Front bumper repaint......finally !!!

I always hated my front bumper. The stock unit looks damn sissy. Totally makes the car more like a Sentra rather than a Skyline. But well that's another story altogether.....wanted to change it but have not come across anyone selling the NISMO version.

Anyway, my front bumper has some 'scars' on it.

Pic 1: Deep cut

Pic 2: An inch away from the left headlights!!

1) Unidentified Flying Object

Not too long after I got the ER34, I had flying debris (kicked out by a motorcyclist) hit the car. Not too sure it's considered lucky or unlucky coz it hit the bumper just an inch below the left headlights. Had it gone any higher and there goes my headlights. Grrrrr.....

2) The mega scrape

The car had a close encounter with a parking ramp pillar that left the right hand side of the bumper with scraping marks. It totally stripped the paint and the black base is clearly seen. (Well you know what they say about letting the fairer sex drive your car.....)

3) Stone chips!!

If you have read my blog on the ER34's maiden trip to Frasiers Hill, it came back with not only memories but uncountable number of stone chips on the front bumper. Darn it!!

4) A date with the parking ramp

The ER34 has a scary encounter with a parking ramp before the installation of the Tein Super Street Dampers. When it was running on HKS lowered springs, the car was so low it scraped everything!! I even had a tissue box stuck under the front bumper once!! Anyway, the bottom of the front bumper has some serious battle scars that spans the whole bumper from the left till the right.

So with the 4 items above to be fixed, I went to my regular paint shop dude to get it fixed. Now this paint shop is good. Very good BUT takes ages to do stuffs. Just to paint my bumper it took them 3 bloody days.

Pic 3: Front bumper removed

Day 1 - Patch back all the stone chips and scraping marks. Painting of the bumper.

Day 2 - Oven bake the newly painted bumper. Fixture of the bumper onto the car and ensure colour matches with the rest of the car.

Day 3 - Polishing the bumper (got them to do the whole car as well) :P

Pic 4: Front bumper being baked in the oven

Pic 5: Intercooler air outlet

The end results is very nice. Satisfied with their work 100%. Well that's the dependability you can place on a shop that actually fixes pre-delivery new Porsches.

Now where can I find a front NISMO bumper?????

Xiamen and a broken speaker ?!?!?

Well the whole of last week I was away from Malaysia. Flew over to Xiamen in China. Yeah it's a drag to be away from the ER34 BUT hell I love visiting China and had been doing so once a year for the past 6 years in a row!

Pic 1: Xiamen skyline by the seafront

It's more like a working holiday for me this time 'round and I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent accommodation, top notch food, and not forgetting the lovely people of China. But honestly, I think Xiamen is the most boring city I've ever visited in China. Hahahaha :D

Pic 2:Tranquility at it's best.

Anyway, I came back to dull and mundane old Malaysia in the middle of the night, tried to rest for the night and the next day, took the ER34 up for a drive. Drove to Ipoh from Kuala Lumpur for some R&R. Took the opportunity to meet up with some business associates. Had a hearty dinner and proceeded to drink our hearts out in the Perak Royal Golf Club.

Woke up early next morning for my favorite Curry Mee and then drove back to Kuala Lumpur. Enroute I was driving max out at the speed limiter with the music on full blast. Was listening to some lovey dovey mandarin love songs and such. Out of a sudden, my front driver's side speaker gave way with a audible bang!!; and guess what?!? My bloody Eclipse 8052 speakers has cracked it's dome. #!%^&^#!*(&%$

Oh god damn it!! Now I've got to hunt for replacements speakers and to figure out ways to get the funds to do it as well.

What a drag!!

Boost Pressure Sensor Hose split yet again!!!

Well well......ain't this becoming a common occurrence?? This is the third time the boost pressure sensor hose split it edges. The last time in September '06, I told myself IF it failed again, I'm gonna look for a stronger hose to replace it.

Pic 1: Boost sensor hose split yet again

Pic 2: Yea it split up pretty bad

Guess I lied to myself. Hehehehe ;)

I got out my trusty angle spanner and remove the unit, amazingly my zip tie theory worked pretty well as evident in pic 1 above. It actually held the hose in place firmly.

