An outsiders view on the SVX

Since I'm getting my buddies SVX running as a favor to him and some transportation to me, I thought I'd make a post just to introduce myself and make a few comments. Ever since I saw the VERY first SVX I thought it was freaking AWESOME. I Don't know what exactly it was, but I would say it was probably the rear and the windows... I thought the car was futuristic and just plain awesome. For the longest time when I was younger, I saw so few of them, I didnt even know who made them. I saw a nice blue one sitting on a dealer lot about 5 years ago and I stopped to take a look at it and to my suprise it was a subaru! I thought it was going to be a triumph or something exotic... I absolutely love the look of the cars, and they are definately a landmark in automotive design in my opinion. I don't find too many cars interesting so I definately am happy I'll finally get to drive one this evening (and do a timing belt)!

[Chiketkd]

Thanks for helping your friend keep his SVX on the road! The sound of the 3.3L flat six at full throttle is second-to-none!

Welcome!

-Chike

[Earthworm]

You should get your friend to register here if he hasn't already.

After you drive it let us know your impressions.

[ensteele]

Good luck on the project. The looks may be great, but to drive one is to Love it.

[Earthworm]

So how long before you sell the Mustang to buy your first SVX?

(j/k)

[Beav]

There's something I never thought I'd ever see - the words 'Triumph' and 'exotic' in the same sentence.

[Phast SVX]

good to hear your helping an SVX'r out.

From the looks of your profile you have a CJ-X jeep with a ford 308 conversion? gotta love them jeeps!

phil

[benebob]

Originally Posted by Beav

There's something I never thought I'd ever see - the words 'Triumph' and 'exotic' in the same sentence.

Damn it Beav you beat me to it!!! Then again I was gonna add that he's from Texas so anything with out a bed on the back is somewhat exotic. Welcome to the site and best of luck with the project. Maybe it won't go back to the friend when you're done.

well... I got it finished, drove it home. The timing was a *****, just having to keep jumping teeth to adjust for when the tension went on, I think I have one of the cams a tooth off, but I was so tired I just tossed it together... I'll finish the rest tomorrow. Funny this is when I sat down to make this post, I realize I hadn't pulled the damn pin on the piston! jesus! thank god I made it back, I just went outside and pulled the pin.. the piston didnt move, just sits out about 1/4-1/8 inch.. I assume when the belt starts moving it will loosen it up and it will apply tension.

As for the car, it runs good, pulls nasty up top, pretty peppy car. I like the windows, I like the interior alot, especially all the suede. The seats are comfy, however my only complaint is I think I'm just too damn big for it, I'm 6'4" and my legs hit the wheel. It has 1 setting, too damn far down Alot more work to go on it, but not a bad car for 500 bucks!

one of the wheel bearings is hummin in the rear driverside, I'll need to replace that, hope it isn't too big of a *****.

I have the car in FWD mode right now for gas mileage.. I figure I'll pull the fuse tomorrow and see what shes got in AWD.

I think its a pretty good car, seems like it has a tight suspension. However, I think an opinon from someone else might be a little better since my daily driver is a 2000 corvette, I'm use to tight suspension and good acceleration. But until I get the new transaxle in the vette, I'm MORE than grateful to drive this around.

As for the exotic comment, My apologies, I meant MG, not triumph. MG made some pretty badass looking cars if you take a look at their history, you probably have never seen any of the latest cars since they have to be imported nowadays.
Take a look:

http://www.wallpaper.net.au/wallpape...201024x768.jpg


As for the texas crack.. you should see some of the cars that roll down here... some very nice rides, and some of the fastest street cars in the country are in the DFW area.

My name is C.J., and everyone use to know me for my mustang 5.0's.. I'm just about to sell my last one, moving into corvettes and higher dollar cars, I sure did have fun with them though, here was my last mustang that I had, around ~550hp, heads/cam/intake/blower 92 vert.

http://home.comcast.net/~cjshull/CJStangRun.mov

I have a jeep too though, its a '45 Willys MB - still sittin in the garage, its like working on a tractor... and driving one! lol.

Take care guys.

That thing in the picture isn't really an MG though - it's a rebodied Qvale Mangusta with a reworked engine. Before that abomination, the capital investment group headed by ex-Rover boss John (I think John, maybe not) Towers thought they could use the MG badge to sell the old Honda-based Rover 25 and 45, and 75 engineered under the brief period of time that BMW owned Rover, at least until Rover went bankrupt earlier this year. The only mildly interesting car to come from that adventure was a limited run of Rover 75s converted to RWD and fit with a V-8. Before that was the MGF, which was a gormless overweight mid-engined roadster that used a version of the Rover K-Series four cylinder that the first of the Lotus Elises used, although somehow, the MGF managed to pretty much miss out on any shared glory with that particular bit of parts bin sharing. And uh...before that was pretty much the MGBs we're all familiar with.

[b3lha]

Hi CJ

You may be pulling the wrong lever to adjust the steering height. There are two levers, the visible one has just one setting and it's meant so you can just lift the column to get in and out of the car. But there's another one down under underneath the column in the centre with plenty of adjustments. Might make things a little more comfortable for you so you can enjoy this great car.

Phil.

[benebob]

[QUOTE=5.0_CJ]I have the car in FWD mode right now for gas mileage.. I figure I'll pull the fuse tomorrow and see what shes got in AWD.

As for the exotic comment, My apologies, I meant MG, not triumph. MG made some pretty badass looking cars if you take a look at their history, you probably have never seen any of the latest cars since they have to be imported nowadays.
Take a look:

As for the texas crack.. you should see some of the cars that roll down here... some very nice rides, and some of the fastest street cars in the country are in the DFW area.

[QUOTE]

You'll get no better mileage out of an awd subie in FWD mode. It is there for emergency use only.

Even funnier that you corrected to MG!!! Exotic. Hee-hee. Now, TVR I can see, Jensen yes, Triumph not so much (and yes I owned a TR6) but MG? Not that they are bad cars but like Beav said exotics they are not.

Texas Crack, just joking with ya. I know that not everyone drives a full size pu from 1980 down there. I mean you do have professional sports teams and all.

Glad you got the timing worked out. My FSM is elsewhere and you don't want me trying to remember how to time it.

See, thats what I was wondering, if I pull that fuse out and go into AWD mode, i'm not going to loose any gas mileage?

Oh, yes, and I did find the "other" lever! Thank goodness, now its a much better ride. I wonder... how hard is replacing a rear wheel bearing? are thes sealed units?

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by 5.0_CJ

See, thats what I was wondering, if I pull that fuse out and go into AWD mode, i'm not going to loose any gas mileage?

The drive shaft, rear diff and halfshafts are there and turning, regardless, so running in FWD won't boost fuel economy.

dcb

well, wouldn't it cause a higher load on the motor driving 2 other wheels? right now its not driving the rear wheels, I understand the halfshafts and driveshaft are turning, of course, since the car is going down the road, but you have that same amount of drag when the rear wheels are under a load as well, but now your loading up the motor further at high rpm's, correct?