Ever since getting the 34, there’s one luxury feature which I’ve
always wanted. Well, in fact, before the 34, even. I’ve only ever had
cars with the bonnet arm, never any dampers. And having seen many GTRs, a
few of which have bonnet dampers, well, the seed was sewn that I one
day must have a set of dampers!
And I’ve kept my eye on sales, and the many JDM websites, for bonnet
dampers. GTR bonnet dampers won’t fit the GTT because of different
dampening rates due to the difference in weight AND the different bonnet
mounting points anyway. So, a month or two ago it just happened that
someone was setting up a groupbuy on SAU for bonnet dampers. I was IN.
Last week, they arrived. And saturday, they were installed (with the
help of some mates to hold up the bonnet!). Not an overly difficult job
at all, hardest part would have been to understand the Engrish
instructions. Pics.
Absolutely love hearing the whooooooooooosh when I lift the bonnet.
Mr.GV134
Friday, September 13, 2013
Mr.GV134's first cruise: Putty Rd!
Last Saturday, Mr.GV134 went on a cruise with his buddy the R33 and
another MX5, plus a plethora of WRXes. It was awesome, and a great
learning experience for the driver about the car. Now I respect my car
so much more, and also know its capabilities a bit better. I’ll let the
pics speak for themselves – all credits to NDJ Photography.
Cabin air filter change
A few hundred/thousand kilometers ago, I decided to change the cabin
air filter as part of continuous maintenance of the car. Owning a
third-hand Japanese import means that you can never really trust the
previous owners, and the work they ‘did’ on it. It’s best to assume they
were all sh*theads and assume that they did nothing, and if anything,
not properly – unless you knew the actual owner before! So, having done
the fuel filter, oil change, oil filter, brake/clutch bleed, radiator
flush, spark plugs, various lights around the car, it was finally time
to turn to the interior. Note to self, a 100k service is probably wisely around the corner…
So, to the cabin filter. Funny story about this one. The filters are located behind the glovebox. This means that you need to remove the glovebox in order to reach the filters. In order to remove the glovebox, you need to undo certain screws located all around the glovebox. There is one screw in the right hand corner of this glovebox which is located deep, deep within. It is in a very tight spot, and on the day that I tried to remove it, realised that I had no screwdrivers long enough to reach and give me leverage. The first time I tried this I spent about a solid hour on this one screw. In the end, I gave up. The next day I went to Bunnings and looked around for a long enough screwdriver. There were the $16 Stanley screwdrivers…and there, on the ground in a box labelled “random” was a 2$ version of the same thing. Brought it home, and in a few minutes, the screw was out. Sigh.
Pics and captions will tell the rest of the story.
So, to the cabin filter. Funny story about this one. The filters are located behind the glovebox. This means that you need to remove the glovebox in order to reach the filters. In order to remove the glovebox, you need to undo certain screws located all around the glovebox. There is one screw in the right hand corner of this glovebox which is located deep, deep within. It is in a very tight spot, and on the day that I tried to remove it, realised that I had no screwdrivers long enough to reach and give me leverage. The first time I tried this I spent about a solid hour on this one screw. In the end, I gave up. The next day I went to Bunnings and looked around for a long enough screwdriver. There were the $16 Stanley screwdrivers…and there, on the ground in a box labelled “random” was a 2$ version of the same thing. Brought it home, and in a few minutes, the screw was out. Sigh.
Pics and captions will tell the rest of the story.
These
are ONLY available in Japan – so the services of a certain personal
importer were engaged to obtain these. Pretty cheap by themselves, not
so cheap when all costs added – but then again, this is just a
once-a-year change so not too big a cost. Bought two packs.
New bits (backlog, x-post from SSL)
Ever since the suspension side of things got sorted, modifications on
the 34 have quietened down a lot. This is because I’m trying not to let
it become the money pit that we all KNOW it can become. Focus is on
keeping it running well, and looking slick. So, in order to achieve
that…let me introduce these new ‘bits’.
These
are genuine Nissan R34GTR Vspec II aluminium pedals. They are a factory
option on R34s (for all models) and so, are available to be ordered
from Nissan Japan. But they have become very scarce now, a decade on
from production. I sourced these from someone who had quite a few pairs
in possession. For a very fair price too.
The
bulbs that were on the car seemed to be mismatched in colour. Plus,
they weren’t very bright, and were tinged a little too blue for my
liking – too ricer (haha yes, I’m treading on a very thin line here). So
I bought these. Straight from the homeland. And they’re very, very
nice. Clear, white light.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
This is how I roll
It's been a while, but everything's done. There were some hiccups after the install - namely, the springs settled and that caused a drop in the strut top, which meant one of the shocks was knocking. So, after getting the car back I had to drop it into the shop again. Also found an exhaust leak between the cat and some pipe (I'm confused about these things) so Dennis fixed that up too. AND most importantly, got that oil pressure sensor leak fixed up. Thanks a heap Dennis. So got the car back on the saturday, drove it round on Sunday. Also finally got my SAU sticker on and them nismo stickers on the rims!
It drives so well now. Absolutely smooth, punchy, and rides like a dream.
First morning out - sitting pretty =D
Now all that's left is:
It drives so well now. Absolutely smooth, punchy, and rides like a dream.
First morning out - sitting pretty =D
Now all that's left is:
- Install nismo mats (install??? hahaha)
- Install GTR Vspec II aluminium pedals
- Install front indicators (kinda like the orange though...)
- Respray brake calipers
- Install FMIC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)