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White Super S - Whiskey's Blog

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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Potentially Frank. I am struggling to think how it could be connected wrong because it's quite simple - three connections onto three different shaped connectors.

Potentially damaged loom.

Also thinking about the main negative for the battery - I have it bolted onto one of the starter motor bolts, I don't think this could cause an issue as it should all be earthed anyway but I may be wrong.


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Ahh okay, I could of sworn I bolted an earth back on the starter motor and onto the gearbox... Either that or the one that in was meant to bolt back onto the starter motor went to the clutch arm bracket on the gearbox...

Hope you find the problem, I can imagine how much of a pain it is after all the work you've put into it!
 
OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Yeah I have a large ring terminal, small ring, and blade on the starter, then main battery neg is attached to one of the starter motor mounting bolts.

The blade on starter is earthed to the chassis leg below battery. Cleaned all the earths too.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Good news - engine starts and runs. Took motor off and bench tested it to work a few things out. Did away with the blade earth terminal and it worked. Simple.

Bad news - makes a terrible noise. Part of the engine/box sandwich plate is bent and grinding on the flywheel teeth. Tempted to just run it until it stops. Investigating underneath and seeing where it is bent and where I can fix it.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Short youtube vid of the terrible racket - which interestingly only happens now when the clutch is pressed.




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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Pretty sure it's the thin black metal sandwich plate mate :)

Because the dowels were badly corroded we did smash it up a bit with various levers and chisels and so on :)


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Hey you're here and trying and that's half the battle!

I think if I just rev it enough and carefully grind the clutch into it in "bursts" to allow things to cool not much can go wrong.

I used a part-worn clutch so that owes me nothing, and I have a spare flywheel.

If worst comes to the worst I'll have to take the box off again but I'll try damn hard not to.


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frank

Club Member
if its fouling with a light touch of the clutch ? (the endfloat in the crank only needs light pressure) then i would say yes to the tin plate contact
but if it fouls when the clutch is fully open ? then i doubt it :)
 
OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Yes it fouls as soon as you take up the slack and start to actually apply pressure to the clutch.

When I first started the car it was grating then, even in neutral with no clutch. Now it seems that part has grated or bent out of the way, and it only does it on clutch movement.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Long time since an update!

Where to start...

Here's my oil drain plug from the gearbox pre-clutch change, furry!
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This is what it looks like clean
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The next pic is of the very corroded and totally seized dowels which put up a serious fight!

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I also smashed the cat out of the manifold, here's a pic in the middle - I got rid of it all.
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I rescued my friend's totally dead MG. Micra power!

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I gashly reprofiled the throttle spindle for increased airflow; stock:

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Gashed:

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I added red ebay tacky stuff and some magnecor leads to spruce up the bay a touch.

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I did a little towing of my other car, and I fetched myself a gearbox!

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I also did some preservation of the sills and underside in general, hard work with the wire brushes, and some proper hammerite underseal. I also drilled through the sills and fitted extensions to the sunroof drain tubes.

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I bought some rare March K10 alloys, promptly took good care of them!

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Also swapped out the rear door cards for sexy pocket models, uber luxury!
 
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OP
OP
Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
@Zazee I think with the cat out it sounds meatier and burblier, with it being pretty deafening at some revs/gears, loud spot at about 5,000rpm in 2nd and 3rd and quietens back down after that. Must be something to do with harmonics.

Gained a bit of top end speed, but definitely lost a bit of low-end torque up hills and such. I think the wide open space created by hollowing the cat very negatively affects exhaust flow at lower revs - hot, dense exhaust hates going into a large surface area or pressure drop, and then going somewhere restricted again.


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@Zazee I think with the cat out it sounds meatier and burblier, with it being pretty deafening at some revs/gears, loud spot at about 5,000rpm in 2nd and 3rd and quietens back down after that. Must be something to do with harmonics.

Gained a bit of top end speed, but definitely lost a bit of low-end torque up hills and such. I think the wide open space created by hollowing the cat very negatively affects exhaust flow at lower revs - hot, dense exhaust hates going into a large surface area or pressure drop, and then going somewhere restricted again.


