Well, based on my last update you probably thought I was done dinkin’ around with this car for the whole season, didn’t you? If you’ve been around for any length of time, you likely saw through this ill-conceived notion.

While having the car’s exterior be completely OEM was fun, I also began to feel a bit nerdy. I like the contrasting amber color on a black car, but looked through some old photos of previous versions of my car (as well as some of the classics like Itoh) and decided I wanted to try removing the amber again. There’s something unmistakably Japan about running clear side markers and dual function position lamps with the OEM turn signals removed. It just looks much more aggressive this way. I tossed my old DMAX clear side markers back on and ordered a new pair of their dual function position lamps that will arrive tomorrow. I’ll keep all of the minty fresh OEM lights packed away in their original boxes should I decide to change back at some point.

I decided to try something that I have debated for years while I was at it. I’ve always thought cutting out the front plate bracket to expose the intercooler looks awesome, but I’ve never had the brass to actually do it. Despite wanting to persevere my newly purchased OEM bumper knowing that one day too soon they will be discontinued, I caved in and got out my dremel. It went fairly well- it’s not quite perfect, but I think I am happy with it for the most part. It can look a little odd from some angles, but after staring at it for a few days I think I really like it.

I took the opportunity to do a little maintenance on the car over the long holiday weekend as well. I finally got around to removing my old TE37 decals that had begun to chip and peel away, as well as all of the old adhesive from stick-on wheel weights over the years. While the car was on stands I fixed a power steering leak that had been bugging me for a decent amount of time and looked over all of the suspension components to be sure that nothing looked out of order. Hoping the car is ready for the trip to Shawano for Final Bout Special Stage Central in about three weeks.

I’ve got a couple other minor things in mind for the remainder of the summer, but nothing too drastic. I’ve decided to hold onto my TE37s and current tire specs for the foreseeable future. LMGT4s had been tempting me like crazy, but for now nothing beats the look and condition of my current wheels- especially with the new stickers!

Thanks for stopping by!

Damon