trust me... Eric gave me $hit about the aluminum door handle's finish not matching up. I sent him my best ones, and..... he still refinished them! = )

Love the new wheels BTW!

(gotta find some time to read from page 1)

 

I like the "dick" in the Race Shop roll bar since it is the defining/distinctive feature of the bar since Samberg is replicating/improving the rest of the design.

I realize it is not optimal as far as transferring force along the diagonal, but it screams "Race Shop".

Samberg has made improvements to the bar (double diagonal w/ good joining, "B" pillar bars and much better rear downbar mounting), but the original will always be the original.

 

To your benefit, I didn't say anything about the interior aluminum door cups I bought from you after I'm definitely looking forward to trying those, whenever my carbon stuff completes...

(better yet, read my website)

I would argue that the Samberg bar is its own divergent and individually contributed product rather than a sort of progeny of the Race Shop. I see enough differences in the 2's methodologies and design directions.

I still find that, overall, the full-interior fit and finish which can be achieved with the Race Shop is superior and I doubt there is enough demand for another effort of the same equivalency to be replicated.

The Samberg bolt-on mounting of the rear down tubes may be improved, but it does require a pentagonal shaped cut out to be made on the strut caps with a relatively large surface area in comparison to the circular hole of the Race Shop. I also found that the mounting style of the Race Shop allowed for easier access to the inside nut to tighten down the struts.

The consensus is the Samberg is the best off the shelf and still available roll bar for the bolt-on, full interior FD market. However, the Race Shop has more of an original mystique with exclusive details and has my preference.

 

Finished up my Hybrid Audio speakers up front.



Installed a new Pioneer AppRadio 4 headunit:





Bought this microphone which lets you do an Auto EQ, which worked great!



I am happy with the results.

 

Hey! I have that same head unit!

Good taste as always.

Oh - I also went back and ordered the install kit as well:
Pioneer ADTVA133 2 Din Installation Kit

 

Yep, I kept that install kit when I had my previous AVH-P8400BH double DIN.

I noticed that the AppRadio 4 has finally caught up in terms of its built in amplifier power to the likes of Alpine. It sounds great!

Did you do that Auto EQ on your setup? If not, you should definitely try it. $20 microphone but the results are noticeable.

 

I agree that the built in amp is capable - but for good measure I also added the Alpine KTP-445U 4-channel Power Pack. I figure it can't hurt.

As for the AutoEQ - no, I didn't even know it existed. There goes another $20.

It's this one, I assume:
Pioneer CD-MC20 Auto-EQ Mic


...can it double for a mic for the bluetooth?

 

Eric?

This is Ryan Heinrich from Facebook's Corner Balance Group.

If you have any Audiophile questions, let me know.

 

That is the one. And no, it cannot double as a mic for the bluetooth. You plug it into the auxiliary port and run through the Auto EQ wizard on the headunit. Once that's done, the settings will be saved and you can unplug the mic, it's a one-time use thing.

 

I am curious to see how your midrange bass works out.

in my previous FD I used the non-bose speaker mounts in the front doors, and the open air behind the door just killed all low frequency... it was bad. also the rear speakers have no enclosure.

I thought that if I did it again i'd make a small sealed enclosure for all 4 and it might actually sound good.

 

That Sux cause I had ideas for that Mic in an F-15 Strike Eagle Pilot Helmet I was going to buy and use for hands free calling while driving the FD.

 

During my brief test, I jammed out some Synthwave and it sounded bad ***.

The headunit supports Bluetooth, just not with that particular Auto-EQ only mic, so your Top Gun dreams can still come true.



I just finished wiring up a S2000 start button. Always wanted to do this. It's a bit gimmicky, but I'm a sucker for stuff like this. Better than a cigarette lighter, that's for sure.

I optimized the wiring and did things slightly differently than what has been shared here. Big kudos to Lane/HalfSpec for being my personal Consultant Electrical Engineer and helping confirm many points.





I compiled a write up on how to install the button on my website here:
S2000 Starter Push Button Install | Grand Mighty

 

in for "installed" pics.

so in this setup, you will use the lock cylinder + the start button?

reading this makes me wonder if anyone has used one of the on/off buttons like the one in the GTR or the infinitis (or other brands) that do more than simply start.

 

All my modern cars spoiled me with the keyless entry and push button start.....

 

Care to share your twist on how you wired the push button? I have been considering this myself.

 

Yep, both the key/lock cylinder OR the start button will work to start the car. I know it's not conventional to have the key operate as well when there is a start button in place, but I didn't want to limit that feature. Plus, should the relay ever stick and not energize properly, the key can at least be used as a fall back until the relay is replaced.

As modern as the S2000 start button may seem to us, relatively speaking, it is also 15 years old! Not quite as modern as today's fully integrated keyless entry and start buttons, but a good step and compromise in that direction without going too full blown.

I did a complete write up on my website and linked to the article at the bottom of my previous post

Here it is again, let me know what you think.
S2000 Starter Push Button Install | Grand Mighty

 

Received 3 out of 6 pieces back from oCarbon, and they look amazing... I was anxious to see them in person and the quality of work and craftsmanship is apparent. There are plenty of molded, carbon fiber replacement panels available out there on the market, but they will not yield the same results.

Although going the overlay route is more work and a heftier investment, the plastics underneath are OEM and that means the fitment is guaranteed.

I have a more detailed write up on my website. Grand Mighty












I also bought an OEM Honda NSX Type-S titanium shift **** and then had a custom 303 shifter handle lathed to interface with it.



The finish of the NSX shift **** matches the titanium of the Mazdaspeed e-brake handle exactly!



Was also able to get some of the panels reinstalled and got a first look at a more wholesome interior.

 

Looking good, Particularly like the interior dash board, door cards etc. Covering the vinyl and plastic makes a huge difference .

Jealous of the Rega's, had a set on my last FD in the same colour...Wish I'd kept them!

 

Perfection. Inspiring to say the least. Keep up the amazing work

 

You must post pics.

Grazie


All of the excess cable lengths from the AiM dash modules bothered me, so I manually cut them down and made ~36 individual solder + heatshrink connections.

Before:


During:




After:

 

Hmm that shift **** looks like a butt plug. Not that I know how they would look...

 

ESH Upholstering x oCarbon



Half way there... still waiting on the passenger trim piece.

 

Well damn! That looks good!

 

Need an update Farkel, cant keep stalking your IG for updates.

 

I need updates myself, but unfortunately I'm still waiting on the last pieces of the carbon stuff to complete before I can actually wrap everything up. The waiting sucks. I'm probably going to send the car into the body shop to get a diffuser installed in the meantime, just to keep progress moving.