My indecisive 98 SC300 build
03-18-18, 05:10 PM
#256
Nice work on painting the calipers!
I would have to see it in person to give my final word, but those HREs in mirror polished look like a million bucks, whereas the gunmetal colored ones look just okay. Definitely liking the polished much more, they look more expensive.
I would have to see it in person to give my final word, but those HREs in mirror polished look like a million bucks, whereas the gunmetal colored ones look just okay. Definitely liking the polished much more, they look more expensive.
03-18-18, 07:18 PM
#257
All the possible combinations that I posted in the "what did you do to your car" thread:
Green + Polished
Green + Gunmetal
Yellow + Polished
Yellow + Gunmetal
Thanks man, I probably put about 15 hours into painting those calipers a few hours at a time over a month, and they didn't even come out close to what I wanted. The day that I painted them took about 7 hours from setup to cleanup (includes a 3 hour curing time at the end). I learned a lot about the painting process while playing with it, so I have notes for what I would change next time I attempt to paint something. I've spent close to what the powdercoater wanted to charge me on buying paint, supplies, and tools, but I don't regret trying to diy it first. If I were to do it again, I would paint the inside section 1st, wait a week for it to cure, then assemble the calipers and paint the outside all at once.
I like the gunmetal a lot, but I think it looks bland on my dwp car. My polished faces are 8/10 condition, so I'm going to stick with them for now. I want to do brushed polished clear faces, but it's going to cost close to $1k to do with the relipping. I have to settle for downsizing the rears because it has to be done for me to run the kw with the hre.
I wasn't feeling the dark wheels with the white paint. It's a similar feeling to when I look at the car with the te37sl.
Green + Polished
Green + Gunmetal
Yellow + Polished
Yellow + Gunmetal
Nice work on painting the calipers!
I would have to see it in person to give my final word, but those HREs in mirror polished look like a million bucks, whereas the gunmetal colored ones look just okay. Definitely liking the polished much more, they look more expensive.
I would have to see it in person to give my final word, but those HREs in mirror polished look like a million bucks, whereas the gunmetal colored ones look just okay. Definitely liking the polished much more, they look more expensive.
I like the gunmetal a lot, but I think it looks bland on my dwp car. My polished faces are 8/10 condition, so I'm going to stick with them for now. I want to do brushed polished clear faces, but it's going to cost close to $1k to do with the relipping. I have to settle for downsizing the rears because it has to be done for me to run the kw with the hre.
I wasn't feeling the dark wheels with the white paint. It's a similar feeling to when I look at the car with the te37sl.
Last edited by Blkexcoupe; 01-18-20 at 03:31 PM.
03-18-18, 08:46 PM
#258
Pole Position
Amazing build! Love your work. The car is amazing
03-22-18, 09:10 PM
#259
- KW
I made all the adjustments to double check the factory recommendations were set properly for compression and rebound (and they were).
The compression (bump) adjustment is on the bottom of the shock. It's hidden behind a black plastic clip.
Once the clip is removed, this is what the adjuster looks like. The necessary tool is provided in the tool kit.
I set the compression (bump) to 6/12 clicks. The clicks are a bit confusing to hear/feel. The amount of clicks alternates during every rotation, so it goes 1st rotation = 1 click, 2nd rotation = 2 clicks, 3rd rotation = 1 click, 4th rotation = 2 clicks, and so on.
The rebound adjustment was set to 9/16 clicks (although I kept on counting 20). This is the standard hex key on top like any other coilover.
I originally set the coilovers to have 75mm of thread below the spring perch since this was the maximum ride height according to KW.
After I measured my car, I realized the lowest recommended drop on the KW was going to be higher than my current ride height, so I adjusted it to 55mm of exposed threads (the lowest recommended setting).
- Wheels:
I picked up my lips and barrels from the shop earlier today.
Part of the reason I got the 19's for such a good deal was because one of them was bent. I was told the bend could be fixed and the tire would still hold air. Once the wheels arrived, it was pretty obvious someone had already tried to fix the wheel and it wasn't a good job.
