DFB's Garage

A joyous day playing around in my garage. Detailing, messing about with toys and re-organising a few things in the cabinets.

Today's product selection for the Wildtrack -



Working left to right; NV Snow for the pre-soak and Carpro Reset for the contact wash. Next, Meguiar's Hyper Dressing for the wheel arches and side steps, Koch Chemie GUF for the floor mats and Carpro Hydr02 for the wheels. Following that is Koch Chemie ASC for the interior wipe down, Invisible Glass and McKee's N-914 for the door jambs. Adam's Slick & Slide for the drying aid and Bowden's Leather Love for the seats. AMMO Mud went on the tyres at the end, the wheels cleaned with Sonax Full Effect, the tyres cleaned with Adam's Tire & Rubber Cleaner and hiding at the back is McKee's Rubber Floor Mat Cleaner.

Today was the first time I had used Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner.

SONAX XTREME Wheel Cleaner full-effect Iron Remover



These wheels were not that dirty, so I really need to try these on something more challenging. Like all of the iron-removing products, this stuff smells vile and is not laced with a scent to try and cover it up. It had no trouble getting the months' worth of wet winter road grime off these wheels.





I'm also really liking Koch Chemie ASC -



This product can remove a decent level of grime, and being alcohol based, it flashes off to a streak free finish. The scent is a little odd, something that will grow on you.
 
A little touch added to the Mustang today, a brushed aluminum dead pedal cover.

Amazon.com




Not an especially important addition, clearly Ford saved all of $5.00 per car by not fitting these at the factory.





After cleaning the bare plastic with IPA, the adhesion promoter is applied, and the trim piece is attached.









It's hard to capture in pictures how much this changes the look of the footwell.

I also have a couple of other additions on the way for this car, small touches that change a few things that have been on the "one day" list.
 
Deyon, those little touches mean so much to people like us, I get it and can't wait to see the next mods

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everything looks amazing, well done

I love the floor for so many reasons, but couldn't use it myself I don't think...I do bikes which often require a fair amount of disassembly and removal of parts...and sometimes nuts, bolts, washers, and screws get dropped....would that be an issue?
 
Ok, so I have had a big day!

I will break this into separate posts to give them their own place in the thread.

After having my back crunched back into shape, I had my old man help me install my new air hose reel.



I still need to figure out how to flip the mouthpiece around, but overall, I'm happy with it. The hose quality is light years better than the non-pliable plastic hose it replaces.

I even managed to shoot a little video of the Prevost S1 coupler in action.

Prevost S1 Coupler - YouTube

Just so elegantly simple in its action, I could play with it all afternoon...............well I sort of did really. :laughing:
 
Next, I mentioned yesterday that I had a couple of extra touches to add to the Mustang. Well, I got an unexpected delivery while we were installing the air reel this morning. :dance







This has been something I had wanted to add to the engine bay of the Mustang ever since I installed the blue coil covers.



Like the Falcon coolant expansion tanks, these tend to discolor over time and start to look a bit tatty. There are countless options for addressing this, including the cover I have here right through to fabricated replacements. What I like about what I have chosen is that it looks factory, carbon fiber looks nice but is just not me.



Installation is pretty simple; you need a pair of pliers and an appropriately sized socket. The best bit? I got to play with my new tools!!!! :awesome:

First step is to remove the coolant cap and two hoses attached to the tank. It's recommended to do this job while the engine is cool for obvious reasons.







Then remove the two bolts holding the tank to the vehicle. These two bolts are then replaced with black items supplied in the kit.



Next, maneuver the cover over the tank, this is a bit of fiddle to get the correct sequence.



I then replaced the two bolts, reattached the cap and the two hoses. Ensure the hoses are pushed as far on as possible while also aligning the marks on the hose to the mark on the tank.





I just love how this blends into the engine bay as if it was always meant to be there. In fact, Ford actually had the coolant tank presented in a similar fashion for the previous generation Mustang -



Next, I get a little "nutty"........................
 
When I put the new wheels on the Mustang last year, I reused the factory lug nuts. At the time, it was all about getting the wheels on the car and I wasn't too phased by the chrome setting off against the matte black.



However, changing the lugs was something I wanted to do at some stage. The fact these factory lug nuts are known to be troublesome, the chrome jacket on the outside of the nut swells over time and can actually prevent the wheels from being removed. I did not want that situation!

Because these are factory wheels, they need to be paired with a factory style "acorn" lug nut. Despite the unbranded box, these are actually Gorilla items.





Out with the old, in with the new. Once again, I got to play with my toys......tools. :awesome:





I had no idea how much different these were going to look, to say I'm pleased with the transformation would be an understatement.







As always, it's all in the "details" with me.
 
DFB said:
A little touch added to the Mustang today, a brushed aluminum dead pedal cover.

Amazon.com




Not an especially important addition, clearly Ford saved all of $5.00 per car by not fitting these at the factory.





After cleaning the bare plastic with IPA, the adhesion promoter is applied, and the trim piece is attached.









