JoeCools 2ZZ Project: Fast Fun!

[Alex Knight]

Great stuff buddy, glad you enjoyed it, and car performed and behaved impeccably.

Toughest test of any car anywhere, speaks volumes for Bonsai Car Services.

[JoeCool]

My fastest run at 9:55 Bridge to Gantry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlM3IuWHxpk

[Alex Knight]

Are the tyres catching the arches?

[JoeCool]

Are the tyres catching the arches?

Yes! That's the horrible graunching in the videos. I rolled the arches out a little and cut the tabs off the lip but obviously didn't go far enough. I can't get them to rub on the road, but loaded up at the 'Ring and with a passenger on board it was quite pronounced! no real damage to the tyres though. Something to address before my next track day/run to the 'ring. Coilovers and more aggressive geo would probably help too, along with 45 section fronts instead of 50's and perhaps even reducing the ET of the front wheels a few mm.

[tommyzoom99]

looks great sounds like you had a great trip, i hope one day to get there, maybe next year  s:) s:)

cheers tommy

[JoeCool]

A video I've put together of my car doing exactly what it was built to do:

Run 2ZZ 'Ring.

[shnazzle]

Dave on this video is absolutely epic. He sounds like the most enthusiastic person on earth!
 m https://youtu.be/OlM3IuWHxpk m
Absolutely hilarious. And great clip too

[JoeCool]

It was like having a puppy/6 year old in the car with you! Bless him he's from the Northern provinces of Canada and it was his first time in Europe. He didn't know what had hit him. Clearly it spurred me on though as that was my fastest lap, a 9:55 Bridge to Gantry.  s:) s:)

[shnazzle]

It was like having a puppy/6 year old in the car with you! Bless him he's from the Northern provinces of Canada and it was his first time in Europe. He didn't know what had hit him. Clearly it spurred me on though as that was my fastest lap, a 9:55 Bridge to Gantry.  s:) s:)

Not a bad time. There were definitely some points where you held back there. Could have made it 9:45 easily haha.
Makes you think Jezza didn't do too bad doing it in the Jag in 9:59  s:) s:)

[JoeCool]

No, absolutely. I reckon that car in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing could go sub 9 minutes. But it's just a huge leap of faith and I wasn't about to risk my car or life getting overconfident or  scock cock scock y. I had an absolute blast and came home safe... And who knows, perhaps just time I'll be able to go a bit faster.

[shnazzle]

Absolutely! You made the right choice to take it as far as you were comfortable to do so.
Next time, Gadget...next time.

[Ardent]

I had an absolute blast and came home safe

All that matters

[suj]

Too many people get caught in "going faster" and forget the real reason of doing it, to have fun.
I nearly got caught up in that mix with my 200sx, every time I went 'Ring I would come back and want a list of stuff to get more seconds off my time, so I sold it and got a slower E36 328i and it was so much more fun (even though slower).

Bet you had a hoot in this there, I cannot wait to get one and take it out there, it's been a while since i've been there  s:D s:D

[JoeCool]

Crikey... no updates since May?

Passed MOT today with NO advisorys!!! And all it took was replacing everything between the handbrake and the rear hubs....

I've just been driving it really. Must get out more.

[JoeCool]

We are now definitely out of the realms of 'Cheap'!

This years trip to the 'ring booked.

The to do list:

1) Fit Facelift headlights and tail lights.
2) Re-panel car including front and rear bumpers.
3) Replace windscreen, it's developed a crack over winter. I hope my insurance covers that.
4) Fit Coilovers (MEister R's)
5) Fit whiteline ARB
6) Locate and Fit rear subframe and refurbished arms.
7) Locate and fit rear subframe
7a) Powdercoat and fit TRD Strut braces
8 ) Address the torn rear engine mount.
8a) Alignment
9) Code 2nd key!
10) OIl and filter service.
11) Shakedown trackday?

Possibles:

11) Find screws to located centre console
12) Fit greenstuff rear pads.
14) See if my mate who works at a bodyshop can respray my roof.

[Jacobsprky]

i see you have done much work to bring your back up to scratch well done, i think your wheels do look very nice indeed! keep up the hard work Joe. Jacob

[manos3003]

Well done Joe, really good work!

I like your wheels, but I've decided to go for something similar, but smaller and lighter  s:) s:)

It'll be good to see you on a meet/trackday at some point and chat about our builds, or maybe put our little screamers to the test  s:D s:D

[JoeCool]

Cross job 3 off the list: Windscreen replacement.









And add Job Number 3: The passenger windscreen wiper pivot bushing is toast, so I need to replace that whole linkage.

[JoeCool]

Right, cross #14 off the list: roof sorted.

This, ladies and gents, is why you don't fit arrowspeed front tyres and nankang rears:



Don't worry, not mine. Took a lovely trip to the breakers this morning to procure a new roof, thus dealing with the scratches all over mine as well as increasing the number of rooves in circulation.

I really hope whoever was in the car was OK, looks to have been driven at speed into a very solid pole, dead centre. Pole only stopped when it hit the front bulkhead. The roof, however, is fine, fortunately.

So, back on the rack it goes:



Yesterday my front lower arms finally arrived from the US after a right old faff with the couriers, and I also got a new wiper linkage assembly. Lastly, after getting my roof, I stopped off at the Toyota parts counter and picked up a very heavy, very expensive bag of bolts.

So now I'm just waiting to get my sub frame and strut braces powder coated, and for the arrival of my rear suspension arms from GT4-Play and I can begin the suspension overhaul.

[manos3003]

Jeez, nearly shat myself there mate...shame to see a Roadster trashed like that though  s:( s:(

[JoeCool]

I've been steadily taking delivery of parts and my last big package arrived today: All my rear suspension arms from GT4play. I also dropped off my subframe and tower braces to the engineering shop for powdercoating. Once they're done (next week I hope) I'll be waiting for a few days off work and some good weather to dismantle and rebuild the car!

[JoeCool]

Can a Subframe be sexy?





I think this subframe looks sexy.



Under half MR T's price, verifiably rust free (thanks Cabby dave!) and ready for a hard weekends spannering....

Also thanks to Sprayblast Engineering In High Wycombe, who can do stuff like this to whole bodyshells if you so desire. Really helpful and talented guys and gals.

[Topdownman]

Making good progress there, got to love freshly powder coated bits!

Cant you just use any old self tapper for the centre console?

PS That is one well organised breakers yard.

[JoeCool]

Once again, the front appears to have fallen off of my car...

Didn't make quite as much progress as I'd hoped today. Sheared 2 of the ARB bracket bolts, damnation. Then I spent 2 hours backing out 3 of the lower arm bolts. Never have I wanted air tools more. TBH I just want a nice garage with a 2 post lift and some tool drawers, but anyway.

Tomorrow I get to build it back up, with shiny bits. Just got to work out what to do about the bolts left in the mount points. I had a go at drilling one of them and it wasn't entirely successful....

[MilesH]

Tomorrow I get to build it back up, with shiny bits. Just got to work out what to do about the bolts left in the mount points. I had a go at drilling one of them and it wasn't entirely successful....

Do you mean the bolts left in the arb mount points? If so get a thin chisel on the rear of the bolt/nut (the nut is tac welded in place) and smack it hard with a hammer. It will remove the nut and the broken bolt, then you can use a new nut and bolt for the new arb, and there is enough space to get a spanner to hold the new nut whilst you tighten the bolt, so the new nut does not have to be tac welded in palce like the factory one.

I've had this happen on almost every mk3 and always had to do this.