My Y32 Cedric GranTurismo project (56k warning) -- update P9!

[Dominik]

So i have been pretty quiet about my current car since i sold the wild vip cima. I've been doing little things here and there, but this week I finally received (after almost 4 months waiting), the suspension and wheels so i thought i'd put a post up about it.

It all started here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/MVC-004S.jpg
I got a call saying this car is about to be scrapped and the old lady owning it would take anything for it. She was a bit rough around the edges. Blown engine, few scuffs and rust etc.

Since then i hadnt done much externally, i tinted the windows, changed the taillights to red-clear etc etc (will post details of the other DIY stuff later)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2486.jpg
(all DIY)

New plates (from the Cima), fixed the scuffs on the rear and removed any rust, resprayed the rear of the car
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2585Medium.jpg

Then came the fun bits
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2591Medium.jpg

So i took the day off work today, and mucked around with it all... Got the rear coilovers installed myself...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2604.jpg

Test fitted the wheels... err, are they gonna fit?* :o
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2596Medium.jpg

The answer is yes.. This is with stock camber. I got a few more degrees using the camber adjustment after i took this pic, and i hope to get an aftermarket camber arm to give me a couple more. The fender lips are rolled but they couldnt roll them that much because of the double layer :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2600Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2598Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2599Medium.jpg

So then i went to the mechanic and got him to put the fronts in...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2607.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2608.jpg

And thats where its at right now. Should pick up the wheels by the end of the week, then tyres next Saturday and fit them all on!

[Dark Anghell]

looks hott. I actually figured that if you remove one of the tension bolts on JIC rear upper control arms, that should yield about 2 more degrees of negative camber. But back to the car...looks hott.

[RobSoVip]

looks awesome Dom. I cant wait to see it with the wheels on too!

[JN.FYC]

cant wait.

[555]

looks promising dom!! turning old junk into something valuable n bold!
no excuse here! please get ure rims slapped with tires!! :P :P

[carlos]

thats gonna be hot as hell.

[AME_VIP]

PMPDADDY returns! great start!

[gato]

cant wait to see tit with those wheels. those are nice.

this will be a sick ride ;)

[jbo]

Pimpalicious is what Im thinking (I still love the plate) thats gonna be so right get it goin.

[typerfans]

great project...i like the rims a lot

[555]

btw u don't have a lock up garage? ??? neighbourhood sure safe? :coolsmiley:

[Pimplux_A4]

nice! keep us posted...

[Dominik]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I am really excited to see how it will turn out. It was a tough decision to make: get the wheels on right away, or get them fixed up first? I figured i'd waited this long i should be able to wait an extra week.

Anyway it makes the swap from cushy stock suspension to coilovers & 18s a bit easier. I have been driving around remembering how to drive a lowered car again. Had a few incidents at the local shopping centre, but it should be fine.

But tonight i decided to raise the rear about 1.5" from the pics above, because the ride was REALLY bad. The coilovers are secondhand, and probably need rebuilding soon. At that height it felt like there was no dampening at all on the rear, and while riding on one of Sydney's less than perfect roads it felt like i was sitting on a trampoline - At times i bounced off the seat, held down only by my seatbelt! Haha

At the new height the ride feels like a tight sports car (its really fun driving it like this), but i dont think it will be low enough to get that 'tsuraichi' look i want. So depending on how the wheels look next weekend, i might get the coilovers sent off to be rebuilt for a shorter stroke and stiffer valving


To answer some individual posts, Dark Anghell that will come in very handy. Just my luck the place i wanted to get the camber arms from had sold out on the day i fitted the coilovers, but hopefully they have them next week. I get the toe arms early in the week and will be fitting them on the day i put the wheels and camber arms. Then I need to find a tyre place that will give me a wheel alignment while i have so much camber!

555, i have moved and i now have a lockup garage. I also have 2 carports, a back yard and a flat driveway. I'll decide on a kit once i get used to driving at the height i want it :) I found that the original kit i wanted is quite low, And when i am slammed it will be less than 2cm off the ground!

Once i get some pics i'll post up details of all the fun i've been having while waiting for the wheels...

[hellaflush]

any updates? I'd like to see it with the wheels on sitting hellaflush! :)

[uncle_el]

any updates?


note the thread was started 2 days ago, and dom stated:


And thats where its at right now. Should pick up the wheels by the end of the week, then tyres next Saturday and fit them all on!


i imagine that means updates next weekend.

[Dominik]

Since I don’t have the wheels on yet, here are some of the little things i have done to my Cedric since i got it:

First up the stereo. Nothing fancy, just a CD player and a cheap screen
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2616.jpg

Then the speakers: Some Sony 6x9s in the rear parcel tray (bolt-in), then some 6.5"s in the doors. The door speakers required some baffles that I made using 2 layers of 18mm MDF (I don’t have pics and right now I don’t want to take the door trims off to take some pics)

Didnt like people seeing in my car so i tinted the windows with some $30 tint from a car shop (thinking about getting it professionally tinted green) – Pics can be seen in my first post above (Turned out pretty damn good if you ask me. No bubbles, quite dark for a legal tint)

DIY alarm install with remote start... That was a bit of a wiring nightmare. There was an existing alarm in the car that didn’t work very well and I had to figure out how it worked so I could replace it. The new alarm had about twice as many inputs and wires… Good luck to the schmuck who wants to take that out (oh wait, thats me, i want a new alarm... D'oh!)

Then I wanted to monitor some engine stuff so i built a little ECU interface unit from a kit offered on a Skyline forum... Yay for FnF style ECU logging!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/IMGP0086.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/ecutalkppc6.jpg
I have a car PC which I had in my Accord which I will put in the Cedric as soon as I can find a good location for it! At the moment i am using my PDA as per the screenshot above.

Then i wanted constant engine temp monitoring, and without having to wait for the PC to boot up so i built an engine temp display, hooked it up to the OEM temp gauge. Fits nicely in the ashtray and hides away for stealth look
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2626Medium.jpg

Then i bought some cheapo rubber indicators from Hasegawa in Japan and decided to install them in my wing mirrors.
(you can see them in the pics above, but they are actually almost the same colour as the car! Will try to get some better pics later)

I decided to DIY my own crystal red-clear taillights. Pulled them apart, removed the frosted section, sprayed the interior with chrome paint, sprayed the orange section with red tint, lightly polished the frosted clear section
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Taillights1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Taillights2.jpg
(results above)... Kinda dangerous since it would take at least 3 weeks to order replacements from Japan if is stuffed it up!

Then i got an OEM Toyota reversing camera from Yahoo. Came with a Toyota specific interface plug so i chopped that off and soldered up a new power supply, and an RCA connection (had to rely on vague info given on some Japanese websites, again the power supply bit was dangerous cos it was a $200 camera)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/camera.jpg

The camera was fitted that on a custom mount in the numberplate recess. I made a Perspex panel that replaced one of my numberplate lights and provided a waterproof cover for the camera. And no, it isn’t possible to get the camera out unless you take the entire bootlid...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2609-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2610-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2611-1.jpg

Then the fun stuff. Liaising with a Japanese friend i made on the internet (ooh i have friends!), I retrofitted a digital dash display to my car. 50+ wires to connect and test. Lots of fun but the results were worth it!
From:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Dash1.jpg

To:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2618.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2619.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2620.jpg

As you can see I also replaced the steering wheel with an aftermarket one. No airbag anymore, but it feels great, and looks quite OEM I think. Not as easy as it looks – I had to modify a 300ZX steering boss to work with my airbag wheel, because I couldn’t find a Y32 boss.

[Dominik]

And tonight i put the aftermarket 300ZX toe control arms in. A bit of bling for the rear of the car!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2629Medium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2640Medium.jpg

I will be getting some aftermarket camber arms tomorrow before i fit the wheels, because as you can see, with stock camber adjustment they aint gonna fit!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2638Medium.jpg

I hope i can get some chrome ones to match the rear toe arm. Mmm bling!

