tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372114251580388912024-03-08T21:08:57.443+11:00rayray's garage1995 VW Golf GL 2.0Lrayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-12522133335852427692008-06-29T23:04:00.005+10:002008-06-29T23:38:27.044+10:00BooooFark, it's been nearly a good <span style="font-weight: bold;">six months</span> since I've posted aye. No excuses, just been plain lazy. I've been doing a bit on the Golf though, and while I'm typing away I was thinking I should show what I've done in pictures... BUT I've been THAT lazy that I haven't even taken many pics either.<br /><br />So in brief, what have I done in the span of 6 months?<br /><ul><li>BBS RS and Work Equips both sold, bought OZ Superturismos and <span style="font-weight: bold;">steelies</span>; the latter I had widened, powdercoated black.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/steelies/CIMG8608.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/steelies/CIMG8608.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul><li>VR6 subframe, control arms, tie-rods, drive-shafts and front sway bar finally installed - no more crooked wheel, it looks straight now!</li><li>Front wheel bearings changed (DIY, thanks Vortex).</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Driver-side damaged fixed</span> (insurance job).</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/steelies/CIMG8635.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/steelies/CIMG8635.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul><li>Another badgeless grille.</li><li>VR6 seats.</li><li>Audio install (amp, sub and false floor).</li><li>Battery relocation to the rear.</li><li>Integrated indicators into headlights.</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/integratedindicators/CIMG8359.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/integratedindicators/CIMG8359.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/integratedindicators/CIMG8474.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/integratedindicators/CIMG8474.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul><li>Ghetto fender roll (haha hammer FTW).</li></ul>But <span style="font-weight: bold;">most important</span>, I got closer to the VW community which is what got me started in all this in the first place. A bunch of Melbournians from the VWW forums came up for the annual VW Nats during May and we all had a blast hanging out and just talking shit. Dominic a.k.a. WABIT on the forums came up again this weekend and took some professional photos of the car as well (Pierre a.k.a. fuzion as well), which turned out fooking fantastic! I can't wait 'til he has the photos uploaded.<br /><br />Two pics I took at the Nats (camera phone, excuse the quality):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/250508-08Nats/DSC00112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/250508-08Nats/DSC00112.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/250508-08Nats/DSC00114.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/250508-08Nats/DSC00114.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's like that as a daily now but it just scrapes everywhere. Planning to fit the duck-bill back on soon.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-11500034684457254922008-01-07T15:56:00.000+11:002008-01-07T17:14:58.358+11:00DIY: Headlight refurbishIt is a common problem with a lot of car headlights that they start to turn <span style="font-weight: bold;">cloudy and yellow</span> over time. This is a result of all that mother nature throws at the headlights as you drive through rain, dirt, sunny day etc. Fortunately there's a way to bring the headlights back to its former glory! This DIY is for the most part an adaptation to the one written by <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2485084">FaelinGL</a> on <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.vwvortex.com/">VWVortex</a>. He made an excellent DIY.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Materials:</span><br /><ul><li>Water bottle w/ <span style="font-weight: bold;">detergent+water mix</span></li><li style="font-weight: bold;">Masking tape</li><li>Bucket with clean water<br /></li><li>Waterproof <span style="font-weight: bold;">sandpaper</span> (400/600/1000/2000)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Terry cloths</span>/polishing cloths/applicator pads/rags</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rubbing compound</span> (I used Meguiars Diamond Cut Compound)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Plastic polishing compound</span> (I used Plexus Plastic Cleaner: Protectant & Polish)</li><li>Torch</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Products:</span><br /><ul><li>Meguiars Diamond Cut Compound (<span style="font-weight: bold;">MDCC</span>) & Plexus Plastic Cleaner (<span style="font-weight: bold;">PPC</span>).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8273.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8273.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For this application, I thought MDCC was <span style="font-weight: bold;">not heavy enough</span>. I applied it about three times after the sanding and the result was far from what I hoped for. This may be due to bad sanding procedure though...<br />The PPC was a bit awkward and different to use. I was expecting it to be a substance similar to all the other polishing compounds I've come across, but this one was a <span style="font-weight: bold;">spray in an aerosol can</span>. It did <span style="font-weight: bold;">next to nothing</span> after the MDCC, though the sales assistants that helped me out said they had lots of good feedback for that product. I reckon the <a href="http://www.meguiars.com/?clear-plastic-care/PlastX-Clear-Plastic-Cleaner-Polish"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meguiars PlastX</span></a> as used by FaelinGL would have been a better alternative.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Procedure:</span><br /><ol><li>First off, make sure you're working <span style="font-weight: bold;">under shelter</span> and that the <span style="font-weight: bold;">paintwork is not hot</span> to touch.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mask off surrounding paintwork</span> as to avoid any accidental scratches. I just used newspaper but it was a pain to work around.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spray</span> (liberally) <span style="font-weight: bold;">the detergent water mixture</span> on the headlights, and proceed to <span style="font-weight: bold;">sand using 400 grit</span> waterproof sandpaper. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sand in one plane</span> (e.g. left-right), maintaining the <span style="font-weight: bold;">same amount of force</span> throughout the surface. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Continually wet</span> the surface; use a rag to wipe off any particles. About every 5-10 minutes, wash the surface with water and wipe dry - <span style="font-weight: bold;">run your fingers over the surface</span>. If the surface texture is <span style="font-style: italic;">inconsistent</span>, keep sanding. Proceed on to the next (finer) sandpaper when the texture of the whole headlight <span style="font-style: italic;">feels the same</span>.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Repeat step 3 with the finer sandpaper</span>, except sand in a <span style="font-weight: bold;">different plane</span> (e.g. up-down). Every time you check for surface texture consistency, you can check the direction of the scratches on the headlights. Use a torch if visibility isn't that great. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Keep sanding until all the scratches are in the new plane</span>. Repeat this until you finish sanding with 2000 grit (yeah it's bloody annoying, but you won't get perfect results otherwise).<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clean with water only and wipe dry</span>. Now, we apply the rubbing compound. Just like a car polish, work the compound into the headlights and buff off completely when it dries. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Best to follow the instructions on the compound you bought</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Repeat</span> as many times as needed (three is usually enough).<br /><br /></li><li>Similarly, apply the plastic polish.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buff out any residual polish on headlight and paintwork</span>. Remove masking slowly and (hopefully) marvel at your work!</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">Results:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Before</span>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8267.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8267.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">After sanding</span> (notice that the yellow tinge is gone):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8269.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8269.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">After polishes</span> (haze gone):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8271.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Imperfections</span>:<br /><br />These were only apparent after the polishing work. In the first pic, you can still see bits where the haze is still present. The rest of the headlight was still not clear enough to my liking, though it was far better than what we started off with. In the second, the deeper scratches weren't sanded/polished out well enough. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8276.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8276.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8275.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8275.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I did this DIY with 600 and 1200 grit sandpaper, and went through it all rather quickly. 600 grit just wasn't rough enough to sand away the haze quick enough, so I reckon starting off with 400 would be best. Working through more sandpaper grades would be easier when it comes to sanding out scratches.<br /><br />Just a <span style="font-weight: bold;">comparison</span> with the indicator lens:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8277.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/passatheadlightrefinish/CIMG8277.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's nowhere near as clear, but I reckon when done right, it can get very, very close.</li></ul>Maybe not a problem with the Mk3 (I've never seen an example of this on a Mk3), but this can be carried out whatever the condition the headlight lens is in.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-39081719707314576042008-01-02T11:32:00.000+11:002008-01-02T12:00:27.697+11:00Homebush meetHope everyone had a <span style="font-weight: bold;">fantastic New Years</span>.<br /><br />Before the New Years, some of the guys on VWW decided to meet up as long time member Andrew (<span style="font-weight: bold;">gtimk5</span>) of Tasmania came up for the holiday season in his Tornado Red Mk5 GTI. Also, Neil (<span style="font-weight: bold;">99gti</span>) of Melbourne in his Jazz Blue Mk4 GTI have permanently moved to Sydney due to work and family commitments. Both were very welcome additions to Sydney though!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300078.