It's hard to capture in pictures how much this changes the look of the footwell.

I also have a couple of other additions on the way for this car, small touches that change a few things that have been on the "one day" list.
Click to expand...

Wheels and coolant tank look mint! Be careful with the car because you have just added 200 killer wasps at least Im the MAN
 
Lance Mark said:
everything looks amazing, well done

I love the floor for so many reasons, but couldn't use it myself I don't think...I do bikes which often require a fair amount of disassembly and removal of parts...and sometimes nuts, bolts, washers, and screws get dropped....would that be an issue?
Click to expand...

It's certainly something to be aware of if you are doing mechanical work on Ribtrax.

In your situation, you would either roll out a rubber mat to work on which will reduce the possibility of losing parts. You could also have a work section set out using the Diamondtrax, with the surrounding areas done in Ribtrax.
 
Tasmania said:
Wheels and coolant tank look mint! Be careful with the car because you have just added 200 killer wasps at least Im the MAN
Click to expand...
I still use the 200 killer wasps joke, but none of the young guys at work know what I'm talking about, and the FJ does actually have 200 killer wasps. And for everyone else, here's where it began, still funny.


Toyota RAV4 - KILLER WASPS - YouTube



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Big Dave said:
I still use the 200 killer wasps joke, but none of the young guys at work know what I'm talking about, and the FJ does actually have 200 killer wasps. And for everyone else, here's where it began, still funny.


Toyota RAV4 - KILLER WASPS - YouTube



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Click to expand...

Those Rav4's with the 3.5 V6 were borderline lethal in the wrong hands. Once the VVT kicked into gear, they had a bad habit of becoming an unguided missile.
 
Big Dave said:
I still use the 200 killer wasps joke, but none of the young guys at work know what I'm talking about, and the FJ does actually have 200 killer wasps. And for everyone else, here's where it began, still funny.


Toyota RAV4 - KILLER WASPS - YouTube



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Click to expand...

Probably the best commercial Toyota’s ever had


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DFB said:
Those Rav4's with the 3.5 V6 were borderline lethal in the wrong hands. Once the VVT kicked into gear, they had a bad habit of becoming an unguided missile.
Click to expand...
You can get the same 3.5 V6 in a Corolla body, I wonder how that drives. I remember how spooky the handling was in my brother's Aurion, front drive is not my thing.
9d64b173d2e0813f70f3cb0e13011a49.jpg


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Big Dave said:
You can get the same 3.5 V6 in a Corolla body, I wonder how that drives. I remember how spooky the handling was in my brother's Aurion, front drive is not my thing.
9d64b173d2e0813f70f3cb0e13011a49.jpg


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Click to expand...

Ahhhh, the Aurion! The best thing about those was the engine.

Do you remember the Aurion TRD? Supercharged 3.5 V6 with 241 kW (323 hp) / 400 Nm (295 Ft lb) going through the front wheels! What could go wrong?





Was intended to be a competitor to the XR6 Turbo but priced like an FPV GT. They sold very, very few of them.
 
I rented a Toyota Corolla a few years ago when traveling for work and I hated that thing. Felt like I was driving a toaster (appliance) and there was nothing redeeming other than it being cheap and reliable. I’m surprised that Toyota is using the Corolla name for a hot hatch in the 3 CYLINDER 300+ HP Corolla GR. Bet that will be a loud vehicle to drive.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla: The 300-HP, AWD, Stick-Shift STI Slayer Is Finally Here
 
dgage said:
I rented a Toyota Corolla a few years ago when traveling for work and I hated that thing. Felt like I was driving a toaster (appliance) and there was nothing redeeming other than it being cheap and reliable. I’m surprised that Toyota is using the Corolla name for a hot hatch in the 3 CYLINDER 300+ HP Corolla GR. Bet that will be a loud vehicle to drive.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla: The 300-HP, AWD, Stick-Shift STI Slayer Is Finally Here
Click to expand...

For my 30th birthday, my sister and I did a tour of New Zealand's South Island, I actually turned 30 on in the airplane. We were given a then current model Toyota Corolla with the most beat up paint you could imagine.



The roads we drove that car on were brilliant, roads I would have loved to be driving my Mustang or Jaguar on. The Corolla went surprisingly well on those winding mountain roads, although the CVT was terrible. Of course, nothing drives as well as a hire car.......:laughing:

One of the best moments of my life........



 
Having scored one of the public holidays off, I was going to make the most of a day to myself. I won't incriminate myself by saying how long I slept to this morning, all I will say is that I NEEDED it.

Number one job for the day was to install something I have had on my mind for a while.............

The Jaguar XE comes standard with small, plastic paddles for manual gear shifting. Connected to the brilliant ZF 8-Speed automatic, this is a fun thing to play around with on a winding road, or whenever the red mist descends. It even rev matches on the downshifts.





Except, I wanted a little more theater...............





These sort of paddle shift extenders are made for most of the cars on the market and are made from metal rather than plastic. Installation is easy and starts with an IPA wipe down of the standard issue plastic paddles.



