tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90264587784959355712024-03-14T15:17:56.869+09:00 One Man's Lonely Adventures In His R33 Skyline GT-R The Ultimate Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R BlogAkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.comBlogger517125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-60976267468234033972024-02-09T23:51:00.000+09:002024-02-09T23:51:02.262+09:00The Making of "The GTR Run Tokyo" by HartnettMedia (and my role in it!)<p> A few months ago, my friend Dino contacted me - "hey you want your 33 to become the most famous 33 in the world?" with "Pennzoil wants to do a little something, so I am working on a project"</p><p>Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about. But the end result was this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="307" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w0N1IiF-AmE" width="370" youtube-src-id="w0N1IiF-AmE"></iframe></div><br /><p>Ok so here is some background information.</p><p>First, Dino and Alec had me show up VERY early to the Hakone Turnpike. That is where Dino introduced me to Ben Hartnett and Chris Hofstaetter. The guys drove a Nissan Serena minivan that Nissan had lent them, and Dino of course came in his 34. A few minutes after I arrived, Sudo-san pulls up, NOT in his 32, but driving a flatbed truck that carried his 32! </p><p>Then our first challenge of the day - it turned out that the original section where Dino and Ben wanted to film was closed to the public - apparently Ferrari Japan was renting it out for their own video shoot! Undeterred, we took some side roads and found some other good places.</p><p>Then, we had to also find a place for Sudo-san to park his truck where he could unload the 32. But after that, the magic happened. </p><p>Here are some photos I took while waiting to be told what to do and how to drive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QncPI5tKaTWMIfZSvI5x1ke7WRwMsYxRArBjaxKJfozi2juvDHop0qj_PoefprdkuyiJ55n8AoPoEaMKE3muCw88ZRfgSrnHAIn8IOVWSHpHnIis8Bcqwpx7yaoszDSI99Er9IxwLQSeUuK2eTKFB-HdzPUk_r5n41xX9P2xts2IEk4TfyLg6GRhE8s/s4032/20231116_080727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QncPI5tKaTWMIfZSvI5x1ke7WRwMsYxRArBjaxKJfozi2juvDHop0qj_PoefprdkuyiJ55n8AoPoEaMKE3muCw88ZRfgSrnHAIn8IOVWSHpHnIis8Bcqwpx7yaoszDSI99Er9IxwLQSeUuK2eTKFB-HdzPUk_r5n41xX9P2xts2IEk4TfyLg6GRhE8s/w640-h480/20231116_080727.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Closer up, but without Mt Fuji in the background.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibx5oatlxQ2IEpDbi_NlgmvfmkH71KxDoS_stvVlffTUNDxjPTHoiBS5WfKhQNldHjohNS9bxDsa3AfX08UD4ieEvO-x-G0o-tZmIFU9AnoJx22LcHsoxCdmMaF2Wewd_Tpw3aviKEDMHkPdVtFU9hgxZgawC7sHLus0Wx5Mm_WQeL4K9i6h1WivChSJA/s4032/20231116_081129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibx5oatlxQ2IEpDbi_NlgmvfmkH71KxDoS_stvVlffTUNDxjPTHoiBS5WfKhQNldHjohNS9bxDsa3AfX08UD4ieEvO-x-G0o-tZmIFU9AnoJx22LcHsoxCdmMaF2Wewd_Tpw3aviKEDMHkPdVtFU9hgxZgawC7sHLus0Wx5Mm_WQeL4K9i6h1WivChSJA/w640-h480/20231116_081129.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After a few back and forth scenes, we parked. This is where we tried to choreograph getting into our cars at the same time. Clearly, we are neither actors nor coordinated.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzPQ9tUsaTg5m4u9n4JLuqIQXmnBFdeUsTX9MKJN2ehCrvrZTIKwYcPfgBydQA1Sw7lB-wcMqWszkbJlzoBeAP44qqb8LQLIWKs-l6XQZenCDvImoxnfBuTFOv6PHWuHzMwkjDA6l9vu5dRVQYsirhUmDTM2A7D5tLZ5QGZvaAcgWMWBxQcgoK_Q1qHQ/s4032/20231116_085846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzPQ9tUsaTg5m4u9n4JLuqIQXmnBFdeUsTX9MKJN2ehCrvrZTIKwYcPfgBydQA1Sw7lB-wcMqWszkbJlzoBeAP44qqb8LQLIWKs-l6XQZenCDvImoxnfBuTFOv6PHWuHzMwkjDA6l9vu5dRVQYsirhUmDTM2A7D5tLZ5QGZvaAcgWMWBxQcgoK_Q1qHQ/w640-h480/20231116_085846.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Same shot, I was experimenting with the exposure setting. Was hard to balance getting the background to show while keeping the foreground coloring accurate. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CQND1eB5y7StEdn1dgJ_JlP16TzXVEsX1HARGPCBNTIENVX5Iaa7yV6AclUrAqc78saZZeR-uAv2Fpn2jMAGT0GmKiTpfUELF9Yid6YgEjTNGpiOx5EqaeA8TeRB4s_vaQYeqpahHy6G-D3vzPM0R38HMCIUDnsF1O5ZPsTckVIO-KavvozJR45TocY/s4032/20231116_085913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CQND1eB5y7StEdn1dgJ_JlP16TzXVEsX1HARGPCBNTIENVX5Iaa7yV6AclUrAqc78saZZeR-uAv2Fpn2jMAGT0GmKiTpfUELF9Yid6YgEjTNGpiOx5EqaeA8TeRB4s_vaQYeqpahHy6G-D3vzPM0R38HMCIUDnsF1O5ZPsTckVIO-KavvozJR45TocY/w640-h480/20231116_085913.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Trying another angle...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudAIc3GNrBTZ0x5cxr9IDpqpmMvnB-yUNR3LK18nWlcvmqM62dzSAXJUyR6O1-2ejwOWD1Z-3VeaX3cFRIaKMJYM3iMnN_yd3J04XsXZlPo9yJ6dC0D_MTQhHkx17sZxueSmdiBF-3SocMLpKzGmNxqNEhCKPnUTIfuVJ5J9-Lt-tXejxbS1DTim67fo/s4032/20231116_090031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudAIc3GNrBTZ0x5cxr9IDpqpmMvnB-yUNR3LK18nWlcvmqM62dzSAXJUyR6O1-2ejwOWD1Z-3VeaX3cFRIaKMJYM3iMnN_yd3J04XsXZlPo9yJ6dC0D_MTQhHkx17sZxueSmdiBF-3SocMLpKzGmNxqNEhCKPnUTIfuVJ5J9-Lt-tXejxbS1DTim67fo/w640-h480/20231116_090031.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Around noontime, I actually had to go back into Yokohama as I had meetings at work. Lucky for me, the cars were running out of gas and so we headed into Atami to get gas. It was then when I decided to not bother driving back but have Chris take over - turns out he is a 33 fan so was THRILLED at being able to drive my car. All the evening shots of the cars on these roads, that is him driving, not me!</p><p>And of course, having been dropped off at Atami station as they went to look for a gas station, I took this train back into Yokohama:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx0M2LRf9IFQ0SWnoRITvgHzklFTU_6yDtpgboGyPdcSsTshTL9qw-4S-vgZOG33g5g5qA-6thPi1RR-5XqNg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>But of course, this was only part of the plan. The next day, Friday night, I found myself driving my car at night, meeting up with Dino and crew at a Parking Area outside Tokyo. Somehow, several random Japanese Skyline GT-R owners were also there, so we invited them to tag along and include them in the night filming.</p><p>All I will say is, it was FREEZING cold... which made for great turbo boost of course. But the Japanese guys were super excited about their luck, and one youung guy just happaned to be an avid Ben Hartnett fan and was literally gushing with joy at being able to shake Ben's hand and take a photo with him.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nVIebSzgzyZryMXVPFDI50Ptv7lG5m_DimHTQt6-PkHasCNuZOaPUhkyxRajuAne3m4R42RpJLmduFoj6riJ7_3cdfsp6ktCVRzBwKoCBU7tFGw14tO_IKt1PhfdIrX67OyVdkVEBGXvn1MLYuq0PJ8AH4GIpjoVafvz7Q7UkA4KxvvhberzNHryiLY/s4032/20231117_224236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nVIebSzgzyZryMXVPFDI50Ptv7lG5m_DimHTQt6-PkHasCNuZOaPUhkyxRajuAne3m4R42RpJLmduFoj6riJ7_3cdfsp6ktCVRzBwKoCBU7tFGw14tO_IKt1PhfdIrX67OyVdkVEBGXvn1MLYuq0PJ8AH4GIpjoVafvz7Q7UkA4KxvvhberzNHryiLY/w640-h480/20231117_224236.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben and Alec plotting</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Yep, we have seen this 33 before... original LM paint, too!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxfhJH0vvrG1LczutnYg5-hNYy3LeREwbM8AU08-PAguPqWkhgD0gce1ZKBUn2Z1XcXjhMu9temxJRflzcWHXEp3Q7R8UAie0ErJqJ46Y_UwZb0ro_kNM0hh42ldKE26nlf1CBn_PDMcrlXrbs3Tzj2XR7klTKxJ8pBxEd1REeNzhkTjxmMrvzJgDFFk/s4032/20231117_230637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxfhJH0vvrG1LczutnYg5-hNYy3LeREwbM8AU08-PAguPqWkhgD0gce1ZKBUn2Z1XcXjhMu9temxJRflzcWHXEp3Q7R8UAie0ErJqJ46Y_UwZb0ro_kNM0hh42ldKE26nlf1CBn_PDMcrlXrbs3Tzj2XR7klTKxJ8pBxEd1REeNzhkTjxmMrvzJgDFFk/w640-h480/20231117_230637.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWwIPIHGf-16B-bt7nkq19rpFe4KaJpUh1RBkpSRLI8-A1ROdDng0R9NiND0T1HzdHEsGQeEj7wYPyDmsmjh8p8Wn7ac3NtK_ESy3mawExYQkFfwMZ3GmCqUfwf8LSwzeNWBOQtkBKCoL9EL69ErTrHQ4REkOaQaAZF1YAanNyuhe29w-GsBe2DKUo80/s4032/20231117_231148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWwIPIHGf-16B-bt7nkq19rpFe4KaJpUh1RBkpSRLI8-A1ROdDng0R9NiND0T1HzdHEsGQeEj7wYPyDmsmjh8p8Wn7ac3NtK_ESy3mawExYQkFfwMZ3GmCqUfwf8LSwzeNWBOQtkBKCoL9EL69ErTrHQ4REkOaQaAZF1YAanNyuhe29w-GsBe2DKUo80/w640-h480/20231117_231148.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Lots of waiting. It reminded me of the one time I was an extra in a movie. Many retakes, from various angles, with most of my time spent waiting.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBMXEZO-lwAXqZxK9ej1VlPfqjeCzgnnXMXrRGMFtnesDXEAO-mNYVjVvmFZ6dniFtl2ZrjrW4a4bPBn9pbn0HXKw_DyOXF_xUde3jB2UvOg2rpk0haaZa8mhvn30l7xrEj6nt9qTYr2_ti9Z9_XYRvkBj3BoEkZycLaXvMVUIui9VTq1WjGxciC9yic/s4032/20231118_012639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBMXEZO-lwAXqZxK9ej1VlPfqjeCzgnnXMXrRGMFtnesDXEAO-mNYVjVvmFZ6dniFtl2ZrjrW4a4bPBn9pbn0HXKw_DyOXF_xUde3jB2UvOg2rpk0haaZa8mhvn30l7xrEj6nt9qTYr2_ti9Z9_XYRvkBj3BoEkZycLaXvMVUIui9VTq1WjGxciC9yic/w640-h480/20231118_012639.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staying inside the car to stay warm!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0ss8rt6XE48nltx6afQIPT2FZX8pm2rL7q6NFzEhyphenhyphenYDMBI-00JSHphmnsVbUU8SG6U1NHYcH6Fznj7pRb7NlAhGOLkDkwCg1fVw7QW1oxwYiIa3RTETzSDxZgoSgJF-Gd3_Feel5-S3rUmyfQ4qWsTlupGhQH-r52z_B30LFUQUALFqk6BWrJK8fsjA/s4032/20231118_012649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0ss8rt6XE48nltx6afQIPT2FZX8pm2rL7q6NFzEhyphenhyphenYDMBI-00JSHphmnsVbUU8SG6U1NHYcH6Fznj7pRb7NlAhGOLkDkwCg1fVw7QW1oxwYiIa3RTETzSDxZgoSgJF-Gd3_Feel5-S3rUmyfQ4qWsTlupGhQH-r52z_B30LFUQUALFqk6BWrJK8fsjA/w640-h480/20231118_012649.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Obviously no shots of me actually driving at night since of course I was boring and followed all the speed limits, driving in a safe, controlled and mature manner, as befitting my job and position in society. Right...<p></p><p>Anyway, we called it quits at about 0500 just as the sun was about to come up. I can see from the finished project that a lot of what we did not make it into the final cut, but that is to be expected in the editing process. Still, I had fun and it really is nice to be memorialized in this way by a real professional cinematographer.</p><p>Thank you Ben, Dino, Alec and Chris!! Hope to meet up with you guys again soon!</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-12239594298770946272024-02-04T17:04:00.005+09:002024-02-06T10:19:44.421+09:00OEM Look LED Series 3 Headlights by VELENO! (@Tokyo Auto Salon 2024) - Part 2 (Q&A with Nakakuki-san)<p> So as promised, I called up Nakakuki-san at <a href="http://www.garage-chikara.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Garage Chikara</span></a> this past week to follow up on some questions I had, as well as several everyone was asking me, after my first post.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - this is too expensive! Why?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - according to Nakakuki-san, those inquiring customers who have owned GT-Rs for awhile have all agreed that the pricing is fair or even inexpensive (note - I myself agree), with most of those who are complaining about the price being too high, either new GT-R owners or non-owners. The price is high but on par with the OEM part; plus because of the limited numbers of the product being planned, there cannot be economies of scale like with an OEM company like Nissan.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - will this be available for vehicles in LHD countries?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - the product/bulb already has the E-mark, if that helps; I did not get a direct answer but if your country requires, by law, the proper cut-mark (light pattern), I think it will depend on how many requests the company gets. This link has a <a href="http://www.smith-one.com/headlightconversions/conversion.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">nice diagram of the difference in light patterns</span></a>.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - If your current headlamp housing is in good shape, why not just replace the current bulbs with LED bulbs? </p><p><u>Answer</u> - As you may know, the OEM Series 3 unit uses a D2 Xenon bulb for low beam and H1 for high beam. However, in their research they could not find equivalent LED bulbs that satisfied their requirements. Also given the higher output of modern LEDs it is likely that you would want the lens to be precisely made in order to prevent excessive glare to oncoming traffic.</p><p>(see the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2hEEERPBpD/?img_index=6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Veleno IG page</span></a> for the photo that shows how clean the cut line is)</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - is it possible to buy the same new Veleno Mortale LED H11 bulbs and install in your current headlamp housings?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - no, as the original housing is not designed for H/8H11 bulbs fitment.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - will there be a harness adaptor to allow use in Series 1 (<i>Zenki</i>), Series 2 (<i>chuuki</i>), as well as Series 3 (<i>kohki</i>) cars?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - unsure about what method at the time of my call, but yes they will ensure the unit works with all variants of the BCNR33.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - where is the English language ordering website?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - coming soon! (I will insert link here when it is up!)</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - what is the origin story of this product?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - it turns out that Matsuda-san and Nakakuki-san were at the 2022 Veleno end of year party (<i>bonenkai</i>) where they started to discuss how an LED product for their R33s would be a good thing. They proposed the idea there to Veleno president Yumi-san, and one year later... And meanwhile they also learned that the ballast units used in the Xenon D2 headlights are no longer available new. Meaning that if the ballast unit dies, people have to find another source of lighting anyway (apparently this is happening on a frequent basis with Lancer Evos, which Nakakuki-san also services). So further justification for this LED project.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - is this the same unit that Garage Active had advertised, briefly?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - no. Apparently some guys from GA did make inquiries with Veleno to check this one out, however...right before that post was taken down...</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - what about the R32 and R34 GT-Rs?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - based on how well the 33 units have been received, they are in the planning stages for products for these cars as well.</p><p><u><span style="color: red;">Question</span></u> - any other LED products for the 33 in the future?</p><p><u>Answer</u> - maybe...</p><p>Did I miss any? Let me know if any of you have any follow-up questions!</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-91926907165023435862024-01-15T00:01:00.001+09:002024-01-31T12:24:50.486+09:00OEM Look LED Series 3 Headlights by VELENO! (@Tokyo Auto Salon 2024) - Part 1<p>Happy New Year friends!</p><p>Having seen some social media posts (and an advert in last month's GT-R Magazine) about a new product from LED specialist <a href="https://veleno.jp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Veleno</span></a> (working together with Nismo Super GT racing driver <a href="http://tsugio-blog.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Tsugio Matsuda</span></a>) - namely a completely new Series 3 (kohki) headlamp unit incorporating LEDs for both low and high beams, this year I decided to make the 90 minute train ride from Yokohama to Makuhari Messe in Chiba where Tokyo Auto Salon 2024 is being held this weekend.</p><p>I quickly made my way to the Veleno booth, and finally saw Matsuda-san's R33 GT-R in the flesh! I've seen this car in GT-R Magazine, as well as on YouTube (with Matsuda-san driving in it) so it was cool to finally see it in person.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9d-PoYzvLcXvIjVGUs35GND63mQGcpGgcJBwYPF3OtQkifDLGIKxbPypVRM7scYDrqtN_azXJpdGtIzvD92W_8VU8H-ja8I9AcT2ZRo5MJYfhXb0OVznAbI3GMEiQW5C-rsP6Kcam93jAJBRmwD8ufttM98SLnrDuUVDMxVQ5klr4YRb06q03x1uQdk/s4032/20240112_095348.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9d-PoYzvLcXvIjVGUs35GND63mQGcpGgcJBwYPF3OtQkifDLGIKxbPypVRM7scYDrqtN_azXJpdGtIzvD92W_8VU8H-ja8I9AcT2ZRo5MJYfhXb0OVznAbI3GMEiQW5C-rsP6Kcam93jAJBRmwD8ufttM98SLnrDuUVDMxVQ5klr4YRb06q03x1uQdk/w640-h480/20240112_095348.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>But looking more closely, I was really surprised to see that IF this car had the new LED units, it did not look like it had LEDs in there at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m9PdwMyZrB0W3xwdvxfx_2o9eAMIwezSS0nuJho1FPKM7Y_Has0fsrwPDrPSV8uCVR3WmW85pscclwwXAwVe-zfMRQug1EQ8ukD8xsBT6Yni4vq03Ozs9g0fOZixYNF_BjnGsihQjDsGX-3vDnQneIpGMjuVMOAP9finkKqlpjxohGOmeWXpltf8OSA/s4032/20240112_095355.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m9PdwMyZrB0W3xwdvxfx_2o9eAMIwezSS0nuJho1FPKM7Y_Has0fsrwPDrPSV8uCVR3WmW85pscclwwXAwVe-zfMRQug1EQ8ukD8xsBT6Yni4vq03Ozs9g0fOZixYNF_BjnGsihQjDsGX-3vDnQneIpGMjuVMOAP9finkKqlpjxohGOmeWXpltf8OSA/w640-h480/20240112_095355.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Ok here is a close-up. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T2QD8-4jwpF0rYSqptoJ5K8mUwyVlpli8Hc1o4IkmZTHtVPD-ku91i6S-qjdJLUBOOB_2Hwjj8ECj7LNc4h2RXBG6_rz9Pz8HCt-04ZAP2EoqQqFPLzyJT2Ap8JdgK_fDVCpNtTDCETUVnnJ9N7j3NZftPqfPtB14woGrhk2cFiV7JEhliNi1Og39co/s4032/20240112_095359.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T2QD8-4jwpF0rYSqptoJ5K8mUwyVlpli8Hc1o4IkmZTHtVPD-ku91i6S-qjdJLUBOOB_2Hwjj8ECj7LNc4h2RXBG6_rz9Pz8HCt-04ZAP2EoqQqFPLzyJT2Ap8JdgK_fDVCpNtTDCETUVnnJ9N7j3NZftPqfPtB14woGrhk2cFiV7JEhliNi1Og39co/w640-h480/20240112_095359.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I asked around and was introduced to Nakakuki-san of <a href="http://www.garage-chikara.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Garage Chikara</span></a>, who was co-hosting the event (turns out that Nakakuki-san owns a Series 1 R33, is an R33 GT-R fan, and has long been itching to upgrade the headlights on his 33 to LEDs - so this project made it happen!) with Reiz Trading (the company that sells the Veleno brand bulbs). This answers why Veleno did not come out with LED headlights for the 32 or 34... <div><br /></div><div>So - and I will update in a future blog post with more on the back story about how all this happened, but meanwhile, here are the particulars that Nakakuki-san shared with me. I am also following up on some technical questions as well, so if you have any, please do leave a comment and I will follow up on those too! For example, I was told by Nakakuki-san that both bulbs for low and high beam are H8 bulbs, but the Japanese website states the high beams are H11. And yes, I know that they are very close to the <a href="https://headlightreviews.com/h8-vs-h11-headlight-bulbs-whats-the-difference/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">same form factor</span></a> and that there are slight differences, but what is the actual situation here?</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway - first, an English language website (for ordering) is coming in the near future - probably next month. So yes, you will be able to order and purchase these units from outside Japan, and yes they will have no problem sending these out by international post. No need for a middleman service.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second, the projected run is about 200 sets initially, but if there is more demand then of course they will continue to produce more. It is important to note that the current retail price is an "early bird" special, in that the high and low beam bulbs - valued at 66,000 yen (with Japanese VAT) are included for no additional cost. The units will be ready for sale sometime between March and May, likely during April. After the initial run, it seems the bulbs will be an extra cost.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third, the harness for these kits is plug and play for Series 3, but the displayed red car is actually a Series 2, so obviously a retrofit is possible. However, if you watch the demo video before, you will see that when the high beam is on, the low beams shut off, which is consistent with what the Series 1 and 2 OEM lights do - but NOT the headlights for the Series 3 cars, where the low beam stays on - because of the Xenon bulb. I will find out more details on whether any harness modifications are needed (but IIRC, he said there were not, so...)</div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LqzBZ8IX2lc" width="320" youtube-src-id="LqzBZ8IX2lc"></iframe></div><br /><div>I managed to capture these still shots during the video. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYlQFltZZSA4ZPLnYh175kw4HUQUaVseFWhYowm5exFZLbnjiI5AbiqHoOSAON0qB6y5Y7LU4PIf0wynu5WhZ6YPpyqi2EoFHEoucmbVuVEBa0XhOs6bIq4IkVcsCD412tyzWGx53Y0n7zh_3gMXIwGFEIhC47BwT6dKD3PF72uzYX5j7o7HEKd32TU4/s1920/20240112_100805.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYlQFltZZSA4ZPLnYh175kw4HUQUaVseFWhYowm5exFZLbnjiI5AbiqHoOSAON0qB6y5Y7LU4PIf0wynu5WhZ6YPpyqi2EoFHEoucmbVuVEBa0XhOs6bIq4IkVcsCD412tyzWGx53Y0n7zh_3gMXIwGFEIhC47BwT6dKD3PF72uzYX5j7o7HEKd32TU4/w640-h360/20240112_100805.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low beam - incredibly bright, although I wish they had kept one side the original Xenon for comparison</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYlQFltZZSA4ZPLnYh175kw4HUQUaVseFWhYowm5exFZLbnjiI5AbiqHoOSAON0qB6y5Y7LU4PIf0wynu5WhZ6YPpyqi2EoFHEoucmbVuVEBa0XhOs6bIq4IkVcsCD412tyzWGx53Y0n7zh_3gMXIwGFEIhC47BwT6dKD3PF72uzYX5j7o7HEKd32TU4/s1920/20240112_100805.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1QbCg_Ut9hyMSrkeY_qQ1K3z-E8It9MbcYPqsBcoiuRVchRCYqeFr1d_3SQhUhhqAc1B6Y7aILhOFlW5yPRcvF56Lb9HwczEa8G-CM679SxocvT9ZgGuvw0uFg0xBgnIoBGHeRuZ61aVk8fA5BSfiiMe3i-pei7KqLEfVTdX5hWm9wtL34mCAFtsuMI/s1920/20240112_100812.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1QbCg_Ut9hyMSrkeY_qQ1K3z-E8It9MbcYPqsBcoiuRVchRCYqeFr1d_3SQhUhhqAc1B6Y7aILhOFlW5yPRcvF56Lb9HwczEa8G-CM679SxocvT9ZgGuvw0uFg0xBgnIoBGHeRuZ61aVk8fA5BSfiiMe3i-pei7KqLEfVTdX5hWm9wtL34mCAFtsuMI/w640-h360/20240112_100812.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blinding high beam! But low beams turn off just like the Series 3 OEM units</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmshsymobt7lwTenLC6vJNltj070rgKu8Ku79tOdZJ-NwpZ9FD94U0_5VhLlOZDTJSX6IqupTahE9kxsfV5_gepnlkOirCkER-U_dOcWLGncGukkbI11u4yNEgAdvLWIXLntsadStfw5MI9icvEHn1WOy2SUtFiUbQFAm-BnXbc6co1N3xaqUteo0rGo/s1616/DSC00734.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmshsymobt7lwTenLC6vJNltj070rgKu8Ku79tOdZJ-NwpZ9FD94U0_5VhLlOZDTJSX6IqupTahE9kxsfV5_gepnlkOirCkER-U_dOcWLGncGukkbI11u4yNEgAdvLWIXLntsadStfw5MI9icvEHn1WOy2SUtFiUbQFAm-BnXbc6co1N3xaqUteo0rGo/w640-h428/DSC00734.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There were a few other cars on display too. There was a manual Z sporting a Nismo body kit (i.e. hint hint Nissan this is how the Z Nismo should be...) As well as this very clean Autech 4 door GT-R.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYf1oWZrS5CrXA6p_s0OFHsgITTIGKOfrcmi4oYtI-Pcxiwbt9y87hGl7w8ohWaK8HWl5z78R5FZ4HLW-0533Bq0XgZzNk2A4iO9gRHbI1qUidQPBE_ggzyl-3r2fAv1md0zJjVkkZDi3Qmdjf-beRXb0kpz_v3s6tEAFV2Sn5WwGfwR1n5CJi1y_pu8/s1616/DSC00741.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYf1oWZrS5CrXA6p_s0OFHsgITTIGKOfrcmi4oYtI-Pcxiwbt9y87hGl7w8ohWaK8HWl5z78R5FZ4HLW-0533Bq0XgZzNk2A4iO9gRHbI1qUidQPBE_ggzyl-3r2fAv1md0zJjVkkZDi3Qmdjf-beRXb0kpz_v3s6tEAFV2Sn5WwGfwR1n5CJi1y_pu8/w640-h428/DSC00741.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turns out this Autech is also one of Matsuda-san's cars...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUXbB16mNhEtvPLSpOlWJxDaIWnmkDAbGFhVZtjgWxHX1AKlaTxluKDnZisalJaXN3Z78wn59HguYQGsc_dvw9yOT6d8DnQzJahfuJd-OC6a_D1lqkbATOS__TKkbRYUAyT59pvv4vdQMJXamaqXTiuWYpoasd1JF20nYAW-K6ltWUlxpNZF5KWiP8DY/s1616/DSC00733.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUXbB16mNhEtvPLSpOlWJxDaIWnmkDAbGFhVZtjgWxHX1AKlaTxluKDnZisalJaXN3Z78wn59HguYQGsc_dvw9yOT6d8DnQzJahfuJd-OC6a_D1lqkbATOS__TKkbRYUAyT59pvv4vdQMJXamaqXTiuWYpoasd1JF20nYAW-K6ltWUlxpNZF5KWiP8DY/w640-h428/DSC00733.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;">I still don't know what purpose this half clip served, other than to allow the models to sit down behind it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDhBoAVl07AUvQKJv8GYhxaawTlajr5KPtEd2NVaFWufdnlSzqAUV6lcxwXU3wFmZIfE7CJtNQnux75pAGT8Yg7j-Tob1IouawFq-yoUm0wktT4FecFyFJStmOUW8z8S2PVHIn07D9o9DVKa_QoDPtwSj4CX0ocbXSk2Rf8k_s6euse2C9mSBKuxCLwU/s1616/DSC00735.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDhBoAVl07AUvQKJv8GYhxaawTlajr5KPtEd2NVaFWufdnlSzqAUV6lcxwXU3wFmZIfE7CJtNQnux75pAGT8Yg7j-Tob1IouawFq-yoUm0wktT4FecFyFJStmOUW8z8S2PVHIn07D9o9DVKa_QoDPtwSj4CX0ocbXSk2Rf8k_s6euse2C9mSBKuxCLwU/w640-h428/DSC00735.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Oh and it was also hooked up to show off what could be possible, strobe light-wise?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6kGgtPy3plI" width="320" youtube-src-id="6kGgtPy3plI"></iframe></div><br /><div>Meanwhile, as I was talking to Nakakuki-san in the back, a crowd was forming outside - so when I looked out I saw this:</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi476IS7_CxqgcBPPAbKTAHmSTvPJP_-dVYMsaah0BJKw4TUyt2i6PbgujxLUk9lZAln0FlXOe5yyUcgJeP4IVqCyOegMILovV2hIYsH332VEjClYnT-05ZiuPEgVmGisXXGu2I8o1s1Ct2qYXvgpcZcUqtekxBlfGtV6MKN1oZ8Z2iGkbzHsfpsj2_ths/s1616/DSC00738.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi476IS7_CxqgcBPPAbKTAHmSTvPJP_-dVYMsaah0BJKw4TUyt2i6PbgujxLUk9lZAln0FlXOe5yyUcgJeP4IVqCyOegMILovV2hIYsH332VEjClYnT-05ZiuPEgVmGisXXGu2I8o1s1Ct2qYXvgpcZcUqtekxBlfGtV6MKN1oZ8Z2iGkbzHsfpsj2_ths/w640-h428/DSC00738.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Models posing with the half cut. One way to draw a crowd I guess...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Veleno also had their other products on display, including the "Impact Blaster" which was apparently some kind of anti-bacterial ozone generator for your car...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-H6kaDgz-OMBQIF5Abc50au0yeZWrnL1ySX9amaWw5_Q2lb02HS1Q-LUGxhMbxSm09tDTxq9uLdiZlaUAkaT_8B6kLDfajTfeJJBUGsLmpxjrC67VBfQ-EdVTr-7IImwdUY44qjEiT4NcYRt-AwPGnGKvxXnO4F_BFmsAkDqz-kc4JIQXP2G_MD6nGg/s1616/DSC00739.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-H6kaDgz-OMBQIF5Abc50au0yeZWrnL1ySX9amaWw5_Q2lb02HS1Q-LUGxhMbxSm09tDTxq9uLdiZlaUAkaT_8B6kLDfajTfeJJBUGsLmpxjrC67VBfQ-EdVTr-7IImwdUY44qjEiT4NcYRt-AwPGnGKvxXnO4F_BFmsAkDqz-kc4JIQXP2G_MD6nGg/w640-h428/DSC00739.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Anyway, rest assured I do myself have a set on order already, and will post my impressions once I get them installed. Maybe do a video showing the difference between the LED and the Xenon (I know I am going to miss that "warm up blue" effect...).</div><div><br /></div>Finally, this being Tokyo Auto Salon - well there are a bunch of other websites and social media platforms showing more content. For me, this is a shot of how it looked when I first entered the main area of Makuhari Messe (the convention hall that hosts Tokyo Auto Salon). Me being me, somehow I found myself entering exactly where CraftSports (GT-R specialists) had their display...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4Ch9pcjU0M2O07vY6wjxZ_blvZzESJt3_azH49M35T3KyYYTjs-oNjsN7f7Ydgzdw7MUzNIUN34pFq56bokzyOx2jOVmHMkHzNRu2gxeMH_nOhglWuW9JVg91mPqfgTU0IAr5m7q3o1j4wc7UJhfq0k6FKGFPEPUm-KVg7f5mk4mbqjK56ZM4JVDCGs/s1616/DSC00727.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4Ch9pcjU0M2O07vY6wjxZ_blvZzESJt3_azH49M35T3KyYYTjs-oNjsN7f7Ydgzdw7MUzNIUN34pFq56bokzyOx2jOVmHMkHzNRu2gxeMH_nOhglWuW9JVg91mPqfgTU0IAr5m7q3o1j4wc7UJhfq0k6FKGFPEPUm-KVg7f5mk4mbqjK56ZM4JVDCGs/w640-h428/DSC00727.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Stay tuned for more updates!</p></div></div></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-49323880623646527472023-12-10T23:36:00.002+09:002023-12-10T23:36:37.427+09:00Nismo Festival 2023 - Some Random Photos...<p>Friends, as I was volunteering my time to help out at the Nismo Omori Factory dispaly (with their 4 CRS demo cars) I did not have have much time for photos, but my friend Henning also sent some over to share so...</p><p>Well here is the one I took:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3D5-hXy49l9fGxbYmP8rcXtc6XZ__d9pIu7lZ5MwFuf-cx3-X5A7WwbR2ju7xapX1nRvsBoExmZ1aVzOLR57JPRFit8puInWE26lQvGJodBQeZuHGlagJhXIeQH4sOxSxVZErBA3_JlySFC5AQJwSOVfvrAsJt2KF3ry9iVENQq2pERd6AZ-7Fg3fCo/s4032/r33crs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3D5-hXy49l9fGxbYmP8rcXtc6XZ__d9pIu7lZ5MwFuf-cx3-X5A7WwbR2ju7xapX1nRvsBoExmZ1aVzOLR57JPRFit8puInWE26lQvGJodBQeZuHGlagJhXIeQH4sOxSxVZErBA3_JlySFC5AQJwSOVfvrAsJt2KF3ry9iVENQq2pERd6AZ-7Fg3fCo/w640-h480/r33crs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spent most of time there trying to figure out why so shiny...</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>And these are his - thanks Henning!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTytjwr-HTxxGLjF6neddatFtLdhSLWPI2pRuojqVRaQfrjktYxUIUPqvSPza_4U2-vpuSsLFG68unoS0Db4BZbksFm7iRCTeZ6oOyRpPtPYjPOnwrnqtZoeiztyrriSuaqXPWmvw2S_CBTcqfnPMJ7fE7y5diVOzXdGe6ve3feUyAUwrjsvzbuQ6VOhk/s1567/1701671639767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1567" data-original-width="1045" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTytjwr-HTxxGLjF6neddatFtLdhSLWPI2pRuojqVRaQfrjktYxUIUPqvSPza_4U2-vpuSsLFG68unoS0Db4BZbksFm7iRCTeZ6oOyRpPtPYjPOnwrnqtZoeiztyrriSuaqXPWmvw2S_CBTcqfnPMJ7fE7y5diVOzXdGe6ve3feUyAUwrjsvzbuQ6VOhk/w426-h640/1701671639767.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7DzoTQZaLWwpsUcyhJI8rpZsGB6Le6I1L3ruOGbWowJ9DHyC7cUyN_MobPtwI6Em-_DjaSnGsKJqfIrwN1WXRL2xIAtd8BeUMqubCPYd8jcgjpLVKtgwsKyX1OBHtEWdDDmI_yKAv1EOcPoPh8S30KTOHwa7uYMElrXf9wy5Xjzgunvnt-5gmziHHd4/s1567/1701671639886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1567" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7DzoTQZaLWwpsUcyhJI8rpZsGB6Le6I1L3ruOGbWowJ9DHyC7cUyN_MobPtwI6Em-_DjaSnGsKJqfIrwN1WXRL2xIAtd8BeUMqubCPYd8jcgjpLVKtgwsKyX1OBHtEWdDDmI_yKAv1EOcPoPh8S30KTOHwa7uYMElrXf9wy5Xjzgunvnt-5gmziHHd4/w640-h426/1701671639886.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nissan CEO Uchida-san and Nismo CEO Katagiri-san</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseJV8xwErjokrHL7mfq2D3lVwEGS31TvPQ6DbyPsAT7q7w4-9ro0TlLmaQ8r8sA2Uhyb8vcnWA4qZ4NLuhLTIcg8WOU_1aqVnazgtNkEDiIXi82m8UCPtD_cRJ3VxkaSyxhcyJaDpRip-F3vxvZw1TxHSWIvS0mljPc78T1rKtudB0-GpyLQmmOey_GE/s1567/1701671639918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1567" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseJV8xwErjokrHL7mfq2D3lVwEGS31TvPQ6DbyPsAT7q7w4-9ro0TlLmaQ8r8sA2Uhyb8vcnWA4qZ4NLuhLTIcg8WOU_1aqVnazgtNkEDiIXi82m8UCPtD_cRJ3VxkaSyxhcyJaDpRip-F3vxvZw1TxHSWIvS0mljPc78T1rKtudB0-GpyLQmmOey_GE/w640-h426/1701671639918.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the classic dumbbell motif there around the headlights and grill</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6A6_vwWqMVosA7-TTnxqC9NH2haJ2D8LMGcxCCuCn9K_Jv22J2nf-wx5Onz6e3fntFEqcM9oCO2f1_XdS7e7M3MnZrzdfQyUiZGPseUY7EUJ2vvO95C6ciD2bpaQw2JuoLuyOWmC8TVoR9eefVkPeC4uSToWq5gA8uXW7SBbBfCuS3SG2hi3L5e64Ow/s1567/1701671639948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1567" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6A6_vwWqMVosA7-TTnxqC9NH2haJ2D8LMGcxCCuCn9K_Jv22J2nf-wx5Onz6e3fntFEqcM9oCO2f1_XdS7e7M3MnZrzdfQyUiZGPseUY7EUJ2vvO95C6ciD2bpaQw2JuoLuyOWmC8TVoR9eefVkPeC4uSToWq5gA8uXW7SBbBfCuS3SG2hi3L5e64Ow/w640-h426/1701671639948.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Argh! Actually, that should be "Nissan Motorsports International"...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR8gpFEUImjg463BoXF2R0LSDiLbv5JDv8tohLkQkYDkBjy04sdszugNd50C1rm3j4tUp3d2VVk617dVXpPCb2S265_G4R_Pmn4ETjtOO3jz34EKZR0bqVvta9o7AIq2neaENuSifMQvs56NVAlyg0IXAplOPf7DbtyyPXXSiWGlD_-otUxGIAxdnv1g/s1567/1701671639980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1567" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR8gpFEUImjg463BoXF2R0LSDiLbv5JDv8tohLkQkYDkBjy04sdszugNd50C1rm3j4tUp3d2VVk617dVXpPCb2S265_G4R_Pmn4ETjtOO3jz34EKZR0bqVvta9o7AIq2neaENuSifMQvs56NVAlyg0IXAplOPf7DbtyyPXXSiWGlD_-otUxGIAxdnv1g/w640-h426/1701671639980.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice R31, not sure why it has the 33 license plate though...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrh27Ba463J7VWLZ9zQ_l8q6fSVhXLqNjTXglWS56fxfZX-BQCkHJHMP2Soc79KOClTr1zvS_uJm0XQQNNH63spJ1OIljnd-8QNkuIpqbXy9G8W-qHh_BB3EASOO0ia7z8JXpfBBo9u-BrBl0GxqeXO5VgYIR4cXKSfDKwuUEkBpujYhERN8LD0pGCNHo/s1567/1701671640013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1567" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrh27Ba463J7VWLZ9zQ_l8q6fSVhXLqNjTXglWS56fxfZX-BQCkHJHMP2Soc79KOClTr1zvS_uJm0XQQNNH63spJ1OIljnd-8QNkuIpqbXy9G8W-qHh_BB3EASOO0ia7z8JXpfBBo9u-BrBl0GxqeXO5VgYIR4cXKSfDKwuUEkBpujYhERN8LD0pGCNHo/w640-h426/1701671640013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henning says this is his favorite photo of the day, hard to disagree...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>So what next... I have a couple of ideas, but not sure quite yet...Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-60211236150644903742023-12-02T22:59:00.001+09:002023-12-02T22:59:37.617+09:00CONSULT to the Rescue/Benetec Dry Carbon Rear Wing<p>Some of you may have seen me on social media paying more than one visit to <a href="https://www.nismo.co.jp/omori_factory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Nismo Omori Factory</span></a> recently. And in fact, just a couple of weeks ago my friend Matt met me at Omori Factory where we picked up my car for<a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2023/11/my-first-visit-to-trust-kikaku.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> our trip to Trust Kikaku</span></a>. (Thanks for the photos, Matt!)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR__a2gPqj-Cse0aNZm5A4m9ySx8RwFhdXDgohGJ8zM76niciTn20F-lnUJg3Vno6o5GgIMny7K9G08lKJPxM8bnwYq6ZcLJoH0xO4p4EktdZAHGmu21CxzNJlY9YF_2RagVaW7lSqu_liP6XbW5bo-OJ_JJSX4yCrdFmWvKsf8PKD73XRQFuwWzK-zw0/s2048/371547511_2731011940370019_2023432273601540630_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR__a2gPqj-Cse0aNZm5A4m9ySx8RwFhdXDgohGJ8zM76niciTn20F-lnUJg3Vno6o5GgIMny7K9G08lKJPxM8bnwYq6ZcLJoH0xO4p4EktdZAHGmu21CxzNJlY9YF_2RagVaW7lSqu_liP6XbW5bo-OJ_JJSX4yCrdFmWvKsf8PKD73XRQFuwWzK-zw0/w480-h640/371547511_2731011940370019_2023432273601540630_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjA-OahSyGALV7hzy-fbvsnbhONaBfci6OtmJQYYpvzCk2Ab81ykkd2d_p6hJiibtPJc48wYPQvoEbEaHvlYtqZxkNYIbORM2o3Y1W5Yysn_LWfxBRFm-rmJOiosZHA9a6vjHTxD9_fM-WPU4xOcJA9tynWmB9OgjLmNaGkmwi180m_YtL1S9QZMrS9o/s2048/368083243_344272931589370_4501914173563812918_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjA-OahSyGALV7hzy-fbvsnbhONaBfci6OtmJQYYpvzCk2Ab81ykkd2d_p6hJiibtPJc48wYPQvoEbEaHvlYtqZxkNYIbORM2o3Y1W5Yysn_LWfxBRFm-rmJOiosZHA9a6vjHTxD9_fM-WPU4xOcJA9tynWmB9OgjLmNaGkmwi180m_YtL1S9QZMrS9o/w640-h480/368083243_344272931589370_4501914173563812918_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>But why was my car there, and what work was getting done to it? Two things actually...</p><p>First, about a week earlier I had <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2023/11/removing-my-most-annoying-mod-of-choice.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">removed the RAPFIX II steering wheel boss for my old Daiki one</span></a>, which somehow caused my Airbag warning lamp to blink continuously. So the day before <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2023/11/my-first-visit-to-trust-kikaku.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Matt and I visited Trust Kikaku</span></a>, Friday, I dropped the car off before heading into work so that Ochiai-san could hook up the <a href="https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/SUSTAINABILITY/SOCIAL/QUALITY/STORY/CONSULT/#:~:text=It%27s%20called%20CONSULT.,system%20and%20check%20for%20malfunctions." rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">CONSULT</span></a> to my car and figure out why. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA5UIGjEMyqIo3eRzTcsUP683os2hwbNS7Ij35DykcxrtH-DBCZSNzm3hr0crq_d-n_U7bJ25vgRaXIoWK3rrMSpJ5q23ROfUxzYKa3lnzOFPoq93C5qHqkzf4kEAKGSdeIJ0Kw2JtV5YO0JkGuMP5x3gNuktejHHcLMCUqr10ssIj3lgCg81vAtyc3s/s4032/20231110_104638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA5UIGjEMyqIo3eRzTcsUP683os2hwbNS7Ij35DykcxrtH-DBCZSNzm3hr0crq_d-n_U7bJ25vgRaXIoWK3rrMSpJ5q23ROfUxzYKa3lnzOFPoq93C5qHqkzf4kEAKGSdeIJ0Kw2JtV5YO0JkGuMP5x3gNuktejHHcLMCUqr10ssIj3lgCg81vAtyc3s/w640-h480/20231110_104638.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems like each time my car has a problem, it's raining...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVy40NRBocs7tnj2jcWZCoeswoaJsAvIv-50pB0EQ1pPh7dg3qKLvM89HU_445PGznyPCSHjda4QTuSYX7wKMxzFcXTwWPuTPxY-Ahu9IDGhhnmzBbIh2LqYHC6ivBVD507E2at0UkUTlqjJ1gp2Oj9cI-y7EtqQPGXFe46u-O9DN_zEflcsH6MJ-9OVQ/s4032/20231110_104906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVy40NRBocs7tnj2jcWZCoeswoaJsAvIv-50pB0EQ1pPh7dg3qKLvM89HU_445PGznyPCSHjda4QTuSYX7wKMxzFcXTwWPuTPxY-Ahu9IDGhhnmzBbIh2LqYHC6ivBVD507E2at0UkUTlqjJ1gp2Oj9cI-y7EtqQPGXFe46u-O9DN_zEflcsH6MJ-9OVQ/w640-h480/20231110_104906.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxd35oNFPMVyInEge_XYCZf_K7e1jV2FtQHT_8uzHDXrFRvEQi_XP65PlCEUsJ5n8_mtTObEu-nxf-5JVZE2Y8NAe3LGM3wDWWrXRpiVMEyUk0EmSNnLVV6rVaG7koTEHL4wBu3v7E68OYU6vnNU42TjTZDqsvcc3DNry2mUqPs8GSccn5SaJrOeX26cY/s4032/20231110_104948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxd35oNFPMVyInEge_XYCZf_K7e1jV2FtQHT_8uzHDXrFRvEQi_XP65PlCEUsJ5n8_mtTObEu-nxf-5JVZE2Y8NAe3LGM3wDWWrXRpiVMEyUk0EmSNnLVV6rVaG7koTEHL4wBu3v7E68OYU6vnNU42TjTZDqsvcc3DNry2mUqPs8GSccn5SaJrOeX26cY/w640-h480/20231110_104948.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Short 24 hour stay this time!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Incidentally, I have been told that replacing my ECU with something more modern like a Haltech or MOTEC, would result in not being able to use this CONSULT tool for stuff like this. Not sure if true, but if so it sure explains why so many Japanese tuners stick to using the stock Nissan engine ECU as the basis for their tuned ECUs (such as Mine's VX-ROM, HKS' F-Con, etc.). Anyone know if I can use CONSULT with a MOTEC?</p><p>But in any case, Ochiai-san told me that CONSULT showed that my taking the airbag resistor out and replacing with the older one during the steering wheel boss swap had triggered the ECU to record an error, hence the flashing warning light. Via CONSULT he reset it and the flashing was gone.</p><p>Second and more substantively, Nismo Omori had gotten one of their paint shops they work with to apply a clear UV coat to a dry carbon wing I had been lucky enough to pick up through sheer luck.</p><p>Last December another friend alerted me to a stock clearance sale at <a href="https://www.benetec.jp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Benetec</span></a>. So those of us who know, know that Benetec is a small shop in Shizuoka specializing in dry carbon fiber products. Some car stuff, some industrial things, but most interestingly, wheelchairs as well (makes sense actually). So I was curious to see what part Benetec might have on sale - and it was the<a href="https://www.benetec.jp/c-000/1882.