Hydro-graphic dipping

I have looked at this in the past, even had a go at it myself Hydrographics or HydroGraphics, also known as immersion printing, water transfer printing, water transfer imaging, hydro dipping or cubic printing, is a method of applying printed designs to three-dimensional surfaces. The hydrographic process can be used on metal, plastic, glass, hard woods, and various other materials.
It really has come on in recent times though, the most famous supplier in the UK being Wicked Coatings. They seem to work out a bit more expensive than others although I can't fault their workmanship.
Just a quick post to show a steering column shroud that a friend of mine has recently had done.

The Key to her heart

Many owners I know have a key to their car (obviously) and no spare! They know that they should get a spare, but haven't got around to it. Of course this will only prove a bit of a stumbling block when they lose their only key!

For all of you out there (in the UK at least). Go get a key, even the worst shop will be able to supply you with a new key that works (more or less). R33 keys for both models are, due to the glory of a shared parts bin, the same as Micra keys.

Naturally I already have four copies, the original two plus two more. However these keys are so, well how can I put it... Boring!

Key types:

I had seen a brand called 'Royal' plus a couple of others that just dripped with Japanese bad taste. Absolutely loved them. There is the obligatory GTR branded key and everything in between.

Above: Typical R33 key with GTR logo. This is probably the most widely available key for Skylines, although I always thought it a shame that they only 'do' a GTR version, when you stop and think it is actually quite fitting for the 'brought not built brigade' to have these. A key like this costs around 7k yen (£45)

Above: Still keeping with Nissan's official keys we have that mighty Nismo logo, exactly the same key though but a different price tag, at time of writing this is 22k yen (£140) 

Above: Nismo? Is that the best you can do?? Here is the mighty 400R key in all its glory.. Yes identical to the two before it but this weighs in at a whopping 500k yen. Yes that's 500,000 to you! Around £3200 in UK pounds or US$4452.60 

Above: A bit of fun, Japanese fashion keys. 

Above: and why not?

I especially like the way they say 'for Skyline' am assuming in case you forget. This one is a handy small size to reduce trouser bulge?

Above: one of my favorites, Has a lovely retro feel to it. 

Above: This is my choice. Made from titanium it is strange to the touch and light as a feather! At 4k yen £25 it was reasonable. Although Japanese auctions do have a tendency to rocket on final figures once all the charges have been taken into account and this was closer to £40 by the time I was done. 

Getting keys cut in the UK.

This can be more of a pain than you might think. Many major chains on the high street will not entertain cutting a blank supplied, stating that the cut key could snap in the ignition for which they would be liable. So they point blank refuse to do it. However I have heard exceptions to this.

You can usually get your local key cutter to have a look at doing it though. It is just a question of shopping around.

There are a few methods of key cutting as well. The majority using the old key as a master, following the contours and cutting directly, others laser scan and cut. 

Talking to my key maker he said that Nissan keys are a pain (to him) as they move about in the jig. I think this is due to both sides being cut (see picture) which can cause some difficulty once one side is done. I have on the other hand heard from a key cutter saying this is nonsense. 

What I do know is, you do not want to be spending lots on a key only for it not to work!

So I had my key cut and... it didn't work. However comparing and the application of a file and yes the ignition turned, a little more work on the grooves and all the doors unlocked. So am happy that I now have what may not be the most unusual key in the world. One that is a little different from the rest.

R33 Extended Baffled Sump

Yes I know with my sense of humour the word 'baffled' is too good to resist.. So that's it done out of the way...

As part of the forging process I thought I could do with a new sump. Some bright spark had jacked my car up on the original sump leaving a lovely dent in it. Amazing isn't it? Just goes to show just because you think you are a mechanic does not mean you have a peanut shell of sense around that tiny brain.

Anyway..

Because I am not too bright myself and have an irresistible urge to try something new, I started to look at baffled sumps.

This will limit how much the oil is able to slosh around and hopefully keep it where the pump can suck it up into the engine.  Simply put a baffled oil pan has chambers that make it easy for the oil to travel toward the oil pick up but difficult for it to get sloshed the other way. Also, they tend to increase the capacity of the oil pan so that more oil will be available in the whole system. 

In this instance it will be probably an additional 3 liters.

There is one supplier that I know of in the UK although was not sure of quality. There is also a well known supplier in New Zealand called the Rotorua Import Pro Shop or R.I.P.S for short. 

Well with a name as impressive as that it would have to be good and I am sure a lot of you out there in the tuning world will have heard the name. 

R.I.P.S extended baffled sump

My original dented Sump (need I rant again?). The sump is not in theory the hardest thing to change... After all it is held on with bolts. The only really annoying thing is that the engine needs to come out to do it.  



The oil pickup had a bit of debris, so was doing its job. The orange sealant type stuff remains a mystery though.

