, they still work straight out of the garage, when  they are cold.

John

 

[FloydP]

The 123 tune dizzy for the GT6 improved its running no end, I’m sure if I had the old delco one refurbished and the curve springs replaced it would have been similar but it’s appetite for rotor arms would have remained!!!

[Martins Stag]

At Stoneleigh they had some very nice Aluminum 4 pot calipers for the Stag. The were £600ish and i am not convinced that i needed them. The Stag brake calipers are the same as early Ford transits and thus brake pads are very cheap compared with most Stag items.... What I will probably do is to remove the dust shields and possibly go M1144s next time I replace the pads. But I use the Stag for "wafting around" rather than thrashing it so no real need! 

[Tim Bancroft]

Forgot 123 distributors, have them on all 3 cars, fit and forget!

[RobPearce]

13 minutes ago, Tim Bancroft said:

123 distributors, have them on all 3 cars, fit and forget!

Is it still the case that you can only get them in Lucas shape without the tacho drive? No good for any of mine if so.

[FloydP]

5 minutes ago, RobPearce said:

Is it still the case that you can only get them in Lucas shape without the tacho drive? No good for any of mine if so.

I think so, I had to get the Lucas clamp for the base and switch to an electronic rev counter when I did mine.

[glang]

A small thing but changing my gear knob has been a good move. I had one of those aftermarket wooden ones which is bigger than the original ball jobbie but still found it uncomfortable and difficult to always get smooth gear changes.

Ive now got a cheapy perforated PU leather 2" diameter modern knob - for VAG models I think. It looked a bit silly on the spindly gear stick so Ive also installed a PU leather gaiter over the original rubber bellows. Anyway I find it fits in my hand much better and allows the full, quite precise, control I need to get those gear changes spot on plus doesnt look out of place🙂

[Matt George]

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

 

Velocita Rosso, are you there?  Hello?  Please tell us, what are the "right pads"?

No answer.    I just love it when people make opinionated statements and fail to back them up.

On the rest above, yes, 1144s are good for road use.   But I race mine, and with the vented discs I use 1155s that have a higher operating temperature.   The result is that my brakes never fade, even when I 'm using late braking.      And what's more, they still work straight out of the garage, when  they are cold.

John

 

John, that is interesting. I've used 1144 pads on my 2500 saloon for ten years now and they are absolutely fantastic. Definitely up there as one of the top 'improvements/modifications' that I've made in 16 years of ownership.
I got a set of 1155s cheap, but haven't used them yet as I haven't found anybody who suggests they are suitable for the road. Would you recommend them for road use then?

Thanks,

Matt

[JohnD]

No, I don't recommend them for ordinary road use!     Please see Mintex's own website:  Racing Compounds – Mintex

These are all "Racing Compounds"

1144 - Medium-torque material with excellent low temperature performance. Ideal for fast road, track days, karts, hill climbs, off road, club motorsport and light weight open wheel racers. 

1155 - Medium-torque material offering excellent pedal feel, greater high temperature performance and resistance to fade. Developed for loose surface rally, open wheel and light weight saloon racing. M1155 offers the driver more controllability over more aggressive high friction compounds. Perfect where trail braking techniques are used.

1166 - High-torque material, combining a strong resistance to fade with greater performance and stability at high temperature. Extensively used over the years in saloon, rally and open wheel racing.

Yer 'ordinary' pads are absolutely fine for ordinary road use.   I would suggest that apart from pass descending, if you  get your brakes to fade on the road, you are driving like a lunatic!

John

[Tim Bancroft]

Blimey, I must be a lunatic....lol! 

[RobPearce]

22 minutes ago, JohnD said:

 I would suggest that apart from pass descending, if you  get your brakes to fade on the road, you are driving like a lunatic!

Or in a TR7. Front pads straight off a Mini. That was one of my best modifications, to replace the pathetic joke production front brakes with four pot calipers. Mintex 1144's would probably have made a fair difference as a cheaper alternative.