[555]

well done man, u know what 1 thing i like about japanese cars?there's no need to worry about feeling pitty over drilling holes n add up some fancy stuffs to the car (+ no worries that some malfunction that might turn out in the computer screen of the car), whereas euro cars comes with plenty of nice things already that i wouldn't change or if would want to change it might cost me a fortune/a lot that is worth for doing.. :buck2: :buck2:

i like ure reverse camera parking thing, man i wish i could get that done by myself (which i can't n i suck at)..
oh yeah i think ure parking camera abit too pointed down, maybe u might wanna adjust the camera abit more diagonally?so u might able to see better what's coming behind :coolsmiley:

[Dominik]

Its pointed down for a reason! I can easily see what is coming behind me by using my mirrors :)

Its actually a fish-eye lens. It sees about 2-3m behind the car as well as straight down my bumper. And with this camera i can see precisely how far the bumper of the car behind me is - So i can back up to within a cm of the car behind (sure scares alot of pedestrians).
If you see a factory reversing camera they are usually at a similar angle (thats a factory Toyota camera)

And yes its good being able to f*** around with wires and stuff in this car - i love car electronics. But i wouldnt say its because its a Japanese car; my Soarer was a '93 model, and it had 7 computers on board for various things, all connected by a serial LAN - Newer luxury cars are only just starting to use LANs for data communication in cars. It just happens that this one is pretty simple ;D

[carlos]

I have a lexus is 350 and the stock rear view cam is located just like yours. same angle and everything. you did it pretty much perfect.

good stuff.

[Dominik]

Well, an update, the wheels are on and it looks amazing! Will post pics later on...

Scariest thing in the world: Driving 60km/h with about 1-2" inwards toe on both sides and 5+ degrees of camber. Each bump LITERALLY puts you in the next lane. People were swerving around me it was freaky!

[jstyle]

Well, an update, the wheels are on and it looks amazing! Will post pics later on...

Scariest thing in the world: Driving 60km/h with about 1-2" inwards toe on both sides and 5+ degrees of camber. Each bump LITERALLY puts you in the next lane. People were swerving around me it was freaky!


Great job on the car.

Cant wait for pics. ;)

[CharismaY33]

Damn dom im loving them pics looks like a whole lot of diy'ing going on. Nice to see people doing there own work...

So i had to ask what are plans for kits i think i know what one u are reffering to but im curious? let us know.

[Dominik]

Ok, here are some initial shots of the wheels/car, but first an explanation of how i got there.

After the trial fit last night, i realised i needed some adjustable camber arms. There was a shop out in the boonies that had a pair in stock, and since the tyre shop that i use is halfway there i would kill 2 birds with one (long) drive. So after buying the camber arms i went to get tyres stretched on the wheels.

"You wanna put 235/40s on those 18x10?? And 225/40 on a 9? That wont fit!" But after reminding him that he had helped me put 295s on my 18x13, he said Ok. The only falken's he had were ZI-326 (base tyre), and he didnt have a 225/40 in that. He advised me to go for Kumho's because they had good speed rating and quite cheap.

Since the tyre looked a little more bulbous when it was unmounted, i decided to push my luck and ask for a 215/40 for the front. He mounted it, but it was HARDLY stretched! Even he noticed... "You want to go for a 35 profile?" Well ok... So for the fronts i am running 215/35R18. Maybe a little low for load rating, and rolling diameter is a fair bit smaller... But at least i wont have any scraping problems.

After seeing that dissapointing stretch for the front, i decided to go for a 225/40 on the rear. Now THAT's a decent stretch! And it needed it too. Not a cm of clearance as it turns out - 235 would most certainly be scrubbing
225/40 on an 18x10:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2641.jpg

215/35 on the 18x9 (lying down), and 225/40 on the 18x10 standing up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2643.jpg

Since I didnt have the camber arms installed (and i didnt feel like paying someone to do it), i decided to take the wheels home and install them myself:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2645.jpg
(You can almost see the old girl trembling at the wheels she is going to wear)





Camber arms were a bit difficult. As predicted by many people, there is not much negative camber adjustment available with these arms, they are meant for positive camber correction. But when you take one of the locking nuts off, you can induce a bit more. Even so, i had to use it all up to get the rears to fit. I will have to show pics later... for now here is some pics of the finished product:









http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2646.jpg
My allen key broke trying to undo the camber tops for the coilovers, so the fronts still stick out about a cm.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2650.jpg
You can actually see how much toe the car had at that point (They both pointed to a point about 3m in front of the car.) And you can see the camber!



Ta-da!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2647.jpg

And yes, the front needs to come down 1-2"...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2654.jpg



I think i achieved "Tsuraichi"!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2655.jpg

[Dominik]

More info on the toe issue. After cambering the rears to fit, the toe was plainly visible. Both wheels pointed to a spot around 3m in front of the car. The wheels looked VERY crooked. I wanted to get a shop to align it to zero toe, so i decided to drive it with the 1-2" toe that it had. Boy was that a mistake. It felt like the rear of the car was not connected or something. Each bump put me about 1m across in a random direction (no joke), so i had to drive in the middle of 2 lanes with cars beeping and swerving around me. Not only that, but when i got to the wheel shop, it was closed! So i adjusted it by eye at home, and now it drives much better (will do it properly tomorrow). Note to others with similar suspension setups (eg Y33 Q45s): GET TOE CONTROL ARMS! Seriously, i had to shorten the toe rod by about 2cm from the stock length to get it straight


But here's my dillema: The front needs to go lower by at least an inch. I have no problem doing that EXCEPT that it scrapes pretty badly on my driveway already. And that is a flat driveway too!
So i have to do some experimenting with my neighbours driveway (shared driveway so i can get a good angle to it). If not, then i dont know? My neighbourhood is NOT the type of place you can leave a car on the street. Not if you want to see it in the morning!



And CharismaY33, I was going to go for the Samurai kit originally, but that front bar will be too low with my coilovers (looks like its on the ground with the promo pics!)
So unless i can find a K-break V-lux kit for a good price, I might go "aero-less". The k-break kit is very subtle, but its also quite expensive (235,000yen is the cheapest i have seen so far). I would only be wanting to pay around 100,000 yen, so iwould need to get secondhand (rare as hens teeth!)

K-break:
http://www.k-break.com/vlux/y32cedglo/front.jpg

[Brandicus]

wow dude that is gorgeous, definetly go for the k-break :smitten:

[JN.FYC]

:o
SO NICE.
:smitten: :smitten:
I Love it


**
& as for the kit.
I think u should get K-Break Looks more cleaner
Suites your Wheels.
Not so Agressive

[uncle_el]

dom, i love it as is. no need for a kit!

[dvp]

Its looking really good, and the fact that the car is on 18's reinforces my decision to sell my Carlsson 20's and get some really aggressive 19's. The K break kit would look great on your car, nice work on the project so far.

D.

[nezumimaru]

wow... looks awesome
amazing stuff!
that rear camber so sweet
it reminds me of that purple garage magical y32

[AME_VIP]

Just awesome work!! Very nice Dominik. Looks great with no kit.

Is it a lip on the start of the driveway that you could put some wood down to help with the step? Or is it a sharp upward slope?

[jEzTeR]

Damn fine car!

[NG C-Klasse]

Looks better than I thought it would. After you get the stance down it should look awesome..lovin the electronic retrofits! Good on ya man...

[Pagong]

Love the DIY's...great build DOM and I know its not done yet.

[Dominik]

Thanks everyone for the comments. Yes, i wont deny that the Garage Magical/Club Queen/YouZealand body Cima's are what motivated me with this car. I just wish I could get it lower without tucking the rear rims I'm sure it can be done (mini tubbing the rear wheel wells, raising the rear arches). But it would be a very expensive process. The Y32 Cima just seems to look alot lower when sitting flush on 18s.

I had to help out around the house today, so no more updates except that I got the wheels aligned. I had eyeballed the rear camber, but managed to get it almost perfectly even (cant say the same about the Toe!)

The final results:
Rear camber: 6.5 degrees (!)
Rear Toe: +4mm
Front camber: 2 degrees

He originally did the toe at -5mm to try and get some sort of even wear on the tyres, but that felt as twitchy as when i first lowered it, so i asked him to go to zero. He said 4mm would be better so thats where its at. And I could probably do one less degree of camber (didnt think of that until later)...

Seems to drive pretty good, but we'll see about tyres. The way i figure it, even if they last a month, its still cheaper than petrol! Haha :)


AME, its a lip that sticks up. See the pic below... As my front wheels are just getting over the raised part, my rear wheels are just getting onto the driveway ramp, if that explains the lengths involved. I was thinking about getting some planks of wood under the rear wheels when the fronts are over the raised section... But then the problem would just happen again when i come off the ramps...

[Dominik]

And no, its not finished, but i'm gonna enjoy the current mods for a bit before i do anything else!

Its amazing the looks you get with just a set of wheels. I've never seen anything like this before, adn by the looks of things, either have others. I get people waving me down and asking about the car etc. It gets almost as much attention as my widebody Cima got!

[{-.-}]

looking great what else do you have on the way........... ???

I know you waited for a long time for that stuff so during that wait I KNOW you were thinking ahead and spending more money........... ha ha he he

[Dominik]

Haha How did you know i am planning on buying more things Robert? :D

To be truthful, I will be getting a few knick-knacks here and there, but the kit will be a little while off.

