Monthly Archive for September, 2008

Sundowner in Lahinch

Published on September 23, 2008 in Uncategorized. Closed

It looked really small tonight in Lahinch, but I thought, what the hell, I’m here, I might as well go in for a paddle around if not a surf. Thank Christ I did – it turned out to be even better than Monday night in Lahinch. Small wave bliss. Added to that there’s something about watching the sun go down whilst sitting on a surfboard that always relaxes me. Dawnies are very nice, but as far as I’m concerned you can’t beat a good sunset when combined with nice surf. And I was absolutely stylin’ tonight ;o)

Tonka has arrived…

Published on September 19, 2008 in Uncategorized. Closed

Well, at our stopover in Wales at least. Made it in one piece, Dad’s getting used to the driving position and driving style required and I think is getting over the shock of what he’s bought and just how big it is. Lovely hotel as well btw, the Ty Gwyn Hotel in Betws-y-Coed. Nice area, fantastic roads around here.

And now….Dad’s new toy!

Published on September 15, 2008 in Uncategorized. Closed

Dad’s been hankering after one of these for some time now, and finally he’s convinced himself to get one. Obviously for use down in the wilds of Kerry, pulling boats, driving over mountains that sort of thing. Marlboro Man here we come. Note the expedition class roof rack, great for ensuring that you can bring all those needed supplies on your trip to the beach, the front winch for hauling yourself out of quick sand, and of course, last but by no means least, the Snorkel, for travelling those flooded roads which we seem to be inflicted with during our monsoon summers.

Picking her up next Thursday just outside Wales and driving it back home ;o)

More toys

Published on September 15, 2008 in Uncategorized. Closed

Here’s a selection of very nice Alfas from around the web which I’ve spotted recently:

New toys

Published on September 15, 2008 in Uncategorized. Closed

Been looking around for a weekend toy for the last couple of months, here are two which I looked at recently. So the first one I looked at, a Alfa Romeo Sprint described as perfect, restored etc. etc. Allegedly a 1986 car, there were brakes on it from pre 1983 cars, the front seats were from a pre 1983 model, there was bits of white silicone poking out from around the rear side windows, a very strong breeze coming through the inside door panels when driving (obviously the plastic sheet wasn’t present behind the trim panel) and the steering was impossibly heavy. Looked good in the ad though – I guess the fact that it had pre 1983 bumpers and grill on it (allegedly part of the restoration) should have been a dead give away – though it is a popular modification:

So then I found a lovely 1984 GTV6 for sale in Dublin. This car is well known in Ireland, and on the web, lots of photos of it on various sites. Never thought I’d get the opportunity to buy it. There’s lots of reasons to stay well away from these cars, but only one real reason – rust. Along with any Alfa of the time and like the Sprint above, they rust like crazy. Of course there’s more reasons to whole heartedly buy one. They are simply superb to drive, sound amazing and go pretty well. The old girl really can pick up her skirts and run when you want it to. And of course it looks bloody amazing. So knowing that the car was well cared for by it’s first Irish owner and having seen enough photos of it, I went to Dublin last Saturday with high hopes. I knew that the present owner possibly didn’t have the where with all to maintain it properly and was silently hoping that the engine and gearbox would be toast – I knew from the seller that it was smoking meaning the valve guides would need to be replaced, which would give me the perfect excuse to drop in a larger 3 litre engine and gearbox from an Alfa 75. Sadly there was some rust in the worst spot possible on it, the front bulkhead, and also on the scuttle panel. Which meant a fair amount of work to halt now before it became a real issue. As expected the engine needed an overhaul, the gearbox mountings were shot, the clutch was history, there were some bearings in the gearbox/clutch assembly which were grumbling loudly and the synchro on first was dead. So it would have provided me with that perfect excuse that I was looking for to change the engine and gearbox. Even with all those issues, it still was an utter pleasure to drive, the chassis felt incredibly balanced and the noise it made was fantastic. To be honest I really had to stop myself buying it even at the price he was looking for it, but in reality I’d have wanted to much off the sale price in order to make it an irresitable proposition.