Kenny.S

Finally...... something resembling an engine [] Next move will be to get the car towed up to the garage and put it in. That just leaves all the i/c pipes, power steering pipes, a few brackets and some wiring..... Kenny

True, but if it's not finished for this summer ill be a bit dissapointed. I'd really like to make it to some track days at knockhill, and do a few 1/4's at crail. I dont expect it to do anything special as it's only going to have a relatively wee turbo but just out of curiosity []

[] I sometimes wonder if it's a gift or a curse!

Although the first post in this thread is April 06 i actually started work on it in December 05! Patience is something i have a lot of, i'm also a fussy sod so it's just aswell really. It does get a bit frustrating especially when i'm making some good progress and then the office phones and tells me i've got a job in a few days or sometimes the next day! The list of things i need to buy or do is slowly getting smaller but i still have to make all the intercooler pipework, finish the reverse manifold, make new mounts for the powersteering pump and the tiny little alternator, get pipes made for the powersteering, rewire a few things.......... When it's finished though ill be sure to come along to as many local meets and events as i can. Kenny

Mr Lateral I cant take credit for the idea though, it was Andy.F who suggested cutting the element out and bonding it into a bigger tube, this was just my interpretation of it. All will become clear in time []

Happy new year all [] I'm offshore just now, on nightshift with nothing to do so i thought i'd do a wee update. The car looks pretty much as it did 3 months ago, but other things have been moving along slowly. I've had the headers for about 6 months but never got round to wrapping them. So while i was off over Christmas and New Year i decided to get on with it. First up was grinding off the protruding part of the lamba boss in the collector, forgot to take a picture before i started but anyone who's got a set will know what i mean. An hour or so with a die grinder and some sanding drums Once i'd done that i gave them a right good clean out and got them wrapped, not in the house!! I just brought them in to dry them out I dont know how effective the heat resistant paint is as stopping them soaking up water but i did the downpipe with the same stuff and had some left over so i figured i might as well use it. In for a penny in for a pound [] One 80mm air flow meter I havent bonded it in just yet, ill probably wait until i've got the inlet pipework fitted and then stick it in with some sikoflex. I had originally planned to put the air filter through the inner wing, but once the maf is bonded in the trumpet would be stuck there. Not like you would need to remove it very often but still, not ideal. Also the water ingress thing was at the back of my mind so i decided to put it behind the headlight and get as much air into it as i could. I've now got the heads back, and they look virtually brand new, they didnt need too much work afterall, the exhaust seats and exhaust valves were recut to remove some pit marks as is to be expected after 12 years, and some mild port work to blend the seats in. Didnt get a chance to take any pictures before i left but ill put some up when i start putting the engine together which will hopefully be when i get home after this trip. Kenny

Looking good mate [Y] I really need to get my finger out and get my car finished, it's been in bits now for over a year [:'(]

I have heard of people getting their cars transported over but i always felt part of the fun was driving there, plenty of opportunites for pictures etc and making a bit more of and adventure out of it. I can see the plus points for getting it transported though, you would probably be a little fresher when you got there and also if you were unfortunate enough to brake something, getting home isn't such a big deal, although you can get European breakdown recovery fairly cheap to cover you for a weekend. To be honest though i'm not too fussed how i get there []

All sounds like good fun to me, ill definately be up for as many meets, events, runs, 1/4miles, track days, as i can manage. need to try and make up for this years lack of attendance [:$] I've also been looking into a trip to the ring, it's something i've wanted to do for ages. Would be awesome if we could arrange a big convoy. Kenny

Cheers again for the comments guys [Y] After a bit of pondering i've decided to stick with the 18g, the spending had to stop somewhere and plus i'm also quite keen to see how it'll go on a 2.1, havent seen anyone else daft enough to spend a fortune building an engine and then put a fairly small turbo on it. I spoke to the boss earlier today about what work he's got lined up for me, it doesnt look like i'm going to have time to put the engine together until the end of November [] yet alone get it in the car, things can change though so we'll see what happens. Ill keep you up to date on any progress. Kenny