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300079.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300079.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We ended up <span style="font-weight: bold;">meeting at Homebush</span> again for its wide spaces, central locations and photo ops. We went to eat at a local Italian restaurant (Jouliana's) that served great pizzas by easy-on-the-eye waitresses haha. It was definitely a very nice chance to see some other VWwatercoolers in a more relaxed environment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/Houso101/08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/Houso101/08.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/Houso101/07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/Houso101/07.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/Houso101/01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/Houso101/01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300067.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300067.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300075.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/S7300075.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-67093819810472811882007-12-23T19:37:00.000+11:002007-12-23T19:58:37.978+11:00Work-ed upMixed emotions over these. I <span style="font-weight: bold;">love</span> them and think they look tons better than the RS on my car, but they just <span style="font-weight: bold;">poke</span> toooooooo much for my liking at the moment. I've taken them back off as the <span style="font-weight: bold;">scraping</span> is just unbearable. Steve wants his stock BBS wheels back so I'm on the market for wheels again (like I ever left it haha). Think I might just settle for 1<span style="font-weight: bold;">6" Mk4/A3/TT OEM wheels</span> for now. Montreal II's are floating around everywhere but I'm hoping to snag one set up for less than $500.<br /><br />Anyway, pics:<br /><br />Silly poke.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8176.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8176.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8182.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8182.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8180.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8180.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8175.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8175.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8171.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8171.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I was <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> proud of my camera work today haha. Pictures came out great IMO for a point and shoot digital camera. Only did some cropping and didn't resize them. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/">Check out my Photobucket</a> for the other 15.<br /><br />Plans for it now is to save up for a pair of <span style="font-weight: bold;">smaller adapters</span> (20mm), <span style="font-weight: bold;">refurbish</span> them (full polish?) and maybe get some <span style="font-weight: bold;">neg camber</span> in when the wheels are ready to go back on.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-26765016161670872102007-12-19T17:36:00.001+11:002007-12-19T18:12:41.150+11:00404 not found?Oh, but I did :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8149.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8149.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8152.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8152.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Quality stuff that fits on like it came from the factory (fits better than bits that actually did come out of the factory :P). Basically there's a rail that hooks on to the roof edge that's covered up by the rubber seal lining:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8154.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8154.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Easily tightened and aligned by the allen key screws:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8153.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Followed by the cover that's locked in by key. Really looks neat!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8151.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/roofrack/CIMG8151.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Pity about my shitty photo taking though. It's been raining a lot in Australia (especially for summer). Looks like the drought's breaking.<br /><br />And... I'm <span style="font-weight: bold;">selling the BBS wheels</span>. I'm not saying who to, but he will definitely look after them very, very, very well. I'll miss them, but it's time to move on!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How's this</span> for moving on?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8147.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8147.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8148.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG8148.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">:)</span>rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-16552352187191857472007-12-17T18:10:00.000+11:002007-12-17T18:26:14.102+11:00Mk3 meetSo some of the blokes on VWW wanted to do a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mk3 photoshoot meet</span>. I chimed in and suggested doing a dinner get-together thing as well.<br /><br />It was pouring like crazy but definitely didn't stop the regulars from meeting up. Pedro (red Mk3), Louis (burgundy VR6), Steve (white + textured VR6), Aaron (black VR6), Demil (white Mk3) and myself were the show-ers including George (Mk5 TFSI Jetta), Pierre (red Mk4 GTI) and Ray (B5 Passat 1.8T). We first met up at one of Homebush Olympic Park's carpark followed by Rhodes Shopping centre indoor carpark lot. We then headed off to Auburn RSL for some all-you-can-eat buffet and then back to Homebush for some night shots. Overall it was a great afternoon/night that involved a lot of catching up and just talking shit.<br /><br />I left it to the boys with SLR's to do the photo-taking:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/Th3_H4wk/Other/2007-12-16%20-%20Photo%20Shoot/IMG_6258.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/Th3_H4wk/Other/2007-12-16%20-%20Photo%20Shoot/IMG_6258.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/Th3_H4wk/Other/2007-12-16%20-%20Photo%20Shoot/IMG_6254.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/Th3_H4wk/Other/2007-12-16%20-%20Photo%20Shoot/IMG_6254.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/Th3_H4wk/Other/2007-12-16%20-%20Photo%20Shoot/Pan1crop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/Th3_H4wk/Other/2007-12-16%20-%20Photo%20Shoot/Pan1crop.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>All pics courtesy of VW_Hawk aka Aaron. Louis took a few (read: many) too, but used film so those pics will be up later.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Roof racks</span> came in today, and they look great. Installed them on and I can't help but say the car has that Euro flavour to it now haha.<br /><br />And I've got some <span style="font-weight: bold;">sad</span> (not bad) <span style="font-weight: bold;">news</span> that I'll elaborate on in due time.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-80349661273346634832007-12-12T14:49:00.001+11:002007-12-12T14:56:38.977+11:00:(<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8143.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8144.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8144.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8145.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8145.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8146.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/accident/CIMG8146.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Sorry about the lack of updates - just haven't been in the mood lately.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-44696359884477029812007-11-05T18:30:00.000+11:002007-11-05T22:11:38.044+11:00Dubmissile rocks!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Alan </span>of <a href="http://www.dubmissile.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dubmissile</span></a> sent me an awesome email at the end of that bloody awful last week of Uni. The result of that email came in today, while I was doing my rear brakes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7966.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7966.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>He sent me an awesome sample of his <span style="font-weight: bold;">badges</span>! They'll be on the bag for now until I get my headliner and pillars done in custom fabric :) Thanks Alan!<br /><br />Oh, and as I said before, the badges came in while I was doing the rear brakes. Dan's (of VWVortex fame, Dan J Reed) <a href="http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/rearbrakes/index.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Rear disk brakes"</span></a> DIY page was very handy when I was doing this. His <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/">DIY page</a> is definitely worth visiting (and bookmarking) if you have a Mk3 Golf/Jetta/Vento.<br /><br />My <span style="font-weight: bold;">old man</span> helped me out today, and I very much appreciated it. To be honest, he was a bit hesitant about my/our ability at first, but we got through it fine. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7953.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7953.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Of course, we hit a few <span style="font-weight: bold;">obstacles</span>. The caliper carrier bolts that required an 8 mm allen key were bloody hard to undo. The air compressor (yes, I impulsively bought one) with the 250 lb rated impact gun couldn't budge two out of a total of four, but after loads of WD40, a few hours and a lot of persuasion, they finally came loose. We ended up chopping our L-shaped allen key so that it was a straight rod about 8-9 cm long, and used Pedro's breaker bar. It gave us decent leverage, though we still had to use a lot of force on the breaker bar to force the bloody bolt loose. <br /><br />Everything else was relatively smooth. I ended up using the inner wheel bearings already on the 5-studded rotors, but used the old outer wheel bearings and race. I went to buy new split/cotter pins though, and ended up buying slightly longer ones (4.0 mm x 50 mm) as they didn't have any that were shorter. Stock ones were the same width but only about 40mm long. It didn't cause too much drama though, as we were able to bend the new split pins around so that they stay within the wheel bearing dust caps.<br /><br />It was then time for the adapters. The 1.3" were quite big... they nearly matched the thickness of the brake hub! I started worrying about whether the 8" ~ET12 wheels would fit, but I was more worried about how I was getting the adapters to fit on. It ended up pretty easy though - the <a href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/adapters/CIMG7822.