Am currently planning, have been meaning to get around to doing.. Internal door handles, these have been removed from a four door R33 and are exactly the same size and fitment as for all R33's with the exception that the handles themselves are in a rather lovely chrome finish. I suppose coming out of a four door does make them rare items too, I certainly have not seen them fitted to a two door (what's that telling me!).
I have got removing the door cards down to a fine art now having only recently had them off to cure an annoying rattle which I was getting in both doors. This turned out to be the screw that holds the metal bracket in place for the door pull and being of a large 'self tap' design they just would not tighten any more, allowing the bracket to vibrate. Anyway having recently removed it all and lovingly replaced it again, I'm kind of reluctant to do it yet again. Also the weathers been bad... excuses, excuses...
However I recently read on Aki's blog about how he had wired up LED's to the courtesy lights. This would be quite a boon to me as unlike Aki, I always have my main internal courtesy light turned off (personal preference). So a glowing door handle may be a sweet addition to the cause! Naturally this is only at the thinking about stage, I am actually feeling reluctant to do it just for the pain of wiring it all.
As a note to myself and anyone interested. Here is a link to Aki's post about what to do.
Adventure, drama, romance and lost tools. All life is here!
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
HKS Dress Up
Well whilst working on my gleaming engine bay the other night, with the acres of gleaming stainless steel there I felt that there was a little something missing. So decided to abuse my heat shield with a nice big fat sticker and luxuriate in the fact that I have the best turbo and accessories by getting a HKS logo to place on it.
After a bit of measuring and on line shopping, I managed to come up with a sticker from Sumo Power who supply genuine parts (at genuine prices!) here in the UK. It's going to be a tight fit, which may or may not be a good thing.. Will find out tonight!
I obviously looked at the 'copy' stickers as well and am sure that they would have done as good a job, but can't be bothered with saving a few pounds, as normally when I do that it always comes back and bites me on the rear!
After a bit of measuring and on line shopping, I managed to come up with a sticker from Sumo Power who supply genuine parts (at genuine prices!) here in the UK. It's going to be a tight fit, which may or may not be a good thing.. Will find out tonight!
 |
| Sticker Boy! |
Monday, 27 February 2012
Bonnet Respray
Well after my minor hiccough I have got the car back from the spray shop. All in all they did a not unreasonable job. I was confused when the chap at the garage said what a hard job they had cleaning the silicone off the bonnet though. Especially as I never use it to polish the car... That is until I thought 'oh I know what I did' and remember using some cheap old rubbish to spray onto the bonnet to wipe it down... I bet that's where the dreaded silicone came from. Well why would I worry about what was going on there as it was going for spray anyway! Live and learn... As per usual.
I would recommend the body shop as having done a good job at a reasonable price.
The only down side to my nice respray is the state the engine is in. They removed the bonnet for spraying and although they said they covered the engine, the evidence of my eyes suggests otherwise. This is particularly annoying as I had only just finished pampering the engine bay and it feels like I have slipped down the greasy pole to the bottom again. What with the dust that must have been blowing around in the paint shop and the rainwater, it has left me with what can only be described as a challenge.
Technically this is all my fault for messing up the paint on the bonnet in the first place. So I will roll up my sleeves getting on with the mind numbing tediousness of unbolting various parts, bashing my knuckles and generally getting a bad back bending over for hours! I'm sure it's good for my soul!
 |
| Woodlands Body Shop Newbury |
The only down side to my nice respray is the state the engine is in. They removed the bonnet for spraying and although they said they covered the engine, the evidence of my eyes suggests otherwise. This is particularly annoying as I had only just finished pampering the engine bay and it feels like I have slipped down the greasy pole to the bottom again. What with the dust that must have been blowing around in the paint shop and the rainwater, it has left me with what can only be described as a challenge.
Technically this is all my fault for messing up the paint on the bonnet in the first place. So I will roll up my sleeves getting on with the mind numbing tediousness of unbolting various parts, bashing my knuckles and generally getting a bad back bending over for hours! I'm sure it's good for my soul!
Friday, 10 February 2012
Event, MissBanzai Tunnel Run 10th March 2012
Missbanzai Charity Tunnel Run - 10th March 2012
Lisa Rush is fundraising for Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital Charitable Fund and donating your £8.00 entry fee.
Or you can now donate via text, this will cost £10 for your entry fee (but it is nice and easy)
Please a text “BANZ69 £10” to 70070
If you send your donation via text you MUST complete the gift aid form and write in the comments your forum and user name. If you do not do this we will have no way of tracking your donation and you will have to donate again on the night.
When donating via the web page please put user name & club in the comments – nothing else.
Donations made via the Just Giving site or text will go direct to the nominated charity, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital Charitable Fund.
Simple Rules
-Please arrive at the arena no earlier than 20:30hts.
-Entrance is via the go kart track entrance.
- As previosuly mentioned there will be a £2 per person cash charge entry fee on the gate to cover the arena hire costs and administration.
-When donating online in the comments please put your club name & forum user name - or in the gift aid comments box if donating via text.
-There *may* be a limited number of maps on the night but this is not guaranteed.