Bodywork is now just about complete, as usual you think you have all the clips, trims, bolts etc you need when you start but there's always something you forgot, need the 2 clip on nut things that hold the front edge of the back bumper on, hence why it's hanging down slightly. Just need to get some new sidelights, forgot that the old ones were cheap nasty copies that didnt stay in properly. You may have noticed that it's now got the original pre-facelfit bonnet, i bought the facelift one when i was going to use an sti8 top mount and wanted a larger scoop area, but since i'm now going front mount i didnt really need it. So the original one that had been kicking (literally) around in the back garden was taken up to the bodyshop to see if it could be resurected. At £480+vat for a new one i was hoping it would be and thankfully it was, the corrosion around the vents looked bad but was actually very minor and the alloy cleaned up perfectly, hard to believe but there were only 2 small dings in it. It took a few days to get it all primed and ready for paint but it now looks as good as new. The side vents are just sitting in position as the under trays are being powder coated and i left the main vent at the bodyshop doh! It still needs to go back up to the bodyshop to get de-nibbed and machine polished, might manage that when i'm home next trip. The heads are having new guides fitted and some mild porting/tidying up, hopefully they should be ready for the end of the month when i get home, so the engine could be back in fairly soon afterwards, providing i havent forgotten anything that is Kenny

A jelly baby goes to the doctors with his willy all covered in licorice Doctor asks "what the hell have you been up to?" Jelly baby replies "f**king allsorts!"

I'm doing good thanks, works been feast or famine recently so that's kinda hindered progress. It's hard to plan anything or buy parts without a steady cash flow. I never intended to go big power but the temptation has always been there. It's not a definate yet but what ever i decide to go for it should have a fair bit of poke [] Kenny

I haven't got any more pictures but things have moved along a little since my last post. The bodywork is almost finished, the n/s back door has been re-painted and put back on, just need to get the bonnet scoop and vents painted. The interior is all back in with the exception of the clocks, still trying to decide whether or not the budget can stretch to a stack display. The gearbox has been PPG'd [] I got a straight cut syncro kit and billet forks from Mark @ Lateral. I could have had it put into my original casing but it made more sense to have it fitted to a later 754 case since that's what the kit was designed for plus they also have better syncro's and it meant i didnt have to go looking for a 752 uk 5th gear. Scoobyclinic supplied a 2000uk box to which they fitted the kit/forks and my dccd transfer box and took the old RA box in part exchange. I drove down and dropped the box off and then went to collect it a few weeks later, bit of a trek but it was a good excuse to see their workshop and get a good nosey round! Mark called me yesterday to let me know that my 2.1 stroker short motor was ready and would be here this week. I was originally going to put an 18G on it but i'm tempted to go for something a little bigger, like a rotated GT30R and a lateral front mount [] Although i'm not to sure how long my rear diff will last at close on 500bhp [^o)] Ill get some more pictures up once i start putting the engine together. Cheers Kenny

There should be a small silvery coloured sticker on the drivers door pillar, should say something like wrx-ra sti. My car had this but i had to remove it when the car was painted. I'm offshore just now but when i get home i could post up one of the pictures i took of it before it was removed, think i still have the sticker but it wont stick back on. Kenny

I've put a facelift front end on my ra so i have the old grill lying in the loft doing nothing. If your interested pm me and we can arrange something. Cheers Kenny

Great pics mate, wish i was there instead of being stuck on this here oil rig!!!! Almost got off today but one of the flights got cancelled and it doesnt look very hopeful for tomorrow, be lucky to get home on Monday at this rate. Hope you enjoy it and hopefully ill be there next year Kenny

I know exactly what you mean Col, Surely if your that desperate for guys you would be willing to take on someone with good onshore experience and give them a chance. I'm not being racist or anything but i dont think it's right to bring in cheap labour when there are loads of guys trying to get a start, afterall taining someone who speaks and understands English properly has to be better and most importantly safer. When i decided to try and get a start offshore i tried at first by just sending my then up to date cv but everyone i spoke to said i needed my survival, so i did that and then tried again. This time they all said you really need you comp"ex" hazardous areas course,(for those who dont know its a sparky related course so doesnt apply to everyone trying to get a start offshore) so i did that too cost me about £700 but even with a both of these and a pretty decent level of experience considering my age they still didnt seem to be as desperate for guys as they were making out. I even took it upon my self to get an offshore medical done so they had no excuses, i could get away from my old job within 2 weeks but still everyone said oh but it's difficult to get you on a job without experience. Eventually i started applying for just about every sparkys job that came up even if they said they were looking for people with offshore experience. My break finally came when i saw an advert for Dowding & Mills, who said in their advert that they were looking for experienced electrical technicians but since i had quite a bit of experience with big electric motors (which is what this company started out doing) i figured i might as well go for it. A week or 2 passed and then i got a phone call asking me to come up for an interview, it was the first interview i'd had since the entrance test for my apprenticeship so to say i was a little nervous is an understatement, but it was a really laid back almost informal interview and i felt quite comfortable. As i was leaving the guy said he would save the paper work and told me there and then i had the job. All i can say to anyone that is looking for a start offshore is dont give up, keep at it and make it clear in your cv that you are more than willing to learn any new skills, your a quick learner etc and generally make out that your really keen bla bla... Sure it has it's downsides, like getting stuck on a platform because of the weather but the $$ and time off more than make up for it, although i've not had much time off recently [^o)] but then the extra $$ softens the blow. All in all it's the best move i've ever made [] Kenny

