So it begins. With petrol cost. I spent around £150 on two tanks in the space of 4 days. I guess its what I get for repeated trips into London, but, regardless, it is insane. When I try in vain to attempt for a discount in the petrol forecourts, I'm kindly asked to "Desist with the shaking of the milkshakes", and I am forced to pay full price, slightly terrified gazes fixated on me. I can't help that my milkshakes are better than theirs. In saying that, the Cefiro isn't fairing TOO abysmally in the fuel economy stakes; the average since purchase is currently around 27.32MPG - decidedly, err, average! For what is known to be the biggest Mammal in the world.
I just need to keep reminding myself that I am not in Saudi Arabia where I can just take petrol from the sink taps, not that I particularly care for spending the money on the petrol [I lie, my wallet weeps and leaves a wet patch on my trouser pocket :(] or can forget about where I am - the inverted genitalia from the recent cold is a gentle reminder. Onto the spree.
It started with the steering wheel. It would seem that Cefiroluls has a bit of a moisture problem. Odd as it's not a convertible. But it is a whale. I stand corrected. Anyway, on/ following particularly humid days, what used to be a tiny drip inside the boot, has turned into a bit of a deluge, which would seem permeates into the cabin. That, or my hands sweat an inordinate amount that soaks into the steering wheel, resulting in what feels like a loofah. Being used to steer the car. It is not pleasant. Nope. So. That was not reason enough for wanting a change, I just get bored, and I DESPISE the ludicrous "Steering Position" Band, as, obviously, I'll need to figure out if the steered wheels are facing forwards, on my drives up the M25. So. Brand Whore? Check. Nardi? Check. So I got a Nardi. Unfortunately. It's as big as the moon. 365mm to be precise. Yes, the moon is 365mm big, and now you know! It is very pretty though, and purchased from a delightful - perhaps too delightful - fellow. However, it is as big as the moon. Therefore I will need to trial fit it and gauge its suitability to the car. In the midst of this I also purchased a 340mm Nardi Steering wheel on Yahoo for good measure. Oh, this is a close up of the moon:
Next to be addressed were the dreadful wipers. They didn't so much "wipe" water off of the windscreen, rather just streaking it along the screen, and in doing so protesting at their own inability to move the water - *SCREEE* "TOO MUCH WATARRR" *SCREEEE" etc. The wipers also seemed to vibrate at speed when in their idle positions, which seemed odd as they nestled below the hood line. Another odd curiosity was the fact that the passenger-side wiper was about 1" too long, encroaching over the A-pillar. So naturally my choice fell onto the more expensive options - in my typical quest of spending over the odds to try out hearsay, I purchased a set of Bosch Aerotwin "Aero" Wipers. Hmm. Aerodynamic wipers. Ok. Enough for fuel economy savings? Better wipe quality? OOH, LIGHTER. Done! So first things first:
Then I realised I bought them for the incredulous weight savings they would provide!! So, weighens! Ah:
26.2g. Meh, worth it! Unfortunately though, I was too lazy - I know, me of all people?! - and just bought the first option, which was a 2" shorter passenger-side wiper, thus leaving a smaller cleared radius on the passenger-side. I am not a passenger though so the afforded view is more than enough! I think it is obvious enough to state as well that they do what they claim to; they work sufficiently well, but it hasn't rained as of yet. Figures.
After this debacle I was then hoping I could rely on my most local Nissan dealer to count on some parts that have been the cause of some annoyance, primarily:
- That fracking boot seal [Boot is a makeshift swamp]
- The door/window seals [Atrocious wind noise - yeah, I'm getting old]
- The incorrect passenger-side floor mat [As above >_<]
- The mushroom breeding farm boot mat [Not the good kind of delectable mushrooms that would otherwise warrant its keeping]
- The missing boot hinge bolt [Possible culprit for the swamp-based Mushroom breeding farm]
- The molten demister grilles [...]
And!? Complete and utter non-result. AAARGH. Or more like *whimper*. Circumventing the fact that the Parts Department did not even know what a Cefiro was, no prices or stocks could be located. At all. And when "estimate" prices were pulled out of a space of thin air to the gentleman's right, I fell. Or to be precise, a brick fell. From my posterior. Which I picked up and offered as a trade-in. So, that's a no show. I can wait for a Cefiro breaker car, be fine!
