Beiträge von Mad Maru

Ok this weekend was a hectic one so only had time to carry out two little bits on the car one namely to replace the brake lights to LED Cree units that are super bright and have 10 LEDs in total and to fit a replacement set of rear speakers as the OEM paper cones were far from at their peak. I bought some 6x4 speakers from eBay and pulled the old set out only to find that only two of the fixing would secure the speaker. So it was decided to cut the old speakers apart and use the outer piece as a fixing plate.

Angle grinder at the ready, I didn't cut it against the pad this was only for picture sake.

Love it when a plan comes together

The rest was well rushed as I had to go out so will update with pictures later in the week, after removing the old cone and cleaning the surface of the fixing plate double-sided tape was used to cushion the new speaker to the plate and then the holes were drilled out as the edges of the new speakers were obstructing the original fixing holes.

Once all metal shavings were cleaned off the speaker the units were bolted back together and into the OEM parcel shelf. Only sweet clear sounds now

Ok a brief little update on the TWM short shifter, checked the fixing and still all correct and tight to the upper cable bracket.
A lil bit grubby I know

While I was there checking I found that the 2jracing bushes for the TCB were too small to fit in the "o" ring for the shifter cable.

According to the installation instructions this could imply that I have a later versions bushes compared to the USDM [lexicon]B15[/lexicon] that the shifter and bushes were originally made for. To this end I measured up the diameter of the "o" ring still with rubber bush mounted so that I can try and get the relevant turcite bush sent over from 2JRacing.

So while I was in the fitting mood I decided to check the ICB ones fit the inner cable mount position and they were the correct size however the inner diameter of the bush was too small meaning I had to drill out the hole so it would go over the inner pin connected to the shifter. I didn't get any pictures as the rubber bush was very dirty and I was keen to test out what improvement the bushes had made to the setup.

This resulted in a much firmer shift and solid movement when selecting gear which only enhanced upon the improvement from the TWM Performance Short shifter.

Ok so Thursday was hybrid turbo swap day, plan was to taken out my OEM turbo and replace with a hybrid I bought shortly after buying the car last August. My old turbo was needed for a friend who has recently had a failed turbo and needed a stopgap to get the car running. So tow turbo swaps were the order of the day. Research was undertaken and the required parts were ordered and arrived in timely fashion. The plan of action was to drain the coolant and take out the radiator to allow for more movement and arm room to get the turbo out and back in the shortest possible time. An oil change along with new paper filter and replace the cross member as well tin worm was evident and it had seen better days.

The day started early and was going to plan with the oil having been drained out using dip stick pump, the remainder was dropped out along with the oil filter. Why Nissan left me with the paper type I will never know as the changing of it is more involved than the newer all in one canister type filter. With the oil out the rad emptied it was time to remove many a heat shield and get to the turbo. which was effortless and the turbo came out with some gentle persuasion once the manifold bolts were loosened slightly.

Turbo out

Not in bad condition after 92k miles, hardly any play in it and vanes also in good condition and only a slight whine after start up until engine is fully up to temp.

New tubby ready to go in following cleaning out the drain pipes and the inlet pipes as per fitting instructions

Turbo was bolted in and primed and the car was put back together with some slight modifications to the crossmember to allow intercooler pipework to clear the space and not rub. Refitting was hassle free apart from some bits needing to be fitted in order to allow certain clearance for the heat shields. All went well apart from a minor leak from the oil filter but that appears to have been sorted with a slight tightening of the casing.

As for the other install not so smooth as the previous owner of the car had removed the old faulty turbo and slightly bent a few pipes which added a challenge to reinstallation but we got there in the end and the car after a few issues sparked into life. I'll leave the full detail of that swap to the owner to post up in his own thread.

The smoothness and power output from the car is so noticeable and I cannot wait to sort the exhaust for a larger diameter version and get a remap sorted along with a few suspension bushes to make the car more solid.

So in the past week the front & rear have been raised up due to local speed humps, so low but not as low as before will take some proper pics when I get a chance also 4 wheel alignment was needed to offset abnormal tyre wear.

What was adjusted and how it sat prior to adjustment.

