Ellie - From Japan to the UK - my project.
01-22-12, 02:02 AM
#104
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I've been super crap at keeping this updated 
In a nutshell, moved house mid last year - Have had no time and money to do anything with Ellie as it's all gone into smashing about 150 year old brickwork.
I sold the Nur spec and bought an Apexi Hyabusa, because I love the way the look, and slapped my winter wheels on:
Fitted:
5.5kg, lovely.
However, my daily Eunos(Miata to you guys
) has broken so I've been using Ellie - The Hyabusa is just too antisocial for my new neighbours, so I've swapped back to my RB duals for a while. Still kept the Apexi though.
Yesterday I figured I'd better get my **** into gear. Partly because, well, it's been too long, and partly because I went out in a friend's mapped GT35r equipped car. And it's bloody amazing :smitten:
Much as it looks a state, this makes me happy:
Because it's the first time my man cave has let me work on Ellie, and the first time I've worked on her in an actual garage. It's bloody brilliant.
So, ducting it is.
I didn't set fire to anything, chop any fingers off, or die. So I consider that a win.
It's not exactly amazing work, but it's functional, and will be hidden, so I'm happy. And to be honest, compared to the **** my dexterically retarded hands usually churn out, I'm pretty pleased.
Probably should have taken the film off the bit in the nosecone
I also need to get some sticky backed foam to pad the ducting against the coolers.
Wil hurl some satin black on the lot at some point.
But that's kind of all I managed But not much left before I can map it (other than funds)
So, 'to do' for mapping is just swapping over the coil for my new one, and making a decent bracket for it.
Then it's 'snagging' - annoying shiz that has bugged me while daily-ing it
- Defi speed sensor is connected to wrong wire - even though it's the one everyone told me it was Means that it never knows I'm moving, so the display always just cycles. Ace.
- Rattles. My god, the rattles. Seriously, I'm never taking a panel out again.
- Stereo - find some cheap/free speakers.
- Fit boost gauge in cluster.
- Pressure check WG lines.
Nearly there, Dyno fail iminent.
In a nutshell, moved house mid last year - Have had no time and money to do anything with Ellie as it's all gone into smashing about 150 year old brickwork.
I sold the Nur spec and bought an Apexi Hyabusa, because I love the way the look, and slapped my winter wheels on:
Fitted:
5.5kg, lovely.
However, my daily Eunos(Miata to you guys
) has broken so I've been using Ellie - The Hyabusa is just too antisocial for my new neighbours, so I've swapped back to my RB duals for a while. Still kept the Apexi though.Yesterday I figured I'd better get my **** into gear. Partly because, well, it's been too long, and partly because I went out in a friend's mapped GT35r equipped car. And it's bloody amazing :smitten:
Much as it looks a state, this makes me happy:
Because it's the first time my man cave has let me work on Ellie, and the first time I've worked on her in an actual garage. It's bloody brilliant.
So, ducting it is.
I didn't set fire to anything, chop any fingers off, or die. So I consider that a win.
It's not exactly amazing work, but it's functional, and will be hidden, so I'm happy. And to be honest, compared to the **** my dexterically retarded hands usually churn out, I'm pretty pleased.
Probably should have taken the film off the bit in the nosecone
I also need to get some sticky backed foam to pad the ducting against the coolers.Wil hurl some satin black on the lot at some point.
But that's kind of all I managed
But not much left before I can map it (other than funds)So, 'to do' for mapping is just swapping over the coil for my new one, and making a decent bracket for it.
Then it's 'snagging' - annoying shiz that has bugged me while daily-ing it
- Defi speed sensor is connected to wrong wire - even though it's the one everyone told me it was
Means that it never knows I'm moving, so the display always just cycles. Ace.- Rattles. My god, the rattles. Seriously, I'm never taking a panel out again.
- Stereo - find some cheap/free speakers.
- Fit boost gauge in cluster.
- Pressure check WG lines.
Nearly there, Dyno fail iminent.
01-27-12, 02:59 AM
#106
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Cheers man 
So, out comes the B&D workmate, blunt drill bits, and eBay taps
New bracket made for coils from 5mm ally to neaten up the old hotch-potch, with a brand new leading coil. According to my calcs it should clear the underside of the TB and inlet - should...
Well, my calcs were horseshit. Tb coolant outlet fouled the coil
Have removed and bypassed the cold idle cam. Didn't want to, but I've removed some far more useful stuff already, so I guess its the least of my worries!