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> BCNR33 rear wing</span></a>! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2sWf2-4eqVyD7E7EREc5HV_aOhb3W7mSW5ZpYzSy1U7WfC1NpoUGQEJYMELsdEik0Man5bkbTcj3Am_ZDhIVt9fSxIgBa9Xgyya7KsJDclKO-x7dDb1MZMlA3bRmCW4xpBOURqHo0gE7VeufqV8kicZZB6oC0EmIQfuLDQyivgqwFc0OYbK6Vf63LXA/s300/DSC01371_R-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2sWf2-4eqVyD7E7EREc5HV_aOhb3W7mSW5ZpYzSy1U7WfC1NpoUGQEJYMELsdEik0Man5bkbTcj3Am_ZDhIVt9fSxIgBa9Xgyya7KsJDclKO-x7dDb1MZMlA3bRmCW4xpBOURqHo0gE7VeufqV8kicZZB6oC0EmIQfuLDQyivgqwFc0OYbK6Vf63LXA/w320-h240/DSC01371_R-300x225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddqFXnyNLcqGpQFbXtIGnnyrkXpg1EhDNfPKgwfuxnmCO-tBocIx4cx6-mGUEHX3DIEhavMeEHpzk2j_mj0l_eE61TsEqsdsGMMouN4daYOpamggUDELjqmG-IrJwLOsI1Nktmrr0jZluTpoXeVXbMNFFM-QvILNDDWXmRB0JYwYI5l3v2aRO2YiwfzM/s300/DSC01377_R-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddqFXnyNLcqGpQFbXtIGnnyrkXpg1EhDNfPKgwfuxnmCO-tBocIx4cx6-mGUEHX3DIEhavMeEHpzk2j_mj0l_eE61TsEqsdsGMMouN4daYOpamggUDELjqmG-IrJwLOsI1Nktmrr0jZluTpoXeVXbMNFFM-QvILNDDWXmRB0JYwYI5l3v2aRO2YiwfzM/s1600/DSC01377_R-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Here is the description, as translated by me:</p><p>"BCNR33 Rear Wing, Normal Shape Specification"</p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Wing outer surface<a href="https://estcarbon.com/blog/carbon-fiber-what-is-k/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> 3K</span></a> <a href="https://estcarbon.com/blog/carbon-fiber-all-patterns-explained/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">twill weave</span></a>, UD fiber, adhesive film FVE9, <a href="https://www.sekisuikasei.com/en/products/materials/st-foamac/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Foamac</span></a>, Wing attachment surface has AL2017 inserts</div><div style="text-align: left;">Wing under side 3K twill weave, <a href="https://estcarbon.com/blog/carbon-fiber-what-is-k/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">12K</span></a> flat weave, adhesive film FVE9, honeycomb 3mm</div><div style="text-align: left;">Weight 1.19kg</div></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">So yes I got a crash course into carbon fiber terminology thanks to <a href="https://estcarbon.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">this other company's</span></a> website but to be honest I was getting tired of the "old style" carbon fiber bits on my car. Even Nismo has upgraded their B pillar carbon sticker pattern from the 1K flat weave to the 3K twill. And their exterior parts that are genuine carbon fiber, use the 3K twill weave.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9snXGfub68KdWpEmzTUxZlwoN7Q5WFshIRZPUHOqhI5SRlnUR29auimguev8_5c38x2FWyMhjWExsJpO8IAPzMc3g4rLCbknzItrCKqX2IJ6uZuLaZDC_pSRWUKA0UMPcw1aiqdi8dKIOZ5-2cBXwuYIjM0PsKwoK3aAWxbZzX9sYTcb2sRPGtauIF0/s4032/PXL_20210206_060043912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9snXGfub68KdWpEmzTUxZlwoN7Q5WFshIRZPUHOqhI5SRlnUR29auimguev8_5c38x2FWyMhjWExsJpO8IAPzMc3g4rLCbknzItrCKqX2IJ6uZuLaZDC_pSRWUKA0UMPcw1aiqdi8dKIOZ5-2cBXwuYIjM0PsKwoK3aAWxbZzX9sYTcb2sRPGtauIF0/w640-h480/PXL_20210206_060043912.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to make out but it is not the old style weave</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">So already, with the install of this license plate frame front and rear, there were 2 patterns of carbon fiber on my car, this new weave but also the old pattern which I have been running forever.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jpjw64FsxAiKcKws1L_sNRsBj8bKncCoJm-gapc7yenhEUzqzTtB7KQjnBfsUTl_BK946Wg-vyy0uk0K5m2MvzYE8FC7ALhqyeWYuHCrhyqjzeRyW9kc-kpsvscv9LM-TuPm-NQA-KKVp9b8Hz6zAKnrk0YZqek3QIbPExBSbbAraZ6ZgSZKJ0SbbA8/s4032/20231109_220848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jpjw64FsxAiKcKws1L_sNRsBj8bKncCoJm-gapc7yenhEUzqzTtB7KQjnBfsUTl_BK946Wg-vyy0uk0K5m2MvzYE8FC7ALhqyeWYuHCrhyqjzeRyW9kc-kpsvscv9LM-TuPm-NQA-KKVp9b8Hz6zAKnrk0YZqek3QIbPExBSbbAraZ6ZgSZKJ0SbbA8/w640-h480/20231109_220848.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1K flat weave matches my old Yahoo Auction wing and<br /> the "Carbon fiber" Nismo Stickers on the B pillars...</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">However, for me to justify spending money on something that is otherwise for cosmetics only, I had to have a functional reason - and this time, the functional reason was weight savings, because the Yahoo Auction special carbon wing I had been running for quite a few years was a wet carbon product. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Of course, I quickly emailed, got a response that it was still available but that it had not been painted with a clear coat with UV protection. I figured I could easily have it professionally sprayed so I completed the transaction and then a few weeks later it arrived! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FDdn9mMmZL_jVjPAP3leje4YZzOSAcNpy5L5AQMqZ8Bs2NzsPR9wZnHmWSnhk0H4yvzxxs9TkJGuwthp9sFx_9QihsXGa0v0tWAvvCN_cdLxbutMY79O8QZsRR4wPFiYFCoLKMjKncjDiQcQaEJ77M_ro7WJZHmLyKOngKFwDYXFI4d6Rr00tCPY75U/s4032/20231119_202146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FDdn9mMmZL_jVjPAP3leje4YZzOSAcNpy5L5AQMqZ8Bs2NzsPR9wZnHmWSnhk0H4yvzxxs9TkJGuwthp9sFx_9QihsXGa0v0tWAvvCN_cdLxbutMY79O8QZsRR4wPFiYFCoLKMjKncjDiQcQaEJ77M_ro7WJZHmLyKOngKFwDYXFI4d6Rr00tCPY75U/w640-h480/20231119_202146.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was right! The wet carbon wing with the same style and dimensions weighs 1 kg more! </td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">In anticipation of an eventual installation of the new wing, I had gone ahead and also picked these new Yahoo Auction carbon fiber wing end caps from the same company where I had gotten the previous end caps.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ueuvx91Pn1EpAlOyGmHFaUioRG_um8abiEey4yCZNSn0YO83IgkICWleE3L5AzXnyiRevHGdEKebpffoP_3sRD6TxXdJSy58uhp9FSSlJ2U8yoj_UJalr_-0fM1sYOeADXkVdGRLqOPPSAasy8O1Q7xi3n_DB6rfX5UudBotuvTHPWUta-bFqHHJLLU/s4032/20231109_220830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ueuvx91Pn1EpAlOyGmHFaUioRG_um8abiEey4yCZNSn0YO83IgkICWleE3L5AzXnyiRevHGdEKebpffoP_3sRD6TxXdJSy58uhp9FSSlJ2U8yoj_UJalr_-0fM1sYOeADXkVdGRLqOPPSAasy8O1Q7xi3n_DB6rfX5UudBotuvTHPWUta-bFqHHJLLU/w640-h480/20231109_220830.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6SsFIUviVZrxPfGJWdIdehbluQjsrEpkMB5NTqb7xupAB1NgXnmbI8jagJqaUOSsVeC0oF3VcDI6ul5jA_Jem4rnkWjIU8HxUTzcF1v6xIh63t4gCrH6r8pDTXSpCSHBYPDaN28BPcYn0mhrvCyE_m7ZbrNx6YuoIYyh7ScdI2ZZjfb8JqokpRpmCwg/s4032/20231109_221019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6SsFIUviVZrxPfGJWdIdehbluQjsrEpkMB5NTqb7xupAB1NgXnmbI8jagJqaUOSsVeC0oF3VcDI6ul5jA_Jem4rnkWjIU8HxUTzcF1v6xIh63t4gCrH6r8pDTXSpCSHBYPDaN28BPcYn0mhrvCyE_m7ZbrNx6YuoIYyh7ScdI2ZZjfb8JqokpRpmCwg/w640-h480/20231109_221019.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It didn't quite fit... so....</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Unfortunately, the Yahoo Auctions special did not quite fit - barely too big but ALSO slightly too thick, so out came my Dremel...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoq07AzL3V7ZIZuZUQDqDywr30_AOvdoLueFSe0ueu3Z-Emp0q38MhW21j2Z2_6PRpOQRPRc5wUtIyXrsLb4JNvQ0ZPV6jFtNRHMyNfBSR2MRy0o12XOpYgOd7K8pDmyZ1Pu15x9oDYqGbk3I_rISlI7-ejltvfRmk1Npx6aVDJkEHTVf4vgineN9IL8/s4032/20231109_221440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoq07AzL3V7ZIZuZUQDqDywr30_AOvdoLueFSe0ueu3Z-Emp0q38MhW21j2Z2_6PRpOQRPRc5wUtIyXrsLb4JNvQ0ZPV6jFtNRHMyNfBSR2MRy0o12XOpYgOd7K8pDmyZ1Pu15x9oDYqGbk3I_rISlI7-ejltvfRmk1Npx6aVDJkEHTVf4vgineN9IL8/w640-h480/20231109_221440.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There was a LOT of dust generated, I had to wear a mask to keep this epoxy dust from going up my nose.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAq0QHXuJWZVDx9eS5XkAuT1u_m4PMfFG4AWiYRqpgylu3Ed6XuZsQitqpNymhFe6T9tR1dYmqj5FFUyHJp-F3oyNyTeDyRRbX5a9uBuWvRs4ufipq0KsR6QV24AGUJEMtzAmvgOoi8SYkU8Iclsks66Xphyme8vogP3oIkfGG2LVCZhP_Zk5EbaR9UQ/s4032/20231109_222104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAq0QHXuJWZVDx9eS5XkAuT1u_m4PMfFG4AWiYRqpgylu3Ed6XuZsQitqpNymhFe6T9tR1dYmqj5FFUyHJp-F3oyNyTeDyRRbX5a9uBuWvRs4ufipq0KsR6QV24AGUJEMtzAmvgOoi8SYkU8Iclsks66Xphyme8vogP3oIkfGG2LVCZhP_Zk5EbaR9UQ/w640-h480/20231109_222104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Did I mention there was a LOT of dust?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsBt0kNJFKnHYPC2ZL4jjYZgyPu5yOnrAthyju7RqTJuqgZOifZ6KlPP_HO-cZhYeiMh4C6GEncmVDlka74fAla05pkjvEkwB1LcRO5oO04jhCpFSo1E5bQZF7kAkeKaUGNMwQ2Gn8rUdIuZ543lmYb4j4VEe-JiQjlqihGw7CxflOa7nOlUrOR0Apkk/s4032/20231109_224456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsBt0kNJFKnHYPC2ZL4jjYZgyPu5yOnrAthyju7RqTJuqgZOifZ6KlPP_HO-cZhYeiMh4C6GEncmVDlka74fAla05pkjvEkwB1LcRO5oO04jhCpFSo1E5bQZF7kAkeKaUGNMwQ2Gn8rUdIuZ543lmYb4j4VEe-JiQjlqihGw7CxflOa7nOlUrOR0Apkk/w640-h480/20231109_224456.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Anyway, shortly before I removed the RAPFIX II, Ochiai-san at Nismo Omori Factory had called me to tell me their paint specialist shop had finished clear coating the Benetec wing. Naturally, when the Airbag light started going off after I removed the RAPFIX II, I scheduled a time to drop off the car on a Friday to be picked up on Saturday. I was hoping that the flashing light could be reset via the CONSULT tool, and meanwhile, the properly clear-coated dry carbon wing could be installed. I also dropped off the slimmed down wing end caps to be fitted as well.</p><p style="text-align: left;">And that is why I am inspecting both the new wing and the side cap here.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVu3oTYHYJ18lSEWKtMd3_bCSF4WRvEUt8VfwXtVsaV5b0aehLdpIIJD6pOQmp1He9_CRFDy5yF5p19xTrCwuS2z2grshh4qU7GU35ZHHuXbB362WyrIuZCZNW1Afwc0zFMQv2E-5od1eJ9roi0PaaExZnor8X_7QNPhGzogOee3SiwnObP0K9neDetk/s2048/370095951_3166951993613714_1764866418402476376_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVu3oTYHYJ18lSEWKtMd3_bCSF4WRvEUt8VfwXtVsaV5b0aehLdpIIJD6pOQmp1He9_CRFDy5yF5p19xTrCwuS2z2grshh4qU7GU35ZHHuXbB362WyrIuZCZNW1Afwc0zFMQv2E-5od1eJ9roi0PaaExZnor8X_7QNPhGzogOee3SiwnObP0K9neDetk/w640-h480/370095951_3166951993613714_1764866418402476376_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">But the final result - wow! I cannot complain...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgKIqcP4K7uJS-wEGVSVowotdrZrpkBBpdx8I25vi9Ll5qaD8tCepp7lhzxqieHKO55-uIdtld4j2fd-k6CBy9tFakTw6rSV13fDKKi5A0F0yJT1HObA0MCRNQCn94gwLRydcEkh5l50zGBtqhSdazk-XHoBCpbnrIJBBKeoVhLZwWWt2HPF-U14MZRs/s4032/20231118_113012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgKIqcP4K7uJS-wEGVSVowotdrZrpkBBpdx8I25vi9Ll5qaD8tCepp7lhzxqieHKO55-uIdtld4j2fd-k6CBy9tFakTw6rSV13fDKKi5A0F0yJT1HObA0MCRNQCn94gwLRydcEkh5l50zGBtqhSdazk-XHoBCpbnrIJBBKeoVhLZwWWt2HPF-U14MZRs/w640-h480/20231118_113012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Tapping on it makes a different sound too... Anyway, tomorrow is the 2023 Nismo Festival and I have to get up early - I may do a post on it so stay tuned, although I am sure there will be several other people with many more pictures to share...</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-89442066384292006602023-11-26T00:57:00.006+09:002023-12-02T23:00:41.537+09:00Removing My Most Annoying Mod Of Choice<p> So after removing the crap car alarm and stereo that <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2020/08/picked-up-from-nismo-omori-but.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">WORX Auto Alarm had installed in my car</span></a>, I decided that without an alarm, I needed to figure out some ways to make my car <i>harder</i> to steal.</p><p>Enter the removable steering wheel idea.</p><p>This required changing the after market Daikei <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2012/01/mods-for-track-day-part-1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> boss I had installed several years </span></a>ago to fit my steering wheel and replacing it with the <a href="https://www.worksbell.co.jp/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">WorksBell RAPFIX II</span></a> wheel lock system. </p><p>Installation was easy, but there was one problem - it moved the steering wheel a few centimeters closer to the driver, and in my case, made using the turn signal lever a bit of a stretch. Oh and given my short legs, I had to recline the seat to give my arms some space too. Anyway, it always felt unnatural.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX73LF6JaYEKsZdem-WQZi7BX4rruMahVResJJ7Gs2w9YYJ5Zr0ZKfuSmHv8cL7sIkBH4n-j3EzgvoyBGt0qaXDKVjKi2sfZL4JbJzOM8p8Hbya2TcCNq9ubRqqNnJAm3CbpoYSZ0BCfig4dJ6Zz1GCktFSHxkQLHFClgM9yOJV1lLqcdt7OaDTdKcto/s4032/20231014_171418.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX73LF6JaYEKsZdem-WQZi7BX4rruMahVResJJ7Gs2w9YYJ5Zr0ZKfuSmHv8cL7sIkBH4n-j3EzgvoyBGt0qaXDKVjKi2sfZL4JbJzOM8p8Hbya2TcCNq9ubRqqNnJAm3CbpoYSZ0BCfig4dJ6Zz1GCktFSHxkQLHFClgM9yOJV1lLqcdt7OaDTdKcto/w640-h480/20231014_171418.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It was a good idea otherwise, with removal of the wheel very easy - just pull on the silver tab (green arrow pointing) and the entire wheel unlocks due to the very clever mechanism - in essence a column side "male" steel column and the steering wheel with a matching "female" coupler.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zSIOf-IjJkN4f415eqFBfFYEqEK8CLo7uXl7j72ODEnnr9XnoottYxNXgLPJtOqBTCL-tD_GorQpumV4NHeLGJDeDfp45MRFLWvhGv-qiiEsc3arlfOKATT_AtycbrnoCW2dwWq587liUgG8QEbWzskroEo7BgBk6cbOqw8_2rJ82GULX73VBZtAJq0/s4032/20231014_171423.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zSIOf-IjJkN4f415eqFBfFYEqEK8CLo7uXl7j72ODEnnr9XnoottYxNXgLPJtOqBTCL-tD_GorQpumV4NHeLGJDeDfp45MRFLWvhGv-qiiEsc3arlfOKATT_AtycbrnoCW2dwWq587liUgG8QEbWzskroEo7BgBk6cbOqw8_2rJ82GULX73VBZtAJq0/w640-h480/20231014_171423.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Unlocked, it looks like this. And yes, WorksBell sells a steel cap that locks on top of this, with a key lock, to prevent thieves from walking around with their own steering wheel with the matching coupler. (I have one but no photos sorry...)<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbNZxuoMsgZIuN3xWE8uLsKjoMR8-Iwh_wGFwankD90dqgdQ7uJEE3kloMZwfNTu0MI7uKxHasrVwkIPv5b1h8bo1_WhQSS6p-FDa6Uf-yDFvU4NGiLIgPO8pQ8OwGyHwrjKkUkZ-mkG4xiKd7zcVs9AA0CQlzapHNMmu4nTdyB8MxVY19UtConAgPeo/s4032/20231014_171443.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbNZxuoMsgZIuN3xWE8uLsKjoMR8-Iwh_wGFwankD90dqgdQ7uJEE3kloMZwfNTu0MI7uKxHasrVwkIPv5b1h8bo1_WhQSS6p-FDa6Uf-yDFvU4NGiLIgPO8pQ8OwGyHwrjKkUkZ-mkG4xiKd7zcVs9AA0CQlzapHNMmu4nTdyB8MxVY19UtConAgPeo/w640-h480/20231014_171443.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Anyway, I went into my cabinets and found the previous non-lockable/removable Daikei boss, along with the packaging for the RAPFIX II.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYWcKKlOjlN5vQvZU1x46UJ_r5t1dqPjsJglruzdepqPIjEDdUYr6SLPi7C3TO4RjA8thCHhdZS3_w6VASpNjQ_hc_Sbp6dUzi0mPAjSHZXW0BcvEw9D6CJ0KXSU1XNurKBIt9LKjl0AOFDwJmR7UbpETPp0xUiCIFRb10Pcf9lOaw-5VJp2VZPH_jxU/s4032/20231014_172319.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYWcKKlOjlN5vQvZU1x46UJ_r5t1dqPjsJglruzdepqPIjEDdUYr6SLPi7C3TO4RjA8thCHhdZS3_w6VASpNjQ_hc_Sbp6dUzi0mPAjSHZXW0BcvEw9D6CJ0KXSU1XNurKBIt9LKjl0AOFDwJmR7UbpETPp0xUiCIFRb10Pcf9lOaw-5VJp2VZPH_jxU/w640-h480/20231014_172319.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And then took the wheel up to the work bench, to begin the surgery.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiog2l-zXDaYmLIXwaBK_GvTPOhbXKYYKh3gnQ8X71g-clLj4K2p7gVRhqYDem-9KE59QO-svsIDMIf8Zf7bb5tW65PdT5GDfzGVZFgEzsd1631qkwikNq5hkZt75dVmcdnmCEA0d-ijwGGDss7Aew6hyphenhyphenP1I3qYuXT0MO88HUmaS7cHQ70Mzf5gVPMTDNQ/s4032/20231014_173210.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiog2l-zXDaYmLIXwaBK_GvTPOhbXKYYKh3gnQ8X71g-clLj4K2p7gVRhqYDem-9KE59QO-svsIDMIf8Zf7bb5tW65PdT5GDfzGVZFgEzsd1631qkwikNq5hkZt75dVmcdnmCEA0d-ijwGGDss7Aew6hyphenhyphenP1I3qYuXT0MO88HUmaS7cHQ70Mzf5gVPMTDNQ/w640-h480/20231014_173210.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Pretty easy actually. Just undo the allen bolts...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPPWH6_QSjsRqw_4rz9qxIzUrH4f5zHPVCymBNGA0oHxECKuLMYTAYITI1CP1znB9YUzQsSkGqH4_0wBjK4wc1pLjU9geRYbN2XPfxAFvIJCnBd06JETsXLbul1gfqbzrFRYH8cOWkTnEre16KoKBjDJjgsqtc0xER4saioMdJ14MFZybHoooPikUiIM/s4032/20231014_173511.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPPWH6_QSjsRqw_4rz9qxIzUrH4f5zHPVCymBNGA0oHxECKuLMYTAYITI1CP1znB9YUzQsSkGqH4_0wBjK4wc1pLjU9geRYbN2XPfxAFvIJCnBd06JETsXLbul1gfqbzrFRYH8cOWkTnEre16KoKBjDJjgsqtc0xER4saioMdJ14MFZybHoooPikUiIM/w640-h480/20231014_173511.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The female coupler on the right - note the wiring for the horn button</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Next was to remove the steering column side coupler.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFumdbi8tJmiAcAvTcXSD6E9w3vMP0I7-rJUWze_tDp4Z5RQTJSQ8G1gJCLzpB6EG3O-YqVYe-2mHb8N77uIN0G2xFQBot0L_06_SpBf1OLpN_VvDSdkLkHa0vqMbZIWUCYCKaVrmcX0wKwIwaRgX4mr7ZrW4wYwyIKfj5_SQ2U9NVZ6_5-MZG1SBx5Zc/s4032/20231014_180102.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFumdbi8tJmiAcAvTcXSD6E9w3vMP0I7-rJUWze_tDp4Z5RQTJSQ8G1gJCLzpB6EG3O-YqVYe-2mHb8N77uIN0G2xFQBot0L_06_SpBf1OLpN_VvDSdkLkHa0vqMbZIWUCYCKaVrmcX0wKwIwaRgX4mr7ZrW4wYwyIKfj5_SQ2U9NVZ6_5-MZG1SBx5Zc/w640-h480/20231014_180102.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Again, super easy, just undo the allen bolts - here you can see the electrical coupler, along with the round metal ground between then column and the coupler.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqgQowGigTvdE_nqahuJUikh8qdy_Oq5OjuR4f2df8AJcopBzAJGfYz-JrAhFk1kO61nokVDyxSlqtXEmcMxXSuVriV37qBa7LZuMX3aX5M95oGBR8hHT-9wdZoO7hwqx3PFffI1xE0-r0zJD2_c5Wz-MkbIMToGp9ntd-K65DWqs1k5KMAe9Qi_jXD4/s4032/20231014_180312.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqgQowGigTvdE_nqahuJUikh8qdy_Oq5OjuR4f2df8AJcopBzAJGfYz-JrAhFk1kO61nokVDyxSlqtXEmcMxXSuVriV37qBa7LZuMX3aX5M95oGBR8hHT-9wdZoO7hwqx3PFffI1xE0-r0zJD2_c5Wz-MkbIMToGp9ntd-K65DWqs1k5KMAe9Qi_jXD4/w640-h480/20231014_180312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And yes, this one was a bit of a struggle to remove. Despite using this breaker bar, I kept applying so much torque the front wheels kept moving on the epoxy floor...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsariJLHASev9MqcsKR03wxJHJgXJIkwLBIq-qOgiJCEZ5MmGN48lygbCrXytdCJw9kB59jxse07SqDs101QKj6qkvJNH-Zhc2XyEEVHYjBNCfOloTLSkM96VEbQaBWBGvlisM8dDNpAmOBuTMJ98LYYN3CQyApsVWQ4I6cVQrgkUaWHVaP25P28SNBoQ/s4032/20231014_181412.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsariJLHASev9MqcsKR03wxJHJgXJIkwLBIq-qOgiJCEZ5MmGN48lygbCrXytdCJw9kB59jxse07SqDs101QKj6qkvJNH-Zhc2XyEEVHYjBNCfOloTLSkM96VEbQaBWBGvlisM8dDNpAmOBuTMJ98LYYN3CQyApsVWQ4I6cVQrgkUaWHVaP25P28SNBoQ/w640-h480/20231014_181412.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Alas success was soon found, but it did cause me to wonder what I would do if I was unsuccessful in getting that bolt off...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AfU7bzB7lETK7OJPUZSigot2pzRY78iYPm6GGWD6vMCU0O25lmU_mvj-Q3V6IBkU-h8xwvjYays9RNIMq0hdh3enQdc1LqFV9_nrVOrtdiiasXzSNoGrORCi6Z4_vlo8moX8OdlaIOyJ7LDcRnCZ6mQ7XFpJ0xVLQE91qLzAUgmghwhlu39_G1SBMZg/s4032/20231014_181609.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AfU7bzB7lETK7OJPUZSigot2pzRY78iYPm6GGWD6vMCU0O25lmU_mvj-Q3V6IBkU-h8xwvjYays9RNIMq0hdh3enQdc1LqFV9_nrVOrtdiiasXzSNoGrORCi6Z4_vlo8moX8OdlaIOyJ7LDcRnCZ6mQ7XFpJ0xVLQE91qLzAUgmghwhlu39_G1SBMZg/w640-h480/20231014_181609.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the green arrow pointing to the resistor which came with the RAPFIX II - I removed it and put back on the resistor that came with the original short boss. This becomes important later...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>This is a very chunky piece of aluminum...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf7-0G6JoTkz0p6eFKy7erNgofLNvYZTi61xd1l1TOZ6Ma-kEUYy6J1RmZIyRq2QzWOScu1vM9HdbSNnALN_SdO1Fu7o7-EwmRa4ezoZX4XMnPPQC6hgK4FwDlwJXaMFBGPChyphenhypheneOKIJPuNvTG-C79p7UcDOCSZHam7qyZUmsiX7lR7dJin50admQavpw/s4032/20231014_184450.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf7-0G6JoTkz0p6eFKy7erNgofLNvYZTi61xd1l1TOZ6Ma-kEUYy6J1RmZIyRq2QzWOScu1vM9HdbSNnALN_SdO1Fu7o7-EwmRa4ezoZX4XMnPPQC6hgK4FwDlwJXaMFBGPChyphenhypheneOKIJPuNvTG-C79p7UcDOCSZHam7qyZUmsiX7lR7dJin50admQavpw/w640-h480/20231014_184450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So now, I had to reinstall the old boss. And this time, I want to make sure I do not over or under torque. Enter one of my newest tools, a KTC electronic torque wrench!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8Wj3xjmploELVYzUhzcCV1u9mhP0Up8OOXhS0oTpdbdgh-GeZUEK-rgvhlhd7OYAaiBo_l1X1t7oc22PW5SIAtra5jCrnVfuIIq6qPfBHMQOzcqoLpC-VTdcXadSRdP_Talx3n8CRoVgVm4nRpj-NAlJEwIPeW42HtO39pgz8NnRzSSEAsDqeBlTjMw/s4032/20231014_191135.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8Wj3xjmploELVYzUhzcCV1u9mhP0Up8OOXhS0oTpdbdgh-GeZUEK-rgvhlhd7OYAaiBo_l1X1t7oc22PW5SIAtra5jCrnVfuIIq6qPfBHMQOzcqoLpC-VTdcXadSRdP_Talx3n8CRoVgVm4nRpj-NAlJEwIPeW42HtO39pgz8NnRzSSEAsDqeBlTjMw/w640-h480/20231014_191135.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I had picked it up a while ago but had no reason to use it, until this project!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX7oFlfYOXykioErRYGzqHvL05ICFzku46dxWL5Ji5C3TllgSlHEwU930R80bkSsU8kOfmLBLZas0tr2cbXOdPO3QMRsdpRyq3AJ2PX11z-fwxoGf0q7DYsDkalW2x_ap0XAz2FALgsRFHgYEfSLR_2DI22gx83oGpflKjYrTq5AqbMj6uTzaiMo3hVc/s4032/20231014_191221.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX7oFlfYOXykioErRYGzqHvL05ICFzku46dxWL5Ji5C3TllgSlHEwU930R80bkSsU8kOfmLBLZas0tr2cbXOdPO3QMRsdpRyq3AJ2PX11z-fwxoGf0q7DYsDkalW2x_ap0XAz2FALgsRFHgYEfSLR_2DI22gx83oGpflKjYrTq5AqbMj6uTzaiMo3hVc/w640-h480/20231014_191221.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packaging is beautiful, as can be expected of Japan.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBKaHSDZ8a3amZ6CpjNDtF588yaUNVXBtCf2Hps4cN8CYZGKxSOw3xQed0WzYBDaHoBxu8_gkA8oAfNPAga-adgn9fiFfqyVoYhPTAtduwBu-GmZgX8B2g3A4Ftpv3LNeS6UQb-fJPuEpaNujs1rkJbWCirOz8ZGnWNYZiXG_fSfV6yQWhORHKP71D18/s4032/20231014_191229.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBKaHSDZ8a3amZ6CpjNDtF588yaUNVXBtCf2Hps4cN8CYZGKxSOw3xQed0WzYBDaHoBxu8_gkA8oAfNPAga-adgn9fiFfqyVoYhPTAtduwBu-GmZgX8B2g3A4Ftpv3LNeS6UQb-fJPuEpaNujs1rkJbWCirOz8ZGnWNYZiXG_fSfV6yQWhORHKP71D18/w640-h480/20231014_191229.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And yes, thanks for pre-charging this for me so I had no down time while charging it back up!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYrOQxi4R9i5NMxyapUX_CFncOl5ir21QuDj8g6lhXB1mkdeijKSkImDjODMNFlz0wJaI2drynWJk3YudSc68pM2YNLAeAp-HMK6DKTchF2t4vIgtecR2jneszWtd95UJ_XTp2JReLhDavVGsxzzh8RxY00NuiI6gBOjNH67nViNPsDNqiR7nygnzZt4/s4032/20231014_191251.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYrOQxi4R9i5NMxyapUX_CFncOl5ir21QuDj8g6lhXB1mkdeijKSkImDjODMNFlz0wJaI2drynWJk3YudSc68pM2YNLAeAp-HMK6DKTchF2t4vIgtecR2jneszWtd95UJ_XTp2JReLhDavVGsxzzh8RxY00NuiI6gBOjNH67nViNPsDNqiR7nygnzZt4/w640-h480/20231014_191251.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So the owner's manual gave a range, 29-39 N-m.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FciBIRhN38cl1DPtX3IEnibjRoT8eJLSYDaLRFy0TRUvLkto4ruPuIPvyuLqWPp6x9Bn82TBHS_8WKMqPdyM6NZcmn0q4ohAl3EE3bd6Yosla6l7fzVAT5WIVzdn0H17itkszGM5HT-INNpdHcD9esqjvrlyoI8NdGgLluMssCLAq_fK11DDr5pcUO0/s4032/20231014_215658.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FciBIRhN38cl1DPtX3IEnibjRoT8eJLSYDaLRFy0TRUvLkto4ruPuIPvyuLqWPp6x9Bn82TBHS_8WKMqPdyM6NZcmn0q4ohAl3EE3bd6Yosla6l7fzVAT5WIVzdn0H17itkszGM5HT-INNpdHcD9esqjvrlyoI8NdGgLluMssCLAq_fK11DDr5pcUO0/w640-h480/20231014_215658.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I decided to go on the higher side</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Then it was making sure the wiring for the horn and the resistor isn't pinched.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw3ErjAarQO1Z39DfxR91-uK8oPm1L1dtMRIK77qhqB8iv_fRNMVjQ3o46c4vANQGFGSu-knYQlVC6J9GbqrVYt40gNpdNM5q02yOwpstXQaF5NVYXn876YkXRPnNtQE90GG-6c5UyczrOeDqM86nOUwy0yMVBHF_IWAoQt0SkTj4L_xrCpM-IWtnalA/s4032/20231014_220158.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw3ErjAarQO1Z39DfxR91-uK8oPm1L1dtMRIK77qhqB8iv_fRNMVjQ3o46c4vANQGFGSu-knYQlVC6J9GbqrVYt40gNpdNM5q02yOwpstXQaF5NVYXn876YkXRPnNtQE90GG-6c5UyczrOeDqM86nOUwy0yMVBHF_IWAoQt0SkTj4L_xrCpM-IWtnalA/w640-h480/20231014_220158.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The black coupler is for the horn. The resistor has been tucked underneath the sleeve that slips on over the boss.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKq4lQak50O6uBYsm7fCV4IO6wl4MNDcD5lbNPf1GDKWwUS9FsPZbaTvr8UFoodO5eHqjQqXyX2cPPJQRPhzui9OQmHxgSKJVed3TweF44lgsP951ClWc8RkoAqDKXXp5f6QH-iwiNQD7Ka0EOKxIGl1naIL-YV7XRMnUY4nwfgoCuMxys4P1vDCsKVY/s4032/20231014_220240.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKq4lQak50O6uBYsm7fCV4IO6wl4MNDcD5lbNPf1GDKWwUS9FsPZbaTvr8UFoodO5eHqjQqXyX2cPPJQRPhzui9OQmHxgSKJVed3TweF44lgsP951ClWc8RkoAqDKXXp5f6QH-iwiNQD7Ka0EOKxIGl1naIL-YV7XRMnUY4nwfgoCuMxys4P1vDCsKVY/w640-h480/20231014_220240.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And here is the metal plate that is needed to act as the ground for the horn button.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI3ttLGeXLKPiYGJrWjUCFTo4423miITxwEMeyBXVE71-ohb3xby0PwMdIbcGDgcBibD6HgqXCS1PFkSAJR-hgvhqH8Zb49qLG3KefkJbGphWfV0O9fnJzOjEyrs3hfbedXCCclHQdrtQOaN5cLKdwUsSQkQDLXQqluLzIq8QjGishnJVslbuh98cqVo/s4032/20231014_221137.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI3ttLGeXLKPiYGJrWjUCFTo4423miITxwEMeyBXVE71-ohb3xby0PwMdIbcGDgcBibD6HgqXCS1PFkSAJR-hgvhqH8Zb49qLG3KefkJbGphWfV0O9fnJzOjEyrs3hfbedXCCclHQdrtQOaN5cLKdwUsSQkQDLXQqluLzIq8QjGishnJVslbuh98cqVo/w640-h480/20231014_221137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The Ital Volanti wheel fits nicely over this plate<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenRwQJAp4noro_eFYo0jtkhHc47pPfHjIklqfaf_1aF69qcWklAG-HT8czEkQBLxG7_AsszY2hIZ24_ozp9CkS6-zOapIRbPRkeQGezby-1yKYOCVtuz66P0W5LB1fPLhMSt3TjOGXX1BVs2O4mQEPBtD36DD6ht4f17AWfrp1-WvEoI5AeV6EMFtoHU/s4032/20231014_221901.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenRwQJAp4noro_eFYo0jtkhHc47pPfHjIklqfaf_1aF69qcWklAG-HT8czEkQBLxG7_AsszY2hIZ24_ozp9CkS6-zOapIRbPRkeQGezby-1yKYOCVtuz66P0W5LB1fPLhMSt3TjOGXX1BVs2O4mQEPBtD36DD6ht4f17AWfrp1-WvEoI5AeV6EMFtoHU/w640-h480/20231014_221901.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Complete!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxbVpsi1BmpGQfZRfahptB7am-jTH4HzWVCCeLLz6WCoN-tpJtnl8kYaUYjkruwyHyAfbQwEdYnlxFu-JfGbW1E-fN4xyAw2oxzj84EQTwZlIPQQsyTuVI_CUZcNCdygrtnDTfasN-QXVqPpVKyeKfVFHGFM7nwufi0yX65lMt8n8I73AnjGehzmiV1k/s4032/20231014_221928.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxbVpsi1BmpGQfZRfahptB7am-jTH4HzWVCCeLLz6WCoN-tpJtnl8kYaUYjkruwyHyAfbQwEdYnlxFu-JfGbW1E-fN4xyAw2oxzj84EQTwZlIPQQsyTuVI_CUZcNCdygrtnDTfasN-QXVqPpVKyeKfVFHGFM7nwufi0yX65lMt8n8I73AnjGehzmiV1k/w640-h480/20231014_221928.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So it was super nice to get this back on - the wheel position felt natural, I could easily reach the turn signal stalk with my pinky finger, and my arm and seating positions felt natural again and not cramped. Nice!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiIKdnkaav1DTlWlUA74zzRLrl5jjheIiK0_2dGdbajaRD0SiMkifbdvDr8Tcx10OLdKGhtxuAJm1dOtdYpPouMj9IF21gc9PoOvyTDVqrpm2r_MoKMAbNRO7wasDdJ7kjpwQxFZLd3wy4gfOrKpb5IVt9V7g1PpCf-7Yxe6iNEhDfh72lJNM3D6vYuA/s4032/20231014_221933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiIKdnkaav1DTlWlUA74zzRLrl5jjheIiK0_2dGdbajaRD0SiMkifbdvDr8Tcx10OLdKGhtxuAJm1dOtdYpPouMj9IF21gc9PoOvyTDVqrpm2r_MoKMAbNRO7wasDdJ7kjpwQxFZLd3wy4gfOrKpb5IVt9V7g1PpCf-7Yxe6iNEhDfh72lJNM3D6vYuA/w640-h480/20231014_221933.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Except... there was one small problem. The Airbag warning light kept flashing. I tried the driver's side door switch trick, yes, and even tried switching the resistor back to the one that came with the RAPFIX II. Nothing worked. So guess who I called....Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-76079764663412984062023-11-13T02:59:00.000+09:002023-11-13T02:59:04.342+09:00My First Visit to Trust Kikaku!<p> So my friend Matt is a loyal customer of <a href="https://trust-kikaku.myshopify.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Trust Kikaku</span></a>, and so of course when he announced a few months ago he was going to visit Japan, we agreed that we should drop in for a visit when he was here.</p><p>Flash forward a few months, along with a courtesy email to the staff at <a href="https://trustplanning.world" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Trust Kikaku</span></a>, and this past weekend I found myself driving up to TK - after having an interesting part installed at <a href="https://www.nismo.co.jp/omori_factory/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Nismo Omori Factory</span></a>, which I will blog about in an upcoming post.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9kztrxCwise5eHLGHvgYvrq0QfRMQIl3_b3dzZPdlyuDOnisc-DtRz1Hwzv1I2ZORBpIHBcTdV6tYgnggCmgtwO-3q61aivqbXkSQarVOMISiwq2v74G1Q6CMmCD5vEYEOBgfOvIrckuD_vwx3t2vsa5bGvFVPq0HMWKSHVs7GK5nNTeJYxqurrThyphenhypheng6/s4032/367973463_1020657875813548_3161030878940272760_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9kztrxCwise5eHLGHvgYvrq0QfRMQIl3_b3dzZPdlyuDOnisc-DtRz1Hwzv1I2ZORBpIHBcTdV6tYgnggCmgtwO-3q61aivqbXkSQarVOMISiwq2v74G1Q6CMmCD5vEYEOBgfOvIrckuD_vwx3t2vsa5bGvFVPq0HMWKSHVs7GK5nNTeJYxqurrThyphenhypheng6/w480-h640/367973463_1020657875813548_3161030878940272760_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pit stop for a quick lunch (for me!) on the way up!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This post will be photo heavy, since there is SO MUCH GOING at TK, rather than write about it, photos are way more efficient. Thanks very much of course to Matt who kindly shared his photos with me and gave me free license to post the ones I liked!</p><p>Anyway, TK is located in<a href="https://visit.ibarakiguide.jp/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> Ibaraki Prefecture</span></a>, away from the cities in the countryside and about an hour north of Tokyo, with nothing really except farms mostly so it was quite obvious when we arrived:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpg51WHzolczpbmwcBDJdqAS1UCEbHXjacjcADV8d217XgSOs2Te0kZUPm6Np6RutKMHWGRFpctqrs18Wk6zV1RX6HCc5bsVY9xPxxCz89uQ1COr31NkNu3dm3otHnhdzEUZh5HWBLxHDQAmRaTuykMUZhe065tt5iGXeJxzpnr393dKCg19xV1Vz879jc/s4032/20231111_141924.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpg51WHzolczpbmwcBDJdqAS1UCEbHXjacjcADV8d217XgSOs2Te0kZUPm6Np6RutKMHWGRFpctqrs18Wk6zV1RX6HCc5bsVY9xPxxCz89uQ1COr31NkNu3dm3otHnhdzEUZh5HWBLxHDQAmRaTuykMUZhe065tt5iGXeJxzpnr393dKCg19xV1Vz879jc/w640-h480/20231111_141924.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Once we drove through the gates, and then parked in front what appeared to be the main building, we were immediately greeted by Hirano-san and of course Hannah! (famous from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@trustkikaku_itn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">TK YouTube videos</span></a>, of course!) Unfortunately it was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@trustkikaku" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Abe-chan</span></a>'s (Hannah's side-kick in the videos) day off, so I guess we will have to meet him the next time we visit!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCyO1YS8c4Nbn1KXLPQGDIR2-lE8Ae-Hn_9_l63eZWVfZ78MS_ddI6YE1k8sgc1A0f36rYuyT4kE-f1CC8KLJszYdanKyKjenqgdVU0AoKXodELCYydz1Rt-omYxZBzpsrA20jL92PmUI_1ZutIPTKbySwWXFd-mcGNuYZ6o7DOYCWWiKfEI9GdH0i4KF/s2048/385551787_1022563578836369_2805160452408625382_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCyO1YS8c4Nbn1KXLPQGDIR2-lE8Ae-Hn_9_l63eZWVfZ78MS_ddI6YE1k8sgc1A0f36rYuyT4kE-f1CC8KLJszYdanKyKjenqgdVU0AoKXodELCYydz1Rt-omYxZBzpsrA20jL92PmUI_1ZutIPTKbySwWXFd-mcGNuYZ6o7DOYCWWiKfEI9GdH0i4KF/w640-h480/385551787_1022563578836369_2805160452408625382_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But yeah, from the outside it looks very factory. <br />Note the USS auctions satellite antenna on the roof though!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyiC9E-8bDhyphenhyphenAnouP_0fv7DfxQdFaENK2ZwCmRETM2j87XLu2PEAJkGYB5jbRylDSDkJSGP83KVFZVBaFQDrRUIDH_dDujN8iRD9toEvzeuWHlOzB1avZ5UDdrsJtnS3RLKejj5OJhh3wGjOH1jDVLNksqtlfijIqq36BYzPGPS08fUUj0BRG_T1_X-Op/s2048/385526247_996067308335812_8137999529930504356_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyiC9E-8bDhyphenhyphenAnouP_0fv7DfxQdFaENK2ZwCmRETM2j87XLu2PEAJkGYB5jbRylDSDkJSGP83KVFZVBaFQDrRUIDH_dDujN8iRD9toEvzeuWHlOzB1avZ5UDdrsJtnS3RLKejj5OJhh3wGjOH1jDVLNksqtlfijIqq36BYzPGPS08fUUj0BRG_T1_X-Op/w480-h640/385526247_996067308335812_8137999529930504356_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE Front Door...and they even have their own welcome mat...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Once ushered inside, we changed our shoes into guest slippers (Nismo brand, of course) and went to the second floor, which is their client/customer greeting area as well as their administrative operations area.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the top of the staircase:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLARy3EcfPd50dJv-nAb984WtymUJUkUlgPBlh9yN2ziXf7Euh3XEyP2lUOCtD68HL_Z-Udq22weIl-h8iLiG3FauUHJAoDCKegoAKcVvsIPSS94YhVz8Fklj4jucmf66QOcOL38zIKjg0D1Y8FKCO9Cop-yDSi2JxCr0MKseqsoGAD5AjsU81WpUHOGg/s4032/20231111_142659.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLARy3EcfPd50dJv-nAb984WtymUJUkUlgPBlh9yN2ziXf7Euh3XEyP2lUOCtD68HL_Z-Udq22weIl-h8iLiG3FauUHJAoDCKegoAKcVvsIPSS94YhVz8Fklj4jucmf66QOcOL38zIKjg0D1Y8FKCO9Cop-yDSi2JxCr0MKseqsoGAD5AjsU81WpUHOGg/w640-h480/20231111_142659.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah proudly pointed out they have GT-R emblems from EVERY generation of GT-R!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AGtN5UlhOiFpXVzUihpnZKYCjs7b13XVG2ABjhXJyxkKD_-I_6-8w5Cg9iBGKdGVf5NM7WdVq4idZ262-KWgFjvrZdB3iVGoUBSbvyAN6Rf025cBG07rJSfVrReWC6Vr6fnspqwm82zc6CliQg3wE3mEN5XjYxIASo4EVAn_T7a26UnFrrVewBo9JVWo/s4032/20231111_142709.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AGtN5UlhOiFpXVzUihpnZKYCjs7b13XVG2ABjhXJyxkKD_-I_6-8w5Cg9iBGKdGVf5NM7WdVq4idZ262-KWgFjvrZdB3iVGoUBSbvyAN6Rf025cBG07rJSfVrReWC6Vr6fnspqwm82zc6CliQg3wE3mEN5XjYxIASo4EVAn_T7a26UnFrrVewBo9JVWo/w640-h480/20231111_142709.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkYtj6JmFsNH8qn8Dp_iQs2VRFQjjWY3Iy7JEbKnNCQWnAhSNZ47UHIwyXYGxR_DoLvZYOSTY0KxnBLlgYPkUVw1ELDiazvYSi0tsIyyPVWK028u3iiTppXiRB_M4VO3Pb_BSYMme1uJTd8nN3UX0k9ZgX4WSk90QukcAjvxy5s7kMcwkt41zbbKmBUC-/s4032/20231111_142818.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkYtj6JmFsNH8qn8Dp_iQs2VRFQjjWY3Iy7JEbKnNCQWnAhSNZ47UHIwyXYGxR_DoLvZYOSTY0KxnBLlgYPkUVw1ELDiazvYSi0tsIyyPVWK028u3iiTppXiRB_M4VO3Pb_BSYMme1uJTd8nN3UX0k9ZgX4WSk90QukcAjvxy5s7kMcwkt41zbbKmBUC-/w640-h480/20231111_142818.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydOFbrN9rS3vxOYTNdCbax_bKigYgsmpr0FhDkbJcSSfOhnAjHvXzTFQ9AmsqK3PRsQ5BUtNP1a9w7jROI55n6OuL4BNaMNOtDdFzmwR1BzxyXV0wXWaa5kzK1xCu4UBp2LXztE8UoLW-nHyTyAhWehyphenhyphengIqV3okgihqPUfz0LAszeSW7Uz2Ut8NX5aWKE/s4032/370111116_767003635469125_3388891424859160797_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydOFbrN9rS3vxOYTNdCbax_bKigYgsmpr0FhDkbJcSSfOhnAjHvXzTFQ9AmsqK3PRsQ5BUtNP1a9w7jROI55n6OuL4BNaMNOtDdFzmwR1BzxyXV0wXWaa5kzK1xCu4UBp2LXztE8UoLW-nHyTyAhWehyphenhyphengIqV3okgihqPUfz0LAszeSW7Uz2Ut8NX5aWKE/w640-h480/370111116_767003635469125_3388891424859160797_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Once the formal introductions and courtesies were over, Hannah offered to take us for a tour. I said "sure" figuring we would be done in 10 minutes. How wrong I was...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmo533Sqv4DeE52WRJ8LPLIkgAofudSJDdvwReLuJjZg6FWcYWPbKjt9SCk8zPVwt3pp7mrdYd9N6pa7Cpeb5N7UIeLVDQGjUDC2NNda58E9WPY-UybYiPDeCs-loJJ4f2_G8KfhdSddkbHWGKrOffu5AA-JqtjiN9mushKb0NyX785M1wDeDtG1RCxDBQ/s4032/20231111_143421.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmo533Sqv4DeE52WRJ8LPLIkgAofudSJDdvwReLuJjZg6FWcYWPbKjt9SCk8zPVwt3pp7mrdYd9N6pa7Cpeb5N7UIeLVDQGjUDC2NNda58E9WPY-UybYiPDeCs-loJJ4f2_G8KfhdSddkbHWGKrOffu5AA-JqtjiN9mushKb0NyX785M1wDeDtG1RCxDBQ/w640-h480/20231111_143421.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is a manual transmission Nissan X-Trail on sale for 980,000 yen!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And as we moved down the row, the first of many R33 GT-Rs I saw in various states of condition.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZj4g0rhjTAfJWNCu5y2QBDnY2sYHSKSfGRXwh3OGHPLQAdeXwAgl3PRvgy1q1-obWuGD_xthyphenhyphennd8AYJXi728G3efPgBT1O4nCcH90RLm8rctuTBza2cOqVIkddbpPigfARzOj1ADGeeSO3DwTNv7PfYdB6db1l84DDU3eCt26efyUmZQb_MURtUqvMpv/s4032/20231111_143540.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZj4g0rhjTAfJWNCu5y2QBDnY2sYHSKSfGRXwh3OGHPLQAdeXwAgl3PRvgy1q1-obWuGD_xthyphenhyphennd8AYJXi728G3efPgBT1O4nCcH90RLm8rctuTBza2cOqVIkddbpPigfARzOj1ADGeeSO3DwTNv7PfYdB6db1l84DDU3eCt26efyUmZQb_MURtUqvMpv/w640-h480/20231111_143540.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one looked to be in good condition, but we were told the underside was rusted!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>This one had been sold to a lucky buyer in the USA!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoilLYzzXnXczVXSzKUTEx36jykHoCk5CNrOAb76fGL2d-hOZKoqdshD4xCADBKRm1smI6vbHMjRoNB6DFYSCNHTMSCPSRa_rrgeIb9DHFNl3TQednQNWQPfRvioNsCDF236KxvFqWJnkRebKf4RmOpejylScV5befjhCH_jYqch-ErMX8RPhVSn_tq-xt/s4032/385535505_3138598476276380_1227228824241235468_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoilLYzzXnXczVXSzKUTEx36jykHoCk5CNrOAb76fGL2d-hOZKoqdshD4xCADBKRm1smI6vbHMjRoNB6DFYSCNHTMSCPSRa_rrgeIb9DHFNl3TQednQNWQPfRvioNsCDF236KxvFqWJnkRebKf4RmOpejylScV5befjhCH_jYqch-ErMX8RPhVSn_tq-xt/w640-h480/385535505_3138598476276380_1227228824241235468_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>So while this blog is R33 centric, of course I saw some other interesting cars there too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpH-02MJ0SWgKqr1lb93tm2TRvGBml3Apz5lXgLvIqP2yDrzELpYlp4Hx4YCjC-q3amJrwbObBgbsvE0UlbDGpVElYYoPEuoFEHPZhEmC_-LotH9Gquhlkov5mK5S9P8THI0hBOoEDdC-KmJpRHyuo8FkSWsB3W6CDNH4Pukw11YeyDzswQUFI8o4HtyU/s4032/20231111_143722.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpH-02MJ0SWgKqr1lb93tm2TRvGBml3Apz5lXgLvIqP2yDrzELpYlp4Hx4YCjC-q3amJrwbObBgbsvE0UlbDGpVElYYoPEuoFEHPZhEmC_-LotH9Gquhlkov5mK5S9P8THI0hBOoEDdC-KmJpRHyuo8FkSWsB3W6CDNH4Pukw11YeyDzswQUFI8o4HtyU/w640-h480/20231111_143722.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R31 Skyline, and 4 door R34, both sold</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSS1BHbBdTHaZxwgfjNfOEyxhgmySn6-RoIoDSNE6YU8MpC1Myuho3oW3oESUJlORJRRjUA2lNcClBUnJAcr4HAM67akMBF5OYgoE2IrrEgeGX_sUn3WPOGveWIWg8bH4dCNeunpgoLOR6-erDYFg-PlKYMmrO3RR-aWqgNAWYDhRM7Xi_scKE005r5OOG/s4032/20231111_143826.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSS1BHbBdTHaZxwgfjNfOEyxhgmySn6-RoIoDSNE6YU8MpC1Myuho3oW3oESUJlORJRRjUA2lNcClBUnJAcr4HAM67akMBF5OYgoE2IrrEgeGX_sUn3WPOGveWIWg8bH4dCNeunpgoLOR6-erDYFg-PlKYMmrO3RR-aWqgNAWYDhRM7Xi_scKE005r5OOG/w640-h480/20231111_143826.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We then turned around back towards the main building...