Hi all,
As I’ve now taken ownership of what was GrahamL’s car, I’m planning to bring the car back to factory fresh condition.

Graham has done a great job in either fixing the nuances of a coupe and/or doing a number of jobs just right (wishbones being one of them :P)

My aim is to not really touch the engine/turbo, other than maintenance, it’s more to improve the standard suspension and brakes, along with with fixing some cosmetic stuff.

So onto the brakes, whilst Graham has recently done brakes and discs all round, they are decidedly average, which is just how they are from factory. So at this stage I’ve bought some PFC pads that I’ll fit at some point before Xmas.

I’ve bought a complete new set of brake lines and flexi hoses from JBT, and have some ATE200 brake fluid ready to go.

I’m going to refurb the calipers all round and paint them red as the silver always looked a bit understated to me.

For the suspension stuff, I’d initially ordered a full Koni set up, but when I found out you needed to butcher existing struts at the front to fit them, I’ve cancelled and bought the OSRAV shock absorbers, and then a set of Eibach springs with a 30mm height reduction.

Albeit these are made to order and I won’t get them until November ish

I’ve ordered a Ultra Racing rear ARB (23mm), again made to order but that should be with me in the next couple of weeks

Finally for suspension I’ve got the subframe bushes and rear arm bearings from FCSS, as I’ll drop the whole rear end and deal with tarting up the arms and get them painted.

For obvious reasons whilst I have all this stuff off the car I’ll check the chassis over and as a minimum I’ll treat all the underside to simply preserve what appears to be a rock solid chassis floor pan.


I have as a belt and braces approach , bought a new oil cooler and pipes from JBT which I’ll fit in the next couple of months….


Onto cosmetics……

I need to refurb the leather seats due to age related wear, so I’ll post pictures in the next few weeks

The Eiffel towers are cruddy bit appear solid so I’ll repaint those, or if they are scabby, I’ll change them out for some new ones

I’ve fitted a special head unit off Amazon for £90, just so I have Bluetooth for hands free calling, but I’ll put some pictures up and tell you a bit more about it

That’s it to start with, I’ll endeavour to post pics/progress and fix anything else I see along the way

Cheers Jamie

I should have replied here….

Anyway so my Eibach springs have turned up today.

I might have an hour tomorrow to fit the new bonnet latch I’ve bought from JBT, if I do I’ll post some pictures afterwards.

I’m still waiting for the Ultra Racing anti roll bar (23mm), which should be here in the next week or so, and then a couple of weeks later the OSRAV shocks are due to arrive.

I’m busy for the next couple of weeks doing some dads DIY at both my kids houses, but then it’s payback when they help me drop the rear end of the car including taking off the calipers all round and start to refurb those as well

Today I’ve been faffing around with replacing the bonnet catch, also I found the cable for the bonnet release somewhat frayed. So a trip to Halfords for a bike cable is needed.

Jamie

So I’ve degreased the entire underside of the car today including all the wheel arches in readiness to drop the rear subframe in a few weeks time. At present I’ve got the car SORN so it will stay ‘clean’.

I noticed whilst under the car at some point someone has jacked the car up on the floor area, so I’ll try and pull the metalwork back out.

Also bought a new inner cable for the bonnet release, if it’s not raining tomorrow I’ll refit that

Also bought some cable to do the fuel pump wiring mod along with the relay.

Also chasing ultra racing for the new anti roll bar, as it’s been 4 weeks and counting….

Cheers Jamie

Not much done this weekend due to Dads DIY for my daughter


Anyway changed I’ve done the bonnet release cable, which with my crappy eyesight took an eternity of squinting in order to find the hole (ooer)

The Ultra Racing anti roll bar has arrived, so I’m just waiting for a couple more weeks before I start to dismantle the rear end.

I’ll try to take as many before and after piccies , so anyone doing similar stuff can either get the idea or I shout up for help!

Cheers Jamie

Quick update, my Osrav shocks have just arrived, so now I have everything to start with.

