Damn, I have a mint (sans paint) cherry red hatch and was conflicted about a color change until I saw this. It's probably my least favorite OE color and you may have changed my mind.

So I guess I have a bit of time to write a post again. I was recently laid off due to Covid since aerospace has been struggling. The writing was on the wall for a while so I kinda saw it coming. Fortunately, my parents have let me stay with them during the transition and I have been slowly moving everything.

To be honest, not a ton on the car has happened; just some button up here and there now that I have ample free time. The interior was put back together. I installed my Thrash seats, rails, and bought a Nardi Classic 330 as well for a little interior tune up. The headliner isn't really my style but I haven't gotten around to re-wrapping it yet.

https://i.imgur.com/iuSwlN2h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nHfBUQph.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/l6SOCgXh.jpg

I have hated the passenger side of my car for a while since one of the rear wheels had a chipped silver lip instead of bronze. I used some Rustoleum bronze to refinish it which turned out pretty decent. Not a perfect match but not bad.

https://i.imgur.com/Z4aNbv3h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uhlI1gFh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aGmaWith.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BvztMl0h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sNQz0Yjh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OdKOQhRh.jpg

Another little project I tackled was having the Abflugs painted. Obviously these have been on my mind since I painted the car and since I have so much free time, it felt like the right opportunity.

https://i.imgur.com/SJGdKYYh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3KgcRllh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/n6obGobh.jpg

The paint turned out pretty decent, but there are some pretty bad imperfections in the fiberglass that show through. Im not too worried, the lenses seems to cover 99% of it so Ill survive.

I took these next pictures this morning before making the two hour drive home. Nerve wracking at first but mostly just hot by the end of it. The rear was rubbing a bit which I need to sort out but all and all it performed great.

https://i.imgur.com/ncS7LdEh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fWvmw25h.jpg

And here it is back in front of my parent house.

https://i.imgur.com/XmMivQFh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JWbBhLeh.jpg

So there it is. The plan is to install the headlights after some curing time. Currently, the car is hanging out in storage until I get a new job. Holla at me if you need a mechanical engineer haha.

https://i.imgur.com/hx2ua4Sh.jpg

Dam ,I’m in NC also. I’m near Fayetteville. Definitely need to see this car

Super clean!

For sure man. Its pretty much locked up in storage now but I anticipate being back in Charlotte in a couple months.

Thanks!

Have you tried applying to Northrop Grumman? We’re still working and they’re always hiring especially here in California

Very cool car you’ve got here.

Small update since my last post. I reassembled the Abflugs and got them installed on the car pretty quickly. Not super happy with the fitment or my lenses but they will be fine for now.

https://i.imgur.com/AcAE5lih.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xiycLBmh.jpg

Unfortunately, one of the rivenuts broke nearly immediately on the passenger light which is annoying.

https://i.imgur.com/FSCmwhih.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mzcspszh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/677e3zNh.jpg

Last change on the car has been this pseudo-livery that I had commissioned. @Lazyrocketvinyl did a great job making everything, I would definitely recommend them for future vinyl work. Its a bit of a teaser for now since I cant get the car out easily.

https://i.imgur.com/vdK548hh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vnSoQsFh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/N61GotTh.jpg

I was going to leave it sticker-less for a longer while but this was always a part of my original idea. The thought now is to find some cool wheels to change it up a bit, but other projects have kept me busy.

Love to see it.

lights are badsss and different. Liken this!

Sweet car! The bronze wheels look great.

Beautiful, great work!

Very sad to hear about the lay off, my guy.
Really nice work on the styling and selection on your car. Simple and very effective. So cheers to that.

Thanks! Cant wait to see your car come together man.

Volks bronze is pretty much perfect imo, but Id like to change them up a bit soon.

Appreciate it!

