mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Been out and about this morning trying to keep the kids entertained so the Mrs could try and sleep after her night shift.. there's only so many "quack quack" And "neigh neighs" (ducks and horse according to my Nearly 2 year old) I can look at  Seemed a perfect opportunity to collect my Uber rare JDM made on the moon wheels.. nah I'm joking, there regular run of the mill rx8 wheels that appear to have been painted with a yard brush and stored in a swamp  however they were cheaper than new tyres for the 17s, have legal tyres on them all and bolt straight on.. they will clear the big brakes, and when I've finished with em can chuck them on the Mrs's daily for extra brownie points haha. Here's what they look like fitted (not my car obviously)  And hears my horrendous example of these wheels haha   But for 50 quid I cant complain!! Stay tuned for a poundshop refurb |
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£50 ? You're finding those bargains at the moment !
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Yep, he had a " nice" set for 120. But the tyres were about the same wear wise and I'm not fitting em to the car til there black anyways. So may aswell have the cheap ones and spend an hour tarting em up..
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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So managed to sneak an hour or so today. At work (instead of a dinner plus waiting for a wagon, what is it they say about idol hands) and then tonight for a couple hour with a suprise visit from my mate with the ls400 (haven't seen anyone in weeks so a social distanced chat was nice).. Firstly... The wheels. I can't just leave anything alone. I was going to just mask em up using the playing card trick, rattle can em black and chuck em on... Then I looked at em and felt they would be letting the car down. Plus if I do em right now when I chuck em on Mrs's car they should look decent still. Gave them good clean down with the big steam cleaner at work, and noticed a few of them were bubbling from the beads. Nowt worse than tyres that go down over time. So decided best bet was get the garage across road to whip em me off to investigate..    Ahhh that will do it. curse word tyre shops not cleaning the bead mounting face up properly and daubing a load of bead sealer on instead! Muppets. Cleaned bead faces up and decided while I had a spare hour I'd wazz the DA over them see what they came up like.. looks like I'm committed now  Well an hour or so later first one was starting to look decent. Didn't have anything to get in around the centres tho. So I've grabbed some industrial strength paint stripper on way home and left the wheels at work to do when I get a spare hour (I hate having nowt to do, I can't sit still, odd for a fat bloke )   Il be honest, they've grown on me. I can't realistically afford the big wide low offset jobs I want to fit the btcc kit any time soon. So now I'm thinking would I be better off chuckin a set of new tyres on these. We'll see how well they turn out when I've done some more prep. If there looking good then I might treat em to new boots (they only owe me 50 quid so regardless there still cheap).. Back home I'm working through my list of jobs, summat I've been putting off is filling the gearbox oil up. The fill port is up right to side of transmission tunnel. You can't reach it from top. It's awquard from the bottom. And you really need another pair of hands to keep filling the funnel while you hold the pipe in gearbox underneath... Here's a really bad picture showing just how awquard it is   Whilst I was upside down laid on gravel I connected the reverse light up too. Another job that is made 10 times harder laying on the gravel with no space. However the car can now move under its own power back onto the drive for the next stage. Now the elephant in the room is the space at the front under bonnet. Or rather the lack of it.... Some idiot has filled the engine bay with V8.. then they've put a turbo the size of a small planet hung out front too. Then run a 4inch diameter downpipe. So the radiator has had to come forwards, which in turn means the intercooler is going to have to come forwards too. Now the stock is200 bumper isn't very deep, and I've used a all the space there was and more  this won't be such a problem with the btcc kit on as it's a deaper so I'll have more room to play. However that's not going on yet.. so I've done what I had to do... It's got a very 90s max power feal about it. I don't hate it. It's secure. And central and not going to get ripped off. But it's not "pretty". Tbf once I've satin blacked it it will be better again. But this is where I'm at...(ignore the nuts on the bolts they were just being used as spacers as I didnt have short enough bolts and didnt want to waste time chopping bolts down).     Yeah  it's not how I "want" it. But it's how it's going to have to be for now... A later version may see a rad under boot floor to free some space up if needed. But I've reached the stage where I need to make some progress or its just going to stay as it is. And I'm too invested now to do that. Need to figure out my boost piping now then I can figure out what space I've left for water pipes. But 30mm rubber water hoses are easier to reroute than big boost pipes. So that's next priority. Anyways. More soon. Maybe. Haha.. Mick taking about the intercooler hanging out the front like badly modified MK4 golf is expected if not wanted hahaha |
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Oh I dunno.  I'm not a "Max Power" guy, but I reckon in black, you'll lose a lot of the adverse visual impact. And it does what you need for now. So... |
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Oh I dunno. I'm not a "Max Power" guy, but I reckon in black, you'll lose a lot of the adverse visual impact. And it does what you need for now. So... Yeah in black it will look a lot less of an eyesore... I'm stealing that phrase tho "adverse visual impact" posh way of saying looks a right bo***cks! hahahha Like you say does a job for now |
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Jun 10, 2020 10:04:41 GMT
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To be fair, I've seen worse (much worse). Does the job and as you say is only temporary. Plus you can't see it from the driver's seat...