I want to get a nicer looking exhaust, as this one is rusted through in parts. I wonder how much EMS for a fat muffler would be? :)

[555]

nice dom! now ure ride its doesn't look too old! hah~ juz kiddin :P ;D
seriously n definitely save up for kit n repaint the whole car man~ ;)
btw where did u get ure wheels fitted?looks like tempe~ haha ::)

[jbo]

Dom your car is mad wickid Im diggin everything about it congrats and keep it goin.

[Herb]

Very nice on going project!! I like a lot! :)

Herb

[Dominik]

Thanks again for the replies. I still cant get over the attention this car gets now!

Latest update... Started noticing a rubbing sound coming from the rear while turning left quickly. Removing the rear wheel i see that there is a small lump potruding from the inner fender well, which is nice and shiny now that the tyre is making contact with it on bumps and corners (its touching the sidewall of the tyre so its not a loud noise).

I tried banging the lump flat with a rubber mallet, but i didnt really make any difference, just alot of noise. I remember reading about the Youzealand body Cima, and in the article they 'processed the inner fender with a large hammer'. Looks like i will be doing that, although i am hesitant to swing a sledge hammer at the car!

Rear wheels are off at the moment because i am doing a 7hr drive tonight and I am carrying the wheels in the boot so i can floss at my destination (no point wasting tyres while driving through the night!). Makes me look like an aussie bogan with an old V8; stockies on the rear so they can do burnouts easier. :D

Soon i will start on the next step of the project: Custom boot install. I love bass but hate having big sub boxes taking up the whole boot! I dont want to lose the ability to put both rear wheels in the boot so I will be trying to install some subs in the back wall behind the fuel tank

Thinking about new plates too. I am really not a 'pimp daddy' type of person, and not so sure the car is either... I'd love to get something else which makes people smile like these plates do though...

[555]

euro plates won't fit in ure ride or would it?euro plates would give a clean look man~ :coolsmiley:
btw where did u get ure wheels fitted with tires dom? :)

[Dominik]

7-Day tyres in Granville (on Paramatta road). Its a bit of a drive, but worth it. As cheap (or cheaper) than Tempe Tyres, but Tempe wont do stretch... Although they wont give warranty on the tyres (I was like "huh? Warranty on tyres?")

Yeah, Not a huge fan of Euro plates and they def. wont fit. I want something custom again, probably red/white. Would love something with 5 letters or less

[555]

so its recommended huh 7 days tyres?maybe next time i'll buy my new tyres there?
they've got plenty range of tyres rite?(i'll pm u next time for the full address if u want to go there for tyres :) )
n yeah what do they mean by warranty?didn't know buying tyres got warranty n sh|t..

[TransformCelsior]

sweet project, something about the cedric's retro look makes it so elusive.

[Cannonball]

Looking nice Dom. Im also waiting for my JIC coilovers, theyre taking aaaaages :-\) so its nice to see what can be achieved with a set.
I did purchase a set of Y31 JIC's locally, and they only took a week to get to me, but they turned out to be incorrectly marked as y31, they are actually Y32, so it was over to Yahoo.jp for a set of the real thing.

looks like the Y32 has a lot more available to adjust the suspension than the Y31, Im learning as I go with my car, so its all a bit of a magical mystery tour finding out what is needed and what is available. I havnt decided on a set of wheels yet for this very reason. Its good to know 7 day tyres will do a stretch though, Ill have to visit them once I get some rims.

Craig

[Dominik]

Yep, the JICs are very good. And to me they arent too stiff either. Certainly not a plush ride, but not rock solid like some of the drifters complain about. But at really low settings it does get under dampened - i would like to get them rebuilt to cope with that one day...

hangon... There's another set of Y32 coilovers in Australia? Did you take them back to the place you bought them from when you realised? If so which shop is it? If they are cheap i might be interested in getting them to modify for shorter stroke etc!

Btw, i am sure you can use much the same drifter suspension gear with your car. At the very least the toe rods and camber arms should be compatible with other Nissans. I believe the Y31 had trailing arm suspension in the rear from what I remember (I remember it has external bumpstops, which i thought would be great for preventing it from damaging the fender at low settings!



I'll try to post my pics i took last weekend in Coffs Harbour. Got some nice photos down by the beach!

[Dominik]

As promised, some pics from Coffs Harbour:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2691.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2689.jpg


Down at the Beach
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2694.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2699.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2700.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2701.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2706.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2707.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2708.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2709.jpg

At my sister's place, proof these arent fake dish wheels!! Haha
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2714.jpg

[Dominik]

But there was something that was always bugging me. The wheel gap at the front. It made the wheels look too small, made the front look pretty average from the 3/4 angle IMO. But since it was already too low to get in my driveway, i put up with it.

But yesterday i was going to a mate's wedding so i decided to drop the front down a bit to show off (most of my mates havent seen the car yet)... To me this looks absolutely perfect now

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3005.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2820.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2817.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3014.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3015.jpg


And a pic of the rear suspension bling:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3009.jpg

But the problem with this height is that the chassis rails/cross member/exhaust sits kinda low. I was scraping on FLAT road - one of the roads i drive on has a bit of curvature in it and it hit the cross-member at about 30mph! Even the flattest speedhumps (the little metal ones) just ended up polishing my undercarriage...

I think these pics demonstrate what i mean...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3013.jpg
My phone is 47mm wide, so i'd put the exhaust at around 40mm or less off the ground (1.6"), cross member is only a bit higher...

[nezumimaru]

that is just crazy low!
I wonder if it would touch the ground if you put a kit on at that height...
are you gonna raise it back up?

[hondaboi]

Looks very nice, I likey!!

I have a silly question...what car is that?? I mean, in North America what is it called if it existed?

[AME_VIP]

nice bling dom!! *I feel your pain about the front wheel gap. *I'm willing to bet the front is now lower than the rear if you measure the arches from the top to the ground. * The reason you have the gap is most likely the small diameter front tires. *I have run into this issue a few times on my SC. *

I tried to run 17x9 R33 GTR wheels with 215/45/17 and I had to lower it way down to get ride of the wheels cap. *The frame scraped everywhere.

[elpresidente]

Looks very nice, I likey!!

I have a silly question...what car is that?? I mean, in North America what is it called if it existed?

It's a Y32 Cedric, there was no US counterpart. Only Y33 and Y34 chassis went to US. Maybe larger diameter wheels next time would help with clearance.

[Dominik]

Nezumi, i already raised it back up... I left it out on the street on Saturday night, and was surprised to see it still there in the morning! Didnt want to chance it a second night ;)

As for kits, i believe the Insurance/JP kits would be on the ground at that height. But from what i can tell, the K-Break kit is the same height as the stock bumpers, hence why the cars with those kits are usually sitting so damn low. I'm just happy that the oil sump is protected by the cross member! Cos i reckon some of the hits i had on Saturday might have put a crack in it...

And yeah, i really regret going for a 35 series tyre on the front now. Originally i was worried about clearance in the front fenders, but now i'm pretty sure i could have gone for the 215/40 without too much trouble. That would have been an extra cm of clearance - 2cm if the tyre/fender gap was kept the same

In fact, 19"s are looking tempting, but I find they look a bit large on this car (most of my fave modded Y32s in Japan run 18s). Plus, I like the fact that tyres are so cheap for this size wheel! haha. But i think i will definitely go for 19s with slightly milder offset next time (less camber)

Actually I think i just need to get some of the Roberuta cups, or something similar. I wonder if you can drive with the cups semi-inflated or is it All-or-nothing?

[dvp]

hey dom looking good, I was wondering can you buy protective scuff plating for the under carrige to protect it from bumps and scrapes? I thought I saw somthing like that in a VIP Car mag some time ago. Specifically for super low cars to maintain important parts like the oil sump etc.

D.

[Dominik]

Yeah, that was my next plan - accept the fact that it will make contact with large hard objects, and minimize the damage:
- Redo exhaust (with some stainless steel cos you can see its rusted in the pics); with heat shielding so I can tuck it closer to the body
- That metal plate that goes under the engine (would be easier to just make my own I would think?)
- skid plates which will be the lowest point of the car, running all the way along it
- I actually thought about some of that really tough, industrial plastic as skid rails, because it would slide easier on concrete etc (think of McDonalds trays and how you can put them under the rear wheels of an FWD car for super drift action).

I got 'beached' on Saturday night because I was leaving a building carpark and as the up-ramp (gently) rolled off to flat ground the middle got stuck. Not enough traction on the rear wheels to get me over... I had to take a run-up!