Whoever tried to fix the wheel overheated the barrels. There are stress marks in the repair, so if I were to hit a pothole the barrel would crack along that line.
Luckily for me, the shop had a 19x7" reverse lip barrel in stock. No wait time and I was able to pick it up right away. It sucks I had to buy a barrel, but I had already factored it into my cost before I bought the wheels.
Mock up of the lip and barrel to make sure all the bolts line up.
I mocked up the face to verify everything was good.
Something to note for any of you that ever attempt to build your own wheels. The valve stem hole is usually the "lowest" point of the wheel, so it'll have some type of mark. In the case of my wheel, they countersunk the back of the face:
You want to align the valvestem holes on the barrel and lips with the lowest point of the face. Ideally, you'll keep the face with the matching barrel to balance the wheel properly. Part of the building process requires centering the face and making sure all the tolerances are correct before torquing the bolts down. As a diyer, you probably won't have access to this kind of machinery, so keeping the face and barrel matching is the best you can do.
I got to meet Mr. OG status and nnnickkk last night. It's rare that I get to see other clean SCs out a car meet, so it was quite a treat.
Those headlights on Daniel's car are amazing to see in person. I've always thought they looked nice in photos, but after seeing them in person and having him explain to me all the work behind making them, they got added on to my list of things to buy.
I made all the adjustments to double check the factory recommendations were set properly for compression and rebound (and they were).
The compression (bump) adjustment is on the bottom of the shock. It's hidden behind a black plastic clip.
Once the clip is removed, this is what the adjuster looks like. The necessary tool is provided in the tool kit.
I set the compression (bump) to 6/12 clicks. The clicks are a bit confusing to hear/feel. The amount of clicks alternates during every rotation, so it goes 1st rotation = 1 click, 2nd rotation = 2 clicks, 3rd rotation = 1 click, 4th rotation = 2 clicks, and so on.
The rebound adjustment was set to 9/16 clicks (although I kept on counting 20). This is the standard hex key on top like any other coilover.
I originally set the coilovers to have 75mm of thread below the spring perch since this was the maximum ride height according to KW.
After I measured my car, I realized the lowest recommended drop on the KW was going to be higher than my current ride height, so I adjusted it to 55mm of exposed threads (the lowest recommended setting).
- Wheels:
I picked up my lips and barrels from the shop earlier today.
Part of the reason I got the 19's for such a good deal was because one of them was bent. I was told the bend could be fixed and the tire would still hold air. Once the wheels arrived, it was pretty obvious someone had already tried to fix the wheel and it wasn't a good job.
Whoever tried to fix the wheel overheated the barrels. There are stress marks in the repair, so if I were to hit a pothole the barrel would crack along that line.
Luckily for me, the shop had a 19x7" reverse lip barrel in stock. No wait time and I was able to pick it up right away. It sucks I had to buy a barrel, but I had already factored it into my cost before I bought the wheels.
Mock up of the lip and barrel to make sure all the bolts line up.
I mocked up the face to verify everything was good.
Something to note for any of you that ever attempt to build your own wheels. The valve stem hole is usually the "lowest" point of the wheel, so it'll have some type of mark. In the case of my wheel, they countersunk the back of the face:
You want to align the valvestem holes on the barrel and lips with the lowest point of the face. Ideally, you'll keep the face with the matching barrel to balance the wheel properly. Part of the building process requires centering the face and making sure all the tolerances are correct before torquing the bolts down. As a diyer, you probably won't have access to this kind of machinery, so keeping the face and barrel matching is the best you can do.
I got to meet Mr. OG status and nnnickkk last night. It's rare that I get to see other clean SCs out a car meet, so it was quite a treat.
Those headlights on Daniel's car are amazing to see in person. I've always thought they looked nice in photos, but after seeing them in person and having him explain to me all the work behind making them, they got added on to my list of things to buy.
