warps

I have for sale a brand new OBP Pro-Race 3 pedal top mount adjustable pedal box. This will not fit in my car (EK Civic) as the master cylinders hit the top of the steering column under the dash. I also believe that it wont be legal for IPRA in the Civic because it moves the pedal pivot points too far from standard (although this seems to be up for debate, depending on how the rules are interpreted. This thread isn't about discussing rules or interpretation thereof) This is brand new, although it has some scratches and paint chips from trial fitment in the car (I have not yet drilled any mounting holes, or modified the structure in any way.) I can sell this in various specs, depending on what buyers are interested in (note Im not planning on parting it out I plan to use some of the hardware so am happy to sell the remaining items in various specs as detailed below). Each spec shows a link to the OBP website, and their RRP for the equivalent The complete assembly is exactly the same as the photo below (except that the pattern on the pedals is slightly different) I have no idea whether this will fit into your car, so please don't ask. You'll have to do your own research. Option 1 Bare pedal assembly with no balance bar, brake cylinders or reservoirs as per the OBP link (I will, however, include a brand new ¾clutch master cylinder and reservoir) OBP0001PRTC - Bare pedal assembly These retail at approx. $375 plus shipping from UK (cost $150 to get this pedal box assy sent out). Im asking $300. Note I am also including the clutch master cylinder and reservoir at this price. Option 2 Bare pedal assembly as above with balance bar included (as well as the clutch cyl and reservoir as above). See link below: OBP0002PRTC - Bare pedal assembly including balance bar This is $420 retail plus shipping from UK. Im asking $340 (this also includes the clutch master cyl and reservoir) Option 3 Complete pedal assembly, including all 3 master cylinders (0.625 front, 0.7 rear, 0.75 clutch) and reservoirs, as well as cable and mounting bracket see link below: OBP0006PRTC - Complete assembly This cost $820 to buy and have shipped here. Im selling it for $600. Note unless you know what size master cylinders you need, option 1 or 2 may be the best for you, allowing you to buy whatever size / brand cylinders you need. All items are located on the Gold Coast. Please PM or post here for more info if you're interested. Am happy to ship to you at your cost.

Pro's: It's a Volvo Con's: It's a Volvo

Yup - rear toe gives you stability. Keep it positive (pointing in) FWD guys tend to use a bit of negative toe at the rear to dial out some of the inherent understeer and get the shopping trolleys to turn in properly. I had lots of sideways fun when I had a bent and cracked LH rear trailing arm. Under braking it gave about 6mm negative toe on the left hand side making for lots of sideways action coming into right hand corners. Lucky it was on gravel

Yup. Did the same shameless promotion at another forum I frequent a little while ago. There are in fact other flocking companies around, and some are very talented and experienced (ie been doing it for years, not newbies). Don't diss your opposition unless you can prove your claims. Also register as a trader before using this forum for free advertising.

Towing capacity has about 13.75%(*) to do with engine power / torque and 86.25%(*) to do with vehicle mass / stability / chassis rigidity. A 430kW / Zillion NM HSV GTS has a lower towing capacity than the Navara *Percentages for illustration only. Actual results may vary.

Are you going to paint it or polish it? If painted, then it doesn't really matter as much, and the solder / brazing type products will do a good job (with less distortion than welding most likely) - even some epoxies / metal fillers will probably be OK. Polish will be very hard if not impossible to match with the parent metal - even with welding. Otherwise, a welding shop who specialises in aluminium can do it easily enough - shouldn't cost more than $20 or so - maybe even less. I always like to have a go at these things myself, and if it means I end up with some extra tooling / consumables, then that's always a bonus.

Even with club rego, you still have to have any mods engineered, which means that a non-removable front half of the rollcage can't be registered in any way, shape or form. I had club rego on my last rally car (RX2) and we had to make do with some dodginess to get it through (did this about 7 years ago). My current rally car has no hope in hell, even under the rally rego scheme. IOn order to qualify for that I need to have copies of the original import approval paperwork, and this no longer exists. If you have copies of the import paperwork you may be able to apply for rally rego (need a national CAMS licence, among other things) and this gives you the ability to drive it as you suggested. However, I think that the car also needs a logbook, and to have demonstrated competition use in the logbook entries. You still have the roll cage problem, as it needs to be engineered to get rally rego. Basically, in QLD at this point in time: If it's a competition car, you can't register it and it has to be trailered to events If it's a road car, then get rid of the roll cage. Why anyone would want a roll cage in a daily is beyond me. If it's a daily and weekend track car, unfortunately there's currently no legal way to do this I'm afraid. They are working on a new rally rego scheme, but I don't know how far away that is likely to be.

