mattross1313 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Good progress dude. Looking forward to seeing it with 40mm spacers - should sit REALLY nice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott TMN Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Nice progress mate, enjoyed reading through that! However I am close to getting the same spacers as you, but 15mm. I must admit I have been put off slightly? Should I opt for others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hensh65 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Waiting for stuff sucks! ! nothing worse when you do wait then they call and delay it further ! Will be worth it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) Nice progress mate, enjoyed reading through that! However I am close to getting the same spacers as you, but 15mm. I must admit I have been put off slightly? Should I opt for others? Thanks a lot mate, no definitely don't be put off, superforma spacers are good, reputable spacers, unfortunately i bought mine 2nd hand with my wheels, due to the fact my Rotiforms are concave the studs had to be removed and cut down by the previous owner, and he didn't press them back in properly, they'll be fine on any other wheel, and you wont have to tamper with them so shouldn't have any problems mate, i now need some more 25mm ones and will be buying brand new ones from them. Waiting for stuff sucks! ! nothing worse when you do wait then they call and delay it further ! Will be worth it though Tell me about it mate, felt like the longest afternoon in the world waiting for them to call. thanks pal! Another quick update; The engineering company left a voice mail letting me know my spacers were ready to go, when i collected them (cost me 37 quid in the end) i was asked what i was torquing them to. i had been torquing them to 80ft/lb but when i told him this he gave me a concerned look and went to chat with some people out the back. according to them this was too high for what the spacers were made out of and he advised me to call superforma to see what they said. I called their customer service number and the guy was really helpfull and said i should be torquing to the vehicles manufacturer's recommendations (70-90 ft/lb if im right?) So regardless i thought i'd play it safe, torque them to just 70ft/lb for now. Sounds like a bit of an old school wurzel mechanic thing to say but lets face it for years cars have just had their wheels tweaked up with the spider wheel braces you used to get and that's always done the job. I'm just going to be cautious, pull over at any sign of rumbling or wobbling. i wont be driving or cornering fast so I'm sure it will be fine. The spacer is still properly torqued to the hub anyway. Now the back was fully "rotiformed" it was time to start up front. By now it's probably needless to say something else decided to cause a problem. See if you can guess what from this picture. i was given 20mm spacers for the front, and until this point i totally forgot that the Z wheel studs exceed 20mm so you need either A) wheels with the slots in the back or massive testis to go balls out and slice off your wheels studs a bit. There's no way I'm doing anything to my studs, as you can see from the pics, the previous owner combated this by just tightening up to the studs...which in my opinion is just crazily dangerous, unless he didn't realize? so we came up with a slight bodge, but still a safer option than the previously stated of putting a 5mm slip on spacer behind the hub centric. which worked but then we realized the previous owner had given us the wrong nuts for the spacers so they don't actually sit in the spacer, which means the contact points would have been the spacer nuts, again it seemed dangerous, so the 20mm spacers came off. Next option, knock the studs out of the 20mm spacers he gave me and press them into the 25mm spacers he gave me, this again turned out to be a disaster because the 25mm spacers don't match, ones a superforma, the other is unbranded and wont sit flat against the hub. we also weren't sure if the studs would just spin again like the last ones if we tampered with them to, so ditched this idea. so my ultra light spacers will be up for sale in a bit, relatively cheap without nuts for anybody who wants to buy them and some flush fitting nuts for them So to fight against the front wheels looking pathetic compared to the rears we chucked some 5mm slip on spacers either side as a temp soloution until i buy some new 25mm hubcentrics to beef the front right up! So now back to the waiting game. Waiting to get into the workshop this weekend, replace the rear wishbone, drop the front some more and the rear... a little bit (check out the pic below for my current exhaust clearance) and do a full geo. Cant wait to post some pics of it done, you guys will get the pics first! Exhaust clearance now! Edited August 22, 2013 by Reeco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) . Edited August 22, 2013 by Reeco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott TMN Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Cheers mate that's a relief for me. Though the petruding OEM studs now concern me haha. Something tells me your going to be scraping that exhaust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 Cheers mate that's a relief for me. Though the petruding OEM studs now concern me haha. Something tells me your going to be scraping that exhaust No worries mate haha what wheels do you have? If you have stock rays you should be fine, (or check your wheels, if they have slots in the back you're okay)I know my dads is fine on standard rims, if not you'll have to use 25mm spacers or above :/ Haha yeah, I scraped it real bad trying to reverse out the drive even with my lensos on the back which have chunkier tires, so