by griffonmark » Sat May 13, 2006 11:21 am
When I was a teenager, when you could buy a new Viva, I used to dream about go faster Vivas. As I got older I realised it was a waste of money trying to get them to go faster. I did have an HB which I fitted with a 1256 engine, upgraded with the SL90 twin downpipe exhaust, stromberg carb, cam and worked on head, but even in those days it cost more than it was really worth, just to get an extra 15hp. I came to the conclusion that it was easier to get secondhand parts from a higher performance model in the same range, ie get all the bits off a magnum 2300, or do the most sensible thing and buy the higher performance model. Look for a pre 1974 2300 with twin carbs, keep it standard (who really needs more than 128hp) and use the money you save on free tax to pay towards 4 star. I did the stupid thing and bought a kitcar. Now I spend every weekend trying to work out what the bit that has just packed up comes from. Regards, Mark