Picked up the bonnet and finished trimming for the bonnet pins and bolted them up as trial fit, I will run a bead of tiger seal tomorrow and the re bolt for extra strength as the carbon fibre is very thin.

 

I spoke to tilton uk (on a Saturday) and they thought the same as my mate Al, that the post may have been over extending on the release bearing and in out of true be even 2 thou it wasn't able to smoothly return.

I bled up the clutch again to be sure and then put the car on the ramps with the wheels dangling and ran the car up in gear and then kept adjusting the clutch pedal until it only just operated the clutch, gave it one more turn and now it works perfectly. Tilton said it will improve as well when the clutch wears a bit.

Phew, I was pretty much at the point of ordering the oppliger box and chucking this lot in the corner for another day.

 

Near side handbrake is sticking which I think is the cam being worn perhaps so I have ordered 2 brand new callipers and will swap those out before MOT.

 

This is the surround I made for the inside of the roof vent. I made it in balsa and posted it off to Ron at the flock shop to flock, works a treat.





Fitted the carbon fibre bonnet. Just need to decide on the front grill and bespoke intercooler.





Inside of the carbon bonnet.

 

Just off to pick up my spare set of comp th wheels in 8x16 et 25 to try as 1 inch wider

 

Getting closer and closer Toby!

 

Toby I still the conversion is not worth the grief mate but credit for sticking with it now you either need a spare box or a oken gear kit for when the syncros shite themselves lol

 

I have been looking at the box options for if and when the syncros fail and it seems that the next generation of skyline had close ratio boxes and whilst expensive they can handle 1000 bhp in extremes. I think they might be 6 speed and still fit the same rough shape.

 

Fab news to here it's all most finished Toby . You have done so well as its pushed your passions all the way but you have stuck at it mate

 

I think I have been unlucky with mine and it hasn't helped being in the 205 shell.

Mk and Coley didn't have issues like me.

 

Another step closer.....I think I am ready for MOT next week, today I fitted the rear strut brace and mounted the washer bottle on there. All lights now working and made a new centre mount for the exhaust as it was sitting very close to the bell housing on the gearbox.

I replaced the sucking handbrake calliper with a remanufactored one and bled it all up...works fine now.

If it does fail it will be something silly that I have missed.

 

All most there mate and the fun will begin

 

Thanks Ian, looking forward to trying to break it

 

Ha ha trust me mate if all goes well you will love it . Iv now got my map dccd controler running the gear box . I no you have go a different one on your car but there much the same . its stunning wot it's done to my car You will no your self when you get the old girl on the road

 

I gave the car a quick run today to make sure all ok for the MOT on Monday and I had the Ets pro set to auto adjust and 4wd but in low gain mode so not as aggressive and I can confirm that all 4 wheels spin on dry, warm Tarmac at full throttle in 2nd gear when it hits full boost.....so I am now a happy man.

Fitted the front grill, got the passenger side brake light working, adjusted the clutch a little more and got the spare seat in, wired in the relay for my fog lights and I think I am now good to go.

 

Good luck for the MOT today

 

Thanks Mate.....It failed!

Only silly things:

1) CV boot had popped off - easy
2) Dust cover on TCA boot split - easy
3) Indicator bulb out - easy
4) Full beam is dipped and dipped is full (need to swap the switch) ODD
5)1 of the welds on the inner wing has about 3 cm not welded, this is VERY odd that it has never come up before as it was from the original conversion in 1992, no other welding done there! - need to fire up the MIG
6) Reg plate has one bulb out easy

The MOT testers were great and really loved the car, he made it clear that they only highlighted the minor things so that I can just get it all sorted in one hit.
I also found that I am only getting about 25% throttle now so the cable has slipped.

 

Thank god there just small things . It's a shame it's not up here as my mot place would of past it and said get it done . You should have it sorted for next weekend I would say

 

I have a mate that would have passed it too but I think they were fair and the bits did need doing. The testers boss was looking on so he had to note it down, I could tell he wanted to help buy hands were tied.

