God_speed

Thanks Suwidji

True, but for me I know I've got some mobility issues (e.g. ankles) that are interfering, plus tight hamstrings. It's throwing the whole operation off.

Yeah Birds. Going back a couple of years, my sticking point was always breaking the bar off the floor. Now, this is where that article I posted comes into play - I believe my hips were too low to begin with. I made an adjustment to the setup based on this idea, late last week, and the movement felt substantially more efficient. It'll take a few weeks for me to adjust before I can try for a near maximum weight again using the "new" form, but I think I'm onto something. While my deads are going well and bench is also good (with DBs anyway), squat has gone backwards. Really not happy about that. Damn sitting down all day at work doesn't help.

I get you Birds. But problem is, I would be unlikely to be stepping up my weight successively for week after week, particularly if I was following a program like, say 5/3/1, which would involve a cycle of 4 weeks with the 4th and final being a deload. When you also factor in the other variables like diet, sleep, stress, other physical activity and lifting on the day/week in question, it's really not a linear progression (even if the line of best fit would resemble more or less a straight line if one were to plot their calculated or actual 1RMs) but instead there's a lot of randomness to it. I happened to feel pretty strong on the day. Having said all of that, I acknowledge 10kg was a significant bump up from my previous max. That previous max of 220 btw, was done back in November. My sets this time were 70x10, 70x10, 110x6, 150x4, 190x1, 210x1, 230x0

The man of the hour... Bald Hill Lookout Heading south via the Sea Cliff Bridge Arriving at Austi. More 22B Love... At the Austi Beach Cafe! Refuelling the N1. Mmmm big brekky. Heading back home. Raj and Kosta.

Arriving at the meet point to a free car wash... Tip-toeing through the Nasho...

PJ getting comfortable...

You've also got a point Mark, I was just sort of joshing. If you take a leaf out of Jim Wendler's book, then one should try and steer clear of ego-lifting. And programs like 5/3/1 encourage the achievement of PBs no matter how slight, and the progression of weight from week to week or cycle to cycle, in small denominations. I just hate standing next to the barbell trying to calculate in my head what plates I need to give me the exact total I want, then having to pull about 2 or 3 off each side for the next set to reconfigure them for another odd numbered total.

Yeah, all of his photos will be of cars nose-diving heavily as people are slamming on the brakes thinking he's a copper!

You're actually both right, 10kg was definitely a step up, but due to my ego I didn't want to have 2.5kg biscuits on there and I wanted to see if I could crack the 500 pounds.

Thanks fellas. 220 is my max, at 85.5kg. Made some adjustments to my setup based on that article and I found the lift went much smoother, it felt more efficient with a higher hip starting point. Mkn, I guess that just means you need to work up to it again slowly. Going for a DL PB there's always some psychology in it, but for me it's nothing like the squat. Going heavy on squats is really based on confidence I find.

What was with the guy in the high vis just after the sharp hairpin (north of Bald Hill lookout) standing in the bushes with what appeared to be a camera? This is on the return trip back to Sydney. Had a blue motorbike parked nearby. Thought it was a copper at first but it looked like a DSLR he was holding, not a radar gun. Not the greatest place to position oneself I thought, whether it was a cop or just a car/bike enthusiast taking photos.

Tried to crack the 500# the other night, pissed that I almost got it but missed. Then did some reading of this excellent article and realised how I'm setting up with my hips too low, which is highly inefficient. Have a read, it makes good sense.Why your Deadlift Setup is Wrong http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/powerlifting-technique-deadlift-setup/ > Bar over mid-foot > Hips high enough that arms make a 90 degree angle with your lats (well, the direction the lats are pulling, anyway) which permits proper lat engagement and reduces unnecessary "moment" of leverage, also reduces distance between bar and hips which decreases energy required to lift (bar will track a straighter path). > Bar slightly behind shoulders

Thanks Mick. Will do. The top hose has been firm when I've checked it previously when the car is up to temp. I've never monitored how much the cap is giving up to the overflow though, under pressure. For reference and anyone else wanting to know, the OEM Nissan part number for the regular thermostat is 21200-42L0A. Thanks to Wongy for linking me up with a good source.