*Tumbleweeds*
...Yeah.
No time for commiserations, I continued on my quest of stifling progress and boredom with further purchases, and after meagre due care and research, I had purchased a Z32 300ZX Twin Turbo. Well. Almost, though one was offered to me! I had purchased essentially the entire unsprung assembly, barring suspension units, from a UK Z32 300ZX Twin Turbo. Why? I already mentioned why, I was bored! I must say, not one of the most necessary purchases at this point in time, however, it was cheap enough, complete enough, and I'll have time to prepare it. So why the components specifically? I'll tell you why..No, not because I was bored. I sometimes wonder if I could solve world peace with the expenditure patterns I exhibit in my boredom. But that's not as fun as car parts. Anyway:
- Larger [Gargantuan actually] Brake Discs/ 4 Piston Front & 2 Piston Rear Alloy Calipers
- 5-stud Hubs, so that I can actually buy some wheels [I was cruelly lied to that 4x114.3 in delightful offsets were plentiful. They're not.]
- Alloy Rear suspension Uprights [a Full 7-8lbs lighter than stock. Each. All unsprung]
- Assorted ancillaries to ensure correct conformity
So essentially I have already primed up for a future brake upgrade, 5-stud conversion and lighter rear alloy upright setup; I plan on working these with the Bilt Hamber Black Voodoo Magic products of wins Rick introduced me to, ready for installation sometime in the pending Botheredness. Saying that, the rear uprights do need a different rear shock mount, which I may have located; Megan Racing do conversion sleeves, I just need to confirm their dimensions. Together with this conglomeration of useless parts, I also managed to source one of my favourite purchases thus far - I was long annoyed by the replacement for the cigarette lighter that was currently residing in the centre console; some nondescript aftermarket plug, that in all its trivial non-importance, still managed to cheapen the ambience of the interior. So, I was given a "free" OEM Cigarette Lighter plug with the other Z32 300ZX items! And. I. Heart it.
And that is all, it is a cigarette lighter, and I don't smoke o_o
In preparation for this future brake upgrade, I also set to purchase the requisite discs so that I wouldn't have the have the included discs ghetto-drilled out to the correct stud pattern, in a bid to not weaken the mounting architecture so that in the event of a particularly aggressive braking manoeuvre they should not deflagrate in a cloud of dust of not-so-luls and my tears. Copious tears. So, R33 GTS N/A at a Scrapyard in Dartford. Score. Purchased, from the sorry looking Skyline with "Skidmark" Stripes, which seemed to be RB20E equipped, and not RB25DE equipped as advertised. Obviously this entry is by no means chronologically accurate, as I purchased these discs prior to the 300ZX assortment, unbeknownst of the mistake I was committing. Little did I know that these discs, at their full £70 price were infact, about half the size of the 300ZX units. It was only apparent when I struggled to lift out the uprated units from their respective box box. -__-
Bah. To J00. J00 being me.
More consolatory spendings, this time on Yahoo. Yay Yahoo! On my swift, jubilant departure at the thought, I returned from frolicking in the garden at the exciting prospect of more Yahoo purchases - srsly, it's cold, did I mention the inverted genitalia? - I deliberated on what exactly it was I NEEDED rather than wanted. Its easy to define what I want. Everything. What do I need?....
....
Hold on. Still thinking.