Oh, and I DEFINITELY need a new trolley jack. Right now I have to roll onto 2 planks of 1.6" (one at a time, because the bumper wont clear both), before I can get it under the jacking point. Would be much better if I could just get a very low jack (under 5cm) that slides under without that hassle

[JN.FYC]

At my sister's place, proof these arent fake dish wheels!! Haha
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2714.jpg


Nice.

[555]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2699.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2700.jpg



look at that fron right body damage, ouch! was it like this when u 1st got them?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3014.jpg


n yeah look at the angle, meaning u need more drop for the rear..ehhahaha!!! :2funny:
its against the rule to see gaps here!! :P btw 19 is the way to go man, judging from ure ride, 20" wouldn't be a problem to go to, but maybe monetary problem for 20" lol :laugh:

[Bippu_Ten]

WOW looking nice, keep the updates and pics comming ...
BTW: what grille is that?

[Dominik]

Hendrick, these wheels cost more than a set of 20s; but I wouldnt put 20s on anything other than a hummer, or maybe a 300C. I'm going for vipstyle, not DUB style!* ;)
And there will be no lowering the rear of the car. The point is to have the wheels 'kissing' the fender, not all up inside it like a $2 hooker :P

I'd love to cut the rear arches and raise them so they match the front (then i could lower the rear), but I think that'll be very expensive and i'll have even more problems with ride height!


Btw, the damage was already there. The foglights should be in there, but the one on that side was cracked/leaking so i took them out while i wait on new ones...
There was an even bigger scrape on the side of the boot. Lots of marks from people putting shopping etc on it. I'm slowly working on the body. Its either a respray now, or find a kit that doesnt sit very low, and spray it all then.

Simplename, thats the stock grille. I'm sorta looking for a replacement that has just a chrome ring around the outside, but black inside. Not looking very hard though...

[555]

maybe the 20" ure talking and comparing about is those cheap ass wheels(like the 1 in tempe tires!! LOL!! :2funny: ), i don't believe those big brands like fabulous, autocouture, works brands for the 18" are mo expensive than the 20"..that's bullsh|t...cmon 20" ain't DUB style, DUB style are like 21 and above, as matter a fact traficstar got 21" now, i don't know bout other brands so far, i think works does 21" now too?i might be wrong ;)

[RobSoVip]

maybe the 20" ure talking and comparing about is those cheap ass wheels(like the 1 in tempe tires!! LOL!! :2funny: ), i don't believe those big brands like fabulous, autocouture, works brands for the 18" are mo expensive than the 20"..that's bullsh|t...cmon 20" ain't DUB style, DUB style are like 21 and above, as matter a fact traficstar got 21" now, i don't know bout other brands so far, i think works does 21" now too?i might be wrong* ;)


You don't understand, there is NO NEED FOR A 20 ON THAT CAR. We all know you have 20's on yours and YOU like it, but you cant go as low or wide on a 20, and it appears that Dom wishes to go low and wide. I don't understand why your making a big deal over this, and commenting on monetary issues, when your running a knock-off body kit :2funny:. Perhaps you should sell your twenties, get some propper fitting 18 or 19's and use the money you save to buy a kit that isn't a cheap knock off?

[555]

You don't understand, there is NO NEED FOR A 20 ON THAT CAR. We all know you have 20's on yours and YOU like it, but you cant go as low or wide on a 20, and it appears that Dom wishes to go low and wide. I don't understand why your making a big deal over this, and commenting on monetary issues, when your running a knock-off body kit :2funny:. Perhaps you should sell your twenties, get some propper fitting 18 or 19's and use the money you save to buy a legit kit?


legit kit?what do u mean?replica kits?
i don't have 20" on my car, i don't know how u think that i'm makin abig deal out of this..
i respect what he wants, juz suggesting "What I think it will look good" man.. ;D

[AME_VIP]

personally I love aggressive 18" on Y32. A larger diameter tire in the front would help solve your issue. :coolsmiley: Keep up the good work.

oh btw what are the specs on the wheels again?

[Dominik]

Well at the end of the day I am sticking with 18s so lets end the bickering. Yakuza hit the nail on the head - I love that "goddamn that bitch is low" look, and i hate to tuck the wheels.

AME, the wheels are 18x9 +13 and 18x10 +5. I believe this is pretty damn aggressive even by Japan's standards; all the guides say +20 is the minimum offset you can fit


Next update: Fixed my damn antenna but it can only go halfway up now. Will do it properly later...
Also received some chrome window visors from Robert, and I put them on tonight. Gives a bit more chrome to the window surround, and adds more 'retro' flavour... pics will come later

[uncle_el]

i like how you stick to your guns, as the car looks great as is. definitely hot!!!

[pitchedup]

wow, those are 18s? thought they were 19s. Its the damn fitment and stance that probably made it look bigger, haha. Nice cedric though.

[Dominik]

Thanks for comments so far. I do have a definite direction i am heading with this car. It will all unfold in due time

[{-.-}]

green tint green tint 8)

[Dominik]

Something like this?
Just a quick lunchtime photoshop... Thoughts?
I'm starting to think about just plain black with some tint on front windscreen too... Not that its legal or anything...

[elpresidente]

charcoal..green looks wrong.

[555]

yeah like aqua green rite? 8)

[nissany32]

nice ride i told you she will look good 8)

[Dominik]

here's another attempt. This is the green i was going to go for... But not so sure anymore

nismoy32... Looks good, just needs some more chrome bits ;-)

[Dominik]

OK, some more pics... Showing the door visors, new front tyres and a new rideheight (it changes almost every day, but at this height it is quite driveable, only slight scrape coming into my driveway)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3033.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3031.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3036.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3040.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3043.jpg

Next mods: Chrome mirrors, clear side indicators.
Will post some more pics when that is done, or if i decide to really lower the car (I'm keen to set the fronts at the lowest setting, and rears right down to the fender lip)

[bcherry]

KEEP UP the good Work!!!!!!!!!!!!! or else :knuppel2: :knuppel2:..lol

[Bippu_Ten]

If I remember correctly, your Cedric Grand Turismo is an ausie hybrid car correct?
I have never seen a Cedric Grand Turismo in Japan, only the gloria grand Turismo..

[Dominik]

Not a hybrid - it is a private import. The Cedric GranTurismo is not as common as the Gloria GT, but they do exist. Here are some others selling on Yahoo:
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/91095248
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/94039239
http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k33324648
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b69746557

[Cannonball]

I dont know whats going on with your thread Dom, things seem to be dissapearing..... :o Anyway, Ill reply again (even though the question has gone)
Im in Sydney, not far from the Penriff Ghetto's ;D, actually at the bottom of the blue mountains, but yeah, If i get away with the set of Y31 coilovers without having to pinch much from the Y32 set, then they are all yours and Im sure we can work out a reasonable price.

BTW, the car is looking much nicer with the new tyres, fills out the guard and keeps the car closer to level all round, v nice 8)

[bBOXD]

Looks good man! I say go lower. :)

[Dominik]

Bboxed, i just found a killer Y32 Cima on CarLife (will make separate post), where he is literally 1cm from the ground it looks so insane. It makes me want to see how low this car will go!

But I still have the dilemma of my driveway. So it will only be for cruises etc. Will try this weekend



Cannonball, thanks dude let me know when you get your other coilovers.

[AME_VIP]

Now I'm amazing when I find other Y32s that are running a kit, plus 215 on 18" wheels in the front! just crazy.

You car has inspired me to look at importing a Y32 again.

http://www.terra2imports.ca/import-japan115566957754333.htm

[nezumimaru]

hey dom...
maybe hiring someone to re-do your driveway would be an option?
if it's not too expansive i hope...

[Dominik]

Now I'm amazing when I find other Y32s that are running a kit, plus 215 on 18" wheels in the front! just crazy.

You car has inspired me to look at importing a Y32 again.

http://www.terra2imports.ca/import-japan115566957754333.htm


215's are fine if you go with 40 profile. 215/35 is just stupid :D. I have found some mad low Ced's & cima's on CarLife and they just say they choose the roads they go on, park on the street (almost everyone does in the cities over there), and cop it sweet when it hits...

Yesterday i had the rear fenderwell lumps hammered out to stop it rubbing; and since i had some extra room in there i thought i'd have a go at seeing if i could tuck the wheels when the coilovers are wound all the way down (wait till you see this Cima i found). Anyway, i am SOL because the tyre hits the inside of the door jam before the lip of the wheel gets under the guard. That would require some major modification to fix (basically mini-tubbing it, and rebuilding the door jam/door). Its a bit of a shame really! I suddenly found my self wanting to have it on the ground!

