Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[biggriffin]

Having driven many vehicles, of different shapes and sizes, and weights, TWO pedals' is the best option, and nearly always the only option.
I think manual is fast becoming obsolete,.
They ultimate test is sitting in traffic, auto is so easy, and hassle free.

[annihilator]

Unless you're getting on a bit in which case autoboxes usually mean heading for the nearest dock or cliff edge at great speed.

[Nick W]

Unless you're getting on a bit in which case autoboxes usually mean heading for the nearest dock or cliff edge at great speed.

That's usually after you've already hit something whilst moving in the other direction. I've pulled OAPs automatic cars off bollards, walls, other cars, different height drives, and on one memorable occasion out of a swimming pool

[Kevin Wood]

Unless you're getting on a bit in which case autoboxes usually mean heading for the nearest dock or cliff edge at great speed.

... or the chip shop in our case.

[aaronjb]

and on one memorable occasion out of a swimming pool

It wasn't a Rolls Royce, was it, Nick?

[anV6]

Prefacelift, you have the exact same car I'm looking to buy. Exact year range (MFL), color, trim and gear box. Haven't been able to find it yet, so I'm holding out. Found a few in the wrong color, wrong gear box, wrong year range or wrong trim.

Thankfully over here it seems to be a little bit less rare than back in the UK. So I haven't lost hope.

I must be living here for too long but I came to find it ridiculous how cheap cars are in the UK. If I had a car like yours and somebody offered me 250 for it I would be inclined to spit on his face or something. Anything less than a 1000 over here will be a basket case or rust bucket. I mean how can a car like the Omega go for 250? It has more than that just in parts or metal weight alone probably. I would NEVER sell it for that.

And I am with you. Manual transmission all the way.

[prefacelift]

Rolf I here what you say but I shouldn't imagine it'll still exist in 10 years unless it gets bubble wrapped and put in the oven from today......

Anv6, that's why I bought the car straight away as soon as I noticed it was manual, if it had been auto I would probably have walked past it, hope you find one, there is or was a black mfl 3.0 elite saloon on eBay for no money but it's auto, ideal for a manual conversion though...... 

[anV6]

Rolf I here what you say but I shouldn't imagine it'll still exist in 10 years unless it gets bubble wrapped and put in the oven from today......

Anv6, that's why I bought the car straight away as soon as I noticed it was manual, if it had been auto I would probably have walked past it, hope you find one, there is or was a black mfl 3.0 elite saloon on eBay for no money but it's auto, ideal for a manual conversion though...... 

Yes, this is my plan B. Before I go for one in the wrong year range, wrong color, wrong trim, wrong engine or in bad nick, I will go for one with everything right but the gearbox. Then will do a manual conversion. Hopefully that won't be too expensive. I mean the gearbox itself seems to be affordable enough. But the work itself...

Sometimes I wonder what would be easier. Convert a 3.0 to manual or convert a 2.5 manual to a 3.0. I mean the engine blocks are the same so it must be just a few different bits to bring a 2.5 to 3.0 or even 3.2 if we are already at it.

And do you really believe it won't survive another 10 years or are you just being sarcastic? I mean there are plenty of Carltons around and they rust more and are much older. There are plenty of older ones too like Monzas and Rekords and also old Fords like Granadas, Cortinas etc.

I think the Omega will survive just fine. 

[prefacelift]

I've just sold my last Carlton that I converted from auto to manual, it was only a 2.0 but very solid no rust at all 56000 on the clock, nice old car and very reliable.

If you're gonna find a 2.5 manual I would put a 3.0 in it plus engine ecu if needed, I wouldn't put a 3.2 as it will need a different engine loom and all sorts will be different, will turn into a head ache. 2.5 and 3.0 are more reliable than the later engines. Manual conversions aren't that difficult as I've done it before but you lose cruise control because wirings different so you need to some bypassing to get it to work again, getting the reverse lights to work can be a pain, there is other things I've forgotten, it depends how much you want to get involved with it.

[anV6]

For me the least involvement the better. At least at the moment.

I was not thinking about swapping the 2.5 for a 3.0. I was more thinking along the lines of converting a 2.5 into a 3.0. It's the same basic engine right?

Depending on what's involved it may be easier than doing a gearbox swap since for that I would have to have the car on a lift and I don't have one. So I will have to pay somebody to do it.

But if converting a 2.5 to a 3.0 is possible and it's only a matter of switching parts like head etc, it may be possible to do it without taking the engine out. Then I could potentially do it myself.

But I'm just speculating based on the impression that I always thought all the V6s were the same engine block etc.

About the Carlton, I would not mind having a 3.0 GSi at all. I always liked them. And if Carltons and even Cortinas have survived, I would say Omegas will too.

[Doctor Gollum]

Blocks and heads are different 2.5-3.0

Ignore that 'dangle berries' about the later engines being less reliable  My late 3.2 manual estate has covered over 280,000 miles on the original engine, box and diff, none of it gently and is still going strong.

2.5s and to a lesser degree 3.0s WILL require headgaskets at some point... unlikely with the later engines due to far better gaskets. And one year of 2.6 production has an issue with valve stem seals, 2001 iirc. Only the 3.2 has a forged crank though...

[anV6]

Blocks and heads are different 2.5-3.0

OK, so that means buying a 2.5 manual is out of question unless it has extremely low miles and is in super ultra great nick and for a super great price.

Swamping a manual into an auto 3.0 will be way easier and cheaper than swapping the engine. I think the biggest work will probably be finding and adding the clutch and pedal?

[Doctor Gollum]

Swapping engine is as easy...

Keep telling you, buy the best condition car you can find and modify it to suit

[ronnyd]

Unless you're getting on a bit in which case autoboxes usually mean heading for the nearest dock or cliff edge at great speed.

That's usually after you've already hit something whilst moving in the other direction. I've pulled OAPs automatic cars off bollards, walls, other cars, different height drives, and on one memorable occasion out of a swimming pool

Did it belong to Keith Moon?

[anV6]

Swapping engine is as easy...

Keep telling you, buy the best condition car you can find and modify it to suit

Well, getting a 2.0 car for example would take too much to get where I want. It would mean replacing engine, gearbox, the whole interior, including gauges cluster etc.

Getting an automatic MV6, like I said before is doable. Apart from that it's more work than I'm looking for at the moment. 

As for swapping the engine being easy, I think the gear box is still easier? Do you have to take the engine out to swap the gear box?