Hayden's Cars- Annual update!
- Thread starter Hayden
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Ibonibo
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- 5,440
- Luxemburg
- Already paying my Isp 4 Access
Hey mate.
So sorry to hear about the 86. But metal is replacable. Human beings are not. I am happy you walked out without harm.
Believe me, I know how it feels. The "shame" (where non is to have), the bizarre situation after the crash, the waiting in rain for the AAA for hours. The bad taste it leaves for week when you see nice cars, enter cars, take shotguns....
After the engine on my A3 blew, I finally bought an S3 only to crash it in a hefty accidents week later.
But I was provocing it, powersliding the crap out of it, until I hit a ditch in the road, rear axle in the air, and a tree coming at me.
To show you that after a time, you accept, learn and even might give a lesson to others, I present you something I talked about but never showed it outside of a close circle
I hope you made some pics of the car, as years down, you will be happy to have them. (the pics I have a from a friend, I never could take a pic of it)
Don't let it take you down, live on and tell. Hope from now you have only smooth rides, no "ohhh crap" moments. But it happens to the best.
So sorry to hear about the 86. But metal is replacable. Human beings are not. I am happy you walked out without harm.
Believe me, I know how it feels. The "shame" (where non is to have), the bizarre situation after the crash, the waiting in rain for the AAA for hours. The bad taste it leaves for week when you see nice cars, enter cars, take shotguns....
After the engine on my A3 blew, I finally bought an S3 only to crash it in a hefty accidents week later.
But I was provocing it, powersliding the crap out of it, until I hit a ditch in the road, rear axle in the air, and a tree coming at me.
To show you that after a time, you accept, learn and even might give a lesson to others, I present you something I talked about but never showed it outside of a close circle
I hope you made some pics of the car, as years down, you will be happy to have them. (the pics I have a from a friend, I never could take a pic of it)
Don't let it take you down, live on and tell. Hope from now you have only smooth rides, no "ohhh crap" moments. But it happens to the best.
- 3,694
- South Australia
@Ibonibo- Wow mate, thanks a lot for sharing that. Over the course of the weekend I saw about fifteen 86s in Melbourne and it was a stinging constant reminder. I don't know if any pictures of the car exist (I couldn't bring myself to take any) but I certainly appreciate seeing the Audi and knowing what you've been through. Those "what if's" are very haunting, and i'm happy to know that you've moved on and haven't let the accident hold you back. Keep up the good work on your S3 mate, I'm certain the end result will be amazing 
So it's been another couple days worth of progress, so I guess it's update time. The NA engine and auto gearbox we pulled out are now for sale online and we've shifted our focus to getting the TT engine out of the donor car. So far it's gone quite smoothly and If it keeps up that way, it should be out of the donor and maybe even sitting in the convertible by tomorrow. It's been interesting pulling the cars down back to back and seeing just how many things were changed for the turbo model. Wiring, power steering, radiators, brake setup, window washer bottles and of course the obvious turbo piping, vaccuum lines and intercoolers. Fortunately all those things can carry straight into the soft top so while interesting, they won't cause an issue.
What is an issue however is the tail shafts. TT & NA 300zxs have different diff ratios. The TT's is geared for a higher top speed, while the NA is set up for acceleration. TT owners often switch to the NA diff and tend to be very happy with the result. Naturally, I want the NA diff and my research told me to simply take the front half of the TT's shaft and bolt it to the back half of the NA's. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the donor car has had a one piece tailshaft installed.
Luckily the newest Z still has the standard shaft, and my mate has no problem with me pinching that for the convertible and putting the one piece back in it's place. Annoyingly though, that adds another really big job to the list of things we need to do and I'm running out of days off. Just slightly frustrating
So it's been another couple days worth of progress, so I guess it's update time. The NA engine and auto gearbox we pulled out are now for sale online and we've shifted our focus to getting the TT engine out of the donor car. So far it's gone quite smoothly and If it keeps up that way, it should be out of the donor and maybe even sitting in the convertible by tomorrow. It's been interesting pulling the cars down back to back and seeing just how many things were changed for the turbo model. Wiring, power steering, radiators, brake setup, window washer bottles and of course the obvious turbo piping, vaccuum lines and intercoolers. Fortunately all those things can carry straight into the soft top so while interesting, they won't cause an issue.
What is an issue however is the tail shafts. TT & NA 300zxs have different diff ratios. The TT's is geared for a higher top speed, while the NA is set up for acceleration. TT owners often switch to the NA diff and tend to be very happy with the result. Naturally, I want the NA diff and my research told me to simply take the front half of the TT's shaft and bolt it to the back half of the NA's. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the donor car has had a one piece tailshaft installed.
Luckily the newest Z still has the standard shaft, and my mate has no problem with me pinching that for the convertible and putting the one piece back in it's place. Annoyingly though, that adds another really big job to the list of things we need to do and I'm running out of days off. Just slightly frustrating
- 2,235
- Norway
When I saw those scratches on your then 4 month old car I thought it's a driver, it won't stay looking new for years. Guess I was right lol 
My first car was a light blue 16v Daihatsu, less than 70k miles when I bought it. Clean car, I loved it. Coilovers, it was stiff.. I had heard about lift off FWD oversteer but never experienced it - although I had done it on snow it's not the same. We were 18 and tooling down some back roads at 80-100 mph.. Lost it through one corner with no warning.