So much for getting some time off [^o)] I've been offshore pretty much no stop since my last post. Anyway, it's been mixed fortunes really I have mangaged to get a few bits and peices done, this picture was taken before the ns rear door had to be taken back off. It had to be stripped back to bare metal because of some small micro blisters that wee never noticed initially because it's so dam bright! Its now been primed and was ready for paint before i came back offshore so hopefully the boys will have done by the time i get home. The bonnet, bootlid, front wings and rear bumper are all painted and on the car now. Need to get a shot of the back, it's nothing new but the bright white paint and a nice new set of Sti rear light clusters look wicked When i get home ill put up some pictures of my modified bonnet scoop [] I also got the windows bonded back in but i'm begining to think the front screen on this thing is jinxed, the trim at the top of the window didnt go in properly but we never noticed until the glue had set so there's no option but to cut the window back out! Kenny

01. STi_Bandit --------------- (MY04 - STi Type UK) 02. WRXMANIA ------------ (MY03 - WRX) 03. Mrs Jc scoob ------------- (MY01 - WRX) 04. G.Mac ------------------- (MY05 - STi 9 UK) 05. st3ph3n ------------------ (MY05 - WRX) 06. PaulC555 ---------------- (MY01 - WRX, Sti, ish) 07. Stu_B -------------------- (MY03 - WRX ) 08. Z1000 -------------------- (MY03 - Sti 8 UK) 09. NKWRX ----------------- (MY06 - WRX) 10. 360ste ------------------- (MY02 - STi) 11. Higgy --------------------- (MY02 - hybrid) 12. Cal ----------------------- (MY02 - WRX) 13. Fai 17-------------------- (MY04 - STiUK) 14. The Welsho --------------- (MY06 - WRX 15. rallye 6 ------------------- (MY53 - WRX) 16. G.T. --------------------- (MY01 - WRX) 17. Kev 580 ------------------ (MY02 - STI 7 UK) 18. Spaceman ---------------- (MY05 - WRX swrt) 19. Mako --------------------- (MY05 - WRX) 20. bigbadboab --------------- (MY53 - WRX) 21. Big Den ------------------- (MY05 - STiUK) 22. Mrs Big Den -------------- (MY05 - WRX) 23. scoobysailor ------------- (MY05 - WRX) 24. Keap_scooby ------------- (MY01 - WRX) 25. Gus the Bus --------------- (MY05 - WRX300) 26. 4hero --------------------- (MY53 - WRX) 27. PECO ---------------------(MY05 - WRX) 28. Dean ---------------------- (MY53 - STI Type UK) 29. DrewG-------------------- (MY53 - WRX) 30. Chris_c201---------------- (MY01 - WRX) 31. TheBlackSheep-------------(MY06 - STiUK) 32. Clutdav-------------------- (MY05 - STI 9 Type UK) 33 Sheep----------------------- (MY01 - WRX WAGGON) 34 hammy -------------------- (MY02 - STi Type UK) 35 Zeolite-----------------------(MY05 UK300) 36. Scoobymark----------------(MY04 - STI UK) 37. Dipsy ---------------------- (MY05-JDM STi) 38. Irish Al -------------------- (MY03 - WRX) 39. dynamix -------------------(MY06 - STi UK) Classics: 01. Shep -----------------------(MY99 - Sport) 02. Kloon --------------------- (MY00 - UK) 03. Jc scoob -------------------(MY99 - UK ) 04. WRC No1 ---------------- (MY97 - UK ) 05. Gordyq --------------------(MY95 - WRX) 06. Darryll ---------------------(MY 98 - Type R) 07. scientific steve -------------(MY98 - Type R) 08. Oz *sti* -------------------(MY96 - STI v3) 09. Col 666 -------------------(MY99 - Type R) 10. scoobyfuzzy ---------------(MY93 - WRX) 11. Road Warrior ------------- (MY94 - WRX) 12. Todd ----------------------(MY93 - WRX) 13. Bigdavie -------------------(MY99 - Turbo) 14. RubyTheScooby ---------- (MY98 - Sport) 15. Rossco --------------------(MY00 - Type R) 16. Ally-b ---------------------(MY00 - UK) 17. micra_wrc ---------------- (MY96 - STi type RA V-Limited) 18. Seafar99 ----------------- (MY98 - STI v5 Wagon) 19. RRS 555 ------------------(MY98 - UKTURBO Saloon) 20. Mako -------------------- (MY93 - WRX) 21. Vicki ----------------------(MY00 - UK) 22. paddy247 -----------------(MY94 - WRX STI V1) 23. Ac!D --------------------- (MY95 - UK) 24. FastScooby -------------- (MY95 - WRX) 25. Dtabbit77 ---------------- (MY00 - UK) 26. Terzo Neil ---------------- (MY98 - UK Terzo No. 306) 27. scoobykev --------------- (MY98 - UK) 28. Arbroath Smokie --------- (MY98 - 22B) 29. TheSquirrel555------------(MY96 - WRX STI LIMITED 555) 30. MY94---------------------(MY94 - JDM STi V1 Wagon ) 31. coulty--------------------- (MY96 - WRX STI V2) 32. Weeb-------------------- (MY93 - STi power) 33. Whitelaw------------------(MY00 - P1) 34. Duncatr------------------- (MY97 - UK Cat No. 99) 35. Catalunya80---------------(MY97-UK Cat No. 80) 36. Frank C-------------------(MY99-UK Turbo) 37. Stripe--------------------- (MY99-UK Turbo) 38. Pugpaul------------------- (MY96 WRX Wagon) 39. RS Grant------------------(MY99-UK Turbo 40. butcher boy --------------- MY97 (jdm wrx) 41. Simmie -------------------- (MY 97 UK Turbo Wagon) 42. scoobyscoop--------------(MY98 UK Turbo Wagon) 43. Ross9 ---------------------(MY97 - STi4 Type R) 44. Kenny.S--------------------(MY95 - STi Type RA

