A Sunny Three Day Weekend means...

Being able to detail and tinker with my car to my heart's content.

As many of you know, for detailing I use the Zaino line of products. http://www.zainostore.com/

The weekend before, as I mentioned in my previous post, there was one sunny day, so I took my time and washed and claybarred the car. Then followed up with the Zaino AIO (Z-AIO) product, applied and removed by Porter Cable.

This past weekend, I used the Zaino instant detailer spray (Z-6) and cleaned the car (there was only some dust on the car anyway, as I had not driven it). I then followed with another coat of the Z-AIO (applied by PC again) and then some hand application as below:

Here, I'm using a toothbrush to remove some old built up polish on the "Skyline" lettering on the rear valance:


And of course - the details - here I am attacking the license plate too - both the front and rear were dirty.


Don't have any action pictures of me removing the Z-AIO (again by PC), which was followed by a coat of the Z-5 product , followed after removing it by PC by a gloss enhancer/instant detail spray, Z-8 , then followed by another coat of Z-5, again on and off by PC. So that's 2 coats of Z-5 - each coat enhances the shine, and the effect is additive! (someday, I will have 4-5 coats on... someday!)

I then sealed this all with their new one step sealant - Z-CS

Hard to tell from these photos, but the car looks amazingly better - so good in fact that the defects - stone chips, etc. are even MORE noticeable...









I also took a couple of hours to remove the dry carbon exhaust surround, which not only was dirty but was applied somewhat off by the bodyshop (when they fixed my rear bumper). I then cleaned it the best I could, and put it back on, this time straight.






I like this photo the best - really brings out the shine and the definition of the car!



But that wasn't all - I then decided to put on some carbon bling that I had taken off before - the side panels to the rear wing - when the clips fell off.

Here is the wet carbon blade compared to the stock plastic insert:


And here is the solution - those metal clips designed to route wire, with the adhesive tape on the backside (I think the carbon items had something similar originally, except the tape was much weaker):






But that wasn't all! I kept going - and this time installed the Optima yellow top that I had lying around as well.

But getting to the battery wasn't easy - not only did I have to remove the trunk wall (black steel), but also the standard tower bar!


And check out the size of this thing!
From the top:




Here it is, I finally got it sitting in snugly in the bay (note - not for the weak of arm, hoisting it up into the bay requires some muscle!)


Apologies for the bad picture - but here it is, done!


The result - I can't believe how easily the engine starts now! There is not only no loss of power, but the starter seems to be a bit more eager in how it cranks! Nice!

Next project - start figuring out ways to reduce the car's weight it gained from the Optima! Seriously, thinking of some titanium bolts, maybe some anodized washers (yes, BLING) for the engine bay... stay tuned!

A Little Trip Down to Nissan Prince Shinagawa Today

Ever since my track day at Tsukuba with SSCT on the 5th, had not had a chance to properly wash the car, or have the OS Giken gear oil replaced. In fact, as of today I had not only done the track day with the brand new LSD, but had also driven another 300kms or so.

Consider the LSD broken in! (and yes, it was making more noise at low speed than before).

So, as we had some nice day today, parked the car outside, got out my claybar and PorterCable, and proceeded to do a quick detail on my car.

A couple of hours later, I found myself driving down to Nissan Shinagawa. It had been awhile, and something I saw when I did my oil change at Zama had given me cause for concern.



What is this? Why, it's a stripped bolt - the filler bolt for the rear LSD in fact. I was planning on doing my own diff oil swap at Zama last week, but decided against it when I saw this. And, given that Hiro had installed the LSD and the cover, but did not mention this, I am a bit upset as to why he did not. Anyway, it was worth paying a bit extra to have my car checked once over by people I trust.

Here is my car being worked on by the best mechanics at Nissan Shinagawa, Yamada-san and Sugimoto-san (check out this month's GT-R Magazine - November issue - if you don't believe me)


An interesting Z-Tune look R34 was being worked on before they kicked it off to work on mine (sorry, whoever it was).



I also spotted this interesting specimen in the back:


As well as this:

Don't know much about R34 coupes (this was an auto), but I did like the way they spelled out "SKYLINE" on the lip spoiler! (ok, a bit cheesy, but heck it was something I had not noticed before).

And when I arrived, the SSCT had just finished a director meeting - with one of them (Tobe-san) driving this!


I guess his UNISIA JECS replica R32 is just a bit too noticeable as a daily driver, so he drives this toned down "Lexus" iQ.

I also had Yamada-san and Sugimoto-san check out the rest of the car for any problems, as well as raise the front by 1 cm - car has been scraping a bit too much lately. They also installed a new diff filler bolt at no charge - throwing away the mangled one above. (they remarked that it looked like someone didn't have the proper tool and had tried to remove it using pliers...I'm not pointing fingers though. I'm just happy we fixed the problem!)

Driving back home - no noise coming from the rear, and the car livelier. Whatever it is, it's a relief to know everything is working perfectly.

PS - SSCT tells me that on the next track day on November 23rd, they will be arranging to have ALL of the Group A R32 racecar replicas there... should be interesting.

Tsukuba Circuit Track Day with SSCT

What a scorcher! It must have been one of the hottest days of the year! Although my friend Alex (who kindly volunteered to accompany me, and be photographer for the day - although he WAS researching the track for his eventual run in the future), arrived at the circuit at 0715 - a bit early - it was already hot. By the time I drove and finished, I had changed my shirt three times!

Ran with SSCT, did two 25 minute runs.

Anyway - I think I will let the photos that Alex took, tell the story. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tsukuba Circuit - 40 years old! (SSCT is also celebrating their 25th anniversary)


The famous Dunlop curve


Some other cars were running before we got there:


Here I am getting my car ready:


Meanwhile, Alex had spotted this other 97 GT-R, sporting Advan RS in the dark metallic black


View of the pits


The Other Machines


Taped Up and Ready To Go!


View of the chicane leading to the first hairpin


View of chicane, first hairpin, and Dunlop corner


Coming down the chicane


Attacking the first hairpin


Here I am followed by the 2 replica R32s


Powering up after the first hairpin


Getting lined up for the second stint!


On the back straight


Going through the Dunlop corner


I guess I could have been more aggressive...


Oops, too much roll, gotta get the suspension a bit tighter.


Alex - thanks for taking these awesome photos!!!

OS Giken LSD!!! a near flat tire... and getting ready for Tsukuba

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...)

Stay tuned!

Preparing, Cleaning, Painting, Cleaning...

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!

Driving the Skyline on the Izu Skyline Road!

This past Sunday, got together with some friends to enjoy the pristine roads of Izu.

Amongst us, we had an R34 GT-R, a new BMW M3, R35 GT-R, a crazy FC (Mazda), and an interesting S13.

My friend DCD did a write up at Speedhunters (with better pictures, of course):

speedhunters.com/archive/2010/08/03/car-life-izu-touring.aspx


Here are some pics my friend Jun took.