The Something & Nothing Stealth Blobeye STI Thread...
#181
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Stencil to repaint the red:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F254270026454
Should help to tidy it up (that combined with some red paint).
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F254270026454
Should help to tidy it up (that combined with some red paint).
#182
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#183
Thanks for the info on changing bulbs and whatnot! I’m yet to attack these as I’ve been tinkering with other stuff. Such as ripping my bathroom out which has taken all of my spare cash! But not to worry I’ve managed to sneak a couple bits onto the car without the wife kicking off. I might try and give this a go next week if I can get a day or 2 spare!
I literally just sat and read through the whole thread again! It’s re-inspired me. You’re not too far down the road to me either!
I literally just sat and read through the whole thread again! It’s re-inspired me. You’re not too far down the road to me either!
#184
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Thanks for the info on changing bulbs and whatnot! I’m yet to attack these as I’ve been tinkering with other stuff. Such as ripping my bathroom out which has taken all of my spare cash! But not to worry I’ve managed to sneak a couple bits onto the car without the wife kicking off. I might try and give this a go next week if I can get a day or 2 spare!
I literally just sat and read through the whole thread again! It’s re-inspired me.
I literally just sat and read through the whole thread again! It’s re-inspired me.
I am not sure how inspiring it is? I just read it again & it's mainly painting stuff black, fitting stainless bolts, cleaning/polishing & thinking about what to paint black next
Oh yeah Havent, about 22 miles or £25 in fuel depending on which tariff you use
I have a proper update coming this weekend. It's been an emotional & expensive week
Last edited by Kaosone; 23 February 2020 at 02:38 AM.
#185
I look forward to the update. The inspiration comes from the little mods that I’m almost capable of doing myself. You seem like the type that will try something before you decide if you 100% like it or not. And tbh thats me. Haha. This is the first car I’ve actually taken to slightly modding, let alone doing it myself. So you can take some pride from that if you like. Good work as always!
#186
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At the risk of changing the theme of this thread I've actually got something interesting to report
Remember this:
Well my power steering pump shat itself a few weeks back & while "feel" was improved, changing direction (in a left - right "S-bend) was terrifying. Seeing as the system would need bleeding it seemed like the perfect time to throw the 2015 rack in. Being lazy & not looking forward to laying under a car in the cold I gave the privilege to "someone else".
"Someone else" called me after an hour or so to tell me the racks didn't match up, I genuinely thought this was a straight swap as a few people have done it & never mentioned anything otherwise but it turns out the mounting points are different. A 30 second Google search revealed a guide on NASIOC for the entire procedure which confirmed this:
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/sho....php?t=2787255
So a later subframe would have made life easier (hindsight n' all), but with a car in bits the options were:
A) Chop about & re-weld the subframe so the mounting holes line up with the later rack.
B) Get some eccentric poly bushes made up to align the mounting points offset to align the point in the rack with my existing subframe.
Option B sounded good until I heard the price & then said "**** that, option A" . When I dropped by later to take a look I was pleasantly surprised to see option B.5 had been implemented. Machine some ally spacers, press them in, drill accordingly to align the holes & shim the rack to the subframe so it's solid mounted .
Rear Mount:
Front Mount:
Both Mounts :
The later car has a wider track (the NASIOC guide suggests cutting the tie rods down to length), "someone else" replaced the 2015 tie rods with the standard blob ones & job done
Remember this:
Well my power steering pump shat itself a few weeks back & while "feel" was improved, changing direction (in a left - right "S-bend) was terrifying. Seeing as the system would need bleeding it seemed like the perfect time to throw the 2015 rack in. Being lazy & not looking forward to laying under a car in the cold I gave the privilege to "someone else".
"Someone else" called me after an hour or so to tell me the racks didn't match up, I genuinely thought this was a straight swap as a few people have done it & never mentioned anything otherwise but it turns out the mounting points are different. A 30 second Google search revealed a guide on NASIOC for the entire procedure which confirmed this:
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/sho....php?t=2787255
So a later subframe would have made life easier (hindsight n' all), but with a car in bits the options were:
A) Chop about & re-weld the subframe so the mounting holes line up with the later rack.
B) Get some eccentric poly bushes made up to align the mounting points offset to align the point in the rack with my existing subframe.
Option B sounded good until I heard the price & then said "**** that, option A" . When I dropped by later to take a look I was pleasantly surprised to see option B.5 had been implemented. Machine some ally spacers, press them in, drill accordingly to align the holes & shim the rack to the subframe so it's solid mounted .