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 10, 2020 20:36:27 GMT
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To be fair, I've seen worse (much worse). Does the job and as you say is only temporary. Plus you can't see it from the driver's seat... To be completely honest I've done worse myself in the past haha.. Least it's central, it's square and it's definitely sat in the fresh air haha. The cooler isn't big enough to make my final power goals I'm sure. But it was 40 quid with probably enough pipework to make it work. |
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 10, 2020 20:57:01 GMT
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Another day another update (don't worry normal service will soon resume )... Managed to sneak an hour at work today on the new old cheap wheels.. daubed on a load of the stripper as instructions said and left it to brew for an hour ish   Can see it starting to work. And strangely there's no vicious smells and it didn't seam to dissolve my skin Gave them a little going over with some wire wool, then jetwashed them off.. the results are pretty damn impressive.   The two wheels on the right had been flicked over with the DA, the wheels on the left were literally as I got them. Fully painted no prep nothing.. the bottom left I left the stripper on too long and it sort of "dried out" I'm guessing the solvents evaporated and the paint reset. But still for the effort it took it was impressive. I've got a job in Leicester tomorrow so I'm planning on slopping a load more on before I set off, wrapping them in clingfilm and hopefully when I get back il be able to rinse the paint off (or il have 4 puddles where my wheels used to be) ....... So tonight, Mrs is at work, I've got kids down relatively drama free and I planned on doing nothing. Stood at kitchen sink and glaring at me through the window is the front of the car and that intercooler! I can't leave it haha. So intercooler off, gone over with some scotch brite and then dusted in etch primer  Looks better already.. couple of light coats of satin black and it looks a lot less in your face..   Quickly dried with the heat gun cus I'm inpatient and then back on the car with some proper shorter bolts..   How much better is that haha. It's not bugging me now or atleast it's bugging me a lot less. I've also found a broken tte front lip that I may be able to fix/modify to tie the bottom of the bumper back together, depending on price.. Now I can go and Carry on washing the pots i started 2 hours ago without it glaring at me through the window! Until next time! |
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Jun 10, 2020 21:00:57 GMT
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To be fair, I've seen worse (much worse). Does the job and as you say is only temporary. Plus you can't see it from the driver's seat... To be completely honest I've done worse myself in the past haha.. Least it's central, it's square and it's definitely sat in the fresh air haha. The cooler isn't big enough to make my final power goals I'm sure. But it was 40 quid with probably enough pipework to make it work. Dunno if you follow Driftworks on Youtube, their video today was talking about this exact thing, I mind growing up it was, and to an extent still is, the mk4 golfs and 306 d-turbos with the Ebay special FMIC's hanging out the front but now it's the fiesta's with Airtec ones. Given you've managed to shoehorn a V8 in and sling a turbo off the front you are within your rights to put the Intercooler on the roof for all I care |
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Rust is lighter than Carbon Fibre which is why old Fords are so fast.