Cheers man, thanks. It sucks but Im optimistic about it all. As shit as this year has been, I dont think I would've painted the car or done a majority of the work if I wasnt furloughed and unemployed.

please let me know if you are ever willing to sell a pair of your lmgt4 ;)

So I guess another update of this thing is overdue. I pretty much havent done anything to it but I did get it out for a short lunch run. My storage unit is a huge pain in the ass to get the car into and coupled with my extreme lethargy is a recipe for inaction. I did installed a majority of the pseudo livery and the Abflugs were adjusted to fit better. The car is super dirty in all the photos, so take with a grain of salt.

https://i.imgur.com/XIerVnDh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sETFG0rh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ofkL9xgh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wBK9C0Th.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eYHxpKSh.jpg

Unfortunately, my outing was cut very short when the driver, rear tire began rubbing the fender more than I was comfortable with. I thought it was a bent heim on the RUCA but the eccentrics were a little moved too. In any case, new arms and a eccentric lockout are in the mail to hopefully remedy the issue.

https://i.imgur.com/WDiacc9h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eXfua6oh.jpg

Lastly, I received an aircup setup from StanceParts. I've never been a huge proponent of air, especially on S-chassis, but they're pitched as a way to keep coilover performance and lift the car for small obstacles. I feel that feature will be useful where ever I end up living next and Im eager to see how that claim holds up.

https://i.imgur.com/gSRRZkzh.jpg

So yea, there it is. I am reasonably happy with the look overall but Im getting more and more interested in switching the wheels up temporaly. Black or white TEs, Blitz 03s, Minervas are all high contenders but we'll see what the budget allows.

Don't really have any major updates on this thing, but I was tinkering today and had a couple pics. Finally getting around to tackling some of the problems in anticipation of a road trip.

The air cups are fully installed which is pretty neat, but to be fully honest I was a bit underwhelmed. They raise about 1.5-2" and looks mostly OEM. The below pic is missing the back panel so more the wires will be hidden.

https://i.imgur.com/gJEHaeBh.jpg

The interior needs a miracle bar but its pretty much done. Also got around to wiring the headlights. Super easy tbh. Low beams light up the outer lights and high does all four. But they are dim as hell even all lit up. I don't drive this car at night ever so I'm not immediately worried. Eventually Ill sort it out.

https://i.imgur.com/lR0OCmAh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VKhuAFhh.jpg

These aren't bolted in or anything but looks pretty neat. Cant see shit at night but cool looking. Pretty sure these are older pictures but apparently I didnt post them for whatever reason. The car is super dirty but whatever.

https://i.imgur.com/bsO3nvJh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lPyOGUkh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2GJlyNMh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/q2eGHMbh.jpg

Side note for anyone who cares, a bit more progress on the 912e happened. The oil tank is in, backdate is mostly done on the rear half except paint. The 2.7 will be going in soon.

https://i.imgur.com/Wes9ifxh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/agUqZTgh.jpg

This is excellent. Love the progression and that color... amazing WOW

Inb4partout?

Thank you, really appreciate it!

I've decided to never sell shit again. It becomes expensive right after I sell it and I always want to buy it back immediately.



Little bit of an update though. I finally put some real mileage on the car over the weekend. I went with a group to Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee for my buddies engagement. I honestly didn't expect to make it out of Greensboro with the issues I had been having, but the car was super solid the 4 hours there and back. And more importantly, felt capable during the "spirited" driving Saturday/Sunday. I have a laundry list of things I want to address and a bit of a rejuvenated energy to do some stuff on the car. In the future, I wouldn't advise 7 degrees front camber, a dying clutch, or a welded diff but it held its own despite.

Pics:

Prior to heading down there, I spent a lot of time fixing obvious issues and cleaning the car.
https://i.imgur.com/O6QJwCEh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wk9D3QZh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xd5tQz2h.jpg

Finally got around to wrapping the glove box and re-installing it. Neat project, super easy, little conflicted how I feel about Bride fabric with Thrash seats. Looks better than the glue covered original though.

https://i.imgur.com/6YCxmChh.jpg

Super bad boost leak from this split coupler. Also had a gnarly coolant leak a couple days before leaving but it seems to have just been a loosened worm clamp. Battery was prone to dying as well and one tire was leaking air heavily. My optimism for driving around 1000 miles was pretty low.