We drove up from the ditch and home. A smashed fender and slightly tweaked rear suspension was it.. I didn't talk about it either, if it had happened in another corner or we met a car I wouldn't be here today..
It takes time to realise it but it's just a car at the end of the day.. Happy you're safe. The process you went through this winter (I know my geography haha) is part of growing up You're not alone in having learnt the hard way haha. That accident of mine also made me take it easier on minor imperfections on my cars (not to mention the right foot haha)
My first car was a light blue 16v Daihatsu, less than 70k miles when I bought it. Clean car, I loved it. Coilovers, it was stiff.. I had heard about lift off FWD oversteer but never experienced it - although I had done it on snow it's not the same. We were 18 and tooling down some back roads at 80-100 mph.. Lost it through one corner with no warning.
We drove up from the ditch and home. A smashed fender and slightly tweaked rear suspension was it.. I didn't talk about it either, if it had happened in another corner or we met a car I wouldn't be here today..
It takes time to realise it but it's just a car at the end of the day.. Happy you're safe. The process you went through this winter (I know my geography haha) is part of growing up
You're not alone in having learnt the hard way haha. That accident of mine also made me take it easier on minor imperfections on my cars (not to mention the right foot haha)
- 3,694
- South Australia
@eiriksmil- Looking back I feel pretty silly for making such a big deal out of that, but I know why I did. You definitely called it haha.
It's really nice to see so many of you guys sharing your stories and experiences. It's helping me feel a lot more comfortable with what happened and as you put it, makes me feel like i'm not alone.
It's really nice to see so many of you guys sharing your stories and experiences. It's helping me feel a lot more comfortable with what happened and as you put it, makes me feel like i'm not alone.
- 3,694
- South Australia
Just swinging by quickly to report that we have succesfully removed the engine and gearbox from the donor car.
And to mention that I went on a local car cruise yesterday. I found it a bit funny that I was the only person driving a Japanese car, but everybody was really welcoming.
I got to speak to the owner of this HSV VF GTS. He was more than happy to show me and my drooling mate around it, open the bonnet and start her up. Apparently it's his 4th HSV and he plans on keeping it until the day he dies.
Our next step with the Zs is to do the tail shaft switch that I mentioned earlier. Then we can start thinking about putting the turbo'd powerplant into the convertible
And to mention that I went on a local car cruise yesterday. I found it a bit funny that I was the only person driving a Japanese car, but everybody was really welcoming.
I got to speak to the owner of this HSV VF GTS. He was more than happy to show me and my drooling mate around it, open the bonnet and start her up. Apparently it's his 4th HSV and he plans on keeping it until the day he dies.
Our next step with the Zs is to do the tail shaft switch that I mentioned earlier. Then we can start thinking about putting the turbo'd powerplant into the convertible
- 3,694
- South Australia
Progress has been slow for the last couple days while we wait for parts, so we've turned our attention to the most recent addition. It's just occured to me that I never really introduced this car too well, so here we go.
It's a 1992 Twin Turbo 2 seater with the same 2000 spec front bumper as the one that's currently at the paint shop for the convertible. It's also got brake lights from the same year that i'd love to have on the convertible but they are unfortunately in pretty bad shape. As I said, I went halves for it with a mate and it was cheap because it was defected.
This very car was sold for $25,000 in 2005. Back then it had a roll cage and was in really good shape...
It's now a bit rougher around the edges and the roll cage was unfortunately removed for South Australian compliance. The holes in the dash from where it ran are now occupied by stress balls.
We took off the fake door vents to reveal a huge dent and scratch in the drivers side door. Fortunately the only panels on the other funny coloured car (the donor) that are in good nick are the doors. I still think it's hilarious that there's probably only three of these things in this colour in the country and that for literally any other person (without a full respray) the door dent would've been irreparable. Yet here we are, vent & dent free
Next on the list for this one is to fix all the defected things. Namely, it's too low, too loud & has no third brake light (donor car to the rescue!) It also has boost controllers and a turbo timer, which are illegal and need to be removed. While we're at it we may also switch over the stress-ball free dash of the donor car and to pass inspection I'll put my LMGT4's on it.
With all that done, this little piggy will be off to market
It's a 1992 Twin Turbo 2 seater with the same 2000 spec front bumper as the one that's currently at the paint shop for the convertible. It's also got brake lights from the same year that i'd love to have on the convertible but they are unfortunately in pretty bad shape. As I said, I went halves for it with a mate and it was cheap because it was defected.
This very car was sold for $25,000 in 2005. Back then it had a roll cage and was in really good shape...
It's now a bit rougher around the edges and the roll cage was unfortunately removed for South Australian compliance. The holes in the dash from where it ran are now occupied by stress balls.
We took off the fake door vents to reveal a huge dent and scratch in the drivers side door. Fortunately the only panels on the other funny coloured car (the donor) that are in good nick are the doors. I still think it's hilarious that there's probably only three of these things in this colour in the country and that for literally any other person (without a full respray) the door dent would've been irreparable. Yet here we are, vent & dent free
Next on the list for this one is to fix all the defected things. Namely, it's too low, too loud & has no third brake light (donor car to the rescue!) It also has boost controllers and a turbo timer, which are illegal and need to be removed. While we're at it we may also switch over the stress-ball free dash of the donor car and to pass inspection I'll put my LMGT4's on it.
