Keethos 842 Report post Posted October 27, 2014 That's right Lauren, I'm willing to give the spring rates a try, they shouldn't be too bad for me coming from a Clio cup which had pretty rock solid suspension but if I do find it too much, you can get softer spring for about £40-50 for a pair which would be fine considering how little I paid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KevinA 695 Report post Posted October 27, 2014 Try it and see, proof of the pudding is in the eating they say ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted November 30, 2014 Belated thanks to Richard Mckay and his guys over at RRG Macclesfield Toyota for their great service as usual. Have been getting the same error code and check engine light for a while now that comes on and then off again a few days later due to a coil pack. Finally got round to getting that replaced and it hasn't come back on since, even when giving it some. Also another belated thanks to Adrian Smith and his guys over at Fensport Performance for fitting & aligning my new coilovers as well as updating my ECU to the latest map. The updated remap has allowed me to stop the car from idling too high in the mornings, before when I start the car up from cold, the car would idle around the 2k rpm mark which with a loud exhaust could be a bit annoying for people in the mornings. To avoid annoying the neighbours I would set off as soon as I started the car, but now with the frosty mornings, I'm going to have to start the car and wait for the car to warm up. So with the new map, the car now idles around the 1k mark which means it's quieter in the mornings....it's still a lil loud....but not as loud. Beside this, Adrian has managed to extract some more power out of the car, don't know how much of a gain but the car feels a lot more smoother and pulls more again in the mid range, definitely keen to get it back on a dyno to see what difference it's made. Not only that, but the car is now returning even more mpg's, before, sitting on the motorway at 60mph on level ground, I could get about high 30's low 40's, now I can get around the high 40's which is a nice bonus. With regards to the HSD Coilovers, even though they have high spring rates (9kg at the front and 7kg at the rears), the ride still feels rather compliant and not as solid as my Clio 200 was. There's more movement over small minor bumps & imperfections on the road but there's less movement over bigger bumps and undulations. This means that you can feel more of what's going on with the road while not breaking your back over speed bumps. Pot holes and other sudden changes on the road can still be a bit on the harsh side but that's to be expected. There's even less body roll around corners now which makes the car feel even more planted but this does make the back end feel a lil loose, this could just be because of the cold weather but you don't feel the weight transfer as much before the rear breaks traction any more. The car has now been lowered by 30mm (so 345mm at the fronts and 350mm at the rears) and with a bit of Fensport trickery, the fronts which typically only have camber adjustments available, now has a bit of postive caster too. This has added a bit more weight to the steering wheel and the car feels more stable at high speeds like on the motorways, so less input is required to keep the car between the lines where as before, it felt like I was actively adjusting the steering wheel more. What I've also noticed is that while at very low speeds, I find that the steering wheel doesn't want to straighten as much any more so I have to put a bit more effort into turning the wheel back the opposite direction but it's fine when at speed. The camber at the fronts are now -2degs and -1.75degs at the rears while toe is at 0degs front and -1.5degs rear. However, in order to achieve this, I had to buy some front camber bolts as well as rear camber bushes (SuperPro I believe) and for some strange reason, the HSD Coilovers also didn't come with adjustable drop links so I had to get some front BC adjustable drop links. When setting up the car, I didn't even think about this before hand but Dave had a right time trying to adjust the height of the car down the passenger side since he usually measured from the centre of the wheel to the wheel arch, but since mine was mangled, Dave had to find somewhere else to measure to which meant extra measurements were needed each time he swapped sides Now with a free Saturday, I thought, lets play with the suspension a lil, at the moment the dampers are on the softest setting, I was hoping to tweak them to see if I can dial out some of movement from the minor bumps and road imperfections, but as I was dialling my rear drivers side adjuster.....I snapped the bloody thing didn't I????? MOTHER UCKER!!! Turns out the pin that holds the outer adjuster to the central adjuster shaft snapped so the outer adjuster was free to spin around, I'm sure I only managed 8 or 9 turns (out of 16) before I started to get resistance. Don't actually know what setting I'm on at the moment, tried to turn the central adjuster with some pliers but I don't know if I managed to turn it or not I tried to push the rest of the pin out of the central adjuster but it didn't want to budge (was hoping to just stick another pin in instead). So I didn't even bother adjusting the others, went out for a drive and luckily it doesn't feel that much different than before so I'll leave it as is for the time being. Just hope they're easy to replace without having to remove the actual strut or anything like that Here are some pics: Oh and while I was there, I saw this interesting lil nugget which I believe is steveoexige's GT86: 2 Lauren and nikndel reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nikndel 509 Report post Posted November 30, 2014 Did you get any pictures of the back of the boot I can see some sort of blanking device for the oem spoiler mounts would be nice to see how the remaining holes are filled in Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rob275 1817 Report post Posted November 30, 2014 Did you get any pictures of the back of the boot I can see some sort of blanking device for the oem spoiler mounts would be nice to see how the remaining holes are filled in I believe it was just a strip of Electrical Tape, until he can be arsed to fill them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted November 30, 2014 Close Rob but they looked like 4 patches of carbon fibre vinyl wrap (well that's what it looked like anyways). Sorry Nik, I didn't take any more pics that this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nikndel 509 Report post Posted November 30, 2014 ok cheers its always good to see how people overcome issues Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
