TodFitch Posted September 15, 2019 Report Posted September 15, 2019 Escape from visiting art museums for a little drive in the Tuscan countryside near Firenze (Florence for us Americans). Not sure if the photo will upload from this phone... Edit: File upload doesn't seem to work on this browser on this phone. I guess you'll have to wait until we are back home next week to see it. :( Quote
TodFitch Posted September 22, 2019 Author Report Posted September 22, 2019 Home now so photo uploads should work. Lots of things to catch up on but once I am caught up I'll edit the video clips from this into something that might be watchable. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 I see you opted for one of the larger cars while touring about..... Quote
Dodgeed Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 Loved my time there in my many trips around Italy. Looking forward to your pictures. ? Quote
TodFitch Posted September 22, 2019 Author Report Posted September 22, 2019 5 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said: I see you opted for one of the larger cars while touring about..... Yes, that was a later one, apparently a 1963 model, with an upgraded engine they claimed put out a massive 18 HP. In chatting with the tour leader he expressed some concern about the future of the enterprise as fewer and fewer people know how to drive a stick shift. He said the problem is particularly acute with younger Americans as most have never driven anything but an automatic. The car I drove had a very loose shift gate, no synchros into low, and the engine had a narrow RPM range which made it a bit more difficult to operate than some other stick shifts. So I can see that if you'd never driven a manual transmission before it could be “interesting”. A really fun car to drive on slow back roads. Very light steering. Noisy aircooled engine with a bunch of gear noise from the transmission in lower gears. Makes you feel like you are going fast when you aren’t. Typical non-power drum brakes (which apparently feel non-functional to people accustomed to power disc brakes). And I wouldn't want to be anywhere near high speed (>45 MPH) traffic while in that car. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 45 on them rural roads = zoom zoom I just finished priming the frame on a English vehicle that boast a whopping 48 HP......and with 4.55 rear ratio....you can guess I am looking for a 3.73 rear axle now...have a 4.22 and can lay my hands on the 3.9...but not that anxious to give up on the 3.73..little older Euro-cars all sounded quite busy due to gearing based on small engine/low HP-torque...but the little suckers are fun... Quote
tom'sB2B Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 Currently touring Portugal in this rental. 2019 Citroen. They haven't gotten too much bigger over the years. Quote
TodFitch Posted September 22, 2019 Author Report Posted September 22, 2019 1 hour ago, tom'sB2B said: Currently touring Portugal in this rental. 2019 Citroen. They haven't gotten too much bigger over the years. I saw a number of those Citroens in Italy. They are about twice as big as the little Fiat 500 we did the afternoon tour with. Quote
lonejacklarry Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 4 hours ago, TodFitch said: Yes, that was a later one, apparently a 1963 model, with an upgraded engine they claimed put out a massive 18 HP. Yup, you got the quick one. Those had a 600 cc engine while the earlier ones had 500 cc. I think that is whence the "Fiat 500" came. Quote
lonejacklarry Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 4 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said: I just finished priming the frame on a English vehicle that boast a whopping 48 HP......and with 4.55 rear ratio....you can guess I am looking for a 3.73 rear axle now...have a 4.22 and can lay my hands on the 3.9...but not that anxious to give up on the 3.73..little older Euro-cars all sounded quite busy due to gearing based on small engine/low HP-torque...but the little suckers are fun... Morris Minor? AH Sprite? Wait.....Those were unitary construction, i.e., no frame. I give up. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 Morris Minor Van, 6CWT......1969 model...…. Van and Truck have a full frame.... Quote
Los_Control Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 19 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said: Morris Minor Van, 6CWT......1969 model...…. Van and Truck have a full frame.... You going big block on that? see the drive shaft tube is in place Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 (edited) compared to my riding mower...yeah..its a big block......don't ever underestimate the manner in how these little cars are built...they will surprise you in some areas...AND...it's a two door...PLUS it has torsion bar suspension....what's not to like.....? oh and an added note for lonejacklarry…..the truck and van are modified 4 door cars...they do not have the larger doors as the two door saloons....the van body and the truck cab back have the same bolt pattern....my van also has the smaller glass on the rear cargo doors and look a bit less obvious and fit the body style a lot better...at least in my eyes it does... Edited September 22, 2019 by Plymouthy Adams Quote
lonejacklarry Posted September 22, 2019 Report Posted September 22, 2019 Sounds like an interesting project. I was not aware that the trucks and vans had frames. Learn something everyday! When you said 48 hp, 4.22, and 4.55, etc., I knew you had something in 50's an early 60's British stuff. More pictures as it comes together? Quote
Los_Control Posted September 23, 2019 Report Posted September 23, 2019 48 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said: compared to my riding mower...yeah..its a big block......don't ever underestimate the manner in how these little cars are built...they will surprise you in some areas...AND...it's a two door...PLUS it has torsion bar suspension....what's not to like.....? Without knowing the exact project you are working on. I was just talking 2 days ago to a friend in Sweden, And he is building two different Triumph motorcycles to flip. And he has a spare 3rd engine that is factory 110 hp. From what I see, these little cars are basically running what I would consider motorcycle engines. I would not want to drive the finished product, sometimes it is fun to think about. Just like a flathead pilothouse, start upgrading horsepower and nothing else works any more ... it is a rabbit hole. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 23, 2019 Report Posted September 23, 2019 (edited) these engines do not compare to anything in the line of motorcycle...they are more robust...in a manner they are just smaller cars like the ones we mess with here....today I ordered my residual valves....pulling the internal residual as I am going disc in the front....and they sit lower as in our cars...the master actually sits INSIDE the frame rail on this car... Edited September 23, 2019 by Plymouthy Adams Quote
TodFitch Posted October 2, 2019 Author Report Posted October 2, 2019 I don't see a way to embed the video from where I published it into this forum, so I guess a link to the video of our Fiat 500 tour will have to do. Quote
Los_Control Posted October 2, 2019 Report Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) https://video.fitchfamily.org/videos/watch/6af9741f-270a-4f63-98b9-f71edaba1f40 Grrr ... did not work either Edited October 2, 2019 by Los_Control Quote
TodFitch Posted October 2, 2019 Author Report Posted October 2, 2019 41 minutes ago, Los_Control said: https://video.fitchfamily.org/videos/watch/6af9741f-270a-4f63-98b9-f71edaba1f40 Grrr ... did not work either Seems to play okay for me with Firefox. . . What browser are you using? What operating system are you using? Quote
Los_Control Posted October 2, 2019 Report Posted October 2, 2019 9 minutes ago, TodFitch said: Seems to play okay for me with Firefox. . . What browser are you using? What operating system are you using? I am using a pretty serious linux os ... Gentoo and firefox. Usually things work out of the box, I suspect user error grabbing the url from the correct place when reposting. Quote
TodFitch Posted October 2, 2019 Author Report Posted October 2, 2019 1 hour ago, Los_Control said: I am using a pretty serious linux os ... Gentoo and firefox. Usually things work out of the box, I suspect user error grabbing the url from the correct place when reposting. Maybe. But when I copy the link from 2 hours ago, Los_Control said: https://video.fitchfamily.org/videos/watch/6af9741f-270a-4f63-98b9-f71edaba1f40 Grrr ... did not work either and paste it into Firefox on my Mac it works. I hope you don't mind helping me debug this as I'd like to make sure this video sharing will work for everyone. . . If you go to https://video.fitchfamily.org/ it should show a PeerTube instance page with the default view being "local videos". The video in question is the newest one and should be top left of the main frame of that page. Does that work for you? Quote
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