Sweet. I saw the greenstuff falcon (or a great replica) driving along Bells Line of Road the week before Bathurst last year. Maybe they were taking it out for a shakedown before the race (only couple of hours drive from Bathurst) I was booked for an IEAust tour of the facility a couple of years ago, but was working interstate at the time so missed out. Must pull finger out and go there, given it's only 15 min from home. I thought that the one liner about the dog was actually "Working harder than a dog trying to bury a bone in marble floor". That's how I remember it, anyway, and as we all know, human memory is perfectly infallible. Sadly I remember hearing nearly all of those quotes from Dick while he was racing. Have to love the sheepskin seat covers. They have other great Grp A and Grp C race cars at the Bowdens museum at Buderim - definitely another on the "To do" list.

Nizmo - he knows 4300K is the equivalent of sunlight which our eyes have evolved to respond most efficiently to. Can't change millions of years of evolution overnight. Anything over that will start to look blue, and hence not be as effective. Don't fall into the trap of believing that whiter light is better. to a point, yes, but once you go beyond about 5000 it definitely starts to reduce actual usable output. No need to get so defensive because someone (who happens to be right) disagrees with you.

Sounds like a good idea. If there is a problem, it's better to get an expert to check it out properly.

I thought I responded to this yesterday? Must've hit the back button instead of submit The air coming out of your caliper is most likely air from the rubber drain hose you're using. Is the fluid draining out of the hose and getting displaced by air (not the brake hose, but drain hose you're using to drain the excess fluid into a container). I assume you're attaching a drain hose to the nipple and running the spent fluid into a jar / bottle of some sort. if you remove the hose from the nipple between bleeds, the fluid drains out and it fills with air (if it's a small diameter hose, and you don't disconnect from the nipple, then the fluid stays in the hose due to "suction"). I got caught this way on a Datto 1600 many moons ago. Make sure this isn't what's happening. I find it highly unlikely that you are sucking air into the brake system. If you had a leak that big, then it would be pissing fluid out under pressure. Also, you don't need the engine running to bleed brakes. Won't make a difference to your needs. How do you think race cars without a brake booster effectively bleed brakes (given some of them will bleed brakes after every session)

The master will have separate circuits and pistons for the front and rear brakes. It's possible for one circuit to fail while the other is fine. Also could be something simple like the piston not uncovering the port, or a blockage in the port preventing the master from filling from the reservoir (I had this on a 1960's Mazda about 20 years ago - tho I'd imagine MC design would have moved on since then). Try to bleed the master, but you might find it needs a rebuild. Remember these brakes are around 20 years old, so even if they worked well on a car doesn't mean they aren't close to failure. To be safe I'd run a kit through all calipers, and even the master. But then again, I'm anal when it comes to brakes.

Which is why auto TDI tow trucks rule. Had a manual pathfinder, swapped for auto and would never look back. Race and rally cars are for fun so no need to stuff around with gears in the tow truck as well (despite my posts in other threads saying autos are ghey. Ignore those comments for the purpose of this argument)

Yeh that's what I meant - thirsty when towing. Petrol SUV's tend to be that way. Still, for the small amount of time you're likely to spend towing, that shouldn't be a major issue. All good if no trans cooler is needed.

Should tow fine. Probably be thirsty, but should do everything else well. The Territorys have had a good name since they came out, so you should have a good run with it. Just check whether it has / needs a trans cooler, as many modern 4WD's don't, and they suffer when towing / beach driving etc. (I presume it's auto 6 speed)

Kwell is the rally nav's best friend. Some try copper bracelets / pressure bracelets and other pseudo sciences but I think they are more of a placebo than anything else, even though some claim them to work well. Ensure you stay cool, aren't sucking in exhaust or other fumes, and as others have said, eat healthy, stay hydrated etc. I know that all the hard core blokey blokes will razz me for this, but if you have A/C, turn it on while you're racing. It doesn't sap power that much and makes a much better racing environment. My PB at Morgan Pk was one session I forgot to turn the A/C off, so it can't slow you down that much. I always find I end up with a headache after a day of racing / rallying, so always take two pre-emptive panadol, and in longer events maybe another 2 midway through the day. This helps fend off the headaches (at least until the morning after the post-rally beer fest!!). There have been professional race drivers (including F1) who suffer motion sickness when they drive. not common, but not unheard of. Edit: I always feel queasy on race day, but for me it's nerves. Again, even some pro athletes throw up before every event (my father-in-law was like this playing Pro rugby League many years ago). My nerves usually take half a day to settle, but the mornings are usually lots of fun for me (toilet trips every half hour)

Pull the engine out, mount to a stand and strip the bottom end to assess damage. You might find that it doesn't need a new crank or even pistons, depending on the amount of wear / damage. I've re-bearinged engines with a bottom end knock, and as long as you get to it before the bearing's spun or worn through, the crank might not even have a mark on it. You have to pull the engine anyway, so why not strip it and assess its condition before making a decision? Best case will be a full gasket set, rings and bearings, (plus the associated cleaning, cylinder hone etc) and timing chain / guides / tensioner etc. Worth a shot, and a good learning experience.

