I've been putting off updating purely because of the lack of major updates, I'm sure the first couple below wouldn't have been worth it. Anyway... get comfy, grab some snacks and a drink...its a big one
The first change was some more painting of the interior, this time the climate control rings and the centre trim where the cig lighter is. This time I painted it in Ford Panther black, its got a great mix of metallic and pearls and its sparkly lol
While I was pulling the centre console apart, I also pulled apart the instrument/speedo cluster to add some upgrades. I seeked help from my friend Danny (who happens to have a black Colt CZT too) to solder the new SMDs to the board. I can solder, but this was far too intricate for my skill level, Danny does this for a living so it made sense.
I purchased a replacement cluster not knowing the mileage, luckily its 6k out so the original cluster is back in so the odometer matches, then this will go back in.
The factory dimmer still works which was very useful because these new ones are very bright!
The next not so exciting update was the painting of calipers. We all know the process and results so this doesn't need explaining (nor another Youtube video)
Much better
It wouldn't be a build of mine without making something, starting with a heat shield for the K&N filter
I started off with some CAD (cardboard aided design) to get an idea of what entails.
It covers the back area of the engine bay nicely so thats two birds with one stone. My friend Justin kindly gave me a large stainless tray, perfect for this. Although the side casing of my old PC was going to be my first choice lol
By no means do I consider myself a fabricator, even claim I know what I'm doing, most of the time I just wing it and I'm lucky enough it comes out semi decent. I don't own a welder, let alone a tig and I was on a budget that month so I had to use other means. In this case, it was using rivets. Not too shabby.
The battery tray had a decent amount of room left once the battery was pushed further forward. I cut a hole in the battery tray and fed the ducting underneath and down towards the front. I was originally hoping to use a fog light hole but the ducting wasn't long enough.
The next task was to modify the top radiator hose. Any keen reader/watcher may have noticed how close the top hose was to the aftermarket manifold. I did use some heat wrap to help prevent the hose burning through but I wanted something permanent.
Justin to the rescue again and he found me a piece of 25mm stainless tube with a 90 degree elbow. With it cut to size and a contractor at his work putting an average bead of weld around the ends, it was ready to be fitted
Sadly I don't have a before photo to hand, but the heat wrap was against the manifold branch
I still need to source a smaller P clip with a long enough bracket so it reaches the radiator, but for now it's supporting it enough
The next bright idea I had was to carry on with the fog light duct idea, but this time use them for brake ducts. I called upon my friend Paul who is very knowledgable when it comes with making things from scratch, and hes a dab hand at 3D modelling. I gave him some dimensions and explained the idea and he got to work. A day later he sends me these...
With the vents trimmed it was time to mark the arch liners and get drilling. Annoyingly my holesaw was about 3-4mm too small but that shouldn't matter too much. I under estimated the angle of the arch liner, so the vents aren't a snug fit as I had hoped, leaving a gap between the two surfaces
Next my attention was turned to the inlets on the bumper. I purchased some 68mm uPVC tubing and cut them down to the desired length, also cutting one end at a sharp angle to help follow the curve of the bumper
Now, behind the bumper isn't the tidiest,prettiest or the best solution. But if it works it works, it only needs to hold the weight of the tubing. I used an exhaust clamp and dexion strip to hold them in place.
The next hurdle was to tackle what was behind the bumper. In the case of the driver side the gigantic windscreen washer bottle covers the height and almost the width of the arch liner area. There was absolutely no way that any duct hose was going to get past this and to the bottom corner. So that had to go.
Luckily for me, I sell a universal washer bottle kit at work which should do the job. With a pair of rivnuts now secured into the chassis rail and the bracket fixed on, the bottle slides on and now gives ample amount of room. The filler cap is accessable from the engine bay,although I'll need to use a flexy funnel to refill.
Things were going too smoothly, now it was time to throw a spanner in the works. It turns out I never paid attention to the direction of the arch liner vent. With the arch liner now refitted, I found out the vent points directly at the drive belt pulley *face palm*
I got back in contact with Paul and he remodelled the duct, printed it and sent it out super fast.
He increased the angle to hopefully match the true angle of the arch liner. Along with the change of inlet angle he also made it so it protrudes into the arch itself
With the arch liner centre hole enlarged and new mounting holes drilled it was time to see if v2 was a success. The cutting isn't the neatest which I'm disappointed about, but it can't be helped now.
Woohoo! It fits!
So with the driver side now finally finished, the passenger side should be a breeze! Shouldn't it?...
Turns out the intercooler pipe is directly behind the bumper inlet. To get around this I used another piece of the uPVC tubing and attached it above the intercooler hard pipe in the lower grill of the bumper. Not ideal, but without changing that side of the Intercooler pipe work completely, it's the only way.
I do have a Youtube video for this, but it's currently being edited so I'll add it once its uploaded
The final installment of this big update is a modification that is world wide regarded as VERY marmite, some like it, alot don't haha
UNDER GLOW!
I can sense you're all just sighing loudly,resting your face in your hands shaking your head at the screen. It wouldn't be a nod to the Max Power era if the car didn't have it
I started by feeding the power cables through the bulk head and completing majority of the wiring inside the car before I started underneath. Full details are in the Youtube video (link at the end)
I also installed an under bonnet light,feeding the wiring through the bonnet skin and through the bulk head. The sound deadening needs tidying up but its presentable for now
I had access to a four poster ramp to allow me to underseal the centre of the car and to fit the underglow. Unfortunately due to the other vehicles in the unit, I was limited to hand brushing the underseal on.
This is before, quite clean to be fair. The areas were wire brushed down followed by a coat of Kurust before the underbody seal.
The main areas sealed. The harder to reach areas will be aerosol'd at a later date
Also done the majority of the rear axle too. When the wheels are next off I'll finish those areas
Since the video I've added an in-line fuse on the positive battery lead for the fuse box, along with moving back the front LED strip to hopefully make it less visible.
And there we have it, I apologise again for the lengthy read