Jobs to do


Wire the fuel pump mod

Overhaul and rebuild front and rear brake calipers inc fresh paint job

Replace all solid brake pipes both front and rear, also replace the flexi hoses

Flush brake fluid system with ATE200 brake fluid

Fit new oil cooler and pipes from MCS (Jonny bravo)

Fit new Osrav shocks, Eibach springs, top mounts and camber bolts for the front end of the car.

Fit PFC pads to the front brake calipers

Remove rear axle and trailing arms, derust and paint Matt black

Obviously there are a number of tasks linked to the above, so fuel tank, rear shocks, exhaust off etc

Whilst the rear end is stripped off, I’ll check and treat the floor and chassis where needed, then stone chip seal it to make it look factory fresh

Fit new 23mm ultra racing rear anti roll bar

Fit new Osrav rear shocks

Change the bearings and bushes in the rear arms (FCSS).

Go to my mates garage and get the tracking and camber set up

I’m sure I’ll have some surprises along the way, but I’ll fix anything else that crops up

Cheers Jamie

Firstly will post a load of pictures later, but had a full day of working on the coupe, and strangely remembered from 20 years ago the sequence of how certain things come off

Anyway the aim of the day was to get the turbo off, and get it checked as it’s a bit smoky at times. What I found was the manifold was cracked on the 5th branch as well as on the collector area. So turbo will be done via a local specialist and the manifold will get repaired at work as we have the skills onsite to do this kind of repair

Depending on what the turbo people say will determine if I modify the unit further as it’s got an Owen Developments logo on it, or if I just get the bearings/o rings done to stop the smoke, as there’s only a small amount of play on it

What I do remember is the poxy 8mm Allen key to loosen the idler pulley to get at the coolant bolt, so after sacrificing the crapiest 8mm Allen key I own it’s quite easy to do.

I also drained the oil as the plan is to fit the aftermarket oil cooler and pipes, however Grahaml must have the strength of a gorilla as the sump bolt took all the effort of 2 of us to shift it, anyway it’s out and oil is drained.

Eiffel towers on the front look a bit crusty but salvageable, so I’ll take the bumper off and treat those along with some other metal areas whilst it’s all exposed

Anyway pictures will be later


Cheers Jamie

Hi all,
Couple of pictures of the manifold repair for now

It had been repaired previously, so I hope that it will last

I have noticed that the face isn’t totally flat so I’ll get it machined to avoid stressing it and promoting the chance of further failures

Cheers Jamie

A few Santa prezzies

Fitted both sets of led lights this morning to replace the dipped and main beam bulbs

Pretty easy to do, I found it easier to just remove the whole headlamp unit and change the bits over in the warmth of my kitchen

Massively brighter than the halogen bulbs that were in, as you can see from the attached photo

I did plan to put the Osram nightbreakers from the dipped fitment and put them into the driving/fog light units, but they are super fragile and both filaments broke just by removing them

I will buy a new set as I want to get as best I can for night driving


Cheers jamie

Made a electrolysis tank today to clean up some parts whilst I’m waiting for the turbo and manifold to come back


After 30 mins you get something that looks like a scene from the gremlins movie (see picture attached ), so it’s doing something

Anyway as some parts were too big to be fully submerged, I’ll turn those around tomorrow to get the other halves done over the next day or so

Then it’s a wash down, brush any last bits off and then prime and paint the bits

Cheers Jamie

I cleaned a few parts off this morning, but found some of the bits need more time to get rid of all the rust

On the coolant pipe that runs near the alternator, I noticed it was cruddy to start with. After 8 hours of being in the tank it’s cleaned up nicely, however there are now a few pinholes, so I’ll get those welded up at work

Cheers Jamie

Quick picture of the heat shield for the turbo/manifold after a coat of VHT paint

The electrolysis takes a a fair few hours, but it saves you that time from grinding etc

Cheers Jamie

Just got the turbo back, so it’s had a new shaft, 360 bearing and a staggered piston ring and then all balanced up.

