3intheBack

Flyer28_10_06.pdf Just in case any of you guys are interested, the above attachement is a copy of the flyer for the next skid pan day that we are having on Sat 28 Oct. I hope I dont get done for plagarising "Slidewise." It was a name that we thought up and then found out it was already being used as a business name of one of SAU's sponsor. It evolved from the following line of thought: Wheelspin + Boost = Action Action + Opposite Lock = Control Control + Education = Style Action + Control + Style = Slidewise This basically sums up the day - not just to have fun, but to learn how to slide and control your car in numerous situations - a bit like a defensive driving course, but not so sappy. Plus we have a few competitions with prizes etc. One of them being a dyno run. We limit the day to 14 cars on a 4 min rotation so we all get heaps of track time. Compared to a motorkhana it is great value. On a motorkhana you $40 and get maybe two races - a total of less then 4 mins on the track all day, even less if your fast.

Found out who the mystery email writer was...it WASN'T Ernie, just the 'mutual friend' that I mentioned in a previous post, who was at his work and sent the email from there. I am posting his last email as proof and I hope that his little prank wont backfire, because I dont want Ernie's reputation tarnished. Email Qoute: Hi Warren, I must confess it was I who sent that email and it was just a bit of cheek… as if Ernie would give a warranty! Good to see you are making good use of it. Seeya soon E J End qoute P.S. Ernie is alive and well - I posted his contacts in the Stagea Parts Dealer Thread. I still stand by my reply email though... Have you guys got any good ideas for a payback???

As the saying goes .... Hell hath no fury! (when compared to a jilted wife)

That's good, then you can all drop by in Gympie on the way thru. Make it Sat 28 Oct - then you can come and do a few laps at our next skidpan day.

Ernie from Nizmo is still alive and well. He is still importing a number of different cars including Legnum's, Smart Cars, R32 etc. He goes under the name of: Vision Compliance Shop PH 38057577 Fax 38057588 Email: [email protected] P.O.Box 212 Waterford Qld 4133 His shop is on Allgas St, Slacks Creek

I dont know Ernie that well, but we have mutual friend (who I suspect forwarded the youtube weblinks to him) and if they are anything similar, then it will be all done with tongue firmly in cheek. Either way, I believe any import warranty only lasts 6 months anyhow. Besides, if I needed to prove anything, I think I could have a good case that I was well within the 'normal parameters' for the 'use and abuse' of a Stagea. Otherwise no one would be allowed to take their cars onto a skid pan. With tongue also placed firmly in cheek - here was my reply email. Dearest Mr Parry, Thank you for your concern for your (ex) Stagea’s wellbeing. Admittedly with 3 kids and a wife, the car’s interior has not received the love and care that it has been used to by its previous two owners. But it is a love of different kind – the kind that only a child with sticky fingers can give. Plus, as you would have witnessed in the “figure of 8” video, she was giving it the thumbs up. The outside of the Stagea is subjected to a weekly sponge bath and then affectionately caressed with a chamois. It is tucked into a warm bed every night and gets a few other little surprises – but only when no one is looking. The inside of the motor is given a synthetic drink every 5000 k’s, and a high octane berocca every 500k’s. I have surgically removed the very small lump in its throat that was causing it to display asthmatic symptoms every time it went over 5000 rpm. The small lump has been replaced by a larger 750cfm honeycomb. This has had the added bonus of freeing up the turbo, which now squeals and whistles with delight. In fact, on occasion, when I turn the radio off, I have heard the turbo whisper “give it to me some more”. It reminds me of that Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs Song – ‘Whistle while you work”. Strangely enough, the car does at times display sado-masochistic tendencies – but that’s another story. Although, this is my point…at the skid day the Senior Instructor’s motto was, “Don’t ask, what do I need to do to make the car slide, rather, ask what is the car telling me to do to make it slide.” As evident in the video it was telling me a lot of things very loudly and enjoying my enthusiastic response. As to the question of warranty. Firstly, I never knew it had any. Secondly I never knew it needed any. The Stagea was bought on the platform of sportiness, mild luxury, functionality and bullet proof reliability. So far the vehicle has fulfilled all these criteria admirably and I expect it to continue into the foreseeable future. So I am glad that you have reinserted the claytons warranty from whence it came. I will be in contact the next time I want to give the engine a diet of extra fruit. Sincerely Yours Warren Polley Skidpan Services Coordinator

Below is an excerpt from an email I got from Nizmo, Apparently he has seen my video on Youtube. hehehe Dear Mr Polley It has come to our attention that you have been subjecting your vehicle to driving conditions outside normal parameters. This flagrent disregard of your vehicle leaves us no choice but to recind your warranty and all costs of repairs are now yours. Regards E P Motorsports Director Skyline Imports

Noice.. All you need now is a shiny valve cap and to paint the hubs. And yes they are very similar to R33GTR (or is that GTST) style, only a lot lot sexier and shinier

For your viewing pleasure, I have added the two links to the first post. I'm out there on the world wide web, People can see me, I'm famous...

yeah RWD..ftw and for drifting. 4WD for everything else.

