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Sappenin 
I've had this car (my first, mind you) for about two and a half years and have slowly been building it up. The plan was mostly set in stone since before I even bought the sucker, so I really just needed to work up the balls and money to make it happen - sounds simple enough, right? Since it's been going on for so long and I'd like to give S|W the story right from the beginning, here is a briefly summarised timeline of all the lesser important parts followed up by the more serious stuff happening recently. Enjoy
24th August, 2009
Purchased. Kid in a candy store. Boring stuff, nothing interesting to see here. Got some plates, decent stereo, got my licence.
26th March 2010:
Mk4 GTI wheels, the bug has started nibbling
Then... Three days later, 29th March:
And the other car, a Camry:
She's down, but not out. I think my wheels have to wait for a while.
15th April:
-Heater core replaced
-Crash damage fixed
-New rear brake pads
-100k KM major service (motor/gearbox oil, coolant flush.. etc etc)
Pics of the heater core job, OHMYGOD thank god it's out of the way:
Seeing this makes me cringe. F88k getting stuck into that!
28th April 2010:
Moar exhaust noise pls! The VR6's exhaust system features a big resonator known as the 'suitcase muffler' in the exhaust system. Simply chopping it out and replacing it with a straight pipe is a common thing to do for quick sound at bugger all costs. I've looked into doing it for several weeks but never had the time, spare cash or cojones to try it - until now
When I went into the exhaust shop to take a looksie, the bloke was surprised. He had done the very same car just a few years ago! Sweeet. So it turns out that I have a completely new stainless steel system from the cat back, with 2 1/4 inch piping and a smaller resonator here and there. That's why it's louder than a standard VR6 but not TOOOO loud, which is what the previous owner was after. I said no thanks to that, I want some volume - cut out the resonator in place of the standard suitcase, and put a straight piece of stainless there. No problemo was the answer, it'll be about $90.
After some mucking around with a few pipes, we found one that suited. Welded it on and sprayed it with black exhaust paint so it looks normal-ish, and brought the car down.
The very second he started it up, my mouth shot from an expression of curiosity to a grin so wide I could barely fit it through the shop's roller doors! I love it, I can't get enough of it, and it cost me less than a dinner for two. F12k yeah!
22nd June 2010:
Clutch died The clutch fork had pretty much broken in half and was fouling on the pressure plate, the noise was terrible! Got that all done, along with some decent tyres put on the Mk4 wheels and mounted onto the car.
22nd July:
I wanted more induction noise, but I didn't feel like getting in trouble with the police for having an open pod filter installed. So, after reading several guides and getting some opinions on what to do, I traced and cut the lower left corner off the existing airbox, which faces the headlight and guard.
Cleaned out the K&N filter, went out for a test drive and WOW. No videos or anything, but my first thought was HOLY CRAP THIS IS LOUD ON FULL THROTTLE. Instant wub.
21st August:
Mangled the f**ken back end cause I'm an idiot. Bodgy home respray job on the arch, just to make sure the damn thing doesn't rust.. Confirmed my thoughts that it'll need a respray sometime down the track.
Good as new. Sort of. A little bit. Not really.
11th October:
Apart from some minor cosmetic stuff that I've done (remove spoiler, cut up the antenna a la 'stubby' style, clear front indicators) that's how the car stands so far. Coming soon after my final exams is a proper VR6 lip, OEM-spec from Germany, and a GIAC chipped ECU. I have some fairly good plans for 2011, let's just see if everything works out!
I've had this car (my first, mind you) for about two and a half years and have slowly been building it up. The plan was mostly set in stone since before I even bought the sucker, so I really just needed to work up the balls and money to make it happen - sounds simple enough, right? Since it's been going on for so long and I'd like to give S|W the story right from the beginning, here is a briefly summarised timeline of all the lesser important parts followed up by the more serious stuff happening recently. Enjoy 24th August, 2009
Purchased. Kid in a candy store. Boring stuff, nothing interesting to see here. Got some plates, decent stereo, got my licence.
26th March 2010:
Mk4 GTI wheels, the bug has started nibbling
Then... Three days later, 29th March:
And the other car, a Camry:
She's down, but not out. I think my wheels have to wait for a while.
15th April:
-Heater core replaced
-Crash damage fixed
-New rear brake pads
-100k KM major service (motor/gearbox oil, coolant flush.. etc etc)
Pics of the heater core job, OHMYGOD thank god it's out of the way:
Seeing this makes me cringe. F88k getting stuck into that!
28th April 2010:
Moar exhaust noise pls! The VR6's exhaust system features a big resonator known as the 'suitcase muffler' in the exhaust system. Simply chopping it out and replacing it with a straight pipe is a common thing to do for quick sound at bugger all costs. I've looked into doing it for several weeks but never had the time, spare cash or cojones to try it - until now
When I went into the exhaust shop to take a looksie, the bloke was surprised. He had done the very same car just a few years ago! Sweeet. So it turns out that I have a completely new stainless steel system from the cat back, with 2 1/4 inch piping and a smaller resonator here and there. That's why it's louder than a standard VR6 but not TOOOO loud, which is what the previous owner was after. I said no thanks to that, I want some volume - cut out the resonator in place of the standard suitcase, and put a straight piece of stainless there. No problemo was the answer, it'll be about $90.
After some mucking around with a few pipes, we found one that suited. Welded it on and sprayed it with black exhaust paint so it looks normal-ish, and brought the car down.
The very second he started it up, my mouth shot from an expression of curiosity to a grin so wide I could barely fit it through the shop's roller doors! I love it, I can't get enough of it, and it cost me less than a dinner for two. F12k yeah!
22nd June 2010:
Clutch died
The clutch fork had pretty much broken in half and was fouling on the pressure plate, the noise was terrible! Got that all done, along with some decent tyres put on the Mk4 wheels and mounted onto the car.22nd July:
I wanted more induction noise, but I didn't feel like getting in trouble with the police for having an open pod filter installed. So, after reading several guides and getting some opinions on what to do, I traced and cut the lower left corner off the existing airbox, which faces the headlight and guard.
Cleaned out the K&N filter, went out for a test drive and WOW. No videos or anything, but my first thought was HOLY CRAP THIS IS LOUD ON FULL THROTTLE. Instant wub.
21st August:
Mangled the f**ken back end cause I'm an idiot. Bodgy home respray job on the arch, just to make sure the damn thing doesn't rust.. Confirmed my thoughts that it'll need a respray sometime down the track.
Good as new. Sort of. A little bit. Not really.
11th October:
Apart from some minor cosmetic stuff that I've done (remove spoiler, cut up the antenna a la 'stubby' style, clear front indicators) that's how the car stands so far. Coming soon after my final exams is a proper VR6 lip, OEM-spec from Germany, and a GIAC chipped ECU. I have some fairly good plans for 2011, let's just see if everything works out!
sucks major donkey nuts.
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