So that will have cured the blue smoke and oil consumption

Cheers Jamie

Firstly I haven’t loaded many pictures due to the 2mb limit, so hopefully below is a link that people can use to see pictures etc

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bv_IyVF6GCa8Iy3VzYooOsIdeRZLHG4R?usp=sharing

So hopefully I’ve done the link correctly

Cheers Jamie

More pics from today

Had fun with misaligned manifold holes which meant some unplanned work , but the turbo and manifold are back on

That poxy bolt for the water rail :mad:, as I’ve removed the oil cooler bracket, I found it easier to remove the 3 bolts for the tensioner and then the m6 water rail bolt is super easy to get at

I’ve bought a new gasket for the water rail as a leak there means a whole chunk of work to rectify, and I used some RTV sealant to be sure that it will never leak!

In terms of drivers side wheel arch, I’ve acid etched primered everything that’s been cleaned up. There are a couple of bits such the drivers wing that need filling and painting properly, but I didn’t want surface rust to form overnight .

I’ll try and get paint and stone chip done tomorrow, so I can then fit the new suspension stuff and new brake line

I’ve got the caliper off and all bolts and fittings loose, so during the week I’ll try and do the seal and paint overhaul

Cheers Jamie

Just uploaded a couple of pictures of the new oil cooler pipes that I’ve give a quick coat of paint

As these things seem to eat themselves over time, and the aftermarket cooler and pipes aren’t the cheapest thing to buy, I’ve painted them to preserve them

I’ve painted up some other bits and bobs that I’ll load the photos onto the google drive later

Cheers Jamie

Not done too much today as the weather has been not the best

I’ve put all the air con, belt tensioner and associated gubbins back together

Noticed the shroud/heat shield that protects the silicone return pipe which feeds back into the sump was somewhat rusty, so in the electrolysis bath it’s gone with a few other crusty bits

Also fitted the oil feed pipe onto the turbo, but I had a brain freeze moment as to regards which water pipe and banjo bolt goes to which side of the turbo. So I’ll come back to this next weekend

I’m going to try and strip the brake caliper during the week and see if I can get it all refurbed and painted.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bv_IyVF6GCa8Iy3VzYooOsIdeRZLHG4R?usp=sharing

Cheers Jamie

Spent a few hours today finishing off some bodywork and started to put the aftermarket oil cooler and some coolant pipes around the turbo

All being well, I should get on the car tomorrow to be able to at least start the engine and check for leaks before I then start on the Shock absorbers the following weekend

A few pictures in the drive to nosey over

Cheers Jamie

Just left the engine running for 30 minutes to do the obvious check for leaks etc.

So far so good

Just got to stone the drivers side wheel arch area, replace the brake line back to the abs unit, fit the wheel arch liner, fit the new shock and spring, paint and overhaul the caliper, bleed the caliper, put the wheel on…….


And then do the passenger side……..

Cheers Jamie

And a few new pics via google drive

Spent the day removing the whole rear axle,subframe assembly

I've knocked out all bushes and trailing arm bearings etc

The smaller subframe bushes needed a bit of violence, but the hammer won

Likewise putting the new ones back in was a similar story, the larger bushes refit quite easily, but I had to use a puller to fit the smaller ones

Got the electrolysis tank set up again so derusting the rear brake guards and some other bolts etc

Some of the brake lines failed the minute I touched them, so a worthwhile task to change all the lines

I'll upload some photos later, but feels like a lot done today

Cheers Jamie

Drive uploaded with a few photos

Couple more photos from today

Basically got both trailing arms and the beam derusted and painted today

Whilst it’s been a good day it just took a long time to clean and prep the bits

Cheers Jamie

I also should think about changing the thread title as I have have a private plate on the car…….

Plan for next the next at night is to continue with caliper refurbishment, and then at the weekend I have some surface corrosion on a few places around the underbody that I plan to clean up, apply rust treatment then stone chip the underside of the car

Cheers Jamie

Primed the brake caliper tonight, then will flat it tomorrow before painting yellow , photos in the link

Cheers Jamie

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bv_IyVF6GCa8Iy3VzYooOsIdeRZLHG4R?usp=sharing

Quick update for tonight

Couple of coats of paint stripper applied to the strut brace, so I’ll see how it cleans up tomorrow after work

Wire brushed the rear calipers, which is pretty fiddly to be honest, but they clean up pretty well

I’ll post some pictures tomorrow

Cheers Jamie

Whatever the paint on the strut brace, it’s pretty tough

Anyway all cleaned up and an etch primer coat applied

See the google drive for piccies

Cheers Jamie

Painted the strut brace and one caliper today, will try and clear coat them tomorrow if time permits….

