mitch_f1's mariner NA6

[itrungs]

I'm happy to do another mudguard swap like last time if you want.

[mitch_f1]

Thanks for the offer, but I think I will leave it this time; even if I replace it I still got my gash on the rear bar

[mitch_f1]

So I just checked everything over on the car, and the rear pads are wearing perfectly. Swapping the front pads around seems to have helped; both are wearing diagonally, but it is a more even wear now. I am really thinking that it is the rotors, which isn't good because mine have over 1mm left before they are at min. thickness, so I have no excuse to replace them.

[-alex]

Congrats on your 1.14.6.......!

[mitch_f1]

Thanks (though it was a 14.7)

I just realised, my reference for corner numbers was this image, which turns turn 3 into 2 turns for whatever reason

[mitch_f1]

So I've had this project in mind for a long time, but never gotten off my ass to do it, mostly because I still haven't found a good condition driver side indicator unit. I wanted to swap the position of the indicator and parker lights on the indicator.

First step in doing this is to de-tango the unit. I did this very very slowly using the grill element on our oven. I started on the bottom inside end of the light, removing the clips one by one using a small screwdriver for leverage. Using this method no plastics were broken (PHEW!!). I then cleaned off all the old goo with a scraper and some white spirits. I really like the look of the orange light; hence why I didn't just leave it at the de-tangoing), so I went to the hobby shop to get some Tamiya clear orange paint, and proceeded to apply several coats onto the reflective paint of the parker light housing. I also painted the parker light bulb. Then I had to swap over the wiring. This was a mammoth effort on account of the melted OEM one, and then my half-arsed fix. I went to pick n payless and must have looked at every car there before I found one that would fit out of a Ford something or other. While the lens was off I took the opportunity to wet n dry it and polish off the casting marks. It was a very bad idea doing the ones on the inside, as access is so incredibly restricted it was almost impossible to get a good smooth finish on it. Anyway, applied some all-purpose silicone sealant to the groove and clipped the light back in (with the help of the oven again to make the plastic warmer and less brittle). And then SUCCESS, it works. I do need to find a bulb less than 21W for the parker, and it is incredibly bright. Other than that, I'm real happy with the result Just need to find a driver side item to complete the project ;)

Now, because you all love pictures







I experimented a bit with painting the lens, but decided to go with painting the housing because I couldn't get a clean finish on it

[Regie]

looks cool

now you need some LED parkers in there

[mitch_f1]

Thanks Actually I really don't like the colour of the LED lights (I'm so fussy, I know), so for the moment I remain LED free

[Regie]

you might have to test out your new mod at Wakefield next friday good practice before the club day the following weekend

[Guran]

Nice data analysis there Mitch! Must admit that I was getting a bit confused with your turn numbering but quickly realised you had an extra mystery turn between 2 & 3 and the rest made sense . You're on the right track with focussing on getting optimal exit speed from turns 2, 5 and 10 ... they're critical for our low-power cars because they have long "straights" following them. Now next time try experimenting with a little trail braking into turns 2, 5 and 10 to help pivot the car a little, then get on the power a little earlier. Type 2 Torsen? You're making me cry. Power down in the fishhook is delicious fun and gives you a much tighter line than I can manage with my open diff.

[Hjt]

The indicator looks tops, as you described it. If you didn't have the headlight duct, you could have added a cold air feed from your piping. Food for thought!

[mitch_f1]

Reggie, I will be ripping up the slopes in Thredbo on Friday unfortunately. Definitely see you on the club day, however

Thanks Bryan.

Also thanks Hayden. If I didn't do this I would have done something with motorbike indicators; that was another little idea for a project, but this one won over ;)

[mitch_f1]

So this coming week end is going to be busy; I am going to be joining Hayden in doing the Circuit Club day on Saturday, and the MX5 day on Sunday. Over this weekend I have decided to run a little experiment on my brakes. If you've been following my thread here you will know that I have uneven pad wear issues. I believe this to be a result of the cheapsh!t RDA rotors which I am using, so when I discovered that I had a set of what I believe to be OEM NA8 rotors with plenty of meat left, I decided to set this wheel in motion.

Today I went and got the rotors machined, as there was 0.2mm taper from inside to outside, and I wanted the most perfectly flat surface for which to conduct this experiment. I have also used a brand new set of front pads for this experiment, so I can keep all the variables constant. What I am going to be looking for at the end of the weekend is any uneven pad wear. If there is no uneven-ness then it is the RDA rotors. If there is still uneven-ness then it is likely to be something else (next point of call is the calipers themselves).

I went to Wahringah brake and clutch today to do the machining, and had an interesting conversation with one of the guys there. He strongly advising against the use of RDA rotors on track cars because of their inferior materials, and the fact that they aren't heat treated. Was just an interesting point.

Now for some pictures.





The guy at WBC said that OEM rotors generally have the min thickness markings on the inside surface


And there is a lip built in to a portion of the outer circumference of the rotor

[Regie]

Oh wow 2track days this weekend, nice to see

Catchable Sunday down at wakie!

[Jeo]

Keen to see how it pans out.

Best of luck man, sad I couldn't be there.