I'm a bit worried about getting it off the drive tomorrow, and then getting it back on when it's been dropped again, something tells me ill be coming onto my drive at funny angles or with planks of wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HmmBen Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I used to have to get on my old drive at an angle with my previous car. Was at times balancing on 2 wheels. I suggest a remodelled drive 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott TMN Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 lmao and rays atm but looking at getting wolfrace JDM or rota so just weighing up my options and calculations as last set of rotas didnt fit lmao Planks of wood to get on and off the drive make for a good video IMO.Ill definatly be keeping an eye on this 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 ITS DONE!!!!!! And with relative ease and no major issues this time (amazing right?) I have some before and after shots coming up in a minute so if your impatient scroll on down Got to the workshop this morning after a very careful drive there, surprisingly got off the drive without any scraping, although i did come off mega slow and at some extreme angle. Started by putting on the rear damper adjust extenders we forgot to put on last time, as anybody who has coilovers on a Z knows you cant reach the damper adjust easy, so most companies come up with ways round this, BC just use a extended cord you tighten to the top, and bend down and cover with your plastics on the rear strut brace when you don't need access. Next up josh cut the old wishbone bolt out, and replaced the whole thing, was so much easier this way, next ride height adjust, we went a bit optimistic at first, and dropped so we had no arch gap at all at the back, and dropped just enough to compensate for the 25mm spacers that will be fitted next week up front. This was actually fine for your normal drive, but i still want to be able to put my foot down, and as I'm sure you all know 280bhp(ish) through your rear wheels will make your car squat, i could hear the Tyre rubbing under any major acceleration so we had to raise the back 3mm not alot, but enough to eliminate this problem. And clicked the dampeners up a few to stiffen them up. Arch gap is still tiny though. Then it was time for a full geo! So we eventually got the car back on the ramps, after trying blocks of wood, but this kept firing out under the car so then we tried sticking grip tape to the backs of them but my car still kept throwing them out, so in the end we just had to guess and get a run up and bounce onto them . Turns out you cant adjust rear camber on a Z without after market camber arms, luckily mine is at roughly 4 degrees on all corners so it wasn't too much of a worry. So we went on with adjusting toe, josh actually taught me how to do this the original way with strings, bars and a ruler, which was a cool thing to learn. i was 11mm out one side which is insane so josh sorted both sides out and we were done. Did a mini shoot with my dad and josh, we currently have our own little group so check out our facebook page and give it a like! https://www.facebook.com/LowAchievers?ref=hl Exposure was being a bit tarded on the camera, and i was too lazy to go manual so i apologies in advance. My dads...since he doesn't post on here. So i drove it home and amazingly it fine to drive, i had to be a cautious but i even managed to get into my drive with minimal scraping, just had to come in at a crazy angle again. so here are some before and after pics! next up INGS+1 Lip and front spacers! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRF4N Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I'm liking that mate. Green calipers ftw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott TMN Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 3 pictures from the bottom...... dat ass! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 26, 2013 Author Share Posted August 26, 2013 I'm liking that mate. Green calipers ftw Thanks a lot mate! 3 pictures from the bottom...... dat ass! Haha thanks, it amazing how much fattening these up changes the lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 26, 2013 Author Share Posted August 26, 2013 (edited) Little update, been driving it everywhere the last 2 days to see how useable it is, and I'm honestly shocked, it's still nice to drive, it did bottom out doing about 50mph in one place but I blame the crappy Wiltshire/ Gloucestershire country roads, and the cobbled speed bump exiting my local tesco made me and my mate cringe a bit going over, but luckily it's not hitting anything important. Still handles well and feels more planted in straight lines. I stiffened up the dampers on the rear another click today so they're now maxed out, and I gave the front another 3 clicks just to be safe. Overall I'm loving it! I swapped my old eibach springs with my dad in exchange for him ordering my 25mm spacers, so they've been ordered tonight, I also have a really vital mod on its way...black dice valve caps! Also ordered a snow foam lance and foam solution last night, lets face it everything's better snow foamed, so ill get some foamy pictures up when I play with that. Still waiting on my wheels to sell so I can buy my INGS+1 lip so somebody buy my bloody lensos! Other than that I've started researching into single turbo set ups, I can't afford to have two cars, I love the Z to bits and I'm missing boost! So turboing the Z seems like a good option, but I change my mind more often than most people change underwear, so we'll see Edited August 26, 2013 by Reeco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 (edited) Spacers turned up but were listed wrong and were mazda hub fitment, so they're going straight back and then I'll have to wait for