Pic 3: So many zip ties ???

Now that it's proven to be effective to secure the hose via zip tie, I'm gonna do the same thing but instead of a single zip tie to hold the hose to the boost sensor housing , I've added 5 smaller zip ties around the base of the inlet to minimize the chances of it splitting again. After doing the above job, I got the feeling that I’ve just fixed the thing as if it’s a Datsun 120Y. Hey!! A Skyline deserves better treatment that that right?!?!?

Pic 4: Jolin Tsai practising for her concert. At times like this I wish I had a 300mm lens for my camera.

The best part when doing the above is being entertained in the background by Jolin Tsai practicing for her big concert tomorrow. The concert venue is just next to where I stay.

Hope the above fix works.........fingers crossed.

Aftermarket replacement rotors? What rotors?

In my previous posting entitled, "ER34 front rotors warped again....", I have mentioned that I've narrowed down my rotors of choice for replacement. I've actually ordered the Endless 24 Slit Rotors. Did my orders direct to Japan and transfered a sum of JPY over there. Unfortunately, I was informed 2 days after my order that Endless actually discontinued the model.

Apparently, it was discontinued due to the tendency of the rotors to crack, perhaps due to the many slots on the surface. I was offered Project Mu's SCR Pro at the same price but decided against it. Now I'm back to square one. If only I can find the OE Brembo from the BNR34.......I think that would be the ideal choice.

Now I need to get my refund back from my Japanese counterparts!! :(

ER34 front rotors warped again....

After I got my front rotors skimmed and slotted back in August 2006, the car feels great. No more shuddering upon hard braking. However, it only lasts me for 2 weeks (!!!) before I managed to get 'em rotors warped again.

Sigh......I seriously hope it's just uneven rotors and not associated with other more minute details concerning the braking system. I had lived with it for close to 4 months now and it's beginning to irritate me badly. I can't drive hard with confidence knowing the car will vibrate upon hard utilization of the STOP pedal.

Pic 1: Brembo F50 brake kit

There are indeed many stock replacement rotors out there as with a total big brake upgrade kits. If one have the budget (> JPY 800,000), the Brembo F50 brake kit with 15" rotors seems to be like the big daddy of brake kit for the Skyline.

However, back to reality, I have tried the budget way, that is to skim and reuse back the OE units. Now, it's perhaps time to go aftermarket and opt for a replacement unit. I have surveyed around for the available models that I would consider. Looked at offerings from Dixcel, Project Mu and also Endless.

Pic 2: Project Mu's SCR Pro

Pic 3: Endless' 24 Slit Rotors

In the end, I narrowed down my choice to either Project Mu's SCR Pro or Endless' 24 Slit Rotors. Just wire transferred the cash to my contact in Japan yesterday and would hope to get it delivered via EMS as soon as possible over here.

Which rotors did I ordered? Will let you all know once it arrives..... :P

Waits in glee!!!

Low batt and a fried amp?

Well I had some electrical problems with the ER34 for the past week. Sometimes the electronics will flicker about while driving. The heaunit, headlamps, taillamps and meter cluster LEDS all will flicker a couple of times and be back to normal.

Now this of course is very worrisome. I had no idea what the hell is wrong with the car. Initial suspicion was the fuse distributor. But had no idea which electrician can work on the ER34 unit. Sigh....

Anyway, this carries on for quite a while off and on. Sometimes, the engine will even go dead. Luckily this only happens while idling at the lights. I did try to check the battery power level and it shows a healthy 13.5V via the OE battery voltage meter. Once I used the flash lights (high beam), and the same thing happened. Everything went flickering on and off. Did an experiment later and held onto the flash lights (high beam) for a prolonged period; and it stalled the engine!!

Pic 1: Fried Amp

Then one fine day, my amp got fried!! I suspect the irregular power input could have been the cause of it. Send it for repair and while waiting for it to get fixed, I borrowed an el-cheapo amp to be used. The amp came back with the below components changed:-

1) 2 pcs Transistors

2) 1 pc IC

3) 3 pcs Mosfet

Pic 2: El-cheapo borrowed amp

Anyway, I check the battery water level on the Pitwork battery and the water level is kinda low. Top it up and afterwhich I had no electrical flickering problems anymore. Guess the ER34 really hates a low batt just like Diego the Sabertooth tiger hates water in Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Checked via a multimeter and the voltage level looks fine.