Since the latest adjustment the ride is comfy & precise just as I wanted and the coilovers gobble up the bumps as if they are not there. Hopefully get the hybrid turbo technics unit fitted this week and get other cosmetic bits sorted shortly after. More to come and finally the thread is upto date.

A few images taken at Japfest 2014 by young Ed after we had taken refuge in the car when the heavens opened up.

Think a more metallic darker grey is needed for the alloy wheels or maybe I'm still so used to the black ones that were on there before?

Brake calipers in need of some love but time was against us, so still on the to do list also the bonnet needed a little more prep before painting so it was decided to just matt black it for Japfest.

Font end fitted and ready to roll

A few pics from the show and on route

Sidelights and angel eye foglights - cameraphone

Dipped HID beam

A few of the day after the night before with some of the NPOC faithful

Thanks for looking still need a few bits sorting in the coming weeks such as the bonnet, colour coding the door handles, raising the coilovers and tinting the rear lights and indicators will update more once this are completed

Open grill attached to bumper ready for blending into the bumper now and a few other little bits and bobs.

Side profile being checked and double checked

It was decided that blending the grill in would provide greater stability and make use of the strength already in that part of the bumper.

Adjustment was required so grill was cut and glassed back together also to add correct profile to the grill.

Grill now being prepared with some filler and not long to go till it's finished.

Starting to look as mean as fook

Front spoiler needed removing before carrying on with work as paint was flaking off the bumper, ideal opportunity to grab some images from within.

Next up was the need to make the fog light aperture smaller to fit the angel eye fog lights recently purchased.

OEM & OEM +

Foglight surrounds glassed in

Foglight finished & installed

Bumper all sprayed and ready for fitting

[lexicon]P11[/lexicon] GTLE Enkei's fitted along with MeisterR coilovers, hmm maybe a tad to low for a daily but will do for now a clean wouldn't go a miss either.
Front driverside

Rear driverside

Rear nearside

Front nearside

To be concluded...

Ok well time for a few more updates following some cosmetic work that was carried out on the motor in the past couple of weeks. Firstly my old modified bumper with EDK open grill conversion needed a mould to be made so that we wouldn't need to cut the old bumper up to install on the recently acquired phase 1 bumper with the MS Design spoiler fitted.

After finding a local fibreglass company to make said mould and a copy of the original open grill we were in a position to start work on the install.
image of original, mould and copy.

Initial cut made to bumper ready for trial fit and marking up additional bits of the bumper needing some cutting

Yes the new bumper is a phase 1 with the very rare MS Design front splitter/valance fitted (thanks Liam). Wonky intercooler dirty bumper but overall the front end was starting to look as I first intended it to do.

Unfortunately the bonnet sat proud above the wings and some finishing works were needed to ensure the bonnet would remain stable and not wobble at high speeds. (ignore the socks and sandals - John)

Thanks to a good idea from Ed bonnet catches were ordered to resolve any possible wobble from the fibreglass bonnet. Trial fit of the rear bumper with [lexicon]N15[/lexicon] GTi phase 2 bumper splitter blended in.

Next up was the install of some VZR side skirts these were initially to go on to Ed's motor but that didn't work out and he went with a different option here is a few pictures. It was also decided to install the skirts over the existing side skirts to allow for additional strength and an increase in fixing points as per to OEM (another great idea from Ed).

Trial fit over and now we have a plan of how the install to my daily will roughly look.

Bonnet catches arrived in a timely fashion and mock fit up was carried out.

More fettling and trimming of bumper and the open grill

To be continued...

Right has been a while since I managed to update you guys on the progress of the motor, not much has been done and also very few pics have been taken of the bits and bobs so this should be a brief-ish update to get things up to date.

Firstly VW Golf meets Almera and thankfully only minor damage caused to paintwork on the rear bumper was like having a dog sniff another dogs rear but the at fault driver settled up and both were left happy with sorting the issue out especially as the ding paid for my old bumper with Ph2 Gti splitter on to get sprayed up and ready for fitting.

Think he came of worse to be fair.

Replacement 5w LED CREE bulbs fitted to the sidelights, rear fog lights and reversing light. Difference is very noticeable and improves the look of the exterior at night with not more yellow alongside the HID's

Before:

After:

Suspension bushings/mods purchased and awaiting fitting but will save that info until they are finally installed. While waiting for a mould to me made up for my bumper grill I took the car over to see Ade for some specialist alloy welding so I could install this Forge intercooler and alloy hard piping as per Ed's stage 2 intercooler thread.

Fuel economy had really suffered recently and finally led to the car not willing to start one evening, after getting car back to the yard we found the earth strap to the engine was hanging on by a thread a temporary replacement found and car was running again and fuel economy was back up to where I had experienced it when I bought the car. Also found that the strap had been replaced before as this one had been bought from Halfrauds.

OEM intercooler looking sorry for itself

Gap needing to be made for hard pipe to go through after a relocation of wiring

Ade offering up intercooler so we could confirm location of fixings

Rusty crossmember another job to sort out very soon

The master at work

All fitted some slight adjustment needed to the intercooler as slightly at an angle but plenty of adjustment so will sort when crossmember rust is addressed.

The install was straight forward however the removal of the OEM pipework was a pain as battery tray needed removing and much patience to get the pipe through the gap by the crossmember as the install clearly wasn't done with the radiator or air con rad in place.

Since the install the drive is much smoother and the economy also appears much better but that might also be to do with the replacement earth to the engine. Can't wait to get a chance to install the turbo and get the body work sorted in the coming weeks.

Also special thanks to Ade for all his hard work and bailing me out when bits didn't go entirely to plan, hopefully this will help kickstart me to get the other bits sorted in time for Japfest so that I can get onto working on GTT in time for JAE.

So the TWM short shifter is out as the rubber bush is too soft and made the car impossible to get into gear after driving for any long period of time. The OEM installation has two metal washers that firm up the shifting. Due to the thickness of them I had to leave them out of the install of the TWM. So out it comes until I can get firmer bushes and then try the adapter and give proper feedback.

Panic over short shifter not to blame for gear selecting issue. The clutch slave cylinder was leaking and I found out a similar issue happened a year ago but the garage dealing with the issue couldn't find a fault.

New cylinder collected, fitted and bled within 45 minutes, problem sorted and happy motoring ahead with any luck. Will refit TWM short shifter and continue with the review for anyone else interested in buying one.

TWM shifter refitted and gear change is like a hot knife through butter and so precise. What a difference a new slave cylinder can make.

Spirited drive later and if you haven't got one yet in your [lexicon]N16[/lexicon] really it's time to get ordering... Only positives and a worthwhile install, will keep updates on the shifter coming as the days/weeks pass by.

Ok a lil update on the progress with the car, I decided the gear stick throw was too long compared to my previous cars with short shifters fitted. As the 6speed box is cable driven I couldn't use the old short shifter so I opted for a TWM Performance short shift adapter, I like it very much however I think I need a smaller diameter bushing as the shift is nice and short but due to the oversized OEM bushing the lever can occasionally feel restricted and if you do not ensure gear is selected properly it can pop back into neutral.

The new Parrot kit was fitted along with my chrome Almera kick plates & auto dimming rear view mirror. Once the wind deflectors and heated seat kit is fitted the car will be up to my comfort spec and ready for the winter months.

Also I'm please to report that a smile is brought to my face each and every corner with the strut brace fitted, why oh why were they not as standard I will never know.

Well I guess there's no time like the present to announce the latest addition to my Nissan fleet and finally re-introduce myself on the site after a brief time away. Here is a brief catch up on what's been done since last August.

After many years of being a devout petrol head I finally went over to the darkside and bought a diesel motor (shock horror), which one I hear you wonder well a Techno Grey (KY5) 5 door [lexicon]N16[/lexicon] SXE. Yes I can honestly say that the decision was made an easier one following on from the test drive and with the alternative being continuing driving around in a 16 year old Nissan Micra (not best for someone over 6'4" tall).

This example with relatively low mileage was a former AOC members/friends car and had been well looked after so when it became available I couldn't let is pass me by.

