Little Things That Count

I dislike a messy interior whereby you have wires running all over the cockpit to power up things like GPS, phone charger, air ionizer, etc. If there is a way to power up all the essential gadgets wirelessly, that would be really great. However, technology has not reached that stage. So, the next best thing is to plan your interior power point layout properly taking into consideration all the essential gadgets you need. The important gadgets to me are the GPS and communication set. Previously, I was using those 2 or 3 outlet DC power socket that taps power from the cigarette lighter adapter. After plugging in the power cords for the gadgets, there were wires running all over the car. It was a real mess and there are always chances that the cord could come loose or the splitter could pop out of the cigarette adapter (which has happened before). An additional power point was added next to the hand brake lever to provide power for gadgets used in the rear of the car and especially for the comms set. When the comms set is not in used, it can be used to for other small gadgets like air ionizer, portable DVD player as well as for charging the mobile or whatever. It is quite a simple job. Just need to buy the adapter and tap power from the cigarette lighter adapter.

Nighttime Running Lights

Finally had the LED side indicators for the side mirrors wired up. Instead of using them as signal indicators, I decided to use them as nighttime running lights. They are connected to the folding mirror switch. Whenever I need to turn them on, I push down the folding window switch and they light up. They will be useful in the car parks or poorly lit areas whereby turning on the main headlamps may not be necessary. They will be most useful during our convoy drives for purpose of identification. Hopefully, the additional lighting will increase the safety factor. Here is how they look like:

Here is some advice for those using car mats on your manual transmission car. Make sure your car mat or carpet is not obstructing the clutch and gas pedal. Make sure the pedals can be depressed all the way down without it being obstructed. I discovered in the nick of time that the poor shifting on my car was because the clutch pedal was not depressed all the way down.

Seats, Side Mirrors and Front Lips

The full bucket seats have been replaced. As much as I loved those seats, it came to a point whereby they become too much of a hassle to get in and out especially now that my car park space is no longer as wide as it used to be. Having tasted the benefits of a full bucket seat, I looked around for a worthwhile replacement that can be reclined and perhaps, with lower side bolsters so that getting in and out would not be too much of a hassle. The SSCUS Viper seats were just the things I was looking for. They are full bucket seats which can be reclined and I could still use my 4-point harness whenever I need to. These seats are made of cloth and synthetic carbon-fiber leather. They are definitely more comfortable and climbing in and out is no longer a hassle. They match the rest of the car interior perfectly. With the ease of getting in and out of the car with the new seats, the MoMo steering wheel and NRG quick release were replaced with the stock steering wheel. Somehow, I feel more comfortable with the stock steering wheel because it has an airbag. It also makes the interior look more tidy and obviously, original looking.

The Dangun side mirrors really looks good and more importantly, they work very well. Unlike those little GT side mirrors or Ganador side mirrors, the Dangun side mirrors gives good rear visibility coverage. I did not wire up the LED side indicators for now but that should be an easy project. 

The Kansai front lip was damaged in a little accident and they were replaced by these front lips. Instead of a full frontal red look, the lips were sprayed the same color as the original front lip to retain the original look. 

The car is looking good with these recent additions and it is unlikely any more exterior modifications will be done.  The white wheels may go soon and replaced by the Rays 57S that has been sitting in storage. More emphasis is going into making sure the engineering aspects are sorted out. A Monster Sport water pump pulley was added and this made some difference instantly. The throttle does feel a bit lighter and the engine seems to rev more easily. The LSD has been giving me some problems with the awful chattering at low speed. I decided to have the LSD oil change to a different brand, MOTUL instead of using CUSCO. It worked beautifully and the chattering is gone. I supposed there is some wear and tear on the LSD and the original CUSCO oil is probably not so suitable. The MOTUL LSD oil is fully synthetic and has "Motul's highest quality 100% ESTER BASED synthetic 75W90 gearbox oil. Designed for today's high performance vehicles, and all out race cars. This lubricant is virtually unshearable. Its stability at high temperatures make it ideal for extreme conditions. Many endurance professional race teams swear by this oil. Designed for transmission gearboxes and rear axles".