OV9

NotoriousREV wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 1:14 pm Have you weighed it, Nic? Must be fucking mental.

Yeah it’s 930kg with a full tank of fuel. It’s just on the right side of mental, any more and it would be too much of a handful.

As per above - fitted the M Performance side foils. Got these on eBay from Lloyd BMW so they are OEM. I was quoted £85 for these with discount from a mate in BMW Edinburgh - £60 on the ebay shop.

The Exige has been in need of some TLC for a while now, but I haven't really had the time to give it a proper once over. I set aside this afternoon to correct that, so a quick trip to Halfords to pick up some cloths and I was set. On the way I spotted an immaculate Lotus Racing Green Exige going in the opposite direction, we exchanged customary waves in the process, but it was great see another and still surprised me how petite they look in normal traffic.

Dug out the AG car care kit I received as a gift a while back together their UHD wax which I got when it was going cheap a year or so ago. One round of Super Resin Polish to try and mask some haze, then topped it off with the UHD wax. This stuff is great it goes on easily and leaves an impressive shine for not too much effort. Couple of hours later and it's looking much better, however the clean did throw into stark relief how bad a condition a couple of the wheels are.

The diamond cuts were an option when the V6 was first launched, however they are of notoriously bad quality, so much so that Lotus stopped offering them fairly shortly afterwards. I'm now stuck with the conundrum of whether to keep them as is, or get them refurbed in a different shade. Current thinking is gloss black a la Mik's Evora, plus now that I'm running Michelins, I can dig out the Tippex. No doubt I'll pontificate what to go for, for some time yet.

Some photos below because I'm an absolute tart.





In other news, the 2bular continues to make me chuckle at every opportunity. As it beds in it's gotten really gurgly when tootling about and also quite likes to pop and bang if you rifle a shift correctly. All very immature, but great nonetheless.

Looks rubbish and I don't want one at all

Parts ordered for a diy stainless rear box for the mito. The backbox is the only silencer in the system, quite odd looking under it and just seeing a single straight bit of pipe from the back of the downpipe all the way to the rear subframe. Hopefully I don't make it too loud

Noticed while poking about under it it's got oe Koni FSD dampers. A lot of reviews at the time complained about a stiff ride, but I always thought it was fine, firm but less jiggly and fidgety than the punto sporting it replaced. Obviously not as special as something like Clio trophy dampers, but supppsedly quite a lot nicer to drive on than the earlier standard damped cars.

(Edit : @mudge )

Yep - looks shit as usual. I do approve of the tippex idea though.

Lots of codes thrown on the 330. Will check them out later but crucially misfire on No.2 cylinder.

Cleared off for now tho.

Exige looks great. Blue-tipped 2Bular is a touch.

Keep the wheels silver, though.

With the warmer weather approaching, I'll also once again repeat how awesome Gummi Pfledge is. Like, seriously. It's one of a few positive things I got from the tarts over on the SLK forum.

I've been sticking a few pics in here of my mates Escort mk1 that he's been building for ever. He's been working on it in-between building customer cars so it's been a long time in the making. It's just about finished now though with just a few minor details to complete but it really is stunning. The paint is the best I've seen on any car and really does have a finish like glass, the stripes are painted on too rather than graphics.

The engine is a brand new zetec running on throttle bodies mated to a Mazda rx8 gearbox. As you can see from the engine photos the aim was to keep the engine bay as tidy as possible and hide any unnecessary clutter. The dash is the original Escort pod but the Ford clocks have been replaced with Stack. It's totally stunning, the photos really don't do it justice and I'm very jealous.

mik wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:59 pm (Edit : @mudge )

Yep - looks shit as usual. I do approve of the tippex idea though.

What tippex do you use Mik? Asking for a friend.

The BDA style rocker cover is cool

Any interior pics John? Great colour combo, but I would say that of course

Exige wheel and colour combo really is the best I've seen.

No decent interior pics unfortunately, just a couple sent to me through the build. The front seats are Mk2 RS2000 re-trimmed in leather with rear seats done to match.





And one of the Stack dash before fitting, this looks very cool when powered up.

Nic wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:49 pm

mik wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:59 pm (Edit : @mudge )

Yep - looks shit as usual. I do approve of the tippex idea though.

What tippex do you use Mik? Asking for a friend.

Unbranded - bought off the bay. Has lasted very well though.

Nice that John

All nice stuff here (apart from the tyre pen)

John wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:46 pm
The engine is a brand new zetec running on throttle bodies mated to a Mazda rx8 gearbox.

Great idea.

Old colleague took me out in his Mk1 RS2000 and it was screaming at 70mph - felt like it needed at least 2 more gears. Maybe 3.

That Escort is

John wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:46 pm I've been sticking a few pics in here of my mates Escort mk1 . It's totally stunning, the photos really don't do it justice and I'm very jealous.

Most excellent John

Would love that