Pic 3: Miniscule Pitwork battery

I think perhaps I need to upgrade to a bigger sized battery. And a maintenance free once too. Did someone say Gel-Cell batteries from Odyssey?? Nah if I can source it in Malaysia, it'll probably run into 4 digits. :O

Land of The Rising Sun Flag & Japanese text

I have always had a fondness for the Japanese "Rising Sun" flag. I think I liked it ever since I saw one of Spielberg's lesser known movies called "Empire of the Sun" way back in 1987. I just recently got hold of the DVD and watched it again after 19 years since the first time I seen it in the cinema.

Pic 1: The Empire of The Sun movie poster

Needless to say if you have watched the movie before, the emotional turmoil one gets throughout the movie is unlike any of the current movies where one just watches and forgets it the next day. The movie is set during the WWII invasion on China by the Japanese in 1941; it leaves a deep impact in your heart on the hard life of a young British boy who got separated from his rich parents in Shanghai. The separation lands the boy in Suzhou Creek Internment Camp and the subsequent hardship in the camp until the end of the war in 1945 after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Anyway, I had the idea to do a "Rising Sun" flag decal on the ER34 complete with the Japanese text "スカイライン" meaning Skyline. Got it done and the below are the results..........

Does it turn out ok? Any comments???

Pic 2: Driver side (Yes that's me in the reflection with the "peace" sign)

Pic 3: Passenger side

Pic 4: View from afar

Tein Super Street Damper Groans!!

My Teins are producing a groaning sound when it goes over "sleeping policemen" (speed humps/breakers). Darn it! It has only been 2 months old and it's making noises?? What the .....!!

This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!

Did some asking around via Skyline owners in Australia and they suggested spraying WD-40 to rid of the sound. I tried that and it seems to work BUT only for a day or two. The sound re-appeared back soon after.

Initially, I noticed the sound comes from both the front and rear but after the WD-40 treatment, seem the sound has now been isolated to the rears only. Ok, I had enough and decided to lodge a complaint with the sole distributor of Teins in Malaysia. Hey afterall it comes with 1 year warranty.....

Pic 1: ER34 in a garage filled with mean cars. Two EK9 (one race and one street), an Evo 7 and a Toyota Aristo Twin Turbo. Gulp!

Anyway, took the car in for inspection and to my surprise, they took off both rear shocks and pry it open to bits, literally! Everything was dismantled to pieces!

Pic 2: The dampers were separated from the springs and pillow ball mounts.

Firstly, the springs and pillow ball mounts were separated from the dampers. The dampers were then taken apart piece by piece. Every bolt, nut, washer, etc.... was cleaned via "Motul Parts Cleaner". This means in the process, the gas in the tubes will be released and the 'damping liquid' will have to be poured out.

All parts were cleaned and re-used except for the pistons where new units were replaced. The whole procedure of 'servicing' the dampers were no less impressive. It's done in a clean room, torque wrenches were used, and the 'damping liquid/oil' were measured and topped up before putting it back in. Oh yes, so were the gas of course.

Pic 3: The dampers were take apart to bits!

After all the parts were put back together, it's installed back into the ER34 and my setting of 20 clicks at the rear were dialed in. A drive over a couple of speed breakers around the block confirms that all are A-Ok.

Woohoo. The Teins no longer groans!! (Fingers crossed my fronts stay quiet else will have to go through the whole process again!)

Side note: While servicing me dampers, there were a Toyota Vios in the same garage with an impressive array of interior gadgets. It has 6 HKS meters, an Apexi RSM, Apexi Turbo Timer, an air-fuel controller and Tein EDFC controller. Wow, that's a lot of meters for a Vios.

I asked the owner aren't he afraid that someone will flick his meters??
The reply was kinda funny......

He mentioned he doesn't drive the car to work and only used it occasionally. He would ride a motorcycle to work everyday and if he were to use the car, he's even prepared to pay RM50.00 (USD 14.00) for an extremely safe parking lot. Slavery to the car? Hehehehehe

Rekindling Frasiers Hill in the ER34

Well, it has been like a year since I last went up to Frasiers Hill. This hill resort in Pahang is nicely tucked away from Kuala Lumpur in the neighbouring state of Pahang.