Btw since you live in Canada and have access to '91 cars (soon '92s as well), i would go for a Y32 Cima. It fits lower offset wheels, sits lower, and just generally looks so much fatter than the Y32 Ced/Glo. I am actually just trying to make my car look a little like a cima ;)



hey dom...
maybe hiring someone to re-do your driveway would be an option?
if it's not too expansive i hope...

Thats possible, and i have thought about it. It just needs that lip ground off. But not sure if that means water/debris will come in our driveway. I think it might just be cheaper to get some Roberuta Cups!!

[Dominik]

I did this kit on MS Paint. Seriously, if i can get someone to make me something like this, i would be totally happy...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG3040chop.jpg

All other kits i've seen seem to accentuate the straight lines of the Cedric. I want to bring out some of the curves. And show off the camber in the rear. Anyone know how hard it is to make a custom kit?

As for real updates on the car? Well it now has foglights in the front, crystal side markers, and soon to be fitted are chrome door mirrors

But the car is in at the mechanics getting a new hydraulic timing belt tensioner put in. Engine was starting to sound like a tractor so i got a stick and an empty aluminium can and started poking around the engine listening for the noise. Then the stick got caught in the belts while checking the front underside of the engine and nearly took my eye out :uglystupid2: so i decided to take it to a professional

The tensioner itself was around USD$350 from Nissan australia, but I can get it from a shop in the US for $170 delivered?!? Anyway, just means i gotta wait till next week. Damn i hate not having another car!

[gmckey]

Looking HOT with that MS Paint aero! I know you say you want to show off the rear camber, but with your mock up, I'd still recommend some sort of flare on the side skirts just to flow more into the front and rear bars. The front bar seems to come down vertically front the top of the fender, where as the side skirt tapers towards the car as it goes down. I just think a small bit of flare just to come back out the same vertical line as the middle of the body would pull it together more while still showing off the camber.

Anyways, post up some pics of the new stuff. Do you run HID? I bet it would/does look killer with full clear lenses at night.

Cheap crappy econoboxes are for when your nice car breaks down Dom! I'm so tempted to buy my friends dad's 1982 Mazda GLC (the predecessor to the 323, GLC = Great Little Car). They bought it new and now, 25 years later it still runs solid with over 300k on it haha. His dad was telling me he'd take $100 for it just to get it out from in front of his house so I'm entertaining the idea simply to either 'rally' it to death or just to have as a beater just incase!

[FaLKoN400]

I was thinking a subtle flare on the side skirts would definately set off your rear camber, I am diggin the stretch in the rear.

[555]

not bad u should go with that mode perfume style front bumper, that would set it off :)
then u should name it MS Paint Y32 Cedric Kit..ahahha try to ask around some people who are experienced in custom kit, they should be able to help u out 8)
as for ure engine, that's what u get for gettin some 2nd/3rd/4th hand car with no proper treatment..
now the engine goes like this, who knows what's next.. ::) good luck!

[Dominik]

Good point guys... I rounded the front bar a little and flared the sideskirts slightly (I updated the pic above)

No HID yet, i am waiting to see the bill for this round of repairs before i commit to anything. I wanted to get in on that HID group buy that went on here, but i am expecting USD$500+ for this repair so that kinda killed that idea.

I keep telling myself "It'll be perfect after i get this done..."
But i've spent more on this car than i have on any other car that i have owned, and its by far not the oldest!

[{-.-}]

(I updated the pic above)


You still need to add the fogs and the chrome mirrors......... might as well add a chrome grill. ;)

[onajinohito]

Noticed you updated your CARVIEW webpage....I am now lagging behind :D

Looks good!!!

[Dominik]

Yeah, get with the program!! haha

I gots cool Japanese friends >LOL<

Just gotta find a nice kit now...

[Dominik]

... i am expecting USD$500+ for this repair...

I was spot on about the repair bill, but the engine is as quiet as a mouse now, so thats cool... So when i got it home I put on the chrome mirrors, washed and polished her, and drove to my mates place to show off a little. I paid special attention to park somewhere with no trees above me (trees=birdshit, specially when you just washed your car).

A couple of hours later my mate's neighbour knocks on my mates door... "is that your friends car? I just hit it... Sorry, didnt see it while i was reversing"

Well aint that a bitch...

Hmm... I wonder if its time for a kit? his insurance should pay for the rear bar at least!

[{-.-}]

A couple of hours later my mate's neighbour knocks on my mates door... "is that your friends car? I just hit it... Sorry, didnt see it while i was reversing"

Well aint that a b****...


HANG IN THERE........... :angel:

[dvp]

I was spot on about the repair bill, but the engine is as quiet as a mouse now, so thats cool... So when i got it home I put on the chrome mirrors, washed and polished her, and drove to my mates place to show off a little. I paid special attention to park somewhere with no trees above me (trees=birdshit, specially when you just washed your car).

A couple of hours later my mate's neighbour knocks on my mates door... "is that your friends car? I just hit it... Sorry, didnt see it while i was reversing"

Well aint that a b****...

Hmm... I wonder if its time for a kit? his insurance should pay for the rear bar at least!


that sucks, but its a great excuse to get a kit!

D.

[Dominik]

Ok, i gotta post some pics i took with the mirrors/indicators/fogs. Those other pics were beginning to bug me because the frontend just looked so... plain...

Pics fom Handicam, so not the best quality (my gf had the digicam with her).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/IMGA0004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/IMGA0006.jpg

Goddamn, i really should have gotten in on that group-by for HIDs. These lights are so yellow!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/IMGA0014.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/IMGA0012.jpg

[carlos]

that thing is looking awesome.

[Dominik]

Thankyou kindly... I just gotta fix up the front-end a little, and possibly get that kit i've been thinking about and i will be completely happy... I think :)

[carlos]

...and i will be completely happy... I think :)


i doubt it... its a never ending process lol

[Brandicus]

all those little extras added alot to the front end! 8) love the way its lookin now, you were right it did look alittle plain. but i didnt notice cause of those crazzzzzy wheels

i say keep the lights the way they are, its classic!

[gmckey]

Love the chrome mirror covers! If you do get a kit, or even special make one, you should do chrome accent around the car... would really set it off! One of my favorite Aussie cars FOR SURE!

[{-.-}]

Love the chrome mirror covers!

They are OEM............ VERY NICE. :coolsmiley:

I also like the headlight color. The fogs to match save your money for now and use those funds for something else. HIDs can wait.

[firelizard]

I love the extras on the front! I was thinking earlier that something was missing and that went away as soon as I saw the new pics. Very nice!

[hondaboi]

Goddamn, i really should have gotten in on that group-by for HIDs. These lights are so yellow!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/IMGA0014.jpg


If you need HID's let me know. I can ship to Austrila :)

ps: looking nice man..if you check the before and after, man..big difference!! ;)

[555]

hmmm...is there anyway that u could make the headlight n fogs to crystal clear dom? :P

[Dominik]

Hmmm.... I can get another set of highbeams for the headlights - the highbeams dont have as many ridges inside. But that means i'd be blinding people! Alternatively i would love to get some F50 Cima projectors for a retrofit - thats pretty popular with this car because the F50 projector is the same diameter as my headlights
Fog lights are glass, but i have a spare set now, so perhaps it is possible. I never tried polishing glass lights
Side indicators can be done, and hopefully i can do something DIY for that...

Thanks for all the compliments guys, the mirrors are OEM, and all these parts are thanks to Robert ({-.-})!

Btw, i cant wait to show the old lady i bought the car off. She was hoping I would take care of it, and at first i thought i would rape it for parts... Boy i'm glad i didnt!

[Bippu_Ten]

Looking good ... nice and clean .. keep us updated `DOM`

[Caoboy]

Fog lights are glass, but i have a spare set now, so perhaps it is possible. I never tried polishing glass lights


DONT do that. you will just fog it/scratch it up BAD. the only way to de-line the glass would be to have someone make a mold of the glass, and make a plastic replica that's clear. I don't know if you have any plastic shops around that would do that for you, maybe? that would be the best way to do it.

[Dominik]

Thanks for the heads-up. I think it might be cheaper for me to just find some crystal cut fogs made specifically for this car from Japan... I'm not too keen on spending money on the fogs right now, until i work out what kit i am going to get.

Latest update is that the car is in the shop getting the rear fixed (where the guy hit me), but also the front bumper which was scuffed when i bought the car. At this rate i will have the car fully resprayed without having to pay a cent! lol...

[Caoboy]

awesome! yeah, i wanted to clear out my headilghts when i had my LS, but shane said that it's not going to clear out, it will just wreck the headlight. better to be safe than sorry! any pictures of that rear camera working? that was pretty awesome!