Also finished with final paint for the rear arm assembly’s

Main job for today was to go over the entire floor and chassis and prep any rust found

I took the time to literally touch even the smallest of blemishes to be sure I won’t need to come back to this job later

I’ve then put rust treatment on anything I found, then finally degreased the floor area and pressure washed it all

Hopefully tomorrow I can apply stone chip to all of the underside and again that’s job done I hope!

Finally link for all photos below

Cheers Jamie

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bv_IyVF6GCa8Iy3VzYooOsIdeRZLHG4R?usp=sharing

I ve just done the underbody treatment with upol

Really impressed with how it covers,so would highly recommend 👌

Will post some pictures later

Cheers Jamie

Good weekend of progress on the car

Fit new bearings into the rear trailing arms and then fit them to rear beam(bought the kit from Joe @FCSS, nice quality and pretty easy to install)

Prepped and protected the whole underside of the car, including all wheel arch areas and behind the liners(that should last another 25years

Refurbed and repainted the whole rear beam and arm assemblies , albeit I can’t find the lovely plastic end caps I’ve bought from joe

Installed new bump stops, new Osrav rear shock absorbers (set at 4 clicks having read other people’s experience) and the Eibach uprated springs

Refit the repainted rear disc guards and refitted the rear discs

Tried to fit the ultra racing rear anti roll bar, but the brackets are oversized compared to the 23mm bar, why? Anyway I’ll get some shimmed material to compensate for this tomorrow I hope

I’m planning a day on Tuesday, where I’ll plan to refit brake lines from the rear brake bias, and hopefully sort the anti roll bar out. If time permits I’ll finish the overhaul on the rear calipers

Assuming that goes to plan I’ll then at the weekend put the rear arm back on, along with the petrol tank and exhaust

Cheers Jamie


Google drive has some new pictures to look at for those interested

Just emailed ultra racing about their useless brackets, so let’s see what they say…..

So another good day of stuff done today

So fitted the the anti roll bar with the shims (I’ll post a video in the google drive link)

Fitted the brake lines and flexi hoses to and from the brake bias valve assembly

Repacked the rear wheel bearings with some fresh molybdenum grease

Started painting the rear calipers , and will try and finish them at night during the week

Question for the forum, can someone confirm the correct torque setting for the rear wheel bearing?

Thanks Jamie

Got the rear axle assembly all bolted back in along with the fuel tank

Then decided to change the front anti roll bar bushes for some strongflex jobbies

The actual point of changing the original bushes is easy, but you have to drop the whole subframe in order to get at it

Also I fitted new drop links as the rubber bushes were cracking, and that's as you have to release them anyway to get at the bushes it's pretty straightforward

Finally put together the front shock absorber and spring along with the new top mount and bearing assembly

Will try and take a few photos tomorrow, as I wanted to simply get stuff done today

Cheers Jamie

Been a bit busy over the last 2 weekends with non coupe stuff

However got a few hours in today

So fitted the drivers side suspension strut assembly, and wheel arch liner
Tarted the front cross member paintwork up,
Refitted the repainted strut brace
Painted the rear calipers
Done the decal and lacquered the front drivers side brembo caliper
A few bits of touch up here and there

I will get photos uploaded tomorrow, and try and do the seal kits for the calipers so I can refit them

Cheers Jamie

Just uploaded a few pics and a few videos with some commentary

I’ll do another post later to show work done and jobs left to do

Cheers Jamie

Finished off doing both near side wheel arches today, so removed the liners, checked for rust, of which it was only surface. Then upol everything after rust treatment

Also fitted the first brembo caliper and flexi pipe to the drivers side of the car, then whipped off the old suspension on the passenger side and put the shiny new stuff in. Unsurprisingly the shock absorber on the passenger side was totally knackered in that there was no pressure keeping the piston at maximum, so I hope weekend after next I can start to drive it again.