Myself and a few mates have been going to this for the last few years. We've got some accomodation booked up for the Friday and Saturday night but still got to decide who's driving! I've done it for the last 2 years so i'm counting myself out this time, it's my turn to be on the all day!! Hope to see some of you there Edit: Not going to make it after all! I'm getting sent back offshore 4 days after this trip so i'm going to miss it[] I did tell the guys in the office ages ago that i needed this weekend off but somewhere along the way they've mixed the dates up. Never mind, the only good thing to come from all this work is that ill be able to buy the PPG gear kit a bit sooner []

I'm only home for a week so i'm not sure how much ill be able to get get done. Went up to the bodyshop today and the doors are primed and ready for paint which might happen tomorrow [] Made a start re-assembling some small bits and pieces, so far i've remembered where everything goes! On days like today it doesnt bother me having to work outside! Kenny

Cheers guys As Andy has already figured out, it's in "Grant Vehicle Repairs" in Garelochhead. I'm good mates with the guy that's doing the painting, but i've done nearly all the prep work. So far the guys have put about 20 hrs on it fixing a few small dings etc but i've put in over 80! The engine bay is so bright and clean now i dont think ill have any choice but to get everything else under there cleaned up, painted or powder coated so they dont look too out of place! Kenny

Went into the bodyshop again this morning and before i got a chance to ask about getting it painted they beat me to it! Seems they were keen to get it done so as they could free up some space. The panels are taking up quite a bit of room so i can see where they're coming from. So i spent the day re-masking the car and getting it ready for paint, by about 5:30 it was in the oven and just about ready to go We laid a plastic sheet on the floor and then pushed the car over it, taping it to the sills and wheel arches so that no overspray got under the car or blown up into the freshly painted engine bay. Three coats of pure white later [] Hopefully the weather will be ok tomorrow and we'll be able to get the car on the trailer and back to my lock up. Could do with another week off before i go offshore! Kenny

If anyone else is still going ill maybe see you there, ill be taking my trusty old Cavalier that has no paint on the bonnet, should be easy enough to spot amoungst the rest! All i need to do now is go and wake up my passengers who are most likely still p*£%ed from last night wish me luck, might be going on my own! Kenny