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 10, 2020 21:16:50 GMT
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To be completely honest I've done worse myself in the past haha.. Least it's central, it's square and it's definitely sat in the fresh air haha. The cooler isn't big enough to make my final power goals I'm sure. But it was 40 quid with probably enough pipework to make it work. Dunno if you follow Driftworks on Youtube, their video today was talking about this exact thing, I mind growing up it was, and to an extent still is, the mk4 golfs and 306 d-turbos with the Ebay special FMIC's hanging out the front but now it's the fiesta's with Airtec ones. Given you've managed to shoehorn a V8 in and sling a turbo off the front you are within your rights to put the Intercooler on the roof for all I care I don't but when I get 5 minutes il have a search for them. Tbh I feel like I'm wasting building/research/planning time when I'm sat watching videos haha When I was a yuuuth the 306dturbo was weapon of choice like you say with the universal fmic hanging out the front and clouds of black smoke out the back haha That's my logic with where it's ended up. It was there or across the windscreen and there seemed like the better option, not sure what the mot test says about view obscured by intercooler haha Cheers |
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Jun 10, 2020 22:13:11 GMT
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Plumb it up with black hoses and no-one will notice it's there. |
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2020 22:14:06 GMT by rallyboy
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Jun 10, 2020 22:31:32 GMT
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Wow, the difference a bit of paint has made! As rallyboy said, black hoses will be the job. Mikalor do black stainless steel hose clamps.
And when funds allow maybe consider two smaller I.C.'s, one in each corner mounted behind the bumper using a link pipe with the fog light openings as inlets.
Anyway, great to see it coming together.
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2020 22:39:42 GMT by Woofwoof
Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 11, 2020 11:29:50 GMT
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Plumb it up with black hoses and no-one will notice it's there. Way ahead of you! The visible ally hard pipes will be black, the 2 visible silicone couplings I'm ordering in black. Be virtually invisible haha. Cheers |
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 11, 2020 11:31:46 GMT
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Wow, the difference a bit of paint has made! As rallyboy said, black hoses will be the job. Mikalor do black stainless steel hose clamps. And when funds allow maybe consider two smaller I.C.'s, one in each corner mounted behind the bumper using a link pipe with the fog light openings as inlets. Anyway, great to see it coming together. The visible hoses clips and whatever will be satin black.. like you say looks loads better. When I fit the btcc front bumper il be able to get the Intercooler in there no bother so should be good then. Although I'm going to have to get a bigger intercooler to make my final power goals Cheers |
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Jun 11, 2020 13:03:55 GMT
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Dunno if you follow Driftworks on Youtube, their video today was talking about this exact thing, I mind growing up it was, and to an extent still is, the mk4 golfs and 306 d-turbos with the Ebay special FMIC's hanging out the front but now it's the fiesta's with Airtec ones. Given you've managed to shoehorn a V8 in and sling a turbo off the front you are within your rights to put the Intercooler on the roof for all I care I don't but when I get 5 minutes il have a search for them. Tbh I feel like I'm wasting building/research/planning time when I'm sat watching videos haha When I was a yuuuth the 306dturbo was weapon of choice like you say with the universal fmic hanging out the front and clouds of black smoke out the back haha That's my logic with where it's ended up. It was there or across the windscreen and there seemed like the better option, not sure what the mot test says about view obscured by intercooler haha Cheers long story short the fella in the unit next to them who builds a lot of their cars does a lot of the LS swaps in the UK, he is currently building a twin turbo LS Pajero Evolution. Their youtube is a bit of a rabbit hole, you could waste days watching the things they get up to Round these parts the d-turbo still is the weapon of choice for some although it has to be the XUD with the Bosch pump full of red diesel and lowered 3 nicks lol Looks well in the black, apart from the noise there wont be much to distinguish it from a kitted one |
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Rust is lighter than Carbon Fibre which is why old Fords are so fast.
