Well, things have definitely be interesting trying to get this car together in time for the Club FR event next weekend. Putting a car together can be pretty funny sometimes. It’s always the things you least expect to cause you issues.

I’ve had a heck of a time trying to get my S14 front control arm setup put together. First the ball joint press I rented was bent and essentially worthless, and then my friend Tim found that the Energy Suspension bushings I bought were too small for the arms. Thinking the bushing design was the culprit, I ordered a pair of Whiteline ones. Those arrived at Tim’s shop yesterday and he attempted to install them this morning, but found that these are also too small.

After some more research, I found someone else on Zilvia that had the same issue. As it turns out, S14 FLCA bushings are larger than the S13 version. However, all of the big retailers and the manufacturer websites list the same part number for S13 and S14 applications. Big problem. I went ahead and ordered the part number described as the correct one in the thread, so I am really hoping they’ll be correct this time. Tim is pressing the ball joints in and shipping the arms back to me ASAP, so with any luck whatsoever I’ll have the correct setup here by the weekend and can get everything installed.

My replacement axle arrived on Monday but I came down with a cold and haven’t felt like working in the garage (perfect timing.) I didn’t work on the car at all last weekend so I still need to get the diff and axle in place at some point. I also ordered a different Z32 e-brake adapter bracket to replace my current setup as I have concerns that they could bend during constant use and attempting to learn to drift, so I’ll throw that on before I bolt the driveshaft back up.

As for my aero situation, the USPS tracking finally updated yesterday to say my front lip and side skirts left customs in New York. With any luck those pieces will get here in time to be painted and installed before the event. My body shop called this morning to say that my rear valences and front bumper are painted and ready for pickup, so that was a nice surprise. They turned them around very quickly for me and said they can do the same when the lip and side skirts get here, so maybe there is still hope if they get here soon.

Things coming down to the wire like this make me a bit anxious. I’ll likely make the call by Monday morning as to whether or not I will be driving the event. I’ll be there to hang out either way, but I really want to drive.

Wish me luck! Updates soon.

Damon