With all that done, this little piggy will be off to market
- 3,694
- South Australia
Has it really been nearly 2 months since I've updated this? Ok, first things first- the 86. After driving it to work everyday and using it just like any old car since I've had it, I felt like it was time to just jump in and go for a drive.
The destination? The Great Ocean Road.
Built by returning WW1 veterans as a memorial to their fallen mates, the 243 KM road is renowned for being one of the best driving roads in the country. It's twisty, it's smooth and by god is it beautiful.
It's also the same road that nearly 6 months ago a certain GTPer had a very bad day on. That monkey has been clawing at my back ever since, so with a full tank of 98, a beautiful sunny day and all the time in the world I jumped in the replacement and hit the road.
The start of the road is over 200KMs from my home and those clicked by effortlessly. The realisation once I hit a piece of Tarmac I hadn't travelled since that day stung and seeing the Great Ocean Road appear on road signs was a little tough.
But alas I hit the start, and with an uneasy feeling began along the twisty nirvana. I took it easy. I was so overly careful, cautious and focused that I didn't even look at the views. I got to the place where the tow truck driver got the tourist bus for me and a smile hit my face. I pulled into the car park and slid into a space next to another Tornado Grey 86. A crazy little coincidence. (I've cropped the snapchat I took because of my disbelieving in the moment swearing. I wish I'd taken a proper pic)
I knew as I got back in mine and progressed that I was now getting pretty close to the site. Then, as the ocean scenery turned to jungle, I rounded a couple of bends and before I knew it, I was there. I pulled up where it was safe and looked over the place. It was strange. The marks in the dirt remained clear to the edge, the white post still blackened and the roadside foliage was so much taller, greener and full of life. I apologise but I couldn't bring myself to take a photo.
So with that out of the way I fell back into the car, took some deep breaths and continued into uncharted territory. After a while the road emerged from the jungle and returned to the coast where I finally got to see what all the fuss is about.
The next 150KMs was the most relaxing yet exciting piece of driving I've ever done. The road is amazing and on that fateful day nearly 6 months ago I never even scratched the surface. To put it simply, I am so glad I decided to return to the Great Ocean Road.
I have a gaggle of other news too, but that's all the typing I can muster on my phone for now
The destination? The Great Ocean Road.
Built by returning WW1 veterans as a memorial to their fallen mates, the 243 KM road is renowned for being one of the best driving roads in the country. It's twisty, it's smooth and by god is it beautiful.
It's also the same road that nearly 6 months ago a certain GTPer had a very bad day on. That monkey has been clawing at my back ever since, so with a full tank of 98, a beautiful sunny day and all the time in the world I jumped in the replacement and hit the road.
The start of the road is over 200KMs from my home and those clicked by effortlessly. The realisation once I hit a piece of Tarmac I hadn't travelled since that day stung and seeing the Great Ocean Road appear on road signs was a little tough.
But alas I hit the start, and with an uneasy feeling began along the twisty nirvana. I took it easy. I was so overly careful, cautious and focused that I didn't even look at the views. I got to the place where the tow truck driver got the tourist bus for me and a smile hit my face. I pulled into the car park and slid into a space next to another Tornado Grey 86. A crazy little coincidence. (I've cropped the snapchat I took because of my disbelieving in the moment swearing. I wish I'd taken a proper pic)
I knew as I got back in mine and progressed that I was now getting pretty close to the site. Then, as the ocean scenery turned to jungle, I rounded a couple of bends and before I knew it, I was there. I pulled up where it was safe and looked over the place. It was strange. The marks in the dirt remained clear to the edge, the white post still blackened and the roadside foliage was so much taller, greener and full of life. I apologise but I couldn't bring myself to take a photo.
So with that out of the way I fell back into the car, took some deep breaths and continued into uncharted territory. After a while the road emerged from the jungle and returned to the coast where I finally got to see what all the fuss is about.
The next 150KMs was the most relaxing yet exciting piece of driving I've ever done. The road is amazing and on that fateful day nearly 6 months ago I never even scratched the surface. To put it simply, I am so glad I decided to return to the Great Ocean Road.
I have a gaggle of other news too, but that's all the typing I can muster on my phone for now
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- 3,694
- South Australia
I should point out that the pics without the car in them aren't mine. Unfortunately I'm a pretty bad photographer, especially compared to some of the very talented people here in the member's rides section. It is a very beautiful part of the world and an amazing drive though!
- 3,694
- South Australia
So onto the zed situation I guess. It pains me to say it but in the last 2 months nothing much has really happened. I put it down to the fact that I moved out of home and have been seeing someone. Both of which have left me with far less disposable income and time than I had before. Take this as a lesson guys, finish your cars before you chase independence or women!
Some small things have been done however. I've ordered the last of the required parts, done the tail shaft swap and most excitingly, the paint has been completed! Apparently, matching the colour was a nightmare and we can't be sure that it's perfect until it's on the car, but it certainly looks close!
