From A to Zed

29... How you guys get insured at 21 is beyond me! I can remember paying over £1,500 to insure a 106 GTI at that age! My next car will be a house so I'm in a long-term relationship with 350z

Hi, If the scratches are quite shallow you can cover them up with a wax crayon. I have not tried this myself but I read a post a few months back and OP seemed quite happy with the results. It's obviously not a permanent repair but it might suffice your needs. Cheers, Matt

Hi Jamie, Pop an advert in the 'wanted' section. Someone like Rob or Alex might be able to help. The same part broke on my car (before I joined the forum) and cost about 120, maybe 130 pounds from Nissan. It was a five minute job so the labour charge was only about 15 pounds. Cheers, Matt

That's very clever

Some pictures of my black-on-blank to temp you sir! http://s484.photobucket.com/albums/rr20 ... 040319.jpg http://s484.photobucket.com/albums/rr20 ... 040321.jpg http://s484.photobucket.com/albums/rr20 ... 040309.jpg http://s484.photobucket.com/albums/rr20 ... 040297.jpg

MOB - Mail order bride.... ohh crap, wrong forum

+1 I paid the UPS guys (cash on delivery) for the import tax a cheeky admin fee on top. Matt

Hi mate, Do you still have the grill that covers the Bose sub (behind the driver's seat). Thanks, Matt

its quite an easy one matt The white bit in the middle is getting me!! It's not a fiat coupe, or a corvette... I think the Ferrari 360 and 355 have a very similar cluster? However, I'm finding hard to put Ferrari and project together! Ok, my final guess is a Lotus Elise? Cheers, Matt

Hey maz77, Spill the beans Any teaser pics, i.e. a rear light cluster so we can have a guess? Matt.

Thanks for the encouragement guys! To be fair my purchase date is probably a year or so away. I am currently in the process of house hunting and I obviously need the extra space this will afford to take on a project of this nature. I might go old school for now and buy some mini magazines to get a feel for the scene Cheers, Matt

Feel free to laugh but this is a serious post For sometime I have considered buying a second car which is pretty basic, easy to modify and a good hoot to drive around tight lanes and the city. Ideally I want to get my hands dirty and build something without compromise or fear of devaluing it – an issue I have with taking the Zed further. I have considered my old flames (such as a 205 GTI) but that would inevitably become a track car and that is not my objective. Instead, I fancy something a little more classic and I have always fancied a 'proper' mini so my heart is set on it… Preferably I would like to start from a solid shell with a decent 1275cc or 1380cc lump as I will be sticking with the original engine. No bike engines, no VTEC conversions etc. Essentially my budget is open as I have not decided on a model, age or spec yet. I'm torn between buying a basic 1000cc (a blank canvas if you like) or possibly spending a few grand on a project that requires finishing. As previously mentioned I intend on this being a long term project as appose to a ‘throw cash at it’ project. As you can see my planning is very much in its infancy and more reading and thought is required on my part... Have any of you guys owned a classic mini? Can anyone recommend a good forum? There are so many forums and most seem to focus on the small BMW. Cheers, Matt

Great pictures and a lovely Zed. How did you manage to keep her so clean! Whenever I head for Wales or the Lakes I manage to pick up five hours of motorway grime before I arrive Enjoy, Matt

Great news, I should be studying but this was too tempting to read! Based on the lack of sample size I would suggest it's pointless bombarding RS tuning with 'how much BHP will I make of I have a pop charger and stainless steel exhaust.' I envisage us (as a forum) knowing more and these gains becoming 'clearer' but never guaranteed as more and more members (with various levels of tune) post their results... - Please don't take this wrong way, I'm just trying to be helpful Matt

