And so we continue the saga of the N14 Pulsar Project. Every time we get into this car we make improvements, tidy and fix bits making this vehicle come back to life. Today we did some cosmetic work with a touch of functionality as well.
We replaced the boots struts which keep the boot (rear hatch) it was a simple enough process of undoing the bolts and doing back up with the other unit installed. so now you dont have the boot closing on you while you get your groceries out the back.... got rice? lolz.
The most work was put into the front bar with it being finalized with some frills to make it look neat. if we recall from previous episodes that we hacked the bar up to make it look more aggressive and get some more air flow up front to the pod filter etc. while it was a great improvement it had areas which needed finishing such as the gaps on either side of the center hole and some mesh to hide whats going on behind the bar.
We made a quick template up from cardboard to a nice size and shape to cover the holes on either side, that's one shape which is flipped over from one side to the other to keep them the same. this shape was then cut from some plastic we had laying around in the garage. The plastic inserts were then painted in primer and white paint then secured to the bumper.
Next we installed the mesh. The material was measured and calculated for most efficient means of application using the ever accurate "eye ruler". We made sure the mesh was facing the "right way" and all 3 inserts of mesh were facing the same direction. Nothing looks as buckled on a vehicle as when mesh is mounted in all different directions on a front bar. With all the bits trimmed and ready to go we hot glued the mesh in place (about 2-3 minute drying time) and then went over the bar with the silicone which will hold it together long term (24hr drying time).
Finally we got around to taking the side badges off and replacing the considerably faded side repeater indicators over to a nice new clear type. this updates the car quite a bit in my opinion and it tends to be one of the first things i like to do to vehicles with faded orange repeaters. while we were here we gave the front guards (fenders) a quick hit with the cutting compound and polished em up a bit as there were some scratched and grease marks on them. after all is said and done the car will get a complete once over with the cut and polish, but for now its better than it was ;)
So its getting there, with all the small bits we have done over the past few weeks or so we have started making this car into a "tidy hack" vehicle. that is the mods are somewhat cheap and home hack DIY kinds stuff, but it is giving the N14 Pulsar Project some much needed love which makes it look far more presentable and in much better working order than when we first acquired the vehicle.... don't you think ?
We hve a few more cosmetic improvements to make before the that side of the project is complete, then we will apply some more maintenance and performance work before we have the N14 pulsar right where we want it.... thah perfect balance of tidy/hack, mild performance look, daily vehicle.... right in that sweet spot ;)