They had some real trouble with the spoiler. Because it's made of rubber, when they primed it the material underneath was still soft. This meant that every touch caused deep cracks to shoot across the surface. After discussing the options we decided to sand off the primer and respray it with flex additive included. It seems to have stopped the cracks for now but the shop is pretty adamant that it's a temporary fix and the paint won't last forever. I'm ok with that and if it cracks I'll bite the bullet and get them to fit a fibreglass one. For now at least, it looks good!
I get a few days off work over the holidays so I'm hoping to have the car fully back together and driving sometime around the new year. Then we'll turn to finishing off the good funny coloured one and selling it so I can afford to get the convertible tuned
Edit: Sorry for double post.
Some small things have been done however. I've ordered the last of the required parts, done the tail shaft swap and most excitingly, the paint has been completed! Apparently, matching the colour was a nightmare and we can't be sure that it's perfect until it's on the car, but it certainly looks close!
They had some real trouble with the spoiler. Because it's made of rubber, when they primed it the material underneath was still soft. This meant that every touch caused deep cracks to shoot across the surface. After discussing the options we decided to sand off the primer and respray it with flex additive included. It seems to have stopped the cracks for now but the shop is pretty adamant that it's a temporary fix and the paint won't last forever. I'm ok with that and if it cracks I'll bite the bullet and get them to fit a fibreglass one. For now at least, it looks good!
I get a few days off work over the holidays so I'm hoping to have the car fully back together and driving sometime around the new year. Then we'll turn to finishing off the good funny coloured one and selling it so I can afford to get the convertible tuned
Edit: Sorry for double post.
- 3,694
- South Australia
I'm not sure what percentage they ended up using but there's no sign of cracks even with a good amount of pressure. The spoiler material is really, really soft so they didn't think they'd be able to make it work. Glad they pulled it off though
Seeing as I've put this photo in the rumble strip and it includes my car, I guess I may as well put it in here as well. I went to a formal with my girlfriend and she thought it'd be cool for me to get a photo with the 86 while I was all dressed up. If any of you guys have ever wondered who the guy behind the H is... Wonder no more.
- 3,694
- South Australia
After about 12 months since my first drifting escapade, my older brother, dad and I did some quick tidy-up work to the Skyline...
And Saturday we headed back to Mallala. This time my brother was sharing the car with me in place of my dad who decided (after last years incident) that drifting is a young buck's sport. Spread across two out of three categories the car barely got a break and It handled all we could throw at it with a smile. Even though we thought we were well prepared with 8 new tyres, about 7 hours into the 10 hour event we were out of rubber and packing up to go home.
Unfortunately I was an idiot and didn't take any pics so I'll have to wait for photographers to put them on facebook, for now here's some videos. I didn't learn from last year and I ran out of battery on the Go Pro half way through again (
) so I only got to capture a handful of runs that weren't my best. But with the racing driver excuses aside, here they are
When we were packing up I had a guy who had broken his KE70 Corolla and was watching throughout the day come up to me and tell me that I'd improved a lot and to keep it up. It's amazing how great it feels to get a compliment like that, so thank you kind civilian!
While I'm here, yes, it's been another month and no, the Zed still isn't finished. A tiny bit of progress has been made though! The boot and rear bumper are fitted...
To explain the lull, I've been waiting 3 months for some second hand hoses to show up, I questioned the seller and he explained it happens quite often to stuff he sends and offered me a full refund. He says he's going to go see his ombudsmen about it and I wished him luck. Whether or not these parts will ever actually turn up is irrelevant to be honest, as I've just bought another set that will be sent with a tracking number and should be here next week sometime. The new ones are silicone and once they arrive progress can finally resume!
I will mention that talking to my brother on the 5 hour drive to Mallala he proposed the idea of dropping the Nissan engine and putting a Toyota 2JZ into the convertible. It has been done before, kits exist and he made it seem like a great idea but I decided against it due to the cost of getting it made road legal. If I ever start a post in here with "So I won the lottery last week"... Don't be surprised if it end with "Oh, and the Vert is getting a 2J."
Edit: One picture so far. Hopefully many more to come!
Photo taken by and the property of Tony Donaghue.
And Saturday we headed back to Mallala. This time my brother was sharing the car with me in place of my dad who decided (after last years incident) that drifting is a young buck's sport. Spread across two out of three categories the car barely got a break and It handled all we could throw at it with a smile. Even though we thought we were well prepared with 8 new tyres, about 7 hours into the 10 hour event we were out of rubber and packing up to go home.
Unfortunately I was an idiot and didn't take any pics so I'll have to wait for photographers to put them on facebook, for now here's some videos. I didn't learn from last year and I ran out of battery on the Go Pro half way through again (
) so I only got to capture a handful of runs that weren't my best. But with the racing driver excuses aside, here they are When we were packing up I had a guy who had broken his KE70 Corolla and was watching throughout the day come up to me and tell me that I'd improved a lot and to keep it up. It's amazing how great it feels to get a compliment like that, so thank you kind civilian!
While I'm here, yes, it's been another month and no, the Zed still isn't finished. A tiny bit of progress has been made though! The boot and rear bumper are fitted...
To explain the lull, I've been waiting 3 months for some second hand hoses to show up, I questioned the seller and he explained it happens quite often to stuff he sends and offered me a full refund. He says he's going to go see his ombudsmen about it and I wished him luck. Whether or not these parts will ever actually turn up is irrelevant to be honest, as I've just bought another set that will be sent with a tracking number and should be here next week sometime. The new ones are silicone and once they arrive progress can finally resume!
