Keeping Up the Skills (or at least trying to)...

So thanks to my friends Derek and Mike at Pacific Coast JDM, I got to do some race driving as a guest driver at an endurance race last weekend, Race 3 of the Mobara Endurance Race Series at the Mobara Circuit in Chiba.  I know this isn't directly GT-R related, but I learned (and relearned) so much about driving and I think it's important that anyone who really considers himself/herself a gearhead go out and get proper driving lessons, or even better, participate in races/track days.

The day started early - the drivers meeting was scheduled to start at 0800 and by the time I got there at 0745, Team Gaijin Escape (Derek and Mike) were already busy unloading their race car, a very stripped down Mazda Roadster (NA).

Complete with roll cage, fat tires and super large wing

The loader was a Nissan! The NT450, to be exact (no originality in truck names huh)

Truth be told, the NT450s are made by Isuzu for Nissan

 Back to the race car - here is the cockpit - all business! No aircon, no radio, just 3 pedals, a gear shift and a steering wheel (the speedo and tacho weren't really working...)

The guys told me the cockpit is always evolving...this time a new seat for improved driving posture

Before qualifying, we all got busy doing what we could to get the car ready. Not wanting to touch and break anything I did what I'm best at, cleaned up a lot of dirty parts...

Note, the large rear wing. Just for looks? Well...

Amateur racing is always fun, because it's all about bang for the buck, fuel and driver change strategy, and driving skill.

Just the basics.

Anyway, between the drivers meeting and the race, we had plenty of time to get the car prepped, as well as time to practice on the track.  As this was my first time on the track, I was clearly the slowest on the track, trying to figure out the best lines, braking and acceleration and shifting points, etc.  I did manage however to shave about 5 seconds from my initial run to my best practice lap time, with my best time in the 56 second range (I was assured this wasn't bad for a first timer, although everyone else seemed to be running in the 52-54 second range).  The car is actually very easy to drive, telegraphs early on when the rear end starts losing grip or when it's about to understeer. Not much power but very responsive and a pure driving experience!

Then it was time for lunch!

Not exactly the healthiest, but got the essentials - carbs, fat and protein!

And then the race began at 1330. Five cars - S15 and S14 Silvias, our Roadster, a weird Nissan Micra, and a Mitsubishi FTO!

Both photos from race results page -  http://www.mobara-tc.com/5/20_endurance_riz.html

So...I went second, after Derek started the race.  While waiting my turn, Mike was kind enough to give me pointers about shift and braking points, as well as some track idiosyncrasies.  Nevertheless, I will admit that during my stint, I was getting faster and faster despite the turbo-charged competition, got a bit too overconfident and tried to go a bit too fast in the last corner - hitting the apex incorrectly in 3rd gear rather than taking what seemed to me a slower and sharper turn... and the centrifugal force was a bit too much! Meaning that I ran into the cushions on the sidewall. Ouch!

Luckily I wasn't hurt, and the car didn't seem too damaged either:

See the green tape- that's where the car hit the cushions - that should buff right out!

Little did I know, however, that the cushions had also ripped off the rear wing!

And believe it or not, that huge wing DID generate a noticeable amount of downforce.

We were all surprised at how the car, without the rear wing, lost a lot of rear traction. Unfortunately, this meant that both Derek and Mike ended up a couple seconds slower from their qualifying times in the 52 and 53 second range after they got in the wheel after I drove.

So basically - yes the guys were doing great, and the car was competitive. Until I got behind the wheel - not only was I slower, I ended up damaging the car (less rear downforce) and thus slowing us down.

And the result? There were only 5 cars in the race, and we came in fourth... in my defense, all the other cars were turbocharged and insanely fast (especially the S14 and S15) and obviously the drivers were all veterans of the track. Although they've yet to have a podium finish in the last 2 years, Team Gaijin Escape could have done much better, although secretly I believe that even if I hadn't damaged the car, the end result would have been the same, albeit with a few more laps to our name.

The only consolation for me (Derek and Mike were very understanding) was that the race winner was this stripped down Nissan Micra/March. Not only was it super fast (and loud), but their main driver was super skilled, pulling lap times in the high 40 second range - faster even than the Silvias! So as a Nissan employee something to be happy with, I guess?