So, out comes the B&D workmate, blunt drill bits, and eBay taps
New bracket made for coils from 5mm ally to neaten up the old hotch-potch, with a brand new leading coil. According to my calcs it should clear the underside of the TB and inlet - should...
Well, my calcs were horseshit. Tb coolant outlet fouled the coil
Have removed and bypassed the cold idle cam. Didn't want to, but I've removed some far more useful stuff already, so I guess its the least of my worries!
02-23-12, 01:30 PM
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:o Cheers guys Shucks
So, a few weeks in the life of an FD owner. Troubles are frequent. Some due to the car, but mostly due to the owner being a mechanically website maker, not a car fixer. Here are those trials. Skip to the pictures if you don't like rants, or just words in general.
- Day 1: Decide that the ignition loom needs beefing up. Replace with 'temporary' loom. Lock up car.
- Day 2: Deconstruct loom. Realise there's no way the pins can be reused. Try to find more.
- Day 3: Email everybody under the sun. No success
- Day 5: Still no success, but several conversations with lovely chaps.
- Day 7: Go start car since day 1. Car starts, but takes yonks, seems weird. Drive to end of road. Pull out of X-roads. Car nearly stalls, and does loudest backfire ever heard. Bus stop rammed full of schoolchildren stare, point and laugh. Drive out of village, car not right. More not right than the normal 'unmapped warm up'. Pull into layby, car obviously fucked. Take quiet backroads home. Park up.
Temperature is -8. unplug temporary loom, find broken wire. Create frankenloom with remains of original loom. Cut hand. Bleed all over housings. Not notice as it's MINUS ******* 8 and I have appalling circulation in my hands, so they are numb. Shake hand. Spray blood on car. Clean off blood. Car won't start. Re-do loom after finiding another broken connection. Swear loudly. Neighbour with 3 year old walks past. Say hi, pretend you just coughed.
Wash as much grease of as possible, leave it on shirt sleeves. Set off for work. Spin car on A46. Collect poo from footwell. Stop, collect self. Drive to work.
Also, realise fuel gauge i buggered where I mucked about with the cluster fitting the boost gauge. Bum.
- Day 8. Resign to need to buy new loom. Decide whether stabbing in the eyes or ringing Mazda would be more enjoyable. Take less enjoyable option. Ring Mazda. Leamington Mazda no longer do parts. Dammit. Danny was a good bloke. Get told to ring Coventry. Man at Mazda gives part number, isn't sure that's it, tells me it's non refundable (after the normal 'what's your reg, ah, is it an import? Can't supply that without reg, your risk conversation). Check part number on web, helped by some very awesome FDUKer's (
)
- Day 7: Ring Back Mazda. Give card details. Told part not on system so will need to ring Mazda Europe to get added. Say that's fine. Agreed to be called monday to be told estimated delivery.
- Day 10: Go to work. Notice the agree £83 gone from account. Lot of money for 4 plugs and some wire, but accepted that these cars aren't cheap many years ago.
- Day 14: Ring Mazda to chase. Get told man I need to speak to isn't available. Ask for news on my part. Just an ETA would be nice. Man says will find out. Hear him put hand over phone and speak to guy I was told wasn't available. Get told will ring on monday.
- Day 20: Check bank account. Overdrawn. Due to the £94 Coventry Mazda took out two days ago. Ring Mazda whilst biting tongue. Ask WTF is going on. Get told must have taken money twice. Point out that doesn't work, it wasn't the same amount. Get told price had changed. Ask how they took the money from my account? Long and short, they held my card details in a 'secure system'. Turns out that's a bit of paper in someone's office.
Hopping mad, still pursuing this, will leave it there (and get overdraft charge back).
Then get told that actually my part's come in. Just no-one had rung me. Not even with an ETA. Agree that as I work in Leamington, I could pick the part up from there tomorrow.
Grrrrrrrrrr! Vent much? Long and short, not happy.
Day 21: Ring Leamington Mazda to check parts there. It's not. Parts manager forgot. Goes back to get it. Pick up part early evening.
******* cars. ******* Mazda dealers, ******* tosspots.
Anyways, I also decided that hte easiest solution to colour coding involved self amalgamating tape, so now I don't have horrible red leads, but the AIT cable really bugs me.
Gratuitous 'nearly there' pictures.
I REALLY need to do something abot the washer reservoir, wiper motor, headlight motors, sort out some bonnet struts to get rid of the **** ugly prop, and, err, paint And learn to weld.