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;">lug+nuts</span></a> A-DAPT-IT included were actually bolt on studs for the brake hubs. The lug/studs went on first (in which I applied Locktite to, along with the rest of the bolts for the brake reassembly), then the adapter followed by the nuts. Two problems encountered here - my lug wrench, which is the right size for the nuts, did not fit within the adapter hole. Ended up buying a thin-walled 13/16" deep socket - there was a thin-walled impact socket, but it was still too thick :( The other problem was that one of the nuts had a thicker section than the rest. The oversize was only a hair's breadth, but it was still enough of a difference to prevent the nut to seat properly. I'll have to get the angle grinder out for this one.<br /><br />No 'during' pics as my hands were continuously greasy or dirt black, but here are some 'after' photos:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7956.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7956.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Exactly the kind of poke I was aiming for. I thought an offset of roughly ET12 would be too much poke, but it ended up being <span style="font-weight: bold;">subtle</span>. I'd say ET20 on an 8" would be flush with the rear guards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7955.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7955.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And that <span style="font-weight: bold;">down-n-out</span> stance ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7959.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7959.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Starting on the fronts tomorrow, then hopefully done by Thursday/Friday so I can give the car <span style="font-weight: bold;">a proper wash</span>! I haven't done that for <span style="font-weight: bold;">MONTHS</span>, and to be honest, I feel bad!rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-65875100053250298692007-11-04T21:16:00.000+11:002007-11-04T21:52:25.017+11:00Flat Fours ShootoutFinally a post that's <span style="font-weight: bold;">not </span>about my car.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flatfour.org/shoot.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flat Fours</span></a> held a show today at Miller. They are known to be a <span style="font-weight: bold;">modified VW club</span> that is open to all those that own a VW, although they are predominantly filled with aircooled owners/modifiers. It was an excellent day today. It was actually forecast to rain (as it was doing for the past few days) but I woke up to blue skies and glaring sunshine. I hope the <a href="http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=9375"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VWW Summer cruise</span></a> to the 'Gong will be the same!<br /><br />Met up with a few <span style="font-weight: bold;">regulars </span>but also met a new VWW member by the name of Mike. Owns a VR6, but used to have a modded up S15! I'd say it must've been a step-down in his case power-wise...<br />Steve was there too, and picked up his other deep VR6 lip. To be honest, I kind of miss the look of it, but I think what I'll do is use the VR6 lip for cruises/meets and events and such, but for daily driving duties, I'll just keep rocking the duckbill. Anyway, Steve's new-look VR6 looks fucking HORN. The rear especially, with the shaved VW badge recess and deleted wiper, and colour-coded boot-look which makes it look like the top part of the plate recess was shaved too. His whole stance with the KW coilovers look great too over his polished Porsche 928 wheels. Smoked long turns and dummies also look the part with the smoked theme, and the Aero wipers that are usually more associated with the latest generation of VWs goes with the whole clean look. Anyway, here's some of the pics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/CIMG7926.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/CIMG7926.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/CIMG7929.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/CIMG7929.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/CIMG7937.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/CIMG7937.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The rest can be found on my <a href="http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Events/041107-flatfour/?start=all"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photobucket</span></a>.<br /><br />Oh, and many thanks to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Louis </span>for giving me a ride to the event!rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-84200505834587991182007-10-29T08:57:00.000+11:002007-10-30T21:47:43.055+11:00On schedule...Did a lot yesterday and today. Used the electric detailing sander for the first time and boy, does it make things bloody easy. The front side of the front bumper is <span style="font-weight: bold;">95% smooth</span> save for the top indents which I think I'm just going to fill over where they join - I'll be heading to Bunnings for a dremel bit that I can use so I can make the necessary modifications to shape the filling to look exactly like the rest of the indenting. I'm thinking that'll be the easiest, rather than try and work my way with hot, viscous plastic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7867.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7867.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7869.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7869.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I got sanding-happy with the machine :P It should make filling easier though, since I'm working with raw plastic rather than paint.<br /><br />I've also made a few modifications so the donor panels I used <span style="font-weight: bold;">now follow the curvature</span> of the bumper (as close as possible). I basically added some support behind the bumper so the donor panels are now pushed to match the curve of the bumper top. It was merely a thought at first but then decided to give a try, and so far it holds up bloody strong. However I'm not sure whether it'll hit the rebar - it might be too <span style="font-weight: bold;">thick.</span> I've yet to put the bumper back on but will be doing it tomorrow as I'm getting the fender rolling done - more info later.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7871.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7871.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7876.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7876.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>That's the side with three of those 'holders'. No budges at all when you push with force, so they're held on very well. The other side though I only welded in one - it does the job in holding the curvature, but part of it still flexes when pushed with force. I'm lazy in creating another holder for it for added support.<br /><br />Did the filling with Isopon's Bumper Fill too. Very easy to work with, but very quick to set. Once it does though, it's very soft. The sander made light work of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7878.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7878.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I used a whole lot of it at first but manage to sand down pretty much 80% of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7879.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7879.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Also bought the engraver bit for the dremel and tried to make the indent. Did a very bodgy job but it looks OK. I couldn't be fucked with it at the end so I just quickly did another layer of filler to go over any indented spots. Towards the evening, I sprayed a few coats of satin black paint over. I will be wet-sanding to try and get an even finish (the finish right now is quite shitty). It looks quite rat-stylz right now :P<br /><br />I also did the <span style="font-weight: bold;">front indicators</span>. I've <span style="font-weight: bold;">done the wiring</span> - basically just crimped the ends and did a test, and they work fine. I've since <span style="font-weight: bold;">taken apart the lights</span> (they're Mk1 front bumper indicator items) and cleaned the insides ready for proper sealing - they were originally "sealed" by rubber insulation. Also <span style="font-weight: bold;">tinted the lens</span> - they look much better than the clear side indicators. Leaves me here thinking that I should just ditch them and tint the stock ones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7851.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7851.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7877.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7877.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Hate anything to do with wiring...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7853.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7853.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Oh yeah.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7859.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7859.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Managed to trim the lower duct trim today and get the indicators to fit. I cut holes on the far lower corner of each duct. With a few adjustments with the dremel, I managed to get the indicators to fit through and fit rather snugly in the ducts. I'll definitely need to hold them tightly though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7881.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7881.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7882.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7882.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7883.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/frontindicators/CIMG7883.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Much like the front bumper, I couldn't be fucked doing a proper job... I'm thinking of just using zip ties to hold the indicator down to the duct. I won't be able to use screws so the screw holes can be put to "good use".<br /><br />Once I've wet-sanded and sprayed on another few layers of black on, I'll be able to fit the lower duct trim and indicators on and head down to the garage with the fender roller.<br /><br />I jacked the car up to modify the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://rayray086.blogspot.com/2007/10/diy-fender-rolling-for-mk3-vehicles.html">inner guard linings</a> as well. To my relief, only the fronts have a guard liner - the rears can be rolled as they are. Anyway, check out the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://rayray086.blogspot.com/2007/10/diy-fender-rolling-for-mk3-vehicles.html">DIY</a> for what I did.<br /><br />I inadvertently hit the paint work with the dremel on one of the fenders :( The mark is about two inches long, showing bare metal. It's right on the lip too. I'll have to touch it up after the rolling...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday update:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7892.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7892.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Painted the bumper - looks bad :( Not because it's black, it's just that I didn't do a good job at all with the sanding and filling. Looks really rat-stylez right now actually haha. Also painted the front indicator surrounds and lower duct trim while I was at it.<br /><br />Went to UpGarage to get the fenders rolled too - $150. Also dropped by at Matt's to get the CV joints.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7900.