240
Out of interest, I'm trying to figure out if anyone might be able to get a car for me from the north coast to Canberra (or even Sydney I guess). Car can be driven onto a trailer.
Happy to give $ obviously.
Philia_Bear
How close to national meet is the car?
240
Couple of hours north (I think Macksville or something)
PaddlerEd
Macksvilles not too far from Forster.... 2hrs30ish.
familyman
The right plane ticket can be cheap. Fly up, get a temp RTA roadworthy, and drive it down? I forget how much but that wasn't a lot. $50 maybe? I only set it for one day but RTA asked me how long I wanted it for. So I think you can have it last a few days.
240
Aside from being unregistered, it has a dodgy head gasket so wouldn't trust it to make the distance. Otherwise, yes I'd definitely do that.
familyman
Taree is just north of Forster and I think there's a train line from Forster to Macksville.
familyman
Oops, posted too late.
familyman
Mind you, if you have to do the gasket anyway... get it done there. Then drive it? Or someone then drive it back to Forster? Then !?
240
Maybe, although I have the opportunity to get en entire replacement engine for free here in Canberra which may be an easier option than the gasket...
familyman
What I'm about to say depends on a lot of variables. Nevertheless... having reconditioned an engine myself at 19, with no idea what I was doing (apart from having been told to remove old gasket material from the surface of one engine head during work experience) and doing both with no help apart from a five minute conversation and a borrowed torque wrench and spring compressor... I would consider a replacement gasket easier than an engine swap. Particularly if the engine going in was either different (requiring wiring changes), or, the same type of engine that hasn't been reconditioned.
Even if planning to swap the engine later anyway, a new head gasket is a cheap & easy temporary fix to gently drive the car back over a few days at a leisurely pace. That is of course, if the car is otherwise running ok, not spewing oil out the muffler, not rattling, not producing blue smoke, and the head water channels have not eaten through to the cylinder area, and such things).
But if the engine going in has new seals, new oil pump, new bearings... the head and valves checked/replaced, with new value stem seals, injector o-rings, etc. - in other words reconditioned.... then sure - worth it. But even so, putting (only) a new gasket in - even on the side of the road with minimal tools - is highly likely to get the car home with a 2-3 day gentle self-drive.
Keep in mind too, I assume you'd have to have someone to sign off on an engine swap (price for that?), then inform the RTA, phone insurance company, etc. to change the engine details. But reco the engine already there and you don't need those things.
It's just a suggestion anyway. Check your PMs in a few minutes on a related topic.