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And started to check out the row of cars parked along the side of the building. Apparently, these are in the process of being inspected to determine whether they will be parted out or sold as used cars.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtchgWKFGLBSl5R8rsFkQ6tmSjuo__XeaCzm37Bm1c_-79wfLXl1yG3xodXfAT4FNVdKi7Vr9jCnWeytkog2VgEZO_N18djxILt8Tgvfz1R4Fh-1fFlypdpjn2QuXEupMRhrJRrzwyXjyYlwAcE-hq59dFQN-K5PciBEFL04ALYSeHOGtrD3343JRU9bD/s4032/20231111_144221.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtchgWKFGLBSl5R8rsFkQ6tmSjuo__XeaCzm37Bm1c_-79wfLXl1yG3xodXfAT4FNVdKi7Vr9jCnWeytkog2VgEZO_N18djxILt8Tgvfz1R4Fh-1fFlypdpjn2QuXEupMRhrJRrzwyXjyYlwAcE-hq59dFQN-K5PciBEFL04ALYSeHOGtrD3343JRU9bD/w640-h480/20231111_144221.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altia aero kit version, anyone?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzN2XeySe4WI-EDtJbLUukwWE0NUAc_Z6cA8me4F6q8dsQXXBB_mMChomAtQHLfI3h_5CRQ7yMBCARWUpHYfPsvnTaVowu_SlMLwoorfCZpoZA2xoJrbvJN_GIPpMM0qkh5EczTBa2ER0rdsqm86hQgOC_m-ex7RgIxrANgxkd1bhF2Fm1TFHaPksUhwOZ/s4032/20231111_144238.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzN2XeySe4WI-EDtJbLUukwWE0NUAc_Z6cA8me4F6q8dsQXXBB_mMChomAtQHLfI3h_5CRQ7yMBCARWUpHYfPsvnTaVowu_SlMLwoorfCZpoZA2xoJrbvJN_GIPpMM0qkh5EczTBa2ER0rdsqm86hQgOC_m-ex7RgIxrANgxkd1bhF2Fm1TFHaPksUhwOZ/w640-h480/20231111_144238.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The price reflects its relatively rarity</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And of coures more R33 GT-Rs.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpx3f2b5ZeTI6xN7FykwNGsxnZQ0Q1ZF1v01x2rXgTTPGjh7QFkLKMc5uIAeBuQAEBqRw888t4cjE61nNgvOsmpLXqoBUi0Mp10ycWA_tfN2cnXbWXUp8SAZ8apx0XOiAFp-osJYItXI-I4kr5VR-Ki2cTUtzHqkbTcOGKKvpf4gAZH9ixyFkELMI3rQC7/s4032/20231111_144320.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpx3f2b5ZeTI6xN7FykwNGsxnZQ0Q1ZF1v01x2rXgTTPGjh7QFkLKMc5uIAeBuQAEBqRw888t4cjE61nNgvOsmpLXqoBUi0Mp10ycWA_tfN2cnXbWXUp8SAZ8apx0XOiAFp-osJYItXI-I4kr5VR-Ki2cTUtzHqkbTcOGKKvpf4gAZH9ixyFkELMI3rQC7/w640-h480/20231111_144320.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tPglZ0bCOqFN97A-_zQEehRNHnGzoRUmkqmhGmGSTlIb79QVdK_7sW2aCpINFe0PB_RWu05QStkfUV7-yUpHsfGYtmZmYBrGpwHMpA12nwOFeLzA6-F_bBsRo_jaINWbfpm7AeTmZqBVw0i8Bj-WS5YuCiN2JhBByoNEcFvK_7v0HQfp_xe1vZWeyx9I/s4032/20231111_144436.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tPglZ0bCOqFN97A-_zQEehRNHnGzoRUmkqmhGmGSTlIb79QVdK_7sW2aCpINFe0PB_RWu05QStkfUV7-yUpHsfGYtmZmYBrGpwHMpA12nwOFeLzA6-F_bBsRo_jaINWbfpm7AeTmZqBVw0i8Bj-WS5YuCiN2JhBByoNEcFvK_7v0HQfp_xe1vZWeyx9I/w640-h480/20231111_144436.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the Type R Integra in front</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_C2uOYfzire_QlyBtZKx1ddO32pTnAXz5sQv1YDqVXImkRItBrfLv_Rme8I2gxAPe5tjuQ32U4_U2H-8inGCztPf39bXpGAbZr00uW4z1fw4ZoYsNQt8xJUZBWupj4HAfPcoUo6y6QsrDWvU-sv9I2P6QyfCZm0gXFlIgyLyhQM3e4XwKQ_LI6Xu3mK03/s4032/20231111_144442.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_C2uOYfzire_QlyBtZKx1ddO32pTnAXz5sQv1YDqVXImkRItBrfLv_Rme8I2gxAPe5tjuQ32U4_U2H-8inGCztPf39bXpGAbZr00uW4z1fw4ZoYsNQt8xJUZBWupj4HAfPcoUo6y6QsrDWvU-sv9I2P6QyfCZm0gXFlIgyLyhQM3e4XwKQ_LI6Xu3mK03/w640-h480/20231111_144442.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back towards where we started the tour, you can see at least ONE car that will be parted out...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Now here is the real hairdresser's car. Anyone who says the Roadster/Miata is a hairdresser's car is wrong. That is a man's car in my book, such a fun car to drive. Sadly, this Z34 is not exactly what I would call fun...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4q-slr6kHroivqWfIxm7o_jbeRkI5GPUon_HdUR9lBGRG8ZYjP6J3rOwPB5ND6viY6L3DWVs6crOM2es0j94eO49DNpWVwOdbiZGfk5lvNAoeLA2WGQEngsLthCEJnj42KO6itea10GlMx-78jt5Ve6LwXNJyJxSL37NwFWANCX5Tfx061FmW6xlQMYg/s4032/20231111_144452.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4q-slr6kHroivqWfIxm7o_jbeRkI5GPUon_HdUR9lBGRG8ZYjP6J3rOwPB5ND6viY6L3DWVs6crOM2es0j94eO49DNpWVwOdbiZGfk5lvNAoeLA2WGQEngsLthCEJnj42KO6itea10GlMx-78jt5Ve6LwXNJyJxSL37NwFWANCX5Tfx061FmW6xlQMYg/w640-h480/20231111_144452.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After walking another 100 meters or so, we turned the corner to the back of the main building, where I found this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lYNYziuPtLmxhVb4AMTFvUib0Ubs3Jlj1O30vORmnJZvf5SwEmnp-SMupsLvpaUeC9F6KkEJEHrDOA0zlmtfyetA3iBfQN3UaUnUknUVep6queYPToZ4DUDMhhjAt650fwxfymEVz3Ufex9OVOvexGlP60IQ_MT81mRnAONxQ9-7NBjjhQ90fXuUeQIW/s4032/20231111_145853.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lYNYziuPtLmxhVb4AMTFvUib0Ubs3Jlj1O30vORmnJZvf5SwEmnp-SMupsLvpaUeC9F6KkEJEHrDOA0zlmtfyetA3iBfQN3UaUnUknUVep6queYPToZ4DUDMhhjAt650fwxfymEVz3Ufex9OVOvexGlP60IQ_MT81mRnAONxQ9-7NBjjhQ90fXuUeQIW/w640-h480/20231111_145853.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlM0VbPfVlqImFfJiRgRk-FspVIkBQv0e7wrWtBnzIQEXItXT9F_LZNSBBvXdJ1LN-xJq_g5hS9iYBkE8f6wMis_DT9LnvL21JfyDRRABbCaOssTsQlvWgappY4U6NThbIC1DYIXiIMkjn3dxTaqcBsQNOaIzGIjLAEKdgV8BRmXrH-Nwuh2wZEmvHBxi/s4032/20231111_145856.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlM0VbPfVlqImFfJiRgRk-FspVIkBQv0e7wrWtBnzIQEXItXT9F_LZNSBBvXdJ1LN-xJq_g5hS9iYBkE8f6wMis_DT9LnvL21JfyDRRABbCaOssTsQlvWgappY4U6NThbIC1DYIXiIMkjn3dxTaqcBsQNOaIzGIjLAEKdgV8BRmXrH-Nwuh2wZEmvHBxi/w640-h480/20231111_145856.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Better hurry guys, THIS ONE is a beautiful MNP car with only 2000 kms! The stitching on the seats looked brand new, never mind the rest of the interior. Even R34 and R32 owner Matt was impressed enough to take a photo!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtqcotMHWlEryHeMjyQFm5ZX7soIdv5vHgaEXhJACIKZul8kaDWqfyudFZ6dG8j8Nlxb6dKSoWqQrJ8dXIUIXFBO6bs7BPdTorir60wwLTFhwapUiSPta4UnTmKSWilixESfycn9haYwyaVTmKxEhyphenhyphenmMj1dfqYOY1a1g1NATvQO8z3ws_xjoY11BLCZnj/s4032/20231111_145947.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtqcotMHWlEryHeMjyQFm5ZX7soIdv5vHgaEXhJACIKZul8kaDWqfyudFZ6dG8j8Nlxb6dKSoWqQrJ8dXIUIXFBO6bs7BPdTorir60wwLTFhwapUiSPta4UnTmKSWilixESfycn9haYwyaVTmKxEhyphenhyphenmMj1dfqYOY1a1g1NATvQO8z3ws_xjoY11BLCZnj/w640-h480/20231111_145947.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />We also found these 3 rarities - a dark blue BNR32 on BCNR33 wheels, this white R30, and yes that is a white BNR34 V-Spec II<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAMt-4uJy-mIr6CczU42kMwrlwUyzQ7hbFBIkaP36I9ZyQAnX-_qVYYxwGdSeL9mBidWq8-0Xiea7lD-ROq1FK4sG8ffKedREyod8ENDY6KyZcMQwr99zZ3O08L4_StfU2dWLYMPWY-63FGsKXPA9514HuaUgRDeRkdQxwwcTicFl0T2wzFo3xt3COd0m/s4032/20231111_150841.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAMt-4uJy-mIr6CczU42kMwrlwUyzQ7hbFBIkaP36I9ZyQAnX-_qVYYxwGdSeL9mBidWq8-0Xiea7lD-ROq1FK4sG8ffKedREyod8ENDY6KyZcMQwr99zZ3O08L4_StfU2dWLYMPWY-63FGsKXPA9514HuaUgRDeRkdQxwwcTicFl0T2wzFo3xt3COd0m/w640-h480/20231111_150841.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah and Matt were discussing how the pearl white BNR34s suffer from different rates of white paint fading - the lower plastic was a bit more yellow than the body.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgU2gw2kTY6Lw-SySzin5ogRkvfIF9HWpETgs3yzFA5FmxuYQ1R2Qv-B-7BX0vqYhQQ37B8tS2XwywcPIFmr6IgX_dKM1f2GXqPEPL5jdH87pvy4pjxLGdEu09vNu3ztolMIKqsLz73JDmgSsVOvwV3EHmmyXdi5jIRNbZDSX48_a87GVv1BIWqlu1bME/w640-h480/20231111_150855.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">260RS Stagea too!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span><u><br /></u></span></span></div>We also found this completely stripped out Z32 that was filled up with "garbage" parts. Of course I couldn't resist taking a look, and found some pretty cool parts and accessories in the mess. If I had more time I think I could have taken home some useful things.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnyw7lUQuwCfAkCzodlaWfMu4en62QogrHVh9B4LOQFpqOIe-s8FpzRgdwX2xh0J5u_XmMAySOduv9B5gMOamU6SNImv9hC7hqhdcjbUSd7Hujv6MI-L5HRpHIEdYPbNPuGZ7SDrDp83uiiHhYeCUxeNViyititpnObVJne-X9t_hO7hMTO0CU4W_m_5J/s2048/385526155_283621934661763_3315543431035215054_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnyw7lUQuwCfAkCzodlaWfMu4en62QogrHVh9B4LOQFpqOIe-s8FpzRgdwX2xh0J5u_XmMAySOduv9B5gMOamU6SNImv9hC7hqhdcjbUSd7Hujv6MI-L5HRpHIEdYPbNPuGZ7SDrDp83uiiHhYeCUxeNViyititpnObVJne-X9t_hO7hMTO0CU4W_m_5J/w640-h480/385526155_283621934661763_3315543431035215054_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is I think when Hannah realized that I'm not exactly a normal person...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>It was at this point where Hannah decided to show us something which would end up blowing me away in the sheer scale of it all...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7leefpHDNFKVh2LRQPV1pbx39V6ChMLHuOE1yPE0Pwr5tLcM3CrRJxHzX0yVm3k7-4f4y1Yy3oEEpLW8y3qIwpLnbE_17EGgu7Jwd_EOI7lyqdJtYZzWpaq2GhtUm9y4g18P1klmgxYVw0bxBgDm03DzyAce8Vvk-kO5s5iJdJmzFG-URcLPCl8Qwcy6f/s2048/385541686_1401350064097720_7925805777561026894_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7leefpHDNFKVh2LRQPV1pbx39V6ChMLHuOE1yPE0Pwr5tLcM3CrRJxHzX0yVm3k7-4f4y1Yy3oEEpLW8y3qIwpLnbE_17EGgu7Jwd_EOI7lyqdJtYZzWpaq2GhtUm9y4g18P1klmgxYVw0bxBgDm03DzyAce8Vvk-kO5s5iJdJmzFG-URcLPCl8Qwcy6f/w640-h480/385541686_1401350064097720_7925805777561026894_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>That's right, row upon row of cars. What kind of cars?</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQ76zY9xNgMTu-miDK2Qw9DHzMCCAcPnUKyH5l2hrO9UnNAF6OF22DhBxH0MMSYX_F5p8A19pxauQMv6-g2lWLbrtPUw1TdNdWBZ03omzVE9511e5OB4YMr6FCGDVAdDFeyHbKqLOnGTKqn5v-oj3wNbpeX_bGWXHh1NR6E0h_ET5T7tByhmPlhcy6bUm/s2048/375760260_2034049110264636_519214538814654251_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQ76zY9xNgMTu-miDK2Qw9DHzMCCAcPnUKyH5l2hrO9UnNAF6OF22DhBxH0MMSYX_F5p8A19pxauQMv6-g2lWLbrtPUw1TdNdWBZ03omzVE9511e5OB4YMr6FCGDVAdDFeyHbKqLOnGTKqn5v-oj3wNbpeX_bGWXHh1NR6E0h_ET5T7tByhmPlhcy6bUm/w640-h480/375760260_2034049110264636_519214538814654251_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mostly Nissans...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I guess TK think that the future is bright for demand in R34 sedans and non-GTR coupes...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYs1wzwUqs9wJcDqVcjd7Jv1ISq2ilo5pnLtNTW8EBgnpzkjwaYRgB3TjizRtKneEB1i22FtLrel_IDhn8LMeUeZ44l3viCp4IlEwNHHi0gJ-NKcyfUXBFpD7zxCQAXzgl9pMrF8P66SZIvvNTIBfgSRxCa8jjWSXskUVwybXmhjoHMe0xA_2yrQBphYIS/s4032/20231111_152922.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYs1wzwUqs9wJcDqVcjd7Jv1ISq2ilo5pnLtNTW8EBgnpzkjwaYRgB3TjizRtKneEB1i22FtLrel_IDhn8LMeUeZ44l3viCp4IlEwNHHi0gJ-NKcyfUXBFpD7zxCQAXzgl9pMrF8P66SZIvvNTIBfgSRxCa8jjWSXskUVwybXmhjoHMe0xA_2yrQBphYIS/w640-h480/20231111_152922.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't even bother walking around much here. Why should we? I guess the R34 fan could walk around and find some cool things - for example, I found a few manual transmission R34 sedans, and spoiler-less coupes (which confirmed my thinking that the R34 coupe looks weird without a wing of ANY type). So after about 5 minutes we headed back and this time walked through their factory/warehouse.</div><div><br /></div><div>The warehouse has everything car related you can think of. First we saw a lot of parts stripped from cars that were going to be thrown away.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV_DLMFLL5w0osUwPDNcuS-5xzDNj2_hbziIl_VtFCClbEcJkfENblKEP6LS-V8oq3_rvG4mcRUTO3NgbhtoTDTzMjjX62QqcFSEpPfgmDnA1uNTRCxCe33EkjdA_ZxDvc3QagEz6xt3qeV-DbhQedJ4EgD-xzvMcrn9k-Ns_jJz2eDcoXh-1q8Szk8RH/s4032/386830303_340342582017556_361584965382814475_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV_DLMFLL5w0osUwPDNcuS-5xzDNj2_hbziIl_VtFCClbEcJkfENblKEP6LS-V8oq3_rvG4mcRUTO3NgbhtoTDTzMjjX62QqcFSEpPfgmDnA1uNTRCxCe33EkjdA_ZxDvc3QagEz6xt3qeV-DbhQedJ4EgD-xzvMcrn9k-Ns_jJz2eDcoXh-1q8Szk8RH/w640-h480/386830303_340342582017556_361584965382814475_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I am looking for ANYTHING I can take back with me... sadly nothing R33 related here</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Sure this is R33 related but kind of hard to walk out the door with this.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZTaw6oV2dGdDwhp-VxCYupp9_N_7u2R9yf1GeErW9YYH7luxODP0IYvrOqB3522cOOZMo8rwrK-8Vwa2K3yg64e4B6gpImhaJBP2N9QQJk2LitDCCrjBZhDjziEREhK5LR9fafLf2ESVlJMsdti3HORmtypRrFBn70bp9UJbFkpLisYKsR68RmKZB8Tw/s4032/371526889_340388708580459_4390179120309100419_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZTaw6oV2dGdDwhp-VxCYupp9_N_7u2R9yf1GeErW9YYH7luxODP0IYvrOqB3522cOOZMo8rwrK-8Vwa2K3yg64e4B6gpImhaJBP2N9QQJk2LitDCCrjBZhDjziEREhK5LR9fafLf2ESVlJMsdti3HORmtypRrFBn70bp9UJbFkpLisYKsR68RmKZB8Tw/w480-h640/371526889_340388708580459_4390179120309100419_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>On the other hand....</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBwseWcKDE2CDbGWEj9HFm9UskHkcOmL1PT3PvLffCmjuyQb2YI9qgywDBh4XZkA3hcZm7m-1YTtEvgncck1TbPSgwCQRswJURppYTNsIRAHb-S7jLbYfg23LQj1tBYTkFoQI1utvN9sI_2yW0BB8a-59QLYU0_XzS-eGSRN-8Uyxq2bGKcFq99-UPAH3/s4032/377107540_1279700086028790_8857745403481517623_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBwseWcKDE2CDbGWEj9HFm9UskHkcOmL1PT3PvLffCmjuyQb2YI9qgywDBh4XZkA3hcZm7m-1YTtEvgncck1TbPSgwCQRswJURppYTNsIRAHb-S7jLbYfg23LQj1tBYTkFoQI1utvN9sI_2yW0BB8a-59QLYU0_XzS-eGSRN-8Uyxq2bGKcFq99-UPAH3/w640-h480/377107540_1279700086028790_8857745403481517623_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closer and it's not for a BCNR33</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99rHElKKklc1QbyejAu317RSbjjmRYo4U33oBpv2kdzaa1Gk1loCK1s7LlVD2dkK5KrkuOVz58muRlWEJiLXkNT1r7jTp84dAGlVGP_17lJBpy48SXruGx1p0PzS5hI1kI7Tz6mu7cAjUAIUYE_p1tWhHFsCSk_ZwP43N54D947jY0dh5mlSMn1S62L0K/s4032/385551844_1067507554422758_7460291874301014618_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99rHElKKklc1QbyejAu317RSbjjmRYo4U33oBpv2kdzaa1Gk1loCK1s7LlVD2dkK5KrkuOVz58muRlWEJiLXkNT1r7jTp84dAGlVGP_17lJBpy48SXruGx1p0PzS5hI1kI7Tz6mu7cAjUAIUYE_p1tWhHFsCSk_ZwP43N54D947jY0dh5mlSMn1S62L0K/w640-h480/385551844_1067507554422758_7460291874301014618_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those are crates of engines! Not just RBs but also an SR20!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBdvs_S-OEPqdbmOkW03oUftn9a2Hl3r-xzZ1kVx5L74wmlANIPDEpISbMzfxD4HsyewoDQJ7xLXgHt3J-UlwZgWKv5_INQnVhQmDNlEOjadpt3Ax4wyQo-YVhiGo-5LOvwsvGuYblOpaontP-92RioNVLCfShyphenhyphenOcRZWEk0HVgCgnuplkspRuKS_Sg4PX/s4032/20231111_153849.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBdvs_S-OEPqdbmOkW03oUftn9a2Hl3r-xzZ1kVx5L74wmlANIPDEpISbMzfxD4HsyewoDQJ7xLXgHt3J-UlwZgWKv5_INQnVhQmDNlEOjadpt3Ax4wyQo-YVhiGo-5LOvwsvGuYblOpaontP-92RioNVLCfShyphenhyphenOcRZWEk0HVgCgnuplkspRuKS_Sg4PX/w640-h480/20231111_153849.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, even some special customer cars before they get shipped out - those that they will NOT leave outside... this Z-tune fendered BNR34, this R35 GT-R Nismo, and an Evo X.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>This is their "studio" where they take photos of all the stuff they put on Yahoo Auctions:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAVVdOPgmR1krGZOG3W7F4CPN_A3zNDD16VYHcTXF9C4D3vfZ3oQGF8tgjTdayQxAscIJFmSBkz46ghGodbN9WbU9JGSgIrBI6g2p_TLIA9X6tIN4Bsw-iv1s5tsI7IA3W25tGLjdGGL5OdB_vQswVNsPbgeOdYOynXEiMYs7NaRjnBTsNDlehtM7cHYQ/s4032/20231111_154333.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAVVdOPgmR1krGZOG3W7F4CPN_A3zNDD16VYHcTXF9C4D3vfZ3oQGF8tgjTdayQxAscIJFmSBkz46ghGodbN9WbU9JGSgIrBI6g2p_TLIA9X6tIN4Bsw-iv1s5tsI7IA3W25tGLjdGGL5OdB_vQswVNsPbgeOdYOynXEiMYs7NaRjnBTsNDlehtM7cHYQ/w640-h480/20231111_154333.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />With the tour done, they kindly invited us back upstairs for a short break and some tea.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7d9zVQHDrr4lsnukR2-xqMa3uJsN0PdDCHt7XBKgOUgraFgE3lHJyVyFXgHpl0xRlWXcajFzPHIPWil-myphB8nMy-hqIQUzqNBpUvJY10Gig4c8QEs49jZhwc-RgUrIqqYmMOgFs6e-_tOqN26LN67fxtPSgFJAtr61g8nYXx9FeX_n71_pEUE_uAOKl/s4032/20231111_170021.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7d9zVQHDrr4lsnukR2-xqMa3uJsN0PdDCHt7XBKgOUgraFgE3lHJyVyFXgHpl0xRlWXcajFzPHIPWil-myphB8nMy-hqIQUzqNBpUvJY10Gig4c8QEs49jZhwc-RgUrIqqYmMOgFs6e-_tOqN26LN67fxtPSgFJAtr61g8nYXx9FeX_n71_pEUE_uAOKl/w640-h480/20231111_170021.JPG" width="640" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></div></div>At this point, I was content to say our goodbyes, however there was one more thing Hannah and Hirano-san wanted to show us - their new PR office!</div><div><br /></div><div>In the employee parking lot right outside their PR office, I found this - </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMzGiXjxE4QqLmsIcbNMCEkmHaCCpRRNxBAhJToFOeul5ZrOldCARFlAf14fiuNQo28bFg8xTnWnaxUkD5Rz7e7MyfR4O3Sc-XKgBSajq_TjoM8FyEkFOk6bLTpIPPecqDx-HY520Vwzo_upSVvxnGsHq4ASZ3EgRZt9ayWNy80CQ6L0LPKeBuB4w-if0/s2048/368406646_349580757649079_5347754714633431213_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMzGiXjxE4QqLmsIcbNMCEkmHaCCpRRNxBAhJToFOeul5ZrOldCARFlAf14fiuNQo28bFg8xTnWnaxUkD5Rz7e7MyfR4O3Sc-XKgBSajq_TjoM8FyEkFOk6bLTpIPPecqDx-HY520Vwzo_upSVvxnGsHq4ASZ3EgRZt9ayWNy80CQ6L0LPKeBuB4w-if0/w640-h480/368406646_349580757649079_5347754714633431213_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone has great taste, obviously...and strangely the employees do not buy cars from the company.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And actually, it wasn't just the office they wanted to show us, but their silver YouTube placque!!<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xiAPIKBOicbP5jCvONlH_afugQ73OJPkQCeHGiLhH2FPUU4W37CGK_677cKI_OJ35S-eJU9xDqb_VaDXo-sPhPHK0pT1Fgat-wWXFhVTvBBf4LIerrvZdso3gK8V81cJpnHQ0CH1L9swGYcWIyzzgb2vxd6LKAiVR8a7TtV6-QfBR-ufwW6ShHjoFhyphenhyphenc/s4032/385551836_3617348148502913_6214225360658143474_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xiAPIKBOicbP5jCvONlH_afugQ73OJPkQCeHGiLhH2FPUU4W37CGK_677cKI_OJ35S-eJU9xDqb_VaDXo-sPhPHK0pT1Fgat-wWXFhVTvBBf4LIerrvZdso3gK8V81cJpnHQ0CH1L9swGYcWIyzzgb2vxd6LKAiVR8a7TtV6-QfBR-ufwW6ShHjoFhyphenhyphenc/w480-h640/385551836_3617348148502913_6214225360658143474_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't remember if it was for 100,000 viewers or 1M views, but...impressive nonetheless! Well done guys!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>As we were about to drive away, Hannah was kind enough to pretend to be interested in my car.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUTyP3iVS0SAS3rNpdHBC6NcyW2hoGIA3Or0S8OeJb-a-OTWK9yvUnVbemBS22vcuwVAAE3qJZycSsaWPzuM5dh7MwXGEESnYYnFpdW4zWdpFsg9mS2CzY-GySzxBJJo-EJpH1Ko_YjzDmtEu4E0iN4pF7f4-a0fq42HLvSCiBCIZIzTtgVH0Q3MjwdwQ/s2048/369174985_1847443519046997_8020376574351292055_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUTyP3iVS0SAS3rNpdHBC6NcyW2hoGIA3Or0S8OeJb-a-OTWK9yvUnVbemBS22vcuwVAAE3qJZycSsaWPzuM5dh7MwXGEESnYYnFpdW4zWdpFsg9mS2CzY-GySzxBJJo-EJpH1Ko_YjzDmtEu4E0iN4pF7f4-a0fq42HLvSCiBCIZIzTtgVH0Q3MjwdwQ/w640-h480/369174985_1847443519046997_8020376574351292055_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah laughing at me for spending so much money on the car...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSKn6C2_Lu1-rX8F4wk5wYTpKcCQBZ1ylaJiECcSpz9MkyypAsH1xvGXXaBs0WJiMX4zUpb0B9Ge_sOAlDOAZlQjhWc81ZXfUGh1UVvsVou1FxypWtZ0FBkgyTp7BUOHdfVrMcC3zE_GISOe2LAjhgTpV-eR73mfF7a7sU66qj9ZJ9kcg018gH8WUCt63/s2048/385537260_1067440167758942_3490038471389433909_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSKn6C2_Lu1-rX8F4wk5wYTpKcCQBZ1ylaJiECcSpz9MkyypAsH1xvGXXaBs0WJiMX4zUpb0B9Ge_sOAlDOAZlQjhWc81ZXfUGh1UVvsVou1FxypWtZ0FBkgyTp7BUOHdfVrMcC3zE_GISOe2LAjhgTpV-eR73mfF7a7sU66qj9ZJ9kcg018gH8WUCt63/w640-h480/385537260_1067440167758942_3490038471389433909_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admiring Cesar's handcrafted interior</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It was then that TK's video editor, Suzuki-san, another car-crazy guy, came out to check out my car as well. And he REALLY knew his stuff about the R33, even though he drives a slammed out 86! He knew, for example, where to check for rust spots, and asked about what clutch the car had, etc. </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w3NEv26n6FTDej3JfNYHNozU5T_iFv5ChLLqcatmLEgI4zu8hKWvP0NnauvZq3bwz93t4RKtA9nN-r8__eSoa3rSgyYQ77huT-kcN9qsgdC8LgKMVFZD0adpYuz2kUP2duLcTDdjH9yAa6FIb0X8todmPNBrq6jOxGajHIDhjFEEABuyco3kKGeBIIG_/s4032/20231111_164546.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w3NEv26n6FTDej3JfNYHNozU5T_iFv5ChLLqcatmLEgI4zu8hKWvP0NnauvZq3bwz93t4RKtA9nN-r8__eSoa3rSgyYQ77huT-kcN9qsgdC8LgKMVFZD0adpYuz2kUP2duLcTDdjH9yAa6FIb0X8todmPNBrq6jOxGajHIDhjFEEABuyco3kKGeBIIG_/w640-h480/20231111_164546.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, the young ones get excited about the classic Skyline afterburners. Maybe I will make it <br />onto TK's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TrustKikaku" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Facebook</span></a> page?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Anyway, thank you very much to Hannah, Hirano-san, Suzuki-san and the rest of the TK staff who welcomed us and took so much time out of their day to entertain us. Great people, an interesting business, and a lifeline for many of us looking for that rare or hard to find part. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUEUg-LiPXiLKWYcEgQ-kzzBWWNZot7wfLJ17imWHr7Xua0kuI_4QX4xPTCRUABTgKv52xp1u4ayKdlcgUTvWenQIbWLJJE8iqNkPGHVqttu2jobuMA182VPpsDexr9bF6DWk8tzOK8fjTmihmzS5ov3qMgLnuPhlgGIhmAgM1IBpoik21RMfp_NWDOfo/s2048/370636136_3697252577264696_5385835209002693148_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUEUg-LiPXiLKWYcEgQ-kzzBWWNZot7wfLJ17imWHr7Xua0kuI_4QX4xPTCRUABTgKv52xp1u4ayKdlcgUTvWenQIbWLJJE8iqNkPGHVqttu2jobuMA182VPpsDexr9bF6DWk8tzOK8fjTmihmzS5ov3qMgLnuPhlgGIhmAgM1IBpoik21RMfp_NWDOfo/w640-h480/370636136_3697252577264696_5385835209002693148_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Thank you again! I look forward to seeing you guys again sometime soon!</div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-85689418890338250242023-09-30T16:33:00.000+09:002023-09-30T16:33:41.729+09:00Minor Electrical Issue Was Worth Fixing!<p>So you all will remember the nightmare that happened a few years ago when a rogue stereo /alarm installer decided he would use my car as his experimental test bed and not apologize for all the goofs? Well, one consequence of that was that <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2020/07/call-from-nismo-its-worst-theyve-ever.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">a lot of the wiring harness got chopped</span></a> and so many connectors on the harness were lost.</p><p>One of these was the connector to the cigarette lighter. It's only 3 leads, but... And I recall it was because he had relocated the HVAC controls to this lower area, obliviating the need for a cigarette socket. Sure, I guess you then don't need the connector to the cigarette lighter but what if I changed my mind later?</p><p>Anyway, recently I realized I was having problems with this compact cigarette socket USB charger. I would plug cables into it that I knew were not defective, but my phone would not charge.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXtcyHhcvGJi3DBdu53khcn91fBWZK1p3QbaekmI8pIbtimYhP9ARDhKnrVceMvlWOO9rgQZdiUW2KU8a_c6AK8mdVVNHQiDzU57zaa0sxN_zPsRnscnD0MiOEx8-z8SlUBsaCzBeL2msNilAM5Pkbs8uID9mPcrVL9XX0r25lKScQMkwmiJtx9saL7I/s4032/blackdoesnotlightup.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXtcyHhcvGJi3DBdu53khcn91fBWZK1p3QbaekmI8pIbtimYhP9ARDhKnrVceMvlWOO9rgQZdiUW2KU8a_c6AK8mdVVNHQiDzU57zaa0sxN_zPsRnscnD0MiOEx8-z8SlUBsaCzBeL2msNilAM5Pkbs8uID9mPcrVL9XX0r25lKScQMkwmiJtx9saL7I/w640-h480/blackdoesnotlightup.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the dust! Also, this unit is supposed to light up when power is flowing to it...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I would tinker with the backside wiring, and sometimes end up with the cigarette socket surround lit up (not the unit itself - it needs acc power) when the lights were off, and vice versa. Or no power at all, even when the engine was on. Finally it dawned on me that this USB power thing might be broken. So...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC3OC_q_DlmTGw4v1cKz_vEYqBcOan5is_fyxo5oTgodxPMf4ybvxsJgPlsOzCeSpy0Hs-DZcLDHQ7z7ZVwT4A5L4qC0zOdW3TZCAQRA2nlUsdOQh8NmlUiwYO_RInllT0Z3Yg3W3IcCpfMyswErxu3zmk12FTRZxFma8lnuBqlRxGHbiT2lT7EFvVus/s4032/box.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC3OC_q_DlmTGw4v1cKz_vEYqBcOan5is_fyxo5oTgodxPMf4ybvxsJgPlsOzCeSpy0Hs-DZcLDHQ7z7ZVwT4A5L4qC0zOdW3TZCAQRA2nlUsdOQh8NmlUiwYO_RInllT0Z3Yg3W3IcCpfMyswErxu3zmk12FTRZxFma8lnuBqlRxGHbiT2lT7EFvVus/w640-h480/box.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 hours later - Amazon to the rescue... yeah the box got crushed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEnGAtNNdA9Blu4GRXV0GIlJzJXIEJaR_Tg3tLxLfIQIxguIDge8_gD3g5F6McYXycNSSzflldq_8EzDN7JeiChBY9bnSL7vIfSi_N83oV1VgD0ZHl0BTdhHbwJZUIgTEn7erukK66rIR_uCofHHDEaadO0AwyNrXEVWL-qwKPRCP29IO-2ZosFHhqV4/s4032/opentoshowred.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEnGAtNNdA9Blu4GRXV0GIlJzJXIEJaR_Tg3tLxLfIQIxguIDge8_gD3g5F6McYXycNSSzflldq_8EzDN7JeiChBY9bnSL7vIfSi_N83oV1VgD0ZHl0BTdhHbwJZUIgTEn7erukK66rIR_uCofHHDEaadO0AwyNrXEVWL-qwKPRCP29IO-2ZosFHhqV4/w640-h480/opentoshowred.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But the unit inside was fine.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeA91QK4PLU7Ev49OFEJLgb30kWkDUaAn7TC_wHqa_LGsbK1Bk1K3gEyFW6HTR-4SEkUU_uAAM65w0zGdrhu-DfZnHXlz6Uqr0Dt6gSYrBL1_S9ldoOQSVknzbpM_izRaLPaxzOiWhdUQOf4GIcV_oRwdCX4A5VDiQDTWBRJ3O169VvW0J-QLJqj5I8A/s4032/redunit.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeA91QK4PLU7Ev49OFEJLgb30kWkDUaAn7TC_wHqa_LGsbK1Bk1K3gEyFW6HTR-4SEkUU_uAAM65w0zGdrhu-DfZnHXlz6Uqr0Dt6gSYrBL1_S9ldoOQSVknzbpM_izRaLPaxzOiWhdUQOf4GIcV_oRwdCX4A5VDiQDTWBRJ3O169VvW0J-QLJqj5I8A/w640-h480/redunit.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright red so I wouldn't get confused with the current one. Plus, anodized red is always nice</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tuT2JF8aUggc6BVFGgJKkkZbbFChJzklLbzEFnOt6LxO4Q1qoB-wskbuUafN99mkdQcZGuqIVEKji8wOigFwF5EzPjDP-OXwNSSzfg-L8obvuoACH8s-KuDr-qz74j_zs7Og-1bETW0IdH5wcaLCDy33yvYbgoitqGtGbVUuWxL1yOr3TCqc53E8aI8/s4032/compareblackandred.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tuT2JF8aUggc6BVFGgJKkkZbbFChJzklLbzEFnOt6LxO4Q1qoB-wskbuUafN99mkdQcZGuqIVEKji8wOigFwF5EzPjDP-OXwNSSzfg-L8obvuoACH8s-KuDr-qz74j_zs7Og-1bETW0IdH5wcaLCDy33yvYbgoitqGtGbVUuWxL1yOr3TCqc53E8aI8/w640-h480/compareblackandred.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory comparison photo.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So what happened then? Obviously, a simple successful swap would not result in a blog post. </p><p>Well both good news and bad. Good, in that as the red unit lit up, I knew the black unit had failed.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg0WmYiTY7wIGpVAIiMbjY-Kmhno3U84Hda8cpuZvtjxUfoFJtFTum_XsCoKNniDqr6YuuW8E-7UVvVNONGPoIht2ydkSxvIjFdJ_Mk_8C5lSYH7WiW52dLgetuzVDKmVwxwZoZgIzIjsIN08jAzYdz00g6-MICA_gk8-H-Z1g_30K5omtKqvI138pRA/s4032/redlightsup.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg0WmYiTY7wIGpVAIiMbjY-Kmhno3U84Hda8cpuZvtjxUfoFJtFTum_XsCoKNniDqr6YuuW8E-7UVvVNONGPoIht2ydkSxvIjFdJ_Mk_8C5lSYH7WiW52dLgetuzVDKmVwxwZoZgIzIjsIN08jAzYdz00g6-MICA_gk8-H-Z1g_30K5omtKqvI138pRA/w640-h480/redlightsup.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>But bad, because it STILL wouldn't charge my phone. The phone would recognize power being sent but the current seemed to fluctuate on/off/on/off/on/off... and then nothing. So annoying...</p><p>So it was removing the shift surround panel to access the wiring once again and...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQz6WPH2ZnvqZc-grhr6Pz2HRVaMKTjH4VD1NnOfIVr9XOc-ytcjnOQpQlTI89AWeo-_RnemV1TYJMflxdX7KdEiq5V3ftkzFFDjOpbUZzWXYtT7xZapXNANZiXfKYd1itWG-8wo5tQrOIxdJKydLIfxd_jJJuZalx1MrpTUSfG6K6z4lBBErTRIufKuI/s4032/undopaneltoaccesswires.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQz6WPH2ZnvqZc-grhr6Pz2HRVaMKTjH4VD1NnOfIVr9XOc-ytcjnOQpQlTI89AWeo-_RnemV1TYJMflxdX7KdEiq5V3ftkzFFDjOpbUZzWXYtT7xZapXNANZiXfKYd1itWG-8wo5tQrOIxdJKydLIfxd_jJJuZalx1MrpTUSfG6K6z4lBBErTRIufKuI/w640-h480/undopaneltoaccesswires.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, the tape deck is working perfectly, and sounds awesome too!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I finally figured out that the wiring being inserted into the cigarette socket circuit was wrong, even though it was lighting up properly. Actually, without the ignition on, turning the lights on gave a "buzz" sound so I knew something was off. So I swapped some wires around and...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe2XRJIZmUO-RVy4jAp0NVCecE88HyOTBncksreS7mVTaDSYBkD99xlA_VNiH9C2i3IcdOr-KJMaJEwlLKBga1aprRChE9lk76ZtXaASvKLzdPCmhIPmWSli5MczH2jLdlBD1diIMaV18bkt-butxmxTNZtUN8ENnpVbVO6HObKt2IVd8nV3ft-d1_JU/s4032/properwiring.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe2XRJIZmUO-RVy4jAp0NVCecE88HyOTBncksreS7mVTaDSYBkD99xlA_VNiH9C2i3IcdOr-KJMaJEwlLKBga1aprRChE9lk76ZtXaASvKLzdPCmhIPmWSli5MczH2jLdlBD1diIMaV18bkt-butxmxTNZtUN8ENnpVbVO6HObKt2IVd8nV3ft-d1_JU/w640-h480/properwiring.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proper wiring positions - for my records, just in case!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Success! Power to finally charge my phone. I celebrated by buying a USB-C charging cable with both Lightning and USB-C ends to allow for charging of both of my phones (and anyone riding with me with an older iPhone).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGX49Qu-6eKdyl1N0N4FWrIRqt78VWEBwuSOnj4qqKyU8JIjDtBnTagZ2Z3ybiCu6aH55MIrK-2knYaly6CTPqJ9X20h5lckFOf8DP99xlMCQ7wgNZXtoZi9KmkpM_wZm_ixulxOdxlrvtEPwrcSPSQfGUHCtPetdPVSeyw8CETE7Ynqhtl5h0JgMWU8/s4032/20230926_133056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGX49Qu-6eKdyl1N0N4FWrIRqt78VWEBwuSOnj4qqKyU8JIjDtBnTagZ2Z3ybiCu6aH55MIrK-2knYaly6CTPqJ9X20h5lckFOf8DP99xlMCQ7wgNZXtoZi9KmkpM_wZm_ixulxOdxlrvtEPwrcSPSQfGUHCtPetdPVSeyw8CETE7Ynqhtl5h0JgMWU8/w640-h480/20230926_133056.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So really just minor stuff. What's next? That reminds me I need to talk to Ochiai-san at Omori Factory...</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-60268343430598467152023-09-18T23:34:00.004+09:002023-09-18T23:34:47.636+09:00Making Sure I'm Not Left Behind<p>I am talking about car cleaning and detailing techniques, of course. Since I admittedly rarely drive the GT-R these days, I don't really get a chance to keep my skills up. </p><p>On the other hand, my Lexus... </p><p>So I found this interesting product, originally designed to be applied to cell phone screens to supposedly harden the glass to 9H. Thus obliviating the need for those thin plastic or glass screen savers. Not sure about that, but I recently was reviewing <a href="https://minkara.carview.co.jp/partsreview/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Minkara Parts Review </span></a>and found several owners saying that this spray on product was helping protect those piano black finishes that are now popular in cars these days.</p><p>Of course, the GT-R doesn't have any piano black finish, but apparently this works on plastic in general, so if it doesn't make everything shiny, I might see how I could use this in the R33, at least on non-leather surfaces.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cVXzGOr8Rp9-TJScBLiH9tDBEnsdZzdDHPFra_2I8IwYb6pSLvafbC_YcIgjngA128_pCSnsaMk9jRrmH0ZNTexTmn0QkG4_lZaEp2i3n5YBPSk6JhgG6AefMsUs2fWHzwubGvKr4tqCHYHjIQFH3kURJdB3LJDmI49qfrEu7ff1dMz1C9mkEukff24/s4032/smahomamorukun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cVXzGOr8Rp9-TJScBLiH9tDBEnsdZzdDHPFra_2I8IwYb6pSLvafbC_YcIgjngA128_pCSnsaMk9jRrmH0ZNTexTmn0QkG4_lZaEp2i3n5YBPSk6JhgG6AefMsUs2fWHzwubGvKr4tqCHYHjIQFH3kURJdB3LJDmI49qfrEu7ff1dMz1C9mkEukff24/w640-h480/smahomamorukun.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>You can check out my impressions of this over at my other blog, at <a href="http://www.lexus-isf.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">www.lexus-isf.com </span></a></p><p>Don't tell the Lexus fans, but I am going to, in my spare time, start researching the latest on car detailing techniques and products, and practice on the IS-F. Being a blue car with a clearcoat, I think this will be a good learning experience. Interior-wise, it has leather and plastic, meaning I can practice on those materials too!</p><p>Stay tuned... yes I have some fun GT-R stuff coming up soon, just need to make a few phone calls...</p><p></p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-4734031589216453532023-07-22T02:40:00.004+09:002023-07-22T02:40:47.773+09:00Torque Wrenches JUST for Car Wheels<p> Check this out...</p><p>Thanks to Amazon its algorithm which knows that I own a Nissan, I found out that KTC (<a href="https://en.ktc.jp/files/pdf/No38Catalog.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Kyoto Tool Company</span></a>) makes and sells torque wrenches that are pre-set to the wheel lug nut torques for various JDM car manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3lb-7HqaEZa4ETJg48rzFU18rL-43iXbutunCqBgLI1cRWWew3YY6-sxchZ00xQ61s99svIfSbBX_YO7gY4Dlp71SmkAanH-F0q4RUr4SPtzwKqLR-9cwjfopXjzTkma9JH7tXOqWk5lZZJATHkWH9PkCKLOAio5P2vSIYhboM6Yur8wd5M-hQY6I5iw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1495" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3lb-7HqaEZa4ETJg48rzFU18rL-43iXbutunCqBgLI1cRWWew3YY6-sxchZ00xQ61s99svIfSbBX_YO7gY4Dlp71SmkAanH-F0q4RUr4SPtzwKqLR-9cwjfopXjzTkma9JH7tXOqWk5lZZJATHkWH9PkCKLOAio5P2vSIYhboM6Yur8wd5M-hQY6I5iw=w640-h456" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/12-7-SQ-WHEEL-TORQUE-WRENCH-Model/dp/B002BDTII4?th=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Amazon</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><br />For example, the blue one torques at 85N-m for Suzukis and Nissan kei-cars; the black one at 103N-m for Toyota and Daihatsu cars, and the red one at 108N-m for Nissans and Hondas.<p></p><p>Naturally I sprang for the Nissan specific one as it was heavily marked down during the recent Amazon Prime day sale. Thanks Amazon!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AeMytiatuVBf1ZyXbpHeLvlVSxFkV3fEPlmfXFgmMrUS-aqw9VhrmFIoz1vyi7dSnBFbOq6X-NHpCtRKTVtjPfktSxYUoeZAnvEwQIOCU4gXr_gYrVMQnoK-1HxEMckzNIvYgOKw7E5fLgejBHWB1UEcdmJgo0Na6Q1RsF9mJhjKui_SbtIuuY9NFW0/s4032/20230717_113204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AeMytiatuVBf1ZyXbpHeLvlVSxFkV3fEPlmfXFgmMrUS-aqw9VhrmFIoz1vyi7dSnBFbOq6X-NHpCtRKTVtjPfktSxYUoeZAnvEwQIOCU4gXr_gYrVMQnoK-1HxEMckzNIvYgOKw7E5fLgejBHWB1UEcdmJgo0Na6Q1RsF9mJhjKui_SbtIuuY9NFW0/w640-h480/20230717_113204.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made In Japan, of course!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Truth be told, I already have an old Husky brand adjustable torque wrench I think I borrowed from my father many years ago, and never returned. I found out however that with such manually adjustable torque wrenches you are always supposed to return the setting to zero after every use, otherwise the internal springs start to stretch and this can throw off the accuracy of the wrench. And to be honest, I think I never did that, preferring to leave it on the last used setting (which was usually for the GT-R's wheel nuts anyway...) But if the wrench is NOT adjustable, then this is not an issue. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nZzsm2n07oiKP9YJNzdLQfDGDIRd67MUM2iaVOTDtvAK-V7bfEpPM3eBwC9A17FEHAQ2vVPAK2iwwwBm96qyf-Lr_JLiHb5Qk2FiDj9139jrZ7-AwybHUhLt6LVsEY9TDwsBsDBRzXXk2XtQB0PAtz6NC2mYW5zJzjpJhefFgwcBhBUxYcINHHr4PUY/s4032/20230717_113527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nZzsm2n07oiKP9YJNzdLQfDGDIRd67MUM2iaVOTDtvAK-V7bfEpPM3eBwC9A17FEHAQ2vVPAK2iwwwBm96qyf-Lr_JLiHb5Qk2FiDj9139jrZ7-AwybHUhLt6LVsEY9TDwsBsDBRzXXk2XtQB0PAtz6NC2mYW5zJzjpJhefFgwcBhBUxYcINHHr4PUY/w640-h480/20230717_113527.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wasn't expecting a case but this is a nice touch!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>For something that retails at around $100 USD, it goes without saying that it better be accurate! But yes there is this Certificate of Calibration showing within 0.5%.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQmw5Xy3MGMnIp9mg8SUTUrXRuCecFseaT9G0FSVs8G83NofDJnZbOO1w5Jwm1zDTKVxvQIku-m3hIM5ADNZsY-p0WqhpXiHjv1cTO5NN3r8FzhAfEy3v9u74GdjN7ug48m7Zynt8Bcg4FuZdmk7zMFKiw_bBQ9rJOYRQvLiLSUb7M8EEpiW6eAeFFV8/s4032/20230717_113615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQmw5Xy3MGMnIp9mg8SUTUrXRuCecFseaT9G0FSVs8G83NofDJnZbOO1w5Jwm1zDTKVxvQIku-m3hIM5ADNZsY-p0WqhpXiHjv1cTO5NN3r8FzhAfEy3v9u74GdjN7ug48m7Zynt8Bcg4FuZdmk7zMFKiw_bBQ9rJOYRQvLiLSUb7M8EEpiW6eAeFFV8/w640-h480/20230717_113615.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love how there is a Certificate of Calibration</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Of course I finally broke out my <a href="https://www.koken-tool.co.jp/en/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Ko-ken</span></a> plastic sleeved car lug nut sockets, which I had bought a couple of years ago. Why the plastic sleeves? To prevent the accidental scratch of course! <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBtC-3r9521SwPeW7Ihc_2p5Ol11Xf_IGp9NBy4DK2eCeLW1zPoGTBz8Wllw0_KZMXrv1-NCTwGONct6umpj6zOTCBDKCvr_cd8M791tj7qhNSIAKOTthwLcqPOyFlTHxGI_B6D2NnrhUHBzJtPrIIAjIF02QGGKI7mj-Z3NjOe5CXxtVNuvVRIaiNC8/s4032/20230717_113652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBtC-3r9521SwPeW7Ihc_2p5Ol11Xf_IGp9NBy4DK2eCeLW1zPoGTBz8Wllw0_KZMXrv1-NCTwGONct6umpj6zOTCBDKCvr_cd8M791tj7qhNSIAKOTthwLcqPOyFlTHxGI_B6D2NnrhUHBzJtPrIIAjIF02QGGKI7mj-Z3NjOe5CXxtVNuvVRIaiNC8/w640-h480/20230717_113652.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue band is 17mm for Nissan, Yellow is 21mm for the Lexus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNalTy_8zeQqRDJ2O8UoA_6UKDnFLiW8eayhjfyHWrsQ8WhTbNDKXbiIn4ynxgaYvzUrNYqVzJPaRKbEqshcnwOzgXjWsQ8N2jzjQ9MmH7ywtiuBrzc4nnr77oq2Cxsxf_fFc-CTC9hR4TB0dJdvnXyIPeEERKDV5v8DK_3Fzm_cazgKQkP2-fjzhI0Js/s4032/20230721_140223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNalTy_8zeQqRDJ2O8UoA_6UKDnFLiW8eayhjfyHWrsQ8WhTbNDKXbiIn4ynxgaYvzUrNYqVzJPaRKbEqshcnwOzgXjWsQ8N2jzjQ9MmH7ywtiuBrzc4nnr77oq2Cxsxf_fFc-CTC9hR4TB0dJdvnXyIPeEERKDV5v8DK_3Fzm_cazgKQkP2-fjzhI0Js/w640-h480/20230721_140223.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love how Ko-ken has these knurled extension bars.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>So of course once this wrench arrived I had to go and "check" all the wheels. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tI2fv5BoCALSsiww2ZnCVGaM55VfNagLSF4OAPE32_oWjpmiBvy_WsVBw1qdpbKWDDipVYJfB93Sg6qQEdabx6tBwZc1OOFEuZ-d_sJjTAksuNe_giHzjCAG4ZN-cMtuX4fRc3gwhGmVp8mxQH9pDo74oy6Vbd2uvo4wtsNTuwhfNwc96KaLOvvRmho/s4032/20230721_140300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tI2fv5BoCALSsiww2ZnCVGaM55VfNagLSF4OAPE32_oWjpmiBvy_WsVBw1qdpbKWDDipVYJfB93Sg6qQEdabx6tBwZc1OOFEuZ-d_sJjTAksuNe_giHzjCAG4ZN-cMtuX4fRc3gwhGmVp8mxQH9pDo74oy6Vbd2uvo4wtsNTuwhfNwc96KaLOvvRmho/w640-h480/20230721_140300.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Everything was tight, except for one nut on the front right wheel. Nice! As for removal, I had previously bought a Ko-Ken ZEAL series cross series lug nut wrench. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyd0uujHKaOxgi8HGr0AZ7btt-afx_EzdR5zrVCda9SHzZnxm5ejaW2lKqECcWY-pSUTd8aR0v14DXiQ5x9G3JemOCvOqQ0uzu_PFxGWIbTCP6hjagwhBMQFXBL8bnvErEAGkPqO3fX9n7wSsovtU0UOZxfy_fTTnvZu6kSQmWnmP-EFewPGEACzxf64w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="476" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyd0uujHKaOxgi8HGr0AZ7btt-afx_EzdR5zrVCda9SHzZnxm5ejaW2lKqECcWY-pSUTd8aR0v14DXiQ5x9G3JemOCvOqQ0uzu_PFxGWIbTCP6hjagwhBMQFXBL8bnvErEAGkPqO3fX9n7wSsovtU0UOZxfy_fTTnvZu6kSQmWnmP-EFewPGEACzxf64w=w640-h392" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Ko-ken-4711XZ-Free-Turn-Wrench-12-7mm/dp/B08GL5PY49"><span style="color: #04ff00;">https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Ko-ken-4711XZ-Free-Turn-Wrench-12-7mm/dp/B08GL5PY49</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I have a breaker bar somewhere too. So in summary, now I have all the specific tools to perfectly remove and re-mount my wheels. If I ever have a need to do so (with carbon ceramics, the wheels don't get brake dust dirty anymore...)</p><p>Anyway, yes it is sad that I am so busy these days that I can only post this kind of stuff. I actually have a few things that have accumulated in my garage I need to get done soon. Hmm...</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-86237905816719221092023-06-05T22:49:00.001+09:002023-06-06T09:52:53.347+09:00Nissan Gearhead Lunch, Chance Encounter with Blog Readers, Nissan GT-R/Z Chief Product Specialist Reviews My Car<p>Hi everyone,</p><p>So thanks to all of you who have reached out to check to see if I am still alive. The answer is yes, and yes I still have my R33 GT-R. But, this year is a particularly busy one at work (involving a huge deal for Nissan), it really reminds me of my days in the law firm where I literally went home only to sleep and shower (having eaten all my meals at the office). It may not be that bad, but without any real updates to my car, tech-wise, or travels in it, I decided there really was no need to do any blog updates.</p><p>But now...</p><p>This adventure began as an offshoot to one of the many virtual meetings I now have as an in-house lawyer at Nissan - a few of my internal clients who happen to work for Nissan Motorsports and Customizing, Inc. ("NMC") (better known as Nismo and Autech, respectively, before they merged into NMC) decided it would be fun to meet up for lunch on a Sunday and just nerd out over cars.</p><p>So I show up to the appointed place and run into this guy:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2oq1L4w1RHqWxi-f_Y1eeRkLxbaLnPVtTKm5V2GonZvGZTGRPm7Pd7g2gsNc41w3a4-hoA6tD5C5ju0VC0uSFZY1vS-gILExd0EaGin_6TZdMBlVZixNnnBAJqtI94eZG88ABc84VEJMMRi4SimvQDSoCAhz5Zhgsm9HW_Zw5CJ-s0AIDQvyWesZ/s4032/20230604_120235.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2oq1L4w1RHqWxi-f_Y1eeRkLxbaLnPVtTKm5V2GonZvGZTGRPm7Pd7g2gsNc41w3a4-hoA6tD5C5ju0VC0uSFZY1vS-gILExd0EaGin_6TZdMBlVZixNnnBAJqtI94eZG88ABc84VEJMMRi4SimvQDSoCAhz5Zhgsm9HW_Zw5CJ-s0AIDQvyWesZ/w640-h480/20230604_120235.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWm3KseeaUXFzReIaWD1i5idblXRGp_sSEcScKvwSwiJndIWXDyKRkCB-DV9CGzTBryoEndWOx419Q-X2h9b68sU2zWLcGDsMl_xF3TwoP5UD0KiiAlrwL2KwuX5D7yoEMZHINEOq43KSod9Bj9GfwK7aPN8scAjlOsJrC7gH181bzouWZptmDNVe/s4032/20230604_120248.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWm3KseeaUXFzReIaWD1i5idblXRGp_sSEcScKvwSwiJndIWXDyKRkCB-DV9CGzTBryoEndWOx419Q-X2h9b68sU2zWLcGDsMl_xF3TwoP5UD0KiiAlrwL2KwuX5D7yoEMZHINEOq43KSod9Bj9GfwK7aPN8scAjlOsJrC7gH181bzouWZptmDNVe/w640-h480/20230604_120248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backing into a spot with the precision to leave only a few centimeters between the wall and his car</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So this yellow R34 GT-R is a VERY interesting car. Not that it changes my opinion on R34 GT-Rs, but it was actually one of the very first R34 GT-Rs ever made - in fact it was built as a press vehicle, meaning that Nissan took pains to make sure it had the stiffest body, best drivetrain, best suspension, etc. taken from all the early cars rolling off the assembly line. (i.e. literally "handbuilt" to have the best components). Back then, most press vehicles were purposely created this way in order to ensure the motorjournalists got to experience driving the theoretically "best" vehicle... and if you recall what happened with Drift King Tsuchiya, it explains why he was so pissed off at the difference in his own brand new R33 GT-R and the press car R33 GT-R he drove. </p><p>Some of you may have seen this same yellow car in this Best Motoring video, with Gan-san driving and praising:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QN_kXE8H1zU" width="320" youtube-src-id="QN_kXE8H1zU"></iframe></div><br /><p>Somehow, my friend Narita-san (who is actually now the Chief Product Specialist for the GT-R and Z... it is no longer Tamura-san for many reasons) got his hands on this car and made it his own. See photos later.</p><p>Anyway, since this blog is about R33s, yes I had also parked underneath the restaurant - and the beautiful 911 is owned by one of the senior guys at Nismo:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFkSFkDcZHeCH3rQtbtkYAEXrDH_1tcq1ExiAzSERL7P4IQhFKVyc9uqunF08KDNmbeju1XDLNOGd9FcpVIm2HruWChqpOrYWzkpaM1a_1uvWmd22FBbcZCb6gBAF9b8slPh58DjMT8NDYD7TO93RSQ-1aIHO09ZduCWbYx8GFpReq8cKxRYKUMuW/s4032/20230604_132620.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFkSFkDcZHeCH3rQtbtkYAEXrDH_1tcq1ExiAzSERL7P4IQhFKVyc9uqunF08KDNmbeju1XDLNOGd9FcpVIm2HruWChqpOrYWzkpaM1a_1uvWmd22FBbcZCb6gBAF9b8slPh58DjMT8NDYD7TO93RSQ-1aIHO09ZduCWbYx8GFpReq8cKxRYKUMuW/w640-h480/20230604_132620.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Of course, these car nerds were all quick to realize that the brakes on my car were superior to the 911's...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IsyKieuw_snK1YuOb1C_LBHa_xvacETthtrZkXseJDhuVl10GqxzMLJIC94HZ4wJNNPJG6Z3gnTPpiQXJ5RYrMcmjaMfBZRVRO0s4m34ZebYtCpg_5vX7W7hqNfMSxhsDhK0CsH7hI0laLXPFSdzt129Ydbu3wQkP8pOMUNaJY_e0YQRj_bXQtJP/s4032/20230604_132637.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IsyKieuw_snK1YuOb1C_LBHa_xvacETthtrZkXseJDhuVl10GqxzMLJIC94HZ4wJNNPJG6Z3gnTPpiQXJ5RYrMcmjaMfBZRVRO0s4m34ZebYtCpg_5vX7W7hqNfMSxhsDhK0CsH7hI0laLXPFSdzt129Ydbu3wQkP8pOMUNaJY_e0YQRj_bXQtJP/w640-h480/20230604_132637.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nerds will spot it, but maybe I need to get my calipers painted Bright Yellow with the Nissan Carbon Ceramic lettering on it, to ensure others spot these rotors too?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anyway, after a leisurely lunch, we decided to go for a quick drive. Both the Porsche guy and I live close to the restaurant so we decided we needed some expressway driving to properly warm up the cars.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W9vj5EXsUiFfjUQWu44GItfURGvyX9V4-MsGOc5toZLI35HpwBuNzkMyj7IcACT6iUNWlXNW7lP78VNiIOAJVtwGFCZsD-V7e2_1d7V8KJJhUHeES6yi6NWUarBIPMWoLElzZoMlyi6lcb7eu6-YeV01BxWa1O2g19RWXfTdsMffEMqM3-dX2_IJ/s4032/20230604_134853.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W9vj5EXsUiFfjUQWu44GItfURGvyX9V4-MsGOc5toZLI35HpwBuNzkMyj7IcACT6iUNWlXNW7lP78VNiIOAJVtwGFCZsD-V7e2_1d7V8KJJhUHeES6yi6NWUarBIPMWoLElzZoMlyi6lcb7eu6-YeV01BxWa1O2g19RWXfTdsMffEMqM3-dX2_IJ/w640-h480/20230604_134853.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />And right as I was about to get on the expressway I saw this!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgULapg4qpAeoqC8M8C7u9iQP3Wq8UX2BVJYBVHTxP7cfU1B_XOEnVdJ8Pn6etL8fFDXAhJ4aSHLotMSrndKnqOB8WvYD8oz6wwpyip9har2IC1oboMlKhteq6ElBWHQJMxu4UL6cSxqUB870qufk51KhpTRwCI8kpAUkbU0jU9x98gmPXjKrMbO9/s4032/20230604_134938.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgULapg4qpAeoqC8M8C7u9iQP3Wq8UX2BVJYBVHTxP7cfU1B_XOEnVdJ8Pn6etL8fFDXAhJ4aSHLotMSrndKnqOB8WvYD8oz6wwpyip9har2IC1oboMlKhteq6ElBWHQJMxu4UL6cSxqUB870qufk51KhpTRwCI8kpAUkbU0jU9x98gmPXjKrMbO9/w640-h480/20230604_134938.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hakosuka!!!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Because some us had other afternoon commitments, we kept it relatively close. We were thinking of Daikoku, but decided that was way too hectic. So of course...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq2ZpWk_90q0735Abtak_Lg_Su5A2coENyZgf5T4IT884cTNKpftjCYJzgxtThAcbZF-i_4P3YafxkoRvK9sbVAZRi_s_VAQqJeaQrYLqIAzVPR0stCP8b8BYfH6xGEEoKTmR8hQ8ciB7YQgSGmlRzwEy70cYppo3Gd49oRAnv5mpuiI5iD7iZAnN/s4032/20230604_140659.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq2ZpWk_90q0735Abtak_Lg_Su5A2coENyZgf5T4IT884cTNKpftjCYJzgxtThAcbZF-i_4P3YafxkoRvK9sbVAZRi_s_VAQqJeaQrYLqIAzVPR0stCP8b8BYfH6xGEEoKTmR8hQ8ciB7YQgSGmlRzwEy70cYppo3Gd49oRAnv5mpuiI5iD7iZAnN/w640-h480/20230604_140659.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>... we ended up at Nismo Omori Factory. Note the Mazda Roadster owned by another in our group, who works for what used to be called Autech.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I was glad we did end up here, even though all of us are super familiar with this place. Not only was I able to say hello to my friends Ochiai-san and Takasu-san, I had the pleasure of meeting the young man who approached me and showed me his really well kept Series 1 white R33 GT-R!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GHHgwYaulgIY3jLuLl_yql0EkKK_4KjjC8h42Vh36UX0uENUl1p8LZgzonuIDRyAtfcBG-xFA-BxCyMsXnu38SP74sFcy9Y9WvfWtP1xsRzcOMnkYhcA9TM5Gs_3Hro2SjvNZCQT2Ev7SdAP9AICpiMXpyKhTSoFGWsWbHrI_Sqn3CmrHR4EVwi7/s4032/20230604_141254.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GHHgwYaulgIY3jLuLl_yql0EkKK_4KjjC8h42Vh36UX0uENUl1p8LZgzonuIDRyAtfcBG-xFA-BxCyMsXnu38SP74sFcy9Y9WvfWtP1xsRzcOMnkYhcA9TM5Gs_3Hro2SjvNZCQT2Ev7SdAP9AICpiMXpyKhTSoFGWsWbHrI_Sqn3CmrHR4EVwi7/w640-h480/20230604_141254.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know, I just noticed that jade thing in the background...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Ricky just graduated from the University of Connecticut and is now living in Japan. I can tell he has lots of school pride...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PyQ_EolGvvhs827wpVuO5cA3Vwkc4nPdgX85UrYsJJ0yVv4F5D53YnE6fPq6B60WZGAGnL06NV26HyiQZoUi7LI6IqMYdfbkB7j7wXkO8VZ55ROd6J0qVACTyX-udDZ-Y2iPI1n8hUt0UwJZziyM6KpvURjrkqXWiFwgRF3yKE0PN0Do7pbZRAfh/s4032/20230604_141442.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PyQ_EolGvvhs827wpVuO5cA3Vwkc4nPdgX85UrYsJJ0yVv4F5D53YnE6fPq6B60WZGAGnL06NV26HyiQZoUi7LI6IqMYdfbkB7j7wXkO8VZ55ROd6J0qVACTyX-udDZ-Y2iPI1n8hUt0UwJZziyM6KpvURjrkqXWiFwgRF3yKE0PN0Do7pbZRAfh/w640-h480/20230604_141442.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, beginner driver sticker, a nice touch!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And isn't afraid to show it! And his car has over 180,000 km on the clock, but check out how clean and well maintained it is!</div><div><br /></div><div>First, the interior - no tears, no dirt, nothing broken, super clean!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWA8Bi1YzWVXAYT4BclyQlWFjvaUfujFEMbvfus4nhTkRxBCRZHnQ7GYSb-jgp6TBlCH5oBYjlXYzKSc46BSAABII3zm3fcXHzna4HEXQySj7oWcgjj5HH9NlI3rWbk5-JhHkNvBieDrTB5O6fS1mm-klaT65Dac-EsBWALbmFfCfW-4I37FeMVrG/s4032/20230604_141311.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWA8Bi1YzWVXAYT4BclyQlWFjvaUfujFEMbvfus4nhTkRxBCRZHnQ7GYSb-jgp6TBlCH5oBYjlXYzKSc46BSAABII3zm3fcXHzna4HEXQySj7oWcgjj5HH9NlI3rWbk5-JhHkNvBieDrTB5O6fS1mm-klaT65Dac-EsBWALbmFfCfW-4I37FeMVrG/w640-h480/20230604_141311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Ok so he has some Nismo seat covers - and he told me he was bothered by the red dots in the middle suede portion clashing with the blue headset inserts. My kind of OCD, nice!!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyz8kkcpf3p2-qlZfv0zk6uV4i8xO6BQFcNmmHP3AXVghlNHZR0twpRbiUHB3M-lDoDZp2C8m8TiJwY-Szx7kTB0YQg1aSsLa_07q_KGc4w8oDfRYcDvXM1eM1ZJnApSfw1wFHWqjKjAh8VDeCTBD34P6zFe2qW1H5EL6Rv7i8yMbPo6I7aXARTSI/s4032/20230604_141401.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyz8kkcpf3p2-qlZfv0zk6uV4i8xO6BQFcNmmHP3AXVghlNHZR0twpRbiUHB3M-lDoDZp2C8m8TiJwY-Szx7kTB0YQg1aSsLa_07q_KGc4w8oDfRYcDvXM1eM1ZJnApSfw1wFHWqjKjAh8VDeCTBD34P6zFe2qW1H5EL6Rv7i8yMbPo6I7aXARTSI/w640-h480/20230604_141401.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>But this door - definitely in better condition than my car was in before I sent off the interior to be redone in leather.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsB8CvockYe5GA-lp-atlA_pHaHeMzfD_PiRCpEMufhW29KxUWLnotdXuO_VvRUgh21kImOB6bfeVay1hIPkxKEJGTyUbvY-4SZrDxEtCNM72xnstGHdIuY0ZfD6QFcWOv_bOgZSXWfF7PHAhpXQTu8-W06HnA9CG131lzviWojVGqUkvOePi31s_/s4032/20230604_141411.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsB8CvockYe5GA-lp-atlA_pHaHeMzfD_PiRCpEMufhW29KxUWLnotdXuO_VvRUgh21kImOB6bfeVay1hIPkxKEJGTyUbvY-4SZrDxEtCNM72xnstGHdIuY0ZfD6QFcWOv_bOgZSXWfF7PHAhpXQTu8-W06HnA9CG131lzviWojVGqUkvOePi31s_/w640-h480/20230604_141411.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Oh but interior is not a big deal, have to check the strut tower area for rust, you say? Look at this! <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9x6RO8ow13OQDLflrmgLBDvqlOQ3RNNsPBKu2IAqpJlnDt0SR1l1C6FqYTrQMuO54Jk9ZYCfcArikMkBdmL3KO3HmntTyGKHvrSJIRLCDJCZnjHXRK58DZ1YxIKIu72IiOXuzZuZF8ubxe7qCwWg9PvvDgX_cP0GnXxxfbvLKmypcsOUgtbdq0uE2/s4032/20230604_141532.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9x6RO8ow13OQDLflrmgLBDvqlOQ3RNNsPBKu2IAqpJlnDt0SR1l1C6FqYTrQMuO54Jk9ZYCfcArikMkBdmL3KO3HmntTyGKHvrSJIRLCDJCZnjHXRK58DZ1YxIKIu72IiOXuzZuZF8ubxe7qCwWg9PvvDgX_cP0GnXxxfbvLKmypcsOUgtbdq0uE2/w640-h480/20230604_141532.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, Ricky has now started to slowly collect Nismo items as well, too...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And from the side, the car looks great as well. In fact, other than some dirt I really couldn't find anything to complain about, and neither could any of the Nismo guys! No rust!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXJoyqg4_NnrGIwI1H3Pomw9h1_uUEwKg9EDhRGONY5EyKvFldZobC6DXiYR1WPPW-6xq50GTU0cGM-6Q4ZBkJQXFp7epC4LzTMeOIPvwPE_3wYogdl4L30VkVvHDpWf7BBQPCASteBr7O0TJgHmgeCLqQruY8tZ_FQZCKYkD4_gD9qf2EUyQLBvD/s4032/20230604_141452.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXJoyqg4_NnrGIwI1H3Pomw9h1_uUEwKg9EDhRGONY5EyKvFldZobC6DXiYR1WPPW-6xq50GTU0cGM-6Q4ZBkJQXFp7epC4LzTMeOIPvwPE_3wYogdl4L30VkVvHDpWf7BBQPCASteBr7O0TJgHmgeCLqQruY8tZ_FQZCKYkD4_gD9qf2EUyQLBvD/w640-h480/20230604_141452.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Anyway, Ricky if you are reading this, please stay in touch and thank you for showing me your awesome car! Good luck with it!!<br /><p>During all of this, our group ran into some other people from overseas - a father/son duo from California (who collectively between them own a 32, 33, and 34...) as well as a (hopefully) soon to be 34 owner from Switzerland. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT1eTTSMFeDZZ9HhoxRDnGE2NAhnuFyJO42Ii1V_1aTGfkdzyhogCONslJOi53TAga3JFwK7Zm3hQBMgtyAYSHtWKK8-f0NOAMUe-XTVK8BvgBa1Bz0CXVhVqyob3ojKDN-B6DAO_Leo1IpagqSlnPWEoKZu_nmIA_UNpsAzU8S2GhMprYiQRMFzH/s4032/20230604_144644.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT1eTTSMFeDZZ9HhoxRDnGE2NAhnuFyJO42Ii1V_1aTGfkdzyhogCONslJOi53TAga3JFwK7Zm3hQBMgtyAYSHtWKK8-f0NOAMUe-XTVK8BvgBa1Bz0CXVhVqyob3ojKDN-B6DAO_Leo1IpagqSlnPWEoKZu_nmIA_UNpsAzU8S2GhMprYiQRMFzH/w640-h480/20230604_144644.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's GT-R/Z CPS (Chief Product Specialist) Narita-san being photographed with his car by the guys from the US/Switzerland</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Narita-san had been super curious about how the carbon ceramic brakes on my car worked/felt, so we exchanged keys to our cars, if only for a few minutes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQWdFgUrU-6IM07bQzUKvjcODrs-VRIClF6H_NjW2hmQMXe6puhUzmQFoWKwjDf-KGYk5xjnYtFxJaY8kcBPIptjwGMhc35AF33QHz5iP75kgGOMPfLQ4h7uKFDMtToL0OZQFWBiePl8mEduAK-oknvgCWI5aQJOruJGQNiWucIlVKVY-Unv5J2fe/s4032/20230604_143445.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQWdFgUrU-6IM07bQzUKvjcODrs-VRIClF6H_NjW2hmQMXe6puhUzmQFoWKwjDf-KGYk5xjnYtFxJaY8kcBPIptjwGMhc35AF33QHz5iP75kgGOMPfLQ4h7uKFDMtToL0OZQFWBiePl8mEduAK-oknvgCWI5aQJOruJGQNiWucIlVKVY-Unv5J2fe/w640-h480/20230604_143445.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His first words - "What clutch is this? The meet point is so high!" (Nismo...)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Meanwhile I took the opportunity to check out his car while I waited for him to return (I took these photos before he left).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNbPDVO9XTFvzBUAknynS0buzY-JGeOi40Z9y6SpU5TpcAzvYPzYSGhtE6gxgHTjjdJrVSb-92DDEtONo5AkfqTwYeneIhLG0cxHCsoVntj_4NDsBTx6ukOpJfcY-7-BW3w5_8R_i0i9EwLsDFvjbsRPlTAuYCYj5My0VfYL2KR8irixSQp7qACxa/s4032/20230604_144610.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNbPDVO9XTFvzBUAknynS0buzY-JGeOi40Z9y6SpU5TpcAzvYPzYSGhtE6gxgHTjjdJrVSb-92DDEtONo5AkfqTwYeneIhLG0cxHCsoVntj_4NDsBTx6ukOpJfcY-7-BW3w5_8R_i0i9EwLsDFvjbsRPlTAuYCYj5My0VfYL2KR8irixSQp7qACxa/w640-h480/20230604_144610.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously not Press Car spec...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>So I think he was trying to convert this car into a high speed Bonneville Salt Flat Run capable car...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYsaA1vvw2vbwk-59RkEWRVuRb-ZebpHDWKFSdS7atx4CjGiBMpVcObJZJ_bJLyJJnA_byet9UQkh_ZDg6rFIcsPBpZnLqkUtB7Mwa60s3TxhHJ5Il5m4O0wYk8GawFoYP8n0rY6zqcPrRxGoQXR-q2VVoGbUfqMo-aAYgCBv9VBhnpLNeyCdKZIH/s4032/20230604_144601.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYsaA1vvw2vbwk-59RkEWRVuRb-ZebpHDWKFSdS7atx4CjGiBMpVcObJZJ_bJLyJJnA_byet9UQkh_ZDg6rFIcsPBpZnLqkUtB7Mwa60s3TxhHJ5Il5m4O0wYk8GawFoYP8n0rY6zqcPrRxGoQXR-q2VVoGbUfqMo-aAYgCBv9VBhnpLNeyCdKZIH/w640-h480/20230604_144601.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>But he told me that the car simply was not as stable at high speed as a 33, so he gave up<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuLfGtQpvS5OrxylaQCijFQJ-eHSdfRQy4DWLnpTerYwOKR1InlvthP7TXiG6a5iTSHq0ptqEKwNvGSBcSBDcRIyWCjCtF46gNLtikf3xClqL7k2wlYxVvh5jZSNCpXduwms0ZwTbUtowp-wlxVF9eVu0EHuGtwxVKL5bzQeqd2Q4qJuXsjRu9o7H/s4032/20230604_144531.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuLfGtQpvS5OrxylaQCijFQJ-eHSdfRQy4DWLnpTerYwOKR1InlvthP7TXiG6a5iTSHq0ptqEKwNvGSBcSBDcRIyWCjCtF46gNLtikf3xClqL7k2wlYxVvh5jZSNCpXduwms0ZwTbUtowp-wlxVF9eVu0EHuGtwxVKL5bzQeqd2Q4qJuXsjRu9o7H/w640-h480/20230604_144531.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He has the Special Order Umbrella option, I see</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Still, it has some interesting features so next time we go for a drive I will get more details from him.<br /><p>So, what did the current Nissan GT-R/Z Chief Product Specialist have to say about my car? First, he was totally impressed with how the car was super nimble - having less unsprung weight means lane changes are super quick and accurate. Second, he loved the bite of the brakes, absolutely no problem in how they were set up. Third, he told me the car was sprung perfectly on the Ohlins DFVs. And finally, he was super impressed at the high level of finish of the car, the very low NVH, meaning it really felt like a proper high spec GT car. He thinks that I may have surpassed my goal of "this is what the 33 would be like if Nissan released it today."</p><p>Amazing what the pros pick up in only about 15 minutes of driving. Anyway, Narita-san came back super excited after driving my car and has already proposed a 0500 group run in the Hakone mountains soon... stay tuned and maybe some of you out there reading this in Japan can join us!</p></div></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-14453689315861255182022-12-20T16:38:00.002+09:002022-12-20T16:43:19.745+09:00Nice End of Year Present! Thank You Very Much!<p> So I was pleasantly surprised to receive this today. Fairly light but it WAS from Trust Kikaku...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu4thf8oXtyf5hGj83f0EQIWcXh78LukWYL-7tXyUiOl4Y23j9izSECe5rpWvAjn56JfzMdg1r9Teu6UWUuyv0Y4t4OIoWR9ygIAWzW1txn8c8cdTM5Zi-VcBkYGGsRrMHGNONxI_HvrBzbqi22n4YGCpvUr9H7bxVe7MGuR26GTqsbp2wzv6a5Nt/s4032/20221220_123533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu4thf8oXtyf5hGj83f0EQIWcXh78LukWYL-7tXyUiOl4Y23j9izSECe5rpWvAjn56JfzMdg1r9Teu6UWUuyv0Y4t4OIoWR9ygIAWzW1txn8c8cdTM5Zi-VcBkYGGsRrMHGNONxI_HvrBzbqi22n4YGCpvUr9H7bxVe7MGuR26GTqsbp2wzv6a5Nt/w640-h480/20221220_123533.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Wow! Somethiing from HKS! Wait, it says Door Mat?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYpM34i0WwCdQ3aT-5g6QohqMX60FSJnIJPL-gNP4KdS7WgtMYZcfTvdlVmlX2_-21Nkf6AmCk4NNbJ5CPsN4A2pf7m0AnDuwSPb1w396_sdoI6T-S8wwCV6I5tgJCXH4TLpsDuBfN5PvxmugULizlRnvoEMUq_c9M2-_fdOMRbgLPr20N1fOP6tW/s4032/20221220_123634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYpM34i0WwCdQ3aT-5g6QohqMX60FSJnIJPL-gNP4KdS7WgtMYZcfTvdlVmlX2_-21Nkf6AmCk4NNbJ5CPsN4A2pf7m0AnDuwSPb1w396_sdoI6T-S8wwCV6I5tgJCXH4TLpsDuBfN5PvxmugULizlRnvoEMUq_c9M2-_fdOMRbgLPr20N1fOP6tW/w640-h480/20221220_123634.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And it came with instructions! Says that HKS are not responsible for any mods made to this product!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPuopA-TexQx5-4eK7RNOZW0u-b31L4qiE6nTygYpZmXv-V2-F-kTy3hHBiEUJ5Ec5ZB8Pm5D36vFxGp_pvqOMW6kQbRMNd4cu3NPc9htk-qeMBYoz7eKGSAEB9qy8grl_xTFvXVNkfDMf5puZuhrUg2oyYpuf_A2Ru0hg3hPf2Z3CdvVwZvKbhpL/s4032/20221220_123718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPuopA-TexQx5-4eK7RNOZW0u-b31L4qiE6nTygYpZmXv-V2-F-kTy3hHBiEUJ5Ec5ZB8Pm5D36vFxGp_pvqOMW6kQbRMNd4cu3NPc9htk-qeMBYoz7eKGSAEB9qy8grl_xTFvXVNkfDMf5puZuhrUg2oyYpuf_A2Ru0hg3hPf2Z3CdvVwZvKbhpL/w640-h480/20221220_123718.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>As you can see here, it is much thicker than the cheapo Ikea carpets I have been using. And a non-slip backing too!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Ls7aXStwcj9B3MHtMs5qQWATz13kl9SQBaAWS3Mq1gMHz-rWxdJlvRptIwlQB9J7IqaGGh6E7V9XGsYzPvFWTcbwOUdVGl-HEKZu1qv75DdQ-Xs1R8UrrBTfuKJhUGtpMpD2MouCwmMnEsVFMK4MGYq6gwgM8pleKLBv3bkQp_PfPN5PUidSpKN/s4032/20221220_162407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Ls7aXStwcj9B3MHtMs5qQWATz13kl9SQBaAWS3Mq1gMHz-rWxdJlvRptIwlQB9J7IqaGGh6E7V9XGsYzPvFWTcbwOUdVGl-HEKZu1qv75DdQ-Xs1R8UrrBTfuKJhUGtpMpD2MouCwmMnEsVFMK4MGYq6gwgM8pleKLBv3bkQp_PfPN5PUidSpKN/w640-h480/20221220_162407.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Looks fantastic!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h5oNK9ZTqtrdorsHQFBii4ajamlL8NEL137Bz21yNV3OMFBZznrR-SzIptM6_9uN8c_DCU0xsmjROJVIz5X7A1nMNKB9x-uvp2giz4Wvp-ybOXWMiloaybi7QP0Gs97M6XbRs-32T5nLZdVCYJp6a-BgNa7QdxX1s6A8CUjHKEprSrQLWsI6uV4v/s4032/20221220_123846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h5oNK9ZTqtrdorsHQFBii4ajamlL8NEL137Bz21yNV3OMFBZznrR-SzIptM6_9uN8c_DCU0xsmjROJVIz5X7A1nMNKB9x-uvp2giz4Wvp-ybOXWMiloaybi7QP0Gs97M6XbRs-32T5nLZdVCYJp6a-BgNa7QdxX1s6A8CUjHKEprSrQLWsI6uV4v/w640-h480/20221220_123846.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, the electric heater is so my legs stay warm while I tinker...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So to my friends who sent this to me - thank you very much! A very nice way to finish off 2022, let us hope that 2023 is a better year, I am sure it will likely be!</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-15166531599840135072022-12-16T00:23:00.004+09:002022-12-16T08:42:22.635+09:00Those Parts Numbers REALLY CAN Make a Difference...<p>So given that the Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 (Zenki, Chuki and Khoki) R33 GT-Rs are <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2012/02/how-series-3-bcnr33-is-different-from.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">fundamentally the same car</span></a>, in modifying and keeping this car running, I am usually not a stickler for different part numbers for the SAME PART - the only difference seemingly being that my car is a Kohki car (with some part numbers containing a 98U00) and not a Zenki or Chuki (with part numbers often containing 24U00). Usually I am happy if I find something in better shape regardless of the year car it came off of. Of course, if it's brand new that is great too...</p><p>Sure, some parts like the Kohki Xenon headlights and red accented interior, I get. Having different parts numbers for those very distinct parts makes sense. But how about this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Z4SN6ohyHNRjPlECTFeS5cJ2RT33eQg1zw6BIMVD8bZpAPfkHUFNVhfDU_lfzVPSjTCo_H-I6iHk37UKxINcPVgN_BFP0MUrsrnEullTUbezF_3gSzv5N0iipM__p6eDUoPTuCS5bvRD7SYV7COr8Nc0mPQynPdsSrHqhQIVugxwI69MvYaT9Xdt/s4032/20221215_213026.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Z4SN6ohyHNRjPlECTFeS5cJ2RT33eQg1zw6BIMVD8bZpAPfkHUFNVhfDU_lfzVPSjTCo_H-I6iHk37UKxINcPVgN_BFP0MUrsrnEullTUbezF_3gSzv5N0iipM__p6eDUoPTuCS5bvRD7SYV7COr8Nc0mPQynPdsSrHqhQIVugxwI69MvYaT9Xdt/w640-h480/20221215_213026.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Other than the Mine's speedometer, what's the difference? Why did I just find and buy the old scratched up gauge cluster on Yahoo Auctions?</p><p>Well, the clue is in the numbers:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBUrxSMVmEZMSgJFQd1GOSvK12mEoGFRnL4skVrlq1IzqTk_AZsb8xJhfD_AKT31ZmR9bhwV-dEh-gc8UYCmhYBwiQFH-84lLsY3if2NwpYELXkj2MhpHqqvjB5McAV5BBbdg-AT-rR0T4olI-EQK65J8amLb0DTbPNWM2L49bIxsT2T7hSxKsmRl/s4032/20221215_212515.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBUrxSMVmEZMSgJFQd1GOSvK12mEoGFRnL4skVrlq1IzqTk_AZsb8xJhfD_AKT31ZmR9bhwV-dEh-gc8UYCmhYBwiQFH-84lLsY3if2NwpYELXkj2MhpHqqvjB5McAV5BBbdg-AT-rR0T4olI-EQK65J8amLb0DTbPNWM2L49bIxsT2T7hSxKsmRl/w640-h480/20221215_212515.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My gauge cluster on top, the Yahoo Auction special on the bottom.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So yes, my cluster appears to be from a Zenki or Chuki car while the bottom scratched up one is from a Kohki car. And yet, my car is a Kohki so what's going on?</p><p>Well, I didn't realize until this incident that I think <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2015/05/some-rare-mines-parts-plus-leds.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">when I installed the Mine's speedo</span></a>, I kept the 24U00 unit it came in (only replacing the V-Spec tachometer for the one that came in my car originally), and so I must have sold off my OEM 98U00 unit.</p><p>So why am I making a big deal about this now? Well... as you may know the Kohki cars have a standard rear fog lamp:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPHQLhvzizxwzvIyKX8CygsuosJCmWX9W106s8YD8j8hSjf3ZG_EfNnEIZdIyS3VNqHRmD5v-N0yCRYZPu1VJzq7IEAB7rxxabCqpjqUgnI28knVeJlWmwQO_3JW3r_vEgagPm5bAOUuOB0MkBtvPUlKDO0wB44iQM310D5ZVZsd_uvEWud0yCnLs/s4000/DSC_0002.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPHQLhvzizxwzvIyKX8CygsuosJCmWX9W106s8YD8j8hSjf3ZG_EfNnEIZdIyS3VNqHRmD5v-N0yCRYZPu1VJzq7IEAB7rxxabCqpjqUgnI28knVeJlWmwQO_3JW3r_vEgagPm5bAOUuOB0MkBtvPUlKDO0wB44iQM310D5ZVZsd_uvEWud0yCnLs/w640-h360/DSC_0002.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear red fog lamp on the right side only.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>But for the last few weeks, I thought that maybe the fog light or the circuit was broken, because when I turned on the fog lamp, I heard the relay click, but did not see anything on the dash. And when I checked the owner's manual there was supposed to an indicator lamp that turned on where the green arrow is pointing, below.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfywfjMaIxtFSDYbyq4Tnx-zHrL5J6RpTj5GcdIrai61XcuE7N6HZgAqwzPliYl_13S31LsZ9KZ8czjOY1dGxK1YyD3JIFFxZWZ4YzJjidTInAWj1yvLy_BRlQ1KTQH3NlDTp_1QT9dKvrcT-VyTSZhDxfID5mBox_nsRZ6ysVkVJ7KQ2gE6qj1HWK/s4000/CENTER_0001_BURST20221211151423025_COVER.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfywfjMaIxtFSDYbyq4Tnx-zHrL5J6RpTj5GcdIrai61XcuE7N6HZgAqwzPliYl_13S31LsZ9KZ8czjOY1dGxK1YyD3JIFFxZWZ4YzJjidTInAWj1yvLy_BRlQ1KTQH3NlDTp_1QT9dKvrcT-VyTSZhDxfID5mBox_nsRZ6ysVkVJ7KQ2gE6qj1HWK/w640-h360/CENTER_0001_BURST20221211151423025_COVER.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Suspecting a burnt out bulb, I removed the gauge cluster to check the bulb. But the bulb looked fine...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKmWhp0O5HfSeXsx1ASTx_10Lp8MEp1o_Tg-Ou0mBD2yoUC4ryaFl_wbkgHvrp1hHXKf0XRirrJIvOuRkTdMZYB14tyIYZcH2nG8dr_kpRbz2JIPFE7uj7n_RL11a3MSg5mzcdtsc8BHvLcxRZKHcHWYvfU0lpZJDtr3944AxBWpddZxfHKRKlE1R/s4000/DSC_0006.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKmWhp0O5HfSeXsx1ASTx_10Lp8MEp1o_Tg-Ou0mBD2yoUC4ryaFl_wbkgHvrp1hHXKf0XRirrJIvOuRkTdMZYB14tyIYZcH2nG8dr_kpRbz2JIPFE7uj7n_RL11a3MSg5mzcdtsc8BHvLcxRZKHcHWYvfU0lpZJDtr3944AxBWpddZxfHKRKlE1R/w640-h360/DSC_0006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And I realized the contacts for that bulb looked clean too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC8Rrq9M9GOCS35_m4ckIF30EW3QccwM4y3Uo0FRgU-leEWqGOORkfx5O7GFHbeXkEB0owCujJkMYJuiOliJHuMS8nbBN02Bo5I69bIOuAPcAy_ykyYHC9N0_I1pfdp8ujvEcwD2B4dAwAwlxk9zy7miNpp6Dhw9pXFLPGYUBPqnncjtl89yPA73Z/s4000/DSC_0008.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC8Rrq9M9GOCS35_m4ckIF30EW3QccwM4y3Uo0FRgU-leEWqGOORkfx5O7GFHbeXkEB0owCujJkMYJuiOliJHuMS8nbBN02Bo5I69bIOuAPcAy_ykyYHC9N0_I1pfdp8ujvEcwD2B4dAwAwlxk9zy7miNpp6Dhw9pXFLPGYUBPqnncjtl89yPA73Z/w640-h360/DSC_0008.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Ok so what about this removable film? It contains all the graphics for the warning lamps.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMleOMEN1GL0op9c7hZu7HN2hbFqB_Y5oRFg7_HW7QgFA45utQBoMBw-EwuDSUA5G7oh5eO98nL3q3MGtWcHdR_P37uagDpg3uNnSZMCKz-eYfMr0SiEYSJLAmkbZBH-lYB_BbTcKX4DAiR0L6huTaSzcs5cmAHSSqLsjgFVhn5rtj_o1YvXUyspCb/s4000/DSC_0010.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMleOMEN1GL0op9c7hZu7HN2hbFqB_Y5oRFg7_HW7QgFA45utQBoMBw-EwuDSUA5G7oh5eO98nL3q3MGtWcHdR_P37uagDpg3uNnSZMCKz-eYfMr0SiEYSJLAmkbZBH-lYB_BbTcKX4DAiR0L6huTaSzcs5cmAHSSqLsjgFVhn5rtj_o1YvXUyspCb/w640-h360/DSC_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After gently removing it to check the back side, I immediately realized that not only did the part number seem to be an earlier part number - 15U000 - but it was clearly lacking any indicator diagram for the rear fog lamp.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnZhxlizF9KC2PeiUl6kDTjZwDqhFV6BbCoarWYKnas_8sT5IBv0qY6nO40sGXFWmzNReoResQVy7wF-kuI8MIiP0zd2KD2GxC3QP0YMHdJ4XaT5ljW6EGIataETa9LgBDfSOBls4utGijattMUTpUA8WvC0fDlPS32kA5_YQZzoEJ4ioniPDZgYP/s4000/DSC_0011.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnZhxlizF9KC2PeiUl6kDTjZwDqhFV6BbCoarWYKnas_8sT5IBv0qY6nO40sGXFWmzNReoResQVy7wF-kuI8MIiP0zd2KD2GxC3QP0YMHdJ4XaT5ljW6EGIataETa9LgBDfSOBls4utGijattMUTpUA8WvC0fDlPS32kA5_YQZzoEJ4ioniPDZgYP/w640-h360/DSC_0011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Just to make sure, I plugged the gauge cluster back in and turned on the rear fog lamp - and as you can see, the bulb is not the problem.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchaBx6VJ2V4X1kgSFJWE1Lshl_zbRy3rRAKIHSCSXOsgfu9r3eHP_AOynhcmBEDkVfjrCtLSqxdZeNyIz-4wjkwIWDijrj9uqUuRL3HS8Uylba64Lb4nu3HR4DaRhcnuaN2ETIzH7SfHamn4TyoMchSbqEJ5Oh9IGBHOazfyzHhGwykaPZSYAazBw/s4000/DSC_0012.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchaBx6VJ2V4X1kgSFJWE1Lshl_zbRy3rRAKIHSCSXOsgfu9r3eHP_AOynhcmBEDkVfjrCtLSqxdZeNyIz-4wjkwIWDijrj9uqUuRL3HS8Uylba64Lb4nu3HR4DaRhcnuaN2ETIzH7SfHamn4TyoMchSbqEJ5Oh9IGBHOazfyzHhGwykaPZSYAazBw/w640-h360/DSC_0012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bulb lit up here</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eHts513_Rx7591tNNVlk977Bjf19Tl9ModrrKG4Hey_fMfIEUblOzHcjARhITua9V0yaCremEC_Kn18ozMls3lIub79LKUpF3hET3tG_wUT2ZiLkbCX9HSRn3Dd6EpDHRgJrwB7W3WZFlLrdkR19LC85jKoNsfHyrLiTALfM_L96xfDhg8TRy0bG/s4000/DSC_0013.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eHts513_Rx7591tNNVlk977Bjf19Tl9ModrrKG4Hey_fMfIEUblOzHcjARhITua9V0yaCremEC_Kn18ozMls3lIub79LKUpF3hET3tG_wUT2ZiLkbCX9HSRn3Dd6EpDHRgJrwB7W3WZFlLrdkR19LC85jKoNsfHyrLiTALfM_L96xfDhg8TRy0bG/w640-h360/DSC_0013.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamp off, Bulb off.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>So this is when I decided to see if I could find a Kohki gauge cluster and see if my guess, that the Kohki clusters WOULD have the diagram, was right. By total coincidence, that evening I found TWO clusters with the 98U00 number on Yahoo Auctions. So I bought one and a few days later:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QTLK6Zy-WuZ6uD7nWhJXQ3uGO-HsngwjiX-8ErNEZpZvf2UCKmsLQ2XYwy9ej1UdfQ0bjJz_xbby5veByKe39iyHk4ia7FFakP76Q3pTprIRQUFKmOzpSBGi45GFQu3lunJ13KE-E6ZzXhNomEztup2D4vtSwkmu5jBSmNkvIgsMcKTH9wdTCRXP/s4032/20221215_202443.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QTLK6Zy-WuZ6uD7nWhJXQ3uGO-HsngwjiX-8ErNEZpZvf2UCKmsLQ2XYwy9ej1UdfQ0bjJz_xbby5veByKe39iyHk4ia7FFakP76Q3pTprIRQUFKmOzpSBGi45GFQu3lunJ13KE-E6ZzXhNomEztup2D4vtSwkmu5jBSmNkvIgsMcKTH9wdTCRXP/w640-h480/20221215_202443.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIBzHMhCmePsnw4VybxGuYjP-aaoZFED5kKSl2AX-Dnd25hDQRTdLOfmKErOTvFzwAp2gJ-vfhnJIaRUo8gzoPq052m453G-vGWhXZSjlD-CZHkQQI0wk152yKi6MyIWv-fnj4JxspBp9XNISclfhu-cleKUNWm6lQyOTsBGGaiA4PthgCerq9hoL/s4032/20221215_202456.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIBzHMhCmePsnw4VybxGuYjP-aaoZFED5kKSl2AX-Dnd25hDQRTdLOfmKErOTvFzwAp2gJ-vfhnJIaRUo8gzoPq052m453G-vGWhXZSjlD-CZHkQQI0wk152yKi6MyIWv-fnj4JxspBp9XNISclfhu-cleKUNWm6lQyOTsBGGaiA4PthgCerq9hoL/w640-h480/20221215_202456.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So yeah first thing I did was to inspect it, and then compare it to mine.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRgbmUrJbHCxg6aj31dFvwgXmPA5JEEqr77P5GMiWavfpghkKLdH6ywe1RtfaI0VTjZPrq31ZAhIIWUswU95boMa-YpSl0_piZmXPKiGdovDM1Al4eCSUOUEqgSK3cfXGqdb-i7tAQvlTyx2uHJMFwY2qCI3_jYHhrbBpLfpAwHCe5o8pbkIcmM9f/s4032/20221215_212515.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRgbmUrJbHCxg6aj31dFvwgXmPA5JEEqr77P5GMiWavfpghkKLdH6ywe1RtfaI0VTjZPrq31ZAhIIWUswU95boMa-YpSl0_piZmXPKiGdovDM1Al4eCSUOUEqgSK3cfXGqdb-i7tAQvlTyx2uHJMFwY2qCI3_jYHhrbBpLfpAwHCe5o8pbkIcmM9f/w640-h480/20221215_212515.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surprisingly, the newer 98U02 unit was dirtier! Although the black surround looked cleaner, yes.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>But what was weird was the back side.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthVILdf2ZvpvkI9Vbb8oceq_Y2tJ50b7AYrox_J-0ZINvAhKfujWbvKsd3tiETeo8e0BU7PRjeigj_YcznoMxJ789PJENs7SN9PzxIsr3VlGYoo_nPAGYU2pONZJlzJgPecbrbquPaKOEsk6RuAOk6w_2XegagToRcq480SQb9e6G6kPIasRG4CJo/s4032/20221215_212541.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthVILdf2ZvpvkI9Vbb8oceq_Y2tJ50b7AYrox_J-0ZINvAhKfujWbvKsd3tiETeo8e0BU7PRjeigj_YcznoMxJ789PJENs7SN9PzxIsr3VlGYoo_nPAGYU2pONZJlzJgPecbrbquPaKOEsk6RuAOk6w_2XegagToRcq480SQb9e6G6kPIasRG4CJo/w640-h480/20221215_212541.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top is mine, the backing is blue and looks newer and cleaner. The newer one on bottom looks more green and somehow older even though it has the 98U00 series number</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>In fact, look at this:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRi79fbqxSrwltt13zo96qNZtIwiSKR9_d34JMfGjijaVnTStjk1iLn7ovjdMoVXP4z4KkY6RE7VY3qcLZr1nbVQEUJqJFMuiXHXsPGXTyVK-KIVa2dqnqoG1vOTbQGyANGp4xiMCQEa4D6KOZsMCg7nIAXvLiAAAqU-pRW-GRI3_VyuLZ9PdWrv1/s4032/20221215_212806.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRi79fbqxSrwltt13zo96qNZtIwiSKR9_d34JMfGjijaVnTStjk1iLn7ovjdMoVXP4z4KkY6RE7VY3qcLZr1nbVQEUJqJFMuiXHXsPGXTyVK-KIVa2dqnqoG1vOTbQGyANGp4xiMCQEa4D6KOZsMCg7nIAXvLiAAAqU-pRW-GRI3_VyuLZ9PdWrv1/w640-h480/20221215_212806.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amount of rust on the screw!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>So very weird. The newer 98U00 unit was dirtier but also looked more aged, for some reason.</div><div><br /></div><div>In any case, I popped it open and:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nCFTOrhveGlOUYeyIoekV5Zu_0usz8B4hDDrCeCePS30yaovY-E5a8Qsms_yhyRioOtPfNDpc6MN7RETx-lPddC95hx3XGyHfzoNOjo1z-KIav8HfBygzXHRv2JRLV25v6zkOV7HVmdQZH9opu4HrXScJgZ3knWvvUUsQMLibbvVH-10FCXyHbF4/s4032/20221215_213304.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nCFTOrhveGlOUYeyIoekV5Zu_0usz8B4hDDrCeCePS30yaovY-E5a8Qsms_yhyRioOtPfNDpc6MN7RETx-lPddC95hx3XGyHfzoNOjo1z-KIav8HfBygzXHRv2JRLV25v6zkOV7HVmdQZH9opu4HrXScJgZ3knWvvUUsQMLibbvVH-10FCXyHbF4/w640-h480/20221215_213304.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">98U00 number! Fog lamp indicator!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>So compared to the part in my cluster with the inscribed 18U00 part number, this shows 98U00. And yes, it has the fog lamp indicator!!</div><div><br /></div><div>But check this out - even though the outside housing has the 98U02 number, the gauges inside still show 24U00 series part numbers! So is the only difference the warning lamp indicator piece?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEKDRvVBblpfc9Hb34d98nfVCy6k-de7zH3yQ6LMDOcoe8lwOiUF7AFhcemR18PzJQDI9dTwXosA986CqrVDuHEoG6bQXJgnl0E2IlRpqGtNg8DC70qY0VQQiZ5tFBxgMzqVy-dc7U2Zen7HZNdnuLa1PIszv6zzDpQltMo2g-KTWc5rXZAf-FyD4/s4032/20221215_213336.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEKDRvVBblpfc9Hb34d98nfVCy6k-de7zH3yQ6LMDOcoe8lwOiUF7AFhcemR18PzJQDI9dTwXosA986CqrVDuHEoG6bQXJgnl0E2IlRpqGtNg8DC70qY0VQQiZ5tFBxgMzqVy-dc7U2Zen7HZNdnuLa1PIszv6zzDpQltMo2g-KTWc5rXZAf-FyD4/w640-h480/20221215_213336.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And actually, I found ONE MORE interesting difference:<span style="text-align: center;">]</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMX3vuS91YuP4lctHYX1GDv611z1WSWYIh1HrssVND6gxgrfOLwUbBoedDYJ_hc1mEGgQECwlVUoOgcfrqhLbk-bcdGwNDk_HkbiUoRndTCQfB2JSk02CVpNkBv6UwgSxSFIl8053Z_6yaQ1jx4eWb6iRiDrO1vivSFvFaZ7MU0o0EpcVHb1R86Ro/s4032/20221215_213529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMX3vuS91YuP4lctHYX1GDv611z1WSWYIh1HrssVND6gxgrfOLwUbBoedDYJ_hc1mEGgQECwlVUoOgcfrqhLbk-bcdGwNDk_HkbiUoRndTCQfB2JSk02CVpNkBv6UwgSxSFIl8053Z_6yaQ1jx4eWb6iRiDrO1vivSFvFaZ7MU0o0EpcVHb1R86Ro/w640-h480/20221215_213529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ABS indicator is different on the Kohki cars!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>So for whatever reason, the ABS warning indicator changed too. Not sure why - anyone know why? Was there some kind of new international standard that got adopted for 1997 onwards?<div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I replaced the 15U00 part on mine with the 98U00 part and then plugged everything back in on my cluster:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCKCmjAN2LWCUa22gPiB-gjMo79qoolLTUDbdGIPwBF6Mc7EqY0OkRF-N5Pqb7RNq5OjWJIc9NBemGbXOe9s8RAomg3nwFZ-536D2lkXugBPcI9udeP1bqs8ehybZH_DYtVjiIc5_wtsq2Au9sUxc2mi-_sHltgK8awaL2rYpehzSD0OEyK-GGvJU/s4032/20221215_220008.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCKCmjAN2LWCUa22gPiB-gjMo79qoolLTUDbdGIPwBF6Mc7EqY0OkRF-N5Pqb7RNq5OjWJIc9NBemGbXOe9s8RAomg3nwFZ-536D2lkXugBPcI9udeP1bqs8ehybZH_DYtVjiIc5_wtsq2Au9sUxc2mi-_sHltgK8awaL2rYpehzSD0OEyK-GGvJU/w640-h480/20221215_220008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>And so now, whenever I drive my car in the rain and decide to prevent myself from getting rear ended by turning on the rear fog lamp, I'll be able to tell if it's on. As it should be, as the car originally came with this. So a bit of successful restoration, I guess!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I wonder if there is anything else like this, parts number wise... I know from experience that <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2020/07/update-from-nismo-they-called-worx.