Salt off the roads, Sunday beckoned and the boxer came to life after winter prep and 5 months of hibernation. Peeling off the cover my 16 yo son remarked on just how beautiful it is, and the first drive completes the picture. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Brings a big smile on my face when the 12 cylinders start up. I like the sound of the starter winding over. No other car I have sounds like that!!
Congrats ... I missed mine through the long winter and I just had mine out today ... Drove them on the hwy to stretch their legs ... felt so good .
Not carbed, the lowly BBI. Like all the old flat 12s you get a little oil leaking past the valve stems when they sit, so a touch of smoke on startup. I have had this car 23 years now, its been stored anywhere from a short winter of 5 months to a longer 13 month hibernation, its never failed to start after breifly turning over. Preventative and predictive maintanance along with proper storage procedure udoubtably helps. These are really stoutly built cars and can last indefinatly if you know how to look after them and are prepared to make the effort. Moderns require far less, but for alltheir virtues dont last, or return the same driving pleasure.
I am right there with you, David. That higher pitched whirring followed by the rumble when it lights off... Nothing like it. I love the silver/red combo. Beautiful!
Mclaren on the F1 worked on the starter sound to get that spin noise, they also programed the electronics to let the motor do a few revolutions before firing, all to give effect of lighting off the machine. I always thought firing up a turbine would be a pretty awesome pre-deparature note. New cars you dont have to hold the key or button down till it fires, one quick engagement and the electronics spin the motor as necessary to take care of the rest. My kids have no idea of holding a key just till the exact moment when a car fires. A boxer also has this unique thing, after the first spin of the starter you hear the first piston fire, and then the others catching on, almost like a radial just much quicker. When ferrari shopping 23 years ago was looking for a 328 which was 75k, my budget. The sliver grey boxer just looked so great in the showroom, and it drove so much better that I stretched to another 10K for the car and then the unplanned obligatory 10k motor out service. Apart from the asthetic color debate, I also never understood hey look at me red or yellow, because every cop can see you miles off, and it just engenders envy of others. I like to drive as Enzo intended while hopefully slipping below the literal and figurative radar, plus grigio just works on BBs.
Agreed. My TR is white. (Hold the Miami Vice comments) The design is outlandish enough that I didn't want to really scream look at me with a red one. 23 years of ownership! Good for you - a lifer with the Boxer. In another 13 years I hope to be able to say the same with the TR.
Could you please share your pre storage prep? I change the oil, dump some stabil and Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank and then drive it and get everything up to full temp and then park it.
today 5 am - sun starts shining - no clouds to see so after about 6 month resting in a dark garage I switched on the battery main switch on my BB carb, sit in the car, disabled the alarm, switched on the ignition and hearing the two fuel pumps and the ignition, waiting about 30 seconds, pushed the gaspedal 5 times and started. but only hearing the cranking, no firing. after 20 seconds stopped cranking but let the ignition on. after about 1 minute I pushed again the gaspedal 5 times and started and - WOW- hearing firing. so playing a little with the gaspedal, switched on the choke and after about 40 seconds the engine runs fine. so out on the street, switching off the choke and enjoying a 30 km drive around here. so after this time no problem with starting and driving - with a new car I´m sure you can not do this. I also wanted to take out my fiat spider turbo, but it was only starting and then died again. so electronic fuel injection. may be the nuzzles dirty or not even open again?? I love my BB, until now never had problems during driving
Clean the car fully, I then change the oil and filters mix in stabil 360 and drive till its all nice and warm then shut off. I dont recomend marvel. Alternatively after last drive drain all the oil, filll new filters with oil and attach, leave note in car on seat sayign no oil, in spring add the oil. Also a good idea to pump the tires to 50 psi to avoid flatspots, I also roll the car a foot or two this way or that way every 4-6 weeks for same reason. Disconnect battery. In the old days when I stored for over 12-17 months I did all the above and put the car in a polybag full of desicant. Car has always started no problem. I also suggest replacing brake and tranny fluid every two or so years.
Ahhh Spring https://youtu.be/FES8qmdE0-0 And some long past summer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIC9MXfq1h0
Thats my wild sister in law. My wife wont drive with me, and if she did you would hear screaming slow down while hitting me, but she has many other great attributes. Its like having two cars, the blond party one you dont have to be married to and can send home after too many drinks( 67 vette), and the stable hot redheaded librarian one who keeps it all together with a wild streak once the lights are out (BBI). A great setup when it works, but quite a volatile mixture too.
Why do that? The old, used and polluted oil still remains in everything other than the sump/tank. Cheers, Vincenzo
Yep, and the old oil coats the bearings etc, but at 500-100 miles per year the old oil is not really bad at all, but draining it gets rid of the acumulated moisture(maybe not so much in a dry sunmp?). Sometimes the timing intervenes, and winter hits, then I prefer to just drain it and not run a cold engine I cant get up to temparature with fresh new oil, so draining gets me ahead of the curve because the new (oil filled) filters are on and all I have to do is add oil to the tank come spring.
So theres no point in changing the oil! What was I thinking all these years lol!! Out of 14L capacity im sure the 500cc we miss isn't really an issue.
Yep, my wife is the same. That looks like a few roads I would drive in Weschester, unfortunately it was in a Honda Accord, when I worked there. Very nice.
NW CT. Westchester too crowded, too many potholes and driveways. Although RT 22 by kenseco dam is an epic road pretty much anywhere in the world, its now sadly filled with bicycles. Another great great road is the Merrit parkway, from rye through to Stamford at 7am on a sunday. Still I would love to have the boxer for a day on rout 224 outside florence, or run it up through the grimsell pass in switzerland. Either would be a whole day of driving.