Sarnie – I can’t believe you wrote off a demo car, that must have been errr, awkward My creative writing is pretty poor so bear with me… Or read another thread! I passed my test in January 1998. After 8 days on the road I wrote off my poor old mother’s immaculate '89 1.1 Ghia Fiesta. I still feel bad about this eleven years on. The car had been in the family since new and had 17k on the clock. It was concourse. As I struggled with 1100cc I decided upon an 1600 'E' plate Orion for my next victim. I ended up being the victim this time…. It drove like a dog, the rear arches practically fell out, the starter motor went, the alternator failed, the distributor failed… I could go on and on. I hated that car. It always let me down at the worst possible moment. The onion finally died, and cash strapped at 18, I inherited a mint Y reg mk2 Cavalier from my great uncle. It was peach with 32k on the clock and it served me really well, the perfect college run about. At twenty, with some NCB in bank, I bought a 1.6 205 GTI. It was graphite grey with the red interior and it was my first proper car. I loved my 205, it was so quick through the B roads and a pleasure to drive, one of the few cars you would just drive for the hell of it. The steering was amazing and the chassis, engine and brakes were so well matched. I spent a few (borrowed) pennies on that car though… I went a bit 'credit card crazy' buying wheels, suspension, brakes, stereo, the lot…. Then, one dry sunny evening I over-cooked it into a 4th gear flowing left and learnt a lesson very quickly in lift-off-oversteer. I hit a tree at around 70mph and rolled several times, it was a humbling experience… My parents were in tears when they saw the car at the salvage yard. I still question how I walked away from that acciennt but it taught me a lot. The car was insured 3rd party and I lost the lot with a nice loan to be repaid on top After the 205 I bought a little Citroen AX GT which was similar to the 205 - and also great fun. With it's tiny little tires you could have a great time sliding about at a moderate (and safe) speeds. I really learnt to balance a car in that little go kart and I have fond memories. Following the AX (with my debts cleared) I bought a brand new 106 GTI in 2001. I spent a bomb on the 106: ICE, body work, wheels suspension etc and I started to push towards the show scene... I loved my 106, it was a great all-round package but my life took a new direction in 2002 when the bank I work for offered me a two year role in Sydney. I sold the car and ended up staying in Oz for 4 years. I lusted after a V8 Monaro for those 4 years but common sense prevailed and I went without. On the plus side I saw England win a world cup and met my fiancée (read fiancée as – return visa to Oz) so life wasn’t all that bad I returned to these shores in 2007 and bought a little Clio 182 for a year to get used to driving again. I liked the Clio but I lusted for something a little more grown up and prestigious. After flirting with the idea of a 330ci, Porsche cockster, RX8 and Z4 I settled on the Z . I will probably keep the Zed for a while now, I still fancy something daft like a late Esprit Turbo, 996 GT3 or a Noble but it has to be house next and maybe kids in a couple of years. I hope that wasn’t too boring Matt

No worries! As per RTbiscuit, i had my alignment checked the following day as I also fitted a rear Eibach toe/camber kit

Hi Nurrish, I fitted my springs and ARB’s with the help of a friend who is a regular mechanic. We managed to fit them in a few hours in my garage with basic tools and a spring compression kit. You will need to release the front shocks from the top mounts (they drop out easily enough) and the rears are nice easy – no need to touch the top mounts. Please ensure the springs go in the right way around… They look symmetric but the bottom with have a flat edge so they sit right in the cup. I doubt ‘cup’ is technically correct name but you will get my drift This guide is pretty hand too - the pictures are good for reference. viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17865 Good luck. Matt

Quattro...hmmm. And those wheels - they take me back to the E30's and MK2 Golfs the 1990's and Max Power Azev A's? Nice pictures.

That looks so much better than my satin Z badge .......... Damn, I really want one now!

My favourite city car.... Such a shame it's a death trap

Good work fella they look great.

I'm sick of the sight of the them.............glued to my bloody rear view mirror Nice modern looking car louis. Matt

Good choice, I never tire of seeing these wheels

Hi Roger, and welcome btw I would imagine it's a hard linked FM transmitter. A bit like the Denison range; http://www.ipodcarkitdirect.co.uk/Densi ... _Modulator I doubt you will be able to 'control' the ipod from the Bose though, such as changing artists or skipping tracks. You could probably get around that by setting up some good playlists. Matt.

Nice video