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 11, 2020 16:36:13 GMT
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Maccamac yeah that's other problem with me watching vids. I start off catching up with a build and end up 4 hours later I'm watching videos how to build your own electro plater at home or how do anodising and stuff like that haha. It's just safer if I don't lol.
That's the idea for this stage of the build. Keep it looking relatively standard (I know the exhaust and the fromtount are a giveaway).. even the btcc kit isn't lairy as such. It's just like the original car but wider..
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 11, 2020 16:38:57 GMT
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Also for today's update. Only managed to get half hour on the wheels but there getting there. Didn't manage to cover them on stripper before I left so had to do it the old fashioned way when I got back..
I've also found a damaged trd front lip that was an option on these when new in the hope I can modify it to tie the bumper back together and hide the cooler a bit more. Mine for a jar of coffee and a bottle of milk for the workshop. Ricky Smith is the man haha (if your into is200s and your on any of the lexus page youl know who he is)..
Just need to collect it when I'm next in Birmingham. No more progress tonight it's her Friday in our house so a beer and a takeaway is in order..
Cheers
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 12, 2020 16:23:08 GMT
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Another day another Wheely boring update (I'm sorry Il get my coat)  Didn't manage to get as much done on the new wheels as I'd have liked since I've been busy. But did manage to get 2 to the stage I was happy they could have some etch on them.. I did have a quick phone round to enquire about the cost of powder coat, then very quickly went back to sanding these by hand Anyways here they are in all there glory, going to try and finish the other two early next week then get a good few coats of high build on them all so I've got something to flat back (I'm saying this now but I have the patience of a toddler and zero attention span when it comes to jobs like this, so theyl probably get flicked over with the scotchbrite and painted) Cleaned down with panel wipe (brake cleaner) then popped on the mobile spray booth (mucky old pallet on front of a truck)     Found some blank 56mm centre caps for a fiver so need something childish to go on them when they arrive.. I've plenty to be doing on the car, but as it's currently raining sideways I'm not sure what il get done. But wel see. Watch this space. For hopefully a slightly more exciting update soon. Haha |
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mat88
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,542
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Jun 13, 2020 16:52:48 GMT
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Saturday update anyone.. just been for a drive in it okay that's a bit of an exaggeration but read on haha Wanted to get the car off the gravel and onto the drive so it's nicer to work on.. took my apprentice out with me. She highlighted the problems I'd overlooked so cracked on..  Chucked a fresh battery on. Let the pump prime and it fired straight up! With my Mrs holding little un to prevent any disasters eased it into gear, foot off the clutch and it drives!!! It's also got no brakes and no power steering so was very tentative haha 438 point turn later including forgetting where reverse was  and it's in its new resting spot.  While I was at it managed to whip the driver's side arch liner out to give access for the boost pipes (I don't like any of the plastic arch liners. They seem to be designed to trap muck and rubbish).. so that won't be going back in. Pleasantly surprised to find no rot either..  Now it's not on gravel, be a lot nicer to work on, can crack on and sort boost pipes out now! (If you were expecting some 10 mile first drive then I'm sorry haha) but soon. Hopefully |
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however they were cheaper than new tyres for the 17s, have legal tyres on them all and bolt straight on.. they will clear the big brakes, and when I've finished with em can chuck them on the Mrs's daily for extra brownie points haha.
this won't be such a problem with the btcc kit on as it's a deaper so I'll have more room to play. However that's not going on yet.. so I've done what I had to do... It's got a very 90s max power feal about it. I don't hate it. It's secure. And central and not going to get ripped off. But it's not "pretty". Tbf once I've satin blacked it it will be better again. But this is where I'm at...(ignore the nuts on the bolts they were just being used as spacers as I didnt have short enough bolts and didnt want to waste time chopping bolts down).
it's not how I "want" it. But it's how it's going to have to be for now... A later version may see a rad under boot floor to free some space up if needed. But I've reached the stage where I need to make some progress or its just going to stay as it is. And I'm too invested now to do that. 
and it's in its new resting spot.