The best part is the route to the resort. To and fro one would clock in around 220km of pure twisting B roads. This has been my favourite driving route for the past 5 years and many more to come. :P

Pic 1: The Group

Anyway, got together some of my friends for the trek uphill. Admist the DeepaRaya holidays, one can be assured that the roads will be relatively void of many vehicles.

We met up at 7:30am sharp at a local petrol kiosk for the convoy up. Leaving
at 8:00am, the planned route as are below:-

Batu Caves - Ulu Yam - Kuala Kubu Baru - Batang Kali - The Gap - Frasiers Hill

All my previous drive up Frasiers Hill has been with a group of cars of the same make and model. This time round, it's a myriad of vehicles. I got together a Subaru Impreza WRX STi V-Limited (Version 8), an E60 BMW 525i, a Proton Satria GTi and three units of Proton Perdana V6 (2 manuals and 1 automatic transmission).

Pic 2: The trek up the twisty hill

The planned pace was 6th tenth to be lead by me. But I think we were doing more like 8th tenth all the way up. Sorry guys, can't help it.:P

Anyway, the road was pretty clear and the guys have all been through the route before. No first timers thus can push it up a 'lil bit more. Even so, I left some room for error as myself are still not too familar with driving hard in a RWD. Most second gear corners in The Gap are accompanied by the rear stepping out slightly and the TCS doing it's job to tuck it back in.

We reached the top of Frasiers Hill around 9:00am where we had our breakfast at the local "mamak" stall. Food wasn't that great but we don't have much choice though as most outlets are closed during the holidays. Tales of crazy corners and mad overtaking manouvers are shared excitedly.

Pic 3: Pit stop at The Gap Rest House

After our breakfast we head back downhill and stopped at The Gap Rest House for some chit-chat session before driving back to Kuala Lumpur. Yes, tales of crazy corners and mad overtaking manouvers are shared excitedly again!

We back tracked the way back to Kuala Lumpur and reach the city around lunch time where we head to Jalan Imbi for our lunch. Whats on the menu? Bak Kut Teh!!! Hehehehe........yes tales of crazy corners and mad overtaking manouvers are shared excitedly yet again! Hahahahaha

Pic 4: The Sti ran out of water for the intercooler water spray system.

Overall, it's a nice day spent on driving and sharing it all with a group of like minded car enthusiasts.

Can't wait to do it all over again!!!

Thanks Jason Chan (and gf!), Jason Yap, Mun Kit, Eric Tai, Allen Tan and Alex Yue for the great company & drive.

Blood change for the DeepaRaya long holidays

Well, next week is the long holidays in conjunction with the Hari Raya and Deepavali celebration. My company will be closed from 23rd October till 27th October 2006.

As most of business will be closed for the holidays, I've decided to get new blood for the ER34 in anticipation of a pre-dawn blast to my hometown in Ipoh and also to have a bit of fun in deserted Kuala Lumpur city when I'm back mid week.

Went to my usual mechanic for oil filter and oil change. As usual I used Q8 Formula F1 10W-50 with original Nissan oil filter (Part No. 15208-53J00). At 45,500km, it's just nice as my last service was at 40,000km.

With new blood on, car feels much better.............. :)

2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R

Pic 1: GT-R Proto unveiled in 2006

The GT-R Proto concept was first unveiled in the 2006 Tokyo Auto Show. It gave a pretty good hint at the eventual production car. I loved those headlights in carbon fibre housing and those carbon fibre front lips.

Pic 2: Production trim GT-R

The production unit was caught testing on the famous Nürburgring test track in Germany recently. The car sounds like it has a twin-turbo V6 under its hood. The 3.8-liter engine will be fed through a front mount intercooler and make at least 450 horsepower. Goodbye to the legendary RB series engines....... *sob*

Pic 3: Production trim GT-R

It is also rumored that the GT-R will sport a quick shifting sequential manual or a full-blown automatic. Most probably a seven-speed paddle-shifted gearbox.