Rear Mount:
Front Mount:
Both Mounts :
The later car has a wider track (the NASIOC guide suggests cutting the tie rods down to length), "someone else" replaced the 2015 tie rods with the standard blob ones & job done
Last edited by Kaosone; 23 February 2020 at 08:34 PM.
#187
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Thread Starter
An alignment later (yeah, that's a penguin glove thing with an ice scraper on the back of his head ) & back in business...
... But much, much better. It's so sharp now
Before (even after a fluid change) the steering felt like it was was belt driven & you had to put a bit of rotation into the wheel take up the slack in it before you got some feedback. Also the 13:1 ratio makes it turn in so much faster (probably that & no "slack") that it seems to upset the suspension with weight transfer (seems like that anyway but I am still getting used to it).
It certainly solved the vague / loose feeling the car used to have.
... But much, much better. It's so sharp now
Before (even after a fluid change) the steering felt like it was was belt driven & you had to put a bit of rotation into the wheel take up the slack in it before you got some feedback. Also the 13:1 ratio makes it turn in so much faster (probably that & no "slack") that it seems to upset the suspension with weight transfer (seems like that anyway but I am still getting used to it).
It certainly solved the vague / loose feeling the car used to have.
Last edited by Kaosone; 23 February 2020 at 08:36 PM.
#188
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Thread Starter
Now to get this thread back on track, here's some **** to paint black
Turbo heatshied treated to some Hammerite & cured in the oven...
I am also going to line it with this DEI stuff (making a paper template of the inside failed miserably)...
There, the heat shied has been heat shielded & painted & the recirc valve has been done in the same heat dispersant paint I used on the intercooler. Now to come up with excuses to put off fitting these as well as redoing my catch can lines etc
Turbo heatshied treated to some Hammerite & cured in the oven...
I am also going to line it with this DEI stuff (making a paper template of the inside failed miserably)...
There, the heat shied has been heat shielded & painted & the recirc valve has been done in the same heat dispersant paint I used on the intercooler. Now to come up with excuses to put off fitting these as well as redoing my catch can lines etc
Last edited by Kaosone; 23 February 2020 at 08:33 PM.
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#189
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Update after living with the 2015 steering rack for a few weeks:
Some modifications make a tiny improvement which is noticeable at first but are soon forgotten about as the change was so small. This rack upgrade has completely enhanced every aspect of driving the car & is still noticeable on every drive from b-road thrashes, to the work commute or stuffing it in a parking space. For the duration of this update I will be referring to the vague, disconnected feel from the old rack as "steering lag."
By far the biggest difference is the response. Tiny inputs to the wheel now result in direct movement & every aspect of driving is less effort as of the shorter through and no lag. When thrashing it down a bumpy road with the old rack you could feel the car tram-lining on grooves in the tarmac, but as of the lag in the steering trying to make small corrections was awkward as the wheel did nothing for the first couple of inches of rotation which lead to a loose & "twitchy" feel.
That has completely gone now, the steering is tight you just turn & the car stays planted regardless of the road surface Previously it was common practice to start turning the car in, assess what it's actually doing & then make corrections to get it where you want it. Now if you need to make small corrections you can, without swinging the wheel round like you're at the helm of a pirate ship.
In summary I am extremely happy with the results, the cars much livelier to drive & I feel much more "connected" to it. It has also fixed the biggest (& only real) complaint I had with the car (however it wasn't cheap).
Some modifications make a tiny improvement which is noticeable at first but are soon forgotten about as the change was so small. This rack upgrade has completely enhanced every aspect of driving the car & is still noticeable on every drive from b-road thrashes, to the work commute or stuffing it in a parking space. For the duration of this update I will be referring to the vague, disconnected feel from the old rack as "steering lag."
By far the biggest difference is the response. Tiny inputs to the wheel now result in direct movement & every aspect of driving is less effort as of the shorter through and no lag. When thrashing it down a bumpy road with the old rack you could feel the car tram-lining on grooves in the tarmac, but as of the lag in the steering trying to make small corrections was awkward as the wheel did nothing for the first couple of inches of rotation which lead to a loose & "twitchy" feel.
That has completely gone now, the steering is tight you just turn & the car stays planted regardless of the road surface Previously it was common practice to start turning the car in, assess what it's actually doing & then make corrections to get it where you want it. Now if you need to make small corrections you can, without swinging the wheel round like you're at the helm of a pirate ship.
