Repairing Gutter Rash

So I couldn't take it any longer and my OCD kicked in and I had to repair and repaint my rims.

Both passenger side wheels had some decent gutter rash.

Below picture is a poor example (forgot to take before pics)

So I took of both wheels and sanded them back.

Time for new tyres - no traction (especially in the wet). Got some Potenza RE002 - much better than the brand the previous owner had fitted (Hero - Australian brand).

Tape the wheel - spend as much time on this step as it will effect the final finish.

Next was to use several coats of filler primer and sanding in-between.

Add a few black coats and a few clear coats and you're done.

Before and after comparison.

NB: Wheels are Rota Grid's.

S15 Front Lip Installation (Rhino Lip)

This is a nice and easy weekend job which I believe made a subtle difference to my S15. I have never been into body kits and crazy spoilers, but this was a nice compromise.

I originally wanted a hard, fibreglass lip, but they proved to be either very expensive (~$400) or non-existent. So I thought a $35 Rhino Lip of eBay would be worth a shot. Besides if I didn't like it, it was only $35. Turned out to look quite good.

 What you'll need; drill, Rhino Lip and some self tapping screws - preferably stainless steel, galvanised if not available (due to rust), washers, and scissors.

It comes in a roll and does look like its going to stick out at an odd angle, but you just have to trust it.

Start by finding the middle of the Rhino Lip, make a mark. This way you wont sell yourself short when you don't have enough on one side and too much on the other.

Begin by attaching the middle of the Rhino Lip to the middle of the bumper and then I chose every 100mm thereafter to add a screw and washer.

When you come to curves in your bumper you will have to cut notches in the Rhino Lip to accommodate for the bunching which occurs when it is bent.

Trim away the excess carefully, and you're done.

I'll post a better picture of the finished product later.

Silvia Gear Boot Replacement

So my leather gear boot was getting very tatty and I took it into a leather repairman who said he would be able to fix it. He was going to put some patches on it and make it look like brand new. Great, I thought to myself, this guy knows what he is doing.

I pick it up 5 days later. The repairman asks for $25 - to my alarm I was expecting to pay much much more. As I open this plastic bag he hands me my heart drops. The above picture demonstrates what he has done - added a crappy patch (not even straight) to the bottom of the gear boot to cover the holes, added some glue and stitches and called it a day.

I was NOT putting this thing in my car. So I set to work to make a new one.

After un-stitching the gear boot and removing all the padding (I assume for sound-deadening) I was left with the leather. Below is the template (each side is a mirror of the other) of the leather which I removed - I have scanned them with a ruler beside so that you may also reprint the template at the correct size.

 Went down to Spotlight and grabbed some pleather (plastic leather) and a metal push button to join them and got to work on the sewing machine.

This is the final result. Not bad I must say. After a couple days of being fitted it moulded into place.

Final product.

NB: next time I will use proper leather and add the padding to reduce the sound.

Also I have a PDF of the template if people are interested.

EDIT 03/08/15 - Added links to PDF files below:

Template 1

Template 2

Template 3

Upcoming Addition to the Silvia

I have finally found a used Greddy SMIC! I plan to install this on my car in the coming months. Picked it up off Hardtuned. Here are some teasers from the seller (see pictures below).

It's only the SMIC, no piping, so I will have to do some simple joins. Haven't quite sussed it out what I will need.

Thinking of powdercoating it black (or anodising black) for some extra stealth and better cooling - black radiates heat better.

I am not keen on a FMIC, mainly because the return-flow's are difficult to find (GKtech stopped making theirs and haven't seen an ARC one in ages), and as I don't want to drill a hole in my battery tray. Trying to make this as legal as possible. Just Jap had a return flow for a Skyline but on contacting them they didn't believe it would fit a S15 - despite it being a similar size to a Greddy FMIC for an S15.

So for convenience, stealth, legality and it matches my power gains, this is the perfect one for me.