In any case - many thanks again to Derek and Mike for the invitation and for putting up with my poor driving skills. Obviously I've been hanging out with the wrong crowd, I need to be driving much more like I used to on the track! Maybe that's something I will start doing again, even if not in the GT-R.  Maybe invest in a more track worthy car? Stay tuned...

Minor DIY Repair - Brake Light Switch Stopper

So as soon as I got my car back home and parked from the alarm shop where I had the Worx alarm removed, I noticed something strange as I parked the car...

The car's brake lamps refused to turn off!

Just the outsides? Wait this is a Kohki (Series 3) car so this is correct...

Yep, the brake lamp circuit then.

Yep, basically a deja vu moment (but in reverse) to this episode a few years ago when the lamps would not turn on! Back then, it was a faulty switch, so while I initially thought it was the switch again, I decided to take a closer look. But first, I had to pull the fuse to turn it all off!

I still have to figure out a more permanent solution to the control unit for the DeFi Heads Up display

As I did, I contacted Ochiai-san at Nismo Omori, not to complain of course (Me? Complain? Never), but possibly needing to book more service time at Nismo (even though I am doing my best to never have to go back there!) in order to fix this.  Ochiai-san immediately swung into action, checking to see if the brake lamp switch part was in stock... to our mutual horror, he discovered that the parts manufacturer was out of stock... and that there are 143 back orders having been placed!

Just then I discovered this:

Two pieces of broken round black plastic piece?

and friends this is where it pays to have a clean car - anything that shouldn't be there... is new.  So I took a closer look at the brake switch and discovered:

AHA!!! Broken plastic stopper

that the stopper that keeps the switch engaged (so when the switch is closed, the brake lamps are OFF, and when you stop on the pedal, the switch opens and activates the brake lamps - so long as the switch doesn't fail I guess a fail safe arrangement? Better to have your brake lights on than off I guess.)

I guess Ochiai-san doesn't want me dropping the car off for a 600 yen part because he found that the stopper part was in stock and two days later I got this in the mail:

At first I thought it was another bill - I think I am done paying Nismo...unlike some people I am so broke now...

Not looking good but at least from Ochiai-san (see red stamp)

Whew! Just the part I needed.
Part number is 46584-5P010 just in case for those of you who like to stock up on extra parts...

Now as I've recently been collecting the service manuals for the R33 Skyline, I made sure to use them to check before doing the work to verify which way the new piece went in.

So the piece is inserted from the brake switch side, with the larger side facing the switch

As I crawled under the car I found more pieces of the broken old part.

With the new part on the left

Now, this area is VERY difficult to access.  Even though I initially tried to hold the brake switch open with a flathead screwdriver, quickly realized there simply isn't enough room there to then slide in the new piece. And I have relatively small hands, if you are a big guy good luck - both squeezing under there as well being able to getting your hands in there in a position where you can actually move. I was barely able to...

I did a quick internet search and found some guys in Australia had the same problem.  I did briefly consider their idea of super gluing a coin into the space, but since I had already bought the part, decided that would be a last resort move.

So, I decided that removing the switch to gain some space was the next logical move.

Just use a wrench (14mm I think)  to undo the top nut everyone. That bottom nut is actually part of the brace!

 And once removed, there STILL isn't that much space. Maybe about 10mm?

I could barely get the part in that space... but then didn't have the leverage to force it into the hole

Anyway I tried various ways to get the rubber part into that hole. Sometimes I would be able to get the piece partially inserted, but then I didn't have enough leverage to push it all way in. I tried using some dishwashing soap on the hole, but that just made everything more slippery.

I eventually recovered all the broken pieces

Finally, in a moment of inspiration I used a long flathead screwdriver, attached some double stick tape to the end, and put the piece on it.

SUCCESS!! Couldn't believe how easily it went in! Should have done this from the beginning.

Arrows points to nice clean new part.