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7900.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>As referred to by Matt, I also went to Super Cheap for some DOT4 brake fluid - got some "Castrol Response Super DOT4". They had the "Advanced" version and it was $2.00 cheaper, so I just opted for this one. Also got this "one-man" brake bleeder kit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7899.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/VR6%20brakes/CIMG7899.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Let's hope all goes well tomorrow! My goal is just to get two done (front two) and finish it off on Thursday. Then I can spend all Friday finishing up my rear bumper ready for Flat Fours. I'm not gonna overly rush that one though.<br /><br />Oh, and pics of the car as of now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7894.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7894.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7896.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7896.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7897.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaving%20project/stuvac/CIMG7897.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-13846000580511337572007-10-28T23:37:00.000+11:002007-10-29T08:55:43.176+11:00DIY: Fender rolling for Mk3 vehicles.More of a <span style="font-weight: bold;">fender rolling prep</span> than the actual process, but here it is nonetheless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aim:</span><br /><ul><li>To <span style="font-weight: bold;">remove sections of the front guard liner</span> under the fenders in preparation for fender rolling.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fender rolling</span> involves <span style="font-weight: bold;">folding the lip of the fender</span>, effectively allowing more room for a wheel to fit under.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Materials:</span><br /><ul><li>Dremel (with a cutter bit)</li><li>Marker</li><li>Heat gun<br /></li><li>Fender roller equipment</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Safety:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">WORK ON LEVEL GROUND.</span> Don't make things difficult for yourself.<br /></li><li>Use a hydraulic jack, or a scissor-type if you don't have one. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=8942">Don't risk</a> using the widow-maker.</li><li>Use <span style="font-weight: bold;">STANDS</span>. Don't work under a car with just a jack supporting it. You might think it's unlikely, but they can fail, and when they do, you'll be FUBAR'ed.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chock the wheels</span> so there's no room for your vehicle to move. Cars are known to roll off jacks or stands in unusual circumstances and this will also get your FUBAR'ed if you're working under the car. There's a very high chance of this happening if you don't heed the first safety point.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wear gloves, face protection, ear muffs</span> and work under shelter. You'll be working with a dremel up close and there will be falling debris. There's also awesome acoustics under the guards, and you'll find yourself going deaf with your head in there. Also, the sun will affect your vision too. I found out when I started doing this during the afternoon and I had to the car facing west :P</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Procedure:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SAFETY!</span> Make sure the hand-brake is on, chock the rear wheels (give just a little room for the car to lift up), loosen the wheel bolts, jack the front-end of the car up, place it on stands, take the wheels off and wear your gear.<br /><br /></li><li>Look under the fender. Along the length of the arch of the fender, you will see four bolts around the edge - one located near the jack sills, one located near the bumper-to-guard bolt, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">the other two bolts between these</span>. Let's focus on <span style="font-weight: bold;">those two</span>.<br /><br />The lip of the guard between these two bolts will usually be the part of the fender that a wide wheel will come in contact with. We won't have to take these bolts out - instead, this is where we will commence our cuts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7844.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7844.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make a marking</span> about 1cm away from the bolt. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cut perpendicular to the lip</span>, making sure you don't come in contact with the metal. Do this for the other bolt.<br /><br />There's <span style="font-weight: bold;">a slight fold about an inch from the lip</span> - this is where I made the parallel cut from bolt to bolt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7846.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7846.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>My cutting wasn't very straight but as long as there's enough room for the lip to roll over, you'll be fine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7847.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7847.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7848.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7848.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Repeat</span> for other side.<br /><br /></li><li>Follow the instructions of your fender roller and go crazy. Remember to use a heat gun to warm the panel first before doing any rolling.<br /></li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span><br /><ul><li>The DIY is only applicable for the front two fenders - the rears don't have a guard liner.</li><li>Before rolling both front and rear fenders, remember to <span style="font-weight: bold;">clean the inside of the lip thoroughly</span> so there's no debris - anything residing in there can lead to a thicker fold, or worse yet, dents on your panels.</li><li>Use the dremel slowly and carefully. I inadvertently hit the paintwork of my fenders.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7850.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/fenderroll/CIMG7850.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Don't say I didn't warn you :(</li></ul>Today I'm getting them rolled. Will show final pics when I get them.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-14379370053439309612007-10-18T00:51:00.001+10:002007-10-27T00:13:25.297+10:00Temporary update - midweek bump!Just procrastinating on my Uni work so chucking up a few pics on what's been happening.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/adapters/CIMG7820.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/adapters/CIMG7820.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG7809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/CIMG7809.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Also received <span style="font-weight: bold;">new clear side indicators</span> and bought tinting paint. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Smoked</span> the clear sides to get a more consistent smoked finish as opposed to the JOM items I had before. Light quality is shit as and it doesn't look good at all when it blinks :( Should have stuck with the JOM items and just de-ambered the cap. I'll probably just tint the stock ambers too to see how that looks. If it gets rid of the amber look when it's not blinking, then I'm happy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update #2</span><br />Went <span style="font-weight: bold;">tyre shopping</span> today. I first told myself what size I wanted (originally it was <span style="font-weight: bold;">195/45R16</span> and 205/45R16, but have since settled with the only the former), then went about researching what tyres came in that size. It's a <span style="font-weight: bold;">very uncommon size</span> (how many 16x6/16x6.5 wheels do you usually see?!) but I was still spoilt for choice. I then set about looking for dealers stocking these wheels, and stuck with a shop that was reasonably close to where I live. Here's the tyres I came up with:<br /><blockquote><b>Toyo Proxes T1R</b> (~$165/each)<br />- 195/45R16 80V<br /><b> Yokohama S-Drive AS01</b> (~$225/each)<br />- 195/45R16 84W<br /><b> Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3</b> (~$300/each)<br />- 195/45R16 94V<br /><b> Goodyear Eagle LS2000</b> (discontinued?)<br />- 195/45ZR16 80ZR<br /><b> Dunlop SP Sport 9000</b> (~$350/each)<br />- 195/45R16 80V<br /><b> Falken ZE329</b> (~$179/each)<br />- 195/45R16 84W XL<br />- 195/45R16 80W<br /><b> Continental SportContact</b><br />- 195/45R16 84V XL<br /><b> Event WL905 (from Continental website)</b><br />- 195/45R16 84W XL<br /><b> Hankook Ventus K102</b><br />- 195/45R16 84V XL<br /><b> Michelin Pilot Primacy</b><br />- 195/45R16 80V<br /><b> Nankang NS-2</b> (~$139/each)<br />- 195/45R16 84V XL<br /><b> Pirelli PZero Nero</b><br />- 195/45R16 84V<br />- 195/45ZR16 84W</blockquote>They're not very wallet-friendly those prices :( Though I was pleasantly surprised that Beaurepaires was able to do <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nankangs for only $139/each</span> and Blair's Tyres for their <span style="font-weight: bold;">Toyo T1R at $165 a pop</span>. However, out of all those shops, only <a href="http://www.beaurepaires.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beaurepaires </span></a>was willing to stretch them on an 8" wheel, and he didn't care about fitting them onto a car with adapters (others were a bit iffy on the legal issues involved). Service was much better overall at Beaurepaires too. What I'm thinking of doing is going to Blair's to purchase the set of Toyo T1Rs, then going to Beaurepaires for the fitting and balancing, and the alignment. It will cost extra, but it'll be the difference between a well-known/respected tyre and an entry-level, no-name tyre. However, that said, I'm willing to "risk" (if you can even call that) trying the Nankangs purely because of my financial situation. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to afford better tyres (eye-balling SP9000) once the Nankangs are worn out since I should have a full-time job by then (hopefully). It'll be the only chance I try out some high performance but cheap tyres.<br /><br />Anyway, pics of the two contending tyres:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toyo T1R</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/sbub/cabinet/t1r1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/sbub/cabinet/t1r1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nankang NS2</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.wheelselections.com/images/NanKan6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.wheelselections.com/images/NanKan6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote></blockquote>Also gave Matt a call today. My VR6 brakes actually need <span style="font-weight: bold;">VR6 CV joints</span> in order for them to be able to bolt on. Matt quotes ~$100 per side, so shouldn't be too bad. Planning on doing it myself too. Matt quotes ~$350 for the labour if I give it to him. I'm gonna give it a go though. Also, I'll be picking up new brake fluid from him for $25/L.