So it's been a while since I last did a track day at Tsukuba. A short, curvy track. Last time I did a short track - Fuji Speedway short course - my friend Miguel who was behind me noticed my inside rear wheel slipping. A clear sign my standard differential was past its prime and needed to be upgraded.
As I don't have a V-Spec model R33 with the active differential, I had several options. One was the new Nismo carbon LSD - but it was expensive, and frankly, not tried and tested enough for me. Then I heard about OS Giken - quiet operation, 100% lock-up... and a reasonable price! So why not? Why not indeed?
So, after ordering it, went off to Three H to have Hirose-san install it for me. I also had him do a brake fluid change, as my efforts to do so myself were going nowhere. (for another time, when I have time, I guess. I had even bought the Motive pressurized fluid changer...)
So here it is:
and here it is hidden behind the new Greddy large capacity diff cover
Driving impressions: well, it certainly makes absolutely no noise! Ok, the only time it makes noise is at low speed when I have the front wheels turned all the way. Otherwise, can't hear a thing. Second, the car's throttle response is immediate - that is, as soon as I step on the throttle, the car is moving. It was fast before, but not THIS immediate... Third - I think at high speeds, there is some vibration - but I could not tell for sure, the was on S-tires. Will have to confirm at Tsukuba. Why was the car on S-tires?
Well - I had cleaned the wheels the weekend before, and was going to NOT swap them out until the day before the track day (this upcoming Sunday), when I noticed what appeared to be a screw in the rear left tire. Out of an abundance of caution, I changed all 4 wheels to the RE30s, and took the punctured tire for Hirose-san to look at. Here is that tire:
Luckily - we found that while it had pierced the rubber, it had not gone all the way through. So he recommended, after pulling it out and confirming, to just run the tire as is. Hopefully he is right and the tire holds up to a normal life. It's a relatively new tire, so I certainly don't want to buy a new tire at this point.
So, tasks still left for this Saturday - day before
1) take out the rear seat.
2) oil and filter change
3) Hirose-san had found that some clips that attach to the rear Brembos were missing. So I'll have to put those on (he's sending me the parts).
4) install brake cooling hose on left side (this is the side that gets worn out, due to the right hand curves at Fuji...)
Ok people - I have to say I am sorry for not posting as much lately. In between trips to Hong Kong (to eat, mainly) and Hawaii (to eat, and sunburn) I haven't had time to do anything with the car.
I did manage to order THIS between my trips:
This being Japan, came with an (optional) GT-R fitting kit...
Of course - Murphy's law. Once I ordered it, had NO MORE PROBLEMS with the standard battery. Recently it had begun to not be able to hold a charge, so after a week or two I'd be nervous starting the car. Maybe it's the summer heat, but lately no such problems?
So the Optima remains uninstalled. Will do a post when I do put it in, though. Supposedly just having a better battery does wonders for the electrical system. So we shall see.
I DO have an SSCT Track Day, this time at Tsukuba Circuit, coming up September 5. So, as I had been pretty lazy about cleaning my track wheels, and figuring out why the "glass coating" I applied wasn't working as well as it had in the past, these past 2 weekends, I've spent some free time cleaning the RE30s.
As you can see from this first picture, the wheels never got properly cleaned after my last track day at Fuji.
I think what happened is, I applied the "glass coating" too thick - you can see the excess dried up in a line (looks almost like a crack). The consistency is like sap - slightly sticky, I can remove it with my fingernail, no problem. So I have been finding droplets of these all over, and tediously inspecting each wheel, in an effort to get the wheels as clean as possible.
The plan is, if the glass coating is still on the wheel, to improve its protection and slickness by applying a thin coat of Zaino, which I use on my car's body and also happens to be pretty tough against brake dust (apparently, from what I have seen on the internet forums). So I have 2 more weekends to finish the wheels and put them to the test!
The end result of course should look like this!
Meanwhile of course, I decided to detail my car again - went over with a fresh claybar on the flat surfaces, found some dirt, then used Zaino again to do a final cleaning and protect. Then applied a final protective coat. Took me all day, but I think the end result was worth it!
If I have time, will apply at least one more coat of Zaino before the track day!
Meanwhile, an experiment of sorts - my friend Miguel challenged me to paint some RB26 engine covers, claiming it was "easy" - and even sent me some instructions from the GT-R forum to show me how! http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/94090-cackle-finish-paint-step-step-cam-covers-2.html
Well, it wasn't easy. The items first had to be stripped of the existing paint, and the previous owner of the panels had used, I swear, Navy aircraft quality paint that DID NOT want to come off!
Then several sprays later, I got some beautifully painted covers - but no or uneven wrinkling. Despite sticking them into a plastic oven I created, and ruining my wife's hair dryer!