Only a few things were initially done since picking it up in August mainly swapping some mods from my old petrol [lexicon]N16[/lexicon]. The Nismo strut brace was a must as was the 35w H7 HID kit and the OEM rear window shades for that privacy and less impact from our amazing summer thus far.

Future plans for the car are undecided as this is a daily and as usual expense on it is to be kept to a minimum but who knows I may get a few bits sorted to make it a lil bit more me wind deflectors are top of that list. Upgrading the single horn to a two trumpet setup and fitting the rear phase 1 lights and previously modified bumper are probably the first things I'll look into as they are still on the previous [lexicon]N16[/lexicon]. Colour-coding the chrome handles, and tidying up the bodywork dings for a car this age are the first priorities.

A few images were taken of the wheels as pink Tinker-bell's isn't really my thing or choice of colourcoding, no real pics till I get a chance to get her clean and sort my wind deflectors being fitted.

Not really my thing but will be changed soon enough, You like Fluff?

Forgot to mention the car had a Parrot CK3100 installed but due to a lack of audio streaming a MKi9100 was found and is awaiting a patch lead so I can start the installation and enjoy iPhone/iPod audio along with call handling. The [lexicon]P12[/lexicon] auto dimming rear view mirror also from the other car is also going to get fitted just forgot to get it ready for install hence no pics.

So a brief update on this car is obviously not destined to be my daily after the SXE entered into my life with its soot powered loveliness. So plans for this car have dramatically changed, I've always wanted a track slag and car to have fun on going round the track so this motor after some changes to the original spec and changes made will hopefully turn into my track toy in the coming months...

So plan is lighten and remove non-essential parts and tweak engine etc and have this as an off the road track only toy watch this space folks.

Well time to bring an old thread back to life as in a time honoured tradition I like to unveil bits that were carried out prior to JAE just incase in all the fun of the weekend they were missed. Last time was the front bumper splitter mod and 144 bump strips this year the rear and exhaust got the treatment along with some interior jobs that have been waiting to be completed for some time...

So for some time I had been looking for the ideal match for the front bumper and something to alter the rear profile without being too in your face. So the search was on for something to suit the lines of the existing kit and bring the car a fresh and clean look.

Started of with may options for rear splitter but finally chose to go with this one

Someone trying to work out if this would be a direct bolt on or need slight modification

Was decided that this would need more then just bolting on to fit so off came the bumper after it was obvious that the exhaust would need to be brought over more and the angle of the box adjusted

Surface rust had started to attack the towing eye and rear chassis so they were due to be cleaned up and treated while this work was being carried out

Bumper came off and the first part of the now cut splitter fitted which lined up very well to the existing bumper

Centre section now cut ready to be lined up to the rear of the bumper

Reflectors added to give overall look that we were looking for

Bad rust

Face down arse up that's the way we like to f**k

Thought I through up this for those who love to my car with a clear end empty boot

While exhaust was being worked on I set about the surface rust

Bumper refitted to check the trial fitting of the now cut in to more pieces splitter

Corners in need of building from scratch due to difference in shape from splitter to bumper

Bumper back off and fibreglass added to make up the corners with the remaining parts from the original splitter

After initial fibreglassing of the structure filler was added to build up the surface ready for primer and paint

Trial fit

Reflectors

Back off and much more fettling required

Inside of bumper cut to allow splitter to sit flushly to it

Now as many now know this was only entering the primer stage Friday morning of JAE and well I was really panicking that we would not get this done in time for me to get along to the show that afternoon

Well we managed to get it painted and fitted for JAE and due to the rush I didn't get to take any pictures on the day so thought I grab a few today after checking the bumper over for any cracks etc after the trip to and from JAE all was good and crack free. We knew on Friday the bumper needed much more work till we would be happy with it but time had beaten us so the splitter seen at JAE is only the beginning and will be fine tuned and I'll update once that work has been carried out.

Also fitted in time for JAE were my P11 Plasma dials however the MPH and fuel gauge were faulty so no nice pictures of them working as I await the replacements from the seller. I also found time to fit my BT-300 to my KIV-700 so I can now enjoy audio from my iPod or iPhone (via bluetooth). I'll throw up some images later but all those additions are behind trim pieces so not much to see.

