Project GTR (zed replacement)

[Maxx]

Just catching up, been on a whistle stop tour of the circuits + 2 days enforced R&R (yea, like hell) in our caravan on the coast. Can't really add to what has already been said, just glad you and the car are both fine and will likely come back stronger and faster

I'm back at Snett on 23rd evening testing our race car, will miss the horsepower though, will be about 580bhp down! (testing our 2cv 24hr car) staying over and back the next day with an MR2 driver.

Anyone from here doing the 23rd trackday?

Christian, did you ever get to the bottom of that vibration issue you had on our day .. and on way home, could that have been an early symptom of this?

Malc

[Monster]

Maxx - yeah the vibration was fixed when I replaced the rear bearings, hicas repalcement kit and all the rose joints on the back. Will mail you about 2CVs, I fancy that

[Maxx]

... Will mail you about 2CVs, I fancy that

OK, fair enough, will do you a straight swap

[Monster]

Quick update as been getting a few jobs ticked off, although not pics yet.

Firstly still have no brakes on the car but AP are promising the new set up this week so watch this space. Very frustrating as obviously haven't been able to use the car.

In other news a set of solid rear diff bushes have gone in. The old ones were totally shot and I'm hoping that explains the banging sound/feel when on/off throttle or changing gear etc. This is good as it became noticable after the new 'box went in so I was thinking it could have been a number of things.

I've also got a fire extinguisher kit to go in. I bought this from Steve Linton who had it in his TA / Arrowpack supra and it's jsut been re-charged etc. Only annoying thing is that the GTR doesn't have space on the slam panel for the button (and batt kill switch) so will need to make up a bracket if I want to have external switches. This makes sense really as the point is for the marshalls to be able to activate it, even I'm not racing the car yet. Will prob leave that up to Daz to fabricate.

I've also bought some new 1000lb front springs. I can't remember but I'm sure i changed mine for 800s when I was trying to get more squat under brakes (nothing on the springs to indicate) but Maxx reckoned the car could have been stiffer at the front at Ron k reckons 1000lbers are the way forward on circuit. So another wheel alignment sesh now required as annoyingly new springs were a different length (which would indicate I didn't have the nitron 1000s on there)

And finally, since the cars been sitting in the sun the paint on the bonnet is now totally fucked. Will try and get a pic or two up but it looks like a noughts and crosses board. Pretty pissed off, esp as the sprayer has sold his unit for development so wont be doing anything to rectify. However, I've been offered by someone else to spray it very kindly, and unexpectedly for free so may well do this, otherwise maybe wait until i get the rust done over winter. It does look shit tho so not sure I can wait...

[Stuart]

Wow! A rounded approach to improvement mate, so no-one could ever accuse you of standing still with the car. 1000lb springs for track will be interesting for the road (I know that's not your primary concern) but driving to and from circuits may be a royal pain in the nuts now (quite literally)!

In terms of the paintwork, in my opinion, you'd be better to wait until the winter and get it all done at once. No need to take it out of use again when an enforced laydown period will be coming up soon enough anyway? If and when you do get the paint done, are you staying with the dark blue or going Calsonic blue

[Monster]

Ha, chance of standing still with the car would be a fine thing - it breaks itself in the garage

As you say, i'm not worried about the road at all really. Since the GTR has made 4 track visits this year and 3 of them it didn't make it home under it's own steam I've decided that I need to stop fucking about and use the trailer and tow car that I bought for the job of towing in the first place!! The problem has been that the trailer has been at my dads so logistically towing the car to the circuit has been a nightmare.

So, I brought forward the external works of the 'new' house and currently have a team of top blokes pretty much trebling the size of my driveway in order to create more toy storage area. Once complete the trailer can live at home and I can drag the car about again. Which is a good solution

Paint wise i'm inclined to agree, although as the chap comes highly recommended and is going to do it for free I've not got much to lose. He reckons the cracks appear becasue it was only taken back to the laquer, not the carbon, so that sounds worth a go.

Colour wise great minds think alike! I've been considering a swap to genuine calsonic blue but have pretty much decided against it - Fee painted her's a not disimilar blue (think it was a porsche colour) and i think I prefer the dark blue on my car. We'll see when it comes to bodyshop time but at the end of the day it was never supposed to be a proper replica....

[Stuart]

The house development sounds like a top idea mate......so much easier when all of the toys are at home. I think that your painter is spot on; trying to use the lacquer as the substrate will always be a compromise as there is no way of knowing how sound it was, how well it was applied etc. At least if he gets down to the actual material base he will have a better substrate to key into.

Colourwise I also prefer the dark blue over the Calsonic colour, but as you were running the stickers I guessed that's how you were going (my mistake). My current feeling with GTR's running largely stock bodywork is no stickers at all, like the old Endless R32's that I used to see on early Japanese videos. Caged, monstrous power and brutally single minded in their design (i.e. just going, stopping and handling brilliantly) but without any of the shouty stuff like sponsors decals.

Lovely dilemma to have buddy. GTRs take serious financial minerals to do properly and I love the way you have stayed so loyal when many of us, me included, would have walked away.........in fact I did!

Viva la BNR32!

[Monster]

:thumbs:Yeah it should make things much easier.

I agree on the painter front, sounds like the initial problem was that base layer as if you recall the paint was cracked when i bought it. Might even be easier to just re-laquer if it's going back to the carbon, altho i'm not sure I'm a fan of a bare carbon bonnet on the car.

Colour wise as I say, we'll see. I'm really loving the calsonic stickers on the car, when i look at pics of it before I def prefer it with them. But as they'll mostly need to come off for the bodywork winter may be re assessment time

[Monster]

Ha, and thanks for the vote of confidence - I think as it's my 4th GTR I've jsut come to accept the fact that i'll always have one.....

[RX7]

My current feeling with GTR's running largely stock bodywork is no stickers at all, like the old Endless R32's that I used to see on early Japanese videos. Caged, monstrous power and brutally single minded in their design (i.e. just going, stopping and handling brilliantly) but without any of the shouty stuff like sponsors decals.

cough cough....