-Payments for maps can only be taken up to 13:00 on 10th March 2012 on the Just Giving site or via text. PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER AFTER THIS TIME or you will not be included on the list of maps for us to allocate on the night!
-Please remember to drive responsibly - anyone not doing so will be asked to leave the site.
-You will need to bring sat nav / London A-Z for when you get lost. A passenger / map reader is also essential!
Torque GT (Torque GT - Used Japanese performance car and import specialists, Honda, Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Mitsubishi), Modified Live (www.modifiedlive.co.uk), Detailing Jem (Detailing Jem - Home) and other companies will be awarding prizes on the night for the best turned out cars of the evening. The prizes could be awarded to any Jap cars from Civics to Skylines... so get polishing!!!
Prizes categories include
-Best car of the night
-Best Modified car
-Cleanest car
-Rocking rims
-Spirit of The Tunnel Run (This goes out to the team that has taken tunnel running to a whole new level, team dress up etc...)
And many others…
Prizes to be confirmed.
Monster Energy will be coming along to hand out drinks and goodies.
Hope to see you there!
Any questions please drop a mail to missbanzai@googlemail.com or post your questions here! We had approx 450 cars from various different Jap car clubs along last time, and have raised over £15,000 online for various charities to date, so make sure you come along and be part of it this and help raise some cash for a very worthy cause!!
*Please note MissBanzai.com will not be held responsible for anyone driving dangerously or misbehaving at the Arena Essex, please make this a fun and safe event. When driving on public roads please abide by the rules of the road at all times. We want to be able to run this event for many years in the future, please don’t ruin it for your fellow tunnel runners by driving dangerously or breaking the law*
Back for the first time in 2012 we present another London Tunnel Run, hosted by MissBanzai.com!
This is MissBanzai's 8th tunnel run and we have chosen The Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust to be the charity benefiting from money raised on the night.
Sadly one of the heads of the MissBanzai team lost her mother last year to Pulmonary Fibrosis. Her mother was treated at this hospital. The trust is also the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK, treating patients from across the country.
Money raised through the Charity sponsors pioneering research which helps to understand the causes of these diseases and develop new treatments.
Please read the details below and follow the donation instructions.
*** Japanese cars only - no exceptions -Non Jap cars will be refused entry ***
Start Point:
Arena Essex (RM19 1AE)
Date: Saturday 10th March
Gates Open : 20:30hrs
Gates Close : 22:15hrs
There is a £2 per person entry fee on the gate to cover venue hire and admin charges.
Maps will be handed out on arrival to those who have pre-paid through JustGiving.
There will be no entry to the site after 10.15pm so please arrive on time!
Last map hand out/registration will be 10:35pm.
This will give you plenty of time to meet your friends, have look around your fellow runners cars and have something to eat and drink.
To register for the event you need to donate a minimum of £8 via the following link. All monies go to charity.
Or you can now donate via text, this will cost £10 for your entry fee (but it is nice and easy)
Please a text “BANZ69 £10” to 70070
If you send your donation via text you MUST complete the gift aid form and write in the comments your forum and user name. If you do not do this we will have no way of tracking your donation and you will have to donate again on the night.
When donating via the web page please put user name & club in the comments – nothing else.
Donations made via the Just Giving site or text will go direct to the nominated charity, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital Charitable Fund.
Simple Rules
-Please arrive at the arena no earlier than 20:30hts.
-Entrance is via the go kart track entrance.
- As previosuly mentioned there will be a £2 per person cash charge entry fee on the gate to cover the arena hire costs and administration.
-When donating online in the comments please put your club name & forum user name - or in the gift aid comments box if donating via text.
-There *may* be a limited number of maps on the night but this is not guaranteed.
-Payments for maps can only be taken up to 13:00 on 10th March 2012 on the Just Giving site or via text. PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER AFTER THIS TIME or you will not be included on the list of maps for us to allocate on the night!
-Please remember to drive responsibly - anyone not doing so will be asked to leave the site.
-You will need to bring sat nav / London A-Z for when you get lost. A passenger / map reader is also essential!
Torque GT (Torque GT - Used Japanese performance car and import specialists, Honda, Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Mitsubishi), Modified Live (www.modifiedlive.co.uk), Detailing Jem (Detailing Jem - Home) and other companies will be awarding prizes on the night for the best turned out cars of the evening. The prizes could be awarded to any Jap cars from Civics to Skylines... so get polishing!!!
Prizes categories include
-Best car of the night
-Best Modified car
-Cleanest car
-Rocking rims
-Spirit of The Tunnel Run (This goes out to the team that has taken tunnel running to a whole new level, team dress up etc...)
And many others…
Prizes to be confirmed.
Monster Energy will be coming along to hand out drinks and goodies.
Hope to see you there!
Any questions please drop a mail to missbanzai@googlemail.com or post your questions here! We had approx 450 cars from various different Jap car clubs along last time, and have raised over £15,000 online for various charities to date, so make sure you come along and be part of it this and help raise some cash for a very worthy cause!!
