What did you do to your V today?
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Loaded it up, drove it to VIR, swapped out pads and rotors and bled the brakes, all in preparation for spending Monday and Tuesday on track. First event of the year; I think it's my first event since about this time last year, sad to say.
It had obviously been a while since I had touched the brakes - pad pins didn't want to come out of the rear calipers (usually I can just knock them loose and then pull them out by hand, today it took pliers to fight them out), front V2 2-piece rotors were both frozen to the hubs (required banging them off with a 3# hammer and a chunk of wood). I put anti-sieze on the hubs before installing the track rotors, and will be sure to do the same when I put the street rotors back on Tuesday evening.
It had obviously been a while since I had touched the brakes - pad pins didn't want to come out of the rear calipers (usually I can just knock them loose and then pull them out by hand, today it took pliers to fight them out), front V2 2-piece rotors were both frozen to the hubs (required banging them off with a 3# hammer and a chunk of wood). I put anti-sieze on the hubs before installing the track rotors, and will be sure to do the same when I put the street rotors back on Tuesday evening.
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Loaded it up, drove it to VIR, swapped out pads and rotors and bled the brakes, all in preparation for spending Monday and Tuesday on track. First event of the year; I think it's my first event since about this time last year, sad to say.
It had obviously been a while since I had touched the brakes - pad pins didn't want to come out of the rear calipers (usually I can just knock them loose and then pull them out by hand, today it took pliers to fight them out), front V2 2-piece rotors were both frozen to the hubs (required banging them off with a 3# hammer and a chunk of wood). I put anti-sieze on the hubs before installing the track rotors, and will be sure to do the same when I put the street rotors back on Tuesday evening.
It had obviously been a while since I had touched the brakes - pad pins didn't want to come out of the rear calipers (usually I can just knock them loose and then pull them out by hand, today it took pliers to fight them out), front V2 2-piece rotors were both frozen to the hubs (required banging them off with a 3# hammer and a chunk of wood). I put anti-sieze on the hubs before installing the track rotors, and will be sure to do the same when I put the street rotors back on Tuesday evening.
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Swapped out the radiator, and while I was doing that figured I would replace the belts. Main accessory belt wasn't an issue.
The A/C belt, on the other hand... As I cranked the tensioner over and removed the old belt, I noticed the tensioner didn't "rebound" back to its default position. Well, shee-it. And then I couldn't get the new belt on there - it's marked with the same length as the old one (040372, so 37.2" or thereabouts), but it wouldn't go, even with the tensioner cranked over as far as I could get it. Stock is 38.8", but I have an underdrive ATI crank pulley, so 37.2" is what I had written down from when the ATI (and shorter belts) was installed by Lindsay Cadillac years ago.
Also experimented with the lightweight Odyssey battery - just removed the normal battery so I could check to see if the stock battery cables would bolt up to the SAE terminals I have on the Odyssey. They do, which is good. Unfortunately, I think my planned installation will be a no-go, because the positive terminal would be too close to the back of the strut tower. Still more experimenting to do...
The A/C belt, on the other hand... As I cranked the tensioner over and removed the old belt, I noticed the tensioner didn't "rebound" back to its default position. Well, shee-it. And then I couldn't get the new belt on there - it's marked with the same length as the old one (040372, so 37.2" or thereabouts), but it wouldn't go, even with the tensioner cranked over as far as I could get it. Stock is 38.8", but I have an underdrive ATI crank pulley, so 37.2" is what I had written down from when the ATI (and shorter belts) was installed by Lindsay Cadillac years ago.
Also experimented with the lightweight Odyssey battery - just removed the normal battery so I could check to see if the stock battery cables would bolt up to the SAE terminals I have on the Odyssey. They do, which is good. Unfortunately, I think my planned installation will be a no-go, because the positive terminal would be too close to the back of the strut tower. Still more experimenting to do...
#811
So I have had the car maybe 1 month. Done a few cosmetic mods. Hurst Shifter with LMP short stick (for a Pro 5.0 holes enlarged)
Replaced the V badges, I call them Mini V. Yes I regret it, did not know they were so much smaller but oh well, they do for now.