Thanks to Dawzey and the guys at Nulon for an extremely informative night, the free Nulon goodies, and pizza! Special thanks to John himself who took our (particular) small group on a tour of the facility. It was great to see an Australian company performing with a strong product, but also operating with integrity and transparency. I think everyone got the impression there was no BS - not just on the night, but also in the way Nulon conduct their business. It's great to see. I'll be keen to see how the oil with the Moly DTC performs. Thanks also to Ciaron and the execs for organising.

Cheers Mick. All makes sense and fits well with what I did know. Thanks for such a well written and detailed explanation. I've actually gone ahead and ordered a replacement OEM thermostat (just a regular BNR34 one, not a Nismo) and will have it fitted as soon as it gets here. In terms of the water level, from memory I've hardly ever had to add any coolant to either radiator or overflow, and the overflow is usually at the Max mark when cold. But I'll keep an eye on this and report back if the level fluctuates or if it remains consistent. The car is rarely driven (around once a week) so it makes monitoring a bit less practical, but I'll look into it anyway. The (N1) water pump is original, I believe. The vehicle's only travelled 43,000 km and was in Australia since new (2002).

Thanks Mick. It's a Nismo rad cap; no fluid leaking from around the cap area, but I suppose you're saying it could be letting too much into the overflow tank, is that right?

Thanks Raj. Sounds fantastic. I initially thought the price was a tad steep, until I noticed the price also includes coffee/tea and freshly squeezed juice, so it works out well. Can vouch for the food there being very good.

Thanks Dunc. Can anyone confirm if the stock Nissan BNR34 thermostat part # is 2120042L05? http://nissan.epc-data.com/skyline/bnr34/3956-rb26dett/engine/210/21200/

Thanks boys. I believe first step is to source a replacement BNR34 t/stat and get coolant bled properly after fitting. It's obviously a regular one currently, as some of you have stated the car clearly operates at over 80C. Duncan, N1 water pump is factory for this particular motor in question. I do understand it has fewer (but larger) blades to the impeller, thus requiring more RPM to operate at maximum efficiency.

Thanks guys I'm thinking thermostat to begin with. I will probably change it anyway for insurance or at least have it checked. It's happened on a few occasions now, without even running the car hard. No major mods before the onset of this issue. I just had to stop the engine in a turning lane as it just hit 120 and I switched her off immediately. Waited about 10 minutes but it wasn't decreasing in temperature by much if anything. Ran the blower on max heat. Managed to start it after waiting the 10 mins and the tune has a safety precaution programmed into the ECU, I believe. Ran like a dog and wouldn't rev, but I got enough revs out of it to get it moving and to get the heater running and circulating the coolant. As soon as it got moving and I managed to put some proper revs on the motor (say 3k), the water temp plummeted back to 100-105. I'm sitting in a bloody servo atm. How is it possible for the temperature to fluctuate so dramatically within such a short space of time (mere seconds) if the system is still sealed, unless it is a temp sensor, or there is a shitload of air in the system? I just bled the motor last weekend via the screw with the car sitting on a mild incline.

What could be causing an RB26's water temp to run steadily at 85-95 degrees C in normal road driving, then with no change in driving behaviour, suddenly increase more than 20 degrees in the space of less than 20 seconds, as recorded by the MFD? Ambient temperature is approx 30 degrees. Temp will be at 95 at a steady cruise then increase to 119 then drop back to 95-100 just as quickly - all in less than a minute. Cooling system has been bled (though could probably be bled even more?) Nismo radiator Coolant flush less than 2,000km ago N1 water pump Car has Nismo thermostat I believe, but not 100% sure.

No worries mate, hope the weather is good on the day

In; thanks Raj, nice work

Colour code is KN6, it is called either Dark Grey Pearl, or Dark Purplish Blue Pearl. Changes based on the lighting.