Axel's Coupé - 2.25 years, might have gone mad...

[axelleveau]

Thanks Joycey, will have a look when I get in this area again

[axelleveau]

Woaw, pretty much a year of silcence on this thread but it was not without work on the car, I just wanted to finish the chapter started last summer with the rear end refurb which unexpectedly turned into a wheel and tyres refresh that took ages as I could not get a bloody wheel anywhere in Europe, until the importer realised that had one all along in their wharehouse...

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So long story short as I detailed most of the work on the "what have you done today" thread:

• All rear end bushing changed for poly
• Diff input flange greased
• Rear calipers refurbed and painted
• Handbrake shoes changed
• Brake hoses changed for braided hoses
• Alignment

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And due to getting my rear wheels stolen:

• Changing from 19" wheels with dry Pilot SuperSport to 18" Pilot Sport 5, 225 front on 8J and 255 rear on 9J, ET35 all round

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To be honest the rear end bushing change is not night and day though I feel less flex and "sausaging when loaded". What has been much more noticeable is the change of brake hoses with a firmer pedal and more bite .And of course the change of tyres, main benefit being a much quieter car, lot less sketchy on damp and cold roads and also less input in the steering on every bump and holes and less foggy neutral though I still want a narrower dead zone around the neutral.

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That leads us to the next steps I have in mind:

• Windsreen surround refresh, it is rotten and as some here seems to have succeded in changing it on Coupe's without taking off the screen I will have a go
• Playing with the EPS motor ring and chasing plays in the streering system, maybe changing tie rods and control arms
• If necessary playing with front toe
• A steering wheel refurb has been on the list for a while but I had to prioritise other jobs... maybe for my birthday
• Some front end aesthetics: new lower grill, refresh fog lights, implementing brake cooling and a front splitter

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[Barty]

You’ve certainly been busy, nice job!
Rear wheels stolen..?! Sheesh…

[Mr Tidy]

Some great progress there OP and your 18" wheels look superb.

Like you I didn't get on with the MPSS tyres my car had when I bought it in colder wetter weather, and I also had an alignment to M3 CSL spec which transformed how the car drove.

Good luck with the next steps.

[Meds]

Damn, that Montego Blue colour looks excellent.!

[1536Z4]

Windsreen surround refresh, it is rotten and as some here seems to have succeded in changing it on Coupe's without taking off the screen I will have a go

Please take care with this as I have recently responded to another forum member about this as they decided to try and change the seal and broke the windscreen . It really is pot luck as to how well your windscreen was put in on an E86 . It will either not be a problem or an absolute nightmare . Mine was a nightmare and I ended up having to get a professional to get it sorted .

A steering wheel refurb has been on the list for a while but I had to prioritise other jobs... maybe for my birthday
Some front end aesthetics: new lower grill, refresh fog lights, implementing brake cooling and a front splitter

In my opinion don`t bother refreshing fog lights just get the blanks or as you say you are going to implement brake cooling use the space for the fog lights to get air to the brakes .

[axelleveau]

Thanks all for the good feedback

Meds, the colour looks great thanks to the phone. Being a daily the car is mega dirty when close... Paint correction and protection is also in the plan at some point thought I could be less lazy and give it a wash now

In my opinion don`t bother refreshing fog lights just get the blanks or as you say you are going to implement brake cooling use the space for the fog lights to get air to the brakes .

I have been thinking about how to go on that one. I currently have painted the fog lights black to hide the crusty interior. I am 50/50 between doing an OEM+ job and keeping shiny fog lights with the ducts below or as you said use the fog light hole as the duct itself. In any case this will just be for looks and the fun-gineering, maybe I could offer the 3D print files for the ducts if I succeed

[1536Z4]

maybe I could offer the 3D print files for the ducts if I succeed

[Fred Smith]

Saw this car on the other thread... lovely... I am going to try to learn to love the E85 and later models, but I am here for the Coupes and yours is a stunner! My one criticism... sorry... I love the interior but it's not the colour I'd choose to go with the perfect exterior colour. 9/10 (at least 2 or 3 higher than mine!)

[axelleveau]

Weekend started great until it turned to bad with family issues leading to my better half (or should I say safer, see pictures below) urgently going abroad for at least a week, the positive on that is I will have more time to work on my front end refresh, the negative is that I did bite a lot there so will NEED the time and Z out of commission for at lest two weeks:

• To start with car is now stuck without front wheels on the jack. I did what I have done a few times now which is jack on the front central position, remove wheels, do whatever work needs doing and if car as to be left overnight I lower it down on the jack as my driveway paving is narrow so being able to put jackstands under the sides mean taking all the space with the car. Well the key difference this time is my jack seal have totally gone and it does not go up anymore... Had to order a replacement from Halfraud (after wasting a trip there as their website stocks are off), it is OK as I was eyeing a new one for a while and I pray I'll be able to pick up from the side and recover.
• Fully removed the headlight washers and hoses - Made my own fix to reuse the washer covers for free

  

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• Cleaned the side markers, including opening one as algae got inside and reglued it
• Had to fight to remove the lower grill, and then fog lights
• Now the fun part: I will replace the lower grill with a honey comb one and while at it making my own fog lights blanking plates out of black ABS sheets which in the future could become brake ducts

  

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• The even funier part: an enabler for all of that is to be able to bend the styrene sheets... Here comes the brillant idea of digging out some resistive wire from an old project, doing some tests to figure out voltage/current to get red hot but not fry, grabbing a PC power supply, a bungee cord and a 6mm aluminium rod and voila a hot wire bender. See small test sample!

  

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[Fred Smith]

Fully removed the headlight washers and hoses - Made my own fix to reuse the washer covers for free

I did similar earlier in the week. I did not have the plastic top part of the washer, just a brand new cap that I did not want to glue to the bumper. I used a cork from a wine bottle with a bit removed to act in the same role as your clear perspex is doing. I held the cork in place with wire that ran between the two cap fixings, through the cork, and then all around, then down and tied it lower down on the bonnet. Your job look much neater and better... but mine has the advantage that the wire is a plan B and in theory if the cork somehow failed and the cap came loose it would still be hanging off the front of the bumper on the wire to be refixed later!

[axelleveau]

I did similar earlier in the week. I did not have the plastic top part of the washer, just a brand new cap that I did not want to glue to the bumper. I used a cork from a wine bottle with a bit removed to act in the same role as your clear perspex is doing. I held the cork in place with wire that ran between the two cap fixings, through the cork, and then all around, then down and tied it lower down on the bonnet. Your job look much neater and better... but mine has the advantage that the wire is a plan B and in theory if the cork somehow failed and the cap came loose it would still be hanging off the front of the bumper on the wire to be refixed later!

As a frenchy I approve the use of cork And good point about the wire being an additional safety in case the cap was to come off. I have some fishing line securing my bonnet badge as I have lost two already due to using the wrong size as I wanted the 50th anniversary badges

[1536Z4]

family issues

Hope all goes well with the family issue . Good to see the updates