So then it was just a matter of reinstalling the switch.  I tried to get the switch into its former position, but I may be a few millimeters off because the lights come on IMMEDIATELY as I start to apply pressure to the brake pedal. I'm pretty sure that in the past it took a bit more for the brake lights to activate, so I may have to adjust the switch a bit.  But the good news is that now my brake lights work properly, so if I have to take the car somewhere I can simply drive it.

So one more issue solved, without paying $$$$ at the dealership or Nismo. But a few more problems of the DIY type before I can send the car along to bigger and better things.  More posts coming soon!

Picked Up From Nismo Omori But...

So while I did pick up the car from Nismo last Wednesday, I'm not going to write about it here because I have a long overdue Speedhunters post on the event coming soon - I'll post here when it goes live. Meanwhile because there are other things going on with the car, I will gloss over the pick up (for now) and talk a bit about what I did after leaving Nismo Omori Factory and then in my next posts a bit about future plans for the car.

Obligatory shot of getting ready to say goodbye.

Anyway, first order of business was to head over to the car alarm specialist that Ochiai-san had found. This shop specializes in a variety of car alarm brands, including the one that was installed by Worx. Given the shop's willingness and confidence in being able to remove the wiring, I was looking forward to finally getting rid of this cancer in my car. 

Because every drive in my car could be my last, instead of putting the car on carrier truck I elected to drive the one hour to Yamato City, where Pro-Tecta Shonan is located.  I was able to experience some high way speeds, along with some usual inaka (countryside) stop and go traffic. What an awesome car! So easy to drive, so raw and direct! And yet, it feels so much more civilized now, with the ride much less jarring (and yet still very firm) now, and yes the roof insulation that the Nismo Omori techs installed REALLY making a huge difference! Combined with the very quiet Pilot Sports 4S (compared to the previous tires I had on before), dare I say you can have a conversation in the car at speed without raising one's voice now?

Felt like the middle of nowhere... definitely not Tokyo or Yokohama!

The owner, Mizutani-san was waiting for me and immediately began to inspect the car.

He immediately recognized that the alarm install had a back up siren, as well as some other options

And then told me to come back on Sunday to pick up the car.

There was also a white R33 GT-R there also for an alarm install, I didn't think much about it at the time (so no photos)... meanwhile I traded contact information with Mizutani-san before I departed.  He assured me he would of course be super careful taking the car apart to find and remove the wiring. Just in case, I asked him to message me if he found anything weird.

And he did:

Mizutani-san was surprised to see this and sent me this photo...I told him that was nothing given the other crap...

So on Sunday afternoon, I went back to pick up the car.

Slow day...?

At last, I got to check out the headache of an alarm.

All in all, it weighed about 1-2 kg!

As I made it a point not to bad mouth Worx too much, Mizutani-san was able to give me a fairly objective report.  He said that he could tell that the installer was skilled (Mizutani-san has more years in the business however) and that the install was done with minimal cutting and splicing.  Finally some good news (relatively speaking), but as I told him, it was mainly in the OTHER areas where I found a lot of problems due to Worx Nakamura's questionable decisions and failure to let me know what he was doing.

So does that mean that the guys at Nismo were in over their heads? My interpretation is that they simply did not want to learn alarm wiring on my dime, so that is fair.  It is after all a business, and I'm not a rich man like some I know, so a line had to be drawn somewhere before it became too costly for Nismo to continue.  Plus as we all know Nismo is basically OEM, so that is their comfort zone. And that of course means not everything at Nismo is the best... or better stated, what Nismo does isn't for everyone (hint of possible future post).

The lesson here friends, is avoid installing Japanese-brand car alarms. They have too many features, and place a premium on flash versus ease of use.  My old Clifford alarm remote had two buttons, this one had 5, and so many cute graphics that the battery quickly wore out in a month (and they must have known, as it was super easy to change the batteries - no special ones needed, just AAA size). I don't recall how many times I changed the battery on the Clifford remote on the other hand... Plus I would like to think that US brands probably have more experience against car theft (a good thing) due to more cars being stolen in the USA (a bad thing).  Mizutani-san agreed that Cliffords (he installs them too) were easier to use, but said that they tended to break more so there wasn't a perfect solution.