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">the HVAC control units of Kohki cars had different numbers</span></a> (and different harnesses in the back), but functionally they look the same...</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, another educational experience for me. Hope it was fun for you too!</div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-62413993441646001412022-12-03T15:27:00.000+09:002022-12-03T15:27:43.982+09:00Mods to the Garage - LED Lighting for the Win!<p> So even though this blog is about my R33 GT-R, for me ownership of this car means I have a responsibility to make sure this car looks good all the time. That means keeping it clean, and that means that when I'm not driving it or making mods to it, I want to do what I can to keep it clean.</p><p>Up until now, most of my detailing work has been the result of trial and error, and by no means is the result perfect, but I recently decided that as I am lucky enough to have a decent sized garage, why not create an environment that would allow me to go full blow OCD when polishing my car?</p><p>You may have seen glimpses of my garage in this blog, or on Speedhunters <a href="http://www.speedhunters.com/2021/12/project-964-a-much-needed-detail/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">here in detailing Dino's yellow 911 </span></a>and <a href="http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/04/project-964-from-bad-to-good-and-back-again/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">here doing some interior work on the same car</span></a>, but I always felt like while a good working space what we could do was limited by the amount of light - sunlight for paintwork and interior lighting for everything else.</p><p>So after doing some research, I found a set of 20 LED lamps with a claimed output of 2300 lumens each with 5000K coloring.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuvqubNTJk8jp6aAHqhgdaBhymFjWpVimMKTIdNSmv1yMcEX9abvmOkCIhW0a5-eQgl4PEXU_ReJE5ama0AnyAtABsRd9qfjAhYIVWRvqAjzPA7IW8iMK-XfJ0KahX_UaiJNCJiXSSHrbwHwTe80a4-wMk4ZYPwiKHUP_boMO270OZ9j-zJyJE6QJ/s4032/box%20of%2020LEDs.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuvqubNTJk8jp6aAHqhgdaBhymFjWpVimMKTIdNSmv1yMcEX9abvmOkCIhW0a5-eQgl4PEXU_ReJE5ama0AnyAtABsRd9qfjAhYIVWRvqAjzPA7IW8iMK-XfJ0KahX_UaiJNCJiXSSHrbwHwTe80a4-wMk4ZYPwiKHUP_boMO270OZ9j-zJyJE6QJ/w640-h480/box%20of%2020LEDs.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, made in China but the price was right. Quality not bad actually!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGTPM2DZDRENApHnSLF5oeChDFQGB9InQLk4tRu6IKTGXz9GKPl-v53Zf_qUFVtg8bV5-x3K1x6wLyPL1mYBgu65Gv0m-qYyJZv4p7BkC-QYyeGsl4IsPIBhZ_jIQRR_8EMhXhX8H2VUr9fQQGPTooVl6rMgWMRDa6tVxFdfvgQu5cU7aoxZAKtL2/s4032/box%20of%2040%20LEDs%20-%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGTPM2DZDRENApHnSLF5oeChDFQGB9InQLk4tRu6IKTGXz9GKPl-v53Zf_qUFVtg8bV5-x3K1x6wLyPL1mYBgu65Gv0m-qYyJZv4p7BkC-QYyeGsl4IsPIBhZ_jIQRR_8EMhXhX8H2VUr9fQQGPTooVl6rMgWMRDa6tVxFdfvgQu5cU7aoxZAKtL2/w640-h480/box%20of%2040%20LEDs%20-%202.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think there is more cardboard here than the LEDs themselves</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q-xcJdJIaeqYZtHt9QE7aKmoxc0AHrwKLGw7FGhSev4uO-78CiIBbsnA1KAP3CXkCPD56JrC4-FXb_mcRhTxsd4ggRiKX1oiBpPNYiCnLpS83MoZ5lgR2flutI9_4x0x7AV56FRgwIC7Ovbaie_aYQz-mj-r39m370PbboesOzs1HejlhfPDS-cx/s4032/20221108_000345.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q-xcJdJIaeqYZtHt9QE7aKmoxc0AHrwKLGw7FGhSev4uO-78CiIBbsnA1KAP3CXkCPD56JrC4-FXb_mcRhTxsd4ggRiKX1oiBpPNYiCnLpS83MoZ5lgR2flutI9_4x0x7AV56FRgwIC7Ovbaie_aYQz-mj-r39m370PbboesOzs1HejlhfPDS-cx/w640-h480/20221108_000345.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yeah came with a whole bunch of connectors and clips</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Of course having ordered 20, the first thing I did was to try to figure out the best lay out for the garage. I did this by laying out all the cardboard tubes the LEDs came in on the garage floor to visualize spacing, as well as how to hook up the wiring between each LED lamp (they are modular so voltage goes in one side and out the other, into the next one, etc.)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTJs3fkbkXpjW0swkc5mNUEzh9_jd1YeKYH8eDPXzvq_T9lAN9TW3ia3bJfYzF2yj4-ONiiQLGSwpuzf4XUUZPeqJ-2h7siXCe9z02pL7bEnq75BvmQUkXs99nsstqJlnCmbgAWvyc7KZnrn6DzQlbcuNOZKvKosKLM8ccjYItsgnylq9b8Nb2aZM/s4032/trying%20layouts%20-use%20this%20one.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTJs3fkbkXpjW0swkc5mNUEzh9_jd1YeKYH8eDPXzvq_T9lAN9TW3ia3bJfYzF2yj4-ONiiQLGSwpuzf4XUUZPeqJ-2h7siXCe9z02pL7bEnq75BvmQUkXs99nsstqJlnCmbgAWvyc7KZnrn6DzQlbcuNOZKvKosKLM8ccjYItsgnylq9b8Nb2aZM/w640-h480/trying%20layouts%20-use%20this%20one.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The GT-R was freshly back from the R's Meeting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidggwJFGuYRWYbmUNxxuBCMMG3q3HLoJP48UVocLWlEuRj2I4q9UETe4m1kzYXE7i9pq3aNUBoXXpFWtMh3yXgTG8DA-3fhjLZum-PIEXB9_tyefiGR_tJSiQJ1ImeCzqeq4Dxv1Sa5W3hssVybc8PiJAqvYuoVPAmx16ruPuzO36eIMDO4dmoBpd1/s4032/testing%20LED%20on%20GTR.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidggwJFGuYRWYbmUNxxuBCMMG3q3HLoJP48UVocLWlEuRj2I4q9UETe4m1kzYXE7i9pq3aNUBoXXpFWtMh3yXgTG8DA-3fhjLZum-PIEXB9_tyefiGR_tJSiQJ1ImeCzqeq4Dxv1Sa5W3hssVybc8PiJAqvYuoVPAmx16ruPuzO36eIMDO4dmoBpd1/w640-h480/testing%20LED%20on%20GTR.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did a quick detail, and made sure the LEDs worked properly. Yes!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But before installing on the ceiling, I took the easy way out, and installed 5 units alongside the far wall next to the Lexus.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLE9GBOvDqowyQTPawWpjt0dmxBUx7QAuBV0qYsZ49fG5zelBp9zlEmP5LbTjORNPgTA9ee7FqLx3OLLt9Bwp1ez0oFOAen9wd_EWQBcuROj84U7tbn8ROwA0Zvwq8WbyFd2vyEtkHdhsJgfASJ5sWWRBoydCr0Zt1XZcnSuefwrIk_e7eAtc_v6Di/s4032/5000K%20side%20leds%20on%20lexus%20beginning.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLE9GBOvDqowyQTPawWpjt0dmxBUx7QAuBV0qYsZ49fG5zelBp9zlEmP5LbTjORNPgTA9ee7FqLx3OLLt9Bwp1ez0oFOAen9wd_EWQBcuROj84U7tbn8ROwA0Zvwq8WbyFd2vyEtkHdhsJgfASJ5sWWRBoydCr0Zt1XZcnSuefwrIk_e7eAtc_v6Di/w640-h480/5000K%20side%20leds%20on%20lexus%20beginning.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All lights in the garage off, trying these 2 LED lights.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Installation was easy, so I went ahead and wired in 5 of them along this wall, using the mortar space between two tiles as my guide. I initially thought about horizontal placement but then realized it might be better to have the vertical length in order to see into the paint well, from all angles. So I went ahead and ordered several 1 meter long extension cords to run between each light.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfrTRqmlzmQFLvmTGjWCZtZawhcWyZh9WFreFsFyVwG4AVOIUZMnQV_hxMexeb9rN2VJ3kjUCSiEbYySlwQvq7v-Ig4HGZnXNYs78v9fEM1_JjLE_P9vpaTNKqZ76YKuZvFB3JmBodTg9Ihu0b6Fqrcxt-GNRm8ziLY5HUGoGKyTiVSR4X_Wp5AwQ/s4032/5000K%20side%20leds%20on%20lexus.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfrTRqmlzmQFLvmTGjWCZtZawhcWyZh9WFreFsFyVwG4AVOIUZMnQV_hxMexeb9rN2VJ3kjUCSiEbYySlwQvq7v-Ig4HGZnXNYs78v9fEM1_JjLE_P9vpaTNKqZ76YKuZvFB3JmBodTg9Ihu0b6Fqrcxt-GNRm8ziLY5HUGoGKyTiVSR4X_Wp5AwQ/w640-h480/5000K%20side%20leds%20on%20lexus.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue paint looks fantastic!!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cIATEt4XGm88Bcmg7Gh-rvBaxCo8JFJPOGV3tm8NMy3y-uzs7W7W9k7gIL9akFwMOf0H00SZhauxKKHAWWIEzzojSco8kxU3C60yFJ9sp2zTnOM02U1V4KvcaDp0y1nvQ7W4IARtCN_m7c2E_YOzX86bIQeWKlJ5OPbzCssUNm80YCJehWr6E08n/s4032/20221111_203828.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cIATEt4XGm88Bcmg7Gh-rvBaxCo8JFJPOGV3tm8NMy3y-uzs7W7W9k7gIL9akFwMOf0H00SZhauxKKHAWWIEzzojSco8kxU3C60yFJ9sp2zTnOM02U1V4KvcaDp0y1nvQ7W4IARtCN_m7c2E_YOzX86bIQeWKlJ5OPbzCssUNm80YCJehWr6E08n/w640-h480/20221111_203828.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo glare! Sorrry about that... but you can see how bright the LEDs are and the extension cords I have running between at least one pair (which I cleaned up later)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So while this looks provides plenty of light, I had 15 more LED lamp units to install on the ceiling. I then realized that I would need some help in order to ensure that I drilled the holes for the clips in a straight line. So went ahead and got this laser level:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk5ulf853g-eiGUq1xeG75vmjwP3zYdyv7BmS_Rz7OToDmpMGN3X99tKFQXZ_-WPbWLhwZsMgJ56s5twLqpIAgTzB4woNaMOlFKSqpWoS0jjdky85RgeDieKY5HSP6ZEu9Qqqm0QBmDJeoXXwGQ_gtDyo4Iio1f1U3Un5Upz4c1TT-BcAmGjIOMGf/s4032/laserlevelbox.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk5ulf853g-eiGUq1xeG75vmjwP3zYdyv7BmS_Rz7OToDmpMGN3X99tKFQXZ_-WPbWLhwZsMgJ56s5twLqpIAgTzB4woNaMOlFKSqpWoS0jjdky85RgeDieKY5HSP6ZEu9Qqqm0QBmDJeoXXwGQ_gtDyo4Iio1f1U3Un5Upz4c1TT-BcAmGjIOMGf/w640-h480/laserlevelbox.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Which let me generate some cool green lasers on the ceiling:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboi6PsQe-BdI--GZ8EusHrRzPLn17s_lUdqcaWrcgABG1HDhQyh2owjC0vJovsAwGd7v_O35g6WnT7T0B4ExbgubVvOvCs8-ehkLZiRmrGuYEA6ITmiKm7Jp6Aq9tts65xtLbLc9h0XpLjt-s4BB_yGmP325Z7rFwTBnMlNxhtMfEMWGjej4LBU7k/s4032/laser%20hole%20perfect.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboi6PsQe-BdI--GZ8EusHrRzPLn17s_lUdqcaWrcgABG1HDhQyh2owjC0vJovsAwGd7v_O35g6WnT7T0B4ExbgubVvOvCs8-ehkLZiRmrGuYEA6ITmiKm7Jp6Aq9tts65xtLbLc9h0XpLjt-s4BB_yGmP325Z7rFwTBnMlNxhtMfEMWGjej4LBU7k/w640-h480/laser%20hole%20perfect.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(After I drilled the hole)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUNZkUcC2ahd70AC53ynjtA9hlp5a-7Rf3RYNXDK-aYuYhlMSzt6dSmJmCqw5ELIune5bRAHIDdEJH8MV80QJ7iY6Qt_ARGs_QidJr-SgYUnRHi8k-HzoG4C3hU1sxF7O5_FS4WHsk0AMmRNGLG6hYpgthnR0nor7pyv-WScurAVJrnm0Gv4jFTtE/s4032/me%20on%20ladder.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUNZkUcC2ahd70AC53ynjtA9hlp5a-7Rf3RYNXDK-aYuYhlMSzt6dSmJmCqw5ELIune5bRAHIDdEJH8MV80QJ7iY6Qt_ARGs_QidJr-SgYUnRHi8k-HzoG4C3hU1sxF7O5_FS4WHsk0AMmRNGLG6hYpgthnR0nor7pyv-WScurAVJrnm0Gv4jFTtE/w640-h480/me%20on%20ladder.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Once I had one north-south and one east-west installed, then it was relatively easy to keep things straight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqoNfTp6ap6P6fGhVjRP39483djSfdwmnJy41MuSBavCjf7jBM5TBi41MDqYXZ45G7zGczYv_8bUtpxH0yrMoV5B6pFUq5XWVOjvwKTvDMsELne7AynXRjuTIazMOAWXkCSsb5pe3jC_u5jPDhGdA1k-HMVJKUNQAgQC5Sc-9XrR8vHcJS1P7p1vl/s4032/initial%20set%20up.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqoNfTp6ap6P6fGhVjRP39483djSfdwmnJy41MuSBavCjf7jBM5TBi41MDqYXZ45G7zGczYv_8bUtpxH0yrMoV5B6pFUq5XWVOjvwKTvDMsELne7AynXRjuTIazMOAWXkCSsb5pe3jC_u5jPDhGdA1k-HMVJKUNQAgQC5Sc-9XrR8vHcJS1P7p1vl/w640-h480/initial%20set%20up.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR1cRrErtztDtRIiQuHrpL539GQg5RbVSIZjrndT61mDk6W1WLUyraOg9Dg5Hfvkn_v2AfcoEl1PBbS0Ljo63cBsFyXrfzulroRZJyXdp2LzM8jfXMjeO-XwxZ7TG-2HKIEAM3g4lZUvhnBO4-l3ICoaluthAuUzSRhSVKEcRS_YcmAsnq21DErie/s4032/me%20happy%20with%20LEDS.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR1cRrErtztDtRIiQuHrpL539GQg5RbVSIZjrndT61mDk6W1WLUyraOg9Dg5Hfvkn_v2AfcoEl1PBbS0Ljo63cBsFyXrfzulroRZJyXdp2LzM8jfXMjeO-XwxZ7TG-2HKIEAM3g4lZUvhnBO4-l3ICoaluthAuUzSRhSVKEcRS_YcmAsnq21DErie/w640-h480/me%20happy%20with%20LEDS.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCf_VMnBNn7crqhj8uyO1U2BZcMf-x8KN0XONwV2TsMUAflorL_iKyDY_ISTh9-UYZwm2UYi6U9570U4qD7F4A7JUSNLs191yf9EnjNc26emdBKqGjnbHYdaqwPWd40qgiWycjEJyoA6t7B2QzkkY5omLiifue60Aga2Gh73cXJ5FXhd4x6MJ7tPrP/s4032/no%20LEDs%20over%20lexus.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCf_VMnBNn7crqhj8uyO1U2BZcMf-x8KN0XONwV2TsMUAflorL_iKyDY_ISTh9-UYZwm2UYi6U9570U4qD7F4A7JUSNLs191yf9EnjNc26emdBKqGjnbHYdaqwPWd40qgiWycjEJyoA6t7B2QzkkY5omLiifue60Aga2Gh73cXJ5FXhd4x6MJ7tPrP/w640-h480/no%20LEDs%20over%20lexus.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just the standard garage lamps</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uv29HGQLF7gkiGGX_AzFoOpkAsVBKtRNqK9R04ny10FGSzQFKu3hxxU_jxTKYOS-AkpWKbVQnm9TjpvQKz0Jcp2A3XarZZM_-wbKvl4XFvCsYfe0FBSeAOj0e2tztcZGYkSuZ6kIUyNOvpuzzsuV8RJ_1fCx57bq7cXv6h9DqQ7mTDLc2HkPXgMH/s4032/no%20overhead%20LED.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uv29HGQLF7gkiGGX_AzFoOpkAsVBKtRNqK9R04ny10FGSzQFKu3hxxU_jxTKYOS-AkpWKbVQnm9TjpvQKz0Jcp2A3XarZZM_-wbKvl4XFvCsYfe0FBSeAOj0e2tztcZGYkSuZ6kIUyNOvpuzzsuV8RJ_1fCx57bq7cXv6h9DqQ7mTDLc2HkPXgMH/w640-h480/no%20overhead%20LED.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overhead standard lamps and side LEDs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYsfVDLIdse6LzMR13x6h04xkldNqe8xIah2UxQuKSkBzd_8FKyB0b0wzGUvwPOL5U0pPepBODRgFkKI6ur8sdaHhtCHigRvYslVkDjVchmZ5mWcWXqngdhyaUWq3Sq7zWHQ-ac5Fv8xK6DBP6gaNlOtZT1ZPNHYnqczhZdXNcuvpwJxjW-dRdZzX/s4032/overhead%20but%20no%20side%20leds.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYsfVDLIdse6LzMR13x6h04xkldNqe8xIah2UxQuKSkBzd_8FKyB0b0wzGUvwPOL5U0pPepBODRgFkKI6ur8sdaHhtCHigRvYslVkDjVchmZ5mWcWXqngdhyaUWq3Sq7zWHQ-ac5Fv8xK6DBP6gaNlOtZT1ZPNHYnqczhZdXNcuvpwJxjW-dRdZzX/w640-h480/overhead%20but%20no%20side%20leds.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard overhead plus overhead LEDs!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lShqlaNdETh6YNtKzCbhNZ40rNkLQBhs6ufqoiSOlUT9GkTlvjY2XKOPjvpddAyRuc7638amsUWXVCj-6romEGCRLyaAxOpFtglb_VvVmx9lAtyjCC46SWtTaFM5UbCuNaE--WVd-hvjpqvE_auHa_6fqjAoqbJWdpd0gB-fW1OOE9S0XsirSRZI/s4032/All%20LEDs%20on%20Lexus.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lShqlaNdETh6YNtKzCbhNZ40rNkLQBhs6ufqoiSOlUT9GkTlvjY2XKOPjvpddAyRuc7638amsUWXVCj-6romEGCRLyaAxOpFtglb_VvVmx9lAtyjCC46SWtTaFM5UbCuNaE--WVd-hvjpqvE_auHa_6fqjAoqbJWdpd0gB-fW1OOE9S0XsirSRZI/w640-h480/All%20LEDs%20on%20Lexus.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Lights On! (except of course the spotlights over the GT-R)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But remember, even though I was making good progress I still have 5 more LED lamp units left. So I proceeded to install this set up:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNgDq1ZiGN5TUxOwhFe9iiqySu5aIMfobuaxTSfLIyVioOt3qoHGA6PzfHZ5d5rT8Q60-vbRcZLiKeE0lDpIvnx35KrsH30avanGNDdoNquxqZpLD7oGQ1t8yLHaWXbSlQtR9PLA6n53sjfRR1lj_aSlHc5NBNA7BhJljNsDKur1yVz3c5YiyNUA9/s4032/second%20set%20up.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNgDq1ZiGN5TUxOwhFe9iiqySu5aIMfobuaxTSfLIyVioOt3qoHGA6PzfHZ5d5rT8Q60-vbRcZLiKeE0lDpIvnx35KrsH30avanGNDdoNquxqZpLD7oGQ1t8yLHaWXbSlQtR9PLA6n53sjfRR1lj_aSlHc5NBNA7BhJljNsDKur1yVz3c5YiyNUA9/w640-h480/second%20set%20up.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Which made things MUCH brighter, but I felt like I could do better. More LEDs in the center, plus create another equal rectangle on the left side. Which means 5 more LED units....</p><p>And so I decided that I would move the five 5000K LED lamp units that I had on the garage wall, and replace with five more newly purchased LED lamps - but this time with 6500K color, which is slightly more bluish than the 5000K - by having two different colors, the thinking is that this will give me better ability to spot fine scratches on lighter colored cars like the GT-R, at least from the side.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-RzzscOYSoqWpVSU8il7BIYREkptvM-JCvQiT36JtklXCM4c4IcPjtB0GP8587p1l5gTLqanvcVcBwO56cBMctEtpNBhtulkVRAWYihqehk32wVCodfu2_6qofERITlN-7OTBU-8LtkLanoInP94HCb17AX11f89y-JoZDuYA5twz7_iG4N02OYO/s4032/Barrina%20box%206500.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-RzzscOYSoqWpVSU8il7BIYREkptvM-JCvQiT36JtklXCM4c4IcPjtB0GP8587p1l5gTLqanvcVcBwO56cBMctEtpNBhtulkVRAWYihqehk32wVCodfu2_6qofERITlN-7OTBU-8LtkLanoInP94HCb17AX11f89y-JoZDuYA5twz7_iG4N02OYO/w640-h480/Barrina%20box%206500.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a well known brand, I've seen YouTubers install these.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dQft-e6oXmQDaWR_KMtIQODyKmK7vyDRsSewFHfOozoWhvd7Omns4J2no8K1swtsMugnvf5ijTPFAB7sExJRkS7D7UDzR6HQNC0MIYLysO46NMzH4nR9PcCnuMOPgqUvZ96O7WAf-lZ4R5x96Kd9-xhVeQTNynYeR8a5qjSYq4NG4gB6GK7gfajl/s4032/nicelypacked%20Barrina.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dQft-e6oXmQDaWR_KMtIQODyKmK7vyDRsSewFHfOozoWhvd7Omns4J2no8K1swtsMugnvf5ijTPFAB7sExJRkS7D7UDzR6HQNC0MIYLysO46NMzH4nR9PcCnuMOPgqUvZ96O7WAf-lZ4R5x96Kd9-xhVeQTNynYeR8a5qjSYq4NG4gB6GK7gfajl/w640-h480/nicelypacked%20Barrina.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicely packaged, yes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdp9duVxUfww9Rf4W1bP5liICii6TxxbVEnIvIWb021HnTxPKYsk4FtAiFzIDjed3GdFQnk7YM2ELSl0zlYDQa_F4kf9yIK2xX9wcP12opIrcAOksXkGMx3yfwoybzfE6Z-_ju0wRqrHqDB3h_sAd6_KoAgYRfWkYLTgSF1DAO4ubR77rNFRYIzfm/s4032/compare%20Barrina%20vs%205000K.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdp9duVxUfww9Rf4W1bP5liICii6TxxbVEnIvIWb021HnTxPKYsk4FtAiFzIDjed3GdFQnk7YM2ELSl0zlYDQa_F4kf9yIK2xX9wcP12opIrcAOksXkGMx3yfwoybzfE6Z-_ju0wRqrHqDB3h_sAd6_KoAgYRfWkYLTgSF1DAO4ubR77rNFRYIzfm/w640-h480/compare%20Barrina%20vs%205000K.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But despite using the same couplers and cables, the form factor is thinner (Barrina on right) </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Can you spot the difference in color?<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsvtII5V4ETOeEbEjazG4YdVkdlzaMlwfkbsKWIp27HJwDJ9GDP3rIT8l_aS4pm8V1I7S7tsVfp0Azw7eYnfTwxtS-rzO9LB7VW3DfskLx1ILrmOcwJSCmHKpOj-ehGWdH_FJ1Rf_KB4Hzb_v12q4MsRvkXiFHgrCBgpPkju1VK1QJ_ACtDBbgRi9/s4032/6500%20v%205000%20LEDs.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsvtII5V4ETOeEbEjazG4YdVkdlzaMlwfkbsKWIp27HJwDJ9GDP3rIT8l_aS4pm8V1I7S7tsVfp0Azw7eYnfTwxtS-rzO9LB7VW3DfskLx1ILrmOcwJSCmHKpOj-ehGWdH_FJ1Rf_KB4Hzb_v12q4MsRvkXiFHgrCBgpPkju1VK1QJ_ACtDBbgRi9/w640-h480/6500%20v%205000%20LEDs.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two on the left are 6500K, three on right are 5000K</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>And as for the ceiling, I was able to quickly do this with the 5 I took from the wall:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xomfBIingXQcv_nt9t5Avd6qGHlqAnzAcvuYqmpfhA0w5kfbtoHAhpvZeHQPl8aLRN9xqo0ee5EcYrPSZhB9FCBLTsqiNKnWpaIBOcxCIg9E4qUyWObebJlNk-aUkvFNqLo7EOghsteG8-QnnKAK-qVIRQ_PUjLeBTqnVfq58sLdThnPeeudkCgo/s4032/20221127_162202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xomfBIingXQcv_nt9t5Avd6qGHlqAnzAcvuYqmpfhA0w5kfbtoHAhpvZeHQPl8aLRN9xqo0ee5EcYrPSZhB9FCBLTsqiNKnWpaIBOcxCIg9E4qUyWObebJlNk-aUkvFNqLo7EOghsteG8-QnnKAK-qVIRQ_PUjLeBTqnVfq58sLdThnPeeudkCgo/w640-h480/20221127_162202.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But sharp eyed readers will notice a few things</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Given the very tight squeeze of the center lamps, I had to get clever, so broke out my new soldering iron and accessories.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YJdd-wwT4PC1cDJ7Aq_OWkUjHIrJJIJLc3vPDY4NoZJBLdkZIVUmYJ7v2BjQppC0LfayeyEUMOmu_60T2GvUVZBah7JxoiceYhUQnZd-O_GJ6MKZfBK0ebkgVgjeA3p2IeBbsef4AiH3PGM0vGXwoGulFX3QNsOik4eZ0YOxz8znTqTfEQAuiNry/s4032/20221115_222550.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YJdd-wwT4PC1cDJ7Aq_OWkUjHIrJJIJLc3vPDY4NoZJBLdkZIVUmYJ7v2BjQppC0LfayeyEUMOmu_60T2GvUVZBah7JxoiceYhUQnZd-O_GJ6MKZfBK0ebkgVgjeA3p2IeBbsef4AiH3PGM0vGXwoGulFX3QNsOik4eZ0YOxz8znTqTfEQAuiNry/w640-h480/20221115_222550.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adjustable soldering iron from Hakko - Japan's leading manufacturer of soldering irons!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>It was then that I realized I had run out of cable to power up the center bulbs, so even though I fashioned some out shortened connectors with flat cables (so as to be able to fit between the ceiling and lamps, instead of bending the cables at impossible angles over such lamps), I had to order some more connectors and cords to properly hook up the center lamps (the manufacturer recommends a maximum of 8 lamps on one circuit, so I have each of the large rectangles - at 6 lamps each - on a circuit, and will have the center 4 on their own dedicated circuit).</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5jfryr7hVLfoCum3IEwizv471R007FhcN_A8Ml0bOtBon-3BrOgw_0jRgcANF9ueQ5dfk-D48rQZ6EL93xii_KO_B_ENAXdboa4bPU_GnpF4HUA31Y1Qi1COaJP0RdE1yWLf7n-Qr0X1M0labpPPS2a-buD2wNHZABkbF7MOmfaO4mIhIVLvh47V/s4032/20221127_221608.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5jfryr7hVLfoCum3IEwizv471R007FhcN_A8Ml0bOtBon-3BrOgw_0jRgcANF9ueQ5dfk-D48rQZ6EL93xii_KO_B_ENAXdboa4bPU_GnpF4HUA31Y1Qi1COaJP0RdE1yWLf7n-Qr0X1M0labpPPS2a-buD2wNHZABkbF7MOmfaO4mIhIVLvh47V/w640-h480/20221127_221608.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gotta say, even at this stage looks awesome!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>A few days later:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXvEU58ft-r7MMh7CBtHl9OqH1wlNjLN2SBlM2qgUeGnaSulPCS3aMEkJ2K50yP8pkPrUz5MGkANO04dUZXdli1wHZSyrH6apvHsIttAs3FKYAS3l-niuRyOJaKS3G4UCS9Ax2ykYn4CUk9jxmrb7p68mGJZz7NRPOe458phQ4E8m0d-vloxkP8f6/s4032/20221202_201251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXvEU58ft-r7MMh7CBtHl9OqH1wlNjLN2SBlM2qgUeGnaSulPCS3aMEkJ2K50yP8pkPrUz5MGkANO04dUZXdli1wHZSyrH6apvHsIttAs3FKYAS3l-niuRyOJaKS3G4UCS9Ax2ykYn4CUk9jxmrb7p68mGJZz7NRPOe458phQ4E8m0d-vloxkP8f6/w640-h480/20221202_201251.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 circuits - left, right, and center lamps plus of course the separate circuit for the wall mounted lamps</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>So let's just say that I am SUPER excited by how bright the garage is now. And with all this light, the next step is to invest in some really good stuff in terms of car detailing. I have a Porter Cable orbital buffer, and just got some more new pads, but now the research shall begin on polishes and sealants. Something for me to do over the winter...</div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-82214065432718824642022-11-30T22:23:00.004+09:002022-11-30T22:23:49.262+09:00Dorky... but Effective? <p> So as I was cleaning out my garage the other day, I found this - something I purchased, I think, over 10 years ago!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWrECdAKB7aHWwXwbmzRs9QnaWCwBcLD8a_zQ1Jr90uym_hDws9CsHoWL9LAE1XDZi2ZvRLZmTBHsW58ui1O7g0Kjn5aE-r1zg_ifdPtNmf-uuyaECFUadNUJYj5rl-WzgSRW55KbFrtakQPVislt22eGurcndsHIBHA1bJk9uoZ_3Dj2Vy2iVoDU/s4032/20221127_220511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWrECdAKB7aHWwXwbmzRs9QnaWCwBcLD8a_zQ1Jr90uym_hDws9CsHoWL9LAE1XDZi2ZvRLZmTBHsW58ui1O7g0Kjn5aE-r1zg_ifdPtNmf-uuyaECFUadNUJYj5rl-WzgSRW55KbFrtakQPVislt22eGurcndsHIBHA1bJk9uoZ_3Dj2Vy2iVoDU/w640-h480/20221127_220511.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Yep, clear door edge guards, complete with double stick tape.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4vEVvLtDfhBFAIt-v0EW3HuJEanpFkGBFvyPUh05Rwe9AHhjZACt_L_VGqocA2vptqx38DJc2gyDHt5jx-MM1xFcQA6zLpAcoQ019doRWYzAbICuo1wOq_NR_RfhD4Szb0pO8b34VNZ-hPnWkTniHT0hIYYdYf0CglWbFsjDLeg6YaO9uzhDsjNs/s4032/20221127_221450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4vEVvLtDfhBFAIt-v0EW3HuJEanpFkGBFvyPUh05Rwe9AHhjZACt_L_VGqocA2vptqx38DJc2gyDHt5jx-MM1xFcQA6zLpAcoQ019doRWYzAbICuo1wOq_NR_RfhD4Szb0pO8b34VNZ-hPnWkTniHT0hIYYdYf0CglWbFsjDLeg6YaO9uzhDsjNs/w640-h480/20221127_221450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Of course, me being, me, I have already lined my garage strategically with soft foam where it counts, so I never have to worry about my car's doors getting scratched up if I happen to open a door carelessly while the car is parked.</p><p>But what about out in the wild? Maybe I should take pains to do something to add some protection? Either that or maybe I will always park away from others...</p><p>Since installation is literally by way of a pair of scissors and the included double stick tape, I will only show you the end result on the passenger side.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1AJZ3-VzASf-1RDir284h31fFwW70Q0eLoi6NsGSBeNq68azVZFonJVG7fsLePG_FqwkwwMth9MeY1VpPxDJtWB9gshAlssYfWxxULsMXk3pxQFehR_zRanuELkOhhzBi1lT7ZMZ50UzrW6Y1FqqwwmQ1dxuwPwmsotWQZ7R-9zwq5ULuyCqSlpZ/s4032/20221127_221459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1AJZ3-VzASf-1RDir284h31fFwW70Q0eLoi6NsGSBeNq68azVZFonJVG7fsLePG_FqwkwwMth9MeY1VpPxDJtWB9gshAlssYfWxxULsMXk3pxQFehR_zRanuELkOhhzBi1lT7ZMZ50UzrW6Y1FqqwwmQ1dxuwPwmsotWQZ7R-9zwq5ULuyCqSlpZ/w640-h480/20221127_221459.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>First, I wonder if the tape will continue to be effective, or will the clear molding end up as trash somewhere on the road, ripped away by the wind?</p><p>More importantly, is this easy mod just too dorky for my car? Let me know what you think! (I actually think this might be a period correct mod...)</p><p>And not to worry - I should have a much more interesting and lengthy garage related post up in a few days. Check back soon!</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-69669732652713836072022-11-13T23:11:00.006+09:002022-11-13T23:19:23.597+09:00Tempting New Modernizing Product at R's Meeting 2022<p>So at the OS Giken booth during my walk around R's Meeting 2022, I found this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFKSRAAh10DVxHGvwXc3eSY8jdffxi8WrcMBSE1VwYP-qUv8cc4RvOTdb1Q2zwfOTYxz2HiND5-HynXC7xrjKxcpf6CPsCrsNdda73z5O9QLv7a4R2tkNFEXEKDsfPo4fttULIeHiJoSTpQWPB0xKhcl-liR5h7mHqyOfmU5SVFRHqXR-7zxcon8U/s4032/20221030_095403.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFKSRAAh10DVxHGvwXc3eSY8jdffxi8WrcMBSE1VwYP-qUv8cc4RvOTdb1Q2zwfOTYxz2HiND5-HynXC7xrjKxcpf6CPsCrsNdda73z5O9QLv7a4R2tkNFEXEKDsfPo4fttULIeHiJoSTpQWPB0xKhcl-liR5h7mHqyOfmU5SVFRHqXR-7zxcon8U/w640-h480/20221030_095403.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>No, not the R34 - but the advert next to it!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pt7p-3yjvayoMbjD6QvuwWmrqTBrKJO9rMZDXJty3aHSqnpXZCDbP5khn5ak7fBRSu3zYIIkm1SnA77E1XSpUV55_jx4lHYva5aCQPV5B2Ebmltbu7_ErjPNJQRM-RNe8PkwH3zD-ZRx8FIevJhZOof0L7gPda2d7GH6TAnjnx4uH_poJmv3kPta/s4032/20221030_095414.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pt7p-3yjvayoMbjD6QvuwWmrqTBrKJO9rMZDXJty3aHSqnpXZCDbP5khn5ak7fBRSu3zYIIkm1SnA77E1XSpUV55_jx4lHYva5aCQPV5B2Ebmltbu7_ErjPNJQRM-RNe8PkwH3zD-ZRx8FIevJhZOof0L7gPda2d7GH6TAnjnx4uH_poJmv3kPta/w480-h640/20221030_095414.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Describing something called OS-EPC - Their easier to read Facebook page has the same the text below the OS-EPC prototype unit photo - "In replacing the pressure sensor of the ATTESA-ETS of the Second Generation GT-R with a highly accurate electronic sensor, precise drivetrain control from increased durability." <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="goog_882387439"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1195" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzLw5cptb05hBAMjGfh_pzQyfj50D98WH8p3ZNEVq1Qge4MYCLeIqryTZAK4E9JaRigLJ30yB82S7S68K7JrUolo_P-Wgjfy58MfQGesYFtbO6BI_RgcMn20mxP_DW_8Fvr0ynF05SqKfiNahTDgirByyd8N_Lh5P9d7KDmHM-n2DfFJIdtHY5yUx/w532-h640/312278599_421326023509604_9219228372435081364_n.jpg" width="532" /></span></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=422269300081943&set=a.394934702815403"><span style="color: #04ff00;">https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=422269300081943&set=a.394934702815403</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So when I asked the guys at the booth, they told me that the ATTESA-ETS pressure sensor is something that is no longer available new but is required to function in order for these cars to pass shaken. And, they have been getting increasing numbers of cars with problematic (aging) pressure sensors. So, OS Giken decided to work together with GT-R specialist shop <a href="https://www.rf-autobahn.jp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Racing Factory Autobahn</span></a> (their demo car is the blue R33 GT-R shown, and they also have a <a href="https://www.rf-autobahn.jp/racing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">yellow R33 that has lapped Tsukuba in about 56 seconds</span></a>!) to develop a modernized electronic version of the OEM mechanical pressure sensor. </p><p>As the Facebook advert shows, this new part will be available starting in OS Giken's online store, OS Factory Line, beginning in December of this year. I recall them telling me to expect the price to be about 150,000 yen. Interestingly, they also told me they are experimenting with a version that can be user modulated/controlled so potentially one could control how quickly ATTESA-ETS reacts in a given situation - for example, with some lag for track days but super quick/OEM on the road for example. However they could not give me pricing nor timing on this, but if they go through with it I expect the price will be twice as much and timing would likely be mid-next year. I guess we can wait and see.</p><p>I did a quick Google search fro OS-EPC and found this <a href="https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Web Option article</span></a> - which shows these two photos of the basic prototype unit.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUAE17fdSDGADx30hxbkIt2Ksfa103k0krgCys9D-JoWY9ytl6ak7AwTk_qwZniZJwAnIRxk61Du2Zt8ej1TQRNajcF7v2ak7M-5FDpUIgGHPPA5hmJEu6OT1rNwooUX9-7QpnomC4yP1rCT9PjnmhfLbR7BlkAVl6pEhF40DHHnLVgySPZcmlMJy/s1024/sgatbhn005.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUAE17fdSDGADx30hxbkIt2Ksfa103k0krgCys9D-JoWY9ytl6ak7AwTk_qwZniZJwAnIRxk61Du2Zt8ej1TQRNajcF7v2ak7M-5FDpUIgGHPPA5hmJEu6OT1rNwooUX9-7QpnomC4yP1rCT9PjnmhfLbR7BlkAVl6pEhF40DHHnLVgySPZcmlMJy/w640-h426/sgatbhn005.jpg.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/sgatbhn005/"><span style="color: #04ff00;">https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/sgatbhn005/</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQw_mcQeeSmrCNHm_KmSzeGWsZrJcgkZXjLmNzwhsjx1130f3luBuC_IRu_zmkAMjQVQp4D-b-Vx4OG3C5yWbo7LMYnM9FhtyIUO4CZEZMWGu074etENTJXW3iOlXwurKhG2nhAxpglmR2HEBXnpmrKkjxuXeTr9IXac4IKbAhZfQqTaEeD7rRQbQw/s1024/sgatbhn006.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQw_mcQeeSmrCNHm_KmSzeGWsZrJcgkZXjLmNzwhsjx1130f3luBuC_IRu_zmkAMjQVQp4D-b-Vx4OG3C5yWbo7LMYnM9FhtyIUO4CZEZMWGu074etENTJXW3iOlXwurKhG2nhAxpglmR2HEBXnpmrKkjxuXeTr9IXac4IKbAhZfQqTaEeD7rRQbQw/w640-h426/sgatbhn006.jpg.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/sgatbhn006/"><span style="color: #04ff00;">https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/article/36927/sgatbhn006/</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So has anyone had any problems with this ATTESA-ETS pressure sensor? To be honest, when I had Nismo Omori Factory <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2020/03/nismo-omori-factory-chassis-refresh.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">redo my car's chassis</span></a>, there was no mention of this. Rather, they did get me a <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2020/03/in-addition-to-nismo-omori-factory.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">new nitrogen accumulator.</span></a></p><p>In any case, you can bet I am very interested in this new tech. The other tech I am interested in is some kind of digital version of the yaw rate sensor which I have been thinking about since <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2014/05/tech-note-r33-gt-r-had-electronic-super.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">this post back in 2014!</span></a></p><p>Ok next post I'll be talking about some more mundane stuff. Check back soon!</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-81929187472153395302022-11-07T23:00:00.004+09:002022-11-07T23:12:00.614+09:00Nerding Out at R's Meeting 2022 - NAPREC<p> So I've been skimming some of the social media coverage of the R's meet lately, and one tuner/booth that seems to not get much attention is the one for <a href="http://www.naprec.co.jp/e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">NAPREC</span></a>, short for Nagoya Precision. Established in 1997 by Minoru Nagoya (yep, so the company is not named after the city), everyone in the aftermarket engine tuning world here in Japan knows about NAPREC.</p><p>It's no secret that, if you want your rebuilt engine to perform at its best for its specified usage, you get in line and send the cylinder head in to NAPREC to be machined properly, so as to allow for the use of bigger valves, ensuring the smoothest flow of fresh air into and exhaust out of each cylinder, and changing the shape of the combustion chamber, to give a few examples. Check out their <a href="http://www.naprec.co.jp/cp_product_encat/hrk-en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">high-response menu</span></a>. A not so well kept secret is that all the big name famous tuning houses send their engine heads into NAPREC - I recall Nakayama-san at Mine's telling me that he used to spend hours himself manually porting out the intake/exhaust ports for each engine he worked... but given the stuff that was included in the menu for my engine, I am pretty sure for the rest of the nifty bits added to my car's engine - strengthened valve guides, intake valves, etc. - the head was sent into NAPREC. In any case, for sure now, given how busy Mine's is, I am sure they outsource most of their cylinder head work to NAPREC (confirmed by Nagoya-san at his booth...)</p><p>Anyway, I wanted to share a few photos I took at his booth.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbqSATcMB9R8paqAqRfEjuuEw83TvCB1D6Gb9yImxaXGMREniQHZdT21vpXUXpm0AG-jxeyE-DWDSOseXH6zOJY4_BSyzmvdbCoR1sCAj6VbFZCBOed0jZ_cxY7iZ6Ba8bFSBUdoQDsJ8pqvIZ5-aJqv5t_c6aM9qQ85maNgX1ovSuet8bYj0TPOz/s4032/20221030_085755.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbqSATcMB9R8paqAqRfEjuuEw83TvCB1D6Gb9yImxaXGMREniQHZdT21vpXUXpm0AG-jxeyE-DWDSOseXH6zOJY4_BSyzmvdbCoR1sCAj6VbFZCBOed0jZ_cxY7iZ6Ba8bFSBUdoQDsJ8pqvIZ5-aJqv5t_c6aM9qQ85maNgX1ovSuet8bYj0TPOz/w640-h480/20221030_085755.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just sitting pretty. Not even an RB26 head!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUK02kKYDnqXY_qJ7nsvJ_2agfwSli9SyxhRYKKdNcSASCJMLY5T304Ex_xrUYhtlbXq642gS6-gHO6oDzLHYIPmvUsKC7bXH-ciO1u7g_eGjBdnN8igDBxoH61AhyQOyU791ARnCagsiOys67MvhqvyCRmZK0K-U656tENm36Dw5Zbe-1NfVyCb9/s4032/20221030_085758.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUK02kKYDnqXY_qJ7nsvJ_2agfwSli9SyxhRYKKdNcSASCJMLY5T304Ex_xrUYhtlbXq642gS6-gHO6oDzLHYIPmvUsKC7bXH-ciO1u7g_eGjBdnN8igDBxoH61AhyQOyU791ARnCagsiOys67MvhqvyCRmZK0K-U656tENm36Dw5Zbe-1NfVyCb9/w640-h480/20221030_085758.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anyone know what that gold ring is around each valve cutout?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Ok so this is an RB26 head, but check out how each cylinder combustion chamber is shaped differently in order to demonstrate what NAPREC can do.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrlXQMJMNGRQaIVjL1p6zYL6QpFijkZTIOjUJdTLX8sPJVFrcMb3FYGoqW-EgQkQ2rzJ6wHICt7RL7Ow-rMne8b80kClpFP-S6UJJlupCz8gxQnPbdBsYtthdBFx9QpeY4ImoWzspFgIrapQ3UU1x2FWKXfRkwm1h8vSirRUupKkYKMMnT-h_UoS7/s4032/20221030_085811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrlXQMJMNGRQaIVjL1p6zYL6QpFijkZTIOjUJdTLX8sPJVFrcMb3FYGoqW-EgQkQ2rzJ6wHICt7RL7Ow-rMne8b80kClpFP-S6UJJlupCz8gxQnPbdBsYtthdBFx9QpeY4ImoWzspFgIrapQ3UU1x2FWKXfRkwm1h8vSirRUupKkYKMMnT-h_UoS7/w480-h640/20221030_085811.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div>Here are some close-ups, starting at the top.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegGdiC0wAzMecotSKCSFViPzi2Bkr5Itu0htyfy6OVb-biWQChhhqn0W4HshDzxH41lmjGM3qkn3aq-oYWGbXOGAuT4QE_eOExIrR6kkDIG_P4L7u6-z5LegHyGaWc1rTIb6sq0qvjxydeOOMrjbCoT7p6ZrT3Yq5VSHdzmpNNmLwlG4pIH9nA3iO/s4032/20221030_085814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegGdiC0wAzMecotSKCSFViPzi2Bkr5Itu0htyfy6OVb-biWQChhhqn0W4HshDzxH41lmjGM3qkn3aq-oYWGbXOGAuT4QE_eOExIrR6kkDIG_P4L7u6-z5LegHyGaWc1rTIb6sq0qvjxydeOOMrjbCoT7p6ZrT3Yq5VSHdzmpNNmLwlG4pIH9nA3iO/w480-h640/20221030_085814.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OEM normal combustion chamber, with normal intake side valves of 34.5mm and exhaust side valves of 30.0mm, and normal seat rings.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqCcNLmje_0QMN4gV2DmHhs5KGeItTWJSbG0kiHp7uZ-B0Kc5rErYN608d-d2Md5v1CqJ_VQGl4vjZImLnw4aOACDtawviYBnGvnoB27LPf-pMDJd6ZFocbi-SSHltZgPhsChfx5ringejVl-2Ey5Z2TCwv-nwRiUBLlL2zlQX-EGhfyCjeLRsVa0/s4032/20221030_085818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqCcNLmje_0QMN4gV2DmHhs5KGeItTWJSbG0kiHp7uZ-B0Kc5rErYN608d-d2Md5v1CqJ_VQGl4vjZImLnw4aOACDtawviYBnGvnoB27LPf-pMDJd6ZFocbi-SSHltZgPhsChfx5ringejVl-2Ey5Z2TCwv-nwRiUBLlL2zlQX-EGhfyCjeLRsVa0/w480-h640/20221030_085818.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one (on bottom) shows "High Response Kit Machining" - normal combustion chamber, intake showing NAPREC forged big valves at 34.8mm (0.30mm more than oem); normal valves used on the exhaust side, except they have been refaced; and normal seat rings.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyaJS6pgKN4WYKj-w5xmsvTsukYUbjHfFnrXFiFaLkVmT0ql6Cdl1V9fuhsK56MpeXLJ4eTYvXWk849jwni-9CFZTGNnkiuh-mISj1qyxAKugLF1hCL52t-sF6R4X6ASDNKqOGutXtdzn1nMrppVFQTQSYQTZaVaVWZLLBmbHHqTXDN9nt8UrLmmI/s4032/20221030_085823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyaJS6pgKN4WYKj-w5xmsvTsukYUbjHfFnrXFiFaLkVmT0ql6Cdl1V9fuhsK56MpeXLJ4eTYvXWk849jwni-9CFZTGNnkiuh-mISj1qyxAKugLF1hCL52t-sF6R4X6ASDNKqOGutXtdzn1nMrppVFQTQSYQTZaVaVWZLLBmbHHqTXDN9nt8UrLmmI/w480-h640/20221030_085823.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one (on bottom) shows the "High Response Big Valve Spec" with the combustion chamber machined to "full squish", intake valves the NAPREC forged big valves at 34.8mm, exhaust valves the NAPREC forged big valves 1.00mm wider than OEM at 31.00mm, and normal seat rings. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14SwB3Ak8oDpell3vUdrv8Fb5TPE0jWfDwQbcGL60tp-ustkGHV-EJgbsIVptwTt-LWgtBQyWig2gK0pDHbptXJ-q11MGVfYhtn45A2iQnDDET_QfcOW3l-nL6Y7ZYvzdsmAS2ZmExKGKQrxavd4X0TzPPdYiK54aFpUEtmHEFf91VeR6ujQOXwtE/s4032/20221030_085833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14SwB3Ak8oDpell3vUdrv8Fb5TPE0jWfDwQbcGL60tp-ustkGHV-EJgbsIVptwTt-LWgtBQyWig2gK0pDHbptXJ-q11MGVfYhtn45A2iQnDDET_QfcOW3l-nL6Y7ZYvzdsmAS2ZmExKGKQrxavd4X0TzPPdYiK54aFpUEtmHEFf91VeR6ujQOXwtE/w480-h640/20221030_085833.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom one here shows the "High Response Intake Drag Valve Spec" which differs from the "High Response Big Valve Spec" by having the combustion chamber machined to "Hemi Circle shape" and the intake valve is a NAPREC Drag spec forged big valve at a massive diameter of 36.00mm, 1.50mm wider than OEM!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJYhgXHOcLFGtGHGqSlYcdQjB5HqBmbAFkCZc1Rnj5ZggaScR-43tdZp-i9wMxCDUEYygZYMhaUMLC8sziyAo5ao9THsAVhbCJv7skQrnr9MpJNhjEQo1NeVXaCH3GouvRs3wLL0xIni4WzJmrO_qC3_TalELtM6BFYmAKkT4yQVAlZGYlBm0oFEv/s4032/20221030_085835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJYhgXHOcLFGtGHGqSlYcdQjB5HqBmbAFkCZc1Rnj5ZggaScR-43tdZp-i9wMxCDUEYygZYMhaUMLC8sziyAo5ao9THsAVhbCJv7skQrnr9MpJNhjEQo1NeVXaCH3GouvRs3wLL0xIni4WzJmrO_qC3_TalELtM6BFYmAKkT4yQVAlZGYlBm0oFEv/w480-h640/20221030_085835.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, this one on the bottom - sorry for the poor quality photo - shows the Drag Kit Machining, which adds to the High Response Intake Drag Valve Spec by incorporating a full circle machined combustion chamber, exhaust side NAPREC Drag Spec Forged Big Valve with a diameter of 1.50mm wider than OEM at 31.5mm, large diameter seat rings - beryllium ones shown here.