*Please note MissBanzai.com will not be held responsible for anyone driving dangerously or misbehaving at the Arena Essex, please make this a fun and safe event. When driving on public roads please abide by the rules of the road at all times. We want to be able to run this event for many years in the future, please don’t ruin it for your fellow tunnel runners by driving dangerously or breaking the law*
Back for the first time in 2012 we present another London Tunnel Run, hosted by MissBanzai.com!
This is MissBanzai's 8th tunnel run and we have chosen The Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust to be the charity benefiting from money raised on the night.
Sadly one of the heads of the MissBanzai team lost her mother last year to Pulmonary Fibrosis. Her mother was treated at this hospital. The trust is also the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK, treating patients from across the country.
Money raised through the Charity sponsors pioneering research which helps to understand the causes of these diseases and develop new treatments.
Please read the details below and follow the donation instructions.
*** Japanese cars only - no exceptions -Non Jap cars will be refused entry ***
Start Point:
Arena Essex (RM19 1AE)
Date: Saturday 10th March
Gates Open : 20:30hrs
Gates Close : 22:15hrs
There is a £2 per person entry fee on the gate to cover venue hire and admin charges.
Maps will be handed out on arrival to those who have pre-paid through JustGiving.
There will be no entry to the site after 10.15pm so please arrive on time!
Last map hand out/registration will be 10:35pm.
This will give you plenty of time to meet your friends, have look around your fellow runners cars and have something to eat and drink.
To register for the event you need to donate a minimum of £8 via the following link. All monies go to charity.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Paint Work how to damage it, lose friends and generally muck it up
Well it isn't all quite going to plan on the car or personal front at the moment. Although these things are sent to try us I suppose! With the car I had some damage to the front bonnet from stone chips, well I say stone chips, these were more like gouges and seeing as they happened in April 2011 they have bugged the hell out of me ever since. Just to highlight the problem I then managed to pick up a similar chip next to the gouges. Setting out to repair this area last year I got to grips with my fine paint brush and delicately filled the offending holes. Only trouble with this was that they (although now black) looked like stone chips that someone had filled with black paint and not as invisible as I had hoped. More a Picasso than a Turner masterpiece!
Anyway coming right up to last weekend, I decided that I would rise early and enjoy a morning of car cleaning and polishing. Maybe fix a few of 'those' outstanding jobs. Well before I started I looked at another chip in a different area that I had recently filled with a dab of paint, flattened it with some 1500 grit and mopped the area. Low and behold all was great! I could not make out where the original to the metal damage was. Hmm, thinks I, let's have a go at the real problem area... Well probably with the 4 or 5 previous attempts I had had on fixing the problem the clear coat must have been getting a tad thin, for after my mopping I had a small dull patch now, on my otherwise gleaming bonnet. Naturally at first I tried to encourage the flat area back into life but only managed to enlarge the problem! Then the icing on the cake was wiping over the area with some thinners I managed to remove the paint I had lovingly applied to the original scratches.
Nothing for it but to do it properly and find a spray shop. Although this in itself is always problematical, although speaking to my soul mate Ingrid, who knows a really good reliable mechanic, who in turn knows an excellent sprayer, I felt I was well on the way. Alas disaster struck the very next day and all fell apart into ruin. I wouldn't want to dwell on this at length here, although at times like this you do tend to stop, take stock of all sorts of things and wonder what is actually really important?
Well in my particular case, at this particular time the car is all I have left that gives me pleasure. So I found a 'good' (we shall see) paint shop and booked her in for the 18th of this month. There is an event coming up on the 10th which I am possibly planning to attend. I also think that it's probably best when you feel a bit burnt out to focus on something, so I will see what February brings with some interest.
Anyway coming right up to last weekend, I decided that I would rise early and enjoy a morning of car cleaning and polishing. Maybe fix a few of 'those' outstanding jobs. Well before I started I looked at another chip in a different area that I had recently filled with a dab of paint, flattened it with some 1500 grit and mopped the area. Low and behold all was great! I could not make out where the original to the metal damage was. Hmm, thinks I, let's have a go at the real problem area... Well probably with the 4 or 5 previous attempts I had had on fixing the problem the clear coat must have been getting a tad thin, for after my mopping I had a small dull patch now, on my otherwise gleaming bonnet. Naturally at first I tried to encourage the flat area back into life but only managed to enlarge the problem! Then the icing on the cake was wiping over the area with some thinners I managed to remove the paint I had lovingly applied to the original scratches.
Nothing for it but to do it properly and find a spray shop. Although this in itself is always problematical, although speaking to my soul mate Ingrid, who knows a really good reliable mechanic, who in turn knows an excellent sprayer, I felt I was well on the way. Alas disaster struck the very next day and all fell apart into ruin. I wouldn't want to dwell on this at length here, although at times like this you do tend to stop, take stock of all sorts of things and wonder what is actually really important?
Well in my particular case, at this particular time the car is all I have left that gives me pleasure. So I found a 'good' (we shall see) paint shop and booked her in for the 18th of this month. There is an event coming up on the 10th which I am possibly planning to attend. I also think that it's probably best when you feel a bit burnt out to focus on something, so I will see what February brings with some interest.
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