Replaced the inner and outer tie rods. Front suspension is all new. Got it aligned. Front alignment is now perfect. Rear toe on the driver's side is slightly (by 0.03) off and the rear camber is off on both sides (by .4). The alignment shop said the bolts in the rear were rusted so they couldn't change it at all.

Sigh. Anyone tackled this before? What's recommended?

 

Son of a gun. I watched the video for the no rinse wash & shine followed by two squirts of spray wax per panel while still wet, followed by microfiber towel dry and thought I would try that route. Product just arrived today. Need to pick up a clay towel before I can go at it. I'll probably post my review in the detailing sub forum.

BTW, the quality of the finish on your OB coupe is a good reflection on you....

 

Brad, i used headlight tint, but i don't expect it to hold up through the winter, i just wanted to see how black looked before i went and bought clear corners. At some point in this thread probably I'll replace them.

Cleric that finish on your hood is PERFECT. Is that the original paint? You can't tell in my picture but my hood is all flecked with white and the bumper has completely lost its shine in spots... Going to try my hand at repainting it in my garage this winter when i attack the rust.

 

Yeah buy another set, because you are gonna break them bitches getting them out. They are rust welded in there. I had to dremel mine out. Also - heat helps rusty nuts come loose. Soak in penetrating oil over night.

 

The longer I have this car the more I really enjoy its performance. For the first years of ownership I was surprised how it felt fast.

Then I learned it could corner pretty well with the right suspension.

Then I learned you have to spend quite a bit on good pads to make it stop repeatedly very well, as intended with the 03-04 Brembos (I have an 06 sport Non-brembo).

Then I learned you can almost flat foot it in the corners with proper throttle application. The G literally feels like a rubber band when you apply the power correctly and it just flings you around with great feel. Nothing like the sound of the stock engine flat foot around a corner screaming for more. That VQ note is perfect.

I am really learning & loving the capabilities of the car, and am excited to begin track days next year. I need better tires, finally.

Hope everyone had a nice Saturday. I went to Pittsburgh this weekend the long way round. Beautiful city, in it’s own weird way. And yeah, it’s powered by NU-CLEAR!

 

Yep, original paint.

@Urban, nice cooling towers.

 

Cool pics! Really shows how well the Gs lines flow into a single form. I’ve always especially liked/appreciated the complexity and short overhang of the front end when viewed from the side, especially with the added oem front spoiler—this is the worst angle of most cars in my opinion and the G just nails it.

I’m hopeful that someday cars will be beautiful again like the G—the new Civics, especially the Type R, show just how much mfgs are basically going after shock value with the new designs. But, shock factor wears off quickly while the timeless lines of the G will always endure.

Which pads did you end up going with? I have the Hawk HPS pads on now from Tirerack and while not dusty at all and with a great lifespan, they don’t stop very well.

 

The front end is just awesome from the side:

 

Pretty sure I've mentioned this before but.....SF Winnings FTMFW!!

 

Man your car is nice.

Akebono street performance are alright but will fade too quickly at a track day, and StopTech Street performance is on the short list for me. I say the dust won’t bother me, but we’ll see.... I need even more braking power .

Didn’t Blue Dream have a bad experience with the Hawk HPS pads because they were squeakers and like ice cubes in the wet?

My next pads of interest (top has most points):
StopTech (Centric) Street Performance
Infiniti OEM
Project Mu
Hawk HPS

 

Car getting dropped off for paint in a few weeks after I pick up two new fenders then starts the hoarding of parts for next spring.

Oh and I riced out my engine bay a bit and I repainted my wheels for the winter.

 

The Project Mu TypeNS (NS400) I have on my ISF are the best all around pads I've ever used, however, they don't make them for the Brembo Gs?! Can't figure that out for the life of me--The market for G/Zs with Bembos has to be 50x larger than the ISF market, maybe more.

Edit: I did just find that they have the HC+ pads for the Brembo G, I think. Project Mu doesn't have the best search functions.

 

Yeah, you have...but I'll still take the compliment. They are awesome wheels and the color match and fit for the Diamond Graphite G is literally perfect.

 

The somewhat sad part is that the project is getting close to coming to an end, at least the large parts of it. As you all know, 2017 was a big year for my G--LOTS of new OEM parts to replace pretty much everything that was in any way shape or form worn, culminating with the underbody tunnel stay assembly last weekend to get that rusty mess off of there.

With all of that done, 2018 will be mostly cosmetic. Looking to have the hood and front bumper repainted to perfect and then the rest of the minor scratches etc taken care of at the same time. Getting the driver's seat bolster replaced and the rear window tint replaced (the guy who did it cut out around the rear brake light and it looks bad...Probably also add the 3M Crystalline to the front windshield as well. I was hoping that the upholstery shop would've been able to dye the carpet dark grey when they did the seat, but they don't do that kind of work.

Most likely I will add a Bluetooth unit to work with the OEM head unit; I have the OEM double DIN converter, but, that's not a priority--just wanted to have that in case it ever becomes impossible to find.

So, we'll start everything again in the spring. But, this year it's more perfecting with smaller projects than the bigger work done last year.

 

Got it. Thanks! Two clarifications:

1) Are there both toe and camber bolts back there or just toe bolts?

2) I don't necessarily need to the longer toe bolts (such as SPC) but could I use those? Or do I need to find stock bolts? If so, where can I find them?