Fitted the 2nd set of dust covers for the rear axle, I must have thrown the others away, anyway it makes for a tidy job

Fitted new seal kits to the rear calipers as the last job, word of warning to anyone planning this job,there is a technique to getting the dust seal back in. Basically smoother the seal and piston in silicone grease and fit the seal over the piston and extend it so it’s proud of the end of the piston. Then you can after some fiddling get the other end of the seal into the groove

I will say the seals were ready, as now the movement has far lest resistance, so a good but fiddly job done

Plan for tomorrow is fit the 4 remaining pieces of brake lines for the abs unit to the the front end

Get the exhaust assembly back together, and try and get the cooling fans and bits around that area bolted back in

Not so many new photos from today, so click the google drive to view

Cheers Jamie

Radio silence from Ultra Racing……

So got the brake lines done, albeit cut 2 lines wrong so will have to replace those next weekend

Got the exhaust all back on

Refitted the remaining wheel arch liners

Refitted the rear plastic undertray with new self tapping fixings as the old ones were totally crusty

Routed the fuel pump wiring mod live supply from front to back

And then fired her up, no smoke from the new turbo, so happy with progress apart from cutting the wrong pipes

Cheers Jamie

quick update folks

It appears the fuel pump has packed up as it now won't start

So I've ordered a KEMSO pump which seems to have good reviews and at £48 seems pretty cheap

Cheers Jamie

Took a day off work to get some more stuff done….


So fitted the aux belt guard after taking some advice from Joe

Also fitted a new aux belt, just to be doubly sure of no surprises

Fitted the pu right hand engine mount and put the trims back in place

Fitted the KEMSO fuel pump (I’ll change the fuel filter tomorrow), which requires the same mods as per the uprated Walbro pumps. The fiddliest task is reseating the rubber gasket when putting the assembly back into the tank.

Fitted the turbo heat shield, but will fit the fans tomorrow

Started to remove the brake calipers all round and strut brace as I’m just not happy with the finish, so they’ll get a professional job done on them over the next few days.

As I’ve taken the battery tray out to do the brake lines, I’ve cleaned and painted that as well

Only a couple of photos today, as I’m nearly finished

Cheers Jamie

So bolted in a set of brake pipes that I’d cut by mistake, that’s not a fun job with the engine getting in the way

Unbolted the rear calipers to be painted by someone who knows what they are doing

Got another screen wash pump and then inadvertently sat on it and bust that one (fml), so I’ll have get another ……

Topped the coolant up having lost some fitting the turbo heat shield

Fitted the cooling fans

Went over the floorpan to upol treatment just to get any bits that I’d missed in the previous coats.

Started to refit the front bumper and side light assembly, weather permitting I’ll finish this tomorrow

Started her up, and did the usual checks for leaks/noises etc, but everything was good

Cheers Jamie

Should be wheels on the ground and tootle around the block next weekend, assuming I don’t have any dramas bleeding the entire brake system

I’ll still have a few nice to do type jobs, but it should be stuff I can ticker with as the nights start to draw out

Cheers Jamie

Only spent a couple of hours today underneath the car

Basically went round all nuts and bolts and made sure they were tight

Finished off fitting the bumper

And dropped the calipers to get painted properly


Cheers Jamie

Been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks, as I needed to wait for the calipers to be repainted

Anyway I’ve now got them back along with the strut brace, and they look brill

Weather forecast is dry for tomorrow so I should get them reassembled and bolted back on, then bleed the brakes and then a quick test around the block

Google drive has a brief video showing the pained goodies

Cheers Jamie

So close, yet so far

So put the calipers etc back on

Set the brake bleeder up,decided to do the clutch first,and then tried at the rears....

After 10 minutes of nothing, I decided to try the fronts,which worked a treat

So decided to crack the pipes near the brake bias valve to make sure fluid was at least getting to that point. Confirmed that fluid was there, so it appears the valve is seized up.