It's ready for mapping now, like, properly ready. Except the insurance is due, so the mapping money is wiped
Thanks for bearing me.
ShucksSo, a few weeks in the life of an FD owner. Troubles are frequent. Some due to the car, but mostly due to the owner being a mechanically website maker, not a car fixer. Here are those trials. Skip to the pictures if you don't like rants, or just words in general.
- Day 1: Decide that the ignition loom needs beefing up. Replace with 'temporary' loom. Lock up car.
- Day 2: Deconstruct loom. Realise there's no way the pins can be reused. Try to find more.
- Day 3: Email everybody under the sun. No success
- Day 5: Still no success, but several conversations with lovely chaps.
- Day 7: Go start car since day 1. Car starts, but takes yonks, seems weird. Drive to end of road. Pull out of X-roads. Car nearly stalls, and does loudest backfire ever heard. Bus stop rammed full of schoolchildren stare, point and laugh. Drive out of village, car not right. More not right than the normal 'unmapped warm up'. Pull into layby, car obviously fucked. Take quiet backroads home. Park up.
Temperature is -8. unplug temporary loom, find broken wire. Create frankenloom with remains of original loom. Cut hand. Bleed all over housings. Not notice as it's MINUS ******* 8 and I have appalling circulation in my hands, so they are numb. Shake hand. Spray blood on car. Clean off blood. Car won't start. Re-do loom after finiding another broken connection. Swear loudly. Neighbour with 3 year old walks past. Say hi, pretend you just coughed.
Wash as much grease of as possible, leave it on shirt sleeves. Set off for work. Spin car on A46. Collect poo from footwell. Stop, collect self. Drive to work.
Also, realise fuel gauge i buggered where I mucked about with the cluster fitting the boost gauge. Bum.
- Day 8. Resign to need to buy new loom. Decide whether stabbing in the eyes or ringing Mazda would be more enjoyable. Take less enjoyable option. Ring Mazda. Leamington Mazda no longer do parts. Dammit. Danny was a good bloke. Get told to ring Coventry. Man at Mazda gives part number, isn't sure that's it, tells me it's non refundable (after the normal 'what's your reg, ah, is it an import? Can't supply that without reg, your risk conversation). Check part number on web, helped by some very awesome FDUKer's (
) - Day 7: Ring Back Mazda. Give card details. Told part not on system so will need to ring Mazda Europe to get added. Say that's fine. Agreed to be called monday to be told estimated delivery.
- Day 10: Go to work. Notice the agree £83 gone from account. Lot of money for 4 plugs and some wire, but accepted that these cars aren't cheap many years ago.
- Day 14: Ring Mazda to chase. Get told man I need to speak to isn't available. Ask for news on my part. Just an ETA would be nice. Man says will find out. Hear him put hand over phone and speak to guy I was told wasn't available. Get told will ring on monday.
- Day 20: Check bank account. Overdrawn. Due to the £94 Coventry Mazda took out two days ago. Ring Mazda whilst biting tongue. Ask WTF is going on. Get told must have taken money twice. Point out that doesn't work, it wasn't the same amount. Get told price had changed. Ask how they took the money from my account? Long and short, they held my card details in a 'secure system'. Turns out that's a bit of paper in someone's office.
Hopping mad, still pursuing this, will leave it there (and get overdraft charge back).
Then get told that actually my part's come in. Just no-one had rung me. Not even with an ETA. Agree that as I work in Leamington, I could pick the part up from there tomorrow.
Grrrrrrrrrr! Vent much? Long and short, not happy.
Day 21: Ring Leamington Mazda to check parts there. It's not. Parts manager forgot. Goes back to get it. Pick up part early evening.
******* cars. ******* Mazda dealers, ******* tosspots.
Anyways, I also decided that hte easiest solution to colour coding involved self amalgamating tape, so now I don't have horrible red leads, but the AIT cable really bugs me.
Gratuitous 'nearly there' pictures.
I REALLY need to do something abot the washer reservoir, wiper motor, headlight motors, sort out some bonnet struts to get rid of the **** ugly prop, and, err, paint
And learn to weld.It's ready for mapping now, like, properly ready. Except the insurance is due, so the mapping money is wiped
Thanks for bearing me.
