Time goes fast - I need another update in here!
 
Unrelated to AW11, but I'm currently license-less again. Wont be able to drive for 12-15months. SO, little red is sitting, parked - regardless of the fact its currently defected anyway. 
 
This is a great opportunity to give it another solid clean-up. Daily use sure takes its toll on older cars.
I started gathering bits and pieces over the holidays, to clean up the interior. It badly needed a new dash thanks to all the cracks, and i wanted to replace the passenger carpet due to a little battery-acid mishap. <_<.
conveniently, two poor red Aussie Adub's were parted recently, and i got the parts I needed.
 
Little red:


 
The interior before I started:



I had already put in the original wheel, shifter, and knob, from my roadworthy-attempt ~september.
 
Dash out:

 
Closeup of some of the cracking. It was like an egg-shell - the stickers were there to hold it together!

 
old dash, with fantastic used one from Lindsay:

 
Passenger carpet out - perfect floor:

 
A battery had fallen over in the footwell late last year. I thought it was sealed, so didnt pick it up - unfortunately it SHAGGED the passenger floormat (thats why the red JDM mats were in), and ran over the edges into the carpet. the fibres just melted away..

 
Side-by-side, the new (used) carpet was much much nicer

it shows how my old was was actually thinning out! hard to realize in the car.
Interestingly, that passenger carpet was absolutely FILTHY when i got it. seriously disgusting. someone had glued the floormat down, and some softdrink was spilled down the console side of the seat.. <_<
some quality-time with the vacuum, prepsol, carpetcleaner, and a steam cleaner, eventually sorted it right out. Its so nice...
 
I gave the drivers footwell (and pedals) a spruce-up at the same time..

 
No more fire-extinguisher mounted under the glovebox. I got a good lower dash replacement:

 
and a HVAC-surround to replace the one i had with two strangely-neat little holes..:

 
Lots of cleaning later, and its all back together. Looking 7 years younger! :)








Very happy. Nice and fresh.
 
I'm ordering a heap more parts from Toyota soon, so will have a new stock leather gearknob, gearboot, and pedal covers; and have a much nicer handbrake lever already on the way.
The Razo wide-mirror and smelly tree are gone now too; so other than the tartan and Recaro's, its beautifully original in there.
 
I've given the Fujitsubo a thorough polish, cleaned all four wheel-wells, the struts, the stock struts, and the inside of the wheels.


 
So much more to come. Still love this car too much - and will have it in top-form again for 2014. :)

Wow, very nice clean up on an already very clean adub, great work!

Quiet the read... ;)


The love and enjoyment you get from these little machines is second to none...

And I know what you mean about being original and standard, thrash able etc..

If someone asked me to choose between my old MK1.5 and my standard MK1 I'd choice the original MK1 with ease...

:)

Very nice! Sucks to hear about your license & selling the Evo5. Bad start to 2013.

cheers for the comments. :)
 
Stopped driving in the start of December, so I'll put that on 2012. :P
Was definitely not happy about selling the EVO - as goddamn did I like that car.
Really too quick for the streets and roads I drive on, It was just so competent.
I actually didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Registered it, and then did 4000km in the first month!
What also hurt is that I had to get rid of it quickly. Sold it in a couple days.. and cheap. It was too good for that! :(



Cinque. :(
Would happily buy another one day. But like my dreams of owning a BNR32, I don't have the self-control to have the right to. :(
 
 
On a lighter note, I ordered another set of wheels just before Christmas.
As I plan on going back to standard height, I wanted some smaller wheels to get the look I'm imagining. So I started hunting 14x6 or 7" wheels with the intention of putting a fatter 195/60 R14 on (Direzza, Azenis, etc).
I jumped on these when I saw them for sale in the US. Hayashi streets in 14x6 +15 - which for some reason had been made in Italy!



advertised as 4x100, and dearer because of it.
unfortunately, when they arrived they turned out to be 4x114.3 - with a centrebore too large to give the option of re-drilling.
Bummer.
Too expensive to send back, I just had to cop it. They're now just sitting in the garage until i get something one day that will suit them.
 
I then emailed Hayashi in the USA about ordering some new 14x6 in gold finish, but no reply. <_<
 
SO, kept looking.
Found goodwin-racing in the US get special 14x7 Enkei RPF1's done for MX5's. They had a couple in Gold left, and look to only order them when there is a demand.
Quality, Light, and cheap - its worth buying them just in case! They're just too damn cute in 14".
And now they're here:



I went for the 14x7 +19. They also do them in +29.

