Yesterday saw me head down to Kent to pick up my new Shortie! :D I got on the motorway to come back home about 4pm.

 

At 9pm, I was safely tucked away... on the hard shoulder of the A1(M) near York with a grand total of 1 wheelnut holding my rear passenger wheel on!!! The other 4 studs decided to shear off while I was in the outside lane - there was an almighty bang, the back-end of the car went completely loose so I had no choice but to dive for the shoulder! :(

 

The recovery truck arrived at 11pm and I slowly edged my new tripod onto the flatbed, before we headed off back to mine.

 

Spoke to Mr F this morning and he's ordered me 10 new rear studs, so my new car is currently undrivable. Seems it had cheap slot-on spacers on the back, no spigot rings and the end result was 4 wheelstuds missing.

 

Gotta love Zeds, eh...?!

Edited December 4, 201411 yr by Mondo

This morning, I was out fitting the throttle spring covers that arrived yesterday from Richie K. :) Thanks for getting them out so quickly, buddy!

 

No pictures because my engine is, quite frankly, disgusting at the moment! I'll have to put some hours in under the bonnet before this weekend.... :pinch:

No worries matey, I aim to please :biggrin: Get some pics up!!!

No worries matey, I aim to please :biggrin: Get some pics up!!!

 

End of this week, fella - honestly, it's disgusting under there right now! :lol:

Today finds me attending to a couple of "niggles" in the cabin, in readiness for Coventry this weekend.

 

It's all part of a larger plan, which is basically retrimming the whole damn thing again at some point. Partly because I want to change the design a little but, primarily, because the trim that's in there now was a seriously rushed job last year and there are certain areas where that haste is starting to become pretty obvious! :(

 

To start with though, I've remade the gear gaiter and armrest lid. Gone is the perforated leather and dark grey thread (as that was really connected with the initial design for the cabin) and it's been replaced by solid leather and Alcantara.

 

The main aspect of the new design will be to minimise any topstitching on the Alcantara so, to that end, the armrest now has a leather top section with Alcantara sides. A single line of silver stitching now sits either side of the top, leaving the Alcantara to provide it's own contrast.

 

 

 

For the gaiter, I've sewn a strip of leather onto the front and rear faces of an Alcantara sleeve, again finished with silver stitching. This will make much more sense in the future, don't worry. ;)

 

 

 

My clock, by the way, is currently away with Andy P getting fixed!

 

I've also finally got around to fitting my red steering wheel badge, which finishes things off quite nicely there I think. Thanks to Ian Greenfield for letting me get his last one!

 

 

And, because people were asking, here's what the polished throttle spring covers look like when they're fitted:

 

 

 

Soooo grubby under that bonnet at the moment!!

 

But yeah, nothing major or hugely exciting really. If I'm honest, I'm sort of dreading trimming my own car yet again but I know it'll be worth the weeks of graft when it's finished. But there's a stay in Bristol for her before that, and that should bring a couple of fairly significant changes as well... ;)

Looking good Si and like the cup holder where the ash try used to be. :thumbup1:

Nice work Si, That interior is sooo fresh:thumbup:

Nice work Si, That interior is sooo fresh:thumbup:

 

It will be one day... when I can find the time, between well as earning a living and sorting the house out to Her Majesty's liking! :lol:

 

I've decided, once and for all, that I'm not going to trim the dashboard and surrounding plastics - that's just taking it too far away from the "improved standard cabin" that I want. So it'll never be modded enough to win any shows, but it'll be just how I want it and that'll do for me. :)

It will be one day... when I can find the time, between well as earning a living and sorting the house out to Her Majesty's liking! :lol:

 

I've decided, once and for all, that I'm not going to trim the dashboard and surrounding plastics - that's just taking it too far away from the "improved standard cabin" that I want. So it'll never be modded enough to win any shows, but it'll be just how I want it and that'll do for me. :)

 

And that's all that matters buddy. I'm building my car for me and not for what I think the public want to see. It won't win any shows, but it will keep me happy:thumbup1:

And that's all that matters buddy. I'm building my car for me and not for what I think the public want to see. It won't win any shows, but it will keep me happy:thumbup1:

 

Exactly, mate. I can get it to just how I want it... and then no doubt sell it!! :rofl:

Exactly, mate. I can get it to just how I want it... and then no doubt sell it!! :rofl:

 

 

DIBS You take installments??:innocent::whistling:

Exactly, mate. I can get it to just how I want it... and then no doubt sell it!! :rofl:

 

I would say 2nd Dibbs...... but my 2 boys would trash that lovely interior in 5 minutes...... and then I would have to sell the kids to a circus......

I'll have another chat to you about my interior on Sunday Si. Now my suspension issues have been sorted the interior is definately next on my list.

DIBS You take installments??:innocent::whistling:

 

I would say 2nd Dibbs...... but my 2 boys would trash that lovely interior in 5 minutes...... and then I would have to sell the kids to a circus......

 

Vultures... absolute vultures.... :lol:

 

I'll have another chat to you about my interior on Sunday Si. Now my suspension issues have been sorted the interior is definately next on my list.

 

I'll be all ears, Tom. Be good to have a catch up with you :thumbup1:

Vultures... absolute vultures.... :lol:

 

I resemble that remark......... I am not a vulture.................... I am a buzzard I will have you know!!!!!!!

I think this will be the last mod I do before Coventry, but it's one I've been toying with for quite a while now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One leather-trimmed binnacle cover :biggrin: As with everything in this car, the leather is from Andrew Muirhead as it's such exceptional stuff. This is Ash Grey and the trim's been finished with some burgundy topstitching to tie it in to the overall colour scheme.

 

I like it a lot, even though it's really difficult to take a picture of it when it's fitted! :lol: I would've used this shade of leather for all the interior plastics but, as I said yesterday, that plan is no more. But I personally think the binnacle cover works as an "accent" on it's own. :thumbup1:

How much?? :whistling:

How much?? :whistling:

 

Would you like to just buy my interior and be done with it...?? :lol:

Would you like to just buy my interior and be done with it...?? :lol:

 

I was actually contemplating it:biggrin:

I was actually contemplating it:biggrin:

 

You'll be pleased to hear that the interior comes with a FREE Zed then! :thumbup1: :rofl:

You'll be pleased to hear that the interior comes with a FREE Zed then! :thumbup1: :rofl:

 

Happy Days!!! You take installments??:biggrin:

Just come back from a little jaunt into Stockton as I had to go to Halfrauds and get some metal polish for tomorrow. A nice little drive out with the roof off... reminds me why I love this car so much....

 

:biggrin:

I detest cleaning cars! Honestly, I don't know how detailers put themselves through the hell that is trying to make a car all shiny and presentable...!

 

But I'm getting there... slowly...

 

 

 

 

 

And at least the exhaust's nice and shiny (even though I'm changing it next month!). Now to get cracking with the bodywork :surrender:

Well, that's about as good as it's going to get! It's just started spotting with rain here so it's fortunate that I'd just finished :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll do the interior once this MR2's been dropped off tomorrow morning, then I'm on my way to Coventry :biggrin:

Looking forward to seeing this much improved SWB 300zx Si :thumbup1:

Looking forward to seeing this much improved SWB 300zx Si :thumbup1:

 

I fear your freshly-painted beauty will put mine to shame, Gaz....