Taistorm

Wurth spray on undersea is legit. Would trade again.

Super excite, very niiice! But in all seriousness hopefully I can get it road legal.

Touch down.

And a pic for motivation. Once it's here I'll get some decent pics of what's been going on. Cheers, Tai

So time for a bit of a proper update... Since I relocated back to NZ a year ago, after I left there was quite a bit of progress on the old Mazda for about 4 months then all of a sudden it slowed down heaps, then eventually came to a halt for the good part of a year. I had issues with the shop that it was at and was left in the dark with next to no communication from their end. Was advised that what I had paid wouldnt achieve the amount of progress we agreed on, couldn't run the ecu supplied, needed to pay significantly more for areas previously quoted and paid for already etc, a huge headache really and not ideal when youre a 7 hour flight away. Decided it was best to tie in a trip back to Perth (to visit the mrs family/catch up with friends for xmas/new years period) to sort out what the fuck was going on. Surprisingly when I actually got over here they were pretty well organised and actually provided the information I was after and had answers for the questions I had been asking for months. They were reasonable to deal with and had carried out a little bit more more work than they had advised me (but still not complete all of what we was supposed to have been done). After running through that stage of the build, running through a log of all the parts and clarifying what was still required we had reached an agreement and now the vehicle is being dropped off at the shipping yard this week and should arrive in NZ at the end of Jan/start of feb (Cheers to John S124AB for all the advise on shipping, compliance and putting me in touch with a company that has saved me thousands). Where the vehicle is at currently Right now the majority of the mechanical work is sorted... - Engine + Transmission setup complete (trans crossmember had to be modified again for clearance issues) - Ignition system changed and fitted (now with smart coils) - Cooling system complete and pressure tested - Fuel System complete - Front steering setup complete (however will need some bushes replaced and will need to be dialled in properly once it is driving) - Front suspension setup complete (however going to get some better suited coilovers to achieve more low) - Rear suspension complete (but lowering blocks to be fitted and a few bushes require replacement) - Diff, traction rods, driveshaft fitted - Brake setup finished (h/brake spacer plate made, brakes bled and functional) - Gauges mounted All that is really left is source a new ECU (will be running a Link G4+ Storm most likely), wiring and exhaust. All pretty costly but I should be able to whip up the exhaust myself so will save a few sheckles there. Then we can run it in and tune. Oh, also need to modify the bracket for the side mount alternator setup as it fouls on the chassis rail. As for the body, it is 99% complete in terms of rust. I have just found a small hole in the scuttle panel but that should be it. There is still A LOT of work required in the body. I'll be attempting to carry out most of this myself. - The front guards still need to be chopped and stitched back to make a good set - The panels all need to be ' finished' so alot of sanding and filling and then painted - I'm not too happy with the flares so I might have a go at making some myself or get a composite/fibreglass bloke to make some - Re assemble the doors, fit the glass, source and fit a new rubber set, fit garnishes/trim. - Do something with the taillight rings (either find a good set or paint/coat the ones I have - Source/Custom make a period rear wing Then after that the interior.. - Retrim seats, replace hoodlining and other interior skins - Make interior boot panels - Fix cracks in dash then will look into flocking it - Front seats will need spacers made up to raise the position as due to how low they sit there are still clearance issues. I think that is the gist of it, if anything comes up i'll add to the list. Another problem will be the process of complying the vehicle and certing so i'll be making some inquires and seeing what we can do. If worst comes to worst and I cant comply it I will look at log book + auth card so I can run it on the street but I am pretty foreign to this so will need to ask around and do some research. Will be putting in the hard yards to get it on the road this year as it needs to be done. In the 3 and a half years of ownership, really i've only had it for half a day as the morning after I brought it I dropped it off at the shop and that was it hahaha, fucking depressing but we're here now.

More to come soon, 2018 will be the year of the rotor...

One stop cutting shop in Silverdale are great to deal with.

We used atf fluid in the trolley Jacks and bottle Jacks when I was working as a diesel mechanic. They did not have issues under load (lifting well over 4t trucks) and lasted well.

I work on plenty of n04c hino engines through work. Reasonably small in terms of size, common rail setup, turbo. Easy to work on and very reliable and bullet proof. Only common issue is that the thermostat gasket from factory leaks so this is fixed easily and there was a recall on the 3rd fuel filter (one mounted on the engine) due to design which once again is an easy fix. They have a few variations in terms of capacity/output and parts are readily available.

Could be keen depending on details man. Flick me a pm if you like. Cheers

Hey guys, Just checked in with the guys and got the Mrs to head around to the shop and see what's been happening with the old girl. Progress has been slow, the panel beater had a few weeks on holiday so this had been put on the back burner. Some fab work has been carried out, patch welded in on the rear quater by the fuel filler as well as the c pillar. Also the sill rust sections have been cut out and it looks like rust is really bad on the inner side of the outer skin so more rust will start coming through from the inside out down the track. We've ordered in some repro sills so will either look at completely replacing the sections or just use what's needed. in other news the gauges have rocked up. They look the tits so pretty happy with that. New estimate until it will be ready to ship is end of Feb so fingers crossed. Cheers, Tai

When I did dabble in a bit of electroplating years back the old boy made sure I would bead blast everything for the best finish. In saying that though I only did nuts, bolts, pulleys etc.

