sumshiftyguy

Almost 2.5yrs after taking possession of the car, I've FINALLY gotten around to testing and restoring my altia sills! With a lot of guidance from @Kleon I found the motivation to take them off the car and bench test them to find that one of the panels worked, although the light was patchy across the panel and the other was non-functional. I purchased new inverters and EL strips off ebay and though the colour is not an exact match, it's close enough for me to be properly chuffed with them! Taking them apart wasn't very difficult and getting them back together was only a little more complicated as my new EL panels were wired in a different spot to the originals which meant I had to get creative with my modelling knife to adapt the original housing plates to fit. Purists may hate me for it but they're back together, they work and you wouldn't be any the wiser! When re-installing I had hoped that my original inverter would still work but unfortunately not so I replaced that as well. Not a big deal but just a bit more effort. . . . . .

Just on one corner too!

Thanks Richard! I must admit when I first put them on, they felt a bit Jimmy Saville...but they have definitely grown on me! (no pun intended!)

Chalked up another trackday this past week with an open pit lane at Thruxton, the UK's fastest circuit. I have driven Thruxton before but not in my own car. After the success at the Nurburgring, I was excited for the day. Even more so as I had new tyres fitted and was eager to see how they would perform - Continental Sport Contact 7s. I was also a tad apprehensive as it would mark the first test of the gold LMs which I had personally rebuilt....it was hard work putting images of self-destructing wheels out of my mind!! Thankfully the day remained dry throughout and was quite warm from mid morning. The Zed wasn't the fastest on track but I received an awful lot of comments from spectators about how good it looked out on the tarmac! The trackday photographer also seemed to be taken with it as the online photo album of the day showed (some of his photos below). I'm happy to report that I'm still not hungry for more power or speed - the stock engine with boost jets feels wonderful. The car is ever nimble. Still has more body roll than I'd like on track but I'm not planning to do anything about that just yet. Thruxton is very easy on the brakes with only 2 braking zones so no concerns there with the judder I experienced at the Ring - which is good as I totally forgot about my plan to slip in some track pads for the next track day! I definitely do need to decat the car though. It was far too refined! . . . .

Now that the car had somewhere safe to park, I figured it was about time to get it properly detailed and paint corrected. It certainly needed it with all of the carcoon damage! We have a couple of detailers as partners in my other car club so after some back and forth with them, I took my car over to Car Detailing and Protection based in Feltham. Nav is a lovely guy and really loved having some old JDM to work on to break up the 'monotony' of super and hyper cars! The difference is astounding! I feel like the gold wheels suit the car much better now it's not covered in swirls!! However this will be the last paint correction I'm able to do as the paint is now too thin in a lot of places to take another correction. I may need to bring forward me wrap / paint plans. Nav was also able to pull out about 7 small dings - I was only aware of 3! Something else that Nav was able to do for me was to validate the feedback I'd received from others about some damage to the car - confirming that a previous detailer has burned through the lacquer on my rear bumper and due to not taping anything off, has burned into my window trims. Neither error can be reversed or corrected and is a detailing 101 mistake to make. Unfortunately too much time has passed since I had that detail done for any recourse but my lesson learned is to never take a recommendation at face value, even if it comes from someone otherwise highly reputable.. I won't mention any names but I'm extremely p*ssed about it. The window trims alone will set me back a substantial amount to replace. . . .

