Special K

Enough of this ribold bufoonery.. .. tomorrow (Sat)... Autosport Show (ripoff..) .. it would be good to meet up with fellow members who are there (if only to slag 'em off ... haha..) Should we meet, at 11.00am, on whatever stand Adrian's Fensport GT86 is displayed on? I'm not sure whether it's the Summit / Sun??? -gearbox / 'hello-man, you-want-sexy-time-in-Thailand?' stand his car is on.. probably the latter, they don't call it the Birabongse circuit without reason..) .. a focus point so I will be there in due time. Spec K

Mike - I think we ought to club together and buy Rob a 'sumo suit' - better than what he's got at the moment... ... blurry scarecrow... Spec K

Yesterday was trade day, wasn't it..? I'm planning to be there early tomorrow.... not particularly interested in the "Live Action Arena" stuff, seen it before.. Rob, do you think another chat with the L-O-T boys might be worthwhile...? Spec K

I reckon it's worth mentioning in Pistonheads, Mikhail.. they did a big article on Pitman's car which was very well received.. Spec K

It's a good car, in my view... Mikhail has spared no expense on it... competes in F2 class TSS but is perfectly tractable for road use, like mine... Shame you're not continuing, Mikhail... Spec K

Glacial - tnx for Amazon link - unfortunately they're out of stock and don't know when they're getting any more! I might pop up to my local Eurocars and see if they've got it. Spec K

Very kind, very kind..... Long time no hear. Everything okay in your neck of the woods? Spec K

When you don't slow down and they "graunch", change 'em.. Spec K

Interesting point, Rob. I am not sure I agree with it as a 'rule of thumb', it is the angle of the seat squab which should determine the angle of the back rest - if you have the front lip higher to support the backs of your thighs the back rest should be canted backwards. The optimum position for homo sapiens to absorb spinal shock is in a straight line, not bent at 90 degrees. This, of course, is a result of evolution, our skeletal development and all that... Our love affair with the horseless carriage (and powered flight) demands that we can see the way forward yet are able to manage both foot- and hand-controls as originally defined by Henry Ford. As our eyeballs are in fixed sockets rather than flexible stalks we have to adopt a contortion which is unique in the animal kingdom and has led to the global introduction of .... yes, you've got it... the 'seat belt'. Some say the optimum driving position is supine and, if you review custom designed horseless carriages, (and particularly those that conduct themselves at outrageous velocity) one can perceive that the laying-down position is preferred for a variety of reasons, including safety. This requires the iniquitous, invasive and uncomfortable addition of... aaargh, the 'crotch straps'.... to minimise continued progress of our fragile structure should our chosen projectile suddenly decelerate. Hence the addition, to mitigate our predilection for sitting upright and for a deforming structure to impinge upon our theoretical safety zone, of the 'airbag'. Discuss... Spec K

Excellent, AJ. I'm sure that will be good fun... it's the National circuit on a Friday, anoyne thinking about the GP circuit could consider 9th March. I would consider it but it's a bit too close to my Spa trip with Javelin.. Spec K

Nice one, Kethos! Shame about the lighting... Spec K

Lars When we buy a GT86/BRZ we buy it "out of the box". Toyota know (and have chosen to ignore so far) the problems with gearbox/vvti that have bugged many. But Euro spec cars are different A little websearch would have identified for you these problems (why is it the Toyo salesmen don't declare these to customers?) Keep pressure on your local Toyo dealer... they will upload the "Technical Notes" and start to understand that you are the 'MAIN GT86 MAN' in the country! Spec K

Nick - come on track and experience it. We can all 'postulate' our own viewpoints on the Forum. But, at the end of the day, it comes to what you - personally - are comfortable with. Learn the limits of your car - with someone else's help. Then learn your own limits (aka comfort zone). This is not a competition and the GT86DC should (and we are) sharing experience and knowledge to make your ownership not only fun but a learning curve... (Shite! - I sound like a pontificating fart... oh, I am...) Spec K

Lauren, I have no dispute with your clear advice... but I'm a bit concerned you may be leading ".. road.." drivers into areas and skills of car/pedal control that need developing. On track.. this is a FERWD and so many new FEFWD owners are bewitched by this 'tail hang out' ease and simplicity of the Toyobaru.. ... and we will have at least two opportunities this year - Oulton in Feb and Brands in April/May - for you, personally, to demonstrate this to these new owners. I have a personal interest in this - the less of us who pile your cars into a wall the better the insurance statistics stack up, and the lower our "banding" goes...

Rob... ... this is a ".. how to.." with nobs on! Respect, my man.. See ".. What's On.." to claim your SpecK MOTD award... (err.. that's 'Man Of The Day', not some silly footy crap..) Spec K

Yep - get an auto... hee hee... Spec K

Celica? Spec K

Santa is a Yorkshireman Of this I'm fairly sure I heard him tiptoe in my room at roughly ten to four.. "I 'ope tha's fast asleep" he said "..or tha'll get nowt my lad" He smelled of Hi Karate (must've pinched it from ma Dad) Just down stairs I'd left a treat Santa loves a beer He loves pork pies and single malt That was Dad's idea When I woke next morning I ran down stairs to see if Santa had been kind enough to leave gifts under t'tree He got our Mam a nightie and a pair of china pigs Our Dad got socks and undies and 200 Park Lane cigs. Ma sister got a Barbie sat on a plastic horse A 'One Direction' album which she loved of course When I unwrapped my parcels My Yorkshire heart did sing Each gift that Santa gave me A truly wondrous thing A flat cap for my noggin A vest of finest string The ferret keepers Handbook Each gift fit for a king So thank you Santa, thank you Each wish you aim to fix so can you please makes next years gift a GT86... Spec K

Nothing yet.... family all here today. Nine of 'em... aaargh, that's all my best Rioja spoken for... Still, a nice 5-bird roadkill ^w roast to look forward to.. then it's prezzy time. Ho hum, more socks, shirts and knickers... Spec K

Adrian, what are the options/prices for upgrade to stage 3 billet ? Spec K

I bow to your experience, Keethos.... I admit I have never tried to use my highlift jack before my car was lowered and I certainly could not get a lump of wood on top of the lift platform (which it would need, as the platform is circular and exceeds the space at the front jacking point). Also, my handle hits the bottom bumper lip before it reaches underneath far enough. Spec K

Nick - it is virtually impossible to get to the "central front jacking point" - it is the crossmember, a normal reach jack will not get underneath far enough and the crossmember is covered by the undertray. Just behind the front wheels, on each side, you will find the body seam. There is a groove in the seam which identifies the place to put your jack. Same with the rear wheels, except the grooves are in front of the wheels. If you use a highlift jack you can lift both wheels on one side off the deck. But you will invariable squash the body seam - as the car lifts it angles away from the jack and the seam bends outwards... this can be overcome with a suitably carved square piece of wood with a groove cut in it which sits on the jack lifting platform to accept the protruding seam ... bent seams are not a major issue as they can always be straightened out with a lump hammer or mole grips but purists react in horror... Spec K

Good idea - saw it on the GPRM Britcar.. Spec K

Letter from Barclays - " Dear Customer, Reviewing the activity of your account may I please remind you - you bank with us, we don't bank with you.. Sincerely Robin Bstewards " Spec K

Why is it I have concerns about this procedure? Possibly because - I give my 'clean' bits to my engine builder.. he builds it... the engine goes shitfaced.. Who's to blame? Who's fault? Nigel - you've gone 80% of the journey. Why not re-assemble it yourself? It's only rods and pistons, being slung into a 150-mile block.. with your knowledge/expertise this should be a piece of cake.. No? Spec K