PAGE INDEX
Page 1………Dash and Head Unit
Page 2………Doors and Crossovers
Page 3………Engine and Intake Project
Page 4………Trunk, Amps, and Sub
Page 5………HIN, Baby!
Page 6………Hong Kong Disco At Night
Page 7………White Face Gauge Installation
Page 8………Sparco Seat Installation
Page 9………Random hot J-bodies
Just prior to the trunk break-in (see page 4), Sprint Racing lowering springs were installed. These drop the car 1.8 inches front and rear. Since the car had over 80,000 miles on it, new upper bushings should have been installed at the same time. Unfortunately, J-bodies have front strut mount bushings that incorporate the upper steering bearings. This makes them WAY expensive (to the tune of $300). So just the rear strut bushings were replaced at the time of the spring installation. This leaves a little bit of squeeks and rattles in the front-end during hard turns, but I just didn't have the extra cash to replace those damn front bushings!
Stock rear ride height and wheel well gap.
Stock front ride height and wheel well gap.
Rear wheel gap after Sprint Racing coils installed. 1.8" drop front and rear. Plus, they match the car!
Front wheel gap after Sprint Racing coils installed. I didn't even know that they would be blue when I orded them!
Those Sprint babies peeking through... I was tempted to buy new tires as well and Burnout my old ones at the next "Battle of the Imports" event. Just sitting pretty with the e-brake peeling rubber til the tires blew.
Front dumped about 2" after settling. Bump stops were cut roughly in half. Oh yeah, and a set of Konig Glide wheels. New Ractive slotted and cross-drilled rotors with red painted calipers finish out the wheel wells. Now I just need a rear disc brake conversion ($$$)...
Rear dumped about 2" too, plus a shiny new Ractive flame-treated muffler.
The following pictures are from the March '03 Seattle Hot Import Nights car show. This was my first car show, and I had a blast! If you ever get the chance to enter a car show - even if your vehicle is stock - definitely go for it. At the bare minimum, it's an excuse to fully clean and detail your ride.
The front license plate was removed for the show, but I forgot to detail the grille behind it. How embarassing!
The new wheels and tires came in the day before the show. I had to install them at my work the afternoon of the roll-in. I was afraid I was going to have to show with my stock steel wheels, so I bought a bottle of gloss black touch-up paint just in case.
Everybody was super friendly at the show. I met a couple of J-body clubs and a lot of great car clubs in general. I also met the owner of the only other car at the show with Konig Glide wheels. Exclusivity is good.
New Konig Glide wheels with Nitto Extreme 450 tires 225/40ZR17 front and rear...and no rubbing! The downside is that the butt-ugly brakes and suspension are now exposed. Caliper paint and new rotors have since been installed, see above.
The Nights of Hot Import Nights means low lighting and a "Saturday night cruise" kind of scene. That lends well to a high-mileage daily driver: The low light hides the dings and scratches. Nice!
Don't mind the water bottle. Although they get in-and-out priveleges, entrants still have to mill around for 6 hours or so until the end of the show (1:00 am!).
PAGE INDEX
Page 1………Dash and Head Unit
Page 2………Doors and Crossovers
Page 3………Engine and Intake Project
Page 4………Trunk, Amps, and Sub
Page 5………HIN, Baby!
Page 6………Hong Kong Disco At Night
Page 7………White Face Gauge Installation
Page 8………Sparco Seat Installation
Page 9………Random hot J-bodies