They look great in 14", and have the flat spokes. Amazingly are also 3.5-odd kg a wheel - managing to be a whisker lighter than my forged 15x6.5 SSR Type-C's!


 
I like them.
I still like the Meisters more, but these will be something different.
I'll get some tyres on them, raise the car back up, and see if i like the look. But I'm still tossing up the idea of some some grey/black 14x6.5 F8 Watanabe's or 14x6.5 Equip 01's...
we'll see.. ;)
 
 
 

What ever job you've got mate where can I apply ;)

Enkies look wicked!

I killed the chassis of one so yeah, you and me both. Still, I bought a rolling chassis and is building it from ground up/transferring the goodies from the original BNR32. 
 
As for the wheels, love the watanabe's.. but they just don't come in the right size/offset I need, will need to have flares to fit the 15x8 watanabe's. 
 

RdS
 But like my dreams of owning a BNR32, I don't have the self-control to have the right to. :(
 But I'm still tossing up the idea of some some grey/black 14x6.5 F8 Watanabe's or 14x6.5 Equip 01's...
we'll see.. ;)

I've never been hugely fond on RPF1's. But with 54.1mm centric bore and 14x7 +19 AND lightweight AND cheap!
How do you always find these gems Ross?
A gold set would look awesome against dark blue as well as your 'lil red. Maybe I might consider a silver set.
Please let me know how you go with tyres + fitment. Using a few online calc's if you've fitted 7.5 +29 with no scrubbing issues on the front, then 7 +19 *should* be okay. Rear's should definitely tuck in alright as well, depending on whether 205's or 195's are used. Even makes me wonder if you can stretch 185/60's on those, just so you can hand on heart say you are running factory tyre size ;)

I really admire the way you operate sir.
 
you inspire me to clean up my own car.

^ why thank you kind sir. :P
You still have the MR2? Id thought you bought an 86?
 

s2d4

I killed the chassis of one so yeah, you and me both. Still, I bought a rolling chassis and is building it from ground up/transferring the goodies from the original BNR32. 

As for the wheels, love the watanabe's.. but they just don't come in the right size/offset I need, will need to have flares to fit the 15x8 watanabe's. 

RdS
But like my dreams of owning a BNR32, I don't have the self-control to have the right to. :(
But I'm still tossing up the idea of some some grey/black 14x6.5 F8 Watanabe's or 14x6.5 Equip 01's...
we'll see.. ;)

 
I meant more so because I cant not have fun in a car. I adore BNR32's.. but know the occasional shenanigans will be inevitable. :(
 
With the Watanabe's, there should be no reason you cant get ones that are spot-on? (I think even Otomoto distribute them nowadays).
You sure as hell dont need flares to fit 15x8's either! :)
 

majI've never been hugely fond on RPF1's. But with 54.1mm centric bore and 14x7 +19 AND lightweight AND cheap!
How do you always find these gems Ross?
A gold set would look awesome against dark blue as well as your 'lil red. Maybe I might consider a silver set.
Please let me know how you go with tyres + fitment. Using a few online calc's if you've fitted 7.5 +29 with no scrubbing issues on the front, then 7 +19 *should* be okay. Rear's should definitely tuck in alright as well, depending on whether 205's or 195's are used. Even makes me wonder if you can stretch 185/60's on those, just so you can hand on heart say you are running factory tyre size ;)

 
yep, almost made for the AW11! (*cough* NA6..)
Perfect centrebore, and caliper clearance is a non-issue. :)
 
As for finding them, you can buy them in black, silver, and gold right now, brand spankers, from Good-win Racing in the US. :)
 
The 7" +19 is weaker wheel-wise front and rear, but its the Tyres that are the troublemaker here. I want skinny 14" to run a tall, wide, tyre.
On the current 8.5" +29 rears, the tyre starts to pull in straight away..
I'm counting on the added height to help out - but If it starts looking too mexican...
 
Should have Tyres on them shortly.
The plan is to get some 195/60's, get it back to stock height, and see how they look. Unless I absolutely love it, I'll then use that as a base reference to order 5 14" Equips/Wats in the size that's perfect.
I may hate it back at the stock height anyway, in which case the CR01's wont be off for long!
we'll see...
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anywhey; I'll start pulling the front panels off in the next couple weeks. want to replace the hinges, and need to repaint the lip and lower front guards..
There will be no-doubt be pics...