Eventually, my friend Russ came to the rescue - just spray it on thicker than you might imagine, he said - and he was right! And I did NOT require an oven! So I just waited for a really hot sunny day, left the items out in the hot sun, as well as the spray can of VHT wrinkle paint, then sprayed a faily thick layer as Russ suggested instead of the usual thin coats one normally does to paint with a spray can. Let it dry for a few hours - and the result is as below!
Anyway, I screwed up on the inlet plenum, so last weekend I stripped the paint off that (again) and if this next weekend is hot and sunny (should be), will spray this, and I will be done! Will post pictures then!
Oh, and as for the upcoming track day - yeah, got a few things left. Oil change, brake fluid change, installation of a new OS Giken LSD (!!!) and re-installation of a cooling hose for one of the front rotors!
Don't know if I have time, but will certainly try to get it all done! Stay tuned!
As many of you know, my obsession for clean cars knows no bounds. Nothing is as satisfying to me as having a functional car that is cleaner than average – and that’s saying something in this country where EVERY car seems to be relatively clean (except for those drift cars…).
Anyway, a while ago I had purchased a steam cleaner for home use (Google "Vapamore" - that's it!). It was good for the initial clean up of our new (rental) house, but afterwards, I found myself not using it all. Then of course, the lightbulb – use it for my car!
Where would I use it? Certainly would not be the places I polish, but probably areas like the wheelwells, and the under chassis area, maybe the engine. But I had to buy jack stands first.
My first experience with jackstands, I ended up buying super stable ones – but they were too tall for frequent use. As readers to this blog will recall, with such a low car, I have to drive up on ramps first, THEN jack up the car. So the ideal height is high enough that I can work on the car (ie take the wheels off, etc.) but not so high that the jack is at its limit.
Anyway, once I bought these low jackstands, I was in business.
When I decided a few weeks ago to switch back to the StarSpecs from the track tires, during the switchover I used the steam cleaner to clean the wheel wells.
The dirtiest, for some reason, was the right rear. Here are some pictures.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
The difference is huge!
The technique is not simply to apply the steam. Often, I have to get things going by spraying on some Simple Green before steaming, but in any case, the steam loosens the dirt, and I can simply wipe off.
Next, I plan to steam clean the underside...stay tuned...
In a departure (well not fully) from my usual posts about me and my car, this post is about a full day I recently spent with a good friend of mine, Japan-based automotive photo journalist Dino Dalle Carbonare (also known by his initials “DCD”), as he covered the last day (May 2) of the Spring Drift Matsuri at Ebisu Circuit in Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan.
He does a lot of work for Speedhunters.com, but some of you may know that Dino used to have a blog - coincidentally his last post was on July 7, 2007 - which turns out to be the first day of THIS blog... http://blog.gtroc.com/dino/
As a motor photographer and journalist, Dino has what to many might seem to be one of the best jobs in the world – driving, reporting on, and photographing some of the most interesting, beautiful, and noteworthy cars in the world. Both here in Japan as well as around the world, on some of the best driving roads!
Check out this beauty, one of his masterpieces both in photography and vehicle selection!!! LOL!
(photo used with permission of Dino Dalle Carbonare)
The job description, as well as his increasing fame, has probably led many people to want to emulate him, and embark on a career as an automotive photojournalist. (Men want to be like him, women want to be with him??... maybe not the latter, but the former certainly…)
Unfortunately I neither have the drive nor the talent to do what he does, but in spending the day with him, I realized that his job, while certainly glamorous, is not as easy as it seems. There are other necessary and required skills, including physical stamina, a critical yet appreciative eye for anything with an engine, extreme amounts of patience, an ability to meet crazy deadlines, and the creativity needed to “set up” what later becomes a memorable, “desktop” worthy photo.
All of this takes years to develop to the level Dino has taken it to, and in the process, he’s made friends and contacts in the industry, giving him an unquantifiable and insurmountable edge that solidly cements him as one of the premier non-Japanese auto journalists in Japan.
Anyway, enough buttering up. His ego needs no (additional) inflating. Here’s how the day began for me at 0600 Sunday morning, Tokyo station - an amazing ride, yes, but nothing close to what I would later experience that day!
3 hours later, Dino was waiting for me beside his workhorse Subaru Legacy wagon at Nihonmatsu station, the closest station to Ebisu Circuit.
Once at the circuit, Dino proceeded to immediately hunt out the best possible shots. This is much harder than it sounds.
It isn’t about walking around looking for interesting/interesting looking cars – although he does that too. In order to get interesting shots, he has to be creative, even risking injury to himself for that perfect shot:
Note: I was right behind him, and when the cars passed by us, we both swung around, backs to the track, to protect ourselves from the gust of wind generated by the passing car and the brake and tire dust that comes flying at you! It was THAT close...
Getting the best angle is very important – sometimes it’s interesting what cars look like from above I guess. And as the photos later show, it’s not just about the angles – he’s simultaneously playing with different lenses, ISO speed, aperture, etc. and all those other technical camera settings.