I will mention that talking to my brother on the 5 hour drive to Mallala he proposed the idea of dropping the Nissan engine and putting a Toyota 2JZ into the convertible. It has been done before, kits exist and he made it seem like a great idea but I decided against it due to the cost of getting it made road legal. If I ever start a post in here with "So I won the lottery last week"... Don't be surprised if it end with "Oh, and the Vert is getting a 2J."
Edit: One picture so far. Hopefully many more to come!
Photo taken by and the property of Tony Donaghue.
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- 3,694
- South Australia
I came to the realisation this week that If I wait for my co-owner to get back, the good Chameleon Zed will never be finished. So I spent today getting a few things done to it. I started by switching over a good chunk of interior plastics and little bits and pieces that were good on the wreck.
Next I said sayonara to the other silly fake vent with help from the trusty heat gun and fitted the convertible's slightly broken third brake light. The wing took it's place on the 'Vert so the eye drawing gap here could easily be filled in.
Then I gave it a good wash and a quick polish.
Finally I tried to make the front bumper fit properly but as I knew from past experience it's an utter bastard of a job. While this front bar looks identical to the one I recently had painted for the convertible, It's actually a fibreglass reproduction and after however many years on the car there are heaps of cracks and marks, worn paint and worst of all, many of the mounting points are shot. I fought the damn thing for three swear filter engaged hours and ended up worse off then when I started. I know what I'm going to do differently next time, but that won't be until next weekend because I'm frankly fed up with the bloody thing.
Strangely and disappointingly, I haven't found any more photos from the drift day. I was really looking forward to seeing some great pictures of the Skyline in full swing but it seems like that's not gonna happen. Hopefully we'll have better luck next time.
Next I said sayonara to the other silly fake vent with help from the trusty heat gun and fitted the convertible's slightly broken third brake light. The wing took it's place on the 'Vert so the eye drawing gap here could easily be filled in.
Then I gave it a good wash and a quick polish.
Finally I tried to make the front bumper fit properly but as I knew from past experience it's an utter bastard of a job. While this front bar looks identical to the one I recently had painted for the convertible, It's actually a fibreglass reproduction and after however many years on the car there are heaps of cracks and marks, worn paint and worst of all, many of the mounting points are shot. I fought the damn thing for three swear filter engaged hours and ended up worse off then when I started. I know what I'm going to do differently next time, but that won't be until next weekend because I'm frankly fed up with the bloody thing.
Strangely and disappointingly, I haven't found any more photos from the drift day. I was really looking forward to seeing some great pictures of the Skyline in full swing but it seems like that's not gonna happen. Hopefully we'll have better luck next time.
- 3,694
- South Australia
Been a bit quiet over the last couple weeks, but small things have happened. I ordered 4 GTPlanet decals from @jay*doc with the intention of putting one on each car, then I realised I didn't know what I was doing and made a real hack of it. I finally worked it out half way through the last one after ruining three so I guess I'll have to order more. I'm not too worried though because he's an excellent seller and refunded my money after a shipping error, so I got these ones for free. These stickers are fantastic quality and if you know what you're doing you should be able to get it on with all dots in place (unlike me )
I've also began on a small bit of tail light customisation. A popular mod to make the 300zx rear end look more modern involves removing the orange indicator light diffuser and replacing it with a clear one (like the good chameleon car has). I've already pulled (literally- the glue is one sticky mofo) them off both the vert and wreck and I'm gonna give it a go this week.
I found a guy who likes drawing people's cars and couldn't turn down the opportunity to get him to do something for me. He's not done yet but it's looking nice!
Next update should include a compression test of the destined-for-vert engine, changing the belts, servicing it and putting on my new hoses. I've had a slight change In work conditions which will hopefully mean I can get a bit of free time during the week. I'm sick of looking at it when I could be driving it, so hopefully things start going well.
Also, I In a weird corner of the internet I stumbled upon this crazy Japanese Toyota ad. It features the 86 and I thought you guys might get the same kick out of it that I did
)I've also began on a small bit of tail light customisation. A popular mod to make the 300zx rear end look more modern involves removing the orange indicator light diffuser and replacing it with a clear one (like the good chameleon car has). I've already pulled (literally- the glue is one sticky mofo) them off both the vert and wreck and I'm gonna give it a go this week.
I found a guy who likes drawing people's cars and couldn't turn down the opportunity to get him to do something for me. He's not done yet but it's looking nice!
Next update should include a compression test of the destined-for-vert engine, changing the belts, servicing it and putting on my new hoses. I've had a slight change In work conditions which will hopefully mean I can get a bit of free time during the week. I'm sick of looking at it when I could be driving it, so hopefully things start going well.
Also, I In a weird corner of the internet I stumbled upon this crazy Japanese Toyota ad. It features the 86 and I thought you guys might get the same kick out of it that I did
- 3,694
- South Australia
Last weekend was probably the best of my life. Amongst seeing some awesome bands, doing things I've wanted to for years and catching up with some good mates, I went on a cruise with the SA 86/BRZ club. The guys were pretty awesome, the cruise route was epic, the views beautiful and the atmosphere awesome.