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>I guess the bigger valves make sense, but I was most curious about the different shaped combustion chambers. Check out this <a href="http://www.naprec.co.jp/product_en/combustion-chamber-machining" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">NAPREC webpage</span></a> for details. Interesting that the OEM combustion chamber has a volume of 65cc, Full Squish is 69.5cc, Hemi circle is 70.3cc, and Full Circle is 71cc. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yoP_e7URelf2G22F1SRVh27ALDU9Lhr_HSS4BXjvRHkiX8POSvL83bm_9HhkGLUpYsjKGbstGi4A0a9nxoeR7dII9Q_-VKdg-UPHX_N8h7yeuMvGfcIlGf0GvpthkgEezqvCjmaXznx7W0DAgQdXLrfAjtO-vn1c8Vx3PLx27DpTwb1m77fbZJSw/s4032/20221030_085857.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yoP_e7URelf2G22F1SRVh27ALDU9Lhr_HSS4BXjvRHkiX8POSvL83bm_9HhkGLUpYsjKGbstGi4A0a9nxoeR7dII9Q_-VKdg-UPHX_N8h7yeuMvGfcIlGf0GvpthkgEezqvCjmaXznx7W0DAgQdXLrfAjtO-vn1c8Vx3PLx27DpTwb1m77fbZJSw/w480-h640/20221030_085857.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From top to bottom - Full Circle, Hemi Circle, and Full Squish.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So even though the Full Squish looks pretty OEM, it actually provides the biggest step up in volume, with Hemi and Full Circles only being with 1.5cc of the Full Squish. And yes I asked and my Mine's engine should have the Full Squish (and yes it seems that way in checking this <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2007/10/how-mines-did-it-engine-building.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">old blog post</span></a>).</p><p>Anyway, it was nice to learn something somewhat mechanical - and yes basic - but hey some of these things you have to get up close and personal to really appreciate the precision that is required to produce super smooth and responsive engines. </p><p>In my next post, I am going to try to explain something very interesting I found... a possible future product which I am definitely interested in...</p></div><br />Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-54684667644208677072022-10-31T23:26:00.000+09:002022-10-31T23:26:08.565+09:00R's Meeting 2022 - Part 2 - Chronologically Taken Photos<p>So after running into Dino again where he was taking photos of the long line of cars trying get to customer parking, we walked back to my car so he could change out his camera lens.</p><p>On the way back, we ran into this car, on the end of the row of guest parking spots:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiempydJhWccQxoLwaAtgdgq1HDgbfzhWfJCwyz0jqItEcjqdt1FRSdrQVFrC-JfliWrPH3wsY2TomlQZJKwkKPcsnWnziEOa59y0SZiB1w4qTgQBdMFJXuIvzv-TiS2z-_0QGaiFRNI1a-0NT1hMqBPQOhWHdPwFVeNYK0ilErNvc9lNhh4fz40mKl/s4032/20221030_091616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiempydJhWccQxoLwaAtgdgq1HDgbfzhWfJCwyz0jqItEcjqdt1FRSdrQVFrC-JfliWrPH3wsY2TomlQZJKwkKPcsnWnziEOa59y0SZiB1w4qTgQBdMFJXuIvzv-TiS2z-_0QGaiFRNI1a-0NT1hMqBPQOhWHdPwFVeNYK0ilErNvc9lNhh4fz40mKl/w640-h480/20221030_091616.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So what, just another Autech R33 GT-R, right? Well, this one is well known for being owned and cherished by legendary <a href="https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/nissan-legend-hiroyoshi-kato-the-man-who-found-his-calling#" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Nissan test driver Hiroyoshi Kato</span></a>! Yep, a fellow R33 GT-R owner, and if you look closely he's outfitted his car with the carbon ceramic rotors from the Spec V R35 GT-R. So if Nissan's best test driver prefers the R33... I mean if he's driven them all, his choice for his personal car I think really means something.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR0N7-GQICdHwStQTU27eatmTfXRDZ9W64Q5JXafmpt9s8JQWZL2SKtFqkWTkGaTYLgbofWNBVVtm_5VwNP0ea0bbtC7NmbdiWOdx2Q-adYsFRrXRX7ALJpzcLw56di_gV7nh3RKAf5keocYuurZQv3hGafd6oQXjDsJP0GDkHG6rbnI_MuwaRcfJ/s4032/20221030_091628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR0N7-GQICdHwStQTU27eatmTfXRDZ9W64Q5JXafmpt9s8JQWZL2SKtFqkWTkGaTYLgbofWNBVVtm_5VwNP0ea0bbtC7NmbdiWOdx2Q-adYsFRrXRX7ALJpzcLw56di_gV7nh3RKAf5keocYuurZQv3hGafd6oQXjDsJP0GDkHG6rbnI_MuwaRcfJ/w640-h480/20221030_091628.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnsOVYm9plE-4QxRb2GKMFpXOK0pJf6Y8nsDc_-p2ZPNw6kO6YIWf9Xz54uU29SxpY8-1ZO8LVArNHLOHYdO968hF26YwaRg6TFFebJqF1VcdLf_ZDKju7ogTDS4SXUSgEyU5eEofbzzJXTSAAH63h6bk4OCsuvgWdAPJ-ISbDpMWXk09VSchT7qX/s4032/20221030_123905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnsOVYm9plE-4QxRb2GKMFpXOK0pJf6Y8nsDc_-p2ZPNw6kO6YIWf9Xz54uU29SxpY8-1ZO8LVArNHLOHYdO968hF26YwaRg6TFFebJqF1VcdLf_ZDKju7ogTDS4SXUSgEyU5eEofbzzJXTSAAH63h6bk4OCsuvgWdAPJ-ISbDpMWXk09VSchT7qX/w640-h480/20221030_123905.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess he really likes the Bitburger beer?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Once back at my car Dino quickly changed lenses (and yes he was grateful for not having to haul his bag around with him, as he might have done if he had parked further away - you're welcome DCD!):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOYet_lywYt3bPGHs7V-_owiq141BaYG5BA3YPbVhKJVavYCyOnpltuh2kHu1uj6C7Njalm3IdeQFilSApOULpUv1AiO2THgWqUJAfvvjoGbyALZerx5JrfwMg8884bG_AgLDJi69-18xrekLmLomGB7JCq5kt5wJFtLp9sIYHq5fuJxdsWkWcUP1/s4032/20221030_091755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOYet_lywYt3bPGHs7V-_owiq141BaYG5BA3YPbVhKJVavYCyOnpltuh2kHu1uj6C7Njalm3IdeQFilSApOULpUv1AiO2THgWqUJAfvvjoGbyALZerx5JrfwMg8884bG_AgLDJi69-18xrekLmLomGB7JCq5kt5wJFtLp9sIYHq5fuJxdsWkWcUP1/w640-h480/20221030_091755.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And quickly went back to work.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq22BktqNeKWpM6HVReHGezt-35oRwYQV-u1neiQCUd9YpdhzBgDbdsXOcf9PMNyPipBM5HVBUu6rGVws6mp6GZ0GbTLS7LFAgHtu__8i-QF5Qk_D54INH8l_Jso-SgGTZS4pUKuSQfRNva97Ysn5WKUYvskGHf815hW6wfPM5m_7-WUJ5j_eysnq/s4032/20221030_092104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq22BktqNeKWpM6HVReHGezt-35oRwYQV-u1neiQCUd9YpdhzBgDbdsXOcf9PMNyPipBM5HVBUu6rGVws6mp6GZ0GbTLS7LFAgHtu__8i-QF5Qk_D54INH8l_Jso-SgGTZS4pUKuSQfRNva97Ysn5WKUYvskGHf815hW6wfPM5m_7-WUJ5j_eysnq/w640-h480/20221030_092104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Meanwhile I turned back to make sure no one was messing with my car:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO07AscZ9-mkzVOgvEQqxwJrqeK6b7-246SpKXlCAjolAAWFbOwew25_aF0eWcDKZf18J3CnmCQEEqzDxpnWZ0kgofTjmAs7G3OTCDak-kUS907q_MEvtfdBLob0T7H9eG46bBzHmF-7U61BnI_oe-4JVMUiq6c_99XbY5He4bt2DZhuURLf0vU8cS/s4032/20221030_092148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO07AscZ9-mkzVOgvEQqxwJrqeK6b7-246SpKXlCAjolAAWFbOwew25_aF0eWcDKZf18J3CnmCQEEqzDxpnWZ0kgofTjmAs7G3OTCDak-kUS907q_MEvtfdBLob0T7H9eG46bBzHmF-7U61BnI_oe-4JVMUiq6c_99XbY5He4bt2DZhuURLf0vU8cS/w640-h480/20221030_092148.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And then headed over the Nissan Prince Tokyo Motorsports booth to catch up with some old friends. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd7SOxlMzTH3N1VqyBkkemmXoJRb6p-6GOpG1yHArlctYoVcUYbytcd9YqokgJL6rpckCliHO2dZKS9fJtNxQ9jFu_iBokimOSKXqQZ2zwFv1bO58Q_6SPmvjR0Vyve1SToyepKKBONAoiOxjWvXKYx2RYihyiaXQJJy0HFo8MTpFfh30MzKQ_jIS/s4032/20221030_092919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd7SOxlMzTH3N1VqyBkkemmXoJRb6p-6GOpG1yHArlctYoVcUYbytcd9YqokgJL6rpckCliHO2dZKS9fJtNxQ9jFu_iBokimOSKXqQZ2zwFv1bO58Q_6SPmvjR0Vyve1SToyepKKBONAoiOxjWvXKYx2RYihyiaXQJJy0HFo8MTpFfh30MzKQ_jIS/w640-h480/20221030_092919.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today only - a new N1 Engine!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>The most popular booth seemed to be Robson Leather's - not surprising as they were discounting their line up of shift and parking brake boots for each GT-R generation.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmktza_aMncMDUgBq95Bifn6XRu30aneCGpGUSLz7zq60okddzD1Nl-qJxZfhc3T5FPhixKDbNbfMGlbbDrPVydSEwzBCkDTiIACrqU1-h_P2lePuUFHbwK7cpDVF53_Al_ClTgY8cWyESDdz07sOVWYptNv8FvjCgayHM6E8Wa6F1Ye-gm1-dV3b/s4032/20221030_094201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmktza_aMncMDUgBq95Bifn6XRu30aneCGpGUSLz7zq60okddzD1Nl-qJxZfhc3T5FPhixKDbNbfMGlbbDrPVydSEwzBCkDTiIACrqU1-h_P2lePuUFHbwK7cpDVF53_Al_ClTgY8cWyESDdz07sOVWYptNv8FvjCgayHM6E8Wa6F1Ye-gm1-dV3b/w640-h480/20221030_094201.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Back in the parking lot for cars awaiting the GT-R Magazine photo shoot, I spotted this beauty:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj559yAm8iUdKgCkiqiUlRCIJk2Yu3sq2OyGxU358NPgsiye0EINykZVSbQWEpwsuz2Bad2KqtwXo75pmOWdrRWupyBlPm81GYEVlmmRRtEKvvI03YqE4mj6_-CbSek0uLW8IRT9knTSzLGneg-eSFwXrmKlhKqvDkyA1E8Kdp7eoqVoB8EUw-W_CtQ/s4032/20221030_094924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj559yAm8iUdKgCkiqiUlRCIJk2Yu3sq2OyGxU358NPgsiye0EINykZVSbQWEpwsuz2Bad2KqtwXo75pmOWdrRWupyBlPm81GYEVlmmRRtEKvvI03YqE4mj6_-CbSek0uLW8IRT9knTSzLGneg-eSFwXrmKlhKqvDkyA1E8Kdp7eoqVoB8EUw-W_CtQ/w640-h480/20221030_094924.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">simple and clean!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Pulling back a bit, you can see how many other cars were in the lot.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilLXefpiq6G9nxTfZtA6XKEpTagFpWK0ndtX8arPUp6NbdHFTC5DAOAJfxuYABOiyy5TAX0R60a0z9V22CIbYXW0nZo_GAEbkCg3X5NdVLEwtETDN3o8660gxRPLyPQ2Hu1fTiEQJOnumSRN3bjaWIpada9ZHlvwqEmhXaiNHIOr_4QCUz56GA2mL/s4032/20221030_094931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilLXefpiq6G9nxTfZtA6XKEpTagFpWK0ndtX8arPUp6NbdHFTC5DAOAJfxuYABOiyy5TAX0R60a0z9V22CIbYXW0nZo_GAEbkCg3X5NdVLEwtETDN3o8660gxRPLyPQ2Hu1fTiEQJOnumSRN3bjaWIpada9ZHlvwqEmhXaiNHIOr_4QCUz56GA2mL/w640-h480/20221030_094931.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Meanwhile I heard some talking over the PA system - the "Talk Show" with the guys responsible for each generation of GT-R was there to talk nerd and answer nerd questions!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUHaWECcl8NntozE9cKYjkGnZi4RQA7n0I8bwrLI6v0o-qe813hUmTIWjJkZyu0YIXzkgh7Z8IMbgOC_rZmcwSVwbe4P-aY8m4FBcJwrGJ_HufFs2NQZOyUHmPCw8HTBqCUtpglvv-GZKvSkhc6BRoYpoBwvshAB7qroWBph8oIdFGd-Ib8m_49FW/s4032/20221030_095052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUHaWECcl8NntozE9cKYjkGnZi4RQA7n0I8bwrLI6v0o-qe813hUmTIWjJkZyu0YIXzkgh7Z8IMbgOC_rZmcwSVwbe4P-aY8m4FBcJwrGJ_HufFs2NQZOyUHmPCw8HTBqCUtpglvv-GZKvSkhc6BRoYpoBwvshAB7qroWBph8oIdFGd-Ib8m_49FW/w640-h480/20221030_095052.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I quickly lost interest and got a text from Dino to meet him at the OS Giken booth. When I got there he wasn't there but I did find something interesting I will discuss in a future post.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUk3YWJMH20-w6-OE15wGPT-I4y-Zg7i7SNDMru7vFkf3q00AFK1qqx1ICPnooDjDmpi5gdto3fu6RoOV9faFaqNRM43PDoRK5Ax-0gr-o5ptqRG3220ypnT3gBZq5aFpZt0Gw6ERuikSX-sgzJegkAZktDNaXdC5qUwuuqJDrQ1AB4PJeL8pfRP_e/s4032/20221030_095403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUk3YWJMH20-w6-OE15wGPT-I4y-Zg7i7SNDMru7vFkf3q00AFK1qqx1ICPnooDjDmpi5gdto3fu6RoOV9faFaqNRM43PDoRK5Ax-0gr-o5ptqRG3220ypnT3gBZq5aFpZt0Gw6ERuikSX-sgzJegkAZktDNaXdC5qUwuuqJDrQ1AB4PJeL8pfRP_e/w640-h480/20221030_095403.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Heading back towards my car, I stopped off at the Kyosho booth to see what they had...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBOa52RJ9SiL1dnFhpYd7iHLlVK_ffCScR7k2xyCXZUqz2V7vFDBhC1Xa_epzr3ANQRSM4b3LCb_gmKvopSz8xX6t4MDAXKsnKrf6kd8rmaToShICttvHN3GdGi5a0KHJhFbRH4OKiZwouLlyFF3dJFm60kbbIJJR9KgqVMdfOqpx7_-oW1t1B87y/s4032/20221030_100732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBOa52RJ9SiL1dnFhpYd7iHLlVK_ffCScR7k2xyCXZUqz2V7vFDBhC1Xa_epzr3ANQRSM4b3LCb_gmKvopSz8xX6t4MDAXKsnKrf6kd8rmaToShICttvHN3GdGi5a0KHJhFbRH4OKiZwouLlyFF3dJFm60kbbIJJR9KgqVMdfOqpx7_-oW1t1B87y/w640-h480/20221030_100732.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No 33s so I quickly left.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>I then got a text from a good friend, and current GT-R /Z Chief Product Specialist Narita-san, to join him watch the end of the talk show. There, a German photographer named Alex who is responsible for a <a href="https://www.gtrthejourney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">certain GT-R book </span></a>was being introduced on the stage. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvorS3xNR4Rutm92EjKy4pW1O8zkJdvX_XMF_M1Zd2dRemUofnlqw05zZJww6ALgEb9zYnzLP5viM1NHrD-lyzsd9LW1raWizcwQd3EXhQmLMJegkyVKOySuN2AyNFyyT0snDdEndHhYc6RKX4aDJy89FZhPGgzEJw8_t8eNdGH2EyNWNGmdYtxao/s4032/20221030_102307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvorS3xNR4Rutm92EjKy4pW1O8zkJdvX_XMF_M1Zd2dRemUofnlqw05zZJww6ALgEb9zYnzLP5viM1NHrD-lyzsd9LW1raWizcwQd3EXhQmLMJegkyVKOySuN2AyNFyyT0snDdEndHhYc6RKX4aDJy89FZhPGgzEJw8_t8eNdGH2EyNWNGmdYtxao/w640-h480/20221030_102307.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted this guy as we waited for Alex to come off the stage</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Alex had somehow heard of me and my car, and wanted to meet. Narita-san made the introductions, and then we headed towards my car so he could do a quick impromptu photo shoot.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgjQDqjocxMWSSGPFV6R_49pzdhfPrCtlUBXBmLXmWllvAukIPx-2IIZnv9ZKfK66uOAFWMakAsPcwYOpSGGJKb6taAmAU6YeK8PmjMdliPaEf-LzunH-5jTF1Bb7u7k1btw0EKhhH4nV_ZM4zor4rTt1h8HM-4U2BDdxOe3mIx3c-xGijdQNq_tD/s4032/20221030_103245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgjQDqjocxMWSSGPFV6R_49pzdhfPrCtlUBXBmLXmWllvAukIPx-2IIZnv9ZKfK66uOAFWMakAsPcwYOpSGGJKb6taAmAU6YeK8PmjMdliPaEf-LzunH-5jTF1Bb7u7k1btw0EKhhH4nV_ZM4zor4rTt1h8HM-4U2BDdxOe3mIx3c-xGijdQNq_tD/w640-h480/20221030_103245.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening the hood seemed to attract a lot of people who wanted to check out the car</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Alex got intercepted by Tamura-san so they went off right before he started shooting, so I was left talking to the Nismo guys and several other people - and some new friends - who stopped by. Finally, Alex returned and did his thing, but I was getting hungry so I threw the keys to Dino who promised to watch the fun. Narita-san and I went upstairs by elevator to a suite reserved for Nissan...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM30kcFy_6rfMpqe1Kkmz023LViNFP_1b6bY5HzIFjExhwgwuZXAME6B9JYnFOHCLBrMaZtlkXrxJtI-iHJMmht01H9zSOwbJKICCgJ-itwFbRdmhzk9eICA1hMTkz8_29p_eJhZlemJ8gQxHmDPhh2nyFW-r-GK9Y6xqhu8NsOKivhZguECFSNB7_/s4032/20221030_124042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM30kcFy_6rfMpqe1Kkmz023LViNFP_1b6bY5HzIFjExhwgwuZXAME6B9JYnFOHCLBrMaZtlkXrxJtI-iHJMmht01H9zSOwbJKICCgJ-itwFbRdmhzk9eICA1hMTkz8_29p_eJhZlemJ8gQxHmDPhh2nyFW-r-GK9Y6xqhu8NsOKivhZguECFSNB7_/w640-h480/20221030_124042.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Where over this bento lunch, we discussed a few interesting projects. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWbhbVPsL7rAZDW8qX6aUn-2DyliE-WR8vfKZ1IJ1k4WXKVX12Vv7JpN_wX3NUE5wcwu4sowx-zd-xopKVUFaOXdbnR2MmGb75F4ACog3qAcQgKTMYwOpUNJbUpzPI4EyXVs0Bovi8mjc2UDalhj4XT_9yYILWPmtLp9DPaAdvPZmiz0h2t8O0R_9/s4032/20221030_124258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWbhbVPsL7rAZDW8qX6aUn-2DyliE-WR8vfKZ1IJ1k4WXKVX12Vv7JpN_wX3NUE5wcwu4sowx-zd-xopKVUFaOXdbnR2MmGb75F4ACog3qAcQgKTMYwOpUNJbUpzPI4EyXVs0Bovi8mjc2UDalhj4XT_9yYILWPmtLp9DPaAdvPZmiz0h2t8O0R_9/w640-h480/20221030_124258.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Of course I can't publish what we talked about, but I will tell you the bento was tastier than it looked. Once finished, we grabbed a few extra bottles of free drinks for the guys who were waiting by my car. Dino reported that Masa and Daiki from Robson had stopped by to check out my car... too bad I missed them, but an excuse for me to call them!</p><p>Anyway, any one who has been to Fuji Speedway on a Sunday knows that the earlier you drive back, the better, given the crazy PM traffic into Tokyo. So even though the festivities continued, we left, driving very slowly through the crowd, at about 2pm. A great day, I had a lot of fun and I think Narita-san and the guys at Nismo for the invite and the hospitality!</p><p>Check back soon for a couple of posts that go into detail on a couple of interesting finds!</p></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-30435978084097487272022-10-30T23:10:00.002+09:002022-10-30T23:10:23.099+09:00R's Meeting 2022 - Part 1 - Chronologically Taken Photos<p>Trying something new with my photos for this post!</p><p>So of course, the reason why I needed my car road-legal again quickly, was to be able to drive it to this year's R's Meeting put on by GT-R Magazine (and sponsored in part by Nissan as well). Hence the <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2022/10/real-life-tomica-transporter.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Tomica-like transport </span></a>I wrote about last time.</p><p>Anyway, once I got the car safely back home I was still split about going. I usually don't like going to these meetings because there are so many cars and so you have to park far away, and I always worry about my car being out of sight. I mean think about it - the world's biggest GT-R meet is a great place for criminal types to come check out which cars they can steal next, right?</p><p>So I called in a few favors to make sure that I received the proper VIP entry and parking pass (Sponsor) and thus was convinced to take the GT-R down to Fuji. As a result, I found myself driving down with Dino at 0600 this morning to Fuji Speedway. I am sure he takes better pictures - check out his IG for more photos - but once we arrived, I took some photos as well.</p><p>This time however instead of focusing on one car or product, I want to just simply upload the photos I took and perhaps share what I was thinking as I took them. So here goes...</p><p>Here is where I parked. Bad photo, but immediately to the right is the Nismo booth. And yes that Ochiai-san watching me as I turn around to take this photo. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QwKqbG73cESpQUl_mNJDSWvy_yU3WW3GRdB2-gnpESQkWYgqZKm8RtPZfNnRErCSguRldmCDP9HJF1IX1UB2kJnNLPPt17uUioijDJOd-EVuSdDmzZ6KDvunNCG7ZIqT1QZ8Gv1EnODYTF5vjQIyXvUM9NIXHAvzweigehA4S4IHsNkNIIemOrCX/s4032/20221030_080110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QwKqbG73cESpQUl_mNJDSWvy_yU3WW3GRdB2-gnpESQkWYgqZKm8RtPZfNnRErCSguRldmCDP9HJF1IX1UB2kJnNLPPt17uUioijDJOd-EVuSdDmzZ6KDvunNCG7ZIqT1QZ8Gv1EnODYTF5vjQIyXvUM9NIXHAvzweigehA4S4IHsNkNIIemOrCX/w640-h480/20221030_080110.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, someone else is taking a close look at my car already...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Right across was the Top Secret booth, where I spotted my first tuner R33:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDXuc4XxAc8QdjmUfJq5oEGleXEwScE0GPkDVC73WBPgHuKwqd9n82KR__z1wX4CVDa_CrY7pgsxppHDU4p_QcLworLe8AQQYNrnU7Yuqn2AJWn9ASTFqMN6zFc1FGdhi3dNHEyfb7jPRTZe6NZZuJUfknfJ5r8jRDkfEeIWNSRmrr9kwz0OBIJ5y/s4032/20221030_081530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDXuc4XxAc8QdjmUfJq5oEGleXEwScE0GPkDVC73WBPgHuKwqd9n82KR__z1wX4CVDa_CrY7pgsxppHDU4p_QcLworLe8AQQYNrnU7Yuqn2AJWn9ASTFqMN6zFc1FGdhi3dNHEyfb7jPRTZe6NZZuJUfknfJ5r8jRDkfEeIWNSRmrr9kwz0OBIJ5y/w640-h480/20221030_081530.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Since the hood wasn't opened up yet - we got there before the area was open to the public, I walked back to the Nismo booth, to check out their usual cars:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYO65uqCWPBxclwpHi5jhJFd-6BLpgfdyCii4zPjbA0EwctLXUDessimWR-9dubvlALoxf6F4hS6MIegtzHDWe5JBRmRrm464weofh6xvtu3cFhmTp8DmtDkbvV4_xt3Yso7sU8miw_qBQlgHrUm9d8ZlMPQ84BR-ImJMCAEJUy5aQg3sOSmiy6lDV/s4032/20221030_081608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYO65uqCWPBxclwpHi5jhJFd-6BLpgfdyCii4zPjbA0EwctLXUDessimWR-9dubvlALoxf6F4hS6MIegtzHDWe5JBRmRrm464weofh6xvtu3cFhmTp8DmtDkbvV4_xt3Yso7sU8miw_qBQlgHrUm9d8ZlMPQ84BR-ImJMCAEJUy5aQg3sOSmiy6lDV/w640-h480/20221030_081608.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>But then I remembered that social media had blown up on the Built By Legends R33 at Mine's so I took a quick stroll down to their booth, ignoring the other booths. And came across some fans who had managed to gain early entry and were looking closely at the BBL car.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30lIL1hgW98f0KNjYW9gaujuHPIFXgnECKxdggAB7ENJjJd_ypCupxHXeC_-ft85pEONYH7NqdJ-5Nj797Ej8JKGaVXIKbnkspY5DfFgL2DP3VRjyVgTdE3zAICB9_7s9JoyLOsUcD8aTX9nQYZsU2mTcJSl1hXOsckyeQYPepimShuIsh512V-UO/s4032/20221030_081712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30lIL1hgW98f0KNjYW9gaujuHPIFXgnECKxdggAB7ENJjJd_ypCupxHXeC_-ft85pEONYH7NqdJ-5Nj797Ej8JKGaVXIKbnkspY5DfFgL2DP3VRjyVgTdE3zAICB9_7s9JoyLOsUcD8aTX9nQYZsU2mTcJSl1hXOsckyeQYPepimShuIsh512V-UO/w640-h480/20221030_081712.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I also noticed it had this shorty type antenna. Mmm, not my cup of tea, I prefer the OEM in my car with its lower profile when not in use.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvuEhPMUAwSkifaGXalKnPg3kq0cp8IRxpLG97xHc_7KPDzyWmQjct1ve0cToB_lY2HNUzpSGMMpxWp42T_fZzDU7lso9TOlW98YvcDzKfmt33iCBER_PQ_ReM3lNDgcPupDRlpeajIVC_DmanZQuS1M5V7pjfC1v1ziYxTc-PubXLh2KWl55zrPO/s4032/20221030_081718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvuEhPMUAwSkifaGXalKnPg3kq0cp8IRxpLG97xHc_7KPDzyWmQjct1ve0cToB_lY2HNUzpSGMMpxWp42T_fZzDU7lso9TOlW98YvcDzKfmt33iCBER_PQ_ReM3lNDgcPupDRlpeajIVC_DmanZQuS1M5V7pjfC1v1ziYxTc-PubXLh2KWl55zrPO/w640-h480/20221030_081718.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here is another shot of the trunk underside:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKm82Cy5sn9puAdt56zMaPvK0TcPVofJ6miM6_GiEHZisDzZmZ-d-7x8vu2JiwOdMHsW328CpPCVqF5nHA936sQgVQdXYwR1Mi3nT1ITSZV8m1E-WQDwnID6AkKByxTMCxFgX_V6KpHpVhb5-7TRuzD19w2TECpQvAiGBrZRZu5zq18VUtYiL3M9X/s4032/20221030_081729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKm82Cy5sn9puAdt56zMaPvK0TcPVofJ6miM6_GiEHZisDzZmZ-d-7x8vu2JiwOdMHsW328CpPCVqF5nHA936sQgVQdXYwR1Mi3nT1ITSZV8m1E-WQDwnID6AkKByxTMCxFgX_V6KpHpVhb5-7TRuzD19w2TECpQvAiGBrZRZu5zq18VUtYiL3M9X/w640-h480/20221030_081729.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All dry carbon!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And of course have to check out the engine!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXMXx5mwpttzqAq4ab--165LVljc_kJNWRuVapOTVqB6z1ReZrs3Tlu3YaVbA2CuQO05jlkAsPO-GmUzna1Vs2b9ZQw-Gkd_u5MkZWB6OkYTXBihn7KpmHDbI0I1yBxDMgJCS70x-o3GrTlohdFCoWXr94Arp5wYvBUagAOMzuquV_XmF80WX8kYx/s4032/20221030_081742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXMXx5mwpttzqAq4ab--165LVljc_kJNWRuVapOTVqB6z1ReZrs3Tlu3YaVbA2CuQO05jlkAsPO-GmUzna1Vs2b9ZQw-Gkd_u5MkZWB6OkYTXBihn7KpmHDbI0I1yBxDMgJCS70x-o3GrTlohdFCoWXr94Arp5wYvBUagAOMzuquV_XmF80WX8kYx/w640-h480/20221030_081742.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interestingly, not the usual purple blue Mine's covers but a bespoke green</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ljEcuVJJeG7FOBQ_zKHuDQHoxkHvdWBAWn598SxseWH7Stqld5d2uDcQRwhdhySSW-vizt8yu5igPxh2SkHBaYlGIQHV-0_ZC0zfXIbwmKj8dRBLMLy2WQ35n0y4REBWjgvUDRjAjbm6I5gW-Rm9xrDusu0-STyqX97SvhVEfVyLZqZCVgkf7qfY/s4032/20221030_081748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ljEcuVJJeG7FOBQ_zKHuDQHoxkHvdWBAWn598SxseWH7Stqld5d2uDcQRwhdhySSW-vizt8yu5igPxh2SkHBaYlGIQHV-0_ZC0zfXIbwmKj8dRBLMLy2WQ35n0y4REBWjgvUDRjAjbm6I5gW-Rm9xrDusu0-STyqX97SvhVEfVyLZqZCVgkf7qfY/w640-h480/20221030_081748.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry carbon hood and lip spoiler too!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Here is Mr. Dalle Carbonare in action:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs9zWRewDZhVezpc3P22fZG_PGovrIvyIWpXFMu45UjxaYLNwNCwXXAPAxgDO1WduRgYbU-gko-TcQ4jAv0zcZEnUXM0EhqwLvIZWkki--d8ION1PBb6I4gCjnZlH_tQFhN5V2lnUolz3FIm5gQU_FVb5BxjgSjoL5SrBtQC1iCGTO76G8Hox5tPw/s4032/20221030_081751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs9zWRewDZhVezpc3P22fZG_PGovrIvyIWpXFMu45UjxaYLNwNCwXXAPAxgDO1WduRgYbU-gko-TcQ4jAv0zcZEnUXM0EhqwLvIZWkki--d8ION1PBb6I4gCjnZlH_tQFhN5V2lnUolz3FIm5gQU_FVb5BxjgSjoL5SrBtQC1iCGTO76G8Hox5tPw/w640-h480/20221030_081751.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I thought this was cute. A good idea, especially since fuse box covers with the "GT-R" on it are really hard to find.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqZZ3aHXFgeU9PHjePcVkYQmgjV1f4gfBDXDj40E-nX-HppLwvI1uxDpDc5U4QNEAFhn5zEffTLi0fFnslMPHtA8As8G-c9GGZXwYRlgYW3FiFyEuUkCZ2tplMRZ01aYXa_ZCCyyGyca25NABcs8PVIHyaYTdVFIu4PwFyPo46kJXdzk5wpH7iNR1/s4032/20221030_081759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqZZ3aHXFgeU9PHjePcVkYQmgjV1f4gfBDXDj40E-nX-HppLwvI1uxDpDc5U4QNEAFhn5zEffTLi0fFnslMPHtA8As8G-c9GGZXwYRlgYW3FiFyEuUkCZ2tplMRZ01aYXa_ZCCyyGyca25NABcs8PVIHyaYTdVFIu4PwFyPo46kJXdzk5wpH7iNR1/w640-h480/20221030_081759.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously good for a car going overseas. Want to make sure you can quickly change the oil each time without having to contact Mine's</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1rbhE8xlw3tuQmOOH7rdJxe1s4wKvBMQRBrVrM61sM3qnEcLmyDnZoFRtXSczYT8Fm0dJIkjMPMqZgKpjJ96VAVBULPEOyeDQOdYqDe0hyQla1aq_XqsdD_loFhNQMq-F4NVCD5N1tYk7J_Kr8iOCw_j54w8CHJPa6w8n1aHvgesEpXtZAPsCWwT/s4032/20221030_081804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1rbhE8xlw3tuQmOOH7rdJxe1s4wKvBMQRBrVrM61sM3qnEcLmyDnZoFRtXSczYT8Fm0dJIkjMPMqZgKpjJ96VAVBULPEOyeDQOdYqDe0hyQla1aq_XqsdD_loFhNQMq-F4NVCD5N1tYk7J_Kr8iOCw_j54w8CHJPa6w8n1aHvgesEpXtZAPsCWwT/w640-h480/20221030_081804.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interesting. OEM Plenum in that same green color.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Seats are Alcantara Recaros in a similar shade of green...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXE0ACEIXt4EearSqikSmJ_ooT7NJdYmY32HNUACcImaAvlwYmcUIdIOzEe4Quyn0MgamHLty-i9UCol8pwzw4h7cZN-PkmNTEeW1XZ4Z53L7gLC2SnxNbNGDJd76dvlE15eT1wR3BpYgLtXgyaq_6AtAl46bwPHXU0APRQNREy2g9_IK_mCuo42i/s4032/20221030_081810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXE0ACEIXt4EearSqikSmJ_ooT7NJdYmY32HNUACcImaAvlwYmcUIdIOzEe4Quyn0MgamHLty-i9UCol8pwzw4h7cZN-PkmNTEeW1XZ4Z53L7gLC2SnxNbNGDJd76dvlE15eT1wR3BpYgLtXgyaq_6AtAl46bwPHXU0APRQNREy2g9_IK_mCuo42i/w640-h480/20221030_081810.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>One last shot of the entire car...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zZESZDWHUgQqBqo12TguGeaqu7xjsFaByJbPLTBxLMecRCEFj0Q1qpk2okrxW_adbdQww48Gd4lDcpeXMjdZRdVUwZzhxl2Fj5d1qMDZe_akd4DXhvKLBn0Mc64UY0Th4csRdwWUk9_7lgZj9VZmHxkUTSELY6Vjjqezg7Ly_EjaRvwzS5_-Pa1N/s4032/20221030_082437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zZESZDWHUgQqBqo12TguGeaqu7xjsFaByJbPLTBxLMecRCEFj0Q1qpk2okrxW_adbdQww48Gd4lDcpeXMjdZRdVUwZzhxl2Fj5d1qMDZe_akd4DXhvKLBn0Mc64UY0Th4csRdwWUk9_7lgZj9VZmHxkUTSELY6Vjjqezg7Ly_EjaRvwzS5_-Pa1N/w640-h480/20221030_082437.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And then I heard DCD ask me what I thought of this BBL key<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtKL3vroGftgoxkqmVKh2Qgx9O8MyLb3zvqxS4fSSNBJTh7DFIZNzaAF9JlDyh9PCGJzKnXXOsxobTTJAl24Ro-lP6857nYa7KTutjUIul_QIGnBGrrQ636gr-GZe1aPjtm4PJW7zafFKvTdpYLSjyWBhQdXmnypCR4JvLCAMoTDn4r1XE8Pe9LRh/s4032/20221030_082801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtKL3vroGftgoxkqmVKh2Qgx9O8MyLb3zvqxS4fSSNBJTh7DFIZNzaAF9JlDyh9PCGJzKnXXOsxobTTJAl24Ro-lP6857nYa7KTutjUIul_QIGnBGrrQ636gr-GZe1aPjtm4PJW7zafFKvTdpYLSjyWBhQdXmnypCR4JvLCAMoTDn4r1XE8Pe9LRh/w640-h480/20221030_082801.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My answer - Ok, I guess?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>I was more interested in this interior cleaning cloth Mine's was offering. Some kind of super plush Alcantara, I guess?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0JXZ1IpypqbcMaW8l1ct8RLy1i1YTY-TTCGt8ewjAD79kB-FHFa6CsJ2Yfbs7VK8EziVMd6gtFIi_ITF82GBFYvXgDdZPoTqNnNOkBsOjxc_-oINQju4XKRQ0RdAxQEhpLb4RoclvYxzw71hcJSbh0BRpGl4GYXpKC8FFxoAuHpxy2JJ_pvcMT_R/s4032/20221030_082823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0JXZ1IpypqbcMaW8l1ct8RLy1i1YTY-TTCGt8ewjAD79kB-FHFa6CsJ2Yfbs7VK8EziVMd6gtFIi_ITF82GBFYvXgDdZPoTqNnNOkBsOjxc_-oINQju4XKRQ0RdAxQEhpLb4RoclvYxzw71hcJSbh0BRpGl4GYXpKC8FFxoAuHpxy2JJ_pvcMT_R/w640-h480/20221030_082823.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now we're talking - check out the Mine's tower bar. Which, I learned later my new friend David later purchased one!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_5uveuUvmnFWdBE5aln6snQjquDC_ME9rWCve-ytT3bd-B-TN_9eJL7soWSuGNM5jlXHJaqbezoBlmqPqZI2uR48QR9TW3FHEZmmAQT6WOLW9BzZke86HFRECRyoEjPyuPlba75TRAYjfSlhY24Kl6TgFHq2z7uMVuAMmoWXiIg8xGovWBCI3eIG/s4032/20221030_082844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_5uveuUvmnFWdBE5aln6snQjquDC_ME9rWCve-ytT3bd-B-TN_9eJL7soWSuGNM5jlXHJaqbezoBlmqPqZI2uR48QR9TW3FHEZmmAQT6WOLW9BzZke86HFRECRyoEjPyuPlba75TRAYjfSlhY24Kl6TgFHq2z7uMVuAMmoWXiIg8xGovWBCI3eIG/w640-h480/20221030_082844.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Speaking of friends, always nice to run into Adam, who runs an almost identical KR4 series 3 R33 GT-R! If you have seen me on Facebook you may remember a post where both our cars were featured.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXwfTgSNvtpWY89kB7uRvjTIS5FDpG0s9hlwQw0puzJ0ajUypS1wYb98o4coWfzbiXif0pyMo-QrIQB7MKm_rD_qStp06qrNRPvElgLPCW9crvUPIsA47T-PDiIjH17Tor9MCNj8XG_cZmpMmankLRObQ_wu78GcgFMfoDMMddit9whqq36ANcZiT/s3264/20221030_083635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXwfTgSNvtpWY89kB7uRvjTIS5FDpG0s9hlwQw0puzJ0ajUypS1wYb98o4coWfzbiXif0pyMo-QrIQB7MKm_rD_qStp06qrNRPvElgLPCW9crvUPIsA47T-PDiIjH17Tor9MCNj8XG_cZmpMmankLRObQ_wu78GcgFMfoDMMddit9whqq36ANcZiT/w640-h480/20221030_083635.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, we belong to the same exclusive ClubR33 owners club!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>And after the obligatory selfie, it was back to checking out more cars:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MajQt9iZDlQIESpbjv47Ix6Fd7EFN6_OE-6PtNX4NnLRKvq_Y_mOuJ6SgDSjGPQObAakTWSva8jlSZ2eos8BAyEqHPaJ8eoRppOZEXOl1WOu53py00CTZwgMsuHNAjK97H5EwTMrnRmaSu4ZjVRu2pCxrc0EwiAlC0dVSOWU--sHM2mnaWEwsr_2/s4032/20221030_084107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MajQt9iZDlQIESpbjv47Ix6Fd7EFN6_OE-6PtNX4NnLRKvq_Y_mOuJ6SgDSjGPQObAakTWSva8jlSZ2eos8BAyEqHPaJ8eoRppOZEXOl1WOu53py00CTZwgMsuHNAjK97H5EwTMrnRmaSu4ZjVRu2pCxrc0EwiAlC0dVSOWU--sHM2mnaWEwsr_2/w640-h480/20221030_084107.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The guys at Tomei seemed a bit busy so we left them alone. But then I ran into the Global Auto booth:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Du7hcHG8mZDs508OyQr3RrGCf36jsSyjoRwynmrUBWH0NjxbjDQYhDrPlrSRFc3BhfbnnZACr6cltr0cfKRPQK-EidgLgt1aEAFgRebFaJgdQcpAYgJsm7rIpJHrGMPBSMUFu6S8qtFTkalbySHMNS7CHqDlvCnLUsduVIqApoAY_BqsNXbYN_2m/s4032/20221030_084558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Du7hcHG8mZDs508OyQr3RrGCf36jsSyjoRwynmrUBWH0NjxbjDQYhDrPlrSRFc3BhfbnnZACr6cltr0cfKRPQK-EidgLgt1aEAFgRebFaJgdQcpAYgJsm7rIpJHrGMPBSMUFu6S8qtFTkalbySHMNS7CHqDlvCnLUsduVIqApoAY_BqsNXbYN_2m/w640-h480/20221030_084558.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZYVxEm_dYPOSt9JG0T58XkleUo7xyevgSD47xOmpr8pNTcs4VPwAWwK31tzSsWv1aG7Yy_G385C5xUJUmitP_Qwls9AclAAOwDzN_bSEYY7iJa_K3sRur9kCYDXqIHB4S9Z8Hr0OUNIvgHrE5nlAfTb68O_-6dL3-cmkm7VBx5x9SnRhIUjptCat/s4032/20221030_084608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZYVxEm_dYPOSt9JG0T58XkleUo7xyevgSD47xOmpr8pNTcs4VPwAWwK31tzSsWv1aG7Yy_G385C5xUJUmitP_Qwls9AclAAOwDzN_bSEYY7iJa_K3sRur9kCYDXqIHB4S9Z8Hr0OUNIvgHrE5nlAfTb68O_-6dL3-cmkm7VBx5x9SnRhIUjptCat/w640-h480/20221030_084608.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>How about a close up of the badge?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijn_VTGi_hQZZkrUiPjW6b75Fa8hRXjIIVssDCNkjntYtjYou2N_vWLONKqqrI67tIQ2K3rhcb03b50Re4Kl6JoieiQWptoASh5ECFJu98QLL3VIPT44Fh7XEvWtifl6WwvfDodqExxjbNEadMMN5-qw1uNtX83ztVQpBuI3CgWPssBFGlLSYAIocc/s4032/20221030_084614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijn_VTGi_hQZZkrUiPjW6b75Fa8hRXjIIVssDCNkjntYtjYou2N_vWLONKqqrI67tIQ2K3rhcb03b50Re4Kl6JoieiQWptoASh5ECFJu98QLL3VIPT44Fh7XEvWtifl6WwvfDodqExxjbNEadMMN5-qw1uNtX83ztVQpBuI3CgWPssBFGlLSYAIocc/w640-h480/20221030_084614.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Some rear shots<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69pTC0yh0vhClryrN2sQevpmkrpAr2xJ6MxUHUszeQQ-3Wi1MHm-EqfzjF6NrCPSP6EoWdexaa4VhdKzRXhlV-Y627P1wYFyx_BLHW4XNeh5mzVBkvRzzKh-PcpkArcXBa-yIRc5ewuxRVH66LXdo4mhCyr5QUiXwknu-5w-ibc5IrDufFNe39qYR/s4032/20221030_084630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69pTC0yh0vhClryrN2sQevpmkrpAr2xJ6MxUHUszeQQ-3Wi1MHm-EqfzjF6NrCPSP6EoWdexaa4VhdKzRXhlV-Y627P1wYFyx_BLHW4XNeh5mzVBkvRzzKh-PcpkArcXBa-yIRc5ewuxRVH66LXdo4mhCyr5QUiXwknu-5w-ibc5IrDufFNe39qYR/w640-h480/20221030_084630.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Another angle, trying to avoid the shadows to no avail.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs9SbXx4cD1h0e-lBJAORgoTddydoSGLviIv9YxUYAsvmRL1L86j9giCxhudLOYh-qr3O8nmCd3qxArmCD5h1llIMGnyC3H0O9uv9wT_6-18ajCfp6E9-RGVHN_z2or2l9Fv2PRGygYDq6yptz43ku0C0feWFc4xCyyniaPSLm5ptm2OW_5upg_LM/s4032/20221030_084638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs9SbXx4cD1h0e-lBJAORgoTddydoSGLviIv9YxUYAsvmRL1L86j9giCxhudLOYh-qr3O8nmCd3qxArmCD5h1llIMGnyC3H0O9uv9wT_6-18ajCfp6E9-RGVHN_z2or2l9Fv2PRGygYDq6yptz43ku0C0feWFc4xCyyniaPSLm5ptm2OW_5upg_LM/w640-h480/20221030_084638.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now here is an interesting machine. Yes, a huge single turbo...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4bzfJwiYq76jiH4o48YzTxmF7xmUus8tc9yuStxII8inNO62vszXjZI50Sul1V00tRV_x5kiMaKP07MIBBZ6v227awadMLHgdbAHwenBc4SdRDXbtLfj0U1cfqSSmSN_WU0QUUKyBFIvjB1lxLKmSGAWnF1dV-Uk_h1Tv_kEPbN0AvSJE1I1ZsBB/s4032/20221030_084858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4bzfJwiYq76jiH4o48YzTxmF7xmUus8tc9yuStxII8inNO62vszXjZI50Sul1V00tRV_x5kiMaKP07MIBBZ6v227awadMLHgdbAHwenBc4SdRDXbtLfj0U1cfqSSmSN_WU0QUUKyBFIvjB1lxLKmSGAWnF1dV-Uk_h1Tv_kEPbN0AvSJE1I1ZsBB/w640-h480/20221030_084858.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>But then looking inside - that is an R35 GT-R wheel with shift paddles - but check out that gear box linkage??!!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwDY6AowmU4T_hU9WUYmmy6NfneBCzaZpoamgccqmVolXB8JLF80uEXQDJQPgurDDlRCzW3ocBPHbY6NTfqw4gaOpVM1SRj83U-ej94m4hn7s9x3todgK7yRGteEsi4y35ywQjkZBB5q8mvQu_DBlTCJfdZJw4iKRYrlcL8ruRgNDl1j5CQCnvtbc/s4032/20221030_084907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwDY6AowmU4T_hU9WUYmmy6NfneBCzaZpoamgccqmVolXB8JLF80uEXQDJQPgurDDlRCzW3ocBPHbY6NTfqw4gaOpVM1SRj83U-ej94m4hn7s9x3todgK7yRGteEsi4y35ywQjkZBB5q8mvQu_DBlTCJfdZJw4iKRYrlcL8ruRgNDl1j5CQCnvtbc/w640-h480/20221030_084907.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And in the trunk, this:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsmlpMZpR6b2SsLFaTnLLlYsEc4uHfUBkmrRqyNaV900sp2dmxfDoYUHFHPPp3f8Ide9-l8VB-nIcPaOHD8U5h54L4KonYXYGPNHkdU-SKR8lIaP15VpPtdgeCyOBguJZu8VqXNXAA52owtFgi4kxwZE_ZHtLh6In5vTQmqqZB7fokIFNpQaM_zHA/s4032/20221030_084920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsmlpMZpR6b2SsLFaTnLLlYsEc4uHfUBkmrRqyNaV900sp2dmxfDoYUHFHPPp3f8Ide9-l8VB-nIcPaOHD8U5h54L4KonYXYGPNHkdU-SKR8lIaP15VpPtdgeCyOBguJZu8VqXNXAA52owtFgi4kxwZE_ZHtLh6In5vTQmqqZB7fokIFNpQaM_zHA/w640-h480/20221030_084920.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast and Furious, I guess?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>We then headed over (no pun intended) to NaPrec, or Nagoya Precision, who specialize in engine head work. Probably the best in the business here in Japan, as all the famous tuners outsource the headwork of their blueprint engines to them.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e6ak_dL1S1WC7ejGeW7zPMneF5Z9lKLYN5YdLml2kX5RSNXszzIn1Gw5tvcvHPNi27VMhpm-tXkOjbbMzQOSZfplMQLGQwhTU9mHCqr4TkZkIzueVCYFHJdRbU2o1xLo8radMeP1qhzx3pM19wQrIvZmlrtr0cWvNZL0Tn0fzgxuSoqG4mAvAIud/s4032/20221030_085755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e6ak_dL1S1WC7ejGeW7zPMneF5Z9lKLYN5YdLml2kX5RSNXszzIn1Gw5tvcvHPNi27VMhpm-tXkOjbbMzQOSZfplMQLGQwhTU9mHCqr4TkZkIzueVCYFHJdRbU2o1xLo8radMeP1qhzx3pM19wQrIvZmlrtr0cWvNZL0Tn0fzgxuSoqG4mAvAIud/w640-h480/20221030_085755.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here is a close-up<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45NSRKfX-BNCQCCDE4LI75ACpli6EyNkL2wm_2m01QCNxkyxoc4yaU31XT95QK1UTy1sDoDbu6LDR-lvINMg6JDddIy2qyfrAwCUO3VjL3wre9DpUuxEmAQUSp63JK7OUcTMsf70RTU3SnxcFWyPMS7aXosEmnENi-NZqU-uNZ66WZl43spbSNYiY/s4032/20221030_085758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45NSRKfX-BNCQCCDE4LI75ACpli6EyNkL2wm_2m01QCNxkyxoc4yaU31XT95QK1UTy1sDoDbu6LDR-lvINMg6JDddIy2qyfrAwCUO3VjL3wre9DpUuxEmAQUSp63JK7OUcTMsf70RTU3SnxcFWyPMS7aXosEmnENi-NZqU-uNZ66WZl43spbSNYiY/w640-h480/20221030_085758.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And Dino checking out the 3 kinds of headwork they do: "full squish", "half circle" and "full circle" - in a future post I will go into more detail, they had a board up with some interesting graphics.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQ0-Z5Bpo3jvm18xjbAy8poGFjHLZaU1vA84eL9v1OJzGYojRwux87zBBLa9K-wjroMULFl0o4cZedkWPlKcQ62Y9A90jtWNbr_Zoi8g96G0P4rjc4VdbL1rJ9e2QA1gCZjVHyi2crdVhWnkF_7dfmcM5oL-JjKtJQZ2Fm9RrOa7GqpK29Di6H5ge/s4032/20221030_085857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQ0-Z5Bpo3jvm18xjbAy8poGFjHLZaU1vA84eL9v1OJzGYojRwux87zBBLa9K-wjroMULFl0o4cZedkWPlKcQ62Y9A90jtWNbr_Zoi8g96G0P4rjc4VdbL1rJ9e2QA1gCZjVHyi2crdVhWnkF_7dfmcM5oL-JjKtJQZ2Fm9RrOa7GqpK29Di6H5ge/w480-h640/20221030_085857.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It was about this time that Dino started complaining that I was ruining his rhythm due to our conversing and so rather than risk more complaining, I struck out on my own to check out the cars assembled in the adjacent parking lot. These cars are NOT parked in general parking, but are the cars selected by GT-R Magazine to be photographed professionally by the magazine in order to end up in their periodic "Owner's File" dedicated issue.<div><br /></div><div>Here is the first one that caught my eye. I guess 33s being less expensive than 34s means younger people are buying them? And they are more expressive?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gVou1h8wadj2Okf5XeJydVWxVZtUKHMyyNJkbaJh5FJIi9cLjiUlAqQJtBoJxS2tdDnA6emiLvYpXUuqdvb6e4c2kMILah7bPZ33gW0JWgWP45Q5On7cv9bGjtl7FRRloigQ3NDjH-TfP14zPWjIUEmFdNsJ9P38Kgs9LOK_BILiAuVQYo0g80wl/s4032/20221030_090430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gVou1h8wadj2Okf5XeJydVWxVZtUKHMyyNJkbaJh5FJIi9cLjiUlAqQJtBoJxS2tdDnA6emiLvYpXUuqdvb6e4c2kMILah7bPZ33gW0JWgWP45Q5On7cv9bGjtl7FRRloigQ3NDjH-TfP14zPWjIUEmFdNsJ9P38Kgs9LOK_BILiAuVQYo0g80wl/w640-h480/20221030_090430.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I sure hope those are stickers than can be peeled off to reveal that nice Midnight Purple paint?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKB4FAUtoxNgJWt11Eyf70O6a94LEqoIvMby6W0u8Bn0_Xkj23HRqllYFgYS2iBFrOFL_Sy5NfUuA1Mjxx6pkGDr81TPgQsVvxNfbXU2EGy5dHc360arcz5-D6ZUkZpfZGlav0jp9TiIJuNls0HUyuk3NpNiTneAX5cGqpbmeRktF5oLJIAXN9g4c/s4032/20221030_090437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKB4FAUtoxNgJWt11Eyf70O6a94LEqoIvMby6W0u8Bn0_Xkj23HRqllYFgYS2iBFrOFL_Sy5NfUuA1Mjxx6pkGDr81TPgQsVvxNfbXU2EGy5dHc360arcz5-D6ZUkZpfZGlav0jp9TiIJuNls0HUyuk3NpNiTneAX5cGqpbmeRktF5oLJIAXN9g4c/w640-h480/20221030_090437.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This super clean silver one had some NICE wheels...