Love is all around me...and so the feeling grows....part deux, A figure 8. Two cones close together ( the only kind to smoke ) Locked it in 1st. Had to stop early as the daughter started to cry from hitting her head against the C pillar too many times. Unfortunate bit in the middle where the video operator thought the red commodore was more interesting.

Tiptronic. In the process of converting the next file. Should be up on youtube soon. Just need to learn how to edit out the boring bits, so you guys dont waste too much time on the downloads.

On the next link, look out for my 3 year old daughter's arm hanging out the back window. I took the 2 year old as well, but he doesn't enjoy hitting his head against the wings of the booster seat every time I flick it around. I did remove the pram though!

Sharing the love...Part 1.

Not much chance of me using Limewire as the computer is a work laptop and I dont really want the world digging around inside it. The original files are mpg. I have downloaded divx and it has converted it to a more manageable 17000 kb. Uploading to youtube.com now. Will post the link when it's finished. Or more likely after the GP is finished!

The camera is a Sony mini DVD recorder. So, I have downloaded the video onto the putta from the disk. One particular clip is only 1m30secs long but it is 103mgb in size. I am assuming that this is a bit large for ordinary people to download via the net. And definitely too large to email to anyone. So, how do I get it to a manageable size?

All good now!

I had a problem with the rear passenger door glass hitting the hard rubber surround along the top edge whenever I shut the door with the window up. This would always cause an air leak sound even at low speeds. So I had to lower then raise the window everytime the door was opened. Stagea, in their infinite wisdom, put in adjustment screws to help with this problem and the following was my attempt to fix the glass level. Screwdriver shows where to prize off the door handle plastic surround - On the top front edge. Picture of the back of the plastic surround shows the single clip. Underneath is the mounting screw for the panel. 10mm socket works easier than the phillips screwdriver. The rest of the panel comes off by simply pulling around the edges to release the clips. A short, sharp yank with your finger tips is all that is required. See pictue below for where the mounting holes are situated. Be sure to disconnect the electrics - a small screwdriver is needed to release clip, then slide out. All off and admiring the view. Plastic weather protection will need to be removed along the top edge to get at the level adjustors. Pull gently on the plastic without stretching it out of shape and it will stick back into place. If you look carefully, you'll be able to see the holes where the plastic mounting clips go - so you'll know where to pull on the door trim. Check out the quality of those speakers - the factory must have spent a whole $5 on those babies! And $1 on the foam. This picture shows the level adjustors with increments. You can see by the worn ring mark in the paint where it used to be and how far I had to drop the glass. There are two adjustors - one for the front edge and one for the rear. I only needed to adjust the rear to fix my problem. This picture shows the little cloth pads that the glass runs against when moving up and down. They can also be adjusted to change the angle of the glass on the 'in and out' plane - if that makes any sense. I believe they need to be left with a reasonable amount of play in them as the window changes angle as if feeds up and down. Keep these clean or you will scratch the glass. The best position to have the glass is where it will just pop under the edge of the hard plastic surround on the body without getting caught on it. I hope this help you enjoy noiseless motoring and to avoid breaking something unnecessarily. Happy tinkering, Warren

Sorry, Still using that piece of equipment.

We're almost twins on both comments.

Hey Brad, Just thought I would add to your thread since you ressurected it. Is anyone still looking for the cargo barrier net? I have a spare one.

At our last skid pan day I managed to get a few minutes of the action on digital video and I want to share my joy with the rest of (you) my Stagea family. So how do you upload it somewhere for you all to see? The above paragraph was from a week ago. You can read through the rest of the chatter if you want but below are the links you need to look at - and perhaps give a rating to.

Burns, there are some things you just shouldnt own up too... I know this is your bike, 'cause you kids wouldnt be seen dead on it.

Burnsey, is livin' in Bogan Central. Show us a picture of your bike (assuming that's what the trailer in the background is for)

I'm all 4 it. I also like our little community - almost like a family! However, I've noticed that many of our threads are read and commented on by outsiders (ie the GD's that we are trying to avoid). So how do we prevent them taking over the OT Section? Man, are we cliquey or what?