In summary I am extremely happy with the results, the cars much livelier to drive & I feel much more "connected" to it. It has also fixed the biggest (& only real) complaint I had with the car (however it wasn't cheap).
#190
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It's really good that you post pics of the modifications that you/garage have to do! I'm sure others (myself included) are looking at newer racks
I upgraded to an sti rack , and it's an improvement over the wrx rack, but tbh it could be even better.
How much was the rack out of interest?
I upgraded to an sti rack , and it's an improvement over the wrx rack, but tbh it could be even better.
How much was the rack out of interest?
#191
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Thread Starter
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/sho....php?t=2894324
The rack itself was £250 off eBay which I’d class as cheap as 13:1 Spec C Blobeye racks seem to go for £300-£350 & while quicker, they don’t have whatever upgrade makes the steering “feel” better that you get from the 2015+ rack.
I also bought new whiteline mounts, tie rod ends & genuine o-rings etc, again not massively expensive but the labor bill from the garage was (I knew what I was getting into after they assed it so it wasn’t a surprise).
Obviously if I’d done a bit more homework I’d have known it wasn’t a straight swap & I’d have got a later subframe which would have made the rack a direct fitment & I wouldn’t have had to pay for the fabrication of the eccentric spacers.
#192
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Thread Starter
Just when my credit card thought it was safe after the steering rack fitting, this came up on eBay
I made an offer, he counter-offered & I accepted. So I emptied out my car & off I went...
So after a 200 odd mile round trip now they're in my lounge (my original blue seats are in my bedroom / hallway)
I already have a black carpet coming from MB Developments so with that, these seats & the door cards from this WRX interior set (I just won for a tenner ) the Something & Nothing stealth Blobeye will be even more stealth .
Now would anyone like a blue STI interior?
I made an offer, he counter-offered & I accepted. So I emptied out my car & off I went...
So after a 200 odd mile round trip now they're in my lounge (my original blue seats are in my bedroom / hallway)
I already have a black carpet coming from MB Developments so with that, these seats & the door cards from this WRX interior set (I just won for a tenner ) the Something & Nothing stealth Blobeye will be even more stealth .
Now would anyone like a blue STI interior?
Last edited by Kaosone; 15 March 2020 at 07:31 PM.
#193
Scooby Regular
Just when my credit card thought it was safe after the steering rack fitting, this came up on eBay
I made an offer, he counter-offered & I accepted. So I emptied out my car & off I went...
So after a 200 odd mile round trip now they're in my lounge (my original blue seats are in my bedroom / hallway)
I already have a black carpet coming from MB Developments so with that, these seats & the door cards from this WRX interior set (I just won for a tenner ) the Something & Nothing stealth Blobeye will be even more stealth .
Now would anyone like a blue STI interior?
I made an offer, he counter-offered & I accepted. So I emptied out my car & off I went...
So after a 200 odd mile round trip now they're in my lounge (my original blue seats are in my bedroom / hallway)
I already have a black carpet coming from MB Developments so with that, these seats & the door cards from this WRX interior set (I just won for a tenner ) the Something & Nothing stealth Blobeye will be even more stealth .
Now would anyone like a blue STI interior?
STEALTH!
#195
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Thread Starter
YEAH!!!!!
The 13:1 ratio is noticeably quicker & driving is less effort as you don’t have to turn the wheel as far, this rack was from a 2015 STI so also has had “feeling” engineered into it to remove the vagueness.
Full report in post #189
Full report in post #189
Last edited by Kaosone; 16 March 2020 at 01:51 PM.
#196
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Thread Starter
Blue carpet (which is very very blue )...
Removed as it has a date with eBay...
Because, black JDM STI carpet...
See, it's as black as my (broken & on the floor) TV
I also had a mate pick up the (£9.99) WRX interior & I gave him the front seats to put in his track car build as payment
So now I also have the black door cards for my interior & now a mint black WRX rear seat in the pile too ).
I doubt I'll be able to find the same colour alcantara to match the seats but maybe I'll get the infill panels retrimmed in black alcantara at some point (it's currently a weird textured cloth ).
First thing's first though, I should probably get it fitted & start listing the other bits
Removed as it has a date with eBay...
Because, black JDM STI carpet...
See, it's as black as my (broken & on the floor) TV
I also had a mate pick up the (£9.99) WRX interior & I gave him the front seats to put in his track car build as payment
So now I also have the black door cards for my interior & now a mint black WRX rear seat in the pile too ).