Mizutani-san also told me that the owner of the white r33 GT-R that was there when I dropped off my GT-R was also a Nissan employee, but over at the Technical Center (an engineer or designer I'm guessing).  Apparently he spent about an hour checking out my car, remarking that I must have spent a lot of money on it so far... I told Mizutani-san to have the guy contact me and I'd be happy to discuss all things R33 GT-R!

Anyway I said my good byes and drove home.  I cleared out the other vehicles from my garage, and immediately did what I had to - give the GT-R its first wash in several MONTHS!

I could actually see the dust on the roof of the car....

I thought it was weird that they didn't wash the car at Nismo Omori Factory, but then again their ceramic coating contractor took a look at my car and told them the car was too clean to make it worth his while to do any work on it. And knowing that they know how OCD I am, I think not washing my car was probably the right thing to do (they wouldn't want to be accused of scratches done in the course of the wash)...

Epoxy floor, weather proof concrete walls and interior faucets means a wash out of direct sunlight!

So now that the car is back in my garage, is it done? Nope, a few more things need to be done before that can happen... this journey isn't quite over yet...

A Few More Days...

So a few more days to go until I pick up the car from Nismo OMORI Factory... unfortunately it won't be going straight back with me, I first need to drop it off at the specialist alarm shop that Ochiai-san found... and then some other stuff needs to be done... details in an upcoming post soon!

Second, Omori Factory isn't quite done with the car, as at the very least they still need to fix the cigarette lighter wiring and the front door speaker leads (they didn't have the parts in stock in time for the repair schedule)... but rest assured I have a few more things to be done (or at least, I'm getting estimates as we speak...) and so after getting the alarm wiring removed I will be making a return trip back.  Ochiai-san did confirm that the photos of the new headlight bulbs he sent last week was just to show the comparison between old and new, and that in fact both were replaced, and finally that in person the new ones look even whiter than the old ones.

On the other hand, they were able to get a new ashtray for the car:

Note the rough surface, consistent with Series 3 cars

And here is the parts number:

Remember, parts numbers change across the years...this is the late models only!

Ochiai-san also told me that they lowered the car as low as "legally possible"... which I understand is 8cm from the road to the lowest part of the car.

Very interesting device here...

In my car's case, the lowest part is the Mine's front pipe... and looking at how it looks compared to the rest of the underfloor, which has been completely refreshed, it doesn't look that pretty anymore, huh.　Maybe I need to make a trip to Mine's in the near future...??

So 9.5 cm from the road?

So I guess the front pipe is costing me 1.5cm... well I guess so long as it looks better than this:

On the other hand, in the past I found it was quite easy to change the heights of the Ohlins myself, so once it's back if it still looks odd we can lower it even more quite easily.  Although then yes we have to be careful about scrapes on not-so-smooth roads, and then I also wonder if the tires will rub against the inner fenders.

Finally, when I first dropped off the car they asked me if I wanted the car ceramic ("glass") coated. When I asked what happened to that option, turns out their supplier had checked out my car and said it was already "too clean" and that any work he would do to prep the car for the ceramic coating wouldn't really be noticeable. Win! It means very little prep next time the car goes in for a ceramic coat!

Anyway, while the car isn't as perfect as I wanted, it's come along way and we will keep fixing things one step at a time...

Another Update From NISMO Omori Factory

So last Friday afternoon I got the following update from Ochiai-san...turns out that even though the crap alarm keeps interfering with the starter motor (so I guess the immobilizer works..., in a way... ha ha) work is progressing on other parts of the car.

One item that I had asked to be replaced with new...turns out it HAD been on the last go around. I forgot to check, Ochiai-san forgot to tell me... oops.

Forgot to ask them to replace the brake cooling duct with new...
maybe it can be refurbished, we shall see...

I also got an update of sorts on the new headlight bulbs.  If you recall from this past post, one of the Phillips HID bulbs had failed, and in order to pass Shaken the techs at  Nismo Omori Factory hurriedly installed an aftermarket bulb sold by Sphere Light.

Shaken approved and 1 year warranty. 

The company website claims OEM Quality... we shall see...

So here is a photo comparing the two:

New bulb on right side (left side in photo) appears slightly more blue?
And yes I like the Star Wars Landspeeder effect!

