Mr Mug
02-01-2007, 04:12 PM
Hi all.
Another n00b!!
Just thought a bit of background was in order.
The wife has a 2000 TJ 3.5 V6 that she bought of her Dad a few months ago.
The car was actually her Mum's car, but her Mum unfortunately passed away in May due to cancer at only 49....
Anyway, my wife also has a beautiful 2001 AU series II XR8 Falcon with the 220kW 5 litre V8 that we've had for a couple of years, and she was using it every day, until recently.
We are heavily involved in the FPV & XR Owners Club of Vic., and she is even on the current committee, and while her car was always well presented, it could have been better....
She won her class at the club's concourse in '05 with it, and wanted to get more serious with the detailing and cleaning, but being a daily driver, it simply didnt make sense.
This is where the Magna came in....
She decided that a second car for her was in order, so that she could drive that around and leave the XR8 in the shed.
We decided on a Magna actually before her Mum's passing, simply due to them being relatively cheap for what they are when compared to similar aged cars in the same market, bullet-proof reliable, fairly cheap to run (even more when compared to a 220kW V8!!), and with the few that we've seen around, they look really good with a few mods.
We got an excellent deal from her Dad on it. It had only 49,000 k on it, was originally an MMA company car too, so while it's offically an 'Advance', it has a few Verada bits and pieces on it, including the 16" alloys, had never had a hit or mechanical prob., and had the full history with it.
Nowadays, even tho the Magna's only been in our shed for 3-4 months, the Falcon is UNBELIEVABLE detailed, including under the guards, the brakes, the engine bay, inside, the lot, and she went back-to-back in class wins at the concourse in '06, and scored alot more points than in '05 as well. Actually, she scored 265 out of a possible 300 with it, beating her nearest rival by 72 points!! Also, she was 4th outright of the 40 cars entered, and the 3 infront of her were all under 3 years old, and the most k's on any of them was 24,000, compared to her car having 101,000.....
And it's ALL her own work!!! It was something that, while I was always there to help if she needed it, she wanted to achieve by herself, which she certainly did, and showed a few of the more 'fancied' guys and their cars a thing or 2 in the process....
Yes, I'm VERY proud!!! :D
I must admit tho, as I hadnt very much experience with Magna's and front wheel drives in general, I'm pleasently surprised with it. It goes very well, doesnt eat the fuel, is comfortable, quiet, has already towed another car to the NSW border and back easily, and looks pretty good in standard form.
My main concerns with it ATM are the ORIGINAL tyres that are still on it.... (they are VERY hard now), and the front end handling - especially in the wet.
I know the tyres are not helping at all, but the standard suspension just doesnt inspire alot confidence in it all....
The wife has been looking after the Magna very well also, and it's always kept as clean as possible, even to the point of being noticed for it cleanliness by the guys in her Ford-based club....
But now the time has come that she wants a few mods done to it.
Personally, I've been around cars, and more-so race cars, my whole life, being brought up in a family that raced as much as possible.
I have a few cars of my own as well, including a 1967 Isuzu Bellett sedan (they were the pre-decessor to the Gemini) thats set up for 2 litre Sports Sedan racing, with a very hot 2.0 Gemini engine, close ratio 5 speed box, mega suspension work, 4 wheel discs with 4 spot front calipers, heaps of lightened parts... also I have a 1967 Isuzu Wasp ute that is 1 of only 9 left of the 120 that were imported, with a 2.0 DOHC engine, 5 speed, disc brakes, etc., and I'm now re-building a 1968 Isuzu Bellett GT coupe to almost original, with a few little mods to make it more 'user friendly'.
Anyway, the Magna has already received a 'Me-Made' dual air aintake, and a 'Me-Made' strut brace.
The air intake was 1 mod we did to her XR8, and it worked well, so I thought I'll just try it on the Magna and see what happens.... The wife says it's more responsive down low now, and the fuel ecomony has improved to the tune of 40 k further per tank also.
The strut brace actually looks a bit like the ones that are about from professional suspension places, but I hadnt seen one of there's until AFTER I had made this one. The wife says it feels better at turn it now, so I think I'm on the right track with it.
Soon will be the lowered springs, sway bars, and better tyres, to get it to where we are happy with it.
Sorry about the loooooooooooong post, but hope u enjoyed it, and I'll see u around the forums.
Cheers.
BTW, my user name came about from mate's younger brother. He said ......'U'd have to be a MUG to buy a MUGna......'
But what else do u expect from a guy who thinks the GREATEST car in the world is a VN V6 Commodore with cut springs....................:bowrofl:
Oh yeah, it's fooly sik................