I doubt I'll be able to find the same colour alcantara to match the seats but maybe I'll get the infill panels retrimmed in black alcantara at some point (it's currently a weird textured cloth ).
First thing's first though, I should probably get it fitted & start listing the other bits
Last edited by Kaosone; 17 March 2020 at 07:48 PM.
#199
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#201
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#202
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Let there be black
And what I am now calling "midnight purple" ...
None of that ***** weight adding arm rest **** here
Fronts need a clean...
I think these are Hawkeye door cards as the handle / tweeter & window control holes are different
I'll just use the stock ones for now
On the list is pull this off, sand the silver paint & buff the black to bring out a gloss finish. Another time though.
And what I am now calling "midnight purple" ...
None of that ***** weight adding arm rest **** here
Fronts need a clean...
I think these are Hawkeye door cards as the handle / tweeter & window control holes are different
I'll just use the stock ones for now
On the list is pull this off, sand the silver paint & buff the black to bring out a gloss finish. Another time though.
#205
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Thread Starter
Washed the car, it's black
The seats are also black, although I hardly notice & they even feel the same
Also after 3 months my catch can was nearly 1/2 full, water mainly but there was some oily residue in there.
After draining it I pulled the sh1tty clear pipe off & redid them with black silicone (notice the classic milky / oily water)
Also measured up this pipe & have ordered a black one (interestingly the turbo side ID is 48mm, yet the intercooler is 50mm
While the intercooler was off I also fitted the turbo heatshield I painted & insulated
Black catch can lines (very pretty even if you can't see them)
Finally while the bonnet was up I pulled this, whatever this is off & binned it (well I tried, it basically disinterested )
Looks much better without it
I couldn't get enough access to get the bung out of the inlet pipe to fit the recirc valve, so that's on the back burner.
The seats are also black, although I hardly notice & they even feel the same
Also after 3 months my catch can was nearly 1/2 full, water mainly but there was some oily residue in there.
After draining it I pulled the sh1tty clear pipe off & redid them with black silicone (notice the classic milky / oily water)
Also measured up this pipe & have ordered a black one (interestingly the turbo side ID is 48mm, yet the intercooler is 50mm
While the intercooler was off I also fitted the turbo heatshield I painted & insulated
Black catch can lines (very pretty even if you can't see them)
Finally while the bonnet was up I pulled this, whatever this is off & binned it (well I tried, it basically disinterested )
Looks much better without it
I couldn't get enough access to get the bung out of the inlet pipe to fit the recirc valve, so that's on the back burner.
Last edited by Kaosone; 01 April 2020 at 10:24 AM.
#206
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Thread Starter
Times are tough, Halfords is shut, supplies are low, but I am going to make **** black with what I have. Starting with the windscreen washer bottle...
As well as the clip & mount for the fuel filter & the bracket for the bonnet switch. The A/C hose support that mounts in the same place as the fuel filter bracket as seen Hammerite previously...
Etch primered & hit with a couple of coats of sating black...
Hammerite slow baked (I should probably get another oven tray for food)
Washer bottle good to go
As are this lot
As well as the clip & mount for the fuel filter & the bracket for the bonnet switch. The A/C hose support that mounts in the same place as the fuel filter bracket as seen Hammerite previously...
Etch primered & hit with a couple of coats of sating black...
Hammerite slow baked (I should probably get another oven tray for food)
Washer bottle good to go
As are this lot
Last edited by Kaosone; 01 April 2020 at 12:36 AM.
#209
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I only put them in the oven as it takes ages to dry & you'd basically have to leave them overnight otherwise.
I've not noticed anything tasting funny, but am going to get a different oven tray now as a precaution (whatever doesn't kill you & all that)
Last edited by Kaosone; 01 April 2020 at 10:33 AM.
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#210
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There
Just need to get my hands on some Hammerite now to do the catch can & coolant header tank cap (it looks lost since the sticker came off).
And a non-blurry under bonnet shot, minus the insulation (which is now mainly in the engine bay)
Oh yeah, I've still got a blue interior in my bedroom too
Just need to get my hands on some Hammerite now to do the catch can & coolant header tank cap (it looks lost since the sticker came off).
And a non-blurry under bonnet shot, minus the insulation (which is now mainly in the engine bay)
Oh yeah, I've still got a blue interior in my bedroom too
Last edited by Kaosone; 01 April 2020 at 12:33 PM.
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