GoldZilla

Not heading up this week, and next Thursday is Christmas Day, so that rules that out too!

Oh yeah, that's the Cefiro/Maxima wagon, right?

Bwahahaha, that's what you get for not having safe sex with a random GT-R you've just met...

Spotted a silver R33 GT-R tonight at around 5.30pm heading up Delhi Rd, North Ryde, following a sports bike up the inside lane. I *think* the rego was GTR-033, not sure.

Probably a sparky, but most decent mechanics should know what to do here, it's not too hard a job.

Wasn't URINE aka URMINE Paul?

The C35 Laurel looks a bit like the Toyota JZX100 Mark II. Is that a crease in the panel from the top trailing edge of the headlight, or a reflection of something in the background? If it's a crease in the panel, it looks out of place. The front bar isn't too bad, but the drilled "mesh" panel in the middle looks like a cheap afterthought... Overall, with the black paint and chrome grille, etc., it makes a Stagea look even more like a hearse.

The 260RS is the R33 GT-R equivalent, with the RB26DETT, manual box, chassis and body strengthening, slightly different rear suspension (a straight lift from the GT-R, as opposed to the GTSt suspension used by the lower models), etc. The RS-Four S is the factory manual, is a series 2 only, and it has the same rear suspension and manual gearbox as the 260RS, but linked to the RB25DET. If you want a RWD model, look for an RS or RS-V. Like Mike said, you can buy an RS-Four and drop the front drive-shaft, but you'll still have about 100-140kg extra that you'll be carrying around over the factory RWD car.

Yeah, it sucks scratching or denting your car - it doesn't make you an idiot any more than the rest of us, but it does confirm you are human!

Good work, Doof, in getting it all up and running, and to Jay for securing the lighting and sound rigs for use on the display! Good work on the effort of ALL the people who took part in it - the cars attracted a lot of attention and good publicity for the club and forums, and quite a few membership forms were handed out as well. It was good to catch up with "Xmetal" Ian, "NXTIME" Charlie, "~Jay~", and "Zilch*" Steven, and it was nice to meet Che "Bakes" and Marian. ALL of the cars looked great, but Marian's car is scarily clean! Finally, congratulations on the team for taking out the awards for Best Club Display and Best Club Performance!!!

Spotted a gold M35 with a Haltech sticker on the back window today, parked outside the Exhibition Centre in Homebush where Auto Salon's Final Battle was on.

My old man has had problems with Champion plugs previously (admittedly, it was many years ago) so we've never trusted them. NGK, as Tangles mentioned, are the way to go. If you do intend to keep those ones (they look fine apart from some gunk on the tip of the electrode), just give them a clean and make sure the gap is still at 0.8mm. Copper plugs apparently don't last as long as Iridiums or Platinums, but they are a better conductor of electricity, so provide better spark.

No whey, dood, I saw a pearl white s1 with plates referring to some HGE towing vehicle, I think it was HGE-70W or sumsing...

Oh yeah, carry a spare key and remote to your alarm, and get your housemate to carry it with him, just in case one key gets lost.

What about the SDU days? I still see an s13 Silvia with an SDU sticker here in Seven Hills, and wonder if it's the same chick who was going out with the guy who organised our cruise even before SAU started - was it Matt and Jen?

Sponge bath with Jessica Alba?

Classic - there are so many Mauritians here in Australia I was bound to run into one on here after a while, right? Once last mention of food before we have to take this to the Stagea chat thread (aka Cook Book): dhall pourri @ Rose Hill markets... That's enough of that, I'm getting hungry! Buying a Stagea is certainly a great way to go, and the only complaints most of us here have come down to three things: Fuel usage; Fuel usage; and Fuel usage... Back on topic, I saw that silver s1 parked at the school again while I was on the way home from the shops, and this time I stopped and left an SAU-NSW business card on his car.

Spotted Jetwreck, zei201 and mrfrontmount tonight...

I think SK did the same to his, and it was all in detail somewhere...

What, Ian, cooking and cleaning? lol

Humble, my parents are from Mauritius, and it's a beautiful (but very small) place. If you go to any of the markets, do as you would in any Asian countries you'd visit and bargain anything you choose to buy. I went there with my parents back over the Christmas and New Year's 93/94 period, and it was the first time they'd been "home" in 21 years. Even though they were both born and raised there, the locals KNEW they were tourists too and tried on numerous occasions to rip us off. It's like anywhere, if you're not willing to negotiate, they'll pretty much charge you what they want. Places to see: Chamarel (the place of the coloured sands); most of the better beaches are on the North of the island; Casela Bird Sanctuary; Pamplemousse Garden; Le Val park (a bit like a zoo/wlidlife park); Isle aux Cerfs (has glass-bottom boats, catamarans, etc.).

I'll be there as per usual. And hey Brian, yep I remember you. I should be at AutoSalon on Sunday at the SAU stand, so I might catch you then if you're heading in. Good work snapping up an R31, and hope to catch you on a Thursday night cruise soon!

Gus, I *think* Auto Salon used to do parties at the venue for participants on the Saturday nights, not sure if they're doing it for this one. To be honest, the day itself is pretty exhausting, and being there the whole weekend can be even more so. If you're still keen to party, there's not much in Homebush, but the city is only about 20mins away. The train station is right near the halls where Auto Salon is held, so if you're staying really close to that you're in luck.

Looks awesome, Ian! Funny thing, look at where Andy has quoted your message, and the angle you've taken your photo at is the same as Andy's, and it looks like Andy's stripped off the wheel arch flares and taken another shot of his own car!

With that fuel issue in mind, pack a couple of bottles of Octane Booster - the Nulon-branded ones just fit in the left side compartment in the boot. Some spare fuel would be a good idea too, considering the thirst of the Stagea, and at least you'll have that little bit extra of the high-octane stuff if you REALLY need it. A few rolls of dunny paper, water and some extra cash stashed away just in case, as Hugh mentioned. Check tyre pressures and put in a few extra psi at each corner for the sustained highway running. Regarding the space-saver, they're only recommended for a distance of 100kms at a maximum of 80km/h, so Dale's suggestion of carrying a full-sized spare is a pretty good one. Spare fan belts should always be included - it's such a simple thing, but can often be vital. I can't remember which belt goes where without looking, but losing an alternator belt means ending up with a dead battery before too long, losing the power steering belt means heavy steering (which will be more of an issue at lower speeds), and the air-con compressor belt would mean you and your passenger(s) sweating to buggery in the Darwin heat.