I am gathering a few bits now and will weld it on Friday and fix the rest and re-test on sat am, if I get finished on Friday early enough I will test in the afternoon. They will test it as soon as I show up.

I can tell I am going to have some fun in it just from the few miles there and back.

 

No real dramas and all pretty easy stuff, just a minor setback

Got to get mine re MOT'd next month

 

I now have the MOT. Did the tracking but have an odd vibration when turning left, almost feels like the car is under steering and juddering on one wheel....perfect turning the other way.

Nothing obvious is wrong but I will raise the ride height as I wonder if the driveshaft is struggling with length.

I gave it full beans in 2nd today, oh my god does it go....I let off by 6000 as it was bonkers.

I also got a 306 pug servo which is massive and a 405 non abs master as want to try that, still not happy with the brake feel. Stops well though and pads are bedding in now.

Will laser align it tomorrow.

 

Ride height upped, that fixed the odd vibration. Trying some Amber indicators as the t16 had those.


I prefer these lights to the morettes

 

I have some Amber repeaters and rear lights to try too.

 

Great looking car! Bet your glad the hard work is done and you can use it now

 

Thanks, I am loving it.

 

Nice bit of progress looking well and the garden is mint .

 

Looking Nice Toby with the standard lights in it.

Cue the supercar owner 😂

 

Thanks, I def prefer it with the standard lights.

 

Fab news that it's on the road and your happy now have lots of fun

 

It takes me about 10 mins longer to do anything though as someone always asks what engine it has or something.

 

Wow is all I can say! Spurring me on

 

Perfection
Personally I'm not an fan of ambers against the red, and would stick with clear/smoked indicators.

 

Yeah, still deciding on that one. I prefer it Amber for the period correctness but the actual age of the car had clear. If it were black or grey the ambers would look better

 

Here is an odd issue: when Mark Shead had the car he noticed that the cooling system was pressurising to the point of splitting the metal expansion tank. I found that the coolant cap had no pressure relief so added that. As a precaution I went over to Evans waterless as that doesn't expand. I flushed it through with the prep fluid and then filled with waterless.

Today I went for a blast and gave it some full throttle up to about 6000 rpm in 3rd (God does it fly) and when I got back the cap was steaming and the coolant expanded out of the tank. When I removed the cap it pumped out some fluid. Now if the Evans doesn't expand I wonder if the head is lifting under boost and pressurising the system? Mark did say it could be this before.

I guess the thing to do it to have a new expansion made by spec r with a good relief valve and do some testing before I resort to a rebuild with long studs and better head gasket etc.

I am trying to hold off the engine rebuild as want to get some miles on the car to sort other niggles and this will give me more time to decide on long stroke or not as that is a whole other heap of money.

 

That fluid expands less but it still expands. Did you put a proper rad cap on it.

Mark

 

Thanks Mark, I did but not convinced it is any good. I think I will take the expansion tank off and send it to someone to re-make within the dimensions and start with a fresh cap to their spec etc.

Spec r seems the obvious choice as long as it doesn't take too long. I will rig up the standard Sierra plastic one I have for now and use the std cap to see what that does.

You are 100% right about that turbo, you can be pootling along in 3rd
or 4th and it just seems to spool up, if I hold it around 3000 rpm cruising and then move my foot a bit the thing just takes off from not a lot to big boost.

 

Looking and sounding great headlights look right imo

 

I have just tried the Sierra header tank and cap and it no longer steams so I think this is Ok. Whilst trying it I drove for a bit in 2wd mode. Now these tyres are probably quite old but it wheel spins in 4th gear as soon as it hits 4000 rpm

So I have come to the conclusion that unless better tyres solve this (poss R888) then 2wd is purely for being a hooligan and smoking tyres.

 

Haha love the sound of that a relief on the header tank I bet with more power it will be nuts

 

O my god Toby it's just thing after a nuther but it's so satisfying when you can solve the problems your self