Last edited by Blkexcoupe; 01-18-20 at 03:42 PM.
03-25-18, 04:18 PM
#260
- Wheels:
I started the relipping process for the 18" rears. I had the tires removed and cut the sealant. The best way to cut the sealant is in a V shape. The more material you remove in the initial cut, the less has to be cleaned up after. The sealant in this picture is the standard window caulk found at home depot. It works fine for sealing the wheels, but this stuff is awful to remove because it breaks into small pieces.
After all the bolts are removed, I take a 4x4 and a mini sledge hammer and give it a friendly tap to dislodge the face. Every brand of wheels has a different tolerance and fit.
I use a wire cup in a drill to clean off all the old sealant
The wire cup makes a mess, but it works great. Everything will have to be washed before assembly to remove dust. I also use alcohol wipes to prep the surface where the new sealant will go.
I mocked up the new lip with the faces. If the valve stem hole is in the 6 o'clock position, then a lug nut hole should be on the same vertical line down the center.
I use 4 bolts (12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions) to align everything to make sure the face is align with the lip and barrel. At this point, if it's necessary, then I'll place the wheel face up on the ground. grab a pillow or towels to protect the face, stand on the face of the rim, and jump to press the face down. It's takes a bit of bravery the 1st time, but after you've done it once, it's not a big deal. It's usually older wheels that I've encountered this. Newer wheels I've worked on just bolt right together.
Once assembly starts, I start torquing the bolts at the 6 o clock position, then 12, 9, 3. I continue to move clockwise and add 1 bolt in the same pattern. M8 grade 10.9 or 12.9 hardware tends to be around 22-23 ft lbs of torque.
I've found that usually after each quadrant has 5-7 bolts, that I have to go back and retorque everything again from the very 1st bolt.
Both wheels wrapped back up and taped to prep for sealant
Wheels sealed up and taped removed. My sealant of choice is Dow corning 733 or 732 in aluminum finish. I use both interchangeably. I buy whatever is available and cheapest.
How the sealant looks up close. I prefer to do 2 thin layers instead of 1 thick. I apply the 1st layer, then apply a 2nd layer 24 hours, and wait at least 24 hours before mounting a tire.
- KW:
I was completely wrong about the figures given in the KW installation manual. I forgot the SC measurements and supra fender to center of wheel measurements don't transfer over. At 55mm thread gap the front tires were tucking a little bit.
I ended up adjusting to have 1 finger gap in the front and half a finger in the rear. The rear is at the upper end of the KW specs.
DF - 70.98MM, -1.9 degrees of camber
PF - 69.60MM, -2.0 degrees of camber
DR - 73.40MM, -2.4 degrees of camber
PR - 75.37MM, -2.8 degrees of camber
I didn't fix the camber and adjusted the toe to be in an acceptable range to take the car on a test drive. With the adjustments out of the box, it wasn't as smooth as I was hoping for. Low speed city driving feels similar to the hks, but high speed is smoother. Initial impressions make me think the hks handles better. The dampers on the KW are set to about 50% compared to the HKS which is currently set at only 25-30%. I still need to drive the car more and play with the settings to make a fair judgement.
I've put about 2,700-2,800 miles on the HKS since the rebuild 15 months ago.
I started the relipping process for the 18" rears. I had the tires removed and cut the sealant. The best way to cut the sealant is in a V shape. The more material you remove in the initial cut, the less has to be cleaned up after. The sealant in this picture is the standard window caulk found at home depot. It works fine for sealing the wheels, but this stuff is awful to remove because it breaks into small pieces.
After all the bolts are removed, I take a 4x4 and a mini sledge hammer and give it a friendly tap to dislodge the face. Every brand of wheels has a different tolerance and fit.
I use a wire cup in a drill to clean off all the old sealant
The wire cup makes a mess, but it works great. Everything will have to be washed before assembly to remove dust. I also use alcohol wipes to prep the surface where the new sealant will go.