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Ahh cool! Interesting :) do you think maybe having the second cat decatted as well would give the entire exhaust system less restriction and therefore more power overall?
 
OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Second cat removal would likely fail the MOT but I'm not 100% on that. It would probably be louder, more powerful again but also lose more torque low end.

With exhaust systems it's important to try and keep the internal diameter the same all the way through - this is why 4-2-1 manifolds work well with their flow.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Ah whoops. First is already gone. Still got my second.

How do people pass with 421's and stuff then?


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
This past weekend I did some more stuff.

Fitted rear BSR Coilovers. GAZ Bodies and components, re-valved to suit the K11. Went fairly smoothly, took an afternoon overall.

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I painted the threaded bodies with a sort of waxoyl type preservative. It dries to a tacky wax and has served the fronts well.
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I also painted and fitted the rear strut brace. I'm trying to convince myself the boot space division is useful, you know, to stop stuff rolling around and that, but it is pretty restrictive haha.

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After that on Saturday, I spent Sunday trying to put an end to oil loss. The sump previously got a pinhole in it, so I used Araldite to plug it which seemed perfectly OK for a temporary fix. A year and a half later it was still strong and I hadn't bothered my arse.

The sump was definitely leaking though, bathing the alternator and the entire underside of the car in oil, leaving puddles and drips. Generally, it was in very crusty condition. So I formulated a plan...

I had a spare engine in the garage, who's sump seemed much better. Not perfect, but better. I'd take that, clean it up and paint it, then switcheroo and sort it out.

Old sump
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Engine turny bits
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And "new" sump, painted in Halfords High-Temp red, as it was the only suitable thing I had left.
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However, on testing it leaked from the engine and gearbox mating side. I'm pretty confident that it's because I didn't seat the rubber semi-circle sealing strips properly, so next week I'm planning on sorting it out, for now, the car can lay quiet.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Took the sump off again, played about with rubber strips and sorted it out. Sealed properly and everything's all OK now.

Had a JanSpeed stainless system delivered. Manifold, downpipe, Sports Cat, midpipe and backbox.

Fitted it this evening, however got an issue with the Lambda Sensor hole not allowing enough space next to the engine & box subframe/rail thing.

Hopefully my racecar friend has a spare Lambda Bung lying around I can use tomorrow to plug the hole while I work out a real fix.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Janspeed fitted, running well.

Videos of that;




Also had an issue where the rear damper mount rotted underneath where it was near impossible to see. The mount came through the boot mid-corner.

Thanks to a strut brace and beam axle though, disturbance was minimal and I was able to nurse it slowly home.



Some welding and fire...



Finished repair;

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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Been a long ass time since I wrote anything here. Got a few spare hours so here goes.

Rewind back to my last entry and I was preparing to go to JAE 15 for my first ever Japanese car event, with the MSC. About two weeks before, my rear suspension collapsed and I was absolutely heartbroken. Without ever lifting the carpet I didn't know if the damper mounts were replaceable or part of the monocoque. I thought it was game over for this car and the whole build.

I was wrong

The rear damper mounting is essentially an inverted cup with a 10.5mm hole through the centre. A cup-shaped penny washer is tack welded to the top for the upper damper bush to sit in neatly.

Stock dampers have rubber boots which cover the exposed rod from dirt and stuff. These boots reach all the way up into the underneath of the mount and trap a lot of dirt and moisture around the top. This starts rotting out from the underneath. With how the washer is tacked on inside, it's impossible to see without removing the dampers and inspecting from underneath, hardly a routine task I'm sure you'll agree!

As such, this corrosion went undetected. Picture time!

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Pretty bad, eh? I guess the combination of rust and then extra stress (I fitted coilovers, so the rear mount was now taking ALL suspension forces as there were no separate springs) just was too much for poor old Marceline. Yeah. That's her name.

Fear not. The damper mount is spot welded in as part of a double thickness oval-shaped panel from factory. I went to the local yard and found a lovely rust-free number from a facelift Sport shell.

Using a petrol Stihl saw I cut the whole arch out, ready for the more delicate panel extraction back at base.

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Using a pillar drill and a spot weld bit, which is specially shaped to remove material in a uniform way
(it's got a point for easy centring and the cutting surfaces are flat, to cut through the weld neatly and level)
We removed the "new" panel from the surrounding arch.