https://i.imgur.com/Gg2K7LFh.jpg

Had the car on a rack for the alignment. I tried to string align it in my driveway but it was pulling super hard afterwards. It still pulls a bit but it was manageable.

https://i.imgur.com/e8ikXbAh.jpg

I had the bumper off for the alignment but managed to lose one fender extension. So somewhere in Greensboro it's likely smashed to bits but I cant find it. I bought a new one a couple days before the trip.

https://i.imgur.com/AE5xx5gh.jpg

Abflugs wired up and "work"

https://i.imgur.com/AUwMapTh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yEWShlSh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gXfHlQph.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Mw9Ugkgh.jpg

Our cabin had a gravel, one lane road leading up to it which was anxiety inducing. The air lift was super helpful at first but quickly stopped working with a cut line.

https://i.imgur.com/6lwjmxRh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AH8JKrlh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/grwvYdNh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TwM36QVh.jpg

Night driving was super fun too. Despite Abflug's neat look, the light output was absolutely shit. Next time, some removable lightbar or spotlight will be added. And some better bulbs and adjustment in the meantime.

https://i.imgur.com/6gy4A0vh.jpg

The Killboy and 129 Photographers caught some neat moving shots. I havent sorted through them all yet tbh.

https://i.imgur.com/w4SYCI4h.jpg

The plan now is continue on with a new exhaust, install the G-Grow, and get a proper gauge setup. Eventually install my ORC and sort out the front alignment which is its own can of worms. Extra wheels would also be nice.

Looks like an awesome time. I'd like to make the trip up there from New Orleans one of these days in my S14.

More minor updates for this. I've been driving this car a good bit, especially since the trip. Kinda had a rejuvenated ambition again. I even daily drove it for about a week while making a list of maintenance and changes that I want.

https://i.imgur.com/OjBtaijh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QNG98nxh.jpg

My biggest recent goal was to mount the G-grow valance. Its been sitting in storage, painted and collecting dust for a too long. You can see in the pic below why it didnt fit, the Blitz exhaust is just in the way. I was going to chop it up but its also really close to the gas tank. So I needed a new exhaust.

https://i.imgur.com/i5PFaGPh.jpg

I didnt really take a good picture, but I bought an HKS sport. I wanted a Kakimoto or GPSport but didnt want to risk the cost with it not fitting. Pretty happy anyway, this is much much quieter and still sounds good.

https://i.imgur.com/gfe08Duh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UWUQTO8h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/V7fH2p8h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/71hBLLsh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DQjCEGDh.jpg

Next up. I really wanted some spare wheels for some stickier tires or drifting if I ever start again. And since TE's have been a grail for a long time, I decided the wait was over. Ended up finding these 17x9 +0 set in white.

https://i.imgur.com/BkxQp7Lh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/o6aDkoDh.jpg

I only unboxed one pair, but I do have all 4. They need refinishing since there is a weird yellow finish all over them but they cleaned up alright. I got some cheapo tires mounted up on a pair.

https://i.imgur.com/NaqAT3oh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OclMMnCh.jpg

And of course, had to see what they looked like all around.

https://i.imgur.com/FBFmLI4h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8iXKz6Nh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NiLt1rnh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FqcmWExh.jpg

Then I pretty much drove around like that for the rest of the week and put it back in storage. Not too much on the radar atm besides some rust repair and changing the LCA's back to stock. I am looking at a 1.5/2 way diff and getting a gauge setup as well. Then maybe a KP wing and carbon canards but Im not fully sold yet. Also, I finally got a new job, so I will be moving back to Charlotte, NC soon and hopefully blowing more paychecks into cars.

912 is neat. What are you doing to the 2.7?

Thanks, I need to start working on it again. The 2.7 is being kept super simple for now. It already had the upgraded fan, hydraulic tensioners, and SSI's when I bought it so I've really just replaced all the rubber, added a front cooler, and a 2in-2out exhaust. One day if I have the money and time I'd like to do RS P's and C's, webers, and a cam but that is a long time out.

looking good

Saw this car out at the Charlotte Cars and Coffee meet this past weekend. I was hoping to meet you, maybe one day in the future.