So the process repeated. YAY, WANTS. More frolicking. More freezings. Well firstly I had decided that window deflectors were an imperative requisite - the clips were still stuck in the front doors from my frankly pitiful attempts to extricate them, and they would hopefully mask over the wind noise issue. Plus they'd look awesome. Done. Found, and biddenses0zr! Next, the Apex Coilovers had seemingly developed a knock from the passenger-side front suspension, which progressively got worse - this compounded with the obviously well founded damping found through countless hours of intensive design-plagiarism known from these well-unknown Motorsport suppliers, meant they needed a viable replacement. I didn't really set myself many criteria. Just the usual - Brand whore? Check. Most intriguing brand to be sought. Unfortunately I missed out on some immaculate looking GP Sports Coilovers, with possibly excrutiating spring rates (the springs seemed to be wound from sausage diameter metal!), but rather settled on some slightly tatty looking Kei Office C33 Laurel Coilovers. Why the mention of the C33 Laurel? Predominantly people just use S13 Coilovers on the Cefiros, but the S13 front shocks are actually quite a bit shorter, so in a bid to restore some meaningful travel, I made sure I located a full-bodied shock absorber. The Kei Office coilovers also have the benefit of a fully threaded shock body which allows for ride-height adjustment without sacrificing suspension stroke (giggedy), and combined with the same 8/6 spring rate, and correctly researched damping rates, I should hopefully be in a better riding vehicle. That, and, I can pretend to myself that Keiichi Tsuchiya had his hands all over my coilovers and giggle like a school girl at the mere thought ^_^.
At the prospect of a future purchase, I also sought after, and managed to purchase a C33 Laurel 1Din Cubby Storage Box/ Cup Holder unit - essential to replace either the CD Player or Tape Player. Obviously items of much use to me o_o. I further purchased another Nardi steering wheel, as, obviously, the Cefiroluls needs two (tried steering a whale with just ONE?!), this time in a more manageable 340mm size. Then, the coup de gras:
A set of full length side-sill Reinforcement braces, possibly made by ARC (Auto Refine as opposed to Abbey Road Company) for a C33 Laurel. Must. Has. NAO! I'm sure I do not need to explain my motives for its desire. They had gone without bids for two weeks, so I thought, hoped, duly exasperated that a bid would go unchallenged. Yet. At the last minute, I was outbid. By £2. And unamusingly enough, the winning bid was the amount I had asked for.
Tantrum. Well, in my head at least.
Vent it out by buying a useless Trunk Brace. Peace is restored. Ish. Though, I need that brace. Other than for rarity sake, it seems to well tether the sills to the front/rear assemblies of the undercarriage, and. I want. Oh, and as mentioned before, the Cefiroluls chassis is seemingly quite the Pilsbury Doughboy in terms of outright fortitude, what, with not being able to open a door when jacking up one side to remove a wheel, or the eyebrow-raising amounts of creaking when side-stepping speeding islands. It shall one day be mine! ONE DAI!
One thing that was also immediately noticeable by its absence in the Cefiroluls' repertoir, is a means to smother the sounds of all this creaking and wind noise, suffice to say, the stock stereo is found a bit wanting. Not that BBC, RAAAAAADIO TWO, with the gentle musings of Graham Norton and company, isn't entertaining - it is quite splendid - but, I die a little when they do their "Country Hour" segments; I don't care that Dolly Parton's father impregnated her with her brother which brought her to sing the music she does. So. To find a suitable replacement. I would love to have a similar system to what is in the Cynos, being a Dension HDD-Based Headunit, but such systems are nigh on extinct, what, with the advent of portable media taking centre stage. Plus, I should probably move on from that system - it's convenient, not great. So. Whilst searching for some Car Alarm reviews, I happened across a Car Audio Security retail website, and happened to click on headunits. The first item listed was pretty enough. Done. I must have it. That is literally how my decision happened across.
Well. I did read the details through too. Well. Skimmed. iPood Compatibility? USB/SD Card Functionality? Score. Pretty? WINS. After getting a few expenditures out of the way, and finding a cheaper unit for sale on eBay, I purchased said headunit - the Pioneer MVH-8200BT - and appropriate connectivity hardware. I also. Had to bring myself to the fact. That I would have to perform the unthinkable. The UNFATHOMABLE. I would. Have to buy an Apple Product. No amount of showers could get that dirty feeling off, and lashing myself, other than providing a strange sense of pleasure, never cleared out the ridicule of hypocrisy from my head. I'll just scratch out the insignia on the back and it'll be fine. So, on receipt of both items, I immediately set forth to hopefully install the both - music uploaded onto iPood, which further required me to download iTunes in the process making me feel dirtier and slowly ebbing away my will to live. Why it requires a bespoke program to transfer songs is beyond me, why said program then takes up all your hard-drive space when all its doing is referencing files from other sources, is further beyond me. It's To infinity and Beyond me.