06-09-12, 01:06 AM
#118
Senior Member
your engine bay makes me want to do stupid pointless tucking/shaving on mine damn you!
ps: http://www.bmotorsports.com/shop/pro...oducts_id/1679
i bought like 100 of those pins male and female and the rubber grommets and just repinned a lot of my std connectors and bought some new ones to keep the look for all my wiring.
ps: http://www.bmotorsports.com/shop/pro...oducts_id/1679
i bought like 100 of those pins male and female and the rubber grommets and just repinned a lot of my std connectors and bought some new ones to keep the look for all my wiring.
07-25-12, 05:57 AM
#120
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Cheers all
Not been up to too much as life has stolen my time and money, but a few bits here and there. She's road legal again now, and I've got hold of these:
A pair of 9j MS01's to go with my (what appear to be quite rare) 10/8 set, to make a 10/9. I'll get them refurbed satin black (possibly with a gloss black lip, possibly satin, not sure) and then use them as winter or track wheels.
Took her for the yearly MOT test.
Clean bill of health, what with the 900 and summat miles she's done in the last year.
Then a rat stole the plant heads that were drying in the garage, had a picnic on my v mount, and then shat out what it didn't want.
And then I broke my long hiatus with a sponge, and refitted the fancy summer wheels. A freshly washed Ellie make Simon a very happy man
Sometimes I forget how much I love the FD's shape. Then she reminds me.
And I bloody love this view of the car, deffo my favourite.
So, time to sort the last few little bits, then maybe think about some sort of map.
Not been up to too much as life has stolen my time and money, but a few bits here and there. She's road legal again now, and I've got hold of these:
A pair of 9j MS01's to go with my (what appear to be quite rare) 10/8 set, to make a 10/9. I'll get them refurbed satin black (possibly with a gloss black lip, possibly satin, not sure) and then use them as winter or track wheels.
Took her for the yearly MOT test.
Clean bill of health, what with the 900 and summat miles she's done in the last year.
Then a rat stole the plant heads that were drying in the garage, had a picnic on my v mount, and then shat out what it didn't want.
And then I broke my long hiatus with a sponge, and refitted the fancy summer wheels. A freshly washed Ellie make Simon a very happy man
Sometimes I forget how much I love the FD's shape. Then she reminds me.
And I bloody love this view of the car, deffo my favourite.
So, time to sort the last few little bits, then maybe think about some sort of map.
07-26-12, 01:11 AM
#121
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Great build there , dont like the brake line routing or proximity to the exhaust pipes , but thats just me ,.............. I see we have the same taste in bikes ! I ride a custom Quake 7.3 !
07-26-12, 07:23 AM
#122
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Cheers man the bike is pretty old and knackered, but does the job!
What's bugging you about the lines? Theyre further from the exhaust than the stock route wotld be, and not subject to rising heat
the bike is pretty old and knackered, but does the job!What's bugging you about the lines? Theyre further from the exhaust than the stock route wotld be, and not subject to rising heat
09-08-12, 03:29 PM
#125
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Only took two years, but.
Power and Torque ATF
Power and Boost ATF
Power ATW.
Huge thanks to Marko@BBM, and Mark/Ninja, to say I'm chuffed is an understatement.
Turns out that a silenced screamer works pretty well. Not too loud either.
3rd gear is utterly devastating. 1st and second appear to be pointless. Arf.
Dealing with tailgaters on the M40 has never been so much fun.
Huge thanks to Colum+Rob at GarageReg for the engine build, and Era@Oldone Racing for his top work on the ports and manifolds. Seems to be a decent amount for a 1.06 GT35r, so I guess you guys have had a fair chunk to do with it 
I'm also pretty chuffed that this scrawny IT geek managed to strip and build an engine (with more than a little help), tuck a fair bit of engine bay, and generally do things beyond his skill level.
Response seems pretty damned good, which was always the aim
Power and Torque ATF
Power and Boost ATF
Power ATW.
Huge thanks to Marko@BBM, and Mark/Ninja, to say I'm chuffed is an understatement.
Turns out that a silenced screamer works pretty well. Not too loud either.
3rd gear is utterly devastating. 1st and second appear to be pointless. Arf.
Dealing with tailgaters on the M40 has never been so much fun.
Huge thanks to Colum+Rob at GarageReg for the engine build, and Era@Oldone Racing for his top work on the ports and manifolds
. Seems to be a decent amount for a 1.06 GT35r, so I guess you guys have had a fair chunk to do with it I'm also pretty chuffed that this scrawny IT geek managed to strip and build an engine (with more than a little help), tuck a fair bit of engine bay, and generally do things beyond his skill level.
Response seems pretty damned good, which was always the aim