Another n00b!!
Just thought a bit of background was in order.
The wife has a 2000 TJ 3.5 V6 that she bought of her Dad a few months ago.
The car was actually her Mum's car, but her Mum unfortunately passed away in May due to cancer at only 49....
Anyway, my wife also has a beautiful 2001 AU series II XR8 Falcon with the 220kW 5 litre V8 that we've had for a couple of years, and she was using it every day, until recently.
We are heavily involved in the FPV & XR Owners Club of Vic., and she is even on the current committee, and while her car was always well presented, it could have been better....
She won her class at the club's concourse in '05 with it, and wanted to get more serious with the detailing and cleaning, but being a daily driver, it simply didnt make sense.
This is where the Magna came in....
She decided that a second car for her was in order, so that she could drive that around and leave the XR8 in the shed.
We decided on a Magna actually before her Mum's passing, simply due to them being relatively cheap for what they are when compared to similar aged cars in the same market, bullet-proof reliable, fairly cheap to run (even more when compared to a 220kW V8!!), and with the few that we've seen around, they look really good with a few mods.
We got an excellent deal from her Dad on it. It had only 49,000 k on it, was originally an MMA company car too, so while it's offically an 'Advance', it has a few Verada bits and pieces on it, including the 16" alloys, had never had a hit or mechanical prob., and had the full history with it.
Nowadays, even tho the Magna's only been in our shed for 3-4 months, the Falcon is UNBELIEVABLE detailed, including under the guards, the brakes, the engine bay, inside, the lot, and she went back-to-back in class wins at the concourse in '06, and scored alot more points than in '05 as well. Actually, she scored 265 out of a possible 300 with it, beating her nearest rival by 72 points!! Also, she was 4th outright of the 40 cars entered, and the 3 infront of her were all under 3 years old, and the most k's on any of them was 24,000, compared to her car having 101,000.....
And it's ALL her own work!!! It was something that, while I was always there to help if she needed it, she wanted to achieve by herself, which she certainly did, and showed a few of the more 'fancied' guys and their cars a thing or 2 in the process....
Yes, I'm VERY proud!!! :D
I must admit tho, as I hadnt very much experience with Magna's and front wheel drives in general, I'm pleasently surprised with it. It goes very well, doesnt eat the fuel, is comfortable, quiet, has already towed another car to the NSW border and back easily, and looks pretty good in standard form.
My main concerns with it ATM are the ORIGINAL tyres that are still on it.... (they are VERY hard now), and the front end handling - especially in the wet.
I know the tyres are not helping at all, but the standard suspension just doesnt inspire alot confidence in it all....
The wife has been looking after the Magna very well also, and it's always kept as clean as possible, even to the point of being noticed for it cleanliness by the guys in her Ford-based club....
But now the time has come that she wants a few mods done to it.
Personally, I've been around cars, and more-so race cars, my whole life, being brought up in a family that raced as much as possible.
I have a few cars of my own as well, including a 1967 Isuzu Bellett sedan (they were the pre-decessor to the Gemini) thats set up for 2 litre Sports Sedan racing, with a very hot 2.0 Gemini engine, close ratio 5 speed box, mega suspension work, 4 wheel discs with 4 spot front calipers, heaps of lightened parts... also I have a 1967 Isuzu Wasp ute that is 1 of only 9 left of the 120 that were imported, with a 2.0 DOHC engine, 5 speed, disc brakes, etc., and I'm now re-building a 1968 Isuzu Bellett GT coupe to almost original, with a few little mods to make it more 'user friendly'.
Anyway, the Magna has already received a 'Me-Made' dual air aintake, and a 'Me-Made' strut brace.
The air intake was 1 mod we did to her XR8, and it worked well, so I thought I'll just try it on the Magna and see what happens.... The wife says it's more responsive down low now, and the fuel ecomony has improved to the tune of 40 k further per tank also.
The strut brace actually looks a bit like the ones that are about from professional suspension places, but I hadnt seen one of there's until AFTER I had made this one. The wife says it feels better at turn it now, so I think I'm on the right track with it.
Soon will be the lowered springs, sway bars, and better tyres, to get it to where we are happy with it.
Sorry about the loooooooooooong post, but hope u enjoyed it, and I'll see u around the forums.
Cheers.
BTW, my user name came about from mate's younger brother. He said ......'U'd have to be a MUG to buy a MUGna......'
But what else do u expect from a guy who thinks the GREATEST car in the world is a VN V6 Commodore with cut springs....................:bowrofl:
Oh yeah, it's fooly sik................