Next, you apply the adhesion promotor.



You then attach the adhesive strip to the paddle extenders and then fit them up to the standard paddles.











Now, I know these are bit boy racer for an "old-man-red" luxury sedan, but I love them. They add a bit more of the desired theater when using the paddles and the colour matches some of the highlighting trim found elsewhere in the cabin.

Jeez, I'm turning into a modder! :laughing:
 
The rest of my day was spent, shock horror, detailing.


Firstly, I wanted to go through my microfiber and do a purge of items that are not being used. I have towels and wash mitts that I don't use or have not used in far too long.








Not sure where these will end up, in the oily rag pile or sent to the Op shop most likely. I have also made a list of what I want to top up on to better reflect what I use most often.


Next, the Ranger was filthy. The weather has been horrid so far this spring, raining most days. I know the poor thing won't stay clean for long, but I feel better having it tidy for at least a few hours.


I used the EGO after the wash, I really need the stubby nozzle. At this stage, I still prefer my Big Boi.





The XR6 was next in line, and to mix things up, I decided to do a rinse-less wash for a change. I also had a new product to try, the newly released P&S Absolute.





The XR6 was a perfect candidate for a rinse-less today, being merely dusty with a few odds spots here and there, a truly dirty car like the Ranger earlier I prefer to do a proper wash with LOTS of water and soap.


First thing to do is make up a pre-spray solution, which P&S recommends using a 256:1 dilution for this role. For a 1-liter bottle, you need just 4ml of solution. I also like to use distilled water for the pre-spray, although considering Absolute will soften water, it's probably not necessary.





To make measuring such a small amount easier, I use a syringe.











For the wash solution, the 256:1 dilution applies here too. To 7.5 liters of water, add 30ml of Absolute.











This is where these Solo sprayers come into their own, no pumping or squeezing, especially good if you struggle with arthritis.








I decided to pair Absolute with Bead Maker today, and wow, what a combination!














All done, after some tire dressing to cap things off -











I mentioned the combo of Absolute and Bead Maker, well the paint was so slick after the wash that I had great difficulty in putting the car cover on.


There has been a lot of hype surrounding P&S Absolute, mainly from The Rag Company who describe it as "game changing". I probably would term it game changing, but I'm calling it now; this is better than the people's favorite, McKee's N-914.
 
Still waiting on my Solo sprayer they said it's on backorder and will post 28/9/22

Don't forget the hilux got the supercharger for the TRD model :D
 
DFB said:
The rest of my day was spent, shock horror, detailing.


Firstly, I wanted to go through my microfiber and do a purge of items that are not being used. I have towels and wash mitts that I don't use or have not used in far too long.








Not sure where these will end up, in the oily rag pile or sent to the Op shop most likely. I have also made a list of what I want to top up on to better reflect what I use most often.


Next, the Ranger was filthy. The weather has been horrid so far this spring, raining most days. I know the poor thing won't stay clean for long, but I feel better having it tidy for at least a few hours.


I used the EGO after the wash, I really need the stubby nozzle. At this stage, I still prefer my Big Boi.





The XR6 was next in line, and to mix things up, I decided to do a rinse-less wash for a change. I also had a new product to try, the newly released P&S Absolute.





The XR6 was a perfect candidate for a rinse-less today, being merely dusty with a few odds spots here and there, a truly dirty car like the Ranger earlier I prefer to do a proper wash with LOTS of water and soap.


First thing to do is make up a pre-spray solution, which P&S recommends using a 256:1 dilution for this role. For a 1-liter bottle, you need just 4ml of solution. I also like to use distilled water for the pre-spray, although considering Absolute will soften water, it's probably not necessary.





To make measuring such a small amount easier, I use a syringe.











For the wash solution, the 256:1 dilution applies here too. To 7.5 liters of water, add 30ml of Absolute.











This is where these Solo sprayers come into their own, no pumping or squeezing, especially good if you struggle with arthritis.








I decided to pair Absolute with Bead Maker today, and wow, what a combination!














All done, after some tire dressing to cap things off -











I mentioned the combo of Absolute and Bead Maker, well the paint was so slick after the wash that I had great difficulty in putting the car cover on.


There has been a lot of hype surrounding P&S Absolute, mainly from The Rag Company who describe it as "game changing". I probably would term it game changing, but I'm calling it now; this is better than the people's favorite, McKee's N-914.
Click to expand...

I would challenge you to try a rinse less on a dirty car. You’d be surprised on how it turned out.

I do a lot of snow foam followed by rinse less and it’s worked well. I’ve even done some winter dirty cars with no snow foam and was surprised by outcome.

Took me awhile to trust the science.

If I could have your garage I would definitely have a big boi. The Ego works nice due to my limited space and that I can take to the touchless wash.

Like that just a hose is a lot lighter but dragging out extention chords. Setting it up. Putting it away…. Ego is just more convenient but not better and definitely not easier to use.


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