New and exciting package 

reveals....This! 

The R.I.P.S extended baffled sump




Now I think you will all agree that the paint finish is not all it could be, My first reaction was 'nice, but shouldn't it have some... you know... Paint? 
The Sump is actually supplied in an unfinished state.  

A view inside (for the terminally interested) you can see how the oil drains back through the Louvres.. (I am exhausted from spelling that).

A new extended pick up is included 



Back from powder coat 




Not Jack proof...Although quite the work of art. Shame no one will see it much!

Ms Skyline always likes to drink from a straw, it makes her feel sophisticated and does not ruin her lipstick. So there it is, another part sourced and another problem solved. Thanks to MGT Motorsport for the photos and hard work so far.

Near run thing.

Hello, hello, here I am. Got lots to post and not been as regular as I could with my usual mix of nonsense, about Ms Skyline herself. I suppose I am the Watson to her Holmes, always playing second fiddle to her more glamorous and interesting lifestyle.

What have I been up to? Well lots, little and large things. There are posts of the usual disasters and errors. Possibly even a couple of wins. But they are to come, for now will ease into things with this...

I have been working on diverse parts like headlights, room mirrors and a small engine rebuild. 

Lets have a quick look at the impressive stuff left like a ticking bomb after my last work. 

So the engine is coming out for rebuild (no not yet, more on that later). When I dropped the car in I mentioned that something was not right, that I could hear the exhaust blowing a bit although the manifold looked okay. I had half convinced myself that this was just my imagination as the car performed as it should. 

Turns out I was looking in the wrong place. It was the turbo clinging on by a bolt.. Yep the other had left the building (or was forgotten on build). 

The bolt has 'bolted'

Couple to the the joy of a cracked weld in my 6 Boost manifold 

Having a cracking time

The result was as shown in the video (yes we have gone 21st century here). Of course in this instance I got away with it.. Fair makes me shudder to think about it though.

So.. Okay it is rebuild time and yes this isn't because the engine is dying, but more because it is a mountain I want to climb and spit off the edge. Just so I can.

Am sure it's simple? Ermm!

Internal Boot (Trunk) Light

The internal boot (trunk) curtesy light had ceased to function some time ago on the car. More of an annoyance than a necessity, I finally engaged my 'investigating head' and made time to take a proper look.
The light unit on a R33 sits inside a plastic dome/cover, centrally by the rear screen wiper motor. The cover being held in place with a molded in, impossible to release clip... 
So after I managed to break said clip (and cut my hand on the sharp edge of the sheet metal shelf), I confirmed that the bulb was fine, as was the voltage. So it must be the switch.

Where the hell is the switch then.. A quick question on the Skyline Owners Forum on Facebook turned up a quick response. The wiring runs up into the boot/trunk lid and simply plugs into the lock mechanism. 

Now as I had my book lock removed to improve the view of my rear end, my search for answers ended with the realization that I myself was the guilty party! It's funny what you forget...

So any modification over a missing switch and broken light fitting had to be an improvement! 

I gave some thought to a trigger switch that could be pressed off and released on with the opening and closing of the boot. However keeping it simple I just decided to install a simple switch. 
For light I procured a 30cm length of LED stick on strip from a local electrical store (I will not mention the store as it is cheaper via ebay). Buying LED strip off the roll is a drag as you have to solder the wires on, a fiddly process at best! 

Installation actually took me a couple of hours, although am always quite slow at wiring things and seem to spend all my time tidying and feeding the wires neatly. I installed the small switch (I had found in my garage) in the trim over the passenger side rear light cluster (although it could have gone anywhere). 

Job done, open boot, flick switch and there was light.. lots of light in fact! I would suggest that an LED strip would be a boon over the existing light bulb even if you do still have a boot lock! However I naturally can't give a wonderful before and after picture for obvious reasons! 

Dashboard Strip

How To:

Remove The Dash

Well it has to be done, for numerous of reasons. In this particular instance for myself, the speedometer had decided it would only work when it wanted to and had an annoying habit of just dying on me at the most inconvenient of opportunities! However to fit a gear gaiter, replace the radio or anything dash orientated the method remains the same.

Tools required: A cross head screw driver.

Step One

Remove the gear stick surround (Note this is a manual model).

First open and remove the ash tray (use this opportunity to remove all sweet wrappers). 

Remove 1x screw in ashtray cavity.

Unscrew gear knob (this is a M10 thread should you want a new gear knob). Lift the gear stick panel at the rear, next to where the drivers leg would be. This pulls down and away from the upper dashboard area.

 Once the gear stick surround is removed, two screws are revealed in the main upper part of the dashboard surround. Remove both of these. Also note the securing screws are located here for the centre console and cubby box.