They're a very relaxed club and pushed themselves and the cars pretty hard through the awesome hill roads. Absolutely fantastic fun. If I lived in Adelaide I'd definitely go to all of their events. I could say more but I'm running out of adjectives, let's just say it was great!
I was going to compression test the engine this weekend but then I realised dad didn't have a tester and all the auto shops were closed.
So while the sun was shining I made hay. Twin Turbo engined Zeds left the factory with superior (30mm vs 26mm) front disk brakes and seeing as Nissan thought that it was necessary I followed suit. I pulled off one of the wreck's front wheels to get at the slightly thicker rotors and had a very happy surprise!
What we see here are slotted rotors and Buddy Club suspension that I wasn't aware I had. I quickly ripped the wheel of the Vert and took a comparison photo.
I decided to pull the whole front hub as one, disconnecting it from the brake lines, ABS wires, upper control arm, tie rod and ball joint. I started undoing bolts and all was going good for a while, then they stopped going so well.
I've never encountered a split pin on a car before so when I did, I naturally spent half an hour fighting it and swearing at it before figuring out a good removal technique. I also hit some very troublesome bolts, got into a massive disagreement with the brake lines and had to research the technique for removing the hub from the tie rods. I did eventually get them both off however! Here's a comparo of the suspension.
With that done it was just a matter of putting the TT's equipment onto the Vert, putting the wheels back on and calling it a day right? Wrong. After finally getting everything put back together I found something out. My wheels don't fit the rotors. Specifically the centre lip which has an extra few mm of diameter compared to the one that came off. You can see it in the pictures above and it stops my wheels from sliding into place.
I don't have the tools to properly deal with it so I'll get the brakes back off and take them to a machine shop to get that part ground down.
I have began on the tail lights but I'll save that for one post.
They're a very relaxed club and pushed themselves and the cars pretty hard through the awesome hill roads. Absolutely fantastic fun. If I lived in Adelaide I'd definitely go to all of their events. I could say more but I'm running out of adjectives, let's just say it was great!
I was going to compression test the engine this weekend but then I realised dad didn't have a tester and all the auto shops were closed.
So while the sun was shining I made hay. Twin Turbo engined Zeds left the factory with superior (30mm vs 26mm) front disk brakes and seeing as Nissan thought that it was necessary I followed suit. I pulled off one of the wreck's front wheels to get at the slightly thicker rotors and had a very happy surprise!
What we see here are slotted rotors and Buddy Club suspension that I wasn't aware I had. I quickly ripped the wheel of the Vert and took a comparison photo.
I decided to pull the whole front hub as one, disconnecting it from the brake lines, ABS wires, upper control arm, tie rod and ball joint. I started undoing bolts and all was going good for a while, then they stopped going so well.
I've never encountered a split pin on a car before so when I did, I naturally spent half an hour fighting it and swearing at it before figuring out a good removal technique. I also hit some very troublesome bolts, got into a massive disagreement with the brake lines and had to research the technique for removing the hub from the tie rods. I did eventually get them both off however! Here's a comparo of the suspension.
With that done it was just a matter of putting the TT's equipment onto the Vert, putting the wheels back on and calling it a day right? Wrong. After finally getting everything put back together I found something out. My wheels don't fit the rotors. Specifically the centre lip which has an extra few mm of diameter compared to the one that came off. You can see it in the pictures above and it stops my wheels from sliding into place.
I don't have the tools to properly deal with it so I'll get the brakes back off and take them to a machine shop to get that part ground down.
I have began on the tail lights but I'll save that for one post.
- 3,694
- South Australia
Slow and steady but at least it's something! I've looked at this thing and thought about it for too damn long!
It's looking like I'll get a good bit of time at it next weekend so hopefully I'll be able to cross a couple things off my to do list.
It's looking like I'll get a good bit of time at it next weekend so hopefully I'll be able to cross a couple things off my to do list.
- 3,694
- South Australia
So, as it turns out that black ring wasn't actually solidly attached and when I pulled the rotor off it fell on the ground. So I was quickly able to put the rotor back on, throw the ring in the skip bin and put my wheel on. I then switched the brakes and springs on the other side. I managed to do it without taking the whole hub so it took about 1/4 the time of the first side. One day I'll paint the calipers red, but for now it looks pretty tidy. I never really got to drive the wreck properly so I'm very Interested to see the difference to the Vert's braking and handling performance after these changes.
With that done I got my mate Cody down to give me a hand with the compression test but after pulling all the coilpacks and sparkplugs (which were stuffed)
...it became clear that this wouldn't actually be possible. The plenum gets in the way of the compression testing equipment that we have and we simply can't get down far enough to attach the gauge's hose to the part that screws in. It's the only test kit I could find and it's just not happening. Very frustrating that for the 2nd week in a row I've failed to get the numbers.
I'm now in the mind that we might as well just do the timing belt service (not pictured), fluids and filter and put the thing in. Due to us not having spark plugs or correctly sized Allen keys, that'll all have to wait.
On our way out I decided to check to see if the rear of the wreck was hiding any surprises and sure enough, some king springs were waiting. Just like that another job gets added to the very long to do list.
Oh and the artist that's drawing my cars sent me this pic and said he's 95% finished. I'm really happy with how it's turned out and will be framing it for a permanent spot on the wall.
