Ceejay29

Great video; what is the blue car at the beginning?

How did you get on with the manifolds, happy with them? What did you go for in the end, ceramic or stainless?

What are the benefits of SS over ceramic coated? I presume durability? Pretty sure ceramic are good at retaining heat within the pipes? Are they susceptible to cracking?

I thought DC gave the best bang for your buck?

Interesting. I still need to fit an Exedy hyper single clutch and fly to mine; intrigued as to how it will sound and operate. On a side note; is that your oriel window rendered in blue?

Cheap and satisfying

Great video Steveo..inspiration! Pete I am in the same boat as you; I will be keeping the zed indefinitely as I am financially beyond the point of return ! It will be interesting to see what you decide and how it goes! Could inform my decision as I don't want my ass handed to me by a Skoda

+1

Any photos?

What a prat; finally gets the attention they want but for all the wrong reasons

Cool truck!! One of my fathers customers owns a dark grey G-Wagen. I have been out for a ride in it a few times following works and I must say that it is a beast, certainly has road presence!! Enjoy the ride!

Yes might order 10/12mm from samco or similar

How did you get on with this in the end Wizurd....will be tackling it soon

I used to love watching these!! So funny

Couldn't agree more

Something very similar if not the same is covered in front of it!

All of a sudden I feel like an enthusiast....

Haha I dread to think how many accidents that cockpit has caused

i am almost in tears here!!

So I often pass this old Citroen on my way to the office with admiration I actually think it is pretty cool! Any ideas on what it is...a Pallas?

Back on topic (engine bay).... Gunmetal Samco hoses courtesy of CS who dealt with everything; I simply put in a request and they were made up and delivered (at a good price too). Much appreciated

Work finally began the weekend before last on the JDM set up. I was fairly confident that with better disks and pads I could bring the JDM kit up to speed, although I wanted something that looked a lot nicer behind the 19’s. Now the obvious choice would have been an upgrade to the GT pack brembo’s which are readily available, although I wanted to go above and beyond with something slightly larger and different. So a few months back (probably longer) I sourced an Akebono brake kit through R35LEE, who I must add is a top chap; extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Alongside this I purchased CZP’s 350z Akebono brake adapter kit, an HEL brake line kit and some Motul 600 brake fluid from Jez at Horsham ready for the big day. Well the big day, or night I should say, began with another team-building exercise (this time slightly harder due to the side steps)….how to build a bridge over the ramp and swing the arms underneath. Absolute nightmare, but managed it. Apart from this I am pleased to say that it was all relatively straight forward. I have had experience with retrofitting bespoke parts to cars/upgrading elements and more often than not it proves to be a PITA. I can recall my father complaining a lot when converting MGB’s and Midgets into Costello V8’s to name a few cars. Although enjoyable a lot of custom fabrication is usually par for the course; but not this time. Every part simply bolted on. Step 1 – Removal and Cleanup Using brake hose clamps, a 10mm, 19mm and 21mm ratchet we slung the entired JDM set up out (with great pleasure I must add) and removed the tatty spacers/hub converters. Using the airline and orbital sander a quick cleanup operation was in place. Step 2 - Front Caliper Bracket We mounted the two caliper brackets using the supplied bolts, providing a precise fixing point for each caliper. The alignment was flawless. Step 3 - Front Discs and Calipers. The new discs simply slid on and were fixed using the existing spacers/hub converters. They are pretty big in comparison - 356mm! We had to customise the dust shields as the base had to be adjusted for clearance, and gave the discs a quick blast of brake cleaner. After a quick nip and tuck a test fit confirmed that the calipers were ready to be fixed down to the bracket. A quick size comparison; Step 4 - Rear Dust Shield Both the rear calipers and discs are far too big for mounting directly on, I believe the rear rotors are circa 350mm which immediately highlights the sheer difference in diameter and consequent issues. The rear dust shield required substantial modification, we began by removing the lip around the perimeter of the shield using an angle grinder and smoothed afterwards. Once the heat shield was flattened out we trimmed certain edges in order to house the caliper and prevent any fouling. Step 5 -Rear Discs and Calipers Again the new discs simply slid on and were fixed using the existing spacers/hub converters, the calipers are mounted to the existing structure...simples. At this point we adjusted the handbrake shoes and for once it works spot on! Step 6 – Brake Lines By this time we were flying, although it was obvious that the final stage could prove to be a PITA as the existing connections were horrific. After carefully disconnecting the existing hoses we cleaned up as best possible and connected the new lines. It quickly became apparent that we couldn’t get a good connection at the rear thanks to a fluid leak. By this time it must have been half two in the morning and I could see the old mans patience diminishing rapidly, but we got there in the end. The brake power bleeder and vacuum pump made light work of the bleeding stage and a firm brake pedal confirmed that all leaks had been resolved. Now it is clear that the discs and pads were mucky. I drove the car to work today (which brought a grin to my face as I am used to driving the Focus) and it appears that they are gradually cleaning up, hopefully a good run will help? Otherwise I will invest in new...... Oh, I should add that the brakes feel awesome and look the part Could do with some three spokes to show them off

Stick it all on red

Doesn't look like a copy comparing it to the others; could have been a slight production fault?