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Opinion on (2) available 122s

5K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  gdill2 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all.

In serious consideration of getting a daily driver 122 that will still have room for improvement and allow me to tinker with it. My two leading possibilities here in the Pacific Northwest are:

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/2853875356.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/2866801701.html------SOLD
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...es available&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13307916442973

I typically have a short commute to work each day ( less than 20 miles roundtrip), but occasionally have a roughly 60 mile round trip. As well, I routinely shuttle my kids around to school, sports etc., so would like something fairly reliable and as safe as can be for a 45 year old car. I'm not a mechanic, but have a friend that restores Lancias, of all things, and between him, the internet and the online community, I won't be afraid to tear into it when called for.

If any of you have opinions, or know of these cars personnally, I would really appreciate your input.

Kinda a big deal for me cause would mean getting rid of my '04 S60R.

Thanks in advance.
 
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#2 ·
A buddy that works on Lancias ! He'll think a 122 is simple then.
The only thing I would say about buying any old car that's been repainted is be careful. A rust hole can be fixed right or covered with duct tape and bondo.

I bought an IH Scout when I was young. It looked nice untill the bondo started falling off in big chunks !

Other than that I just bought my first 122 so I'm new to them.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, Bobbyz. Supposedly the gray one has some photos of strip to bare metal and re-spray, so I'll be interested in seeing those pictures...planning on driving down to see it on Sunday, 3/4. And congrats on your first 122!...hopefully I'll have my first soon.
 
#7 ·
Theoretically, yes...I would plan to keep my R for a little bit just to make sure that I could adjust to having a 45 yr old car as my single method of transport and that I could do without the conveniences of upholders, A/C, etc. and then send the R to a good home.
 
#10 ·
The only problem I see using a 122 is that at this point many parts are only available mail order, so it can go down for days at a time if you're relying on it. That said, they're known for not breaking down.
 
#11 ·
Usually, you get plenty of warning when something is about to go wrong, so you can continue driving the car while waiting for parts to arrive from mail order. This is the good news of the old cars. But you have to check things out often.

Ask about the condition of the SU's. A well working set of SU's can be more important than other elements on the car, because its the trickiest to set up right.

The OD of the red car is significant. That is a good improvement for long distance driving. The gray car seems to have huge tires. Ask him if he still has the original wheels. These huge tires may be too much for the ball joints of the car.

Also, the gray car has the ipd setup. This is real good if you like driving fast and take corners fast. If you are not into that, the harsher ride of the ipd may not be for you.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Usually, you get plenty of warning when something is about to go wrong, so you can continue driving the car while waiting for parts to arrive from mail order. This is the good news of the old cars. But you have to check things out often.

What? You usually get PLENTY of warning before things go wrong, so you can order parts ahead of time? WOW So there are only dumb asses that are stuck on the side of the road with break downs, because they didnt see the failure ahead of time? That is completetly laughable..


The OP needs some realistic advice, and I would say that is not it..
 
#13 ·
Hello, everybody.

This thread is about...

"...In serious consideration of getting a daily driver 122 that will still have room for improvement and allow me to tinker with it..."

...started by John Douglas in Vancouver, WA.

Please keep your replies on subject and directed toward John's request for opinions and advice.

If needed, make use of the "Edit" function for your previous replies.

Thanks.

George Dill
 
#14 · (Edited)
Just got back from test drive of the gray car. Wow! Definitely spirited driving! Body is straight, paint ok, a little bit of patina is nice. With the car comes boxes and boxes of parts, 2 m40s, complete b18 with nice SUs, 2 additional doors, spare hood, trunk and front fenders, extra glass...so maybe I won't have to wait for anything. Seems like a slam dunk!?

Can see how the overdrive would be nice...how available is the M41? From what I've seen on line, it seems to be a fairly straightforward install with some shortened components.

Will post a video walk around if I can figure how to post from ipad

And the wheels are 205/60/15s...takeoffs from Mazda truck...look better than I thought they would.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I would expect the ipd is much easier to install and more inexpensive to purchase than an OD. If you buy the car with OD and later, after you get used to its feel, you want to sacrifice ride quality and ride height for better cornering, you can install the ipd by yourself. The M41's show up on ebay, but not awfully cheap, plus shipping charges, and still need to shorted the driveshaft.

Is the 205 too wide for the ball joints? If not, it may be marginal, so watch out. And ask the owner how the offset of the new wheels compares to the originals. That can also add excessive load on the ball joints, and make them wear out faster than they would with stock wheels.

I have both an ipd car, and a non-ipd car. I like them both, in their own way. both are fun to drive. The ipd car can be a lot faster when cornering if you want to drive at the limit, but it is less forgiving than the non-ipd car. So, ask yourself what you want from the car. How do you plan to drive it.

So, it all depends on you.
 
#15 ·
Another option is:

http://www.ipdusa.com/classifieds.asp?CLC_ID=1

ad #6430, blue '66 2door
I know this is a 180 degree shift from the gray one, but could update/mod suspension and basically have finished car. Not the biggest fan of blue, and would hate to repaint what appears to be a fairly decent paintjob.

Have emailed the owner and am awaiting additional pictures and details if overdrive trans.
 
#20 ·
Details for Ad#6430...

--------------------------------------------------------
Like new 1966 122s for sale located in Berkeley, Ca. B18 4 cylinder 2 door sedan. 4 speed standard. Only two owners in 45 years, I have owned for the last 35 years. I have all receipts from the 45 year maintenance and rebuild history. Complete mechanics repair manual with sale. The engine was rebuilt 15,000 miles ago. All new upholstery restoration like original..,.New , but original issue vinyl dashboard. All rust removed and repainted.Almost everything rebuilt or replaced including transmission, radiator, windshield wiper motor, etc. All dashboard instruments and knobs work. All new tires. Taken care of like a member of the family. Asking $5000. email: rileywaterways@gmail.com

http://www.ipdusa.com/uploads/images_classifieds/fullsize_515.jpg

http://www.ipdusa.com/uploads/images_classifieds/fullsize_516.jpg

--------------------------------------------------------

This is the one - OD or no OD.

George Dill
 
#17 · (Edited)
I'm intrigued with the '68 K-Jet personally. (2) B20Fs, M41 and brake update. But not as a substitution for my already reliable DD. I've seen the gray one in my searches since November and he's come down $900 over that time - don't know what that means - looks like selling of spares. I like the disclosure on the body of the '63 better.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the input...my concern with the 68 is that the engine swap/placement seems a little messy..not dissin' on the owners work, but wires, tubes, and air intake running everywhere would do nothin but confuse me. With my limited mechanical skills, it seems that I would be able to become more proficient, in shorter time, with the b18 vs the b20f. Is there something that could be done with organization of the engine in the 68 to clean it up and make it seem less intimidating?
 
#24 · (Edited)
just emailed seller with final questions, including if she could arrange for airport pickup and referral to her longtime mechanic (she offered). listed since November...think she will budge on asking price?


'66 was my original criteria (birth year), but blue!?!
 
#26 ·
Interesting. I recall my B20 had the 8 bolt crank on the 68.

I wonder how they did the fuel injection by eliminating the electronics. How was the pulse width on the fuel injection determined if there is no airflow or manifold pressure sensor. How do they do cold start if there is no temperature sensor.

From the picture, the intake manifold looked identical to the 3 car.

D
 
#28 ·
Decided on the gray'63. Pickin it up today!!!!
 
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