soviet_merlin

Made it to V-Sport today. They had two kinds of gloves in stock and two kinds of balaclavas. Made all of the difference being able to try the gloves on so I'm happy with that. Though I did feel like somewhat of an imposter around all the serious racing gear. Looking forward to trying it out though. Good riddance to sweaty hands slippery steering wheel issues.

Yes that sounds about right. Looking forward to see how it works out for you. Sounds like a bit of a bitch of a job to get done so I'm not looking forward to it. Hah, I read that as you going to replace the gearbox. I always wonder what they are like to drive new. Though I doubt it'll somehow turn it into some Ferrari gated shifter experience.

What happens when further modifications are found at inspection? More defects filed that will have to be resolved? Car taken away? Points on license? Castration? I'm not familiar with the system and always wondered about that.

And he got pulled over and asked to open the bonnet and then got away with it? I find that hard to believe. I'd say spend the time on P's to save money and then go nuts once you have the full license.

If you are set on the aeroflow intercooler I have one that was on my car. S2 Stagea with 260awkw. It's sitting in a box in my garage and I'd be happy to pass it on. You would just have to pay for shipping from Sydney. Should have all the piping as well so may potentially be bolt-on. Or as good as. See attached for what it looked like on the car. Not sure if this is the right gear for entering beauty pageants but I think it'll look fine with different hose clamps.

Hah, love the first one! Congratulations!

Hah, I was wondering what an arm and a leg was for you

I'd suggest checking Jack Phillips JDM (https://jpjdm.com/shop/index.php). They are in Melbourne and wrecking Stageas. Even if they don't list it it's worth contacting them to ask.

What kind of clunk is it? I have it occasionally where it clunks once in the back of the car when going from clutch disengaged to engaged and driving. Doesn't happen often though so I'm not too worried / annoyed at this point. Appreciate you sharing the process! Especially the little things that go wrong. So you haven't worked out what it actually is yet, right?

This may hurt the tough Harley image though

Actually, I take that back. Any scratches that are added now are there to stay. There is no buffing out anything as there is not enough clear coat for it left. I'll be careful.

F**king leaf blowers! My theory is that the constant leaf blowing around here is half the problem. I kind of like your two layer idea. At the same time I'm running original paint that has seen at least 150,000km over ~25 years. Some potential micro scratching is not a major concern. There's me hoping I'm not going to regret saying that later on

Holy shit, no half measures there. Nice work! The pool looks big enough you can apply for hosting the next olympics.

Good point, I was wondering about that as well. I tried to fold it making sure that the outside layer is folded in first along the length of the car. Then folding / rolling up the rest is just inside material touching. And go the other way around to put it back on. Also with this one because it is soft and not a tarp it folds quite easily. Not sure if there is anything else you can do, really. Other than brushing it off a bit. Actually, living somewhere where the garage doesn't have shit blowing around all day would help

It finally stopped raining and I had a chance to try it out. This is the one I got: https://fitmint.com.au/collections/car-covers/products/c34-stagea-indoor-car-cover Looks: Great. Would fit right in for a showroom display. That is if it wasn't a big-ass Volvo underneath. Softness: Super soft. Would totally wear something made of that material. Hard to describe but in your words "plush velvety material" sounds about right. If a shitty tarp is on one end of the spectrum it's the polar opposite. Zero concerns about this causing any kinds of scratches whatsoever. Finish: Great. The cover seems fine. The one complaint I would have is that both inside and outside are black with just a slightly different finish. Made it a bit hard to tell which side was which at first. Probably not an issue anymore after packing it back up once and knowing how it was. Fitment: Excellent. Fits like a glove around the whole car. The material itself is quite stretchy. The bottom has elastic / rubber to hold it on. No straps or anything and it holds on tight. Has enough material and play to go over exhaust and all the way to the ground covering the tyres as well. Dust / dirt proofing: Had the cover on the car for four days after washing it. Normally car would be covered in greasy / sandy dust by then. It was still clean after I took it off with no hints of dust. So first impressions are good. Practicality: Comes with a little sleeping bag kind of bag to store it. Good stuff. The seam started ripping on it when I tried to put it back in but that may have been on me because I tried to cram it like a sleeping bag. This fits easily into the bag and there is no need for force. Overall: Very much worth the price tag in my opinion. Will have to see how it holds up over time but my initial impression is excellent. Some photos of it. Also compare to the generic outdoor cover in first photo that I used before and which fit like ass.