<br /><br />I still gotta <span style="font-weight: bold;">dremel the guard liners </span>dremelled so they can be rolled too... Hopefully I'll have that done by end of Sunday so I can get the fenders rolled on Monday, then start work on the brakes. I'm aiming for it to be done by Friday so I can take it out to the <a href="http://www.flatfour.org/shoot.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flat Four Shootout</span></a> on the next Sunday (4th November)!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update #3:</span><br />OK I ended up ordering the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nankangs</span>. They only have THREE 195/45R16 tyres in the country at the moment so I settled for a <span style="font-weight: bold;">pair of 195/45R16</span> for the front 7", and a <span style="font-weight: bold;">pair of 205/40R16</span> for the rear 8". The stretch would be minimal on the wheels but it should be OK as my offsets aren't crazy low. $139/each so should cost me <span style="font-weight: bold;">~$550 </span>all up for the tyres. Will be paying and getting them mounted tomorrow. w00t.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update #4</span>:<br />Matt will have the CV joints ready on Monday, fender guards will be trimmed on Sunday and fenders will be rolled on Monday, bumpers should be ready by next week (I've taken far too long), and <span style="font-style: italic;">hopefully </span>VR6 brakes will be too. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nankangs came on Thursday</span> so I had them fitted straight away. Disappointed with the 195 on 7", but content with the 205 on 8".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">195 on 7":</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7836.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7836.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">205 on 8":</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7835.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7835.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Comparison</span> between the two:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7837.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7837.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Difference in rolling diameter</span> (closer one being 205/40):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7838.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/CIMG7838.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, hardly any stretch. I'm having doubts about the fronts fitting :( I guess I'll only know when I fit them on.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-473434007990398742007-10-13T19:58:00.000+10:002007-10-13T20:07:22.769+10:00WHOA-O BLACK BETTEH!Sorry, <a href="http://www.wagenwerks.net/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">wagenwerks </span></a>has released their new video clip - it's of their coverage of the VAG Fair show event in USA. Awesome Mk3 content too.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.wagenwerks.net/images/vagfairbanner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.wagenwerks.net/images/vagfairbanner.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vf0N8M67tw">YouTube</a>. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.wagenwerks.net/video/ww-vagfair480p.mov">480p</a>. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.wagenwerks.net/video/ww-vagfair720p.mov">720p</a>.<br /></div><br />I first came across their videos from <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.subtilecommunication.com/blog/2007/06/15/wagenwerks-and-black-forest-industries/">Mike's post</a> on their previous videos. Check it out for wagenwerks' other videos!rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-8078550165969363672007-10-09T23:36:00.000+10:002007-10-10T00:43:31.628+10:00So what's around the corner?Mike of <a href="http://www.subtilecommunication.com/blog/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SubtileBlog</span></a>, always being the bearer of <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> news, has now <span style="font-style: italic;">sent</span> my <span style="font-weight: bold;">adapters</span> over the Pacific Ocean. $90USD was the shipping price.<br /><br />So it's got me <span style="font-weight: bold;">excited</span>. Last weekend I had the coilovers done. This weekend I'll be working on the shaved bumpers. Next weekend might see me putting in the brakes and then the adapters along with the 16" BBS RS I've wanted to fit on for so long. So it's got me <span style="font-weight: bold;">REALLY excited</span>. I just have to show-off :P<br /><br />RS225:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS225/CIMG7781.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS225/CIMG7781.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>8" of BBS goodness. High offsets means adapter friendly :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS225/CIMG7780.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS225/CIMG7780.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>That's just a pair of them. The other pair should have a different RS model number as they are 7" from the factory. Same offset.<br /><br />Oh, and remember how I got a BBS RS wheel for $20? Here it is. RS032; looks much smaller than the 16's. They're actually the same width as my previous 15" set but these are +17 in offset:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS032/CIMG7776.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS032/CIMG7776.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><3 dish.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS032/CIMG7774.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/BBS%20RS/RS032/CIMG7774.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So my plan for them is to whack them straight onto the car after the brakes and adapters are in (after some fender rolling and 195/45's of course) until I have the Equips refinished (pictures soon). Once the Equips are done, I'll completely take apart the RSs and do a very thorough <span style="font-weight: bold;">rebuild</span> job. At the moment I'm thinking of widening the front 7" pair to 8" to achieve a staggered offset rather than a staggered width. Since the offset will be lower on the new 8", they will go to the rear. Of course I'll be trial fitting the current rears to the fronts first to see how well they sit. For the appearance of the wheels, I'm thinking of an <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>(gloss) black powdercoat with gold bolts and gold BBS lettering caps (remember the ones I bought from <a href="http://stores.ebay.de/Racing-Team-Hofmann-RTH"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Racing Team Hoffman</span></a>?). Pictures of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ianicy"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ian Chan's</span></a> blacked out lips on his RH ZW1's and more pictures from <a href="http://www.wheel-whores.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wheel-Whores</span></a> has sold me on the black look. The gold highlights would be a very special touch too IMO.<br /><br />RH ZW1 w/ matte black lips and orange centres:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/blogblacklips03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/blogblacklips03.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/blogblacklips02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/blogblacklips02.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>BBS wheels completely blacked out w/ polished highlights.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/blogblacklips01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/blogblacklips01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So anyway, that's my plan for the moment.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-53851653587844829812007-10-02T18:48:00.000+10:002007-10-08T13:46:59.438+10:00Is it December already?I received some presents already :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7726.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7726.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7719.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7719.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Somewhat more detailed pics in my <a href="http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photobucket</span></a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edit #1:</span><br /><br />So I couldn't wait until my adapters arrived here so I can fit the VR6 brakes + BBS wheels (actually, <a href="http://www.subtilecommunication.com/blog/">Mike's</a> got the adapters already and will be shipping them out next week! Cheers!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7744.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7744.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Installation was a breeze - the only setbacks were trying to locate a suitable washer to hold the front mounts down (one of the washers were too small and so didn't hold the front strut mount properly), and confusing the front spring hats with the rears - we randomly picked two out to fit onto the rear and they both ended up to be the fronts... we were baffled about why the top hats were loose! Anyway, besides that it was smooth sailing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7737.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7737.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>They do look pretty :) By the way, I ended up winding them all the way down as that setting was giving me the same height as the previous setup with the Koni springs.<br /><br />Thanks goes to Louis for helping me out a bunch on Friday and Saturday. It was like he was working on his own car - I'm grateful for his dedication and attention to detail! He was also the wielder of the camera. Good stuff.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edit #2:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7770.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7770.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7771.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7771.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7772.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/GCsleeves/CIMG7772.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Excuse the dirtiness and uncompleteness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edit #4:</span> Bottomed out on no less than 3 speed humps that I usually clear. Looks like I'll have to take a lot more zig-zag lines now!rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-38382139914240711352007-10-01T23:03:00.000+10:002007-10-01T23:30:18.627+10:00Bumper paint schemeI have <span style="font-weight: bold;">4 options</span> that I'm indecisive about.<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colour-coded with smoothed textured black tops</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaved01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/shaved01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/photoshopshave.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/photoshopshave.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colour-coded with smoothed gloss black tops/valence</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/DSC02716.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/DSC02716.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/056.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/E38-2006-080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/E38-2006-080.