[shawnthemonster]

lets see an update or at least more pics.

on a aero kit why not the k-break one, its kinda round
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/shawnthemonster/03.jpg

[Dominik]

Oh yeah time for some updates huh? Will post some pics tonight hopefully. I got some nice ones with the Sydney harbour bridge in the background

I've also since lowered the front down...

Caoboy, sorry i missed your response. I will post some pics of the rear view camera working but unfortunately my screen died a painfull death and i havent bothered replacing it yet

Shawn, that is the exact kit i want and its hands down the sexiest kit out there for this car. But the lowest price i can find it for is 220,000Yen, add shipping and it would be more than i have spent on the rest of the car! I think i will go for a custom made kit locally, but gotta sort some finances out first!

[shawnthemonster]

Shawn, that is the exact kit i want and its hands down the sexiest kit out there for this car. But the lowest price i can find it for is 220,000Yen, add shipping and it would be more than i have spent on the rest of the car! I think i will go for a custom made kit locally, but gotta sort some finances out first!

but a custom kit in the end will probally be more, but you will be totally original.

[Dominik]

Really? I didnt think it was all that difficult to make a custom kit... On top seems to make it sound easy :) I actually had visions of making something myself, based on the standard bumpers...

I figured it would be somewhere around AUD$3500-4000 for the kit

[gmckey]

but a custom kit in the end will probally be more, but you will be totally original.

And totally screwed if you mess it up!

Dom, post new pics w/ all clear lens'! And at least get some hyperwhite bulbs, like Sylvania Silverstars or even the riciest blue bulbs you can... IMO anything's better than OEM yellow.

[SeventhSkyline]

Looking great mate!

As for the light bulbs... You could go whites but how much do you value style over safety? Try driving in the rain with even top quality blue/white globes in and tell me their crap output and contrast (not to mention shite longevity) is worth it. HIDs are all well and good if you can get them working nicely but very few retrofits get light quality approaching the old OEM lamps.
However, both do look a lot better...Depends on how you balance things I guess.

[elpresidente]

Hahaha, 9 month hiatus for your thread Dom..show us the current goods!

[Dominik]

Wow... sure has been a while! Well i have since swapped all lights to some ricey blue globes, LED parkers and LED indicators. It all looks blueish-white, but as expected the output at night is ridiculous. On longdistance drives i try to stick behind someone with normal lights so I can see in front of me lol... Hence my thread about HID projector retrofits (http://vipstylecars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6899)

Anyway, exterior wise i just installed some headlight eyelids today (possibly further hurting my light output, but it looks good :runcoold: ), and crystal side markers to replace the frosted ones near my headlights. Got some clear cut headlights coming too. They will go in there until i get the rest of the parts for the projector retrofit.

The plans for a kit are on hold for now, because i have some plans for the suspension first. First up is to gain some clearance under the car. Tucking the exhaust/raising engine etc... Next up is to switch to Silvia suspension to give me a bit more adjustability. Grant is gonna test this plan out since he has access to the parts needed. Should be an interesting experiment!

I just want to get the front camber to 6 degrees, so it matches the rear:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Camber/CIMG0547.jpg

Interiorwise, here is the latest mod:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG0557.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG0598.jpg

[SeventhSkyline]

Sorry for the gravedig, for some reason I was seeing it as one of the more recent posts...

Anyway.
S13 stuff, interesting, what sort of bits?
I suppose you don't mean uprights and struts and such? as I suggest if your guard clearance is marginal in front you'll find thats not going to work out well if you go s13 uprights and struts as they will increase track further.
But in the rear, cool, is there much interchangeability there? The shocks themselves would be close to identical.....No idea on the linkages and stuff.

[Dominik]

As for the Silvia stuff, we are still working out which generation will work best for the front. I know for a fact that it can be done, and that it will allow me to get more than 6 degrees of camber; but details will be shared once I know more. Not so concerned about a little increase in track, since I already have about 10mm more room, and I dont mind dialling in extra camber to make more (and if thats still not enough, i can always pull the guards a little).

Rear suspension is very similar to the silvias (S13). I am just looking for a strut that will go lower than my current ones for the back. I am close to the bumpstop, but i want to go lower!

[khmer1]

sorry they say but what car is this is do they have it in the usa if not man that blows because i like how it looks

[Yokotas13]

liar
its an s14 strut im telling you!!!

ill find out one day, my time is sucking right now, sorry its taking me so long lol

[Dominik]

hehe.. I dare you to post a pic of your car with the S14 rear struts in them. Arent they the ones that are like 3 ft long?

Well, whatever struts end up fitting, as long as they can to go down to 40cm long when compressed (installed) in the car i'll be happy. Thats 2" lower than my current height (45.8cm from eyelet to bottom of strut-top).

I'm more interested in working out the fronts! Cant wait to hear how you go with them...

[SeventhSkyline]

We've found on R31s the increase in track is not small, its quite substantial, in the order of 10-20mm per side (depending on the original hubs as there are two types, the floating type which is closer to the Y31 items gets the 20mm spread per side).

But try it if you can test without buying all the bits. I'd imagine it will be S13 bits that will fit too, given that Y31 and HR31 shock units and strut bodies are close to identical (share the same bilstein and koni P/Ns for the rears even, as does C32 Laurel!). S13 rears for example are , apart from the top hats, identical in size to HR31 items.
If you can run S13 stuff, go body adjustable ones, then you'll be able to wind the body height down and then the spring seat height without losing as much shaft travel. S14 rears are a lot longer. I think S14 fronts are quite similar in length though to S13.

I hope thats of some help.

[Yokotas13]

s13 and 14 are the exact same design
only difference is the hole size on the mounting point

[-//NegativeCamber\\-]

looking great !!! i am still in the works on my project ... but i am going to a vip show on the 14 of oct be sure i will get pics for all you guys also i am making a myspace page for vip cars . collection of all my pics and others

[SeventhSkyline]

s13 and 14 are the exact same design
only difference is the hole size on the mounting point

Yes, in the front. And at least S14 stuff in Australia means 5 stud front hubs straight up.
S14 rear shocks are a lot longer than S13/R32/R31/Y31/A31 etc though, and its front struts and rear shocks I was more referring to about "s13 bits", i.e. coilovers themselves.

[Yokotas13]

yeah rear shocks are different, but fronts are the same

but alot is different from s13 to 14
lower balljoint being the main one...

[Dominik]

10-20mm is no problem at all. I need 10mm more track to get the fronts flush anyway, and an extra 2 degrees of camber should see out the other 10mm

Either way, i am predicting this will involve adjustable LCAs, Caster and Tie rods to keep it all in line. Grant is the man who will be able to give more info once he shifts his ass into gear lol. I was almost going to go out and buy all the parts to test; but where he is, they are apparently just laying discarded on the side of the road (lol)


//NegativeCamber\\, what are you driving?

[Yokotas13]

man, next weekend, next weekend im doing it
hopefully bwahaha

[SeventhSkyline]

10-20mm is no problem at all. I need 10mm more track to get the fronts flush anyway, and an extra 2 degrees of camber should see out the other 10mm

Either way, i am predicting this will involve adjustable LCAs, Caster and Tie rods to keep it all in line. Grant is the man who will be able to give more info once he shifts his ass into gear lol. I was almost going to go out and buy all the parts to test; but where he is, they are apparently just laying discarded on the side of the road (lol)



Ok, cool, well if you've got the room good.
One thing just struck me,I don't know how much wider a Y32 is, but we have to run extended rack ends or longer tierod ends (S13 ones for example) and such to get enough tierod end thread- or run an S13 rack - with the extra width of the control arms and uprights.

Some people are also S13 etc uprights on stock R31 control arms, so quite likely you could do the same on your Y32 arms if you find any geometry issues.

Yell out if all the S13 stuff fits in the front (IMO theres not really much reason to change the rear except for body adjustable coilovers) and you want to be rid of your JICs, I know a good home for them, haha.

[Dominik]

The Y32 is very different to the Y31/R31 (when i started this project i had both Y31 and Y32 next to each other).

Y32 is interchangeable with Y33 (but neither of them were ever imported into Australia), so unless you bought that one Y33 i saw for sale in WA, or you know of another Y32 in the country, its not going to be much use! (and if you do know of another Y32 let me know!!!)

Also, thanks for the info about the S13/R31 swap (would have loved this info when the suspension on my Y31 popped, but because of the big differences with the Y31/32 i think it wont apply to me

[SeventhSkyline]

No worries mate, yeah I was just going off the design of your front struts and a bit of guesswork that they looked very similar to HR31 JICs.
I think the S13/14 gear is a good way to go, it offers a lot more possibilities and body adjustable coilovers are a really great idea for VIP type slamming. Also some of the S13 coilovers are REALLY short so thats a bonus for you guys.

