docmirror

This will be the collection of my mild restoration of the black, black, black 85 that I bought last week. I'll update it periodically, and once in a while take it up to Sean for a pic or two of progress.

Initial purchase was $2000 but I got about $450 of extras with the car from the seller. I would rate the condition of the car a good solid 1.5 cosmetically, and around a 3 rating for mech.

Engine is strong, starts quick in hot or cold, idles a bit high, but smooth and pulls hard. Clutch is fine, seems worn a bit but still plenty serviceable. Trans shifts like shilt, the ball cup is long gone so the lever wanders around like a Jew in the Sinai, but the gears are all where they belong, and no grinding. TT is quiet, and nothing makes noise along the way except the RR wheel bearing.

It goes 90 without issue and has a lot more if I push it. Stopping is a bit of drama with two rotors that are warped badly. The E-brake works fine, and I've been using it to assist in stopping. Shocks are fairly tight, and springs seem to hold it near stock ride height. They are adjustable so I'll make sure it's set proper once I get the rest of the mech stuff completed.

Interior is pretty sad. Came with plenty of leather on dash, wheel, center console, seats, door cards, A pillars and headliner. The rear quarters are vinyl, and some other bits are vinyl. All leather needs treatment. The drivers bolster is toast, so that has to go. All carpet is marginal, so that has to go. Instruments and other stuff is functional but the blower motor has a rumble, I'll check on that. Heater valve works well, and blows hot but AC inop. All AC parts are there, but not working so far.

Left window operates, right window inop, but all parts there. Central locking is thrashed and will need mucho work/parts. Trim average, some decent some sketchy, will work on that. Spoiler thrashed, and grill wasted as well.

Body is straight on the left, center and top but the right side took some fairly bad battle damage. The right fender, door and quarter panel all need attention beyond my bang and bondo skills so as soon as the mech stuff is sorted it's going in the body shop.

Mod plans from the original:
1. Since it's going in the body shop for full repair and paint, I am going to add a layer of fine black metal/mica to the first coat of clear to give it a little pop. Nothing like a bass boat, just a smidge of black metalflake in the first coat of clear, then two or three clear coats over.

2. Rub strip delete.

3. Rear spoiler delete, or switch to S4 wing. I'm leaning toward a painted S4 wing, but may just leave it spoilerless and keep the orig stuff if someone wants to put it back on. I seriously dislike the kludge that is the S3 cosmetically challenged spoiler arrangement. Besides being ugly, it doesn't nothing for the aerodynamics, and is a nightmare to keep clean, including the crud build up on the rear window.

4. Manhole cover wheels in black chrome with black center caps and painted crests. Valve stem caps will be black with mini painted crests on them.

5. Seriously dark quarter window tint, and as dark as I can get hatch and window tint. Blacked out key surrounds.

6. Engine detail will consist of a bright red cross bar, dark gray heat shield with the giant red crest on it, those huge side air channels cry out for some bling, maybe hammertone with red and gold lettering of the script.
I'd ask opinions, but really don't care. Post up if you want to share, but this is pretty much what I'm going for. Black, black, black. Trying to prove once and for all I really am a racist. Can you say racist on this forum? Prolly not.

VanD

C'mon man, post a few 'before' pics, will ya?

Crumpler

Subscribed Doc. I also enjoyed the road trip thread.

I like the "you can have any color, as long as it's black" mindset as well.

Any plans on rear wiper delete at the same time as spoiler delete?

skpyle

Subscribed.


Seth K. Pyle

bureau13

I like the way the S spoiler looks actually, but you're right about it being a crud collector. Every time I wash mine, I have to spend extra time trying to get bits of dirt and leaves to stop pouring out of the drain holes.

Are you sure about the aero, though? I haven't seen wind tunnel tests or anything, but I've read in several places that the front and rear spoilers of the S-model improved quite a bit on the worse-than-it-looks aerodynamics of the original body.

docmirror

Frankly, no - I'm not sure but it depends on what you mean by 'improved'. The job of the rear spoiler is to spoil the airflow over the hatch at higher speeds and keep the azz planted safely. I guess, if one considers slowing the car down, and providing some air flow ruination to be an 'improvement' then I guess one could say that it does what it's supposed to do.

By the time the 300HP Euros came out, the car had enough power to cause some concern with lifting at high speeds. The air dam was intended to create a low pressure zone under the front of the car to suck the nose down because the general slant of the nose tended to lift it as speed got higher. Similar effect with the rear, where an area of low pressure developed around the hatch glass tending to lift the rear. The spoiler was able to disrupt that flow well, and also keep the speed of the car down so that the aerodynamic loads didn't lift the car enough to make it dangerous.

Either way, I think it looks tatty, not like the S4 wing which I consider to be rather elegant, but also I don't want to slow the car down, and trying to keep it all clean back there is hard enough with out the crap spoiler system.

Yes, I plan to delete the rear wiper too. Another semi-kludge. Trying to keep it as clean, and black solid as I can.

docmirror

I have little or no room. I guess I'll try to remove some old stuff and see if I can put a couple in later.

docmirror

Ok, here's a try at a few pics.

docmirror

Int after a LOT of vigorous cleaning.

docmirror

Well, that appears to have worked ok.

Today was a good day in refurb land. I bribed one of our beloved vendors with cheap wine and while he was snoring took my sawzall down to the lower yard and relieved a 87 of it's right rear fender. Another bottle next week and it may be missing a right door! Since the car isn't on a rebuilt or salvage title, I want to keep the metal parts metal with min filler. Body shop was pretty insistent that I bring some tin and Al to them rather than beating, and filling. I fixed the broken hood release, and the missing visor clip. Spindle is off and in the shop and will get a new bearing this wknd. I'll be back on the road by Tue.

Normally I would finish the mech work before body, but my shop has an opening next week, so it's going in and will get pretty in a few weeks. After that I can still do some mech and int work. Coming along well so far.

docmirror

One more thing. I noticed while working on the hub, I have the option for widened rear stance. There are 19mm spacers in there and the very long studs.

This car was ordered pretty well with the 5 speed, LSD, sport shocks, and wider stance. If it had sport seats that would be the whole package.

Dan87951

You stole that car for $2k! Did you even haggle or did you just pay it? lol

Looks like it will clean up nice after some work.

docmirror

Back from spring skiing and back to work. Yes, I think I got a good deal. It passed the Roger test(less the shifty part trans), and Sean seems to think it was decent price. I just wrote the check, then went and picked it up sight unseen. I asked if it ran, and shifted and stopped, and if all the lights worked and that was about it. Knew it needed plenty of mx to bring up to decent, but that's the fun part.

docmirror

Opinions or comments on my proposed ext mods. This is not a car I will be keeping forever, so the next guy gets to decide if I did it right or not.

1. Rub strip delete. Pretty much decided for sure on this.
2. Paint color; Nissan Sapphire black pearl code B20. Modest metallic with a slight pearl, black base.
3. S3 rear spoiler delete. Maybe leave the little tabs on the side, or maybe grind off.
4. Rear wiper delete, and fill holes.
5. Dark tint on quarter and hatch windows.
6. Matching black painted manhole cover wheels.
7. Black center caps with raised enamel colored crest.
Optional ideas
8. S4 wing, paint to match. (hate S3 wing, like S4 wing)
9. Black out key surround.
10. Hood crest delete.

soontobered84

I'm good with everything but this.

The marque should stand proud!!!

All the young girls in the drive-thru will think you are driving some sort of bad-a$$ Camaro now.