new ones to turn up...I hate waiting! I'm more annoyed that I had to get a jack under my car pointlessly, it now involves driving up onto a plank of wood and then up higher onto a concrete block! On a better note I won a status error/AMDetails competition on Facebook so got a shed load of free stuff So I thought of try detail the car today while it was in shade, within 10 minutes the shade disappeared and even after detailing it looks worse than when I started. Gutted! Using the snow foam lance was fun though! I'm 6ft 2 and look like a giant compared to my car now it's dropped...and yes I am wearing a bobble hat in the sun. I'm at Trax next weekend so I'm desperately hoping my spacers get sorted before then! Will also sort out a better photoshoot when the spacers are on and my car is detailed properly! If I'm still off work next week I'm taking it to a professional detailer to see what he can do about my swirls. Edited August 31, 2013 by Reeco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parello9 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Nice looking car in the flesh more too!! I'm the guy from trax you were talking to, have a azure with different bumper if you remember 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9KE Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 sick!! love the wheels 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Man thats low!! Love it mate, looks really fresh on those wheels 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 Thanks for the positive feedback again guys, glad people are liking it Nice looking car in the flesh more too!! I'm the guy from trax you were talking to, have a azure with different bumper if you remember Thanks alot! Ahh yeah i remember! Was good to meet you mate! Was a good day No new modifying news at the moment Mainly down to lack of money...I've been out of work since the start of August! Luckily my Lensos have provisionally and should be getting picked up this Saturday! Which means i have a bit of spare cash to chuck at the car. I'll probably buy an INGS+1 lip or maybe camber arms, unsure yet. Last lot of spacers have been sent back and new ones are on the way as of today, but unfortunately wont be here until next week so my car will still have mega arch gap up front for my last show this season. I will be a Forge action day at Coombe, and I'm hoping to get to Players with Static Clique Sunday, but again due to lack of money this one is looking unlikely. But i had an awesome day with them at TRAX , was really good to chill with some like minded people and talk stance for a day. So here's a couple of shots of my car from the day. Credit to Ben Albone photography for the second pic! https://www.facebook.com/BenAlbonePhotography Unless i have work soon i don't think there is going to be any drastic changes in the near future. I'll probably go for a more aggressive arch roll on the rear while fitting the spacers to the front but other than that and the possibility of a lip i cant progress which is frustrating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parello9 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Looks soo good! id pull the arches more though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Loving them wheels! Good thing I couldn't come to trax, otherwise I would've nicked them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliveBoy Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I've never really been a fan of rotiform wheels, but those those wheels, on that car, with that set up and supporting mods looks amazing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott TMN Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Remember seeing this at trax. Looked awesome mate! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3sjr Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Saw your car today mate, looks very nice. Loved the stance. I was surprised at how little 350's there were there. My azure yours and one silver. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeco Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 (edited) Again Thanks for all the positive feed back guys i appreciate it. Saw your car today mate, looks very nice. Loved the stance. I was surprised at how little 350's there were there. My azure yours and one silver. Thanks a lot man, it was hidden at the back of our stand because i shamelessly didn't clean it haha! I'm still not personally happy with my stance but its getting closer to where i want it. I saw yours too, loved it! it's sitting nice and the bumper really sets yours off! i actually took a few pics of it on my phone. Yeah i was also shocked at how few Z's were kicking about, but i can only hope and imagine its because it clashed with JAE and everybody else was there. Was a good show though No more mods yet, but Lensos have gone so a lip could be on the cards. i wrote a list of mods i plan earlier and I've decided i will probably get the NUEs polished and lacquered after the winter as it'll look better and will be no more temperamental than diamond cut. Also I'm going to eventually get a full custom exhaust made up of just two 3" slash cut slightly up angled pipes for ground clearance and I've always had a bit of a thing for subtle Boso styled exhausts. well that's the plan for now anyway. Currently contemplating weather to tint my head lights black too hmm. Front spacers turned up Friday but now I'm back at work i didn't get time to fit them, i was at Castle Coombe yesterday and today has been too cold I'm definitely giving the arches a better roll at the same time, the rear fitment is really bugging me and it's still rubbing pretty bad with weight in the car. Edited September 15, 2013 by Reeco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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