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We should always shut about the good stuff !

Gumball

By Gumball
in Scottish Scoobies

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Gumball

Gumball

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Posted (edited)

How many times have you nearly spewed your ringer when you saw another ''thanks to X'' for doing 'Y' to my car.........and making it 'Z'?

Well the time has come again for me to thank different people for sterling work under different circumstances, all in one day. So here goes.............

The story started the week before last when I was sitting in on a quiet evening trawling the web for something to do at the weekend. Id explored ''The fruit market car boot sale'', perused 'The List' and even called people regarding fly fishing in Caithness. And then I found it, The Events section on SS.

On Sunday there was going to be a Jap day at KH and a few old faces would be going, and there would be some cool cars there. So, I got chatting to a member I hadnt met before thiking 'well why would you gumball, youve not been on here for a while'. He PMd me to arrange a meet up for the run to KH. Turns out..........we served in the same platoon, company and regiment in NI and London together ! we meet again 10 years later!!

Anyway, we drive up and suddenly, im awash with feelings of fast cars, driving hard and speed. The good old days. I spent the whole day last sunday standing next the track looking at the tarmac, the hairpin and the cars thinking ''should i take her on?''. I was too scared something happened to the RB, so I didnt.

In usual Gumball tradition, I blasted her all the way home, but my mind was elswhere. My limited edition car was standard and stay standard, or would she...............

I thought no more of it and headed off during the week for fly fishing in Gairloch. The A82 vanished behind me and I feel in love with the car all over again. The lines people used to frown upon due to not knowing better, the brake and throttle in use at the same time, the noise, the feeling of being untouchable ! On Friday I returned down the same route- Gairloch- Strathcarron- Kyle- Glengarry- Great Glen- Ft William- Glencoe- Glasgow. Again she performed like nothing I have ever owned, ever. God I love this car i thought. I imagined what it would be like with MORE power. not 320bhp.

So on saturday morning I woke with a little buzz. I was going to do something radical if i could pull it off. Why the hell not? I work on an oil rig and work hard !

I pulled my iphone out the charger and thumbed up my yahoo account. A quick email to Andy Forrest- ''Hi Andy, wondered if I could get a map next week please'. I then called Duncan and Hypertech ''Any exhausts on the offchance I can get a map?'. Then I got the email back saying the car COULD be mapped Monday due to unforseen circumstances. So the hunt was on. The hunt to find a 3" system, new uprated plugs, CAIK and have it in place BEFORE Monday 2pm. Could it be done. She said ''your not well Chris, its Saturday, it wont work''. I said ''this can happen''. I called everyone I could think of, Greersport, AWD, RA, Hypertech, Roger Clarke etc etc. Then i remembered the day years ago I needed help at short notice. Revolution in Newcastle.

I called james and he could help but id have to collect it! It was now saturday 1215hrs (2 hrs after the plan started). I drove to Newcastle, picked it up, bought an induction kit, drove home for dinner time.

Today at 0700, I left the house for Hypertech. Duncan was going to be waiting for me at 0900 to fit the exhaust. When I arrived at 0830 I handed over the keys and the boys set to work on the parts in the car. They changed the full system from blower back and put on the CAI. A murmer of spark plugs and Duncan had a set inbound for me. 45mins later, they were installed too !!! Awesome.

My car now sounded better, it sounded great, there was a sexy black K&N enclosed funnel under the hood and idled like a bag of washing. I creeped off to Port Seton at 1245. I kept her off boost the whole way and rolled into Andys at 1345.

After some chat and thoughts of what was coming, Andy began to plug wires and cables into places I didnt know existed. A small laptop sat on the drivers seat with things flashing. Then he walked inside to bring out a bigger laptop as ''she wasnt talking''. I started to imagine as I leaned casually against the brick wall smoking 'my cars not playing, what am i gonna do, will i get my money back for the mods??' Eventually the RB talked back to the laptop and we were good to go. We creeped out onto the roads and I think a look at the car just now was taken for a while, then the increase in 3rd, then 4th then 3-4k, then 3-5k. I could feel her changing as the minutes went past.

I think everyone goes to get remapped thinking to things, or maybe 3.

1. Please let my car work and take this

2. Dont drive like a bellend

3. All of the above

So as Andy started to give me simple instructions such as ''hold the throttle down until 6500, then lift off and change'', I started not absorbing it. we would try again. and again. I think the magnitude of whats happening is too great sometimes and too exciting !!! Finally we got it working then i heard a noise. then no more boost !!!

After pulling over and some clever roughnecking skills by Andy, the tubing for the CAI was cut in half and fed back into the wing. Boost returns!! good job.

The session finished with some great graphed figures for me! Could you say ''high 3s BHP and low 4s LBFT''? Just what i wanted !! I love the way she pulls along and some of the clever stuff thats been done, whilst still safe.

So I thank Andy and head off to Stirling where I intend to catch up with the guys for a little run, then someone points out my rather flat rear tyre!! totally gone. A huge screw sticking through it! After some help from folk with pumps, jacks, phone numbers and ideas, i get it sorted.

Id just like to thank Duncan at Hypertech for being so flexible and helping me at almost no notice to get done what was needed !

Andy for turning my RB320 into the quickest car ive had i think, overcoming some boost issues and making it a great experience

SS guys for helping me sort things out with the tyre and making it back to Glasgow.

This exercise has shown me that people associated with SIDC will do as much as they can to help you do what needs done !!! I appreciate it all !

rbo7.jpg

rbo71.jpg

Edited by GUMBALL
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Gumball

Gumball

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Yeah you all knew me better than I did myself. touche`

RB420 lol. I would never change anything externally as its a gem as is. Maybe when i was young and daft :icon_joker:

It could get from where it is to over 400 with a change of turbo but its too risky i think and im really happy with the performance. I have looked at blowers but on advice it would be better to proactively strenghten the internals first, and then uprate it again. Had a quick look as i know eventually it will happen........

600 quid for pistons

How many hours labour? 20? 30?

Or

Get the turbo and if the pistons go then replace them lol

This is how it all started the last time

NB. I heard someone say last night ''look, the RB has a normal STI splitter''

It doesnt, it has an RB splitter as standard but I dont like the RB320 badge on the splitters so changed it to STI. Imagine that :icon_salut:

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