Here he is inviting me to check out the view:
Behind him, I can see that not only is this position safer, but...
...it also allows a rapid series of photos to be taken as the cars come flying down and then take the corner at full speed.
He also has to risk getting his clothes dirty – here he is in the “sniper” position, focusing on a very interesting (to him) wheel on a red Nissan.
Note how he strategically parked his Subaru in front of this red car to make sure it didn't drive away!!
(photo used with permission of Dino Dalle Carbonare)
Getting the “right shot” often also requires him to place himself into awkward positions, or even worse, potentially embarrassing situations:
But, most of the time it’s about patience – standing for minutes, or hours in one location, waiting for the right moment. Believe it or not, these photos were taken about several minutes apart. Notice it's the same car he's trying to get in a perfect shot:
Minutes later, the guy next to him is getting bored and I am getting tired... yet Dino keeps trying to get The Shot.
In the end, while he continued his work, I lost interest in taking photos of him and watching him work. (I suppose he has to take hundreds of photos just to get a few publishable ones...)
So I decided to enjoy the Drift Matsuri – here I am with Allen from Tomei Powered, getting ready to experience the thrill of a lifetime in Allen's very special AE86!
I then was offered a ride with Andy Gray of Powervehicles – I took the following in-car video.
Words can’t adequately describe how this all felt, and the video does not do it justice either. Simply awesome! Thanks again Andy.
Meanwhile, Dino continued to do his job, taking photos all day long, until well after the event ended (I was off taking to people, taking naps, etc.).
I for one could not do this kind of work. While we do share a passion for cars, Dino certainly has a way of staying focused and energetic while working. I think the conclusion is, like any profession, the guys who have invested time, energy and resources are the ones who make it look easy, and rise to the top. Shortcuts don’t work here, either.
Final word – thanks Dino for the invite to tag along at Ebisu, and for letting me write this up. My hope is that with this post, readers can have a better understanding and appreciation of your work!
PS - Dino, you really need to change your taste in music...
So I recently had a close call with scraping my newly protected front lip spoiler, and my friend Miguel had suggested using some aluminum sheets to protect the spoiler - his idea was to rivet aluminum sheet(s) onto the bottom side of the spoiler, making the aluminum piece sacrificial. Compared to the rubber add-on lip spoiler I had on before, it was bound to be sturdier, and further, the noise it would make on bottoming out would give me early warning, more so than the rubber piece.
Anyway - so today I had some time, so I jacked up the front of the car, and using a 0.8mm aluminum 200cm long "L" shaped piece, decided to give the idea a try.
First, I used some red tape and centered the aluminum piece.
I then used my Dremel and proceeded to make cuts every 10cm so I could bend the aluminum to fit the curve of the spoiler.
After test fitting, I sprayed with heat resistant flat black primer paint:
Then carefully riveted the aluminum piece to the plastic lip spoiler, so that the alum was about 5mm back from the edge of the lip spoiler:
Removing the red tape and cutting off the rivet leads, got me a clean look - you can barely even tell!
Ok as this week was "Golden Week" here in Japan - a bunch of single day national holidays conveniently strung out over a week, thus making for, in conjunction with the weekend, a 5 day holiday, so of course I was able to do some cleaning of the car.
Yes, I washed and then used my porter cable to apply some zaino... but also took the opportunity to try to figure out where a squeak was coming from in the rear parcel shelf - I took off the shelf and hunted down each item that might possibly be loose, and either glued, foamed or tie wrapped it down. At the same time, I noticed that the stock paper speakers had met their demise, and so went ahead and purchased some mid grade universal fit Pioneers (16cm) as my friend Alex has promised to upgrade my entire system with me - these speakers are only to tide me over until then. (and then, will be used for "rear fill"). I will go into depth in another post soon.
Meanwhile, a while ago I had also noticed that the washer tank had gotten old, and was possibly leaking. I noticed some rust below the plastic.
(PS not sure why this photo and some others below are showing sideways - will try to fiddle with them over the weekend).
Anyway, I had a while ago ordered a new piece, that looks like this.
So I proceeded to remove the old tank, and this is what I found:
So, inspired by an idea from my friend Dino (DCD), I took out the bracket, removed the rust, and then resprayed in anti-rust black paint.
I used my Dremel and some elbow grease and sandpaper to get this:
After this, it was pretty easy to simply paint with a spray can.
While I was waiting for it to dry, turned my attention to the base, which was rusted. I used sandpaper and the Dremel again, and got rid of the rust (down to the bare metal!). Found some automotive primer at the local hardware store, and began to paint:
As you can see I had no newspaper, so used towels and this wrapping paper to mask off the rest of the engine bay. End result is:
Nice and clean. Then it was only a matter of bolting up the bracket (this time using stainless steel bolts)
And then it was simply a matter of installing the new washer tank and adding some washer fluid.