But strangely I did not get sent a photo of both installed. Either they did the install and Ochiai-san simply forgot to take an "after" photo or they are saving me a few yen by letting me install the passenger side one myself (frankly, it's the easier one to do as the back of that headlight is more easily accessible as you can remove the airbox to get clear access to it).  Either way is ok with me!

Finally, it looks like they installed the Ohlins DFV as I mentioned last time and have installed the newly refurbished (and of course, glass coated) wheels - note they haven't yet applied the Rays stickers yet - with the new tires mounted.  In addition to the requisite alignment they will also be lowering the car to the bare minimum allowed under the Shaken rules... so a few more cm for sure.

Meanwhile I'm also happy to report that Ochiai-san has found an alarm shop that is willing to help out with the alarm removal. It's not the same shop that I went to many years ago in Tokyo (where I will go again to get another alarm installed) but one that is an authorized installer of the same alarm system that WORX Autoalarm "installed." Hopefully Nakamura wasn't too clever and they can sort out the mess.

So hopefully by next week the car will be ready... keeping fingers crossed...

Next Steps at NISMO Omori Factory

So as I hinted in my previous post, Nismo Omori Factory technicians have now begun focusing their attention to the outside of the car - among other things, the wheels and tires!

And that's why the car has been on "borrowed" wheels and tires for the last few weeks. Although I have to admit, those NISMO LMGT4s look VERY nice on the car...

So I wonder what suspension the car was on while the Ohlins were being serviced...

The Ohlins DFVs, from what I understand, were removed from the car almost immediately after I dropped it off, and sent to Labo Carrozzeria to be rebuilt with the same specs as before.  A few years ago they let me tour their factory and I did a blog post to show how they do a rebuild!

So the coilovers came back quickly, in about a week... what took time were the TE37 wheels that were being refinished, fixing up some minor curb rash and the usual scrapes that come when you actually drive your car.

Damn. Gorgeous! And yes, a glass coating has been applied - both outside AND inside...

You may also have spotted the odd looking/colored valve stem. That's because they are a non-Nissan/Nismo part that Nismo Omori Factory actually agree to install - an aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).   In fact they had an aftermarket one (made by Orange Electronic) designated a "sports model" (to allow for high inner tire temperatures) in a box when I visited, and were even kind enough to open it up for me to show me how it worked.  Unfortunately the screen display was a bit large and I've already got enough stuff (Blitz exhaust valve, Do-Luck DTM-2, ETC card reader, boost controller, heads up display controls) in the car already so I wanted something stealth.

So a few internet searches later I stumbled on this - a TPMS where the display is an app you download to your smart phone (either iPhone or Android).  I've actually already used an aftermarket one on my Lexus, but this displayed its output on a small screen that had to be installed in a blank switch location.

Of course, I have no idea if these work yet. Of course once I test them out, I will post the results! Fingers crossed...

Back to the wheels and tires... I was surprised when Ochiai-san sent me the following photo.  I had always thought that Nismo Omori Factory had tire changing equipment on premises, but for whatever reason they outsource to this guy who arrives with all of his equipment on a truck!

Look closely and you can see my name on the tire...

I know mobile tire fitters aren't a new thing (and in fact I need to find one to do the tires on my Lexus...) but I wonder how Nismo does the tires on their racing cars? And yeah, I ended up going with the Michelins, the price was TOO GOOD to pass up...

And talk about attention to detail! Or maybe they know me a bit too well...

Yep, blackened wheel weights so they don't stand out.

Oh and yes that missing ashtray? A long time ago I think I broke it like this when I tried to drill a hole in the back... I was experimenting with LED lighting of the ashtray and tried to get it to light up via the LED I had attached to the cigarette lighter ring. This was during my pre-Dremel days.  Buy the right tools, people!!

But guess what - new stock still exists for this part! So a new pristine one on the way! Cannot wait to get back into a car with an "OEM" look dash!

So what next? There is one more item I asked them to take care of but I haven't received any photos or messages on that yet. I'm also curious about whether we can get an alarm shop out to Nismo to help remove that crap alarm.  I'll keep you all posted of course...