[Dominik]

Here is a bit of a better pic of the Y32/33 front strut (taken from a different post)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/cvc9216/IMG_0029.jpg
Still cant see the bottom of it which is all wierd and angled, and bolts into a single ball joint on the LCA and also the steering linkage (unlike the HR31/Y31 which bolts onto a separate steering arm, which then bolts onto the LCA)

Perhaps if you used the LCAs/hubs/etc it could be made to fit; but then you might as well have gone for an S13 strut...



Anyway, yeah i am still undecided though; the other option is just to customise these coilovers to be 2-3" shorter, but of course i cant get my 6 deg camber then...

[SeventhSkyline]

Certainly are a bit more different than I'd guessed glancing at them.
More heavy duty version I guess, everything looks bigger. Teaches me to guess from pics, ha.

I think your original idea about S14/13 bits is a pretty good one; a lot better than modifying the JICs. Most likely you could hock the JICs and get some cash back, and personally I wouldn't spend the money modifying them as it will quickly run toward the cost of new more suitable items - I doubt you'd see less than $300AUD a corner to shorten and refurbish them.
Body height and spring platform height adjustable S-chassis gear, if it fits, seems close to perfect, although you may need to mess with the tops to get a lot of camber.

[Dominik]

Yeah got a modification quote (sight-unseen) for $1000 the fronts today so i think that idea isnt so hot right now.

The S13/S14 idea will require the use of the Y32 upper mounts. They are already maxxed out on camber (4.3 deg), so I am hoping the S13/14 coilovers will have extra camber adjustment on the spindle mounting points to give me the extra camber

[Yokotas13]

if they dont you can elongatet he upper mounthole with a dremel....
or some have it already elongated

[SeventhSkyline]

so I am hoping the S13/14 coilovers will have extra camber adjustment on the spindle mounting points to give me the extra camber


Yeah, actually a lot of the good aftermarket ones do have some adjustment there. Body height, spring seat height and camber adjust ftw! Then theres the option of lopping the inner mount off the LCA and making it length adjustable to an extent...

[Dominik]

Ok time for another monthly update. Not sure how many more big mods i will be doing to the car, because i have just bought an investment property, and there are a few more things that will take priority in the next yr or so...

Having said that, i still have a few things that are sitting in my garage i had been putting off installing

First up, the HIDs. yes that is still not done... Projector retrofits are quite time consuming unfortunately.
In the meantime i have found some cheap 6000k HIDs for my foglights. Installing them was simple; as with all HID installs the difficult part was working out where to mount the ballasts. Mainly because i will be running 2 sets of ballasts, so i had to leave room for the second set too.

Also, to fit the HID globes I had to take out the foglight reflector cup. Now the HIDs have zero shielding and zero directional guidance... Light is scattered a full 180 degrees around the front of the car, and when they are on, my headlights are completely useless. As a result, i am only going to use them as a highbeam supplement... too bright to use around town.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Interior/CIMG1215.jpg

Next up, will be the parts i bought during my Japan trip... New grille, cup holders, and neck pillows. I also bought some green tint, and an entire set of interior panels covered in yellow carbon fibre, but i think that might have been a mistake.

Got Bling?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Interior/CIMG1173.jpg

Dash tray, and lucky charm for safety in traffic (no joke!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Interior/CIMG1170.jpg

Genuine Sessions neck pillows, and JP ones up back:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Interior/CIMG1169.jpg

Carmate cup holders
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Interior/CIMG1168.jpg

Also bought extended lugnuts (so i can use my 10mm spacers), and shorter coilover springs. That should let me get the front end flush and low! That will be installed later.


Ok... The next set of pictures is going to be disturbing. Firstly the condition of my engine (yes, i have neglected it), and moreso because of what i found. Last week i had a problem where my throttle stuck open after accelerating. Scary is an understatement... So i started opening the TB to see what could be blocking it...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG1185.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG1186.jpg

Yikes!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG1187.jpg

[Brandicus]

The front end is looking really hot man, Im not sure what you were thinking with yellow carbon fibre interior but you already bought it so might as well slap it in. :smiley-rofl:


seriously though dom, your car = :biggthumpup:

[urmyhero4now]

holy shit how did that happen...are you hiding a dead body somewhere or something?

[gizm08o8]

what the???
im just as confused as urmyhero4now lol. how the hell did that bag get in your intake??
duffel bag boy!! haha

[urmyhero4now]

what the???
im just as confused as urmyhero4now lol. how the hell did that bag get in your intake??
duffel bag boy!! haha

ahahaha...looks like his car sucked up all his money...like the rest of us :smiley-rofl:

[elpresidente]

Hahaha, he had a motor swap a while back...the car had always been a bit sluggish...hmm..nice filter...NOT!

[Dominik]

hahaha... yeah, i had some words to my mechanic last weekend when i saw him. Looks like it was one of the rags that is put into the throttlebodies when the engine is out of the car. After doing an ECU reset it definitely feels better at high revs, and i cant wait to see whether my fuel economy improves.


The Yellow CF stuff is really too bright to go in my car. Maybe if I was going for a crazy oldschool look?? But it looks really professionally done and all the parts are in great knick, so i was thinking of doing a Zion_97-style airbrushed woodgrain.

I'll try to get some better pics of the car this weekend. I hate to do this but i think i will be raising i a tiny bit, because the exhaust is taking a really bad beating on my driveway every time i take it out. Its not going to last much longer like this...

[-//NegativeCamber\\-]

i have to say Dominik you are true to VIP style . I heard you where in town you should of shot me a email i was in Tokyo that same week . But as for my Gloria i think she is on her last legs lol i will tell you on IM GOOD JOB!!!:) on the ride once again

[Dominik]

Hey! Long time no speak!
Thanks for the compliments! Too bad your Gloria is about to die. But i'm sure you can upgrade cheaply since you are in Japan... Got some interesting news to tell you... chat soon on IM!

[Dominik]

Just a quick picture i took during my drive up to see my family

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/1ee556e4.jpg

Took a bit of luck to get it at the right speed, luckily it was a 110 zone which is generally smooth (Pity about the odometer)

[kaizer]

Hahaha... That's so JDM! Japanese likes to take pix of 2222222

[Dominik]

Yah, well the car is a bit old to do the 22,222km thing, and not quite old enough to do 222,222km :smiley-rofl:

But yeah, i saw some pics on one of my mags of dudes matching the odo, the speedo, and the trip counter. That takes some dedication! But i am lucky i was in the right place to do it.

[kaizer]

Dom, ur ride is crazy man... Jaw dropping crazy. Running so low on coilovers. Gotta give it to ya man...

[V.I.P_EPIK]

hey dom great work on your project... :biggthumpup:

[Dominik]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments
Anyway here are some new pics...

Went to a local JDM car meet on Saturday, so i thought it would be a good idea to wind down the front coilovers a bit. This is not as low as it will go (about 2" thread left), but it is as low as i can comfortably drive on our shitty roads. Unfortunately i couldnt make it back into my driveway, otherwise it would stay this height

Pics are courtesy of other photographers at the meet - much better cameras than me
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/ecf20e74.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/0f768aac.jpg

Some were pretty artistic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/2a0e6fed.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/24f9766b.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/6dde6fcf.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/ab49888a.jpg

In all honesty though, the back of the car was on a bit of an incline. Actual height looked more like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/CIMG1939.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/CIMG1940.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/CIMG1931.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/lower/CIMG1936.jpg

[Yokotas13]

man where were you all day!!!

[Dominik]

On email as normal? I didnt get any emails!

I was busy though. But never too busy to do business ;-)

[Yokotas13]

i emailed you twice i think.

[yellow_sub]

your ride is sooo clean nice work man

[Damicci]

Man I want one bad. I wish to were readily available here.

[Aaronhl]

Nice work! Awesome Car!

[Dominik]

Thanks guys... I was so lucky to get this car. Some times i feel like buying something newer but i dont think i could ever give this car up!

[Dominik]

This car has now come full circle...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2198r.jpg

Standard wheels and standard suspension back in. I am going to Japan next month and the car will be getting driven by my girlfriend. When i come back in November i will be starting again with a new look

[Delvin]

This car has now come full circle...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/CIMG2198r.jpg



I have to disagree with you on that one. It wouldn't have been as fun of a journey if you got it in the condition it is now. Still looks way better than it did when you started. Better yet, looks way better than it did when it rolled off from the factory. Good luck to you in Japan and can't wait to see what you will have in store for it next.

