Dan's omniMicra

[drand]

Hello.

I've been around here for a while and it's about time I started a blog.

My car is a p-reg 1.3 gx five door in 326 white. She doesn't have a name, but I've called the blog omniMicra because it's my only car and has to do commuting, child ferrying, a bit of motorsport and be a hobby when I get some free time.

The car's currently standard apart from some orange wheels (track ones, road ones waiting for a refurb), tacho and a dab radio.



I plan to start the modifications towards the end of the summer at insurance renewal time - springs and dampers, poly bushes, replica grp a airbox, 100nx brakes to start. Medium term manifold and exhaust, and I have a spare head to port and cams to grind. Eventually I would like to go high -comp n/a and get it nistuned.

It also needs some boring but necessary stuff like sorting out some rust, dents and dings etc.

Next update will be tomorrow after Farnborough motor club spring autosolo, hopefully post some video from my new cheapo eBay dash cam.

Ttfn!

 

[drand]

So the autosolo went fairly well, very well run and good weather, and the Micra and I managed 3rd in class and 17th overall. I was second after half the tests so I'm a bit annoyed with myself but I'll probably feel better about it in the morning. Try to put some video up soon.

 

[drand]

Not a lot happening with the car lately, but I have been collecting more parts in readiness for a late summer suspension overhaul..

 

[drand]

...and my article about my first sprint in the Micra appeared in the club magazine

 

[drand]

Today I got a Micra father's day card - awesome!

 

[skymera]

I likes it

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[drand]

Had some time to do a few things with the car today, in-between stripping layers of 80-year-old paint off a fireplace(!).
First off start painting the road wheels ready for new tyres..

Notice cam cover, experiment to see what it looked like painted with a brush. About as good as you'd expect given my evident lack of painting skills, but may have a plan for it.

Next, new euro plates:

Tried to tidy up HOL springs where the powder coat had come off. Needs a couple more coats, and I know it won't last long, but at least they'll be nice and shiny when they go on the car.

Then onto the most important thing, orange silicon washer tubing...

While running it to the reservoir I took the opportunity to clear the crud out of from behind the mudguard and arch liner and pack in a bit of waxoyl:

Last but not least a full complement of new arch liner clips. Hurrah!

 

[drand]

Almost forgot: tonight's reading material!

 

[Clodo]

I got tom that book for his birthday x

 

[drand]

Just had an amusing exchange with a very nice lady from A-Plan insurance:

me: I'd like a modified car quote, please.

her: Certainly Sir, what car is it?

me: A Nissan Micra

her: Really?

me: Yes.

her: hahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!

Apparently when I said 'Nissan' she wasn't expecting me to then say 'Micra'. It was all in good humour though and I think I made her day.

 

[drand]

A little update for the biggest changes so far.

First off, mk 1 golf splitter (not the gti duckbill type). Not seen one of these on a k11 before. I quite like it but I imagine it's not to everyone's taste.

Next up was a replica group a airbox. This was someone else's project which I finished off and I had to trim a bit off the bonnet support arm and the horn brackets in order to get it to fit. In truth it could do with sitting a bit higher up still, so I might have another go at it later. For now though, it works well enough. The induction noise is quite something, (not what I wanted it for incidentally) but I'll get used to it. Point to note, the Haynes lies about getting the grille off; there are two clips under each headlight as well as the two next to the lights and the central one mentioned in the manual.

Lastly, the main event, HOL 50mm tarmac springs and Bilstein standard dampers, complemented by a Nodspeed adjustable panhard rod at the rear and new wishbones and Nodspeed fast road bushes at the front. I did the rear garden fairly easily in an hour and a half, thanks to a couple of days of squirting penetrating oil on everything that needed to come off, and making the traditional sacrifice of grazed knuckles to the gods of stiff bolts (in the "no, no, no it's not shifting - ooh there it goes aaaaagh who put that sharp piece of metal where my hand wanted to go? " style). Must say also the Nodspeed stuff is very good quality.

The front end was a bit more tricky. Getting everything off was fairly straight forward, though it had had a new wishbone bolt at some point in the past which had a torx head - so new socket rail required. More difficult bits were getting the new wishbones into the front mounts - silicone spray and careful leverage required. One that subject the front wishbone mount definitely seems a bit puny and prone to wobbling. I might consider a lower brace at some point. T

The worst bit though was tightening up the track rod end nuts on the ball joint - in the end I had to resort to clamping the ball joint to the knuckle with a ball joint splitter to be able to tighten up the nut. If anyone can tell me what I should have done instead, please do!

I'm really pleased with the way the car drives. The ride is good considereing the noticeable increase in stiffness and it feels so hooked up round the corners compared to how it was. There are a few squeaks from the springs so I'll go and check bolts etc bit I hope it'll settle down in time. Proof of whether it was worth it will be whether I can beat those pesky minis in the next autosolo. If not then unfortunately I'll have to blame the driver and not the car...