In true GT-R tradition, it will have rear-biased all-wheel-drive system and the rear twin stove lights will remain. *thumbs up*

Pic 4: Production trim GT-R

Nissan isn't planning on showing the finished car until the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. Sales in Japan should begin shortly thereafter, with U.S. deliveries beginning in the spring of 2008. This GT-R is set to be sold worldwide! Looks like the GT-R is gonna be shared with the world instead of being a Japan Domestic Model like it used to be (minus the 100 units of Australian delivered BNR32).

Skyline fetish in Bangkok.

Pic 1: Bangkok city

Introduction

I was in Bangkok from the 4th September 2006 till the 2nd October 2006. I landed in Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport (the new International Airport that replaces Don Muang) on the 29th September '06; i.e. the second day of its opening.

Admist news report of it being highly haunted, it looks the business too. The lights were gloomy and dim. It really had to be better lit like Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). I see neither ghost nor ghouls though.

My trip to Bangkok is also admist the current take over of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's control of the nation by coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin. General Sonthi was backed by the King and the people. I was actually looking forward to see and snap some pictures of tanks in the street. I got a cabby to send to me areas where the tanks are stationed, generally government houses and/or buildings. It was rather unfortunate that the areas no longer have tanks when I reach there. They have already moved out. How unfortunate. :(

Pic 2: Hummer and an army truck in World Trade Centre

BUT I did manage to see a Hummer and some military trucks. Oh well better than nuttin'.

On the day that I left, i.e Monday, I was in for a shock on how the people of the Kingdom respect their leaders. Yellow is for Mondays, and Monday was the day on which His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was born. This year, 2006, marks the sixtieth anniversary of the king’s ascension to the thrown. He’s the world's longest-serving monarch. Because of the anniversary, yellow shirts are worn by Thais each Monday as a sign of loyalty and respect for His Majesty.

Some wore blue – the queen’s color.

I also visited one of the coolest restaurant/bar that I have ever been to. Check out the pictures of The Dome/Sirocco atop the State Tower.

Pic 3: The Dome on top of State Tower

Pic 4: Sirocco Bar on top of State Tower

Pic 5: The view from Sirocco Bar

A Skyline Freak in Bangkok

I was constantly on the lookout for any Skylines prowling the streets of Bangkok but alas! There's not a single unit that came to my view. Even in posh Siam Square all I see are Audi TT, Mercedes Benz SLK200 and the occasional Subaru Impreza WRX. Boooring.........

Oh but there's quite a bit of modded Nissan Cefiro (A31).

Anyway, while shopping around I came across a die-cast model of the BNR34. Cool! It's available in 6 colours. I really can't decide which colour should I pick to add to my collection of MANY, MANY, MANY die-cast models of the Skyline. :P (from Kyosho, Autoart and TOMY)

In the end? Hell, I bought all 6 colours that it came with. Hahahahaha

Pic 6: BNR34 die-cast models

Pic 7: BNR34 die-cast models

I also come across a fridge magnet of the BNR34 in Suam Lum Night Bazaar. As it does not look too convincing, I decided to give it a skip. The next day, in Jatujak Weekend Market I saw the same thing for sale. Hmmmmmm....should I or should I not???

Pic 8: BNR34 handmade fridge magnet

Oh to hell with it. Ugly looking is one thing but this is a handmade BNR34 fridge magnet. Buy first, think later. :P

So in the end, besides clothes I got myself 6 die-cast models of the Skyline and one fridge magnet. Hehehehe

Dude, where's my car!!

Well upon my return to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia near midnite on the 2nd October 2006, I went up to my ER34 and lo and behold......my car is gone from my parking lot! :O

I was in shock and with both hands on my head, I exclaimed, ”Shit! Where's my car!!!!" Panicked like mad and face turning whitish, I scan around the carpark compound and my car is not around anywhere!

Ok.......ok........ calm myself down and took another look around.............Phew..........finally I saw a white nose peeking out in the corner of the carpark blocked by a Nissan Serena MPV. Walk towards it and with a huge sign of relief, my ER34 is nicely tucked in the corner. Subsequent checks reveal that my dad actually drove the car to another lot.

Boy, what a scare!!!

The drifter in me does not exist....