I mocked up the new lip with the faces. If the valve stem hole is in the 6 o'clock position, then a lug nut hole should be on the same vertical line down the center.
I use 4 bolts (12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions) to align everything to make sure the face is align with the lip and barrel. At this point, if it's necessary, then I'll place the wheel face up on the ground. grab a pillow or towels to protect the face, stand on the face of the rim, and jump to press the face down. It's takes a bit of bravery the 1st time, but after you've done it once, it's not a big deal. It's usually older wheels that I've encountered this. Newer wheels I've worked on just bolt right together.
Once assembly starts, I start torquing the bolts at the 6 o clock position, then 12, 9, 3. I continue to move clockwise and add 1 bolt in the same pattern. M8 grade 10.9 or 12.9 hardware tends to be around 22-23 ft lbs of torque.
I've found that usually after each quadrant has 5-7 bolts, that I have to go back and retorque everything again from the very 1st bolt.
Both wheels wrapped back up and taped to prep for sealant
Wheels sealed up and taped removed. My sealant of choice is Dow corning 733 or 732 in aluminum finish. I use both interchangeably. I buy whatever is available and cheapest.
How the sealant looks up close. I prefer to do 2 thin layers instead of 1 thick. I apply the 1st layer, then apply a 2nd layer 24 hours, and wait at least 24 hours before mounting a tire.
- KW:
I was completely wrong about the figures given in the KW installation manual. I forgot the SC measurements and supra fender to center of wheel measurements don't transfer over. At 55mm thread gap the front tires were tucking a little bit.
I ended up adjusting to have 1 finger gap in the front and half a finger in the rear. The rear is at the upper end of the KW specs.
DF - 70.98MM, -1.9 degrees of camber
PF - 69.60MM, -2.0 degrees of camber
DR - 73.40MM, -2.4 degrees of camber
PR - 75.37MM, -2.8 degrees of camber
I didn't fix the camber and adjusted the toe to be in an acceptable range to take the car on a test drive. With the adjustments out of the box, it wasn't as smooth as I was hoping for. Low speed city driving feels similar to the hks, but high speed is smoother. Initial impressions make me think the hks handles better. The dampers on the KW are set to about 50% compared to the HKS which is currently set at only 25-30%. I still need to drive the car more and play with the settings to make a fair judgement.
I've put about 2,700-2,800 miles on the HKS since the rebuild 15 months ago.
Last edited by Blkexcoupe; 01-18-20 at 03:51 PM.
The following users liked this post:
- V - (11-25-20)
03-25-18, 08:16 PM
#262
I've had the poly bushings in my suspension since 2010 or 2011 with multiple suspension setups over the years, so I don't think those are that big of a deal.
03-26-18, 09:48 AM
#263
Pole Position
Lookin good man! Agreed on the softer bushings - that'll make a big difference if it's what you desire.
03-28-18, 02:27 PM
#264
I turned down the dampers 2 clicks in the front and 1 in the rear and the feel has improved a lot already. I'm going to have one of my friends corner balance and dial in the dampers next month once his car is done.
I got the tires mounted and put the wheels back on the car yesterday evening. The tire shop told me one of the wheels was slightly wobbling. One of the barrels might have a small bend, but they were able to balance it out.
Last edited by Blkexcoupe; 01-18-20 at 03:53 PM.
03-29-18, 07:46 AM
#265
Pole Position
It looks spectacular, nice work man! Plan on keeping the HKS's as backups?
03-29-18, 11:40 AM
#267
Pole Position
Sounds about right - might be worth keeping them around for a little in case you change your mind (they're awfully nice).
03-29-18, 01:39 PM
#268
I've gone through the entire suspension trying to figure out why I have a knocking sound on the passenger rear that isn't consistent. The only thing I can think of is that we might have drilled the top hat out too wide and there is a little bit of play. Which is annoying, but I have no way to verify that besides pulling the suspension and swapping the top hats.