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Then using a battery drill and the same bit, we removed the rotten panel from the car. By using the special bit, you don't drill completely through and just take the weld away leaving the chassis of the car intact.

At this point you also have to gently work your way around with a lever, such as a sturdy flat screwdriver, to feel for any weld not completely removed, and prise off the factory panel sealant.

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Et voila!

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With the panel removed, it's quite interesting to physically feel the difference in metal strength. The oval damper panel is twice the thickness of the arch, plenty sturdy enough for suspension loading as long as it's not rotten!

Comparison shot from above as seen in the boot;
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And what you see underneath;
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Finally we grind all the hole areas free of paint using a "flap wheel" to ensure good shiny metal for weld quality.

Before we start welding we disconnect the battery, and also the alternator. Some alternators have diode packs which are sensitive and can still be fried even with the battery disconnected. It's just a precaution really.

Also very important is to clear the area of fire hazards. As it's the passenger side, this includes the fuel filler pipe. Remove the filler pipe and withdraw, then seal the open tank pipe, we used a rubber glove and tape to seal secure. This prevents any unwanted explosions, death, maiming and injury. Carpet and back seats moved away too.

Keep an eye out for small, localised fires caused by the factory panel seal burning as you weld. Try to keep these under control, although they're not a massive problem.

To position the panel, you can make use of the factory paint lines. The lighter edge on the panel should be completely obscured by bodywork. An assistant will be required. Using a suitable long tool like a hammer or screwdriver, get them to apply pressure from the wheel arch side to keep the panel in place while the first few welds tack it in place.

Apply weld from the outside of the holes inwards. Move around the panel in opposite directions, applying the weld and heat in different areas to minimise distortion and warping.

You may also need to do a few welds in the wheelarch if you have drilled through, or not all the holes line up. (Factory spot welds were done by eye and not machine, hence they're a little bit random between cars)

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As soon as it's done, get some thick seam sealer brushed in there to protect your lovely handiwork. Primer, and paint. Waxyoyl or stonechip the underneath.

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Finish!



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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
JAE was getting closer but my lady wasn't quite ready. Three days before and I found the passenger front wheel bearing was totally shagged. Rapid ordering of parts and strip down, a rave against time! The to-do list was;

Paint all March wheels and fit new tyres ready for show,
Replace both front wheel bearings,
Clean and polish and display the car

The time? 3 whole days to fit it in.

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I managed it- just. Was too rushed and stressed to take pictures and document it though. Basically just followed the Haynes anyway. I went for Yokohama A539 tyres and they are simply amazing. Best tyre for the road I've used. Good wet and dry, and just excellent on the limit.

So, after that I cleaned up the car and the bay and stuff, generally tried to make her look good and presentable for JAE. I had a 4-day ticket and lots of beer. I was the first Micra there, with Chloe and Tom close behind.

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Here are some general pictures from JAE. Not all of them are mine, but they're great pics and give a good feel of the event.

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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Post JAE I was a little embarrassed by all the great cars and trick modifications I saw. I did a little A4 spec sheet for my car and it made me realise just how many parts I own but haven't yet fitted. So I cracked on with Group A airbox installation. I thought this would be a breeze but I was so wrong.

Initially, being designed for a Micra I thought it would be a straight fit, but it's not. You have to cut a lot of the slam panel away and also the bonnet catch backplate. It's not really a problem but was a pain, as I quite like my car and felt a bit bad about cutting bits off.

I got it squeezed in, and the Janspeed manifold is bulkier than the stock item, so it touched the bottom edge of the airbox and burnt it :(

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Tried patching it and adding more shield tape but this did not work. A heat shield was necessary so I made one quite crudely.

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The shield works lovely. I also made a bracket to hold the upper pipe to the throttle body more securely. Thin sheet aluminium with foam on the inner edge and wrapped in tape. It bolts on to the throttle cable holder/bracket.

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There we are. Something like done on that job.
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Noticeable improvement in noise and power. Great modification. Tweaked distributor timing to give a better power band.

