friday

Hopefully more "Riverside" than some of the clunky Azev-esque retro Ferrari wheels! TBH, for a bit extra you can go to Image Wheels and get a set made to your own spec: http://www.imagewheels.co.uk/ It's what I'm doing :)

So have you found an interesting alloy in a 108 PCD? Seem to remember it's a popular Ford/Citroen fitment (and probably a lot of others as well!)?

Sadly Graham's didn't work out so still on the hunt for something to convert this here file if anyone can point me in the right direction! :)

I've done a fair few of these for people (there's probably a few photos knocking about on here of one's I've done if you do a search) and TBH, if you're having a crack yourself, be prepared to lose all the skin on your knuckles! :D It's a bloody horrible job! ;)

And absolutely stunning in the flesh. I was shown round one while in Abu Dhabi (the owner also had a lovely 993 GT3 RS) and they are something else.

Right, that turned out to be a bit of a disappointment: the free trial does the job but leaves the DVD completely unwatchable with a ruddy great water mark in the centre of the screen telling you to buy the full copy :( And since I only need it for one file I don't really want to buy it (and can't seem to find it "free" elsewhere) Any other suggestions?

Merci monsieur! Free trial is good but a shame you have to pay in the end...will have to see if I can find a version which is totally free...ahem.

Computer tech advice needed please! I have an MKV file I need to convert so i can burn it to DVD with Nero 7. I'm guessing converting it to an AVI file would be best? What programs would people recommend to do the job as quickly and as easily as possible (bearing in mind I'm a Luddite ;)). Would WinAVI do the job? Cheers, Leigh.

Cheers for the offer mate, much appreciated. Depending on how things pan out with the guys suggested above ( a) if they'll take it on and b) how much!) I might just take you up on the offer of borrowing the gun (I have a huge compressor over here at the moment which we've been using for the V8 swaps so that side is sorted). Money is very tight at the moment so if the cost looks like it's going to be too much I'll have to have a crack myself :)

Well, £80 per panel for a quality job using pro kit and oven sounds bloody good so yes, it's something I'd definately give some consideration to despite the journey. But would he do me the same rates though as he doesn't know me from adam? As said above, some panels may also need a little attention (only minor stuff), would he be able to do this as well or would it be something I'd have to get done beforehand? Cheers, Leigh.

Thanks Tony, sounds perfect, and local to me to boot! Will definately give him a bell when he's back next week. Cheers for that! :) Leigh.

Cheers Yampiedog, I prefer cash in hand so that's good for me. If you happen to find the other guys details give me a shout if you can. :) Thanks mate, Leigh.

In a word: no. Unfortunately the PCD and offset are all wrong. And I say unfortunately as I agree with you they are a very nicely designed alloy.

Anyone??

Precisely. Wouldn't use the same approach with another car. Spraying her is pushing the boat out to be honest, the majority of owners use a brush or a roller! TBH, if i can't find someone I'll wait till I'm feeling more like, borrow a gun for my compressor and have a go myself.

As above, I'm looking for a cheap respray in Matt Black for my 1986 Land Rover Defender. I'm all for spending ££££'s on a quality job but in this case I'd be happy as long as there's no orange peel/runs. If the guy can knock out small dents/take care of the odd bit of surface corrosion before painting then all the better. Midlands area preferred as my health is making travelling a big problem at the moment, in fact, the closer to the Birmingham/Solihull area the better. If anyone can recommend someone for a spot of cash in hand work that would be appreciated. Cheers, Leigh.

Happy Birthday Nick :)

Sorry to hear this Chris :( Just got out of hospital myself today after getting some bad news. Strangely, the drugs they use for arthritis are the same as the ones they use for Crohns. I know I'm better in warm climates and I think eventually I'll be moving abroad myself.

Big fan of 28 Days Later. Danny Boyle really let me down with "Weeks". Utter rubbish. Boring, predictable, zero plot line, two dimensional characterisation I could go on. The only section that got me remotely interested was that helicopter sequence but only because it was so over the top.

Very random but just posted 2 vids up on my MySpaz blog. The first is Billy, Jimmy et al rocking out at the Reading Festival on "Bullet With butterfly Wings", the second is NIN at their "intimate" Birmingham Academy gig, performing "Wish". The sound quality is good for the SP gig but the bass distorts like a fecker for NIN. Still worth a look if you're a fan though. And while you're there feel free to have a listen to my own tunes and post a comment if you like. Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/kyotounderground Direct link to blog: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=219360695 Cheers, Friday.

Aaaaah. Can see your point now Alex! Cheers mate :) Leigh.

CJ, if I had the cash, I'd have that in a heartbeat. Good choice sir.

Now clear.

The short story is quite good.

I've recently designed and begun building a rear diffuser. I've been spending a lot of time on the Eng-Tips aerodynamic forum and here's an example of a thread (link below) that touches not only on the subject of underbody and rear diffusers (something that is woefully overlooked by the majority of amateur modifiers) but other vortex generators. Here's an excerpt ( http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=182684&page=1) tbuelna (Aerospace) 16 Jun 07 2:36 cpinz makes an excellent point. A diffuser (or underwing, or undertray, or underbody) is simply part of a ground effects system. The diffuser's function is to create a low pressure region under the body while producing as little drag as possible. The resulting downforce provides beneficial traction force for the tires. A properly designed underbody can produce downforce more efficiently than using front/rear wing elements. In fact, the front/rear wing elements typically seen on race cars are used mostly to balance the downforce front to rear. Most of the downforce being produced by the underbody. The other aero components that can assist the diffuser are a "splitter" in front and "skirts" or "vortex generators" on the sides. They will discourage air from migrating under the car. The location and height of the rear wing (if allowed) can also improve the performance of the diffuser. Routing the exhaust outlets (and heat exchanger outlets if possible) into the tunnels can add substantial energy to the airflow in the diffuser. And of course, putting louvers over the wheel wells (on a fendered car) will help to extract air from inside the fenders. The other important aspect to getting the diffuser to function effectively is designing a suspension system that will maintain proper ride height and ground clearance during cornering (roll), braking (dive) and acceleration (squat). I'm sure there is nothing more disconcerting to a driver than to lose traction while braking into a corner, due to loss of downforce because suspension dive upset the aero balance on the car. Most aero-dependent race chassis use a "three spring" suspension that is stiff in dive, but soft in roll. Of course, most racers are cheaters by nature. They'll push the rules as far as they can, until they get caught. So any clever ideas that you think you might have, have likely been tried before. But have fun anyway!