Hi all. Thought I'd give this blogging a go; I've been lurking on these forums for years following other people's builds, so why not try my own. It's going to be a bit slow to be honest, but let's see.
So I'm Daheem, I'm a 23 year old MES Engineer, I'm from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, but now live in Liverpool.
I drive a 2005 Micra 1.5dCi (80ps) and used to drive a 1999 Micra K11 on which I stuck on some cheap alloys and never got round to fitting lowering springs (I was a student on low budget). Picture of old and current Micra, when I bought it, below.
Basically I very much like cars courtesy of Hotwheels, Top Gear, Fast and Furious and Mighty Car Mods, to name a few. I don't really know how to work on them to be honest, but would love to learn and try to do things myself (at least once).
The K12 is the first car I've bought myself and I was pretty naïve: I paid a trader £1300 for it, with 151,230 miles on the clock. I travelled 2 hours for it and bought it in the dark. It had just been part exchanged the night before and hadn't been touched (not even valeted) yet. However it came with full service history and I got newbie excitement and bought it. It doesn't feel as solid and bulletproof as the K11, but it's my daily commuter and it hasn't let me down mechanically. Plan is to just run this car to the ground (as my daily driver), while I try and save up for other things, so why not take a little pride and have a bit of fun on a budget.
Pics when I bought it:
So things need(ed)/want(ed) doing:
I've taken inspiration from Paapz0r's Micra - with his winter steelies and coilover setup. So what I've currently done is:
What's in the pipeline (well there's plenty, but here's the gist):
So I'm Daheem, I'm a 23 year old MES Engineer, I'm from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, but now live in Liverpool.
I drive a 2005 Micra 1.5dCi (80ps) and used to drive a 1999 Micra K11 on which I stuck on some cheap alloys and never got round to fitting lowering springs (I was a student on low budget). Picture of old and current Micra, when I bought it, below.
Basically I very much like cars courtesy of Hotwheels, Top Gear, Fast and Furious and Mighty Car Mods, to name a few. I don't really know how to work on them to be honest, but would love to learn and try to do things myself (at least once).
The K12 is the first car I've bought myself and I was pretty naïve: I paid a trader £1300 for it, with 151,230 miles on the clock. I travelled 2 hours for it and bought it in the dark. It had just been part exchanged the night before and hadn't been touched (not even valeted) yet. However it came with full service history and I got newbie excitement and bought it. It doesn't feel as solid and bulletproof as the K11, but it's my daily commuter and it hasn't let me down mechanically. Plan is to just run this car to the ground (as my daily driver), while I try and save up for other things, so why not take a little pride and have a bit of fun on a budget.
Pics when I bought it:
So things need(ed)/want(ed) doing:
- Noisy (screechy) lock - FIXED - apparently common; easy fix with the help of YouTube.
- Aerial snapped off - FIXED - apparently common; I fitted a new mount and antenna.
- Drivers seat tilt latch snapped off - FIXED - I got a replacement latch from Nissan and it just pushed into the slot. Part number 87618BC02A.
- Windscreen wipers banging against sides - FIXED - again, apparently common; I tried the Wipex linkages from eBay but that didn't work. In the end I ordered a replacement assembly and wiper arms off a March 12SR as part of an order I did from Japan (I'll do another post about this).
- Clean EGR valve
- Driver's (electric) wing mirror doesn't tilt up and down (I can hear the motor whirring, but no movement) - if anyone has any suggestions that'd be great.
I've taken inspiration from Paapz0r's Micra - with his winter steelies and coilover setup. So what I've currently done is:
- The fixes above
- New stereo (as per).
- Adjustable BC Racing coilovers fitted. Will do another post about this.
- Alloy wheels redone/refurbished and fitted. Will do another post about this.
- JDM headlights fitted (with indicators built in)
What's in the pipeline (well there's plenty, but here's the gist):
- Sort remaining issues above
- Get a second key/fob
- Tidy up the paintwork and sort the few that spots. This'll be my opportunity to have a go at bodywork on a car. There are a few dents and stone chips etc. I've also got a DA polisher, so want to have a go at detailing at some point.
- Get facelift bumpers, sideskirts and foglights off the Sport+ models.
- Get a spoiler of some sort; either off the Sport+ models or I'm thinking one off a Nismo Juke of it fits
- Tidy the tatty vinyl work in the interior. Maybe a vinyl paint? And the drivers door armrest is looking grim, so that needs addressing.
- Replace the steering wheel; rubbish quality and it's just fully peeling.
- Tint rear windows; I'd like to give it a go.
- Get some tidier number plates. I really like the 4D acrylic plates that Utopia Plates do, but I'm put off by the fact I don't have a private reg, so might look dumb.
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