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXjR4-yi62A5Sc6-g9vJE8K6lMQ2QrUo5OTsBqPQcbAVXKnunCho830Ckawv7LYAjkJxn_JWU9_XSXuO5-uCddKwL-wHftNQ9REuQ9ajb1RZLMxOqfvYHEZ2MjGKLUpmFKFfBPln0Q6CqsnpNA5BnZy7j4x6ab6YWMSCfkfjnjb90hc0yo3QYCUW4/s4032/20221030_090449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXjR4-yi62A5Sc6-g9vJE8K6lMQ2QrUo5OTsBqPQcbAVXKnunCho830Ckawv7LYAjkJxn_JWU9_XSXuO5-uCddKwL-wHftNQ9REuQ9ajb1RZLMxOqfvYHEZ2MjGKLUpmFKFfBPln0Q6CqsnpNA5BnZy7j4x6ab6YWMSCfkfjnjb90hc0yo3QYCUW4/w640-h480/20221030_090449.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Nice! An Autech! and a Hakosuka right behind it.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWvJGJteD7zF5HS0QGtxeMAjJw6nDehegYbgq6Gt041NPjI_xATrtopwhWBbeNEsnWq-oq0lnm9Z2e1oFPdYqVf0uXsTmSpNT0Q3cK-590pL229Lh0KEG-PF45d8cT479b2IOw3zW4Kg4asjTMKiH0a1oFy-TEEz8nzFqcEmVDMla-pr17GLSrar9/s4032/20221030_090525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWvJGJteD7zF5HS0QGtxeMAjJw6nDehegYbgq6Gt041NPjI_xATrtopwhWBbeNEsnWq-oq0lnm9Z2e1oFPdYqVf0uXsTmSpNT0Q3cK-590pL229Lh0KEG-PF45d8cT479b2IOw3zW4Kg4asjTMKiH0a1oFy-TEEz8nzFqcEmVDMla-pr17GLSrar9/w640-h480/20221030_090525.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Interesting Top Secret car, if it really is one. Color and wheels...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmt9IhHiL0dW6wB0Syan8NMKdZleNDpVhwGawZ7v3wPe_cOiZtqyRBg2ssMH-yyCVPJOIn2uB_tFrT8YplnxJhdtlSHVLeoAGPNs2rf46q--7PNiVUX6xHsnN4gvukxUWyM7NEEsXwdDhCb8JbxngGIGslw6ifGoPZa6gXQoAzIdhFs9qwQzsKR7F/s4032/20221030_090538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmt9IhHiL0dW6wB0Syan8NMKdZleNDpVhwGawZ7v3wPe_cOiZtqyRBg2ssMH-yyCVPJOIn2uB_tFrT8YplnxJhdtlSHVLeoAGPNs2rf46q--7PNiVUX6xHsnN4gvukxUWyM7NEEsXwdDhCb8JbxngGIGslw6ifGoPZa6gXQoAzIdhFs9qwQzsKR7F/w640-h480/20221030_090538.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There seemed to be a lot more 33s that before, too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYjEaUkKVl_z-4l_0wuYg3SpgSlnyyMFeKwpkm2Vyr7E2RZAVQW3xZYPZ2TDxpfV-wsxCZ4jlF2xGi3ipChlnifQ8cGpTTVicxFCRciIlJMsyMnq-cqnWmFzZe3k-tE4AupVvpuPuj5XmCx5UiW46yp8tWXuv2RGzkZMgAKvvstvIfgUGB7AafzS3/s4032/20221030_090547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYjEaUkKVl_z-4l_0wuYg3SpgSlnyyMFeKwpkm2Vyr7E2RZAVQW3xZYPZ2TDxpfV-wsxCZ4jlF2xGi3ipChlnifQ8cGpTTVicxFCRciIlJMsyMnq-cqnWmFzZe3k-tE4AupVvpuPuj5XmCx5UiW46yp8tWXuv2RGzkZMgAKvvstvIfgUGB7AafzS3/w640-h480/20221030_090547.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>You can see that white 32 getting ready to be photographed on the right, while the traffic of people arriving but being forced to drive around the backside of the track to remote parking, pass by in the background.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6VbS_jryH6ixsjavjIHnE8wHU1_4ii0hDr7lSEeZ0wZXdisL0mX6viTD0yk90SQT0d-e5HbAJEZMQNLVcrVjGLkdBlrzfjlhfbovlXN3cy3g7DiZ1JZt9Jx_bsqOEdOqN-jWNyon43jgTQ0kaZXpruDv0SzU1Pf8xWUR_rWy7doB4c8SjH7O2W0f/s4032/20221030_090603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6VbS_jryH6ixsjavjIHnE8wHU1_4ii0hDr7lSEeZ0wZXdisL0mX6viTD0yk90SQT0d-e5HbAJEZMQNLVcrVjGLkdBlrzfjlhfbovlXN3cy3g7DiZ1JZt9Jx_bsqOEdOqN-jWNyon43jgTQ0kaZXpruDv0SzU1Pf8xWUR_rWy7doB4c8SjH7O2W0f/w640-h480/20221030_090603.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Speaking of which, here is Dino again showing us how long that line of recent arrivals stretches towards a backside parking lot.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tzA8nj1iJYfUvbjSELI1Zlmsb2UVO7_uBD_InzUcA2F_4ah9xzLKARb5TcR75rwPnM8DChfE_Sx8oFAuyTUis-liFJqzCdZJJDT1xOe70O-uIzi5iYp_yjg4-hvaQqnnT6EiMGhf43wuUcS4eq-xbzzYbhvG4iUMB8wFf5o8vMd8jJY9Hy6Ky5XL/s4032/20221030_091527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tzA8nj1iJYfUvbjSELI1Zlmsb2UVO7_uBD_InzUcA2F_4ah9xzLKARb5TcR75rwPnM8DChfE_Sx8oFAuyTUis-liFJqzCdZJJDT1xOe70O-uIzi5iYp_yjg4-hvaQqnnT6EiMGhf43wuUcS4eq-xbzzYbhvG4iUMB8wFf5o8vMd8jJY9Hy6Ky5XL/w640-h480/20221030_091527.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Anyway, enough photos for today. It is now 2300 and I am dead tired. More photos tomorrow, in the same stream of consciousness/wandering order!</p></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-6849184130434497742022-10-23T22:22:00.001+09:002022-10-23T22:25:07.300+09:00Real Life TOMICA Transporter?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFXUg5C4rSQ_zU2tDiVOxaPPNfSY0oCJSnaSEa43NA-wEopmuiKSq_oLZgLdq2V2JeNOGgAipfF71aeV2n7FGALPm74eDOXr_FIyEqm5OisvhNLnTIv0mAlEsOxe00j41u9QwGpJCOJ-JvyUMzlFuk4eD0-ll-KwZc-9iXCWA-LooJAeV9g717_0L/s3840/likeTomica.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFXUg5C4rSQ_zU2tDiVOxaPPNfSY0oCJSnaSEa43NA-wEopmuiKSq_oLZgLdq2V2JeNOGgAipfF71aeV2n7FGALPm74eDOXr_FIyEqm5OisvhNLnTIv0mAlEsOxe00j41u9QwGpJCOJ-JvyUMzlFuk4eD0-ll-KwZc-9iXCWA-LooJAeV9g717_0L/w640-h360/likeTomica.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So I goofed. I forgot to have my GT-R undergo the annual "shaken" process back in June. Normally, I would simply drive my car to the nearest dealership and have them take care of the shaken required various checks, tax payments, etc. but given my position at work, I decided that from a compliance perspective, it simply was not appropriate for me to engage in non-legal behavior. Especially involving a Nissan vehicle.</p><p>As a result, I called around and found an alternative way to get my car to a dealer - by special transport of course. In the past the transporters I have used were gigantic but uncovered. Perhaps this is special compared to transport services outside of Japan, but in Japan these flatbed types are often used for cars with low ground clearance - hence you see a lot of sports cars and expensive vehicles being transported this way. Sucks when it rains though, like <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/09/electrical-gremlinargh.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">this incident four years ago</span></a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQER5HFdAF7d5qUuCZrvze32xEwq5-3mingWPJR7c1BXBfhAOrli4Djb-JnWwwPBA5mtqqJJoW7AbSp0R5qlmxxhPcuDAqVyL1Y98oXRTMvx-1ieuKoNcA5UUcbKppNUHnL3QEyiWEdL8ul1P7-RUib_pWrkhG9IalewLKn3wSiO9kzPgIhovCZY5C/s640/IMG_8894.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQER5HFdAF7d5qUuCZrvze32xEwq5-3mingWPJR7c1BXBfhAOrli4Djb-JnWwwPBA5mtqqJJoW7AbSp0R5qlmxxhPcuDAqVyL1Y98oXRTMvx-1ieuKoNcA5UUcbKppNUHnL3QEyiWEdL8ul1P7-RUib_pWrkhG9IalewLKn3wSiO9kzPgIhovCZY5C/w640-h480/IMG_8894.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From an older post - <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/09/electrical-gremlinargh.html"><span style="color: #04ff00;">http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/09/electrical-gremlinargh.html</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So I was pleasantly surprised to discover upon meeting up with the driver at the prearranged spot in my neighborhood, that this transport looked a bit different.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Scc6DTqu5V6KGxQ7aQn2BTV1TWgf6bHY-RGr8GmU2JUqhbLjK5gcDNGXGDQ8POZKoGn-sSP_1v26ivmvt7YsscNHOTOpDKUnzwnmQYA1Z85plbNeI-LulEhJVBFBLcou_A1RwQpGFmJNAmzQjpvCPpF9gOyzEgXPkzK8ShWWDuCt6TpM8EM0kPnO/s4032/waiting%20before%20transporter.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Scc6DTqu5V6KGxQ7aQn2BTV1TWgf6bHY-RGr8GmU2JUqhbLjK5gcDNGXGDQ8POZKoGn-sSP_1v26ivmvt7YsscNHOTOpDKUnzwnmQYA1Z85plbNeI-LulEhJVBFBLcou_A1RwQpGFmJNAmzQjpvCPpF9gOyzEgXPkzK8ShWWDuCt6TpM8EM0kPnO/w640-h480/waiting%20before%20transporter.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the interior lights as well as the open right side. Interesting!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpiBUuVDjnlaI7K0zHdNGP9WKZX_1RZ2-Iy4j7FrdTojrn2SUkQI3M6_F2lLOBMDvzM65qPbCSQUNUGfQ1AQpf51K9VbfA5aDLaDbDOp2ITl0x1Bb3X1nHLNsuxQ-AIPVkYKSq_NFUKQuAkL-oiXDwE9bXZb57P6qlQ8YbBfiXLjanTJahh1zq3g3/s4032/waiting2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpiBUuVDjnlaI7K0zHdNGP9WKZX_1RZ2-Iy4j7FrdTojrn2SUkQI3M6_F2lLOBMDvzM65qPbCSQUNUGfQ1AQpf51K9VbfA5aDLaDbDOp2ITl0x1Bb3X1nHLNsuxQ-AIPVkYKSq_NFUKQuAkL-oiXDwE9bXZb57P6qlQ8YbBfiXLjanTJahh1zq3g3/w640-h480/waiting2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes it started raining on this day too...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />So having the driver pull the car onto the loader was one thing but... does it bother you that the red third brake light looks more red than the afterburners? Or is this a function of the camera? Remind me to check next time...<br /><p>Anyway when I asked the driver about the transporter style, he told me that normally this transporter was used to haul race cars and special cars such as development mules, prototypes, and demo cars. Hence the covered construction. Yes, I got lucky!</p><p>So I then stepped back and let him do his thing:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-01hodBd6jCzWagWZky1GpclpiK2_hvNoS9YD73aJPIE_9QpvmjC1zoW82m5W1DywHBcni2LvGS1QbQlklaAaGrKu_1im2LmRpiBEw3huhK-9FNpFjdMj6SyKgqR8Koq4LXUYqTC8DByaUDS-uf3UNJEnombYUSxT0-UrAi3SfgKUMOlFjj6T-S8/s4032/drivingon.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-01hodBd6jCzWagWZky1GpclpiK2_hvNoS9YD73aJPIE_9QpvmjC1zoW82m5W1DywHBcni2LvGS1QbQlklaAaGrKu_1im2LmRpiBEw3huhK-9FNpFjdMj6SyKgqR8Koq4LXUYqTC8DByaUDS-uf3UNJEnombYUSxT0-UrAi3SfgKUMOlFjj6T-S8/w640-h480/drivingon.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxS7ztapBSHcJiMosAGWmeGRIonXm_xfmpptv8W55By2xVklIu-qj57VGaTpI0O8h_GghwR4VI4hpQICkT4929nZ5YBE18zzY6_jsZo9-RNBVHjnXY7Pg50yapBOPyPGPrrBYUOFr9rz7CxIfxpnsHXHMMUhrJxQyqWFJLQPXhlKf_3h7UazaufcvR/s4032/drivingon2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxS7ztapBSHcJiMosAGWmeGRIonXm_xfmpptv8W55By2xVklIu-qj57VGaTpI0O8h_GghwR4VI4hpQICkT4929nZ5YBE18zzY6_jsZo9-RNBVHjnXY7Pg50yapBOPyPGPrrBYUOFr9rz7CxIfxpnsHXHMMUhrJxQyqWFJLQPXhlKf_3h7UazaufcvR/w640-h480/drivingon2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the use of flat wooden boards prior to the ramps</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSgLdggSJ4cS7lIv2P-iwGCIEtTCG3y9AzZixPL-pdfkRvLzjk0baEHPAwIStLO3am4CXyoNgXzTZL0E_n6s75hZhHh3AizPgm8suzqBpS0c-UinpziPXNYJbw-HtFPETjvLiqa_iiEQriHOXPymq68xHYLhhFxarjs_SOgvftEitwM5AshhBoY_z/s4032/drivingon4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSgLdggSJ4cS7lIv2P-iwGCIEtTCG3y9AzZixPL-pdfkRvLzjk0baEHPAwIStLO3am4CXyoNgXzTZL0E_n6s75hZhHh3AizPgm8suzqBpS0c-UinpziPXNYJbw-HtFPETjvLiqa_iiEQriHOXPymq68xHYLhhFxarjs_SOgvftEitwM5AshhBoY_z/w640-h480/drivingon4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fits perfectly</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So check out this video clip. Love the engine rev!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="339" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Em_5lr29Bb4" width="408" youtube-src-id="Em_5lr29Bb4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Then it was a matter of getting everything tied down securely. I guess compared to race cars and secret prototypes my car isn't a big deal.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW2Lchw6RRUlJYIXFyuocSN-LOxFs-6d0UT86qf31tzyhCuqtrM7F5whA3hSYCHjHq5Z9Y541tlNFxsqg63nRsUqhMkcRcJJI-f83gMbCTxrh6HKl7Ax7bCzw_TX7EZICJrIgGzvJxFRleZM--9oKLKblECRz42HT_6phwWAuw_4bMSUKtnDhROM8/s4032/tyingdown1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW2Lchw6RRUlJYIXFyuocSN-LOxFs-6d0UT86qf31tzyhCuqtrM7F5whA3hSYCHjHq5Z9Y541tlNFxsqg63nRsUqhMkcRcJJI-f83gMbCTxrh6HKl7Ax7bCzw_TX7EZICJrIgGzvJxFRleZM--9oKLKblECRz42HT_6phwWAuw_4bMSUKtnDhROM8/w640-h480/tyingdown1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVsiU0n-N0XmsvcPrsi1I73zMj64a7v2Fy0Kk87VY_fhSC_EBUbmTfzWotXYTRtXgSY5gC-qmDSySburzW7NjzefIlrmKtHLYZsQo_8xsgTzfO9pEdyVyjhxywqv7Zc5YGdcg-eMitQbKrBfO1buKjiFy3hLeDzrpsaWUL4w-ZOJzve2Aj3MSL8eS/s4032/tyingdown2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVsiU0n-N0XmsvcPrsi1I73zMj64a7v2Fy0Kk87VY_fhSC_EBUbmTfzWotXYTRtXgSY5gC-qmDSySburzW7NjzefIlrmKtHLYZsQo_8xsgTzfO9pEdyVyjhxywqv7Zc5YGdcg-eMitQbKrBfO1buKjiFy3hLeDzrpsaWUL4w-ZOJzve2Aj3MSL8eS/w640-h480/tyingdown2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXlQeqcyCg_8t1MiNKOUYEJ-55WH_jvx6hLZ9Cof87BQISQHs_b6JAQruP7DXHTjm22a5A07n4zPgv9Q0zRq08yTOrvAr-TD-hp78uyVe7MVANGEBP6kli4jae_V5rMJmXNPbiES_yXaZpAuIhRP4lZkmrdrcpKS68oLFx2V7KDJwn4aRgU7Rv3Qn/s1920/tyingdown3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXlQeqcyCg_8t1MiNKOUYEJ-55WH_jvx6hLZ9Cof87BQISQHs_b6JAQruP7DXHTjm22a5A07n4zPgv9Q0zRq08yTOrvAr-TD-hp78uyVe7MVANGEBP6kli4jae_V5rMJmXNPbiES_yXaZpAuIhRP4lZkmrdrcpKS68oLFx2V7KDJwn4aRgU7Rv3Qn/w640-h360/tyingdown3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Once secured, the entire platform moved up onto the bed of the truck.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yctWCLTWaP6Lj0vqlXJQzP84AjhMt5bWH8dwXUMipHKrylfGnJQt2t2UqoilvhtDcR5Btb5Kil-WJnrZJHY381tXtwGqHCk6SDr3BjoLYePnePFI8oy3gfxrt7aAfWgasGORf8-tiogdSMOYURVOc8UTUY1wBxfwUZRzUuYDiBfDkzavZj5Ptk2S/s4032/goingtohoistup2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yctWCLTWaP6Lj0vqlXJQzP84AjhMt5bWH8dwXUMipHKrylfGnJQt2t2UqoilvhtDcR5Btb5Kil-WJnrZJHY381tXtwGqHCk6SDr3BjoLYePnePFI8oy3gfxrt7aAfWgasGORf8-tiogdSMOYURVOc8UTUY1wBxfwUZRzUuYDiBfDkzavZj5Ptk2S/w640-h480/goingtohoistup2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgth5oKRQeBZPVSaYxgCNiADt98SYxkZh8EnDAwlU-nW50hXhPNY-fSYYqUkmcDoG1FXFluowCtp_kaOVWSYuCtXUlPBvjaLi4zgILB7Uy_FV2j0UBVTSvQQlWcp-xv0I6oGmLPUQMTK7ppswF1rUvnkXr9iHNkl83UK51pRMx4k90dpt6YJuubIw-D/s4032/goingtohoistup.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgth5oKRQeBZPVSaYxgCNiADt98SYxkZh8EnDAwlU-nW50hXhPNY-fSYYqUkmcDoG1FXFluowCtp_kaOVWSYuCtXUlPBvjaLi4zgILB7Uy_FV2j0UBVTSvQQlWcp-xv0I6oGmLPUQMTK7ppswF1rUvnkXr9iHNkl83UK51pRMx4k90dpt6YJuubIw-D/w640-h480/goingtohoistup.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Yeah, hard to see so I took this video of the hoist up and then the sides getting locked up.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="343" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uuuo5vO7Pts" width="413" youtube-src-id="uuuo5vO7Pts"></iframe></div><br /><p>So what do you guys think? Gigantic TOMICA, right? On the other hand I don't expect to always get this kind of treatment, but wow this was special. </p></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-26859055539022469222022-10-14T23:51:00.000+09:002022-10-14T23:51:26.647+09:00Woah! Another Fan Sent Present... Wow, Simply WOW!<p> So I am trying to figure out if it's an early Christmas present or a late birthday present, but the other day this arrived and I was very pleasantly surprised!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zlTjn1aFyewIOOYzB5HrmoZOcc_Am4yQtnOs9rIHUC7T0afcgJotl7q8bBCicxWCy2G34JA8YdgzBhhk0c2MMDKTqRF5uB9UFQ_wcT5cOVuckGia-nKVQza3YU02h24Tg65OHwQxNWnhMQxNQ9RlzwwTxyLzSrZv8fXABnR2G4P4A7ITHRiKJmYO/s4032/oldbox.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zlTjn1aFyewIOOYzB5HrmoZOcc_Am4yQtnOs9rIHUC7T0afcgJotl7q8bBCicxWCy2G34JA8YdgzBhhk0c2MMDKTqRF5uB9UFQ_wcT5cOVuckGia-nKVQza3YU02h24Tg65OHwQxNWnhMQxNQ9RlzwwTxyLzSrZv8fXABnR2G4P4A7ITHRiKJmYO/w640-h480/oldbox.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Obviously, even without trying to decipher the parts number, I see that it's a gold emblem. But more exciting was not only the old, yellowed label, but the old Nissan logo as well. This is a period correct, genuine piece!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzuMBCuf1uav63T_7MZ4TSAuXRE9a01j0wlKpfcYyauXC-fMQUPIeaKKz3O6trY54cG2GzP2aPCcydQrx5zXNOsFGwFTxQbn99HIa0g-vIpvcpsw1otvS3BiiYKZzE6Fi-mqmKZfle5QDFCkb2N83VyM2dekAF0AbhClMVTq6ngRo4DwVdcdAJM9z/s4032/wrappedemblem.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzuMBCuf1uav63T_7MZ4TSAuXRE9a01j0wlKpfcYyauXC-fMQUPIeaKKz3O6trY54cG2GzP2aPCcydQrx5zXNOsFGwFTxQbn99HIa0g-vIpvcpsw1otvS3BiiYKZzE6Fi-mqmKZfle5QDFCkb2N83VyM2dekAF0AbhClMVTq6ngRo4DwVdcdAJM9z/w640-h480/wrappedemblem.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Yep, one of the few OEM or dealer options that I have not collected over the years (and yes, I do not have the rear gold emblem either). Never thought to get one actually, since my car is silver and I was never convinced that a gold badge would look good on the car.<div><br /></div><div>Here are the instructions:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwQsSB4CoRXYdcCWC-SanvY5zKZ28VvDWlRYiwegwKey_2Y_N31KDZCH9NRar9ry8el3LsocX6FDR8BnTEyZk2mSYgVpcerpG5YSS36-msZ3zvd0rY1_5T0M41f8JvZ0TQT8E_N4bSJlPVG1_kGlkbYVmdxQ59MSpjDWfJ6lrc6QYxeZKCdJmVGIF/s4032/instructionsoldstyle.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwQsSB4CoRXYdcCWC-SanvY5zKZ28VvDWlRYiwegwKey_2Y_N31KDZCH9NRar9ry8el3LsocX6FDR8BnTEyZk2mSYgVpcerpG5YSS36-msZ3zvd0rY1_5T0M41f8JvZ0TQT8E_N4bSJlPVG1_kGlkbYVmdxQ59MSpjDWfJ6lrc6QYxeZKCdJmVGIF/w640-h480/instructionsoldstyle.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>And of course I had to fit it to see how it looked. Well, I TRIED to fit it because...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2L_EdiggSViZqV4Jsybn_GrB8dkUbD8nyBc_hXt8X_ZxhTqz13a8RXM9oZdlSOQstRzDDXi3TAYJ0-Y8C6A-KZhtAQDFDj5tiGPsMG9zhRJoescYGUWgyyn2Qv4qzNqtncGpkvoCEY2ewEbhyDvjbphzPY_OKzYNIW3z-1lf02M7pfUWmyk17jXr/s4032/caps%20on%20badge.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2L_EdiggSViZqV4Jsybn_GrB8dkUbD8nyBc_hXt8X_ZxhTqz13a8RXM9oZdlSOQstRzDDXi3TAYJ0-Y8C6A-KZhtAQDFDj5tiGPsMG9zhRJoescYGUWgyyn2Qv4qzNqtncGpkvoCEY2ewEbhyDvjbphzPY_OKzYNIW3z-1lf02M7pfUWmyk17jXr/w640-h480/caps%20on%20badge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Not sure if this is unique to Series 3/kohki grills, or the front grill badge I just happened to have, but you can see that the lower two "pins" are secured with these metal caps.</p><p>On the other hand, the gold badge has these clip-like fingers:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qey1shRY_lJS1xIfa58_PDf4XWoIrCZxXtHcvYjORADxxKKbA5QidRAgZp5jW9jZw89ORHi9-rk24WpP9aOAzN-iFLNT_BFNxcZ9dOPYMECQFEwPvmjaBd8lI9VwbH6F4M1-df1B7sU5IT_DPUEx3RVErrpO68GJklO1C50t67ntV_srMnJHX4RJ/s4032/goldbadgeinsert.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qey1shRY_lJS1xIfa58_PDf4XWoIrCZxXtHcvYjORADxxKKbA5QidRAgZp5jW9jZw89ORHi9-rk24WpP9aOAzN-iFLNT_BFNxcZ9dOPYMECQFEwPvmjaBd8lI9VwbH6F4M1-df1B7sU5IT_DPUEx3RVErrpO68GJklO1C50t67ntV_srMnJHX4RJ/w640-h480/goldbadgeinsert.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Which suggests that this is not a simple swap. I will have to research this... in any case, I couldn't resist seeing how the gold MIGHT look on my car so:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtmPXzpcw5RAz0vbrNHZ0XMHBDHms62Dfy2XRPdpJJKji_JnTqE7pfzY6QeRl07_QCsjE-kpfhRUPfCK7xU89frdJZ-yhxkOwoncM614SvlK_AIP0G53kkT1ASQW49j3nZYCIOycO2anZpYaJxdzdOuFnINalpf-D6zn7WqhUBpehQ5_VzJX77DKL/s4032/compare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtmPXzpcw5RAz0vbrNHZ0XMHBDHms62Dfy2XRPdpJJKji_JnTqE7pfzY6QeRl07_QCsjE-kpfhRUPfCK7xU89frdJZ-yhxkOwoncM614SvlK_AIP0G53kkT1ASQW49j3nZYCIOycO2anZpYaJxdzdOuFnINalpf-D6zn7WqhUBpehQ5_VzJX77DKL/w640-h480/compare.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBIphglJ7ZIsy7sLSrGY2s8XQd9z1pO45zVW3kXBly_Tgw3XQUb4BmGkR52hfl2_VhPRYskcwqiVbVRN9hWGEESTYb7Mq2MhIWzkSe0BqAZlGP0z0MLU3xdaTNeyzoEIo6Lt4yIhEtQcq1E_mFSmK3ZCZ_HJYOHCyRT4bUe1okiZ4qiRXADe7c8eP/s4032/closeupcompared.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBIphglJ7ZIsy7sLSrGY2s8XQd9z1pO45zVW3kXBly_Tgw3XQUb4BmGkR52hfl2_VhPRYskcwqiVbVRN9hWGEESTYb7Mq2MhIWzkSe0BqAZlGP0z0MLU3xdaTNeyzoEIo6Lt4yIhEtQcq1E_mFSmK3ZCZ_HJYOHCyRT4bUe1okiZ4qiRXADe7c8eP/w640-h480/closeupcompared.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wv_-uNUC31FBGtcYEfDd47zLGsYV7DQOo2-0zwAlAKlUzHUkGK4YawaEVbh1-5l_KRmNy11P1AtrlFSEH8xXRqUuQg50vXiG_cMIKEhxFohmguXKb0Ra9ROz1oTcBFvN3H1m-1FGWrghbKQK_TA9JdA_oCg_KMFn55xA1ETojQhChRp3vTdwFi9r/s4032/goldinfront.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wv_-uNUC31FBGtcYEfDd47zLGsYV7DQOo2-0zwAlAKlUzHUkGK4YawaEVbh1-5l_KRmNy11P1AtrlFSEH8xXRqUuQg50vXiG_cMIKEhxFohmguXKb0Ra9ROz1oTcBFvN3H1m-1FGWrghbKQK_TA9JdA_oCg_KMFn55xA1ETojQhChRp3vTdwFi9r/w640-h480/goldinfront.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So what do you guys think? Go for the gold or stick with the silver version? Either way I am good, and to those who are about to ask, no I will not be re-gifting or selling this, as it deserves a place of honor in my collection!</p></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-23807458396874623132022-10-06T21:11:00.000+09:002022-10-06T21:11:26.126+09:00Go with 90s era Chrome or Stick with OEM Plastic?<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqF4VwqTLv14qxNAmYZtQFq5XwC6UDg6_XPBqUJWOcGmGhYwhEByXRsSo8430Uy72Sn7ILmCtGNAbRNFBnK8aIT-dDneHjZWCTG8NIm3etLAm5dLx97OTQ6wgStnLQvNd8AJMs-wdaQNkhfCkiCOSqpCtRc0RuypP1sZ07_VEqUnvhEBUCt2dOXiJ/s609/p1-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="609" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqF4VwqTLv14qxNAmYZtQFq5XwC6UDg6_XPBqUJWOcGmGhYwhEByXRsSo8430Uy72Sn7ILmCtGNAbRNFBnK8aIT-dDneHjZWCTG8NIm3etLAm5dLx97OTQ6wgStnLQvNd8AJMs-wdaQNkhfCkiCOSqpCtRc0RuypP1sZ07_VEqUnvhEBUCt2dOXiJ/w640-h388/p1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From: <a href="https://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/306146/car/200234/1339412/parts.aspx"><span style="color: #04ff00;">https://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/306146/car/200234/1339412/parts.aspx</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>So this is something I have always wondered about, but I did not take any action to get the part until it was too late... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">For many years, I spotted the OEM optional chrome R33 door handles on Yahoo Auctions. And then, suddenly last few years, they seemed to disappear. So I had given up on this mod as recently as 2018, when I was <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/09/still-working-on-interior.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">putting my interior back together </span></a>after the FUBAR that happened at Worx. But recently I found someone who had figured out that the same part was offered for certain Infiniti models and thus still available. </p><p style="text-align: left;">So, I took a chance and got a pair.</p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fanoUXcbJXibp880tUyXRwxO_s7OOBHmxAlMn094c3yCmKRA4u8u9m1x_BqJrlEwTRWa46PpMK2gHfAbJ1VrLi7Sfs7ZzsRErNbW_50YeaMmrhMAZSXeG3PBL3BwVRuUj4G_HKdNHEU_UPG_wmWU6kIxujV-UI--fyq_Uc5B19KL61woo0pXraW8/s4032/inifinitibox.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fanoUXcbJXibp880tUyXRwxO_s7OOBHmxAlMn094c3yCmKRA4u8u9m1x_BqJrlEwTRWa46PpMK2gHfAbJ1VrLi7Sfs7ZzsRErNbW_50YeaMmrhMAZSXeG3PBL3BwVRuUj4G_HKdNHEU_UPG_wmWU6kIxujV-UI--fyq_Uc5B19KL61woo0pXraW8/w640-h480/inifinitibox.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />This was an easy enough install. Remove the door cards, remove the plastic cup behind the handles, unbolt the handles from the mount and carefully remove the two hooked hard wires that operate the door mechanisms.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTk8FeSiEq_c5rpec67H61OZ_lNQi2tuGw6wgyBhA4B7uDqhS1HyAyLKJ1LlBATtfgHMsRxNCYNWhs85Z8mr9JPl5zI7i4KCtRqMvSFKpT4y6PfmLs5UH1IMH7JeXydQhQS05W1V_Mz50LZu4iELANWetAjQHsOhhJ_fPclxan83LWDtADqvt5OJBb/s4032/cover%20off%20compare.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTk8FeSiEq_c5rpec67H61OZ_lNQi2tuGw6wgyBhA4B7uDqhS1HyAyLKJ1LlBATtfgHMsRxNCYNWhs85Z8mr9JPl5zI7i4KCtRqMvSFKpT4y6PfmLs5UH1IMH7JeXydQhQS05W1V_Mz50LZu4iELANWetAjQHsOhhJ_fPclxan83LWDtADqvt5OJBb/w640-h480/cover%20off%20compare.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The red LED, by the way, is linked to the center dome light fade out mechanism and something I installed back in 2012! Check out the write up <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2012/02/diy-led-courtesy-lights-part-2.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">here</span></a>. One day I will get it working properly again - it requires hole drilling into the door handle cups, but I had sent those to Marc at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1741273162774416/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Xclusiv Carbon</span></a> to carbonize, in the process the holes got covered up and I never bothered to redrill them out.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfil4MkThNpXfkOQF_cA0aEqq61Wv009CTr-udPPsfFBO_FZgen5D2VfAmrvFDdvcHcKU8N-X9G2rW_1Zt62EUIOk3R-gSQeR7N8hvvyVUyIg5X-_LdpIX3lh4OD0tYb3JlEY83aqe_pduJKMJ9kzgHMINuxN2AYlc7gtjZSA4LP1p5i7TKzTSlHKl/s640/IMG_20170120_213405829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfil4MkThNpXfkOQF_cA0aEqq61Wv009CTr-udPPsfFBO_FZgen5D2VfAmrvFDdvcHcKU8N-X9G2rW_1Zt62EUIOk3R-gSQeR7N8hvvyVUyIg5X-_LdpIX3lh4OD0tYb3JlEY83aqe_pduJKMJ9kzgHMINuxN2AYlc7gtjZSA4LP1p5i7TKzTSlHKl/w640-h360/IMG_20170120_213405829.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from:<span style="color: #04ff00;"> http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/09/still-working-on-interior.html</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Anyway, once I had temporarily reinstalled the door card, it looked like this</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28NaT7Ef7olF-91UYSLXI6NwPip7ObPIvXgJ6uvRCJxFPGBYqd2eYjMuRZdWfmgjHBwkiUjNIER-XEsB3tLa6xwEI9pYS5W2E-NjasSmBrvodpyLJr_mFOHWdChr3mHlv5fusLAU36w6pnMAEAuh4faufa5x52F7R0-Z1c3eUwaqj8nHzh8KHK6wa/s4032/chrome%20close%20up.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28NaT7Ef7olF-91UYSLXI6NwPip7ObPIvXgJ6uvRCJxFPGBYqd2eYjMuRZdWfmgjHBwkiUjNIER-XEsB3tLa6xwEI9pYS5W2E-NjasSmBrvodpyLJr_mFOHWdChr3mHlv5fusLAU36w6pnMAEAuh4faufa5x52F7R0-Z1c3eUwaqj8nHzh8KHK6wa/w640-h480/chrome%20close%20up.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinda busy, huh</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>I then changed out the carbon cup to a standard black plastic cup, just to see the difference. From a distance, you can see the difference compared to the OEM black plastic handle too, against the black plastic cup in the background.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3K-L8hZBVUfO5A9CMGbMiuXU99XggoDSPbLKn-K9AXVqV373wXTZVLcTvdkw5d2ASoldnutCdGWbNwb6nQuT4KWjCrkKTicn85_MGE3t7pSqwyR8IgHm0TcCS6xKmchnVTS6PcRm3DB2YALqzir2RQ4rsPMksCY4tWurQ8IdQAQfNP4IRd_fhgxV/s4032/use%20this%20chrom%20and%20oem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3K-L8hZBVUfO5A9CMGbMiuXU99XggoDSPbLKn-K9AXVqV373wXTZVLcTvdkw5d2ASoldnutCdGWbNwb6nQuT4KWjCrkKTicn85_MGE3t7pSqwyR8IgHm0TcCS6xKmchnVTS6PcRm3DB2YALqzir2RQ4rsPMksCY4tWurQ8IdQAQfNP4IRd_fhgxV/w640-h480/use%20this%20chrom%20and%20oem.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Finally, I decided to go back to the standard black plastic for both the cup and the handle.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q0Z3RygUauKBDj8ALPKcV3fY_KxLYVPle5XQqE9ztqknWQfU-qo9cxxXNDcdiLvUWvFuXjZ_r8KBUnuVdkDbDWfCdMsceRAyd9h1Gn5vudKuLl6Wh_w_ENBvQkW8VXeKntmm60wSvtXp5gsFHaucAcXO30TgbufI-DDLQCEwhU250764iuHcBzdh/s4032/standard%20handle%20close%20up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q0Z3RygUauKBDj8ALPKcV3fY_KxLYVPle5XQqE9ztqknWQfU-qo9cxxXNDcdiLvUWvFuXjZ_r8KBUnuVdkDbDWfCdMsceRAyd9h1Gn5vudKuLl6Wh_w_ENBvQkW8VXeKntmm60wSvtXp5gsFHaucAcXO30TgbufI-DDLQCEwhU250764iuHcBzdh/w640-h480/standard%20handle%20close%20up.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>But I left the passenger side with the OEM handle, but carbon cup and window switch - just to give me something to reference against and to think about.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-7frK2srRVYxMOLo5dGWzovLouiHPSq3qYDW7OJU0GimA6SPuhONW9SOOk-ngH3yXTSg3aTcNlUjmHhcZCuWd3vxdo6U4yGTgXpqpktzVnR26CHlofDp8DQfsJDKzHfsOJO05pKws1q88tffpWHsmxE2e1WWUhs_uJSeoivapBUi8EjyBWgAfSBo/s4032/carbonleft%20side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-7frK2srRVYxMOLo5dGWzovLouiHPSq3qYDW7OJU0GimA6SPuhONW9SOOk-ngH3yXTSg3aTcNlUjmHhcZCuWd3vxdo6U4yGTgXpqpktzVnR26CHlofDp8DQfsJDKzHfsOJO05pKws1q88tffpWHsmxE2e1WWUhs_uJSeoivapBUi8EjyBWgAfSBo/w640-h480/carbonleft%20side.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So currently my car has carbon on the left side and none on the right. But don't forget, these cars CAME with fake carbon imprints on the main and sub gauge clusters, which I of course replaced out with <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2012/06/interior-dress-up-robson-carbon-fiber.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">real carbon</span></a> (initially gloss, but then I went to matte). At the time I thought that it would make sense to have more real carbon in a matte finish replacing just plain black plastic, but now I am honestly tempted to go back to all black plastic. Is less more in this case? What do you guys think?</p></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-40899053866403404932022-09-26T16:10:00.003+09:002022-09-26T16:13:26.470+09:00Yeah, I Could Not Resist the Cupholder Mod<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7iHE3pXN9UvSRBbeaZzaM0NLA9VbvsphHdqOrzlwcB5CKwbj-Qp-iVBlW8o4nl5q_oy4A4ARmRtugnPe-Yx4QXRqF5uhO6sVFT3-SNHhUt3_zYBX6izz4gNTTz08-PUnUS-biHJQrfdfoNTZYzXe7EWxHjDFYgzdLvmkXlkNvx2dOpRHLv8Xae0s/s4032/gtstcupholder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7iHE3pXN9UvSRBbeaZzaM0NLA9VbvsphHdqOrzlwcB5CKwbj-Qp-iVBlW8o4nl5q_oy4A4ARmRtugnPe-Yx4QXRqF5uhO6sVFT3-SNHhUt3_zYBX6izz4gNTTz08-PUnUS-biHJQrfdfoNTZYzXe7EWxHjDFYgzdLvmkXlkNvx2dOpRHLv8Xae0s/w640-h480/gtstcupholder.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious about how I stumbled on this mod? See<a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2022/09/ive-met-another-crazy-kohki-kr4-owner.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> this post</span></a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Inspired by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kaizen.r33/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Murray</span></a>, and very much against my own strict rule of no food or drink in the car, I went ahead and decided to see how this mod would work for me. (Note - so now water only ok...maybe...?)<p></p><p>Yahoo Auction to the rescue. The seller sent me the GTST center console, all nicely wrapped up. Note that this part is apparently no longer offered new - plus I knew that some work would be required to make it fit properly and thus being an experiment, I preferred working with a used piece anyway.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINkR28QN1MnFi171OZfKWQcpYA0wt8bLva6AhgahziOdwSX9zjT0lM6jNuSMy0N5lA8WD0ROB7QYyQFhOZ4Od5NhWpY-SvBhEYyTfAr3U9jAAxuQjuBTipss3xrkZVBCjuSWJpNNHAoAOS9z2SdkX2HEsf19HDE3D75uD7KIm0MNQhmJBJu7nvs9m/s4032/packagewrapped%20up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINkR28QN1MnFi171OZfKWQcpYA0wt8bLva6AhgahziOdwSX9zjT0lM6jNuSMy0N5lA8WD0ROB7QYyQFhOZ4Od5NhWpY-SvBhEYyTfAr3U9jAAxuQjuBTipss3xrkZVBCjuSWJpNNHAoAOS9z2SdkX2HEsf19HDE3D75uD7KIm0MNQhmJBJu7nvs9m/w640-h480/packagewrapped%20up.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But talk about DISGUSTING...(shocking for Japan!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgom4QXv6Qji-X5lDcOilce_L-4YSg7qFzvql6j0q8LvYhFyisRO4yKiABQHmuXRnqzOU8m0SjA9ZDK4_TCZPm5aQMcswnioUsQT7LagrhrWeHy8iFng0x1j7dGQoaWvYQkeSz32nWNdSzxDlY2jvGJ9cSF2SWw1ExyQQsJWY-qv8RdK57L0pgTmA-G/s4032/disgusting%20whole%20thing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgom4QXv6Qji-X5lDcOilce_L-4YSg7qFzvql6j0q8LvYhFyisRO4yKiABQHmuXRnqzOU8m0SjA9ZDK4_TCZPm5aQMcswnioUsQT7LagrhrWeHy8iFng0x1j7dGQoaWvYQkeSz32nWNdSzxDlY2jvGJ9cSF2SWw1ExyQQsJWY-qv8RdK57L0pgTmA-G/w640-h480/disgusting%20whole%20thing.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So after thoroughly cleaning AND disinfecting the relevant part, I tried to see if it would fit as is:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG39Hyttoi5iIJDv6EnThBU6Z5dGyWcAkHKjvUcWI0-l9G6UFCuxjYJgRZy0qGoU6Ohz0hbG8WxG9SoxXYVWDY1hgEMvn2QoxySAwt5B_QfXdeXx4GvhOGxsf5AVyxFfphmuknRtGwqMeBapdbgo0G5VI7a-2gaxpZ74-hOyCbq0znRCh3f9pDScKi/s4032/testfitting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG39Hyttoi5iIJDv6EnThBU6Z5dGyWcAkHKjvUcWI0-l9G6UFCuxjYJgRZy0qGoU6Ohz0hbG8WxG9SoxXYVWDY1hgEMvn2QoxySAwt5B_QfXdeXx4GvhOGxsf5AVyxFfphmuknRtGwqMeBapdbgo0G5VI7a-2gaxpZ74-hOyCbq0znRCh3f9pDScKi/w640-h480/testfitting.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green arrows show where, despite firm pushing and pressure, the piece did not fit snugly</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>But unfortunately, given the extra thickness of the drop in location due to the awesome leather work by <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2017/09/interior-modernization-project-part-17.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">my friend Cesar about 5 years ago</span></a> (already!), some judicious sanding down was required.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LDcO50a8D_l0m6CQ1c8nTx7STASQNLLM63bg17Kl_64HgTBLo1ZpAlvctnNDgFz8gebfV06jrdS3AEFQpYCAWSXOBvrswvZfSKxA4KSkGMDfF-oGfQ3LPWctrNt-FSVYDjDBhezF2G2l3kICZe_077T1eBgy4zUSVVDX8zrGYWCev5brYZMQFv-o/s4032/grinding%20away.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LDcO50a8D_l0m6CQ1c8nTx7STASQNLLM63bg17Kl_64HgTBLo1ZpAlvctnNDgFz8gebfV06jrdS3AEFQpYCAWSXOBvrswvZfSKxA4KSkGMDfF-oGfQ3LPWctrNt-FSVYDjDBhezF2G2l3kICZe_077T1eBgy4zUSVVDX8zrGYWCev5brYZMQFv-o/w640-h480/grinding%20away.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>But getting it to fit properly was only one concern - is it me or do you see wear and tear and small scratches?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1A7HVXEqDRY3wwPtt9LOtTQIaiNguenzNpcievzdPTNiATlfLjyVwmckdX8LC1fCctISjWWlgkIsuU2IRA6TIrGhzctgY1YwomnJZjfKApU--SyVfB3zgwZUxQd3z4DSBiC28A7U-_2MFWa0LHOClgncQHm1yOOmqFwEFa8CRPo-6DR0aoGZq9YV/s4032/lots%20of%20scratches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1A7HVXEqDRY3wwPtt9LOtTQIaiNguenzNpcievzdPTNiATlfLjyVwmckdX8LC1fCctISjWWlgkIsuU2IRA6TIrGhzctgY1YwomnJZjfKApU--SyVfB3zgwZUxQd3z4DSBiC28A7U-_2MFWa0LHOClgncQHm1yOOmqFwEFa8CRPo-6DR0aoGZq9YV/w640-h480/lots%20of%20scratches.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No? Well here is a close-up. Note the circular patterns from obvious use.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOidPwuiMQZ3esAOo59_FxxBmN7__jfDNWWadf05jyUetQdV0gywUMboxTxhh4Cou6mC-eGFwR29of0BDNjBckC0BW3zCLjiN955DO1VTv28XewrxAU3d33jeTAQjgUpRnZHN1CvZmElkDMsmrV8Rd-3Xs2yWkNb7ITHPhu0cYPPvXcsiae39ke8VJ/s4032/scratched%20bottom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOidPwuiMQZ3esAOo59_FxxBmN7__jfDNWWadf05jyUetQdV0gywUMboxTxhh4Cou6mC-eGFwR29of0BDNjBckC0BW3zCLjiN955DO1VTv28XewrxAU3d33jeTAQjgUpRnZHN1CvZmElkDMsmrV8Rd-3Xs2yWkNb7ITHPhu0cYPPvXcsiae39ke8VJ/w640-h480/scratched%20bottom.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Oh and here is a scratch I found on the side as well. Wonder how this happened?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XsLgkHVA-WiYOXZRm0kmqqIZVz0g98QvWUWjEgNF0uv5ofo_bk1jevDVKohOUQMQ-6XLcf_-Ff9hlA_AUDM2lT187n0Bdhd-qAXr2G13pSEvWTYYxb52iid1iDQmV3P-HGdTgyen9XVxAn2Mo4YZG0V2eg_Wb3A_WZ25qPYpXmleFhyYxBaNzleV/s4032/scratchonside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XsLgkHVA-WiYOXZRm0kmqqIZVz0g98QvWUWjEgNF0uv5ofo_bk1jevDVKohOUQMQ-6XLcf_-Ff9hlA_AUDM2lT187n0Bdhd-qAXr2G13pSEvWTYYxb52iid1iDQmV3P-HGdTgyen9XVxAn2Mo4YZG0V2eg_Wb3A_WZ25qPYpXmleFhyYxBaNzleV/w640-h480/scratchonside.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>For you guys who need to look for this piece for your own mod - here is the part number, although you may just want to pick up the entire center console - just remember that this cupholder part will NOT work unless you have swapped out the OEM G-sensor for the new, flatter digital ones available from Do-Luck and other tuners:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFw3A5gzul2YSJSD6JP_Bm7NdcslEZhAeka6tNjYN8zCCydfXTHveUvyX6AArGu2Sbq1MSEi9hZ0LJnmWj2aSrRC6ySg7KkajMrixUizpXNZVQta9qvsmbhcZk-V2bk2PDssplO32wJF4K4Gl7072NK9HeqX43qqn0uBiI5WWOEnc064yZIPPfxcS/s4032/partnumbers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFw3A5gzul2YSJSD6JP_Bm7NdcslEZhAeka6tNjYN8zCCydfXTHveUvyX6AArGu2Sbq1MSEi9hZ0LJnmWj2aSrRC6ySg7KkajMrixUizpXNZVQta9qvsmbhcZk-V2bk2PDssplO32wJF4K4Gl7072NK9HeqX43qqn0uBiI5WWOEnc064yZIPPfxcS/w640-h480/partnumbers.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green arrows points to the part number WITH the hole for the GT-R logo</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The scratch remover ended up removing more dirt than scratches:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMg8nKn9iyIF4LQZKMaKBG0OW-4ozSFe8_U44pSkCd3JzLv3z6cwkXgIq0pxUI3nmbPn1gX72vMz73z0VZldfQ__Bmn-5_Y0lV7ZCHEjgPPwTTMQJQ0118rg7plwEFOC4N8YUO8od7teoEZfRCKJDdpWjzoMVVVPDaAXt5E52nyMpRc7IgrJ-rTVj/s4032/dirtysonus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMg8nKn9iyIF4LQZKMaKBG0OW-4ozSFe8_U44pSkCd3JzLv3z6cwkXgIq0pxUI3nmbPn1gX72vMz73z0VZldfQ__Bmn-5_Y0lV7ZCHEjgPPwTTMQJQ0118rg7plwEFOC4N8YUO8od7teoEZfRCKJDdpWjzoMVVVPDaAXt5E52nyMpRc7IgrJ-rTVj/w640-h480/dirtysonus.JPG" width="640" /></a></p>So after another attempt to lessen the scratches, I decided that the quickest and easiest way to lessen the presence of the wear and tear and scratches was to use up the remaining matte black paint I had that I had used on the <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2022/07/marine-day-holiday-full-on-ocd_24.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">dashboard surround refresh</span></a> I did a few months ago.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAMXmGYz45RSO5jhG77juoiBjRbdzzIC7GRcv1nMb1-10vbHvfTpp-2mYnXa9F4yaLXi5-enj_l0E83ZY3KMKT9PRh2PMZXpv3vHgvWtDlgl-I_Pm1PeIWVSufWPoHpNXQJLVVLJoma1pBU8h7L6iQWlH1MSxjIwV7xYQRKDh7yiReVAIN6MILsN7/s4032/beforepaint.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAMXmGYz45RSO5jhG77juoiBjRbdzzIC7GRcv1nMb1-10vbHvfTpp-2mYnXa9F4yaLXi5-enj_l0E83ZY3KMKT9PRh2PMZXpv3vHgvWtDlgl-I_Pm1PeIWVSufWPoHpNXQJLVVLJoma1pBU8h7L6iQWlH1MSxjIwV7xYQRKDh7yiReVAIN6MILsN7/w640-h480/beforepaint.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before painting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>So it looks somewhat thickly laid on here but just the lighting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoPWvmIalxnHpPKRC0_LzII4i0LO_hGlGlTdwGky5sPdnfjbKulQSeV5FLncLkygPc-1sHGTYI0wniIvcoWbngOroFYa2sZo21rhsD7uPABN9ZyHMu1yui_AljnlJdj3yJYjb61jez3RH64FwmDZrAQVBXJr-UbaT7vR_3MiQbz_0Cm6fpjk2qI7B/s4032/whilepainting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoPWvmIalxnHpPKRC0_LzII4i0LO_hGlGlTdwGky5sPdnfjbKulQSeV5FLncLkygPc-1sHGTYI0wniIvcoWbngOroFYa2sZo21rhsD7uPABN9ZyHMu1yui_AljnlJdj3yJYjb61jez3RH64FwmDZrAQVBXJr-UbaT7vR_3MiQbz_0Cm6fpjk2qI7B/w640-h480/whilepainting.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>As you can see I still kept the fake leather grooves:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMgZL8_uF1T1J4nVy4SgO3-rD7q5ee--pjAulxEQugHlbOzs7nRuH0wuH0mCUM027tUsGQPtpOLutaYC-oUbW2Pc0VqEbYHOFHClBm-gyLVCjkmnUbwirmHftA2Pm3MunAmyxIOQpfOuyaTJaeT3sxQLhC83v-42JaR-1xyG9yf4jW8DxjP4Cvp6m/s4032/firstpaintcoat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMgZL8_uF1T1J4nVy4SgO3-rD7q5ee--pjAulxEQugHlbOzs7nRuH0wuH0mCUM027tUsGQPtpOLutaYC-oUbW2Pc0VqEbYHOFHClBm-gyLVCjkmnUbwirmHftA2Pm3MunAmyxIOQpfOuyaTJaeT3sxQLhC83v-42JaR-1xyG9yf4jW8DxjP4Cvp6m/w640-h480/firstpaintcoat.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Here is a comparison of how it looks the next day after drying, along with the other versions I currently have - wrapped in <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2017/11/interior-modernization-project-part-22.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Alcantara</span></a> or <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2017/06/interior-modernization-project-part-7.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">matte carbon-ized </span></a>(both from the leather interior project)</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8wtBtskboOGUO_aFtkDp9___uSenSSPqloGYmw4UvzHk0gy9PFfi8e-KbleqPW1eO27Y0kTr2vUXX7FGOPaCq9B2YZ4SDbHKQB_x-e02mn2zpF_Tzkqplqm5LuklCV05QSk7h8r0hl_DSbIuDa_NZFg53xjH-nG6KSuafMlvIlHeSCb9YVNPCb7x/s4032/3versions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8wtBtskboOGUO_aFtkDp9___uSenSSPqloGYmw4UvzHk0gy9PFfi8e-KbleqPW1eO27Y0kTr2vUXX7FGOPaCq9B2YZ4SDbHKQB_x-e02mn2zpF_Tzkqplqm5LuklCV05QSk7h8r0hl_DSbIuDa_NZFg53xjH-nG6KSuafMlvIlHeSCb9YVNPCb7x/w640-h480/3versions.