Thanks for looking I'll update the thread once more bits are completed.

Right after a tough decision I scrapped plans to try and get both cars sorted in time for Peterborough & JAE and concentrated on getting work finished on GTT. However the weather and other factors have allowed for a few more things to get sorted on the N16.

With engine out it was time to address a lil bit of rust in the engine bay so out came angle grinder and twisted wire wheel

Bit more to do here

The fiddly bits

Then onto the brakes I bought last year from Edk a bit of TLC was needed & wire brush

Almost done

Ready for some paint

As rain stopped play on GTT we started putting the lump back in after the bay had been sealed & stoneguarded

Suspension on way out

Bit more work needed to clean up this corner before coilovers go on

I may get a few more bits done while waiting to sort GTT but most will get done after JAE including dropping the subframe and painting the lump as the Jenolite on the surface rust didn't quite go to plan and left the lump looking dirty and with white bits. [:(]

Thanks for looking

Well thanks going out to DYP (Steve) for helping out this week after work with getting the N16 stripped down and ready for scrapping. The timescale was short and everything useable needed to be off and we managed it with the help of a few others. The sunroof and motor was removed along with the doors and tailgate, we also found an ingenius was to empty the fuel out of the tank using the washer fluid pump and a little Mcguyver impression by Steve. All went well apart from me getting covered in fuel again what is it with me getting sprayed with petrol???

Looking sorry for itself rear windows all smashed

Today was roof off day and time to get the rear beam off and the exhaust

A convertable now that would be a good idea

Roof off and ready for some fettling

With some help from a forklift we left the car on the drums and took off the remaining useable parts

Ghetto scrappage FTW

Brief update no images though as I was too grubby to grab the camera. Both dashboards and heater matrix were removed and we refitted the air-con from the donor into my N16 & the dashboard is partially back in situ.

Next job is to refit rest of dash and heater controls to make sure all is working and take oportunity to tidy up wiring ready for rest of interior to be refitted. Windscreens out next and roof cutting to follow.

So glad had some help as two pairs of hands made light work of the task, hopefully a few more bits sorted tomorrow including cleaning up the engine & bay ready for paint.

Zitat

Original von Taugenix
at first your N16 was a 5door aktually you post a 3door whats happend?
or once of these a wrecks to strip ?

The 3 door is a donor car as it has the sunroof, air con & engine that are going to be fitted to my 5 door.

Ok a few more pictures taken today with the subframe & engines lowered ready to be dragged from the chassis ready for some tidying up & installation over the coming weekend. Finally we are a step closer to completion...

Before

New Lidl toolkit ready to help me get this apart

Cat & manifold off

Lump down

Ok so July was meant to be crunch month for getting the N16 finished and making a start on GTT. Well that hasn't exactly gone to plan but finally we have got back on track and the engine swap and roof chop are well underway.

As I have never undertaken such extensive work before on my own I guess that was part of the reason for the delay as I had built it up into being such a major job and kept putting it off while doing other less important jobs.

So last week I managed to get some time off work and decided it was make or break time so with the help of the P11 engine how to written by Ant-Dat and one written by Phil (HappyHarrySco) I took to getting the engine out of my N16 so we could start to prep the engine bay ready for the new lump. As I went along the more I took out the less daunting the whole process became.

Here are some of the images taken of what is out so far all that is left to do is remove the exhaust and manifold and the fuel lines and then drop the subframe and lift the shell up and away from the lump.

While the coolant dried on the floor I decided to remove all of the interior ready for the roof to be cut off as we didn't want any burn marks to the interior when the welding begins. This gave me the ideal chance to check out the condition of the floor and address the few areas of surface rust that were present. I also decided to install some sound deadening to the panels on the floor and the cavities filled with stone guarding to retard any future tin rot.

That's all for now as the dirtier I got the less inclined I was to keep taking pictures, this process was followed on the donor car and the search for an air con condenser as the one on the donor car was shot to pieces. All in all the pace has picked up and hopefully the old girl will get back on the road within the next week or so.