I've been faffing around for an hour, but no success, so I'll try and whip it off tomorrow after work, and see if I can free it up

I did test the brake and clutch pedal, and pedal feels great

Fingers crossed I can get it sorted in the week and then Road test it

Cheers Jamie

New brake compensator valve fitted, and brakes have been bled, albeit I will do them again as the pedal feels a bit soft

so I've rebled the brakes, and pedal feels good now

I've put the repainted battery tray and re-secured the battery itself along with the various looms clipped back into place.

I've refitted the side lights, and put the piece of heat shield near the muffler back into its fittings

Finally put the rear wheels on the ground!!

Plan for after work tonight is to fit the undertray and put the front wheels down

Cheers Jamie

She lives

Brakes need a rebleed as there's still too much pedal travel, maybe because the pistons weren't fully seated? Anyway it's easy enough to push more fluid through

Albeit only a short drive, but no knocks and bangs and the ride is brilliant

Will post a bit more over the weekend

Cheers Jamie

Had a brief drive in the car

Pulls like train,handling is pretty neutral, albeit it needs the tracking doing

Brakes are still a bit soft, so I’ll bleed them again

The only thing I’ve got to investigate is a knocking at the rear end. It’s coming from both sides, so my immediate suspicion is something to do with the anti roll bar and the brackets I had to pack out, which I know means a few things off to get at it

I’m on holiday early next week, so I won’t get chance until next weekend

Quick walk round video in the google drive for those interested

Cheers Jamie

Just having a cuppa, and then I’ll have a look at the clonking on the rear of the car and hopefully bleed the brakes for the final time

Then put some fuel in and go for a bit of a drive

Fingers crossed

Cheers Jamie

Brakes pedal feels good now, I took Joe’s advice and bled them with the engine running. Must have been some air around the abs pump

Onto the knocking…….

I checked the bolts holding the anti roll bar, one side had a bit of movement so I nipped it up, I then proceeded to the other side and the bolt head snapped

Anyway I’ll try loosen the fittings so I can pivot the whole anti roll bar and see if I can mole grip out the bit of threaded stud showing

I’ll put a comment in the discussion about bolts needed

Cheers Jamie

After a surprise breakdown (fuse for the fuel pump blew), which I’m presuming is linked to the higher flow fuel pump I’ve fitted

I’ve had a good hours drive, and honestly nothing to note of any significance

Tracking definitely needs doing as at higher speeds the understeer is still there, but at low speeds the turn in is great

Likewise for those interested, the pfc brake pads are a good upgrade over the standard brembo pads. The initial press is a bit lacking, but after a couple of presses and they have a decent amount of bite

Tomorrow will be a trip to the body shop to see when I can get it touched up

Cheers Jamie

Well another surprise breakdown tonight

Tonight’s drive was short lived, so after buzzing around the country lanes near me, the car suddenly died, just as I was coming onto boost. It cut out quite abruptly, so my immediate thought was something electrical

As I’d faffed around with fuses from earlier in the week, I’d got a few spare ones with me, so I get out of the car , cocksure the fuse had gone and I’d just pop another one in

Anyway it wasn’t the fuse

I popped the bonnet and the negative connection on the battery felt a bit warm, so I thought some kind of short

Then I tried to start it, but it turned over without firing.

The injector light stayed on, so I knew it would not start

When I tried again the ignition just clicked, like when your battery is flat , and I could hear something crackling/buzzing in the drivers footwell, so I turned it off and got the car towed back home

Anyway got the car home, had a nosey around, with nothing obvious

After an hour the car had cooled down and would turn over but not fire

So the code and injector light comes on and goes off, so for me this is correct. I hear the fuel pump prime for a second or two, again I’m sure this is normal

But it won’t fire up

I’ve tried the inertia switch several times

I’m not sure about the 2 relays in the passenger footwell, and the fuel gauge is showing about a 3rd of a tank.