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Smoothed, completely textured black</span>.<br /> <br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/robrolling5.sized.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/robrolling5.sized.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/robrolling4.sized.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/robrolling4.sized.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Smoothed, completely gloss black</span>.<br /> <br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/_NDR1924copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/VW%20Golf/_NDR1924copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></li></ol>Note that I'm not going for a two-tone look; options 3 and 4 only apply to the bumpers.<br /><br />I'm mixed between colour-coded and all-black as I want to show-off the shaved bumper, yet I like the all-black look. I'm mixed between textured black and gloss black because it's easier to do the gloss black (in terms of layering it down and maintaining it) yet I don't want to stand out too much with the gloss. I'm stuck! <span style="font-weight: bold;">For any readers, give me your opinions!</span>rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-37888852875337036382007-10-01T22:32:00.001+10:002007-10-01T23:02:49.451+10:00Bumper shaving and badgeless grille #2 - progressMatt was kind enough to let me take a late Mk3 bumper for free due to the damage it has sustained:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7493.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7493.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Haha yep, that's the only damage to it.<br /><br />As little damage as it is, I'm using it as a <span style="font-weight: bold;">donor</span> for bumper pieces so I can <span style="font-weight: bold;">shave some parts</span>. First of all, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">exhaust cut-out</span>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7494.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7494.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/Picture0051.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/Picture0051.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yeah it's subtle and probably only noticeable to 1% of people that look at the car, but I like the no-exhaust look. I also plastic welded the <span style="font-weight: bold;">tow hook cover</span>.<br /><br />I cut off about 2 inches of the exhaust tips too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7715.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7715.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7713.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7713.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It <span style="font-weight: bold;">doesn't completely cover it</span> :( I'll be cutting it more soon, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">spraying the tips and rear muffler black</span>.<br /><br />Next was the <span style="font-weight: bold;">indicator/foglight section</span> of the front bumper. Hours was spent trying to get the shape right. It took <span style="font-weight: bold;">longer</span> than expected as the section between the foglight insert and plate recess did <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> have the indent, so I had to cut that out and weld on an extra piece.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7703.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7703.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7702.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7702.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The cut-out had to be perfect so a lot of time was spent sanding away. <span style="font-style: italic;">Dremel FTW</span>.<br /><br />Today I managed to completely weld all the custom bits in. It now awaits sanding, filling and painting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7710.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7710.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Badgeless grille</span> has been welded too. I've completed the sanding and am delaying the filling, as I hate doing that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7497.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7497.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7498.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7498.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>There are some <span style="font-weight: bold;">imperfections</span>. I wanted to keep the backing between the top and middle slats this time so I welded two parts together before welding it on to the actual grille. I found out that I didn't weld it on straight :@ It's not noticeable from far though, and I honestly can't be fucked redoing it. I've inhaled too much plastic already. I'll have to <span style="font-weight: bold;">add an extra support</span> for the bottom slat. It's very flimsy at the moment.<br />I've still got to do the lower metal part, but I want it properly welded in so I'll be asking a mate first.<br /><br />I put all the parts back on as I have to use the car this week for Uni.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7717.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/CIMG7717.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's funny... the car looks wider from the front now. Louis also commented on that. Anyway, I can't wait to see the end result.<br /><br />Anyway, I'll be updating more as I go along. More progress pics will be uploaded onto my <a href="http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/bumpershaving/progress/">Photobucket</a>.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-72259431073042329032007-09-30T23:55:00.000+10:002007-10-01T00:12:58.845+10:00Drift AustraliaYes, a bit unrelated to the Golf cause, but after posting about Team Peer and the drifting culture in Australia, I thought it deserved its own post. Drifting, in my opinion, is as much of a culture and lifestyle as driving a VW. Both has its own quirks and derivatives that I guess makes them unique in the automobile scene. They come from different parts of the world, but are actually quite similar in many ways (albeit due to different reasons). Both employ and love stretching tyres. Both poke their wheels as if they were rollerskates. Both use zipties as if they hold the car together. Both have a taste in rare wheels. Both explore different looks by using parts of different vehicles. However, the most important similarity that stood out to me was that they both are largely unknown and not part of the major modifying scene of Australia. I've always tend to go for different things that are not popular to the norm, and it was that appeal that led me to follow both cultures and lifestyles. I've had thoughts of learning how to drift before, and although I'm not pushing it aside, VW is my passion now and it is the VAG scene that I want to help introduce to Australia.<br /><br />Anyway, here's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/DriftAustraliaTV"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drift Australia's YouTube</span></a> account - they have loads of videos of the latest drifting competitions being held in Australia.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-8540766614859225202007-09-17T22:54:00.000+10:002007-09-30T23:55:11.417+10:00Fixes - Part Four (+ update)I ended up spending all Thursday at Matt's workshop. Louis was kind enough to drive me down as he was heading there himself to have his car fitted with <span style="font-weight: bold;">H&R coilovers</span> - and fuck, they go <span style="font-weight: bold;">lowww</span>. He has about 2 inches of thread left on the coilovers and he's already tucking tyre. However they're not damper adjustable (as claimed by Louis) and their currently pretty <span style="font-weight: bold;">damn stiff</span>. The strut body was bloody thick as too.<br /><br />Anyway, I ended up taking out the <span style="font-weight: bold;">crank angle sensor</span> out of the wrecked Mk3 myself. I figured Matt will be busy and can't be fucked doing it so I might as well do it myself so I'll have some confidence replacing the sensor on my car. The process was straight forward, but is damn long for what I was after... it was a damn wire! Screwed in by an Allen key, it can only be taken off with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">transmission mount (front engine mount)</span> out of the way :@<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/crankanglesensor/CIMG7698.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/crankanglesensor/CIMG7698.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Come Sunday, I managed to fit the new sensor on without any major hitches. I finished with a small bolt and washer lying around that I don't know which part of the car that it belonged to, but it should be OK :P Here's the <span style="font-weight: bold;">comparison</span> between the two:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/crankanglesensor/CIMG7699.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/crankanglesensor/CIMG7699.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I taped up the one from the wrecked car as I do not want to replace it ever again. The sensor wire were originally only wrapped by rubber insulation which has naturally <span style="font-weight: bold;">cracked</span> under the <span style="font-weight: bold;">immense heat</span> it's exposed to when situated so close to the engine and transmission housing. I managed to tape up about half of the sensor wire of the old one before it finally died on me, but this was basically how it looked throughout the length of it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/crankanglesensor/CIMG7700.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/crankanglesensor/CIMG7700.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Some nasty shit right there, with bare wires exposed and vulnerable to shorting out and gaining very high resistance with the lack of insulation in some parts. I'm guessing this was why the car ran like shit when it was only warm.<br /><br />I also bought a dremel bit to clean my spark plugs which have been fouled yet again due to the weird signals sent to the ECU when the sensor was fucking up. Once everything was in, the car <span style="font-weight: bold;">started like a dream</span> - honestly it felt like a new car to me haha. Gave it a quick drive with both the bumpers off as I'm still doing the custom bodywork :) More on that later.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So finally all the repairs are done</span>. With many other sensors and electronical components replaced (see previous posts), I am definitely not expecting the car to fuck up on me again. <span style="font-style: italic;">Fingers crossed</span>. Now, finally on to the exciting bit...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATES!</span><br /><br />So, for <span style="font-weight: bold;">$300</span> I ended up buying the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Work Equips</span> :) Louis was kind enough to let me store them at his place for the time being - he has helped me out a lot the past few weeks and I'm very grateful for that! My plan now is to take them back home when the BBS RS are on the car, so I can restore them. I'm heading towards the <span style="font-weight: bold;">polished</span> path for the Equips, and only spending money on new centrecaps if I can't get them looking good again. Once they're done (hopefully by the Nats next year), I'll have the BBS RS refurbished and re-done in a different way :)<br /><br />A week later after visiting <a href="http://www.upgarage.com.au/index2.