Another issue I ran into last night was that the camber readings seemed off to me, and I was worried my equipment might be out of spec. The rear suspension is higher than it used to be, but it has more negative camber. I also have no room left in the adjusters to lower the negative camber. I took it to my friend's shop this morning and they confirmed that my equipment is accurate. I have -2.8 degrees in the rear. I was thinking with the new height I should be able to get it down to -2.0, but I'm stuck at -2.8. My last alignment when the steering rack was put in, they were set to -2.5, so I have no idea what is going on now. Next step might have to be adjustable rear LCA since I can't raise the rear any higher or I'll be out of the range for KW suspension.
The chrome plated parts really make them unique. Even feal suspension was amazed by how nice they were when they rebuilt them.
Another issue I ran into last night was that the camber readings seemed off to me, and I was worried my equipment might be out of spec. The rear suspension is higher than it used to be, but it has more negative camber. I also have no room left in the adjusters to lower the negative camber. I took it to my friend's shop this morning and they confirmed that my equipment is accurate. I have -2.8 degrees in the rear. I was thinking with the new height I should be able to get it down to -2.0, but I'm stuck at -2.8. My last alignment when the steering rack was put in, they were set to -2.5, so I have no idea what is going on now. Next step might have to be adjustable rear LCA since I can't raise the rear any higher or I'll be out of the range for KW suspension.
The chrome plated parts really make them unique. Even feal suspension was amazed by how nice they were when they rebuilt them.
04-13-18, 12:43 PM
#270
No, I haven't had time to spend a day to check everything over on the SC. I've had to work on it an hour or two at a time at night when I have a chance. I had the water pump go out on one of my other cars a couple of weeks ago, so that took up 2 weekends (1st to diagnose and figure out what I needed to order, 2nd to install parts).
My friend brought his LS460 out to a meet last night and it reminded me that the way their alignment is done is through shifting the entire subframe. Which makes me wonder if I could shift mine and get the same results. Looking through my records this morning, all the alignments that I had close to -2 degrees of camber was before I installed the solid mounts and titan sways. It's possible the solid mounts aren't centered perfectly since the mounts had to be drilled out to fit, so when I installed the subframe I unknowingly shifted the subframe closer to 1 side throwing the adjusters off and causing them to max out. It's all a theory, but there is no way to know unless I go back to oem mounts. I do need to get the camber fixed. It's making me spin tire too often now.
The knocking sound in the rear was from the top hats being loose. I double checked the torque specs and they were correct, but it still had the sound. I ended up just cranking down on the center nut until it was tight and the sound went away.
My newest problem is a clunk/clanking sound during low speed braking (think of slowing down for speedbumps). It sounds like it's the brake pads shifting during initial bite, but sometimes I can hear and feel it mid braking. I can only replicate the sound while the car is under load and braking. I ordered all new hardware (shims, rattle clip, sliding pins, and clips) from the dealer to see if it makes the sound go away.
My friend brought his LS460 out to a meet last night and it reminded me that the way their alignment is done is through shifting the entire subframe. Which makes me wonder if I could shift mine and get the same results. Looking through my records this morning, all the alignments that I had close to -2 degrees of camber was before I installed the solid mounts and titan sways. It's possible the solid mounts aren't centered perfectly since the mounts had to be drilled out to fit, so when I installed the subframe I unknowingly shifted the subframe closer to 1 side throwing the adjusters off and causing them to max out. It's all a theory, but there is no way to know unless I go back to oem mounts. I do need to get the camber fixed. It's making me spin tire too often now.
The knocking sound in the rear was from the top hats being loose. I double checked the torque specs and they were correct, but it still had the sound. I ended up just cranking down on the center nut until it was tight and the sound went away.
My newest problem is a clunk/clanking sound during low speed braking (think of slowing down for speedbumps). It sounds like it's the brake pads shifting during initial bite, but sometimes I can hear and feel it mid braking. I can only replicate the sound while the car is under load and braking. I ordered all new hardware (shims, rattle clip, sliding pins, and clips) from the dealer to see if it makes the sound go away.