Could not help but add the door lights, i think its unique.
Plans coming up are LS7 Clutch, Nitto NT05, CS 8.8, exhaust, cam, maggie etc...
Replaced the V badges, I call them Mini V. Yes I regret it, did not know they were so much smaller but oh well, they do for now.
Could not help but add the door lights, i think its unique.
Plans coming up are LS7 Clutch, Nitto NT05, CS 8.8, exhaust, cam, maggie etc...
#812
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I'm probably jinxing myself by posting this before I have the car back, but I'm getting a new windshield installed today. Mine is horribly pitted after years of use and I'm tired of looking through "dirty" glass even when it's perfectly clean. When I did this a few years back on my Subaru, looking through a new windshield was nirvana!
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I'm probably jinxing myself by posting this before I have the car back, but I'm getting a new windshield installed today. Mine is horribly pitted after years of use and I'm tired of looking through "dirty" glass even when it's perfectly clean. When I did this a few years back on my Subaru, looking through a new windshield was nirvana!
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Nothing bit me, I was just tired of the pitting. When the sun would hit the windshield right I'd pretty much be blinded.
As for today... I pulled the front bumper to remove the grilles for powder coating, and to install new LED high beam bulbs. I was tired of the anemic conventional bulbs that were in there, so I'm interested to see how much of an improvement these are. They were expensive, so hopefully it's a noticeable improvement.
As for today... I pulled the front bumper to remove the grilles for powder coating, and to install new LED high beam bulbs. I was tired of the anemic conventional bulbs that were in there, so I'm interested to see how much of an improvement these are. They were expensive, so hopefully it's a noticeable improvement.
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Nothing bit me, I was just tired of the pitting. When the sun would hit the windshield right I'd pretty much be blinded.
As for today... I pulled the front bumper to remove the grilles for powder coating, and to install new LED high beam bulbs. I was tired of the anemic conventional bulbs that were in there, so I'm interested to see how much of an improvement these are. They were expensive, so hopefully it's a noticeable improvement.
As for today... I pulled the front bumper to remove the grilles for powder coating, and to install new LED high beam bulbs. I was tired of the anemic conventional bulbs that were in there, so I'm interested to see how much of an improvement these are. They were expensive, so hopefully it's a noticeable improvement.
#819
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They're the 8th gen JDM ASTAR bulbs, about $100 on Amazon. I initially ordered the 7th gen, since they were a bit cheaper, but they didn't fit. (Fortunately I had a broken headlight handy to do a test fit a while back, and was able to return the 7th gen and buy the 8th gen before actually getting into the install. I would've been mighty annoyed had I pulled the front of the car off only to find the bulbs didn't fit!)
Initial impressions are very favorable. Those damn left lane blockers aren't going to miss my flash-to-pass now!
Initial impressions are very favorable. Those damn left lane blockers aren't going to miss my flash-to-pass now!
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Smashed the front end into the back of a Nissan Versa. Turning right, separate right turn lane with a YIELD sign at the end. The Nissan was probably 50+ yards ahead of me, I thought they were rolling through the YIELD, so I was looking left to see what traffic was coming, looked back and the Nissan had stopped. Doh! Jammed on the brakes but didn't have enough time to stop. Pretty solid hit, but not enough to pop the air bags. Hood, bumper, upper grille, driver fender, driver headlight (light portion is fine, but the portion hidden behind the bumper is broken). Hood latch and radiator support maybe? (Hood is buckled a bit and stuck latched, didn't try too hard to pry it open.)
After 8 years accident-free (and 15 years at-fault accident-free), I've now had 2 at-fault accidents in about 14 months. Annoying, because I'm a better driver now than I was in the past. I'm already second-guessing myself on this one, whether I might've been able to go left or right to squeeze alongside the Nissan, but I had target lock and didn't try to swerve either way.
After 8 years accident-free (and 15 years at-fault accident-free), I've now had 2 at-fault accidents in about 14 months. Annoying, because I'm a better driver now than I was in the past. I'm already second-guessing myself on this one, whether I might've been able to go left or right to squeeze alongside the Nissan, but I had target lock and didn't try to swerve either way.