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I thought I was finished - looks pretty good close-up, right? - but then noticed this. Wear and tear on my car's original GT-R logo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZerBC5mfA5jej2oobuwVjKugrSYsJ5JwJJ9G5SdT5pOPhsd1_hCYM-RqD_4-RFpFruZ6pXWZm_pXrD3duRtvK0CH8Utz9FzPKFlZa6Qsx_KQCttQg-TdmU_zl6zZe7-jtftAtP-h_DweIXyZ-2M5DLpuGH2VMy9nI7gfoTFtTh4yTsgY4yqCeMeiU/s4032/scrapedoffside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZerBC5mfA5jej2oobuwVjKugrSYsJ5JwJJ9G5SdT5pOPhsd1_hCYM-RqD_4-RFpFruZ6pXWZm_pXrD3duRtvK0CH8Utz9FzPKFlZa6Qsx_KQCttQg-TdmU_zl6zZe7-jtftAtP-h_DweIXyZ-2M5DLpuGH2VMy9nI7gfoTFtTh4yTsgY4yqCeMeiU/w480-h640/scrapedoffside.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I tried to use a permanent ink marker to try to touch up the left side of the logo piece<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFpsCYrUe07TbfEW85AEJMgeMwTMB794CdshR247npm7S1YAg17ngHfDC3II07gGLFQHiXLJH8F6P30mdHO6L91Biamhfm3Ukv05HbGmUG0nOK25ejkidV7ibTFkln7GQbUtuNwFvRprAw-O5DWgn9hDUGxdwAJNtd0c3u-qCYaGnVNvJSUfHzNN3/s4032/magicmarker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFpsCYrUe07TbfEW85AEJMgeMwTMB794CdshR247npm7S1YAg17ngHfDC3II07gGLFQHiXLJH8F6P30mdHO6L91Biamhfm3Ukv05HbGmUG0nOK25ejkidV7ibTFkln7GQbUtuNwFvRprAw-O5DWgn9hDUGxdwAJNtd0c3u-qCYaGnVNvJSUfHzNN3/w480-h640/magicmarker.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>But in the end it was easier to just replace it with new.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi232uGnHbf31Rt_tb58dG-DKSztjCd5kpJZFXOcBoW2dlLu-BQv-jhG_I20VtvtQytc4WCu0P3VZ6S7AgsG_Rkw2edbmHT8DM4kGbzKvgAEWVG5ZXktoGR4py_WbOu5T-8bqKGR8tDdA3mMitBpuacfHpD4SkQ8zXcxVZhJKD7CBRu-B1V_kjY9BbZ/s4032/new%20and%20old%20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi232uGnHbf31Rt_tb58dG-DKSztjCd5kpJZFXOcBoW2dlLu-BQv-jhG_I20VtvtQytc4WCu0P3VZ6S7AgsG_Rkw2edbmHT8DM4kGbzKvgAEWVG5ZXktoGR4py_WbOu5T-8bqKGR8tDdA3mMitBpuacfHpD4SkQ8zXcxVZhJKD7CBRu-B1V_kjY9BbZ/w640-h480/new%20and%20old%20.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New vs. Old. Part number included just in case</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>So not as perfect as I want - the paint job could have been better, actually - but now the coloring matches the shift surround and the main cluster surround. Plus the new GT-R logo is nice. Details, man!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcslUpbPucvkGAHNJcQR8TCgQjCyCr5lykb4Tt8nn6iPD94gzC48wvfh76Y8gqNqfP-503owZ8WH5ujc9kM6Xl-GsnIzChzkP2ZqdXhIXTakUBsPtCMhAyqEJ4scf2Kfi-QB4RKtU_amLf7sjpfgn-t35V599_nKeTi4SPLEueoYhl48Yjip8zFT-/s4032/alldone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcslUpbPucvkGAHNJcQR8TCgQjCyCr5lykb4Tt8nn6iPD94gzC48wvfh76Y8gqNqfP-503owZ8WH5ujc9kM6Xl-GsnIzChzkP2ZqdXhIXTakUBsPtCMhAyqEJ4scf2Kfi-QB4RKtU_amLf7sjpfgn-t35V599_nKeTi4SPLEueoYhl48Yjip8zFT-/w640-h480/alldone.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done! Still not perfect but good enough fit and finish for now</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>But the REAL issue is - since no one uses coins anymore at toll gates - it's all electronic now - do you think I should modify those coin holders to the left of the GT-R badge? If so what kind of switches should go there - putting aside the inevitable ejection seat jokes - what do modern cars have in the center console? I need some inspiration! Thanks for reading everyone, looking forward to the feedback.</div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-9780700076773072592022-09-11T15:11:00.001+09:002022-09-11T15:11:40.022+09:00LED Scuff Plate - Quick Repair Turnaround!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGM-D8JCBrSTj31eWS3O5EB4dQxpKaQffvmPK7IfA_XSEUWMz_Msd7g56GOAfvskn2KFhrnRzzLwZc1K2iFrwSQIZEdA9BHlPoBuG140C7t-zUmPOtpJ2Wf6-NB7L4Oylk-F5X7ttFLdiCszJd7GmYl7L4lkK9A2f3Y54F0xTxzA0Mg9pR5re34kP/s4032/car%20in%20garage%20shot.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGM-D8JCBrSTj31eWS3O5EB4dQxpKaQffvmPK7IfA_XSEUWMz_Msd7g56GOAfvskn2KFhrnRzzLwZc1K2iFrwSQIZEdA9BHlPoBuG140C7t-zUmPOtpJ2Wf6-NB7L4Oylk-F5X7ttFLdiCszJd7GmYl7L4lkK9A2f3Y54F0xTxzA0Mg9pR5re34kP/w640-h480/car%20in%20garage%20shot.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So during my <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2022/07/marine-day-holiday-full-on-ocd_24.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Marine Day interior upgrades</span></a>, I realized as I was finishing up that something was not working.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSQM9rhci8DZWhpqESi-xsl8RvlXa4CACgIjz7M6Wey2LU780JtyaFLKNxSl4b76-71yjHCByWYqopmqd8geh5hBiYnLcY5FfxO8nLNu0S1qRZ-1OJ9IKNxX5_1YMY3RW0h1re8nA5Z4-sgVhl0IWJN6JFu42PBQygpz_vsU_3ds8QASNvTCMshQP/s4032/not%20lighting%20up%20cleaner.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSQM9rhci8DZWhpqESi-xsl8RvlXa4CACgIjz7M6Wey2LU780JtyaFLKNxSl4b76-71yjHCByWYqopmqd8geh5hBiYnLcY5FfxO8nLNu0S1qRZ-1OJ9IKNxX5_1YMY3RW0h1re8nA5Z4-sgVhl0IWJN6JFu42PBQygpz_vsU_3ds8QASNvTCMshQP/w640-h480/not%20lighting%20up%20cleaner.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>The left side red LED scuff plate I got many years ago from <a href="http://www.g-corporation.co.jp/product/ledsp/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">G-Corporation </span></a>was no longer lighting up! So of course I was hoping for a loose wire somewhere...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEP0mF1Exhfxfn-XX_hDClSFXqdAyrrH-RPY2Q4z5BEICxH0hD4hqelFSLNO9lZ6IUOVFTXnQQx-G9wUoiQdTq29X_pDocd4FZDaJvjAxdoqcAUbHAtToNj8Koh26DUU8VeC2ECdh5TA7Yx9D_XaB1Efn4z8Soq9hgxG_ye8kbVV0uXS_uog_PHFz/s4032/opendoor%20ugly%20bottom.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEP0mF1Exhfxfn-XX_hDClSFXqdAyrrH-RPY2Q4z5BEICxH0hD4hqelFSLNO9lZ6IUOVFTXnQQx-G9wUoiQdTq29X_pDocd4FZDaJvjAxdoqcAUbHAtToNj8Koh26DUU8VeC2ECdh5TA7Yx9D_XaB1Efn4z8Soq9hgxG_ye8kbVV0uXS_uog_PHFz/w640-h480/opendoor%20ugly%20bottom.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As you can see in the photo, I dug into the rubber sealant portion to see if I could figure out what was broken. No luck. Nothing loose or broken that I could find. This meant I would have to contact G- Corporation, and see if they were willing to do a repair.</p><p>The day after I contacted them, they immediately responded and told me they could do so - all I had to do was to send the broken part in, they would give me an estimate, and if I agreed to the repair cost, they would quickly fix it and send it back once I wired them the money.</p><p>That seems like a normal response, but I sometimes forget that such customer service, while normal in Japan may not be elsewhere. So I decided to wait right before my recent trip to Okinawa, whereupon I removed the door scuff plate and then got it wrapped up the best I could.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBeuLdtyzllplP_CVO75PQd2jgpFoyP0YNFaJnldCK3LKh3USiSI9NGp6STf-kDI7XXeeM0N4N6n1aLfPrYpPSWvMpwxGnAEb7rmLECAgyy7aVbc-eo9Kc1mQVn8bqxoTFjGyV__1Y9kE7suOtPXyK47rMJqGz5TpXLixRMkTXpHwkN7HLg9z4ddl/s4032/beforewrap%20on%20bench.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBeuLdtyzllplP_CVO75PQd2jgpFoyP0YNFaJnldCK3LKh3USiSI9NGp6STf-kDI7XXeeM0N4N6n1aLfPrYpPSWvMpwxGnAEb7rmLECAgyy7aVbc-eo9Kc1mQVn8bqxoTFjGyV__1Y9kE7suOtPXyK47rMJqGz5TpXLixRMkTXpHwkN7HLg9z4ddl/w640-h480/beforewrap%20on%20bench.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Lots of paper and tape - and I had some plastic wrap in there too, to prevent scratches on the visible surface:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfPgl19r98UpGB527cmxkKNMnxP5gtQXjYtTVLK_b_Q2Mlw3hX9O9jMy3TbWdVserShVBkWV5hp65x5c9rRY17N8VuOKbvSB4yql1wjXdbFElG82znyn6vkysJKw1GOQ5wtUaoXnQrCc6jNqw9kIGPkOwHUMcQtbP57ZV6uYzIf4zZ7ckhuR1p2Rd/s4032/wrappingup%20halfway.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfPgl19r98UpGB527cmxkKNMnxP5gtQXjYtTVLK_b_Q2Mlw3hX9O9jMy3TbWdVserShVBkWV5hp65x5c9rRY17N8VuOKbvSB4yql1wjXdbFElG82znyn6vkysJKw1GOQ5wtUaoXnQrCc6jNqw9kIGPkOwHUMcQtbP57ZV6uYzIf4zZ7ckhuR1p2Rd/w640-h480/wrappingup%20halfway.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I got it all wrapped up as such. Forgot to take photos, but then I found a large longish box into which it fit. I then went to the local 7-11 convenience store - in Japan most if not all "combinis" serve as a pick-up point for at least one of the courier companies - nice as I don't have to worry about visiting during banker hours like the post office!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCeeLN32llxHWmHyUjmGK767qp1SAMwYQxgPaUr6w9O2Id89vx6qsykuKhkzeYxz6StRk0JKepIyfcqnzVmTuE4NSwaelhTz1obi6Z7n3tXHUMYr0uJdAjf5HVm81XN6iVZOtQuDVFmqYg3_5LXM_7on_8mCOIj9KgbwtF0a9pVI2tWDqCypfW0zr/s4032/wrappedupandready.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCeeLN32llxHWmHyUjmGK767qp1SAMwYQxgPaUr6w9O2Id89vx6qsykuKhkzeYxz6StRk0JKepIyfcqnzVmTuE4NSwaelhTz1obi6Z7n3tXHUMYr0uJdAjf5HVm81XN6iVZOtQuDVFmqYg3_5LXM_7on_8mCOIj9KgbwtF0a9pVI2tWDqCypfW0zr/w640-h480/wrappedupandready.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>So my car now looked like this:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf62DnsEoGZOvKnxy0TOd0lJE9jHOPQBnjj2zidw0Uk7P9zJKFN7m_kL6Eejd4Yi50mNJtd0BPlzOfN6-b8jJ6VVl7eu37cz18m9amzstzczYpgcj9qcVeu32VTmsJ_gvye-oNzL8QmCiHsq-kfsuUlYLy0JHDnrdfzm0PUsZfMcjslCe3lmK_ikt/s4032/opendoor%20with%20no%20plate.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf62DnsEoGZOvKnxy0TOd0lJE9jHOPQBnjj2zidw0Uk7P9zJKFN7m_kL6Eejd4Yi50mNJtd0BPlzOfN6-b8jJ6VVl7eu37cz18m9amzstzczYpgcj9qcVeu32VTmsJ_gvye-oNzL8QmCiHsq-kfsuUlYLy0JHDnrdfzm0PUsZfMcjslCe3lmK_ikt/w640-h480/opendoor%20with%20no%20plate.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p>Hopefully, the turnaround would be quick so no one would have ride in my car like this. And indeed it was - I was gone for 2 weeks but with work, the beach, a car show (maybe a future post?) and <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2022/09/ive-met-another-crazy-kohki-kr4-owner.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">meeting up with Murray</span></a> keeping me preoccupied, when I flew home I found this waiting for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72NM9g4_Jw7_FJ9ctBTwUtbv24Owj_Ou1nV7U5xdcX-OFo-UAegm8q-JjASnm4dEZfecLsNJ38MDUudVjO7ZDiM2xGTByItuC2Rrx99eusB1atGeiyeFtQHIqOeaqBCzHq9W0ZklAJKiJsnghMh9BiEZ521D1iG4iQHyBxJHQMNRiR4e2IQneIEbP/s4032/package%20arrived.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72NM9g4_Jw7_FJ9ctBTwUtbv24Owj_Ou1nV7U5xdcX-OFo-UAegm8q-JjASnm4dEZfecLsNJ38MDUudVjO7ZDiM2xGTByItuC2Rrx99eusB1atGeiyeFtQHIqOeaqBCzHq9W0ZklAJKiJsnghMh9BiEZ521D1iG4iQHyBxJHQMNRiR4e2IQneIEbP/w640-h480/package%20arrived.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Super well wrapped, not surprisingly:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7WUylcxoFmQdn4NcU5oDKZ2xryNXXGlK9J6aGN7k7klMfQDaoyi3AMvg0kZEcG4Nie9u9OYTYs7GHJvbAg6F27jg_TbELYLnLyb1tnBv77VOrJvNtJLfe38QQl8E2Bdu9JzNPNi9CWUN5rpEgftu3BZPuAye1p2FhwTwa5HhDhX91eW5KD_XMcf6/s4032/superwellwrapped.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7WUylcxoFmQdn4NcU5oDKZ2xryNXXGlK9J6aGN7k7klMfQDaoyi3AMvg0kZEcG4Nie9u9OYTYs7GHJvbAg6F27jg_TbELYLnLyb1tnBv77VOrJvNtJLfe38QQl8E2Bdu9JzNPNi9CWUN5rpEgftu3BZPuAye1p2FhwTwa5HhDhX91eW5KD_XMcf6/w640-h480/superwellwrapped.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Looks brand new, which is awesome. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMksroSrmmIg_O7Vntt5jSg0ysgznXPj_i1CKz7k1d1zQe6ujPqRh6oaw8i6OayYNYhxDENqzO67GMgSUJPB4mKoOpnr3_BcuhTAuhfqYAxk6zMoXjxgrXPm6WFbpBeaJc9JTFDhuvbIVDjfz5wjS1-e5LP0TF2Ze6KK4fTH5CINpUN4SyOGyGfFOA/s4032/looks%20brandnew.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMksroSrmmIg_O7Vntt5jSg0ysgznXPj_i1CKz7k1d1zQe6ujPqRh6oaw8i6OayYNYhxDENqzO67GMgSUJPB4mKoOpnr3_BcuhTAuhfqYAxk6zMoXjxgrXPm6WFbpBeaJc9JTFDhuvbIVDjfz5wjS1-e5LP0TF2Ze6KK4fTH5CINpUN4SyOGyGfFOA/w640-h480/looks%20brandnew.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now of course the chance of receiving something that was NOT properly fixed is close to nil, but old American habits die hard, I guess.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpsGj2jXnOxwE50X0CYioNFpjaJ29af2ZrUPyndh3OvwCqe6ZQyW9E7DIy-blsRJwtFIIKrhArDrSm4pJbMOoQh3WbQvNZ7yvcc5nJshbLRurcSlJSe75mvX9ljLzPT5k4jFfjI6r0_cofhNgZPP0lK9ZUfzKx0Su1PK0j05MIFGgNyrAcceZ8Akx/s4032/testing%20to%20make%20sure.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpsGj2jXnOxwE50X0CYioNFpjaJ29af2ZrUPyndh3OvwCqe6ZQyW9E7DIy-blsRJwtFIIKrhArDrSm4pJbMOoQh3WbQvNZ7yvcc5nJshbLRurcSlJSe75mvX9ljLzPT5k4jFfjI6r0_cofhNgZPP0lK9ZUfzKx0Su1PK0j05MIFGgNyrAcceZ8Akx/w640-h480/testing%20to%20make%20sure.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to test it before installing - works perfectly!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>But, not all was perfect! You see, on the body side there was this connector... and what I had sent to G-Corporation had the matching female side. What they sent me was new and they had not included the old female connector. What to do?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPIMRndLd3MZnfifqv8SYW4FalT92zNlpF2bq3xcTLYQtMFCFhjVrjlLngtDbKTisjGTr0VJ6FQlojpPWaDr61kDKGTGzUUB0dlVehLy7WkrSXVa_y9jRzS_gibXWvr3T-WzyjL2hmh0h21w60zT7OyhAisvesqzfZRdDi-mUCbdlhCQwzabvqNHl/s4032/remaining%20connector.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPIMRndLd3MZnfifqv8SYW4FalT92zNlpF2bq3xcTLYQtMFCFhjVrjlLngtDbKTisjGTr0VJ6FQlojpPWaDr61kDKGTGzUUB0dlVehLy7WkrSXVa_y9jRzS_gibXWvr3T-WzyjL2hmh0h21w60zT7OyhAisvesqzfZRdDi-mUCbdlhCQwzabvqNHl/w640-h480/remaining%20connector.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I COULD splice it all in... but there is a certain elegance about being able to disconnect electrical parts... having to cut wires again if I ever had to remove the scuff plate again seems so barbarian.</p><p>Thus the hunt was on for a solution. I finally went to Amazon and found an electrical coupler kit, prepared to cut off the existing male connector and graft on two new matching connectors.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUXgALtA9_Numbl_0e1Rfuj4MWkzNXrCBBvg2uHlUTYcu5uJlKiJU4wrEfosQvr1Qqz32mNExLHNxB71j83xyBXmsokG3iYiOENuObB7rlzWSmsUqCacY821u-3r4x5Fa1mo9L979qEXcYEJNrCMVwCr3nrHoioOf8_XpvAK_wYcE4nQn1QORXlcJ/s4032/amazon%20to%20the%20rescue.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUXgALtA9_Numbl_0e1Rfuj4MWkzNXrCBBvg2uHlUTYcu5uJlKiJU4wrEfosQvr1Qqz32mNExLHNxB71j83xyBXmsokG3iYiOENuObB7rlzWSmsUqCacY821u-3r4x5Fa1mo9L979qEXcYEJNrCMVwCr3nrHoioOf8_XpvAK_wYcE4nQn1QORXlcJ/w640-h480/amazon%20to%20the%20rescue.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Lucky for me, it turns out that the SM-2A coupler matched the existing coupler! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8jpuNM6HSC0iPY8zTBR8CXZqOphykoy-GX-bf9fGLRGrnutTTK3EU-7cO31q2wAky2mCdWPARpoHTiCNK3hY7stKVf6jj6xTLmH-50S2CaHK7a-qQqCaUrPBKNNRxRdaMDFSMP4rOYnzn6ymc5Nlu5FGwmo1bN6qC_P4l79X-K3WZShImxGj67Ul/s4032/it%20fit%20so%20only%20one%20side.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8jpuNM6HSC0iPY8zTBR8CXZqOphykoy-GX-bf9fGLRGrnutTTK3EU-7cO31q2wAky2mCdWPARpoHTiCNK3hY7stKVf6jj6xTLmH-50S2CaHK7a-qQqCaUrPBKNNRxRdaMDFSMP4rOYnzn6ymc5Nlu5FGwmo1bN6qC_P4l79X-K3WZShImxGj67Ul/w640-h480/it%20fit%20so%20only%20one%20side.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This meant I only had to work on one side. Trying to be neat, I cut off the excess wiring that came with the rebuilt scuff plate, to a manageable length.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvahTxyFemvhOrWJ-CBLJxWNJ4nsijQ3tl6vJcjmLF4V77m8w_S-MtpRGtkruLH7GpEZORV9uxjxreMcvBCC6eQFHMPijtuIu_KbYBbO4lz8QmNgPLfWKHDdUH3FIamNGf86kWlX_fETJYbfLCCaY-u5WzM5X8Tk10zOCMKQFPDuemShr0ysr0ero/s4032/too%20long%20so%20I%20cut%20it.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvahTxyFemvhOrWJ-CBLJxWNJ4nsijQ3tl6vJcjmLF4V77m8w_S-MtpRGtkruLH7GpEZORV9uxjxreMcvBCC6eQFHMPijtuIu_KbYBbO4lz8QmNgPLfWKHDdUH3FIamNGf86kWlX_fETJYbfLCCaY-u5WzM5X8Tk10zOCMKQFPDuemShr0ysr0ero/w640-h480/too%20long%20so%20I%20cut%20it.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Success! (although those tiny metal pins I had to connect to the wires... my aging eyes!)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5yJWjryFcsNAN4zpPKfkzwLmSQSiRXH0yli1Yo27svE0vnQWVfeXAjjeDoDmDL0Ado1qvtQTFJH4AKo2IoiDCIfeDGx4k2YQgytoDFdEp3Hfb5MfIa7tNhIkUVFYxPnUbQcGC5MkEyLrKmxPwBApSY1DXI1y4t9Pu6b_z1Jre_Fh1kQLBiVM-AZ4/s4032/all%20back%20together.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5yJWjryFcsNAN4zpPKfkzwLmSQSiRXH0yli1Yo27svE0vnQWVfeXAjjeDoDmDL0Ado1qvtQTFJH4AKo2IoiDCIfeDGx4k2YQgytoDFdEp3Hfb5MfIa7tNhIkUVFYxPnUbQcGC5MkEyLrKmxPwBApSY1DXI1y4t9Pu6b_z1Jre_Fh1kQLBiVM-AZ4/w640-h480/all%20back%20together.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And yes it works! So now one less thing to worry about. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jlvmKHDPFucdkRlH9Brgf4jCPvTuyNs5MTQ1SJ8v7OH5BZ3-J1i_yy7C7BYkCo-WcNMPJIupE25L6Xxe6FRo2oUwcOjhiLqHOPzdSrr4qljTP_FQ6q8himRYn5TaLTNFjhIeZOmqMtOTv-Mm0a4QiNfFRdWXgGCQFO9CNBLlqRSUMpSiMkR9kFmE/s4032/confirming%20it%20works.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jlvmKHDPFucdkRlH9Brgf4jCPvTuyNs5MTQ1SJ8v7OH5BZ3-J1i_yy7C7BYkCo-WcNMPJIupE25L6Xxe6FRo2oUwcOjhiLqHOPzdSrr4qljTP_FQ6q8himRYn5TaLTNFjhIeZOmqMtOTv-Mm0a4QiNfFRdWXgGCQFO9CNBLlqRSUMpSiMkR9kFmE/w640-h480/confirming%20it%20works.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Now, I am ready for a photo shoot, or taking a passenger for a ride. Will that be happening? Stay tuned... and thanks to G-Corporation for the quick turnaround!!!</p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026458778495935571.post-33555825649172322412022-09-03T21:08:00.001+09:002022-09-03T21:08:48.944+09:00I've Met Another Crazy Kohki KR4 Owner<p>Recently, a fellow R33 GT-R owner messaged me on <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/02/gt-r-magazine-article-using-bolt-on.html?showComment=1658400391206#c2961113218031526509" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">this blog</span></a> about how he had successfully used a BNR34 part on his car. Murray (Follow him on IG: kaizen.r33) currently lives in Okinawa, Japan, so when I found myself there for a couple weeks of special work, it was natural that we would meet up in person just so I could check out his car (his daily!).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3x0_9gn3SBieok4QJAg_gIXLNAVATeXp3IzlFDhdLJdgFXyFK_hkM8PET0GDiDTw5a4SrNUz0xXC4eSwxv7hkgFJj6vs6IfCJnwL11c_l9laChqNCxL8JaH6dsD7NDA6X93V9tWKzbckEU3Zgy2RxdDyaejLh13WinS5XxuCNwFPXCS7mS57HrjX/s4032/longshotview2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3x0_9gn3SBieok4QJAg_gIXLNAVATeXp3IzlFDhdLJdgFXyFK_hkM8PET0GDiDTw5a4SrNUz0xXC4eSwxv7hkgFJj6vs6IfCJnwL11c_l9laChqNCxL8JaH6dsD7NDA6X93V9tWKzbckEU3Zgy2RxdDyaejLh13WinS5XxuCNwFPXCS7mS57HrjX/w640-h480/longshotview2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful! Love the quasi 400R look, reminds me of my car. And the Nismo intercooler <br />venting is awesome!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Once we met up, of course I had to check out in person what he had tried to explain to me via email and photos about his mod using the BNR34 rear strut tower board, which being two layered (vice the single layer BCNR33 piece) provides more rigidity to the rear of the car.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tlVIX6OYY96TpzdP3X_XdQj5o1_Pq0ZAnt898y1F_BiG81Vm_m5E3hjtzVnCBAVEMcGXUwLM5qrmpfzZT1TtSiUrl6IDLVMmyClddYTxzmWjNwbPqjB-kuLZWL5j4xha-um97ZqXN0kG4MlCPvFCU3Jw3BhMkEhk39FhLuaR-8BcIjnRFR6OE25a/s4032/R34brace.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tlVIX6OYY96TpzdP3X_XdQj5o1_Pq0ZAnt898y1F_BiG81Vm_m5E3hjtzVnCBAVEMcGXUwLM5qrmpfzZT1TtSiUrl6IDLVMmyClddYTxzmWjNwbPqjB-kuLZWL5j4xha-um97ZqXN0kG4MlCPvFCU3Jw3BhMkEhk39FhLuaR-8BcIjnRFR6OE25a/w640-h480/R34brace.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So I could tell immediately that this looked different from the usual 33 part. First, the <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2010/11/sunday-before-trackday-at-fuji-on.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Nismo Performance Damper</span></a> appears (and is) shorter, but that is because its mounting points are different - you can see in the next photo (kindly provided by Murray) that compares the 33 and 34 rear boards - the 33 is one piece so the rear strut bar (and thus the Nismo Damper) connects on top, while the mounting for the 34 strut bar (and thus Nismo Damper) is a separate piece that lies on top of and bolted underneath the rear board. Murray told me that because of the different lengths he had to buy a new Nismo Damper for the rear. Because Nismo only sells in front/rear pairs, he sold his new 34 front one on Yahoo Auctions. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMJ-yV8YID49yuJKYNRzQEo2SwtPZM0d-qLDID9E69EWmUzpQ_Bc8bH5O-pQuOr0D9tF2US50jUPSAJWIAHarGu5ZjW3c4dHAt6HV6MXYn-0xPU0irq1lj3SQi0gMQ6SeN0XIjbJPGDQFJdzjg7PYMzOvnoGim36LYrnfZ3P5N9-14DtzK6FoMZ4U/s2274/comparison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1694" data-original-width="2274" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMJ-yV8YID49yuJKYNRzQEo2SwtPZM0d-qLDID9E69EWmUzpQ_Bc8bH5O-pQuOr0D9tF2US50jUPSAJWIAHarGu5ZjW3c4dHAt6HV6MXYn-0xPU0irq1lj3SQi0gMQ6SeN0XIjbJPGDQFJdzjg7PYMzOvnoGim36LYrnfZ3P5N9-14DtzK6FoMZ4U/w640-h476/comparison.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Additionally, Murray informed me that, compared to the 33 board, the 34 board has 4 extra recessed holes, probably M10x50mm in the standard 1.25 pitch. He says the Series 3/Kohki cars already have these holes drilled at the factory so he had no problems adding and tightening these extra bolts down. Otherwise, as I reported in the<a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2018/02/gt-r-magazine-article-using-bolt-on.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;"> GT-R magazine article post</span></a>, this part is a direct easy fit requiring no mods to either the car or the 34 board.</p><p>Murray reports he could immediately feel the difference - an increase in rear stability - and this makes sense as the 33 is longer than the 34 and thus I would suspect that an increase in rigidity here in this area would do wonders in how the car feels. Certainly makes sense given how <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2019/07/a-very-important-r33-gt-r-for-r34-gt-r.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">this 33 </span></a>was used as the basis for improvements that would end up in the 34. Incidentally, I forgot to take photos, but Murray also has the <a href="http://www.r33gt-r.com/2013/07/trunk-bar-another-noticeable.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">S15 trunk bar</span></a> installed as well, so the improvement I think might be noticeable in my car as well.</p><p>I am very, very tempted to do this mod! I will have to research the Damper issue- whether the change in structure is effective, etc. Ideally I want not to have to buy a new Nismo Damper...</p><p>But of course I had to check out the rest of the car. I had already noticed that this car was running those beautiful Nismo semi-gloss LMGT4 wheels, and I could already spot some brake mods.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpmwbrabPd5UpcezJkaB-KBXN5MRsZWwqNBhV2NwSqoLgBkWE5dnTrOqV4bqjnAqlb5ZEQju8Xw0vu1Ee6Ihno14g02WRruS_o5f6Lc_TbMLsn6jQJw2mFxhdPhwVACapTP5U7nzByFIWDfE4nBF__qbY-3Qfprl3-exQTiRb72ORXOihHcW4xxoG/s4032/rearfenderextension.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpmwbrabPd5UpcezJkaB-KBXN5MRsZWwqNBhV2NwSqoLgBkWE5dnTrOqV4bqjnAqlb5ZEQju8Xw0vu1Ee6Ihno14g02WRruS_o5f6Lc_TbMLsn6jQJw2mFxhdPhwVACapTP5U7nzByFIWDfE4nBF__qbY-3Qfprl3-exQTiRb72ORXOihHcW4xxoG/w640-h480/rearfenderextension.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes we agreed on tire choice too - PS4S</td></tr></tbody></table><br />These are ACRE Dustless-Real pads and Dixcel FS 6 slot rotors. He has the 400R fender flares but told me that Nismo no longer offered the ones for the front. I will have to look into this, but meanwhile we discussed how the Nismo R35 brake package does wonders for the braking ability of the car. I think if Murray ever takes his car to Fuji Speedway, he will realize that the OEM brakes are the weak point of the car. I did advise him to stay away from adaptor brackets made elsewhere, unless he can overcome the shortcomings I found with the set I sourced from the UK. <p></p><p>While still at the rear of the car, I noticed that Murray had also installed a BNR34 rear diffuser. But it looked different than mine. And it's not just the 400R rear bumper.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61ZKpxKIQL5Cg9mHHH135C6I4LfdiGxsXwPoMxXZmZtYFqEu6j1jCjSJXokoL2o13Ia5u7jLfXWlp4YuLYcowaC-iCyDDRpxQQeuk3c4DCR0W86W9kOAECRYYdLaxLrHXbmJVHbe0u2TOmRRl-vByisr5XXKUCGXTQLOEiZiI2CuImWzegOZi1Tyg/s4032/customreardiffuser.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61ZKpxKIQL5Cg9mHHH135C6I4LfdiGxsXwPoMxXZmZtYFqEu6j1jCjSJXokoL2o13Ia5u7jLfXWlp4YuLYcowaC-iCyDDRpxQQeuk3c4DCR0W86W9kOAECRYYdLaxLrHXbmJVHbe0u2TOmRRl-vByisr5XXKUCGXTQLOEiZiI2CuImWzegOZi1Tyg/w640-h480/customreardiffuser.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I forgot to ask if the red taping is reflective. If so, nice touch!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Turns out that Murray had the rear diffuser custom-made by <a href="https://cw-collective.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00;">CW-collective</span></a>. No photos from me as my knees were not cooperating that day (but check out Murray's IG), but I did notice how clean the exhaust cut-out was. Murray did remark that compared to the OEM 34 version, he did not have a jack up point (so he has to use the arms), but otherwise the install was very clean. And he even used the OEM 34 plastic fins, which is a smart move because they can get damaged when backing up (although I did not see any damage to the fins on his car).</p><p>One more interesting piece in the trunk area was this old-style Nismo badge that is no longer available. I suspect that Murray and I may have been competing on Yahoo Auctions for the last few years over the same parts...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TPKTu_iGofGroBYVgIQ5iZcWfqs3Wyo6sXdM5NBXb9r92UJMfN_ZEdhWCRDilbZBfgsOH7zK1spBjfUIsRLTLzyO_iXZQmhOiqTtwxHqMlM5M9L1Ds37rtwgMSY0SUUakJ86NeqLxvkbt_1C1FAN-CNyffNscH9qbqm8cPFlMFtbdDOxgTkxpBrH/s4032/oldstylenismologo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TPKTu_iGofGroBYVgIQ5iZcWfqs3Wyo6sXdM5NBXb9r92UJMfN_ZEdhWCRDilbZBfgsOH7zK1spBjfUIsRLTLzyO_iXZQmhOiqTtwxHqMlM5M9L1Ds37rtwgMSY0SUUakJ86NeqLxvkbt_1C1FAN-CNyffNscH9qbqm8cPFlMFtbdDOxgTkxpBrH/w640-h480/oldstylenismologo.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><br /><p>I also spotted this side turn signal that Murray says came with the car. Yes I have advised him to get it changed out for a more inconspicuous part.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA3Y4R_cMkoPdboGZETyd37xKRNVyybPQ3j99dbgz2Ve0T3ZIrJBM0Lu0CfCVAKo_iddRgPvApMvN2LlNxWUfFT4ZJws5QoEKZzlmbE-GG2QcUf53zCTxOEJkBsul9BPTRdbNPOlDpKQsZ4HjkR0dwuSNkwCpp6IOzqUmWY9h-1qOjxVgD_HtKKJG/s4032/itcamelikethissideblinkers.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA3Y4R_cMkoPdboGZETyd37xKRNVyybPQ3j99dbgz2Ve0T3ZIrJBM0Lu0CfCVAKo_iddRgPvApMvN2LlNxWUfFT4ZJws5QoEKZzlmbE-GG2QcUf53zCTxOEJkBsul9BPTRdbNPOlDpKQsZ4HjkR0dwuSNkwCpp6IOzqUmWY9h-1qOjxVgD_HtKKJG/w640-h480/itcamelikethissideblinkers.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><br /><p>Anyway a well put together and a very clean look that works! (despite the shaved off trunk lock - done by the prior owner of the car).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRdzOd6JATgAcej1iVAQvLZ1UQO06OYrT1mBl0FPjigdWj_km1yiBYfAAOMiCpBUlhnd3FHy4za69FLoFpg7xlVFHdwK4e4-iL8iD_ZZJGtMZnQxpMpqR7zKxP8qxLWeBAX-ShukvqIoDeoSC0i6FlFIdi9t1bPBfqfAXf0pieNXC-ykD8hys2K07/s4032/rearsideviewMurray.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRdzOd6JATgAcej1iVAQvLZ1UQO06OYrT1mBl0FPjigdWj_km1yiBYfAAOMiCpBUlhnd3FHy4za69FLoFpg7xlVFHdwK4e4-iL8iD_ZZJGtMZnQxpMpqR7zKxP8qxLWeBAX-ShukvqIoDeoSC0i6FlFIdi9t1bPBfqfAXf0pieNXC-ykD8hys2K07/w640-h480/rearsideviewMurray.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the car has a replica carbon 400R double blade rear wing</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ok so let's check what's under the hood(bonnet!).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBus4ez1F4TLPwlrlyRNYCRznw7DN0n9slo6PSNwrJybGzZf3HTUUlCAZJdxB0pDK0sGmPgVk7OAIp-DN36A--kEafJTwYwRA35sPyR8s65hb17Mo4Ym2WzP0swi1utBZ6ye3CF4i-ruiz2aQsS5-PjmyY7Y_uqKi5C7UI_uqNZLirYGpxNUTZCOu/s4032/enginebaycloseup.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBus4ez1F4TLPwlrlyRNYCRznw7DN0n9slo6PSNwrJybGzZf3HTUUlCAZJdxB0pDK0sGmPgVk7OAIp-DN36A--kEafJTwYwRA35sPyR8s65hb17Mo4Ym2WzP0swi1utBZ6ye3CF4i-ruiz2aQsS5-PjmyY7Y_uqKi5C7UI_uqNZLirYGpxNUTZCOu/w640-h480/enginebaycloseup.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><div><br /></div><div>Hard to tell at this angle, but Murray reports the new HKS GTIII-2530s work really well. I also spotted the carbon fiber Nismo Omori Factory original air intake - great minds think alike? Also hard to tell at this angle is the deletion of the OEM CAS for a more modern trigger kit, with the engine now controlled by a Haltech Elite 2500. And yes that is a MASSIVE front strut tower bar! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykVJyytepxdHJk5R_-aXd0BKz1rR6uHBwPnFAvCv089T12BnPF2ht0xCUVfU7gconR-_EA0idiLAKhaSHL7fGMnx47serm9Y98cXoFb5m2OJiTD5aoV7HaVhr0v5TgocN9ftHPjv5IzUNAWeXX80cTCYz_SiJtsuZpElIEGnJww1NZLAGND2PbM1i/s4032/shot%20of%20car%20with%20hood%20open%20wie.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykVJyytepxdHJk5R_-aXd0BKz1rR6uHBwPnFAvCv089T12BnPF2ht0xCUVfU7gconR-_EA0idiLAKhaSHL7fGMnx47serm9Y98cXoFb5m2OJiTD5aoV7HaVhr0v5TgocN9ftHPjv5IzUNAWeXX80cTCYz_SiJtsuZpElIEGnJww1NZLAGND2PbM1i/w640-h480/shot%20of%20car%20with%20hood%20open%20wie.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I also noted that he was running a non-standard front lip. Murray reminded me that this was also a Nismo piece, I guess my focus has been on other Nismo parts as it didn't register with me when he told me!</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx0zF6pgh7FjIhRENRMfmtooJs1JXDPS4EZf9hsM5216O02GQskAvjQXZsFyWA91Jcjjy_STJtJox3BCjKgZqgsDyzyPKbpPz0M5XU1ThOFL92yB3V6nAjSyfOv13hcngKCbXs8-g51v685MO_SHiBj9f8JlH8BY_6u1fMbXqSUe3TZgJ8LEixp-o/s4032/exchangeparkinglothoodopen.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx0zF6pgh7FjIhRENRMfmtooJs1JXDPS4EZf9hsM5216O02GQskAvjQXZsFyWA91Jcjjy_STJtJox3BCjKgZqgsDyzyPKbpPz0M5XU1ThOFL92yB3V6nAjSyfOv13hcngKCbXs8-g51v685MO_SHiBj9f8JlH8BY_6u1fMbXqSUe3TZgJ8LEixp-o/w640-h480/exchangeparkinglothoodopen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A better view of that massive Midori Seibi tower bar</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>From what else I can recall, Murray told me that he had gotten his Xenons redone with a much brighter bulb set-up, retrofitted with G5-BRT projectors from Lightwerkz Global. Additionally, he told me he is running a very interesting cam set-up - 290 on both intake and exhaust with 10.8mm clearance. Sounds awesome, but he admits that the decrease in engine pressure was causing him some brake pressure issues; hopefully the Auto Select Large Capacity Brake Master Cylinder he is getting installed soon will mitigate the issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>But wait - what about the interior? Hold on as this was, to me, the highlight of the tour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNjtU2SUjelraWZhxh__YrA7b7Q0xK32vdxiVMsqRaR1RlVI7wcrjycleSxvGiZs15k7xhid-LYEzTaMVBg8RwthgKYnTZWObYzT0EbQ7haRKxavDhPxDK8vYzmSlRxxnuoxzkRQ45UBfNMjTvOCIjmasVBM1ro-Vob9whedScMsxtHY_m47oChJQ/s4032/interiorwideshot.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNjtU2SUjelraWZhxh__YrA7b7Q0xK32vdxiVMsqRaR1RlVI7wcrjycleSxvGiZs15k7xhid-LYEzTaMVBg8RwthgKYnTZWObYzT0EbQ7haRKxavDhPxDK8vYzmSlRxxnuoxzkRQ45UBfNMjTvOCIjmasVBM1ro-Vob9whedScMsxtHY_m47oChJQ/w640-h480/interiorwideshot.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>First, I noticed the real carbon treatment on the dash surround. Not my taste as I like matte and not gloss but it worked well here actually. Then I noticed the Garage Yoshida sourced HVAC relocation kit, and the 2DIN screen. Yep, been there, done that, except of course not Garage Yoshida. </div><div><br /></div><div>But of course, I then saw that the instrument cluster is the old Nismo option that has the center screen. Murray told me he sadly does not have the Epson EJ1 computer module that came with it - he is on the hunt for it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I would argue however that he does NOT need it. Yeah I know not OEM, but his current execution is WAY better:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZS-Zo8RTU5Hz9cAZrB_KDUQO87skLJB4xDLnrTgjw41kmB7QCC5yjMSTUOD8fIPbZrrUyxRYzkH9MfI0zkVyXM1eLGYKzvNXZ1XMBF6NuA3k-JFGBy-viw3x_eMuGdkxLNMQpp81YwJAVa58ucpuf_xPBTFic-kRoMng5OWHgkz3ASo5v8FdP95R/s4032/haltech%20logo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZS-Zo8RTU5Hz9cAZrB_KDUQO87skLJB4xDLnrTgjw41kmB7QCC5yjMSTUOD8fIPbZrrUyxRYzkH9MfI0zkVyXM1eLGYKzvNXZ1XMBF6NuA3k-JFGBy-viw3x_eMuGdkxLNMQpp81YwJAVa58ucpuf_xPBTFic-kRoMng5OWHgkz3ASo5v8FdP95R/w640-h480/haltech%20logo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>And if that wasn't impressive enough, once past the welcome screen:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1meYUiguCnFf2kLp0T9O9NQCDqKWoTZXBgLtj5FkeP6NzwCY_M_suLQkxPu4R4h-2vkQWuM2WfdcA0WXaDqCnRSys4T4rG0gUE7xyOcG_3IALD5xPCB8DVwtJers2FWnU7YbWG4vLBA1pzPyW-_DlhVdKd9kNNL2vkMSttZpRzn32hCSpGfQECBKE/s4032/r35inspiredgraphics.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1meYUiguCnFf2kLp0T9O9NQCDqKWoTZXBgLtj5FkeP6NzwCY_M_suLQkxPu4R4h-2vkQWuM2WfdcA0WXaDqCnRSys4T4rG0gUE7xyOcG_3IALD5xPCB8DVwtJers2FWnU7YbWG4vLBA1pzPyW-_DlhVdKd9kNNL2vkMSttZpRzn32hCSpGfQECBKE/w640-h480/r35inspiredgraphics.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here is a close up:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn89DFEepcI16OEtyYaJ9GorcrvUJSmbhugUmxFdr8qU_ZqunpMYYGDpNEHmZ0sq4e09tRgT6m9FQlSBWtQ_4vNgIoOdJrfk9ZSwGfCmOJjglbNwHaR9aNxgBtOjwMUsZDl5-R7mUHFuAcSYRkoyPqvd7lXZ1pNTpCgfxFHmLG23nDHcJ-LzH34QnH/s4032/r35graphicscloseup.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn89DFEepcI16OEtyYaJ9GorcrvUJSmbhugUmxFdr8qU_ZqunpMYYGDpNEHmZ0sq4e09tRgT6m9FQlSBWtQ_4vNgIoOdJrfk9ZSwGfCmOJjglbNwHaR9aNxgBtOjwMUsZDl5-R7mUHFuAcSYRkoyPqvd7lXZ1pNTpCgfxFHmLG23nDHcJ-LzH34QnH/w640-h480/r35graphicscloseup.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Murray says he was inspired by the R35's graphics when he configured this set up! I am very, very impressed with this!</div><div><br /></div><div>I really think this is way better than the original:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gjFNowAF5xqFXVyJWbuWmTh5hu8VhQhgPHJiDd8RDvMd2h29z9FHI6s6a5R_PSXucmJr44RBY0JmhLsJZIHEvll3s4PLQXM3pb6Fp9cQOIqlVKpCackCvPq4tAiHsp4LxQgdD3UEVRs_tOA1H1tER7wn_eYUwsJfjCdR4Hv4bVCwEYIbUJu8ciHO/s4032/20220812_220902.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gjFNowAF5xqFXVyJWbuWmTh5hu8VhQhgPHJiDd8RDvMd2h29z9FHI6s6a5R_PSXucmJr44RBY0JmhLsJZIHEvll3s4PLQXM3pb6Fp9cQOIqlVKpCackCvPq4tAiHsp4LxQgdD3UEVRs_tOA1H1tER7wn_eYUwsJfjCdR4Hv4bVCwEYIbUJu8ciHO/w480-h640/20220812_220902.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>I mean if you are going to Resto-mod... let's make it modern, right!?</div><div><br /></div><div>But this wasn't his only interior mod. Check out his camera mount.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVYB5TMUTAWZiVMDkPXyqqK_JYaRjmXU_86P17g859NSHaYpL_qxXCw5sOrO8nqt9F1gqfaMYSzJWK0NWcpyhPaw_NgiDzHnqVKoArVWsCHnWUW8Yjzizvtpec5JVYSUOB_odD20zKcF1b4AHEhpWNIovINVNL04iS92_MoZo8qALD0olCSF2HTco/s4032/cameramount.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVYB5TMUTAWZiVMDkPXyqqK_JYaRjmXU_86P17g859NSHaYpL_qxXCw5sOrO8nqt9F1gqfaMYSzJWK0NWcpyhPaw_NgiDzHnqVKoArVWsCHnWUW8Yjzizvtpec5JVYSUOB_odD20zKcF1b4AHEhpWNIovINVNL04iS92_MoZo8qALD0olCSF2HTco/w640-h480/cameramount.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>We were joking that maybe this gave some more body rigidity as well. Looking forward to whatever video Murray takes from this!</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly - and this is something new for me - as I learned something - is this OEM R33 cup holder.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodSWQVn33x9m4p_PcKW6Yi7GelBQ1Scu7KZKzqVy8kO4YyoAA49-F6pJKWaoEGY_VZU7rxFkaaGx0d3G_8R5RYsrybjGqONrc9IiS0rx5XItvtTbs3NQhyxakK3XBcG5ifOo48FG1JZKXvE0U6s0MR2osV5U7oahSa0fZCVakNFgjWG__BKgtuMsh/s4032/foglightswitchtonowhere.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodSWQVn33x9m4p_PcKW6Yi7GelBQ1Scu7KZKzqVy8kO4YyoAA49-F6pJKWaoEGY_VZU7rxFkaaGx0d3G_8R5RYsrybjGqONrc9IiS0rx5XItvtTbs3NQhyxakK3XBcG5ifOo48FG1JZKXvE0U6s0MR2osV5U7oahSa0fZCVakNFgjWG__BKgtuMsh/w640-h480/foglightswitchtonowhere.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No OEM foglights yet, but Murray is on the hunt for a set!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Ok here is a better shot of the cupholder, without the carbon fiber insert:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaNJiEi2DVDlO2L1eTeWyUQFY3FTwBJHZOrrgR1NwJdYKlTC4i92lR9VL7qLhxZp-i2HmGdp3Ws33um027ZVmob79IdAchz0LLhBzSLqX-Jt1YlQ8YX1kdsSDWBvTQtccd86L8-byPX3oNiGoHeuXTwgdQq4wWoF2-7Enjn5fUfN5vuFvfSjRjxnu/s4032/gtstcupholder.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaNJiEi2DVDlO2L1eTeWyUQFY3FTwBJHZOrrgR1NwJdYKlTC4i92lR9VL7qLhxZp-i2HmGdp3Ws33um027ZVmob79IdAchz0LLhBzSLqX-Jt1YlQ8YX1kdsSDWBvTQtccd86L8-byPX3oNiGoHeuXTwgdQq4wWoF2-7Enjn5fUfN5vuFvfSjRjxnu/w640-h480/gtstcupholder.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>So it turns out that the R33 GTST had these cupholders. Unfortunately for the GT-R, the G-sensor needed for the ATTESA system that is mounted underneath this space prevents this part from fitting, but if you have already replaced the old analog G-sensor for a digital one from Do-Luck or Midori Seibi, then this mod is possible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixj1eBixntw7OHs60DCv7veZdun2JuGkGSrV4lHbpVp3wHUJQZ3JMSIuDfx38No_hNonSYHqjOlOgI8gJHMyEL2XT0JLv9lJM7Y_u822L5iOQk0-Uqk8NbOtUd65YT5_77yRPTkAIgu1PrFA1D4yOSBimAGFXxHRJ1GbepuY9r7eo468qcwBeVyNK/s4032/20220509_084813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixj1eBixntw7OHs60DCv7veZdun2JuGkGSrV4lHbpVp3wHUJQZ3JMSIuDfx38No_hNonSYHqjOlOgI8gJHMyEL2XT0JLv9lJM7Y_u822L5iOQk0-Uqk8NbOtUd65YT5_77yRPTkAIgu1PrFA1D4yOSBimAGFXxHRJ1GbepuY9r7eo468qcwBeVyNK/w480-h640/20220509_084813.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>So this is another Murray mod that I may have to try out! Not that I EVER drink or eat in my car, but maybe if I get this part I will allow a water bottle in the car... lol.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, my thanks to Murray for taking time out of his day to swing by and let me check out his car. I'll close this post with a fantastic photo he took... and I do hope we will be able to meet up again soon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wmbWsLa-PY9KXHHWYrvMTr5VkkjZg3z8intq4aKM055p6HuvwewDWD-jpZaUGW8zfZVVWv7DTifDp741Sw2GqT27p-nG7kEdKZVA1JNGhGpQrWmaC8NP51sqxmPeiKioTQ1eHTkjIF83xaS_hzYdNBpcJN9Jtkpc4z1pPlGNdRPOmw3tKM8yzdLK/s2048/299903455_10159416421251902_9203643376752977792_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wmbWsLa-PY9KXHHWYrvMTr5VkkjZg3z8intq4aKM055p6HuvwewDWD-jpZaUGW8zfZVVWv7DTifDp741Sw2GqT27p-nG7kEdKZVA1JNGhGpQrWmaC8NP51sqxmPeiKioTQ1eHTkjIF83xaS_hzYdNBpcJN9Jtkpc4z1pPlGNdRPOmw3tKM8yzdLK/w640-h426/299903455_10159416421251902_9203643376752977792_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13586596582322556131noreply@blogger.com6