Also repaired horn wiring. I had an annoying fault where the horn would only work intermittently. I was convinced the problem was with the aftermarket horn button and steering wheel, as that was all I had fiddled with. On closer inspection I saw that the dual-horn had at some point been replaced, and the wiring was awfully bodged in. They had cut a middle section of insulation, and "tapped in" by badly soldering a piece on.

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I cut all the wiring and crimped new connections in place. Working and much better.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Oh, also I recently fitted a GA15 Throttle and GA14 Injectors. Quite easy as it's just 1-for-1 really.

I had to swap the pulley for the throttle cable off the GA15 as it's a slightly different design and put a CG pulley on, and removed the waxstat and bypassed the coolant pipe.

I also used an impact screwdriver to loosen the fuel injector screws. They were quite tight and soft metal so best to be cautious.

Aaaand I think that brings us up to date... For now.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Weirdly my car had a cut out in the shelf for a third brake light but no light... Got one from a scrapper and wired it in, with totally badboy Nissan decal so people know what they've been overtaken by.

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Also received my new kick ass conrods for the high compression screamer, with ARP Bolts and ultra-lube

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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Did my first ever Track day at Blyton Park with Paul Li, Andy Gray and Alex Mill.

Was a soaking wet day and I learnt a lot and had buckets of fun. I think because I'm still on skinny tyres/wheels and used normal road tyres the water displacement ability was a bit better than some of the grippy track style tyres others were using. It enabled me to be fairly competitive! Even over took a Lotus Evora at one point and then promptly got into a hairy slide, haha.

The car had a lot more potential than I was willing to push though. I need lots more practice!

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Some general photo-shooty pictures I did

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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Very jealous!
Can't wait to see what you build up

Build will likely be slow as hell, everything's so damn expensive. Newly single though, so while I'm heartbroken I do have ****loads more money. Every cloud and all that.

Radio had been badly twist n taped by previous owner.

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Fixed that

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Fitted Euro spec drivers tail light to achieve symmetry. Used a red bulb in the reverse holder to keep Fog Light legal etc.

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Had an R32 Skyline GT-R key cut for the car. Just a cool little luxury touch :)

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Removed old pistons. Found a chap who has a use for them, so he'll take them off my hands...

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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Fitted braided rear brake hoses, bled the brakes up really well, also had to change Driver's wheel bearing again only 9 months after previous one! Last time it was a cheap ebay one and rushed two days before JAE... Bad part or my mistake in fitting? Who knows. Bought a more expensive item from Euro Car Parts with Lucas on the box. A brand I recognise this time so hopefully a bit better quality... Passenger side one is still fine. I wonder if the longer driveshaft on the driver's side is a factor in the wear?

Pedal feels really good now. Car stops nice and straight, locks up easily but is controllable with less pedal pressure and stuff... Just really good!

Also acquired some Pulsar brakes but until I get a 14" spare wheel I'm avoiding fitting. Also moving house soon so that will likely put stuff off even more.

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While doing the job mentioned above was looking around and checking stuff. Noticed passenger tyre worn close to the limit and odd pattern of wear. Booked car in for laser alignment. Garage showed me the screen. Both wheels were toe-ing left by 1 degree each!

Ordered new tyres. Yoko A539 again. Served me well last year.

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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
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Stripped a bit more of the block. Gonna check out the oil pump and order new bearings and stuff soon.

Main things I need are the head gas flowing and some camshafts. Settled on the billet items from PiperCams because I want this thing to run and run in the high revs. (6-10k rpm) then the engine will be mostly complete for the big bits.

Then I'll machine my rods down and balance the whole rotating assembly, double valve springs and knife edge the crank and stuff. In the right order, obviously.

Going to take a while to save up the funds like.
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De rusted the arches for japshow. Lacquer is pretty dull. Hope it will polish up ok after a cut with the buffer.

Also painting a bunch of body parts like a midspoiler, grille and scoop.


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OP
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Love_Whiskey

Love_Whiskey

Super S Restorer
Still in daily service as my only roadworthy car out of six, currently, hah!

Still got all the same plans and parts, however since I bought N240 RAP I'm in the process of light restoration on that before swapping all the bits over and getting rid of this car one way or another.
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