Member Profile - SYM (w/ new wheels pg18)

[JDGT05]

nicest Gen V I've seen so far, would be happy to be driving around in that.

Ever thought of painting or wrapping the chrome door trim surrounds?

Could be good for a cheap subtle change!

[SYM]

Thanks James - the thought had crossed my mind several times, definitely a black/matte back would be my choice of colour

To do the job properly, I think this would need blasting/removal of the chrome highlights (and prolly would need some more planning and expert advice to get this done right, or go to a panel shop and get their thoughts)

[SH30RB]

nicest Gen V I've seen so far, would be happy to be driving around in that.

Ever thought of painting or wrapping the chrome door trim surrounds?

Could be good for a cheap subtle change!

To do the job properly, I think this would need blasting/removal of the chrome highlights (and prolly would need some more planning and expert advice to get this done right, or go to a panel shop and get their thoughts)

I think its a great idea, but (personal opinion/choice only) i'd get the chrome surrounds as best matched to the B and C pillars as possible get that silver on black/gunmetal theme going

Your car is looking great Simon, definitely my favourite Gen5 on here!

[SYM]

Thanks simon - they mod bug is in full swing!

Brembo fronts are up next (time for some nice silver colour behind the wheels), and cruisn has been a fantastic source of advice and knowledge. We are very lucky to have him on these forums!

I'll be ordering some goodridge braided lines shortly

[bigBADbenny]

+1meeleon!
Lovin this wag

[gtbwgn]

ahhh brembo"s are next eh sym that will be a huge step foward braking wise and also will make those sti rims shine mate nice one!
as for the change of chrome window surrounds have you thought about that spray on plastic paint? from what ive read it can be removed later if you want to return to stock.

[SYM]

Thanks Benny - yes getting a few good kicks from having a diff look on the wagon. It took me a few minutes to bloody work out what a "meeleon" was

Gazz - I hadn't known about the spray on stuff, but not sure about it's durability? (ie. Start to peel off a few months down the track, well before any plans to return to stock).

And yessir, some brembo power and bling are coming. Originally was going to wait til next year, but the dull metalwith colour of the gt brakes was starting to get to me. Then a saw some pics rooby had posted of jap genV s with Brembos, plus marks painted calipers thread.... and then it all went downhill from there

Rears will do later - I understand +08 Brembo rears can be installed without adapters, but they are a bit hard to come by, and a bit exxy at the moment.

[HyRax]

Brembo fronts are up next (time for some nice silver colour behind the wheels), and cruisn has been a fantastic source of advice and knowledge. We are very lucky to have him on these forums!

I'll be ordering some goodridge braided lines shortly

Brembo's definitely look much nicer than the stockers - will complement your car very nicely. The lines will make a good difference in your braking too. Also consider an STi Master Brake Cylinder upgrade for rock-solid brake pedal goodness. I recently did it to my car and the difference is huge.

Rears will do later - I understand +08 Brembo rears can be installed without adapters, but they are a bit hard to come by, and a bit exxy at the moment.

If you can, try and do both front and rear at once - I think just doing the fronts only looks so wrong (even if just temporary). If you have to use adapters, they're not expensive from Mark and they're very easy to fit.

[SYM]

Thanks Jeff - are the sti master brake cylinders are a simple "plug n play?" ie. Swap out the old, and put in the new? Or some modifications/adapters required? I've seen a few sti master brake cylinders on ebay for 89-100 ish.

I'd like to get the 08s rears and avoid the need for adapters. IM going to paint my rears black so it does stand out too much

It sounds like the rears upgrade takes a bit more planning and research though - I've been reading a few threads - is it correct to assume I need new handbrake shoes if I upgrade my rear rotors and calipers? If so, I can source these from brake specialists/phat?

[HyRax]

Thanks Jeff - are the sti master brake cylinders are a simple "plug n play?" ie. Swap out the old, and put in the new? Or some modifications/adapters required? I've seen a few sti master brake cylinders on ebay for 89-100 ish.

Yep - rip and replace, then re-bleed the system. No extra hardware required at all. The only potential issue will be the length of the rod that attaches to the brake pedal but that can be fixed by either shortening the rod or adjusting the upper stopping point of the brake pedal (which will make it sit a little higher than the other pedals).

I actually have a spare MY06 STi Master Brake Cylinder and Booster from a wreck that I'm looking to offload. The MBC is in excellent order but the Booster casing has a bit of rust on it, and the nuts that secure the MBC to the booster need replacement due to rust. Other than that, it feels solid. You can have them both for $60 if you like.

I'd like to get the 08s rears and avoid the need for adapters. IM going to paint my rears black so it does stand out too much

I reckon with Brembo's they should stand out! Black is boring! See Mark's painted calipers thread for examples - it's where I was inspired to get mine done silver with blue decals.

It sounds like the rears upgrade takes a bit more planning and research though - I've been reading a few threads - is it correct to assume I need new handbrake shoes if I upgrade my rear rotors and calipers? If so, I can source these from brake specialists/phat?

It's easier than it sounds, actually. You have two choices:

1. Stick with stock handbrake shoes and use DBA's custom-made STi-sized rear rotors with 170mm handbrake area. No-one else currently makes a similar rotor so you will always have to use DBA's. These rotors are heavier than standard STi rotors, however.
2. Swap out your handbrake shoes with shoes modified with an extra 10mm of meat so that you can fit regular STi rear rotors with a 190mm handbrake area. These are lighter than the DBA part and you will have a greater choice of vendors as well. The effort required is simply to replace the shoes of the handbrake assembly, that is all. I elected to do this and I have some photos of this in my profile thread. I sourced a spare set of handbrake shoes from a wrecked MY08 Liberty and then got Marion Brake & Clutch in Belmore to remove the existing pad and bond new thicker pad material onto them.

You're quite close to me (I'm in Ryde), so you're welcome to meet up so you can have a closer look at my car if you want.

[cruisn]

I'd like to get the 08s rears and avoid the need for adapters. IM going to paint my rears black so it does stand out too much

You can only use '08 rears Simon, different mounting points so adapters dont exist as such to put earlier model rear brembo calipers on.

Painting your oem rears black?

[SYM]

I'd like to get the 08s rears and avoid the need for adapters. IM going to paint my rears black so it does stand out too much

You can only use '08 rears Simon, different mounting points so adapters dont exist as such to put earlier model rear brembo calipers on.

Painting your oem rears black?

Spot on Mark ! Sorry I should have made that clearer in my earlier post.... Black OEM rears (for now)

[SYM]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the great information on the MBC/brake booster, you certainly made it easier to understand

I'll send you a PM re the Sti MBC/BB you have.

And yeah, Ive done my fair of drooling over marks painted calipers thread.... And the silver brembos with the blue (as well as the ones with black) decals look sweet. I'm gonna go with body colored calipers (steel silver) and black decals

And black plans are for OEM rears, so they don't stick out like dogs balls. When I get brembos rears, they'll be the same as fronts

I applied some PERL tyre shine today - great recommendation by kieran/chaotic, they look so black and shiny (like a full time "wet" look)

[SYM]

Tyres dressed in PERL tyre shine, purchased from waxit.com.au (one pic is the same as posted on club.lib facebook page)

I think it is $30 well spent - for those wanting a black-wet look on their tyres. Bottle reads "lasts for ~3months", so will see how it goes!

[dubbwah]

wow they come up really nice!
Pity my place has a 800m dirt road, be a waste of $$$'s for me...