The car came with genuine 18” BBS LMs in silver with a satin lip which I love but ever since seeing a modded red NSX at JapShow years ago, I’ve always lusted after a set of gold LMs. Seeing as how one of my rims was damaged on my trip to Switzerland (see this previous post), I was considering refurbing them all and having the faces painted gold. The only reason I hadn’t pulled the trigger on this plan was that I wasn’t entirely sure how gold would look on the car and as these were my only LMs, there’d be no going back. Plus I wasn’t sure if painting them a different colour would affect the resale value in case I changed my mind. But manifestation is a wonderful thing and one late night on Facebook and I was presented with a listing by someone near Cambridge selling 18” Gold LMs for a not so unreasonable price! These were a larger offset than mine but the seller introduced me to the method of reverse mounting the faces to achieve the desired offset. A bit (a lot!) of googling and researching later, I haggled him down on the price a little and we struck a deal. The LMs are not meant to be reverse mounted as the faces have a slight curve to them so don’t sit perfectly flush with the mounting face of the barrel. However there appears to be countless examples online of folks who have gone ahead with it and experienced no adverse effects. Before I get berated….yes, I know I could get them machined flat, etc, etc but I was willing to take the chance. A couple of nights of breaking down the new gold LMs and rebuilding them back up later and they fit perfectly! I was even able to remove the spacer I had added to the back and return to the 5mm spacer on the front that the car came with and still clear my new 18z calipers. Tyre choice was another matter. I’m not such a fan of the stretched look anymore and prefer the thicker sidewall aesthetic. Fortunately the gold LMs came fitted with 245/40s so I had the chance to see how they might look on the car and as you might expect, terrible! I was hoping for a tyre that could perform on track, be comfortable and give a thicker sidewall look and spent countless hours reading reviews of 10s of tires and seeking personal recommendations from friends. One tyre consistently came out on top which was the PS4S but unfortunately this tyre isn’t made in the spec I was looking for - 235/40 (up front). The next best option were the Conti Sport Contact 7s. I ended up going with the same width I had previously up front but wider at the rears. My previous tyres were PS3s. Old: F235/40 + R255/35 New: F235/40 + R265/35 I’ve had a few drives with the new tyres and they seem grippy and noticeable less comfortable than the PS3s I had on before. I’ll be heading to Thruxton on September so look forward to testing them out properly then. And now for some pics…. . . . .

A few things to update over the past few months! I have a (new) garage! Well sort of. The previous 'carcoon' turned out to be a massive mistake. Whilst the theory of 'nothing touching the car' was sound, the reality was that each time I needed to access the car, the carcoon itself would need to touch the car. And even though that was relatively smooth and clean, the car usually wasn't. Over time, this mean that the paint was being sanded down. It didn't take long for the car to look like an old banger!! I needed an alternative and fast! I searched for local garages to rent but there just wasn't anything nearby and I hated the idea of not having easy access to the car. So the search returned to more creative and temporary solutions. All manner of tents and shields and covers were considered but none would allow me ease of access, not damage the car and not invite condensation and mould. There was only one product which ticked all the boxes and it just so happened to be from the same manufacturer as my carcoon. The price was 3x what I'd paid for the carcoon so I decided to email them pictures of all the damage the carcoon had done in an attempt to get a discount on the new product...and it worked! They gave me a 50% discount of what I'd paid for the carcoon and let me keep it and sell it, which I did for 60% of the price I paid...so a 10% 'profit'. I couldn't really ask for more than that! The new 'garage' was ordered and arrived within 2days. It\s been up and in use for almost 3mths and I absolutely love it! I can also now utilise a trickle charge and there's enough space around the car and height for me to access the boot and engine. If anyone needs a similar solution, I can highly recommend the Ultimate Outdoor Car Shield from InTheGarage: (the lean is because of the drive) Video of the setup - . .

Looks nice from the pics and low mileage too. I bought my 99spec from Japan too. It's an exciting albeit anxious process. You can read more about it here: Have someone local inspect it for you. I used Josh @ Gorilla Imports as he's someone known to the club. His fees were reasonable. The final price will depend on the auction though.

Thank you all!

Happy Belated birthday mate!!

Did they raise the boot floor to be level with the sub? Or do you have it sitting a little higher? Mine sits higher - not a big issue but would be great to have a flat boot floor. I've been meaning to add legs to the boot floor panels to bring them up a touch but it's been low on the priority list.

Happy belated birthday Tom! Hope you had a good celebration!

View Advert Porsche Brembo Front Calipers + pads + 330mm discs Selling my 4-pot Porsche 964 Brembo front calipers with part worn discs and pads. These came off my 99spec LWB TT as I replaced them with bigger Brembo 18z calipers. The Porsche calipers have been modified to the 300zx so additional brackets are not needed and I would say are of equal performance to the common R33 Brembo upgrade. The discs are 330mm and there's plenty left on them and the pads. Everything is in excellent working order so you shouldn't need a rebuild / refurb. Direct bolt on and play! £250ono + shipping Offered by: sumshiftyguy Date 27/10/24 Price £250.00 Category Parts - For Sale

I haven't been to this since I had my last 300zx but unfortunately I'll be in Italy this year with the fam...hope the weather is kind for those attending!