Step Two

Remove the steering column shroud, this clips into place and is held together by four screws (note one of the screws hides under the steering wheel height adjusting lever. Leave the steering column in its lowest position.

Step Three

Now the front of the dash will pull away towards you. Use a plastic pry tool if it is stiff (resist the urge to pry with a screwdriver. (I often use a bicycle tyre lever!). It should come away quite easy though. The main difficulty (and lack of pictures) comes when disconnecting the switches. Start at the far right with the wing mirror adjusters, then it will allow a little flexibility to 'get at' the other switches. All of the switches can be removed by pressing in their release latches. However they can be super stiff to pull out. Patience! 

Top Tip! Beware that if you disconnect the hazard light, whilst it is disconnected you will have no indicators! Good to know if your having a 'test run'.

Step Four

Clock removal

The instrument cluster is held in by seven screws, four in the outer surround, two bottom ones shown here...

...And two upper screws shown here. The shroud simply lifts up and out. The instrument panel then has an additional two screws at the bottom and one at the top. Again and rather awkwardly you will have to remove the three connectors on the back of the cluster. First remove the two connectors on the oil pressure side and then the far connector on the fuel side. Note, Automatics will have a further connector on the right side. 

This concludes the whole business of getting the dashboard apart. All in all it is reasonably straight forward with minimal swearing (apart from disconnecting the plugs). If you don't want to disconnect the plugs you can simply unscrew them. There is no need for excessive force and everything should come apart easily. remember to tighten but not over tighten screws as this can lead to rattles!

Reproduction Tax Disc

Product review

Tax Discs

Here in the UK we have or at least, had, tax discs small round bits of paper that we stick in our windscreens, a circular document, displayed on all road vehicles, to prove payment of the tax for the use a public highway in the United Kingdom. This all started back in 1921, with the implementation of the Roads and Finance Act 1920. In fact technically it goes back to even before then with tolls or turnpikes created for payment on the use of a specific length of road.

But enough of the History, Tax discs have now been abolished in this technical age (The discs, not the actual tax) and all the UK's 35 million cars (I counted) are now stored away by the Driver and Licencing Agency on computer. 

Great.

But..

I actually quite like my tax disc on my car, it has a brilliant holder and was more of a feature rather than a bug! What shall I do, just leave the old one in there or perhaps put in a picture of me, or something else that is sexy (Ooerr). 

Bolton News ran an article Police come up with imaginative new use for tax disc holder (Bolton News Website) "This is a really useful replacement for your tax disc. if a driver is involved in a collision or has a medical emergency whilst at the wheel, a first responder will have easy access to vital medical information and we can quickly contact next of kin."

"The way the disc folds in on itself means all the information is kept private until needed by emergency services personnel."

A PDF is available here

Sure it's practical, not really what I'm after and on another note, I want to follow Malvern Cops about as much as I want them following me!

This headline caught my eye on 'this is money' 

Car tax disc frenzy on eBay where some are selling for nearly £50 – is it time to list yours for easy cash?

Some motorists are listing their tax discs for huge sums

More realistic to expect £50 for one in perfect condition dated next year

Velologists have been on the rise in recent years 

You can read Lee Boyce's full article here

Who knows maybe yours is worth a few quid!

Admittedly I was not aware that there was such a thing as a 'Velologist', someone who collects tax discs. Now I know you are all thinking 'loony tunes' but men, real men, like to collect shit.

So back to my problem.

What can I stick in my holder (no need for comments).

Armed with the information that people sell old tax discs I immediately let loose on eBay. Low and behold there were a plethera of available discs for all years. Although the car make would be wrong and what year did I want? I did find a disc for an 'agricultural vehicle' which appealed to my sense of humor and started to watch it in anticipation of auctions end.

However... 

Idol fingers and all that. I thought that there must be drivers of the 'older' classic out there, all spokes, chrome, bull shit and strange facial hair. They would surely want something original? YES! Of course why didn't I think of that. There is an army of people out there recreating car tax discs.

 So I contacted a chap called Terry here and he had exactly what I was looking for. 

As Supplied by 'Terry'

I sent over a few details mostly nonsense, like the cars manufacture date (it would not have been in the UK at this point) and chose a 6 month period (so it would expire in May, my birthday month) and chose the area of Hammersmith as saw some deafening bands there when younger (the Skyline makes my ears ring too). So a fuzzy logic and a worrying insight into the workings of my mind there.

One inaccuracy is that I used the word 'Skyline' and of course it should have been 'Nissan'. Looking at it, Nissan Skyline would probably have fitted.

In pride of place

So I have an old fashioned tax disc still in my engraved 'SKYLINE' tax disc holder. It has all the right details and is correct for the period that the car was made. It did cost me £6 to do and the maker sent me four discs printed on high grade stock. 

So this is all a bit convoluted as a blog goes however we had a nice journey didn't we? That's what counts these days.