Putting dry wall ties in a brick wall that was built poorly? Haha probably not but i've done a shit load of this in the last year here in Perth/Spam post.

And here are some shitty pics of the inners (these have been plated up/kind of mini tubbed/not really). Pictures were really hard to take due to the lighting and shitty mobile phone. Passenger side: Still needs paint and underseal Bottom/rear section feat Jaden: Drivers side: Besides this the rear brake lines have also been bent to shape. They are just waiting on having the fittings crimped by Perth Brake Parts (they have to do this so it passes ADR regulations) then that will be the brakes finished off. I'm moving back to NZ on Friday so hopefully the guys will keep me updated quite regularly and then have it shipped over sometime in January. For now merry xmas everyone and have a good new year!. Chur, Tai

Hey guys, Last update for a little while now. Dropped in to MotorElite and brought around some beers and a feed for the boys as it's the last time i'll be seeing the little 1300 in Australia. Top blokes there, if you're ever in Perth make sure you drop in and check out the shop because it's full of good cunts and always got awesome, awesome builds on the go. Anyway I was able to grab a few quick snaps while I was there, mainly being the guard work that was finished off the time before but I forgot to take pictures of. From this originally: To This:

Rear passenger side door: This one was pretty good, only needed a small section welded up. Also this is not going to get painted now unfortunately, thought i'd be able to afford it but really to get a decent job done it sits outside of my budget for now. I'll get it painted sometime in 2017 though after i'm all established back in NZ and start saving some coin. At least it will all be straightened out and in one colour (albeit primer/guide coat). Oh yeah, the rear guards have also been welded up and are ready for connor to finish straightening/smoothing them out. I'll be dropping in on Tuesday for one last time before I fly back. Will be sad times and unfortunately I won't be there for the initial 'first start' which sucks but I gotta do what I gotta do, At least it will be over in about a month, run in, and ready for skids! Chur, Tai

Passenger side front door: Side mirror mount holes welded up and pitted sections that were rotting through on the inner and outer sections of the bottom built up.

Driver side rear door: This was the worst, a few plates welded in.

All the doors have now had the bottoms stripped back and theyre welded up. We were initially going to get them blasted back but after running the coarse wire wheel over it they weren't as bad as we thought which is pretty damn relieving. Here's where we're at.. Drivers door: Plated up the rust that was rotting around the side mirror mount and the bottom section only had pitting.

Yeah looks like I'm going to roll the Sunrise Red. As much as i've always wanted to paint something in that orange, the red just looks right against the satin black guards as you mention Ky. In regards to the gauges we will soon find out. The guys at MotorElite reckon they've done quite a few setups with them and spoke of pretty highly. Other reviews came up great and if there are any faults there is a lifetime warranty as well so that's always a bonus.

Quick update... We've now got the windows removed from the 1300 and will be stripping the channels out to check for rust. I spent the other night reorganising all the spares and got rid of heaps of junk, now it pretty much all fits in this crate bar a small box and panels. Reduced down from 3 pallets! haha makes for easy sorting at the shop anyway. I've also put through an order for gauges through Speedhut in the US. They produce custom gauges and have been told they are very accurate/reliable and their service is second to none. We're doing a CAN-BUS setup running off the HALTECH so we can 'daisy-chain' them together for an easy, effortless, tidy installation with less wires running everywhere. On order we have a speedo, tacho, fuel level, water temp and oil pressure. I wanted to do them in a similar style to these older HKS gauge: Ended up with this, which is close enough for my liking. Not bad for about $720AUD but we'll wait and see when they arrive. Chur, Tai

Man this thing is sweet!

Hand brake conversion from pull type to lever type almost finished. We have swapped over a setup from an s14 with custom cables and mounting. Mounts just need to be finished off - spacers fitted so it clears the trans tunnel. Accelerator pedal mount sitting in place - welding still required for the bottom section. I think most of the body fab work will be carried out over the next week. The boys are also going to be starting on the exhaust shortly. Hopefully i'll be able to get a few more days in next week to help with the body prep. We've decided we're going to take the windows out and for rust as I know there will be some there being a 70's Mazda.. Wish me luck guys. Chur, Tai

Fuel flap section cut out and replacement steel has been cut and it's now ready to be welded up Right rear guard section has been trimmed back and a section welded at the top of the inner arch. It will be trimmed a little more to flare out at the rear then the edge will be welded back together.

Here's some better pics of the rear end. Pitting around the centre section. There are a few pinholes which will be welded over and have the metal treated. Rear garnish holes will be filled and waiting on the R100 tail light conversion panels to be welded in. Bottom section has been beaten out, skimmed over and is now straight.