Well, today was feeling kinda below the wind (upset la), thus while driving decided to do something to bring a grin to my face (read as stupid). While approaching a sharp u-turn, I turned off the TCS (traction control system) and did a flick into the corner.

The tail swung out wildly and I'm oversteering to the curb on the left side of the road. Countered the steering and now I'm heading to the right curb. Basically, the car went from left to right to left to right and back to the left again before it manages to finally go straight. My heart beat goes to like 100 beats per minute during that time, a little longer and I just might have a cardiac arrest. :P

The above is called Choku-Dori (yes it's Japanese) which is a slow side-to-side feint like drift where the rear end sways back and forth down a straight road. In my head, I was already begging the almighty to save this poor soul's ride from suffering a broken bumper, a dent rim and a possible dent suspension arm. :O

Thank god I did not hit anything and the car 'escaped' unscratched. Phew......what a relief.

*wipes off cold sweat*

After that, needed some calming. Pop in my Fish Leong CD for some good tunes for the rest of the journey home. :P

Drifting? Nah, maybe not for me. Or I just plainly suck at it. Hahahaha

Boost Pressure Sensor Hose Fixed!!

If you have read my post dated 15th September 2006 (here) on the boost pressure sensor hose, it had split at its edges and dislodged from the inlet to the sensor housing. Sigh.....

Pic 1: Boost sensor housing with angle spanner

Finally I got it fixed via a RM 5.00 (USD 1.30) angle spanner. :P

Firstly, I trimmed out the split edges via a scissor. Then the bolt that holds the boost sensor housing in place is removed. Slot in the hose back into the housing and for good measure, I zip-tied the hose to give it some extra hold/strength.

Pic 2: Zip-tied the hose for extra durability

Hopefully, this will not re-occur else I'll have to get the darn hose replaced. Anyway, now I have a functional boost meter back.

* Beams with joy * :D

In Car Entertainment in the ER34

Pic 1: With new ICE installed

Well, finally got to change the sound system that came with the car. The stock unit is adequate but not good enough. The worst part is that in Japan, the FM broadcast band is 76 to 90 MHz, unlike what we have here in Malaysia that goes from 87.5 to 108.0 MHz. Without a FM Booster installed, the radio is practically useless to pick up radio stations locally.

In stock form, it comes with the below:-
1) Nissan branded CD Player with 6 disc changer

2) Nissan branded Casette Player (Geez...who uses casette anymore?!?)

3) Sanyo 6" front speakers

4) Sanyo 6" rear speakers

From my parts bin salvaged from my previous ride, I installed the below into the ER34:-
1) Eclipse E7703AVX – Head Unit

2) Eclipse 8052 5" Mid – Fr Speakers

3) Eclipse Passive Crossovers

4) Eclipse 3/4" Tweeters

5) Epsilon ESQ 75.4 4 channel Amp 75W

Pic 2: Eclipse E7703AVX

Pic 3: Eclipse 8052 5" Mid

Pic 4: Eclipse 8052 5" Mid

The head unit is capable of playing CD, DVD and mp3. It even has a slot for the Sony Memory Stick. Kinda cool eh? :P

As I like my dash to be practically clean and OEM looking, decided to mount the tweeters under the dash hidden from view. How come I never thought of this when it was in my PV6??? Damn!!

Pic 5: Eclipse tweeter under the driver side dash

Pic 6: Eclipse tweeter under the passenger side dash

As for the Epsilon Amp, it's slotted under the drivers seat while the Eclipse Passive Crossovers are tucked under the front passenger seat. Yea, all hidden from view and most importantly left my boot clean and tidy. I dislike my boot to be cluttered with bass tube/box and amplifiers. I like it void of unnecessary items...... :)

Pic 7: Epsilon ESQ 75.4 4 channel Amp 75W under the drivers seat

Pic 8: Eclipse Passive Crossovers under the front passenger seat

I left the rear speakers intact as it is until I can find the budget to change it to something better. Now with the above installed, I can finally listen to radio stations and play my favorite tunes on my CDs. The only downside is that the stock rear speakers can't take the load and the sound quality is kinda flat. I need more BASS!!!

Sigh....anyone got any good set of 6" for sale??? :D