Lude Generation

Copying posts from PUK over at last.

Originally posted Nov 26th 2011

Oh dear. Look what I've got myself into now...

I'd had my eye on this one on ebay anyway, with a view to buying it and stripping the bits off it (including the looms) to transplant toys into mine.

Then Lisa's Volvo went and got bent the day before the action ended, I was sat in front of the computer drunk and that decided it - bought unseen off ebay, collected in the dark and driven back 240 miles!!!






(Apexi induction kit)

Despite the chances of it being a complete dog, it drove absolutely brilliantly. Possibly better than my other one???

Today is the first time I've seen it in daylight and... To be honest, I now think it's way too good to break.

The drivers side is tatty looks-wise (had a bad repair in the past - paintwork is crap, A pillar is dented, bonnet sticks up on one corner and the drivers door needs to be shoved open/closed)



But the shell (A pillar and arches/Sills) is basically rust free!!! Having driven it, Lisa now very much likes the idea of keeping it, too!

Anyway, the reason I originally bought it was, lots of JDM toys...

Fairly run of the mill stuff:

Boot spoiler brake light


Folding mirrors (not working...)


because...


Front fogs (need new covers)




Drivers Seat Belt Extender:


Also:
2 Sets of original keys
4WS
Full Climate Control (needs gas)
Cruise (not working...)
Puddle Lights

Rear lude light (not working)


Half-mast


More rare stuff?
M2B4 box (LSD)

TCS (not working...)


Keyless entry (not working...)


Centre rear speaker


Centre front speaker


Mega-rare stuff?
Original head unit and DSP


Gathers Autochanger


Electric seat!


Not sure how much of that was standard and how much was option, but I'm amazed to find this much on such an early car?

Probably easier to list what it doesn't have?
Leather
EL dials
Cup Holder
Parking pole
And..?!

Originally posted Nov 29th 2011 (reply to other members posts)


So that stereo has 6 DSP modes and 6 EQ modes. Upshot of that is that it seems to have 36 different variations on the theme of making it sound like you're in a drain/aircraft hanger/bath... My DSP evidently has some kind of a fault too, so every 30 mins or so it starts making a sound like a steam engine for ten minutes (probably a capacitor going down). Had no idea how to turn it off either (there's no on/off button) and it was doing my head in. After an hour and a half driving back, I finally realised the ''Repeat' button was actually 'Defeat' and whooped with joy that it turned it off

Haven't tried the changer yet - didn't have any CD's with me.

You definitely do notice the sub/difference of the centre speaker though. In some ways it's an improvement over the sound in my first lude (RIP?), which still had the standard 6 speakers. Will probably try working round changing the speakers in pairs in standard mounts to see if that sorts it, or if the head unit has to go after all... (standard speaker wiring is shocking also - bell wire is better!)

Basics first though:
1. MOT (runs out Dec 9th)
2. Tax (runs out Nov 30th)
3. Oil, filter, coolant change, air filter clean and oil (who knows when any of that was last done?!)
4. Straighten the door!
5. Rust-proof the rear arches before rust gets a hold.
6. Rap up warm for the winter and get back on with the other lude that I should be working on in the first place!!!

Originally posted Nov 30th 2011

So my bought sight unseen £360 Si VTEC went for MOT this morning.

Sum total of work for me before it went in:
Petrol
New rear wiper blade
Swap the connectors over on one headlight bulb (dipped bulb had been connected up across the main beam connectors).

Result: Pass!
Advisories:
All 4 tyres near legal limit
1 steering gaitor deteriorated
Rear parking brake only just met requirement
and....

That's it!

Originally posted Nov 30th 2011

And a few other things having driven it for a day now.

Tachometer doesn't work

5th Gear crunches slightly if you rush it

Rear demister doesn't work. Assume it's the fuse but don't know which one it is, 'cause the fuse box is in japanese grrr... (Will check against my UK lude to see if that matches)

Autochanger DOES work

Aerial doesn't retract fully unless you push it down (last inch and a half)

JDM One-piece headlights are crap in the dark in comparison to the UKDM glass ones.
Anyone got a decent way of polishing them up/taking away the yellow tinge?

Originally posted Dec 14th 2011

Surprisingly, rear demister was the relay. Got a replacement off a scrappy yesterday.

Quick clean and rust proofing on the arches (detailed inspection shows them to be completely solid! ) and oil and coolant done (why is it such a nightmare to drain anything over about 50% of the coolant on 'ludes?) and air filter cleaned.



Two days later and I'm still waiting for the damn thing to dry before I can re-oil it!

first time ive seen this on iain, nice extras. so have you done much to it yet? silly question.

Originally posted May 27th 2012

Have been busy collecting lots of bits for this lude (even before I get round to finishing putting my other one back together!)

First bits fitted during the week - a necessity spurred this one on because as someone pointed out at the Mimms pre-meet, the top hose had a big bulge in it!





First in what should be a line of pink engine dressing (no idea when we'll get round to the rest though tbh...). Has anyone else done a pink rocker cover on a lude???

Originally posted June 14th 2012


Umfortunately it got slightly 're-shaped' today by someone...

Fortunately this was the same side that has been badly repaired before and I'd already bought replacement panels for.

Just hoping when I start pulling it apart that the inner arch hasn't been damaged

Originally posted Jun 23rd 2012


So the JDM got slightly remodelled last week

(not guilty your honour btw!)











Fortunately I already had a replacement wing, bumper and headlight for that side cause of the crap repairs that had been doen to them at some time previous in its life (and drivers door).

Hadn't picked up a bonnet though, cause that had been fine and hadn't been planning on having to straighten the inner wing or front end either!!!









The corner light that was fitted on the drivers side was also a casualty, meaning I had to find both sides now, rather than just the passenger side (to replace the orange reflector it has fitted)

Not sure what the fate of the other parties new focus ST will be (sill and B pillar bent by all accounts)

Originally posted June 23rd 2012

Well we're at Goodwood FOS next weekend and it's meant to be going in for body tidy up and full respray a couple of weeks after that, so had to crash (no pun intended) through the repairs today, dodging rain showers.

Started about 11am after getting all the usual saturday morning cobblers out of the way.

Stripping in progress...



(battery charger essential to allow full back catalogue of GnR studio albums to entertain along the way!)



The eagled eyed among you might notice that the bottom cross member is VERY bent. Well you're right, but that's not from this most recent mishap - that was there before.

More of that in these pics



You'll notice the slam panel also bows upwards slightly towards the middle



Ouch!



That lot all needs doing, but that's for another day...

So this lot is from the recent event







Not so bad really - the top part of the side arm (the bit that actually matters!) was straight. It had only caused a bit of a crease in the bit of the inner wing by the air box, so no big deal at all.

I straightened out that corner till it 'looked right' and the offered up the new wing.



I was pretty pleased with that alignment!!!!

Fully naked!