Last weekend, I finally went on my long awaited trip back to the Nurburgring. I’ve been a few times before but always opted to take a rental on track versus taking my own car, driven mainly by insurance cover limitations. This time I was planning to get my own car on track, albeit I planned to drive quite calmly and with my right indicator on the whole time! We drove down very early on Friday morning, straight to our hotel a few miles down from the Ring with a brief lunch break in Belgium. It’s always such great fun driving in a pack, especially through Europe where drivers are generally so much better at understanding lane discipline! After checking into the hotel, we tried to get to the track but unbeknownst to us, that weekend was a long weekend in Germany as a commemoration / remembrance of the Second World War so traffic was crazy as every German with a BMW decided to visit The Ring! We didn’t get anywhere close so quickly bailed and went for dinner instead! On Saturday, we had planned a morning of spirited driving through the winding hills and forests around the Ring. We set off very early and enjoyed lovely empty roads. All the cars performed beautifully and it really got us all in the mood for the weekend ahead. After a stop for lunch in Adenau by the Ring, we headed off to do some karting at the Ring centre. Great fun on any occasion, even greater fun with a group of good drivers where a second split 1st to 11st driver! After karting, we were free to do what we wanted so I took the opportunity to get some laps in on the Ring as a sort of sighting lap ahead of the main track day on Sunday. It will probably come as no surprise that after a warm-up lap, the red mist descended in the green hell and I was pushing the car to its limits (vs taking it easy as I'd initially planned!). Thankfully the weather was clear, hot and dry and the car performed brilliantly over the 2 laps that day. We ended the day with dinner at Pistenklaus, a firm Ring favourite. Sunday was the big day - no plans except laps, laps and laps of The Ring! Another very early start to get ahead of the traffic and in total, I managed to get in 5 laps throughout the day. I played around with the adjustable shocks to firm up the suspension (something I had forgotten to do on my previous visit to Snetterton) and the results were remarkable. The car handled very well and the back only stepped out a handful of times when I got a little too eager on the exit. One component which did disappoint but probably shouldn’t have been a surprise were the brake pads (or my assumption it’s them). A lap of The Ring is almost 13miles and 154 corners but after the first lap, I started getting judder on hard braking. Initially it would present towards the end of the lap but with each subsequent lap, the judder would present earlier and earlier. This despite letting the brakes cool for 20-30mins after each lap. All the brake components were brand new prior to the trip and there was no fade so my thoughts are it’s the pads - Brembo HP2s which aren’t a track pad and perhaps couldn’t take the repeated abuse. It was disappointing as this was the only limiting factor in being able to push the car further than I had been…and it certainly felt capable of more! For my next track outing I think I’ll source some track pads to pop in and see how I get on. As for other improvements / new parts following the trip, I hadn’t replaced the tyres before the trip and probably should have but I definitely will be now. I’m keen to get a slightly bigger sidewall and believe I can go wider than I have today with my LMs. Otherwise the shopping list just has the thicker ARBs and a decat as the car definitely needs to be a little louder, especially if I continue rolling with the same group of mates! Monday saw another spirited drive in the morning up to Cologne and the Motorworld museum which houses the Michael Schumacher personal collection. A fairly interesting site, not too dissimilar to Bicester in its feel and habitation by car specialists. This is also where you can stay at a hotel where your car sleeps by your bed. It looks a LOT better on social media than in real life. After lunch there, it was a sprint back up to Calais and the train home. Overall, the trip and the car were fantastic. I never had any occasion to doubt its health or ability to perform and really can’t wait to get out in it again on another long trip or track day. The recent improvements of the brake setup, the digital boost gauge and the stereo setup were all absolutely perfect (except for aforementioned pad judder). I was planning to visit Anglesey in June but unfortunately that event has been postponed til August and I’m no longer able to make it. The hunt for events is underway…. Obligatory photos for your enjoyment... . . . . . . .