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">UpGarage</span></a> for the Equips, Kevin (my friend's brother's friend, haha), his Lexus SC400 and I met up to take another trip down there for a set of <span style="font-weight: bold;">18" Enkei </span>wheels he fancied. He let me drive it down and wow, what a cruiser. Very different to how the Golf drives. Anyway, the Enkeis were in good condition with your usual wear but they were 3-piece, 9" wide, and had some decent tyres - Yoko Advans. He snapped them up for $950 and to my surprise actually looked <span style="font-weight: bold;">SICK</span>. They suit the car perfectly in my eyes and are the best looking 18's I've set my eyes on. There's a JDM flavour to them - that said, I don't think they would work as well on a VAG vehicle, though I can be wrong. Looks were deceiving as far as their website pics are concerned; they had a classic race look to it. They're bloody wide too - they were poking in the front even on the Lexus. Kevin had his guards rolled while he was down there - <span style="font-weight: bold;">$40/guard</span>. Not too bad I think, and they did it properly with a fender roller, not the ghetto hammer. Not that there's anything wrong with using the hammer, provided that it's a professional panel beater that's handling it. I think I'll be taking the Golf down some time soon for its own <span style="font-weight: bold;">fender rolling</span>. Anyway, here's the Enkei wheels:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/Picture0061.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/Picture0061.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/Picture0053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/Picture0053.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yeah, he needs to lower it haha.<br /><br />Speaking of UpGarage, had a pretty cool experience down there. When Kevin and I were test-fitting the Enkeis, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW-dVAVws2c"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team Peer</span></a> dropped in with their Onevia (S13 with a 180SX front) drift car. Part of the team were there: Darren Appleton, Leighton Fine (who complimented the Lexus with its new wheels) and their pit team. I was (still is?) a fan of drifting and have followed it religiously after watching the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial_D"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Initial D</span></a> series. Since owning a VW though, I've forgotten all about it, but it's interesting to see that there are very different cultures within the car-modifying lifestyle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/l_adcc68bba8726f1714233be45563f73e.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/l_adcc68bba8726f1714233be45563f73e.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Back to the Golf - after a month of thinking, I pushed the trigger and now have a set of <a href="http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=113/CA=88"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GC coilover sleeves</span></a> with <span style="font-weight: bold;">300 lb/250 lb</span> F/R springs being sent over to me. The shipment was sent last Monday so it should be arriving some time late this week hopefully. It came out to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">~$500AUD</span>. If the Koni springs will sell for <a href="http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=8888"><span style="font-weight: bold;">~$250</span></a>, the GC kit will turn out to be a great value-for-money upgrade. Plans for suspension later will be a rear sway bar from Neuspeed (undecided between the 25mm or 28mm). I'm just gonna give myself some time before upgrading again.<br /><br />Finally, I have some <span style="font-weight: bold;">adapters</span> on the way :) Thanks to <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://subtilecommunication.com/blog/">Mike Templeton</a> of <a href="http://subtilecommunication.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SubtileCommunication</span></a>, I'll be able to rock my BBS RS and Equips soon. I've chosen <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.adaptitusa.com/">AdaptItUSA</a> as their prices were the cheapest by far. They are 5x100 --> 5x114.3 with studs pressed out, two separate pairs being 1" (25 mm) and 1.3" (33 mm) thick and come with lugs. Made with 6061-T6 billet aircraft aluminium and recommended by Vortexers, I'm confident they will last a long time without breakage. They are being sent to Mike as we speak, and soon he will be able to give me a quote on shipping internationally. In due time, <span style="font-style: italic;">in due time!</span>rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-21100665826615055802007-09-15T20:12:00.000+10:002007-09-15T20:55:02.288+10:00Out with the old, in with the new?So in preparation for a VR6, I <span style="font-weight: bold;">parted</span> some of the stuff I had on AEH11E. These included the badgeless grille and the BBS RS, just to name a few. Believe it or not they were the bigger things on my car, and for the foreigners reading my blog, they're pretty hard to come by down under.<br /><br />In the last post I was saying how I'm not going for the VR anymore... which means I'm free to do what I want with the 2.sl0w again. I'm basically going down the same route I went a few months ago, as I really liked the look of it. I'm in the garage working on <span style="font-weight: bold;">another custom badgeless grille</span> (3-slat) but this time I'm actually <span style="font-weight: bold;">welding</span> the parts rather than crudely bondo-ing. It started cracking within a few weeks. Anyway, I'm debating whether to <span style="font-weight: bold;">colour-code the slats</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">or leave them textured</span>. More on this later.<br /><br />After the badgeless grille, I'm wanting to <span style="font-weight: bold;">shave the front bumper</span>. I used to be against it as the relatively large indicator/fog cluster was so characteristic of the Mk3, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. As for the front indicators, I'm thinking of going OEM+ rather than reuse the Mk3 items, as I think they look rather awkward with their squarish appearance (compared with the rear lights). With the paint, I'm considering two options. Paint it as it is like now (colour-coded, but textured top) or texture paint the whole bumper. The former I'd like to do to keep the car looking "normal" and to show off the shaved effect; the latter I'd like to do as it's slightly more different and because I've always liked the panda theme AE86. Also, if I go with the former, I'd texture paint the slats on the grille; for the latter, I'd colour code the slats on the grille so there's not too much black. Still deciding on this!<br /><br />I've bought another set of wheels. And yes, they are <span style="font-weight: bold;">another set of <a href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/soarerwheels008.jpg">BBS RS</a></span> :P Except I've turned back to 16's again. These ones are off a Toyota Soarer - <span style="font-weight: bold;">16"x7"/8" ET45</span>. Steep offset = perfect with adapters. I'll be putting the VR6 brakes I bought a year ago into good use now. I'm thinking of running 20mm/30mm front/rear adapters for now (so that's 16x7 ET25 at the front, 16x8 ET15 at the rear) which should give me the look I want - some <span style="font-weight: bold;">subtle poke</span>. I'm thinking of widening the 7's to 8's so I can run a lower offset at the back, but this will be later when I put the wheels aside for a good refurbish (they've got some nasty gutter rash right now). I've got my eyes on a set of <a href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/Random/equip16.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Work Equips</span></a> in the same size (not sure about offset) so I'm thinking of picking those up to and running them while I have the BBS on the sidelines. They're only going for $350 which is stupidly cheap for a set of sick wheels.<br /><br />With the wheels on stretched tyres, I'd really "need" to go <span style="font-weight: bold;">lower</span>! The 14's with the 185/60 rubber is already exhibiting some noticeable wheel-fender gap and 16's with 195/45's, with a smaller rolling diameter, would look the same, if not accentuate the wheel gap. I've already spent a grand on my current set-up which is only half a year old so I don't want to get rid of it. Months of trawling through the Vortex has led me to <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.ground-control-store.com/index.php">Ground Control</a> suspension systems</span>. They make <span style="font-weight: bold;">coilover retrofits</span> that are essentially sleeves that slip over the current struts. With custom springs, they allow the current struts to act like your run-of-the-mill coilover system by providing height adjustability. Adjustments are anywhere from 0" to 2.5" lowering, which is definitely an "improvement" over the 40mm I have now. Of course, this isn't necessary yet as it's only a matter of looks that I'm considering this for. I've asked for a quote and they come in at <span style="font-weight: bold;">~$437USD</span>, which isn't too bad at all. I should be able to get some money back from selling my Koni springs easily. Also, on the suspension side of things, I'm really digging the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Neuspeed <a href="http://www.neuspeed.com/products/product_list.asp?app=25%7CG3&type=2&ltype=ns_euro">rear anti-roll bar</a><a href="http://www.neuspeed.com/products/product_list.asp?app=25%7CG3&type=2&ltype=ns_euro">s</a></span>. I discovered that Ian (dub_rub_oi_oi on VWW and Vortex) had recently become a <a href="http://www.rennenhaus.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">distributor of Neuspeed products</span></a> and can ship the rear ARB for less than $400. Compared to a lower-spec, non-adjustable ARB from Whiteline at ~$250, I think it's a good investment. I've heard a lot about the improvements an ARB can do to the handling of the car. I definitely have <span style="font-weight: bold;">autocross aspirations</span> in the future so this should be a worthy upgrade. However, I don't know what to do first - coilover sleeve kit or ARB? Generally, I'm leaning towards the coilover for looks, and ARB for handling... I hate to say it but I'm really <span style="font-style: italic;">edging</span> for the coilover kit!<br /><br />Other plans so far include fixing the <span style="font-weight: bold;">rust</span> (probably replacing the driver's door), <span style="font-weight: bold;">interior enhancements</span> (headlining, pillars, just to update the appearance for my pleasure) and <span style="font-weight: bold;">custom-modding a lip</span> - don't want to reveal too much yet :)rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-70109922946460151892007-09-15T19:49:00.001+10:002007-09-15T20:12:25.571+10:00Tuesday 04/09/2007Had the shittest day two Tuesdays back. The car finally <span style="font-weight: bold;">broke down</span> on me, in the middle of Parramatta Road during peak hour. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Misfiring like crazy</span> and idling like a heartbeat, it finally gave up and stalled, not wanting to start but cranking like a chundering drunk. Long story cut short, I ended up pushing a 100m up-hill to a side road as the APEC thing was going on during that week (clearways were enforced). Towed it to Matt for a 170 fucking dollars + a ripped lip.<br /><br />Matt tried to diagnose the problem for about 3 days. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Some of the parts he replaced were</span>:<br /><ul><li>two distributors (new)</li><li>dizzy rotor</li><li>dizzy cap</li><li>a set of spark plugs</li><li>waterpump sensor</li><li>lambda probe</li><li>fuel regulator pressure sensor</li><li>fuel pump relay + other associated relays</li></ul>and the worst part was, it <span style="font-weight: bold;">still didn't fix the problem</span>. The car would keep <span style="font-weight: bold;">overfueling and overcharging</span> the spark and with the above changed to new parts, it was first thought to be an ECU problem. We were all set to get a towie to take it to the dealer along with a new (well, wrecked) ECU to have it recoded to suit my keys and car, until Oli came along in his new Caddy TDI and gave us a few pointers. He had a similar problem with another car and it turned out to be the <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >crank angle sensor</span>, which was the item <span style="font-weight: bold;">I was supposed to fucking replace</span> but couldn't because the part wasn't readily available. As mentioned in a post earlier, the wire was getting brittle, and the insulation would just crack off. It became so bad that the bare wires were being exposed, causing them to touch each other and create a short. This was the culprit for my misfires and shitty starts. The car would run fine when it's cold - the wires don't have as much resistance (basic physics). But once it gets warm, that's where all hell breaks lose. It became so bad that <span style="font-weight: bold;">spark plugs would foul within 5 minutes</span> of the car running. They would be black-as when taken out for another cleaning, only to foul again. So what Oli suggested to do was to <span style="font-weight: bold;">tape the wires up</span> individually and the sensor as well so it would let me at least drive small distances until we can source a crank angle sensor... well, a cheap one. Oli called one of his mate's from a VW parts dealer and even with his connections the best he could come up with was <span style="font-weight: bold;">$400</span>. For a piece of fucking wire. Matt's going to buy a few of them from his UK connections and he thinks they should get here in no more than ~$100AUD, which is bloody decent... but recently when I visited him, the 1998 Mk3 he was wrecking had an <span style="font-weight: bold;">intact, good condition</span> crank angle sensor, and hopefully he will take it out for me soon so I can replace it and be happy again.<br /><br />So yeah, a lot of text up there but I've bolded the important bits :P<br /><br />Looks like there's <span style="font-weight: bold;">no more VR6</span> in the works anymore, as that fucking wire has/will cost me in excess of $500. So it's back to the 2.slow - it's all good though, I still love the fuckin' thing so much. Some big plans comin' up, hopefully most done by the end of the year. Will go through these things in the next post.<br /><br />I don't think anyone reads these posts, let alone the guys that helped me out, but I'd like to give a <span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">big thanks to Matt, Brenton and Oli</span></span>.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-28983601972539034712007-09-03T17:49:00.000+10:002007-09-03T18:27:48.363+10:00Fixes - Part ThreeSo I went to Matt's again to pick up a better condition crank angle sensor wire. His were as f*cked as mine, but as I was about to leave, the car wouldn't start. Just cranked and cranked and cranked but no ignition. This time it was for real, it just wouldn't start. Pretty good timing mind you, I wouldn't have been able to fix it otherwise. <br />Anyway we did a few tests here and there of the electrical system and found that it was the dizzy that was f*cking up on us. It was sending very little spark at first but then ended up sending none at all. The cap looked pretty new but was burnt on some parts, which would mean that the dizzy was being sent heavier signals than normal.<br /><br />That still doesn't cure the car of its misfiring but now I'm more certain that it may be caused by the crank angle sensor wire. I don't have access to my camera now but it looks very brittle and is very much exposed to a lot of heat. I'll have to insulate it more when I fit a new one in. Which reminds me, I gotta go make an order for it now.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-27939135169231010132007-08-31T20:23:00.000+10:002007-08-31T20:32:16.083+10:00Up for saleI've finally got the ad put up on <a href="http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/private/VOLKSWAGEN/GOLF/details.aspx?Model=GOLF&__Nne=20&__N=4294962746+80+4294962677+834+285+257&Make=VOLKSWAGEN&State=New%20South%20Wales&silo=1003&state_id=80&distance=25&Cr=0&seot=0&__sid=113CBB06E518&R=1618715&__Ns=pCar_PrivateSpecialFlag_Int32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_ImageCount_Int32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_LastModifiedDate_DateTime%7C1&trecs=151">carsales.com.au</a>. Decided to go premium since it's advertised at <a href="http://carpoint.com.au/used-car/VOLKSWAGEN/GOLF/New%20South%20Wales/csn1618715.aspx?State=NSW">carpoint.com.au</a> too!<br />I took the pics at the abandoned warehouse at Merrylands Station. The pics came out great, besides the fact that there was too much light coming in (I took the photos at noon... I originally planned early in the morning or in the afternoon but was busy during those periods :@). Here are some of my favourites:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7436.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7436.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7440.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7440.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7453.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7453.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7441.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/for%20sale/CIMG7441.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-57143056348547598152007-08-24T23:58:00.000+10:002007-08-25T00:16:42.916+10:00Updates - nearly sell-worthyJust a few updates - the car is slowly getting into selling-mode. I've <span style="font-weight: bold;">refitted</span> the duckbill lip back on along with the orange side indicators, badged grille (needs painting) and the factory Enkei alloys. The VR6 lip and smoked side indicators will be going to Louis, and the debadged grille and BBS RS wheels have been given to Pedro (in exchange for $$ of course). I've <span style="font-weight: bold;">still got to replace</span> the rear taillights with the stockies and also refit the pencil tray back on. Pedro suggested it, as I could get more $$ from selling the glovebox separately. Fair enough!<br /><br />I haven't got pics yet though, but I reckon I will be able to take some on Monday, and if not then, then definitely by Wednesday. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Found two potential photoshoot sites</span> though. One is near my local train station (Merrylands) - it's essentially a two-wall storehouse, with the corrugated iron roof and walls that give it the deserted, empty look. The other one is slightly similar but is in an open space. Backdrop is a very old tram and the train tracks leading to Redfern, while the two sides are old train "hangars". One of them is currently used as an art gallery for digital media, which I'm studying at the moment. The entrance to it is photo-shoot worthy too.<br /><br />This would be part of the "Fixes" post but since I've only done one minor fix, it doesn't really deserve its own post :P <span style="font-weight: bold;">Side mouldings</span> were starting to pop off as I broke one or two tabs when I took them off for a respray ages ago. I finally got around to putting them back on permanently with some <span style="font-weight: bold;">double-sided tape</span>, which has been long suggested by members in the VWVortex forums. It works a treat. As with the mechanicals, it's <span style="font-weight: bold;">still misfiring</span>, though sometimes I hear a bit of a creak at low RPMs when I start moving. Very distinctive and coming from the rear passenger side. I think that's where the fuel filter is? Anyway, I'll be getting new spark plugs and leads when Pedro goes to Tooleys for his shit, and he has a battery recharger so I'll be able to use that to temporary fix the low battery charge problem.<br /><br />I think that's about it.rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737211425158038891.post-26071232187063121642007-08-19T18:01:00.000+10:002007-08-21T23:12:36.558+10:00Wheel repairSo I've written about this before - I was thinking of repairing my factory 14" alloys, and finally got around to it. So far I have sanded the imperfections down and prepared the surface for re-painting. Some of the deeper chips I did not bother fixing - I had thought of filling it in with metal epoxy but decided against it. I am planning on painting the alloys satin black anyway so most chips can't be seen. I have sanded them down enough anyway. All gutter rash has been eliminated but the lip surface is now slightly irregular. You can't really see it (well, hard to tell since some parts are sanded down to bare metal and some parts still have slight paint) but it can be felt. I'm not really too fussed about this though as they'll be put on to replace the BBS which I'm selling. I'm sure the next owner of the car will want to get bigger wheels anyway.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">21/08/2007</span><br /><br />The wheels are done! To be honest, I could have done so much better. The layering of coats were pretty bad on my part. The photos show some overspray on certain parts of the wheel. Since the centre-caps were sprayed black as well, I had to redo the logo painting. Found some hobby paint that I borrowed from Pedro AGES ago and went for it. A bit on the darker side (Ford Blue) but it was the closest I have to the <a href="http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/media/logos/enkei_logo.jpg">Enkei blue</a>. Done two coats already and I might add one more coat tomorrow and then wait for it to dry and flash off. The wheels I'm gonna fit back on on Friday when I re-adjust the suspension. Might be a good idea to get an alignment booked in...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/enkei%20factory%20alloys/CIMG7385.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/enkei%20factory%20alloys/CIMG7385.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/enkei%20factory%20alloys/CIMG7387.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/rayray086/AEH-11E/enkei%20factory%20alloys/CIMG7387.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Once the wheels are fitted back on, the RS's will be sold to Pedro.<br /><br />:(rayray086http://www.blogger.com/profile/09825104741381445085noreply@blogger.com0