[Dominik]

Thanks for the comments and you are right, I know it looks better than stock (its the little enhancements that might be hard to spot at first). Anyway yeah i cant wait to start working on it again. Its so tempting to start now already!

[widebody_Q]

It must feel strange looking at the car in almost stock form. Good luck with the trip :biggthumpup:

[Dominik]

And i'm back! Not exactly happy about it though...

Anyway, one of the first things on my agenda was to bring my car back down closer to earth.
Installed the coilovers and drove around slammed on stock wheels for a bit, but last friday my new (well, secondhand) Work Eurolines were ready to pick up from the docks...

They are bright chrome DH in 18x10 all round. Front offset is +23, rears are +11 for a bit of staggered lip. Unfortunately they are high disk for maximum brake clearance/minimum lip size, but fitment is more important anyway.
Rears are 6mm higher offset than my last set, so camber is reduced (sitting on 5.0 degrees right now). But the fronts are about 5mm lower thanks to a 3mm spacer needed to clear the strut, so that is sitting pretty flush at the moment.
Tyres are 225/40 on the front and 245/40 on the rear (fronts were secondhand, rears were free lol). Once these wear out i will probably go 235/40 all round.

Anyway on sunday my mate and i took some pics.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2791.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2792.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2770.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2780.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2781.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2789.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2798.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2800.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2802.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Bling/CIMG2803.jpg

The wheels give a completely new look to the car compared to the black faced ones, and although i dont get as much of the "Oh shit your rear axel is broken" i do get alot of looks and smiles. The chrome matches all the other chrome bits on my car, and for some reason they appear bigger?

I also have an exhaust to go on, but i have a misfiring issue i need to take care of before i decide to amplify my engine noise lol... And once i move to my new apartment, i will be dropping the ass end a little more for less of a raked look.

[widebody_Q]

LOL @ the reflection in the wheel pic. Im glad your back in the game. I like the car much better with the chrome faces.

Your car is timeless. It will still look OG 10 years from now :biggthumpup:

[urmyhero4now]

man im lovin it!
-McDonalds

[clean9945]

Thats looks really clean man. I wish those were sold in the states.

[elpresidente]

Y32's always rule...

[ant_jzs160]

looking damn nice. im pretty sure i saw a stock as a rock mint-condish green coloured one of these here in perth last year, old guy driving it, would have loved to just offer him $$ for it haha

love the DHs, and your mates 1st Gen GS is the shit, saw his car on jzs147.com.au forums i go on. both fitments are tough as!

[JOee]

both cars are on point! love the front end of your car

[Dominik]

Thanks guys i'm pretty happy how they turned out too! Sometimes i tell myself i want a newer car, but then i look at it again and think what else i would be willing to swap it for... But then the only thing that comes to mind would be the y32 Cima :)

Ant, a few people have said they saw one here or there, but they are never sure and dont ever have pics. Would be nice to know if there really is! I suspect that there is probably more, and the owners have no idea of the potential they have :)

and yeah, ryan's car is HOT! Its good cos it keeps me wanting to go one step further...

[timywong]

looks awesome. i love the diy stuff.

thats 1gs is nice too!

[Yokotas13]

love it as always dom!

[vzuptnguyen]

such a classic car that y32...

sick.

[AME_VIP]

Couple of nice VIPcars!

Shoot I was hoping you were going to be in Japan a bit longer. I want to go this spring/summer and see at least one VIP festival

[JN.FYC]

Chrome face looks nice, i'm loving both the rides.

[tjextreme]

absolutely gorgeous. both cars.

[Cannonball]

Hey Dom, Good to meet you at the docks the other day, did you get as sunburnt as I did?

In all the rush I didnt get to look at your rims, but they look sweet on the Cedric.
I wish my Cima looked as nice as yours, but I gotta get the other projects out of the garage first (Ive been saying that for 2 years now.......but I'm closer!!)

[Dominik]

Hellyes! I got home that night and i was like "damn i dont remember it being that sunny out there!" All good though i have a wicked tan now that this is my third summer in a row

(btw, this is a Cedric, hence the title of the thread, but i think i know what you mean).

[Cannonball]

Haha, yer, bit of a brain fart there, I read through my post before i hit the button, and thought something was wrong, but couldnt figure it out......late nights have been getting to me LOL

[OG]

i like this car even more now than when you left. y32s (particularly the cimas if i'm not mistaken) are so clean when done up right. can't wait to see it go lower.

[burgy]

is there an equivalent rotor in the US for this car (IE) is it the same set up as an S Chassis....or the same as a 300z?? I have Y32 coils going on my car and I want to upgrade to 300ZX brakes with 350Z rotors but I need to know which type of bracket I need for the caliper, the Z32 or the S chassis. Thanks

[brainneeded]

:biggthumpup:

[SOT03Y]

Wow Dominik, I just read through the whole entire post and was amazed by the transformation that has taken upon this car. IT looks fantastic now! and to think you are close to where I live sorta, we should arrange a car meet for all us Sydney and Newcastle etc people. :)

[jbo]

Dom how did I miss this revival the "PMPDDY "mobile is looking better than ever bruh...the fully polished DH's look sick indeed

[Dominik]

Latest update.... Car is a wreck once again. Well not really, it got burnt in a fire at my apartment block. Exterior is gone, as is the glass but miraculously the interior is fine. Insurance has classed it as a writeoff and given me money, but they are also going to sell the car back to me. Basically, i'm gonna try to fix it up myself cos i have been through too much with this car to let it go like that.

Will post some pics later, but it aint pretty.

[AME_VIP]

omg!! brutal dom!

[mrkenji]

dang man that sucks.. sorry to hear that..

[shawnthemonster]

man im sorry to hear that.

[Dominik]

Warning, graphic content below:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Fire/CIMG7806.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Fire/CIMG7791.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Fire/CIMG7807.jpg

[Dominik]

Thanks for the comments guys... Its heartbreaking but the thought of fixing it is exciting...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Fire/CIMG7792.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Fire/CIMG7797.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/dbloemhard/Cedric/Fire/CIMG7804.jpg

[Dominik]

So yeah... Wheels were ok miraculously, and a friend is going to buy them off me so while i change the exterior i am also going to get another set of wheels.

[ant_jzs160]

damn dude that really sucks bigtime. man, the Echo copped some serious damage too :/

at least insurance is giving you some money i guess, interested in what wheels will turn up next :)

[Damicci]

OH NOES!
That sucks man.

Who is at fault for the fire?

[Dominik]

There was an unlocked carport next to the blue Echo, and there was a bunch of furniture in it. Looks like someone set fire to that and it caught onto the echo, and then my car.

This courtesy car from my smash repairers really makes me want my car back - mid 80s camry with no aircon or radio!

[firelizard]

oi oi oi, that's very very uncool

But on the other hand, it's great that it idid survive with what you call minor damage, considering what happened to the car next to it.

Good luck with the makeover

[Smitty]

Dam that sucks. I've been watching this build for a while now. Good luck on the rebuild.



-Smitty

[widebody_Q]

Damn that sucks! Everything happens for a reason. Now you can restyle your car and give it a fresh new look.

On a private note- I lost my password for that email account. I just figured it out the other day so expect me to start bugging you again lol

[shawnthemonster]

harsh..... but the cedric doesn't look as bad as i thought...

[Dominik]

Yeah it was harsh, but like you said, not a complete loss. I'm actually enjoying the process of planning the restyling of the car. It will get a colour change for starters, since it needs a complete respray... Wheels already sold to a friend (actually the deal was already done before this happened so i am happy they werent damaged).

I am open to ideas for the colour change, although i have my heart set on white (i dont know why, but i just LOVE white cars, some say its boring, but it accentuates body lines and contrasts so well with tint/wheels/chrome etc)

Wheels are also on the agenda... At this stage i am thinking of going to 19s so i can tuck rim in the rear.

Its going to be a 2-3 month downtime though, because all parts need to be sourced from Japan and shipped to me here.

[elpresidente]

Man, that sucks, but I'm excited for you as well. You get to revamp!!! I'm sure it'll be sick...and my vote is for white!!!

[shanec86]

geez, after reading this whole thread and then seeing what happened :sad:

good luck with fixing it up again, and finding some glass for it in australia.

[Dominik]

Glass has been sourced. Waiting for me in Japan right now, so i can put it on the container with the rest of the parts. First time packing a pallette so wish me luck!

[xxjustimajinxx]

how about you send your american friends some nice cedrics this way!!! :) lol

[Dominik]

New build thread posted here:
http://www.vipstylecars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=259568