I will to be sure check there’s actually fuel in it tomorrow, and given I put about 50 quids worth of fuel and haven’t done more than a 70 miles I hope it’s not just fuel now for why it won’t start

However I still wonder what was going off with the electrics

Any pearls of wisdom that anyone can think of ?

Ps big thank you to joe for taking messages tonight

Took the opportunity to freshen up the window wiper arms and the mesh on the scuttle panel

Again I've just used the hammerite satin black to paint them

Decided to buy the 2 pu bushes that connect the engine mount to the drivers side suspension turret

They take a fair hammering to get the old ones out, but fitting the new pu bushes is a doddle

Considering this should be the last time I touch any of these bolts, I’ve threadlocked them all up including the strut brace bolts

Also the new track rod ends from alternative autos have turned up, weather permitting I’ll fit those at the weekend

Finally the new rear brembo brake pads also turned up today, but as I have another track day at curborough in a few weeks I’ll use what’s in for now and them change them before I make my way to the ring

Cheers jamie

Just finished the track rod ends, had to basically cut them off/open to get them off the threaded rods

Although I bought them from alternative autos they were shorter than the original ones I cut off, so as always tracking definitely needs doing now

A quick drive confirmed no knocking, so just do the fuel pump wiring tomorrow, then over to my mates garage for tyre fitting and tracking

Cheers Jamie

Fuel pump wiring mod now done

Just thinking about what jobs I’ve got left to do this year

Fit the zestino Gredge 07rs tyres and have the car retracked

Before Nurburgring, fit another set of Brembo rear pads as I’ve about done the set that Graham had fitted

Fit some aftermarket led footwell lights

Fit some better front door speakers

Detail the car inside and out


Contemplate the jobs list for next year

Cheers Jamie

Tyres and tracking all done tonight

I can only say these Zestino tyres are night and day difference (in a good way) compared to the standard offering

Also set the negative camber at -1.5 degrees

The challenge right now is adjusting my own threshold for the Trackday at curborough , as already the speed difference in corners is sizeable with zero tyre squeal

NB: Joe hope you and your lad can make it to curborough

Cheers Jamie

Latest tracking set up

Cheers Jamie

So after a day at curborough, the car performed brilliantly.

After trying a few settings for the front shock absorbers, I ended up with a 2 full turns from soft, that seemed to keep the car nice and flat through the tight bends

Can highly recommend the zestino tyres, they are soft but they get rid of any understeer and give a nice predictable drive

Also got the chance to drive Joes coupe whilst there, and compare visco drive vs the quaife diff. Put simply the viscodrive doesn’t compete, but given it’s about a £1000 I’ll wait for now before thinking about buying one.

End of the month will be at the ring, so really looking forward to that, as the corners are far more open, which plays to the coupe’s strengths

Cheers Jamie

Just a quick update, trip to Nurburgring starts tomorrow, so they'll be videos to share afterwards.

Hopefully tears of joy and not tears of sadness, considering the efforts/forum advice from folks to get me to this point

Cheers Jamie

Hi folks, it’s been a while…….

Anyway one of my next jobs to do will be to fit the Alfa gta subframe braces

I read Per’s thread about this and thought that’s a great mod to do, so I’ve bought a 2nd hand set off eBay

Instead of welding captive nuts, I think I’m going to use a rivet gun with either M6 or M8 inserts, as some of the undertray fittings are knackered, so I can do both jobs.

Whilst I mount the nut inserts I’m going to try and straighten out the floor where someone prior to grahaml or myself has incorrectly jacked the car up.

Also having looked at Per’s thread, I saw his bottom strut brace, which I think I can improve upon his idea with an aluminium version.

Cheers Jamie

Superb thread and very informative.

Quick update, took the car to be fleamapped a couple of Fridays ago……

I took some VXR injectors with me and changed them over for Leighton to do his thing. (NB there will a be a OEinjectors for sale thread on the forum shortly).

Anyway I asked for torque over power, and pleased to report peak torque of 300ft lbs with 270 hp as an end result.

Drive ability wise, it simply comes ‘on power’ much sooner in the rev range, making it ultimately a faster car

Cheers Jamie