Shuey's 2001 NB8B "Sparky Mk II"

shuey · Postby **shuey** » Sun May 05, 2013 3:36 pm

Fixing on the SE pedal covers was a little more complicated than first thought. Mainly because the non-SE NBs had no existing holes to screw in the screw/nut. After some lengthy consultation with a few forumites, it came down to 3 options;
1) Using an adhesive like Loctite quick-bonding epoxy onto the metal pedal
2) Drilling a couple of holes straight into the metal pedal
3) Drilling a couple of holes into the rubber pad and attaching on it

Decided on method 2 as it will look the best and would be a shame if I couldn't remove it later in the future should I change car or pedals in the future.

Fitting the pedal cover to the accelerator was straight forward as there were existing holes. The Dead pedal was slightly more complicated as I had to drill in 3 holes into the plastic dead pedal itself and I had to measure it well so that I could lock in the nuts behind.

Complication started with the solid metal pedals of the Brake and Clutch. As I didn't remove the pedal stalks, it will always be a challenge to get some traction from the drill to the pedal itself. As the photo below suggest, I stuck on a couple of stickers and used Bluetack to trace where the screw holes should be. Managed to only drill in 1 hole per pedal as oppose to the ideal 2 cos I couldn't get the drill bit secure in place without flaying around. Nonetheless, managed to lock in the nuts behind and it's pretty secure. Will try to drill the other holes another time, but for now I'm pretty stoked that it looks really nice :mrgreen:

Dead pedal and corresponding SE pedal cover

Fits nicely over the boring plastic dead pedal

Stickers in place with the markings to drill in the holes.

Not a very good photo due to bad lighting in the garage. Looks much better in real life

Crapweasel · Postby **Crapweasel** » Sun May 05, 2013 6:05 pm

Nice job, well done!

narita · Postby **narita** » Sun May 05, 2013 9:47 pm

That looks great

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Sun May 05, 2013 10:17 pm

Well done mate ... pedals look great

Postby **Okibi** » Mon May 06, 2013 1:27 pm

Nice write up, they look good.

shuey · Postby **shuey** » Sat May 18, 2013 6:13 pm

Thanks guys!
.. after much delays and alot of consultation with crapweasel (thanks!), I managed to find some time and a panel shop to help me drill some holes and fix on the SE boot lip spoiler. Went to DT Panels @ Springvale as opposed to MX5 Factory cos it opens on a Saturday. Was a little sad to see the boot getting drilled into, but I couldn't let the spoiler continue collecting dust in the shed.

It wasn't that hard of a job, but I lacked the tools and didn't want to take the risk. Basically the spoiler lines up well over the boot lid. A little measurement, markings and the drill bit went it (oh, the horror! :oops:

). 3 holes/screws and 30 minutes later, it was done. Unfortunately they ran out of double sided, so when I got home I unscrewed it off and had a little DIY action. Parts of the double-sided tape didn't stick as well, but good thing is you can't see the tape at eye level.

Damage = $50 (labour charges at the panel shop)
A totally rad spoiler (and the missus not noticing the mod, yet :mrgreen:

) = priceless

DT Panels @ Springvale (thanks for the suggestion, waz).

R34 Skyline GTR Vs. humble MX5

The SE spoiler looks more or less aligned

I like my cars in silver

The close-up. I added on double-sided tape when I got home. It didn't stick as well as I'd like it to be, but totally not noticeable at eye-level

Final shot. Car's a little dirty as it was raining for the best part of the morning.

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Sat May 18, 2013 7:48 pm

Looks great!

I would have done it the same way. Thought of drilling in to panels is rather scary. One minor slip blows that small cost at the panel shop.

For the tape, did you clean off any polish/wax residue prior to applying? Actually, panel shop would have done that

That tape is usually pretty good though. Just bought some myself so that I can remove my front lip and re-apply the tape as it's all come loose ... heavily assisted by dragging it off a curb recently

shuey · Postby **shuey** » Sat May 18, 2013 10:40 pm

KevGoat wrote:For the tape, did you clean off any polish/wax residue prior to applying? Actually, panel shop would have done that That tape is usually pretty good though. Just bought some myself so that I can remove my front lip and re-apply the tape as it's all come loose ... heavily assisted by dragging it off a curb recently

I actually cleaned off the boot lid with isopropyl alcohol. since they didnt have tape, i used the double sided tape that i bought which wasn't pasted on as well as it should be. may peel them off and reapply if i get pedantic about it, but for now it's looking good. Next stop, either the OEM side-skirts or my CAI

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Sun May 19, 2013 12:15 am

shuey wrote:Next stop, either the OEM side-skirts or my CAI

I can certainly recommend the side skirts as far as appearance goes. Love the look of mine. No performance increase though :roll:

CAI should give some performance improvement, but does nothing for appearance unless lift the bonnet ... ah the decisions we have to bear... :lol:

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Sun May 19, 2013 11:32 am

Looks great Shuey - nicely completes the rear.

shuey · Postby **shuey** » Mon May 20, 2013 9:59 pm

... okay, so what's next. After getting some useful advise from other forumites to get my number plate holder sorted before a soccer mom in her Jeep (your mum bought a Jeep? :shock:

) reverses into my front bar, I decided to look out for a steel one. Spotted one that davekmoore was selling, and the rest was history. Received it in the mail when I got back from work, and within 15 minutes.. it was done. Just unscrew, remove, replace and screw..no dramas. It's definitely sturdier and one of the best investments I've acquired thus far

Kinda forgotten a "before" photo, but took this over the weekend at Yering Staton @ Yarra Valley. Note the placement of the screws/bolts at the top

The steel number plate holder (the same one that's sold by Mania)

Clean "smiley face" front bar

Top view. Definitely doesn't move when pushed in. Don't mind the bent plates, may decide on personalised ones in the future

Finished product. Re-allocated the screws from the top to the bottom

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Mon May 20, 2013 10:25 pm

They are well worth the cost & effort. You just reminded me I need to either change over mine from "Mexie" or buy another one for my NB :wink:

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Tue May 21, 2013 11:27 am

Looks good Shuey - you could even attach the number plate by its top holes lowering it into the mouth. Looks a little cleaner & gets the number plate completely away from the outer surface of the front bar. Have run mine like that for many years without any problems.

shuey · Postby **shuey** » Tue May 21, 2013 11:52 am

93_Clubman wrote:Looks good Shuey - you could even attach the number plate by its top holes lowering it into the mouth. Looks a little cleaner & gets the number plate completely away from the outer surface of the front bar. Have run mine like that for many years without any problems.

Thanks 93_Clubman and KevGoat
I was thinking of putting it lower like you mentioned, but my future plan is to get a grille to fit into the mouth and flaunt a little :mrgreen: