Taistorm

I tried to get some better picture of the engine bay paint today but it is really hard to do it justice. Also I wasn't able to get it out in the sun so hard to tell its full extent/sparkleness at this stage but here's what I got. Gotta love some 8 year old girl fingernail paint.

And a teaser for the final product... I'm dropping in to check it out hopefully on Tuesday so i'll get some better pictures then. Haters gonna hate here //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/44085-tai-scamps-mazda-1300/ Chur, Tai

So got some pics from the guys at the shop yesterday... Base coat laid out.

Engine bay finally sitting in primer now.. Also picked up a bosskit for the steering wheel. Just got a SAAS unit as not to keen on shelling out $200 for a nardi one. So hopefully the engine bay will be painted this week then reassembly can start. Will also look at fitting up the steering wheel sometime this week. Small update but thats it for now. Cheers, Tai

I've also started restoring the standard rear taillights as they had some overspray on them and the lenses were super cloudy. With the left side I have sanded (and wet sanded) to try and cut it back as well as running some polish on it. With the right I have only cleaned and used polish - tested it out to see the different finishes I can achieve but I'm going to go over them again, I also need to do the outer lens sections yet. Huge improvement so far though. Before: After: And here's a picture of the old sleeping 1300 ready to be awoken. What's next? Final assembly of engine and drivetrain then installation > Fit cooling system and thermo fans, pressure test and check for leaks etc > Finalise and fit fuel system, check over > Fit oil cooler and lines, check over > Mount electric ancillaries (starter, battery, alternator) and wire up > Finalise and check over front and rear suspension setup (install blocks and traction rods), set ride height > Fit brake lines and check over brake system, install pull type handbrake setup > widen and weld up rear outer wheel arches. All of this will be sorted over the next month then it should be ignition wiring, base tune and exhaust then ready to fire up. It's getting so close, excitement is through the roof! Chur, Tai

Next phase of the build has begun, i've also started tidying up a few bits and pieces in anticipation. This is what I've been up to so far... Cleaned up the old centre console, ready to be fitted. Fitted up the CAS cover and Inspection plate.

Thanks for looking, Tai.

Hey Everyone, Last Sunday I was lucky enough to fit in a quick outing to the local Datsun Clubs, Datsun Day meet here in Belmont, Perth Western Australia. I was only there for about 20mins as I had a lot on that day but was able to grab a few quick snaps. Was a pretty awesome turnout with plenty of Z cars and early Dattos, even the odd Hakosuka which is the first i've spotted in the wild (I think it is a gt2000 mocked up as a GTR though but still dope regardless).

Also MKIII for the front seats. Managed to pick up a pair of these cheap as chips bro. They look worse for wear but it is really only the bottom cushions that are torn and worn and the rest is dirty. Went to speak to old mate about getting them re upholstered today and he reckons he will have time to do them in about a month so stay tuned for that. Besides this, things have been slow. The guys at MotorElite have been flat out with the build up to WTAC preparing their FD that they havent been able to put any time on my 1300. Now that it's all finished things should get cracking again. Tai

Not really a real post but have picked up a few more bits and pieces... Custom CAS cover and inspection plate cover from Kustom Cuts. Top bloke Mark sussed it out, will also be getting his repro r100 Garnish & tailight conversion setup down the line.

I'm a big fan of the 240z mustard. I reckon an r100 would look awesome in that get up!

Exhaust tips be gone! Much tidier now but still pretty meh looking. Maybe i'll get it red done one day but probably not. Sounds and looks sooo much better now, doesnt have that awful drone but still a bit too loud for my liking and has a bit of a rattle at higher rpm. I had done some measuring and did the rounds today to see what I could cook up suspension wise. There wasn't alot of options in the way of 'off the shelf' kits bar the usual 'sports low' springs through various retailers and coilovers through a few US websites. Was going to get some 'sports low' springs compressed and some shorter struts suited for a volvo for the rear then reindex the t-bar, add some shorter shocks for the front plus install an adjustable panhard rod however after pricing it all up id be looking at around the $1200-$1400 point and this would also sit the chassis rails around 100mm. Decided against it as it's a cheap daily I don't want to throw a lot of coin at, plus would rather this be kept a little bit higher for daily duties. Instead i've put some Lovell lowering springs on order which will hopefully drop it between 30-40mm which should still remain captive in the original struts and wind down the front end. It will handle like a bag of shit and it will probably bottom out everywhere due to lack of travel but fuck it. May also have some 14x6 (or 7) Enkei Gold 92's in the works but will see if it eventuates. Also I gave it a good clean today and tried to cut and polish it but the polish I had wasnt really abrasive enough so will look at it again another day. Removed the upper hatch wing to clean up the appearance, looks like it is worth around 400-600AUD as well so will be going up for sale. Had a look at sorting out the hunting idle. Unleashed on the vacuum lines and intake area with some carb cleaner but no dice, it all seemed ok. Will have a look at the iacv next. Cheers, Tai

Yeah will have a look over the vacuum lines first of all. Coolant level is good but I think the thermostat is fucked as well as temperature barely rises so running cooler may also cause issues with the iacv perhaps? Looks like that rear hatch wing is extremely rare and i've got a lot of interest over in the US for it so might be able to make some coin off it! Jeah

The disgust is real. I will be taking an angle grinder to them tomorrow.

Spent a few hours today cleaning up the bumper/side strips and front lip. Scuffed them back and threw some coats of paint on. I didn't fill/smooth out all the little chips and scrapes but definitely looks 100x better. Unfortunately I was having problems with the plasti primer when doing the passenger side bumper strip and it ended up getting pretty bad orange peel. I might look at redoing it at some stage but meh. And here's some pics that make the paint look awesome. I'm going to give it a cut and polish tomorrow. Will look at repainting the other garnishes and trim pieces sometime soon as well. Also i've discovered a small problem, the engine hunts idle when sitting. When it's cold it is much worse but holds ok-ish when it's warm. Having a quick google it looks like it is common problem resulting from the IACV seal being worn or perhaps vacuum line problems? I've just cranked the idle bleed valve out a bit more for the time being to make it more driveable when cold but will look at sorting it out soon. Chur

More pictures off the potato.

The Da1 that I had, had all guards rusted out and all around the rear end. Bogged it all up being a 15 year old at the time with no skills or money haha. This one however has nothing! It's surprisingly extremely good condition.

Hey guys, Finally got around to buying a daily, as some of you may have seen I was looking at an EK Civic but turns out it will be more work than I wanted to get legal and decided i'd spend less and throw more coin at the Mazda. I initially struck a deal with old mate when this popped up for sale about a month ago but now I have finally got my hands on it. It is a 1988 Honda Integra DA3. Not too many of these around, even in NZ I had only come across 1 DA3 but my first car was a DA1 5 door (came with black top ZC). It is in fair condition for its age, 180 odd thousand kms, reasonably straight, interior is good and all there but needs a good clean. The engine is a d16a3 otherwise known as the 'brown top' ZC, unlike the black top it has slightly low compression and smaller, weaker valves/springs. The previous owner replaced the timing gear, w/pump, brakepads, battery, and did the tierod ends and sump gasket to get it through the pits inspection and register it as it has been de-reg and off the road for about a year I think. It runs bloody well for what it is which is a bonus. The body trims and garnishes are pretty dull and worn so will strip these back and restore blackness and give the car a good cut and polish. It also has optional duck tail wing and also top hatch wing/visor fitted, the latter of which i'll be removing as it is ugly as fuck. A cat back exhaust system has also been fitted, I think it is a 2 1/4" but it has some very ugly tips that exit diagonally which have a terrible drone sound so i'll be cutting the tips back and eventually change the setup with something more subtle. Other plans Include: - Period wheels - Slam - Maybe sounds - Steering rack may require attention as it appears to be on its way out but I think the previous owner will assist with this - If I stay in Australia I may get a supercharger kit for it for lols Here's a picture which makes it look much better than it is.. And here's a bit of inspiration: Hope to carry out wheels and low soon so will hopefully update this asap. Let me know what you think. Chur, Tai

Take it to engine specialties on hillside drive in wairau mate. Otherwise paramount in Silverdale. They will sus it out for you man. Jealous of Japan trip as well!

Cheers bro. One thing I was trying to avoid is having to put it through aus 'engineering'(cert) then having to put it through NZ cert as I'd be paying for the same thing twice. In Aus engineering will cost me around 1000-2000 so if I can avoid this that would be great.effectively the vehicle will be ready for engineering before I take it back.the vehicle is still currently registered however but it is off the road while the work is being carried out. I've just kept paying for it as there is no 'rego on hold' here.

Do you think a repair cert from Australia would suffice? I haven't got any but everything has been done mint and painted up so far and i could probably arrange something in perth. I do have pictures from when the steel was welded in as well if that counts for anything.