Project Mall Runner

[ScottyB]

thanks guys!

If you have a solid detail shop in your area, could be the way to go.

i'm thinking of doing exactly that.  i may pick up a buffer in the holiday season too when the sales hit, i need one anyway and now with fresh black paint if i want to do it right this is the time.

i hear Dan is back in the detailing game so i might need to take a ride up to NC just to let him work his magic...it'd be worth the trip i'm sure.

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so after about 130 miles, some initial impressions

• the AC is incredibly good.  it has a massive condenser sitting behind that gaping maw of a grille and it does some serious work, even considering its a giant black heatsink.
• for how soft the dampers are, the body roll is really well contained, and it doesn't feel like its riding on 70 series balloon tires when you corner.
• very gentle throttle tip in and the brakes don't have much feel for how strong they are.  so i end up stabbing the gas to get it going and then accidentally stabbing the brakes because i can't feel the bite point.  which means i'm porpoising around my driveway trying to ease it into parking spots and that probably looks really dumb
• very slow steering, great for covering miles but i really had to adjust coming from the Si
• super quiet
• bank vault doors.  i've driven tinny, minimalist cars for a long time and its a nice change
• the power won't surprise you.  need a good kickdown to go, but moves along nice once it builds revs.  utterly smooth and quiet.  enjoying having 2 timing-chain engines now.
• a lot of thought in the design for its intended purpose.  after looking it over, there's armor all over the bottom, things are tucked up as much as they can be, the alternator and intake (with a huge filter) are mounted way up high, huge top-opening fuse box in the bay.  massive radiator, lots of room around the engine.  rear wiper tucked up into a pocket in the spoiler away from dust and grit.  

did a wash (on a brand new shiny car, i'm sure i looked like an idiot) then pulled it in for a clay barring and a coat of montan wax.  its a ton of sheetmetal to cover which sucked but it should be good for a while now.  even being minty fresh there was a bunch of garbage on the paint...this was from covering only about 1/6 of the roof:


got rained on immediately afterwards though.  love dem beads.