I was fortunate enough to be selected to show at the Jap-themed Goodwood Breakfast Club today and even luckier that the weather held out for it! I haven't been to a Breakfast Club meet in almost a decade and was thoroughly impressed by the number and sheer variety of cars and bikes on show. I must have walked at least 1/3 the way around the track + paddocks, control tower parking etc... Unfortunately the Jap cars barely filled one paddock, whereas Brit cars filled two and all the usual high performance / modern filled all the otherwise-prime spots around Goodwood. And anyone and anything else that turned up got to park on the track. A massive shame that we only have 1x Z32 representing today (me) as I know @AndrewG had also applied and never heard back. Disappointing as there were several NSX, RX7, Supra, 350z, etc...I hope it was just an error and nothing more. I made short reel for my IG which you can see here... https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6mchn9NrdF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

My car came with stock orange side lights and powered corner markers and whilst I usually don't like orange on sports cars, the contrast with the black body was appealing and I thought it gave it a rather retro appeal. However, I do also like the look of red corner markers so over time had collected an old pair of empty markers with the idea of fitting them when I finally figure out what to do with the side lights. As far back as when I won the car at auction but before even taking delivery of it, I'd also managed to source some original Nismo smoked side lights off Japan ebay for a not-so-insignificant sum of money! I finally fitted them to the car and took them straight off...the smoked colour blended in with the body way too much unfortunately. Thankfully, @dipone had also offered me his old clear side indicators a while back so on they went and I think they actually suit the car quite well as they almost match the wheels and the 99spec headlights! Figured I'd de-carrot for a while and see if it stick. Worst case, I'll set everything back to orange! CARROT: DE-CARROT: .

When the car went up to @cbr for the brakes, I also had some boost jets fitted along with retrofitting an older ECU so I could add a custom chip. I haven't had the chance to drive the car too much aside from the drive back home but the performance is night and day. One thing that concerned me was not having an accurate boost reading and one that could measure beyond the stock 7psi...enter Enginetix! I've been following these guys for a while and it seemed like the perfect solution for someone that doesn't want to add gauges and keep a more OEM feel. The screen itself is tiny and 3d printed. It can be stuck anywhere which is handy but I went for directly in line of sight on the steering column! It looks a little ungainly from the side but from the driving position, is perfectly placed to give a live boost readout! It took about 4weeks from order to delivery as it's shipped from Vancouver and with Easter hols in between, I only managed to install it a week ago. I was keen to get it in before the Ring. . PXL_20240428_152333913.TS.mp4

I saw the same one and decided to make me own as well! Haven't gotten around to it yet though.

I've asked @AndrewG the same so I shall be very interested if he starts to offer this service!!

I have saved my old setup - it turns out that my rear discs were 330mm as well as the fronts and that my stock rear calipers were using an adaptor plate. All appear to be in excellent condition and once I'm satisfied that I've made the right move with the 18z, I'll likely list my old setup for sale. I would love to figure out which Porsche my calipers came from though - the Porsche and Brembo branding is in the cast of the caliper itself rather than stickers! . .

Something that has been cooking in my head for a while has finally come to be - I upgraded changed my brake setup to the Akebono discs + Brembo 18z calipers and matching pads. I didn't have much to complain about with my old setup - 4pot Porsche Brembo fronts + larger discs and stock rears - but they looked small and were black so blended in a bit too much. Throw in the tiniest amount of brake fade after blasting around alpine passes last year and the thought of change had taken hold in my mind. Initially I was planning to go with a full Akebono setup as I've heard they are smashing. Unfortunately a test fit with the template showed they wouldn't work with my BBS LMs. On a visit to see Zed Performance ( @cbr ) last year, Dan showed me a spare set of Brembo 18z he had and that was enough to set me on my voyage of discovery! A short 7mths later and I finally pulled the trigger on some calipers off ebay and followed up with a refurb service from BCSS. A quick call to Dan to get myself booked in whilst I ordered the remaining bits and we managed to pull it all off within a week. I had to grind down the rear calipers to make the adapter brackets fit and Dan had to pull some magic to get the fronts to fit perfectly but all obstacles were overcome and the brakes are on the car. I haven't tested them out properly yet as want to bed them in properly first. I have a trip the Nurburgring coming up in early May so planning to be ready for that! Parts List Refurbed Brembo 18z calipers with matching 4pot rears 370z Akebono single piece discs all round Brembo HP2 pads Front adaptors from ECP Rear adaptors from MFS I already had braided lines and a AMS brake master cylinder brace installed .

It's unbelievable that some people even think to try it on! Aside from the fact she rear ended you...everyone down the pub knows that's an open and shut insurance claim! lol

Nooo!! You're handling it a lot better than I would!!

8bit ECU - Socketed View Advert Does anyone have a working 8bit ECU that has already been socketed that they'd be willing to part with? Offered by: sumshiftyguy Date 15/03/24 Price Category Parts - Wanted