Skidude

Do you mean that you sand the washers if re-using the old ones ? I didn't sand them as I had new ones for which fraud charged me my left testicle.

Guys, how tight should I nip up the oil pressure switch side against the copper washer and banjo ? I'm worried about crushing the banjo if I over tighten.

I too was disappointed with the stock FG brake package. A few laps around Wakefield and they virtually gave up. I didn't have the coin at the time to go to AP's or Brembos. Instead put RDA Slotted rotors and Ferodo DS Performance pads on it. Street speeds it pulls up a lot better and can withstand 20 minute track sessions. Although my mate with the F6 brembo package absolutely annihilates me under brakes. I'd expect to get away with all this plus a fluid change for a little less than 1K if you do it yourself.

@ AJ-80.....You could always get a second hand one, take your time polishing it, then swap it over. I'm really happy with how it looks, as it now looks aftermarket and I find myself staring at it. I'm sure the neighbours think I'm a nut case.

I was puzzled about how to clean the fins & tubes. Bought some Meguiars Non acidic alloy whell cleaner and a very soft alloy wheel brush. Sprayed it on and gently scrubbed up/down. Then hosed off being careful to go head on with the water and not bend any fins. It came up better than I expected.

Decided that I didn't like the crappy look that the stock intercooler gets after a while. Decided to see how good I could get it. Here are the results: So for those of you interested in doing this you'll need the following: Wet & dry sandpaper in the following grits: 180, 360, 800, 1200 (get two of each grade and an additional 2 of the 180 grit). All up about $25 Josco Polishing wheel kit from Bunnings ($40) comes with a large sisal abrasive wheel, large buffing wheel and two smaller wheels the same.Black abrasive polishing rouge & white polishing rouge Mains powered drill (as it takes a while) Aluminium/metal polish ($15) Safety glasses and face mask. Lots af time & patience (took me around 7 hours from starting to take front bar off to back on the road) With the sandpaper you start with the 180 and work up to the 1200. Same with the wheels - start with the hard sisal and finish with the buffer. Heres a good link: While your at it you may as well clean the inside of the IC. I blocked the ends of with a rubber glove and elastic band, filled with turps and sloshed it around for a few minutes.Emptied. Then repeated with turps. Emptied. Then repeated with fuel. Drained and let dry internally overnight.

Thanks Freeze. Is that a 24mm Deep socket ? I've ordered an Earls one. Hopefully it turns up before the W/end.

Gents, how hard is this to fit and how long to fit ? I'm reasonably handy for a keyboard jockey (can do minor servicing, brake pads/discs, etc.)

Cheaper & better I am led to belive. Top End Audio

I cant youtube from work so I can't provide a link. But search on you tube for "XR6 Turbo macarthur ford" - they had some custom front bars and body kits added to some of their cars which had a blacked out front lower spoiler. Looked good too.

just hold it against the toothed side of the belt whilst the engine is running. 2-3 seconds and the squeek should be gone. Keep a firm hold of the dri lube and also where you're putting your fingers and shirt sleeve.

Option 2. True Custom exhaust. Spoke to an custom exhaust specialist. They will fabricate a 4" dump on site from aluminised steel, fit a hi-flow cat and replace the mufflers with stainless steel straight through designs. He reckons the 2 mufflers alone will be $250 each. So will be interesting to see his quote for everything. Anyone think of any drawbacks with this approach ?

I have 245/35/20 Zeetex on mine. They are an "A" rated tyre for grip (AA being highest). As to be expected, they dont grip as well as the standard dunlop sportmax. They're reasonably quiet considering I'm on 20's. Wear wise, I cant seem to kill them. I've done 2 track days at Wakefield and around 12K on them and they don't seem to have reached half life. (I do rotate tyres every 5k). They're fine in the wet as long as you take it easy. No aquaplaning at highway speeds either. I'm happy with them considering they came as part of a package deal. But I will be buying something AA rated next time as these turbos really need every bit of grip once the boost kicks in.

Not looking for big power, just slightly faster, better drivability and fuel economy. However, Mrs Skidude wants it loud. Sorry its an FG as well (the green one to the left !).

Have teed up a well known Sydney workshop to tune the car. A tune and hot side pipe is worth around $1600. This will add around 30-40rwkw. An xforce 3.5" turbo back is going to cost around $1800 fitted in mild steel. I know it will sound great. Of course the exhaust would be fitted prior to tune. So what reasonable additional power should I expect from this over tune only ? I'm trying to justify spending big $$$ on the exhaust but if its only for a minimal power gain, I may be better off looking at other mods such as coilovers.

Dri-Lube by Goss Products. Looks like a long off white candle, wrapped in paper. Costs around 5 bucks from any local parts store.

Are you sure its the pulley itself ? I have the same prob when cold. Disapperars once the engine is up to temp. I just put a bit of dry lube stick on the belt when I start up. Noise disappears immediately.

Google "Ford territory tailgate rust" I had one which I traded for the XR6T. Every terri I came across had the same rust spot.

I usually go for an easy 1-2 klm drive after some laps at Wakefield to let her cool down. Unfortunately I was at the end of the strait taking some pics and the Mrs was driving. She came into the pits a few minutes before the session ended and this is when I think the pad transfer has occurred. I've been told not to use handbrake on very hot brakes as there is a chance the pads can "fuse" to the rotor. Not sure if this is myth or not.

Looks like pad transfer onto a hot spot. More than likely caused by depressing brake pad whilst stationary when she come into the pits with super hot brakes. Will have them machined for $30 each.

Went to Wakefield Park today in the FG XR6T. I am running RDA Slotted discs with Ferodo DS Performance pads. They worked well today except for our last lap of the day the brakes started shuddering. I've let them cool down but they're still shudderring on mid to high brake pedal pressure. Does this sound like a warped disc ? If so are they a throw away or can they be skimmed ? (If they are to be thrown I've still got the standard fronts to bung on until I can get myself another set.)

What causes the loud woof sound from the exhaust when the car changes up through the gears (ZF Auto) under heavy acceleration ? It was the first time I've heard it from outside the car today and its a lot louder than I thought it was. Excuse the un-educated question but this is my first performance car so I'm still learning.

Removed my stone chip guard as it looked ugly. Saw another car with one that was painted and it looked a lot better. Had a friend panel beater paint the inside of the guard. I like the mono-brow look !

Was there a barrel in store to bend you over as well ?

And it needs to be left on !