griffinnn 11 Report post Posted December 23, 2014 Any more updates on the road to recovery? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted December 23, 2014 Yes and no matey, got a couple more quotes through, but they're still looking at around £7-8k which to be fair, isn't that far off what Rich at RRG could do it for minus other bits and bobs that don't necessarily need doing. I have however had 1 quote back this they've quoted just shy of £3k (probably be over £3k at the end as he's only quoted for the main panels and not all the brackets, clips and what not). This however is only to match the paint, so I've asked him how much for a full body respray with some other lil bits and bobs. Sadly, he's not got back to me even after a couple of emails and I can get hold of him. Wondering if he's realised it's not the right price and is ignoring me. I usually wouldn't consider this at such a low price but I was recommended this person by someone who has had a few cars repaired by him in the past. I'll keep on chasing him but the plan is to wait till winter has pasted before I get it done (saves ruining the new paint with all the salt and grit around). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted December 29, 2014 Just another quick update. Managed to get in touch with this guy with the mega low quote, turns out he's been in Australia, but don't know if he's been there that long as I tried e-mailing him a while back. I'll be giving him a call when he gets back. On to other good news, modding continued over Christmas....however not on my car but my helmet....and not the one between my legs but my racing helmet I've had this lil mount for ages but I've finally got round to sticking it on my helmet for some dynamic head turning action while on track This fits my Mobius Action Cam that I brought for roughly £50 and can't recommend it highly enough if you want small and very simple cam for stuff like this or in my case, mounted as a semi permanent dash cam. It doesn't have a screen, any fancy GPS or WiFi gadgetry but it's mega cheap, discreet (ideal for fit and forget in your car) and records 1080p footage equal quality to a GoPro which can be 4 times the price. Here's some footage I took while Karting with some family and friends, lighting isn't great but I'm sure it'll be great when outdoors on track etc. Sadly the battery didn't last very long at all, probably because I forgot to charge it but even so, the stock battery only really lasts about 80 mins I've read, however you can get bigger batteries if you needed but since I typically have it in the car all the time, it runs off the 12v socket all the time. 1 GT86-Ian reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 442 Report post Posted December 29, 2014 Nice one, Kethos! Shame about the lighting... Spec K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted December 30, 2014 Oh and another update, I ordered some replacement damper valves from DriftWorks on Friday at lunch, paid the cheapest delivery option (which was still about 1pound something) but it arrived Saturday morning, and what was even more awesome was a small bag of Haribos So with a bit of time off, even in the cold, I replaced the broken damper which was easy enough to get off but a bugger to get back on, mainly because I didn't have a 9mm spanner, couple of 8mm and 10mm but no 9mm spanners. It was easy to get off with a 9mm socket wrench since it didn't have the big knob on top but there was no way of using that to tighten a new one with. So I ended up just tightening it as much as I could with my fingers, it was tight enough that when I adjusted the damper, the main valve didn't turn at all so I think it's tight enough. Either way, I then started to play with the dampers, set them all hard and to be fair, it wasn't as solid as I thought it would be, but it did throw you upwards more. So now I've dropped them down half way and it seemed to have dialled out the small minor bumps but you still feel all the other bumps and what not so pretty happy with it for the time being. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted December 31, 2014 A little tip to get you out of trouble in these situations. Use a combination of an Allen key and larger spanner to get you by. Quite often, two Allen keys slotted into the gap of an oversized ring spanner will undo the tightest of nuts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted December 31, 2014 I did think about that briefly but I didn't think long enough about it as I tried a 10mm spanner and looked for an Allen key that would fit but it was proper fiddly and I was worried I might damage the small Allen key. Didn't really think about a bigger spanner with a bigger Allen key but there was not much space to work with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 A bit of an update for people, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! After another long week working at Bentley (which has now come to an end), I was hoping to sleep in today, however, the day of relaxation turned into a rather busy and productive day. To begin with, I needed to visit the guy who gave me the mega low quote to discuss the quote for extra bits that I'd like him to do as well as