Thank you, I will check them out next week. It's just up the road from Unigroup so I'll pop by in the morning on the way out. Lucky because they are only open during the week. And yes I fully agree. I'm a big believer in supporting quality local businesses despite it not being the cheapest. Going hard on getting the cheapest is a race to the bottom ending in shitty experiences all around. I did actually order some gloves online a few months ago. But the size guide was way out and the returning / exchanging was a hassle and it's why I started this topic in the first place. Thank you, noted. It's also quite limited on the weekend so will keep it in mind for now. See how V-Sport goes for a start. Funnily enough I didn't come across either of those two stores when I did a search online. That might just be me though.

Hey folks, does anyone have a recommendation for a store selling motorsport gear in Sydney? I'm specifically thinking gloves. OMP for example. Not intended for serious use so personally I don't care too much about motorsport association approvals. This is just for the odd track day and karting. But might as well get something decent whilst at it. Thanks! Related picture

I'd suggest contacting Jack Phillips https://jpjdm.com/shop/index.php. They are also somewhat common on Yahoo Auctions Japan. Might be a bitch with shipping though. See for example https://zenmarket.jp/auction.aspx?itemCode=k1088373818

No worries, I can ping you again a bit closer to the day. Jen is going to come as well and I'm sure she'll mention it to Elham. And of course feel free to jump in the car!

Hah, I'll be there in the silver Stagea so it'll fit right in. Sounds like you got it all worked out Paul. Looking forward to see how it goes! I'm going to try and take it easy on the car. No clutch kicking and no hand brake. I'm curious to see what it can do with just weight transfer and giving it some boost though.

You were right about the intercooler Brett. The fitment is perfect. Love it!

Hah, small world! Maastricht is a lovely town. Proper old fashioned cobble streets and battlements and all that. We were there just at the end of the year. I used to study in Aachen which is just across the border on the German side. I love the idea of bringing something JDM to Europe. Driving on the Autobahn, in the Alps, the Scottish highlands. Man, it's just a pipe dream for me at this point but maybe one day. Looking forward to see how you go @EddieR34GT-X, does it raise a lot of attention driving the Skyline? I don't think I have ever seen one in Europe. Very different to Australia.

Welcome fellow civilian car enthusiast! I am also not a cop. My hobbies are making modifications to my vehicle, Dirty Harry movies and collecting number plates. Do you have any photos of your cars you would share?

Thank you! So it should sit between the oil filter and the engine block? Oil travels through the heat exchanger and then through the oil filter? Coolant is piped through the heat exchanger around the oil. If the oil is cold it'll pick up heat from the coolant, otherwise the coolant will leach off heat from the oil? // edit: You guys just just explained this. Makes sense. Looks like I don't have one on my setup. The oil filter sits on a sandwich plate with oil temp and coolant sensor and that goes straight into the block. Must have been disappeared at some point. The result: the coolant temp is solid. It sits around 90°C and doesn't budge seemingly regardless of how hard the car is driven. But oil temp creeps. Give it what feels like 30 minutes in the twisties and it it'll start creeping above 115°C and I have to take it easy. I thought I needed an oil cooler. Now I'm thinking it might be worth starting with an OEM heat exchanger and see how it holds up.

If you are thinking of going all-in, have a look at @Shoota_77's build thread. He was taking it all the way a while ago with his engine bay and wheel arches and was documenting it all. It looks like a serious rabbit hole though. You two could start a mental health support group after going through it Here's a rough starting point: There's a bit more on the pages before. And after of course.