You'll need to talk top some eligibility officers about the upholstery issue. You most certainly do NOT need to keep the original door trims. The accepted interpretation of the rules seems to be as long as said interior trims have the same basic shape as original, and are "upholstered", then they are OK (this mainly concerns centre consoles and lower dash, but I've also seen a lot of discussion about door trims to this effect). IPRA has some very interesting and colourful interpretations of their own rules, so talk to your local EO to get the definite answer. I've also seen talk of recent model cars running original turbos / boost without restrictors, but don't have all of the facts (it contradicted the LM restriction in the turbo rule as Harry correctly pointed out). Again, worth talking to the guys who are actually checking your car for eligibility. They are more than happy to help people in the process of building a car.

Not sure about Teins specifically, but the adjustable dampers I've used have all been clockwise to increase damping effort (except some Konis that you had to compress, then turn the whole body - can't recall which way they went) The dampers should be matched to the springs, so if you back them off too much, they might become bouncy. Better to overdamp a spring than underdamp - it might be that the springs are too stiff too (this is a Japanese thing where their tracks are like billiard tables and you can get away with very high rate springs). Squeaking in the damper could be a seal rubbing on the shaft - some Inox or WD might clear it up, but this is often a sign of a drying seal that might be needing replacement soon. Check the pads to see if they've been replaced. You should be able to see them with the wheel off (should have around 10-12mm of meat on the pad, maybe more if they're new). Again, brake pads can make various noises, so some are more normal than others. Bedding in brakes isn't as critical as it used to be - manufacturers often sinter the pads on a hot plate as part of the manufacturing process, so they should be fairly good out og the box. Of course bedding in will nearly always improve them, so can't hurt. The basics of bedding brakes is the same for nearly all compounds. Heat them up repeatedly through moderate braking effort (say braking from 80 to 20), allowing about a minute to cool down between runs (but not coming to a complete stop if you can avoid it). You can increase the braking effort after you've done a handful of these, to the point that the pads might start to smoke (but don't apply full brakes at all - maybe only go to 60-70% braking). Smoke / burning isn't a problem, as it's just burning off resins etc. left over from the manufacturing process. Once you've done this, let the brakes cool (preferably whilst still driving) and they should be good to go. Whether bedding the brakes makes any difference is anyone's guess, without knowing what was done, and what the problem actually is. Anything beyond the above, and you should take it to a reputable suspension and / or brake specialist. Not worth stuffing around with these things if you aren't confident.

Maybe today it is. In 1989 it was just another crappy Jap family sedan (though mine was a rally car, so I did like it). It was well past its use-by date so I ended up transferring the mechanicals across into a 1600 and took the rusted out shell to the Mt Isa tip. Had I held onto the B, I imagine I'd now have a nice pile of rust to admire.

Someone once stuck a BMW badge on the bonnet of my 180B. Took me about a month to notice it (the less I actually looked at that car, the better).

1) http://brettstruck1.mobile034.com/p/8461709/14055115829-viscous-hub-cooling-fan-clutch-nissan-navara-d22-d40-25l-turbo-diesel-yd25-yd25t.html ($137 US) 2) Sign up for a freight forwarding company such as Comgateway (or any of the other dozen or so companies that provide a US address) 3) Pay the $30 or so for shipping to Oz 4) ??? 5) Profit.

Again I agree with Harry. To me they don't even sound that bad, but that has far less to do with the spectacle than the actual driving. I just like the fact that it's all been given a shake up. Less grip, inconsistent electronic systems (brake by wire) sorts the wheat from the chaff. As always, they will have the technology nailed within a year or 2, and the effects will flow on to us mere mortals. How many of you guys were there when Turbo F1's first came out? They were a laughing stock as they were always expiring in clouds of white smoke. It took a couple of seasons before they started getting their act together and winning races. Before long the world sat up and took notice. At the time there were a couple of manufacturers offering turbos, but they were either high performance sports cars, or fairly ordinary attempts by mainstream manufacturers (Laser, Sigma etc.) Now there probably isn't a manufacturer who doesn't offer at least one turbo model. If they fine tune this new technology the same way it will be a big step towards giving us efficient, exciting cars. Personally I see the end game as a good thing.

Hertz hire out Cooper S and 86 Toyotas. both auto, and neither would set too many lap records, but both would be great fun on a race track. Even an SV6 would be reasonable around a track.

^This All of it.