With that done I got my mate Cody down to give me a hand with the compression test but after pulling all the coilpacks and sparkplugs (which were stuffed)
...it became clear that this wouldn't actually be possible. The plenum gets in the way of the compression testing equipment that we have and we simply can't get down far enough to attach the gauge's hose to the part that screws in. It's the only test kit I could find and it's just not happening. Very frustrating that for the 2nd week in a row I've failed to get the numbers.
I'm now in the mind that we might as well just do the timing belt service (not pictured), fluids and filter and put the thing in. Due to us not having spark plugs or correctly sized Allen keys, that'll all have to wait.
On our way out I decided to check to see if the rear of the wreck was hiding any surprises and sure enough, some king springs were waiting. Just like that another job gets added to the very long to do list.
Oh and the artist that's drawing my cars sent me this pic and said he's 95% finished. I'm really happy with how it's turned out and will be framing it for a permanent spot on the wall.
- 3,694
- South Australia
Bronze does look really nice @SVX but I'm not sure. Red and black is something of a running theme on the Vert, my new boots and glove box cover have red stitching, the Nismo lettering on the wheels, my stereo's headunit and when the important stuff is done I plan on hitting the gauges with some red lighting.
I do really like that bronze and I suppose a gold that matches the centre cap of the wheels could look really nice too. I'll keep thinking about it đź‘Ť
I do really like that bronze and I suppose a gold that matches the centre cap of the wheels could look really nice too. I'll keep thinking about it đź‘Ť
- 3,694
- South Australia
Had a nice, easy day today. Cody and I went right through the engine and checked the belts, all of which turned out to be in really good condition. We also gapped and fitted the new spark plugs, fitted some new hoses and the engine mounts. It's looking like next time we get to work on it we'll be putting it in!
Also pulled some parts from the wreck and put them up for sale, along with the wheels that resided on the rear of the good one. They're 18x10.5" Work Equips and while they aren't in the best condition, they are very sought after and quite valuable. I got a set of S15 wheels cheap and they will stay with that car.
I've spoken to somebody about recovering my very worn steering wheel with black leather and red stitching. I considered getting a Nardi like Liam's but taking an airbag out from a car is illegal here. While getting caught is extremely unlikely, I want this car to be 100% legal from top to bottom. Here's a before pic, as soon as I get the right tool to take it off and send it away we'll get to see the end result.
Oh and I'm happy to report the drawing is finished and hanging on my lounge room wall. I choose to hang it along with a photo of the first 86 and it's passenger side door handle, which is all I have left of it. I find that my life has changed so positively since the accident that I can finally look at it and be happy about where I am, rather than sad about what happened.
A big thankyou to Dagers Designs for his excellent artwork!
Also pulled some parts from the wreck and put them up for sale, along with the wheels that resided on the rear of the good one. They're 18x10.5" Work Equips and while they aren't in the best condition, they are very sought after and quite valuable. I got a set of S15 wheels cheap and they will stay with that car.
I've spoken to somebody about recovering my very worn steering wheel with black leather and red stitching. I considered getting a Nardi like Liam's but taking an airbag out from a car is illegal here. While getting caught is extremely unlikely, I want this car to be 100% legal from top to bottom. Here's a before pic, as soon as I get the right tool to take it off and send it away we'll get to see the end result.
Oh and I'm happy to report the drawing is finished and hanging on my lounge room wall. I choose to hang it along with a photo of the first 86 and it's passenger side door handle, which is all I have left of it. I find that my life has changed so positively since the accident that I can finally look at it and be happy about where I am, rather than sad about what happened.
A big thankyou to Dagers Designs for his excellent artwork!
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- 27,213
- United Kingdom
Just caught up with this thread.
Christ. Ups and downs then over the past year. Glad you walked away from your crash, and that you're back on your feet after it all.
Oh, and you're crazy for taking on that flip-painted 300ZX
Christ. Ups and downs then over the past year. Glad you walked away from your crash, and that you're back on your feet after it all.
Oh, and you're crazy for taking on that flip-painted 300ZX
- 3,694
- South Australia
Chameleon
The Equips sold and are now in the hands of a very happy man from Adelaide. It really was a win-win kinda deal. I got enough money from two rough wheels with stuffed tyres to pay for the set of S15 wheels with good tyres nearly three times over; while he got the pair he's been chasing without having to buy a full set. Everybody's happy!
The S15 wheels turned out to have a very different offset to what we took off and the car now looks like a little boy wearing his dad's jacket. Not sure if they'll go with it when I sell it, or if I'll take the Vert's standard 300zx wheels out of drift service for the new owner. It is nice to see it on a matching set though!
I've always thought that with all the black on the rear of a 300zx, having the third brake light panel maroon was an odd choice from the factory. So I grabbed a can of wannabe plasti dip, some tape and and an old car magazine to rectify the situation. Here it is masked up...
All done! I really should've got gloss black instead of matte though
Skyline
Following the pretty successful drift day we had a few months back, we've booked in to another one for May 9th. We learnt a lot from our time on the track and we decided on Monday to get some stuff sorted for next weekend.
First off, we realised that we were getting very, very bad camber wear on our rear tyres. Naturally you want to get every smoke filled lap out of a pair as possible, so we've taken a little bit of camber out to get more even tyre wear. We didn't want to take too much as that may negatively affect it's handling.