Into the car, and it doesn't take much to figure how to remove the old stereo - two screws holding in the centre console panel, after removing the gear shifter surround, two more screws holding in the Double-din cage, and, removal! Unplug decrepit tape player, plug-in new Stereo with accommodating harness and...! Nothing. Quick cries texted to Harry, he replies in binary. Drats. Oh well, I'll pay for fitting, as I'm impatient and this spree knows no boundaries. Graham Norton it is. A few days later, I organise an install at a local stereo shop, not as local as previously when Car Audio specialist was located in Caterham, which has now shut down. £50. Done. MUZZAK! Oh wow. It is pretty.
See, pretties! Also, they played "Black Dahlia Murder" to test the system. Must've surprised them ^_^. And yeah, basically, its awesome. I still feel vile for using an iPod with it, but I have 160GB at my disposition, 100GB of music available to transfer, so yeah, done! The system is not terrible either - after some adjustment it reveals a reasonable setup; some clarity is lost as the higher timbres are far too prominent, and there is a complete dearth of lower frequency amplitude (bass) - that will need to be rectified. That will be done with a Pioneer Stage4 Shallow Bass unit in due time, which is literally about 3" thick. Yeah STFU, it's only a small bass unit, and won't impinge on my weight saving measures.
Oh, and the stereo comes with Bluetooth! Don't call me though, I still won't reply o_o
After these purchases I was then struggling to think of other ways to throw money around, not literally, as that'd be silly. You cannot physically project money with Paypal, rather just fire it off into respective recipient accounts in a series of electronic impulses ^_^. So. Distraught that the owner of a set of some lovely Works Meister S1 wheels in THE perfect offset and size was a complete douche, I pleasured myself - yeah, you read that right! - with the purchase of a particular wheel set that has long enamoured me. I had always wanted a set for the Cynos, but they were either too expensive, wrong PCD, or silly sizes. And they look like Ferrari F40 wheels. And I can pretend to be in a Ferrari. And they are AutoStrada Modenas ^_^. 7" & 8" wide ET26 16" Variants to be precise, and they were refreshingly cheap! They are still 5-Stud mind so I cannot actually USE them, but. I never try to make sense. I'm foreign, I'm allowed these transgressions? ^_^. They are due to arrive shortly, but being in Scotland, which is currently smothered ankle-deep in a layer of snow, I am not confident on time-scales.
Talking of the snow, I have long been worried for the advent of this coming winter. The Cefiro tyres are atrocious. It breaks traction reversing up my driveway. The car just rumbles there with its whiney "I CAN'T DO IT, WAIS?!" screeching of it its tyres. Nevermind when its wet. Don't even mention snow and ice. Winter Tyres, are a necessity, and now was the time. This was especially confirmed when I ventured onto the roof-top parking floor of the local Morrison's, covered in ice. I have never felt such a complete void of traction or grip at such low speeds ever. It wasn't even idle speed, I had to dip the clutch just to restore some sense of direction to forward progress o_o. And I am not a yoof, so I did not wish to take advantage of it. Ok, temptation was there to discover some limits, but not in broad daylight, and with other cars on the premises.
I had previously done some research with regards to which tyres would best suit me, and a stark realisation was met when I came to find that Snow Tyre reviews were far and few between - it would seem people put far too little importance into the use of Snow Tyres, and the lack of reviews compounded that sentiment. Nevermind, I found some, and came to the conclusion that I was to purchase a set of Goodyear ULTRAGRIP 7+ Mud & Snow tyres. So I did. I am currently awaiting them. I hope to have a good review for those too. Installing them, I shall also replace the tyre valves on the SSR's, as well as opt for filling the tyres with Nitrogen gas, and test out any quantitative Fuel Economy gains. Hurrah!
Otherwise
Next on the cards won't really be much, other than to not follow suit of the Cynos and actually endeavour to have this smattering of parts installed in due time on the car, and enjoy it, to offset the pure misery that the Cynos instils in me. That being said, forthcoming posts will probably include pictures of the new items as of when they arrive/get installed.
Is the length of this blog entry too much? Well, you've read it. And you still are. And if you read past this point you lust for me. Not that I didn't already know ^_^
Ahh. Boredom.