having the whole car resprayed a liquid yellow colour. This guy I am referring to is an old fella called Alan Artus who is based in Birmingham and has been there for many many years now. For the work that needs to be done, repairs including some of the main parts (I will be supplying some parts myself), colour change while making some bits black (e.g. roof, front lip etc) and fitting + painting black, Rob's DWC body kit that I got off him, he's quoted me roughly £5k which is crazy considering some of the other quotes I got were around the £6-7k mark just for repairs and colour matching. Now as mentioned before, sounds too good to be true but he's been highly recommended to me by 2 guys who's used him for years, from small repairs to full restorations, I even saw a pimped out Jag XF what was a write off that had been repaired, resprayed and fitted a load of the R-Type bits to it and it all looked very good work. So I'm happy to say that my car has been provisionally booked in for the 1st of April (assuming that I can get the car to him on that date and I'm not off somewhere again for work). But before I make my final decisions on what I wanted to get done exactly, I wanted to mock up an idea that I did in Forza and wondered what it would look like in real life. So I prepped the rear of the car, removed the spoiler & number plate and started to spray it with Plasti Dip. First off I gave the car 2 coats of Gun Metal Grey as a base to help mask the white, then 2-3 coats of Black. Now having a black boot isn't uncommon, seen a fair few 86's with black or carbon fibre boots but they always have a black or carbon fibre spoiler too, I on the other hand had the idea of keeping the spoiler the same body colour and I think it looks friggin awesome, almost like the spoiler is floating/separate to the boot but following the body. I must say, proper chuffed with the outcome both the look and the actual spray job considering it was cold and windy. This was just a mock up before deciding whether or not I should do it when I get my car resprayed in a liquid yellow and have the front lip, the roof and now most probably the boot painted in black while they're at it. Good thing about Plasti Dip is that if I didn't like it, I could just peel the stuff off. And while I was working on the boot, I thought it was a good time to fit some goodies I purchased off NigelR32.....some smoked Valenti taillights which looks the dogs biznitz! Then after all that, I was helping out doing deliveries all night Initial D Stylie I've got other plans for the car while it's getting repaired but I will leave that a surprise for now 1 GT86-Ian reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 442 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Looking good, Keethos! Cannot wait to see 'BeeVee' back to health... (Not sure about yellow... common as muck, now.... there must be at least 87 of 'em floating about.. ) Spec K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LFA 68 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Like the black rear Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 It does seem to work, so well done on that front. I'm guessing the yellow is the Renault Sport one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Love how you've acrually taken an idea from Forza and tested it in real life! Car looks rather mean now mate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tareim 343 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 those smoked valenti's look great especially in combo with the black boot, think I need to get a set of those lights Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks all, and yes Lauren, I'm hoping for a yellow similar to the Renault sport yellow (always regretted not getting that colour option when I had my Clio 200). And Keith, it won't be the same type of yellow, it'll stand out more, pop, shimmer and all that lovely stuff. And Forza's great, spent many hours doing different paint jobs, colour schemes and designs....wish there was a something similar on the PC cos doing this stuff via controller was a pain! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted March 15, 2015 I like the look of the black boot, probably because the car is white? Not sure it would suit yellow.Those rear lights also look amazing with the bootlid. I'm glad you like em!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ztox 230 Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Would love to see it in liquid yellow! Haha. I hate yellow cars but a yellow RS on the other hand... And if I wasn't already convinced by those lights.. 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted March 21, 2015 Rocking some new wheels for a couple of days while my stock wheels get refurbed courtesy of Alec for lending me his spare set of old Scoobie wheels with winter rubbers on......sorry to say it Alec but 16" are waaaaaay too small for these arches......they look sooooo lost......but thanks anyways 2 Lauren and JamesP1991 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted March 25, 2015 As my journey continues, here's a sneak peak at what I've just got back tonight Sadly my journey has just had a bit of a spanner thrown into the works, I mentioned previously what I was going to get some custom fenders made, well the geezer who was going to do it for me hasn't gotten around to doing it for me yet and he says that it won't be till next weekend at the earliest at which point the car would have already been handed over to the body shop and I'm not around to have a look at them first, plus I just don't have any confidence at all any more from this guy that he'll actually be able to deliver these custom fenders at all at this point. This went from them possibly doing the whole job for me (repair and paint), to their paint company doing the whole work for me but they'd still do the custom fenders to now nothing at all. So plans will have to change 2 JamesP1991 and LFA reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