Next up was the handbrake. After all the abuse it's gotten a little slack. We tried tightening it but when it was tight enough to lock the wheels it was constantly slightly on. Obviously not a good thing! So rather than trying to work around that, we just did what we've been meaning to do for ages and bought a hydraulic handbrake from eBay.
Finally, dad was insistent that even with the 4wd fuse pulled, the setup might be robbing power and adding weight. Since the transfer case is on its way out and this car's mostly doing drift events these days, we decided it was time to take the 4 out of GTS4.
Other news....
I saw these come up really cheap this afternoon, got caught up in the moment and did something a little bit silly. They were really cheap for what they are so I don't regret it... But this wasn't really where the money was meant to be going
I'm really not sure what I'm going to put them on seeing as they're way too nice for a track car, the Vert's already got a set of LMGT4s (that I paid 3x this for) and it won't fit the 86 without conversion spacers. Wait! There's an idea!
The wheels will arrive Monday afternoon and I'm excited to see them in the flesh! Not sure if I'll actually get the spacers yet, but the thought of Nismo stickers on a Toyota makes me smile
More other news...
In preparation for next weekend's drifting, I've bought a magnetic mount, some arms, a long life battery and a 64gb memory card for my Go Pro. No longer will the excuse of battery or memory be able to cover my less than stellar driving. The plan is to move the magnetic mount around during the day so I can edit together some good, multi viewpoint laps.
I've got a new phone so I accidentally posted this before I intended and I haven't got any good pics done yet. I will add them along with some good news on the Vert after the weekend
The Equips sold and are now in the hands of a very happy man from Adelaide. It really was a win-win kinda deal. I got enough money from two rough wheels with stuffed tyres to pay for the set of S15 wheels with good tyres nearly three times over; while he got the pair he's been chasing without having to buy a full set. Everybody's happy!
The S15 wheels turned out to have a very different offset to what we took off and the car now looks like a little boy wearing his dad's jacket. Not sure if they'll go with it when I sell it, or if I'll take the Vert's standard 300zx wheels out of drift service for the new owner. It is nice to see it on a matching set though!
I've always thought that with all the black on the rear of a 300zx, having the third brake light panel maroon was an odd choice from the factory. So I grabbed a can of wannabe plasti dip, some tape and and an old car magazine to rectify the situation. Here it is masked up...
All done! I really should've got gloss black instead of matte though
Skyline
Following the pretty successful drift day we had a few months back, we've booked in to another one for May 9th. We learnt a lot from our time on the track and we decided on Monday to get some stuff sorted for next weekend.
First off, we realised that we were getting very, very bad camber wear on our rear tyres. Naturally you want to get every smoke filled lap out of a pair as possible, so we've taken a little bit of camber out to get more even tyre wear. We didn't want to take too much as that may negatively affect it's handling.
Next up was the handbrake. After all the abuse it's gotten a little slack. We tried tightening it but when it was tight enough to lock the wheels it was constantly slightly on. Obviously not a good thing! So rather than trying to work around that, we just did what we've been meaning to do for ages and bought a hydraulic handbrake from eBay.
Finally, dad was insistent that even with the 4wd fuse pulled, the setup might be robbing power and adding weight. Since the transfer case is on its way out and this car's mostly doing drift events these days, we decided it was time to take the 4 out of GTS4.
Other news....
I saw these come up really cheap this afternoon, got caught up in the moment and did something a little bit silly. They were really cheap for what they are so I don't regret it... But this wasn't really where the money was meant to be going
I'm really not sure what I'm going to put them on seeing as they're way too nice for a track car, the Vert's already got a set of LMGT4s (that I paid 3x this for) and it won't fit the 86 without conversion spacers. Wait! There's an idea!
The wheels will arrive Monday afternoon and I'm excited to see them in the flesh! Not sure if I'll actually get the spacers yet, but the thought of Nismo stickers on a Toyota makes me smile
More other news...
In preparation for next weekend's drifting, I've bought a magnetic mount, some arms, a long life battery and a 64gb memory card for my Go Pro. No longer will the excuse of battery or memory be able to cover my less than stellar driving.
The plan is to move the magnetic mount around during the day so I can edit together some good, multi viewpoint laps.I've got a new phone so I accidentally posted this before I intended and I haven't got any good pics done yet. I will add them along with some good news on the Vert after the weekend
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- 3,694
- South Australia
@Korza They're 5x114.3 17x 8.5 & 9.5 with a +30 offset. I really like them but for a fellow GTP member I might be willing to do a deal 
Knowing they'd be going to a good home and onto a sweet car does make it tempting. I get the feeling I might see them in person and not want to get rid of them though
Knowing they'd be going to a good home and onto a sweet car does make it tempting. I get the feeling I might see them in person and not want to get rid of them though
Korza
Premium
- 3,787
- Christchurch, NZ
- kamikazi493
@Korza They're 5x114.3 17x 8.5 & 9.5 with a +30 offset. I really like them but for a fellow GTP member I might be willing to do a deal
Knowing they'd be going to a good home and onto a sweet car does make it tempting. I get the feeling I might see them in person and not want to get rid of them though
They're almost the perfect size for the Maxima! Lemme know when they arrive.
