Someone had painted the door mirror covers and the inner part of the door handles. I was in two minds whether to repaint these black to make them look OEM again or in silver.
I also wanted to re-paint the black trim parts because they had faded and were starting to look awful.
I started off by making a guide on how to remove the handles and mirrors for other 323F owners. That video can be found here:
Next up was the prep. I used a grey 'ultra fine' scotch pad followed by some sand paper to smooth off the flaking edges, finishing with wiping with some white spirit.
The paint I got 'off the shelf' seems to be a little darker than the body of the car. I did use a grey primer instead of white which may contribute too (I'm no painter)
Very happy with the final result, the gloss black bases look much better!
The reassemble video can be found here:
Wednesday 26th June
For what seemed like a life time since booking it, the track day was finally here! I got to Snetterton early so I could get the wheels swapped over, allowing me plenty of time to sign on, get noise tested and then the final briefing before the sighting laps.
The gentleman doing the noise test seemed quite pleased to see the car. We got chatting and he's previously owned x4 1.5 models and couldn't praise the car enough.
With the sighting laps completed it was time to head back to the pits to check the tyre pressures and wheel nut torque.
Having never owned/driven on semi slicks I was abit cautious when warming them up. I know I'm late to the party, but daaamn these tyres made a huge difference. They gave me so much more confidence, allowing me to push the car harder through corners without the worry of severe tyre squeal/wear.
I had a local company (Dan Wright Vehicle Services) in Norwich do a wheel alignment prior to the day. He added 2.5deg negative camber up front and a tiny bit of toe out. He also adjusted the BC Racing shock dampening to what he thinks would be best suited for the track.
The only 'issue' I had was the brake pedal went soft very briefly, to which I went straight back to the pit garage to cool down. I made sure to cool the brakes down enough in-between sessions to prolong their life, even though I had spare discs and pads. The Blueprint discs and pads DID survive the day, leaving the pads with approx. 50% friction material still left so plenty of life left. I think the saving grace was the EBC brake fluid.
The weather was scorching hot all day. Apart from the brakes, my other worry was coolant temperature. The car still has what looks like it's original radiator and I feared that springing a leak. But to my surprise the temp gauge stayed in the middle and I had no issues.
Overall it was a faultless day for the car. The VRIS system certainly helped kept the car stay in the power band. Once I figured out which gear I'd need for certain corners it made things much easier and the car didn't bog down.
The video from the car can be found here:
Sunday 30th June
This morning I popped along to the monthly Cars & Coffee meet that I organise. The rain did effect attendance but it was still a good morning.
I've been in abit of a tricky situation recently. Having been doing Youtube for about 3 years, the future content for the 323F is somewhat limited.
It would be a shame to stop making Youtube videos to just enjoy the car, but it's the journey I enjoy and ultimately that's what drives the Youtube channel forward.
So I've made the decision to sell the car. The advert can currently be found on here, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and PistonHeads Classified. I'm open to sensible offers so please don't be put off by the asking price.
It's no show queen when it comes to the body work, but it's solid underneath and it's had a heap of work carried out. All of which can be found in this build thread and on my Youtube.
