My black forged Piazza

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IZU069
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Post by IZU069 »

I "hate" gas shockers too, but am still impressed with my still functional front Gabriel (USA) gas shocks on the Piazza that have survived over 200,000 km including the coast "road" to Cooktown (at rally speeds) etc - except for the LH shocker which has been out since Sept 2011 after it's bottom mounting bracket broke (a result of a broken strut rod).
Admittedly they aren't adjustable, but I've never had ANY shocker last that long except perhaps the OEM KYBs. Maybe they have adjustables?


I suspect all "new" DOT3 & DOT4 fluids are actually DOT5.1. Arguably misleading advertising, but understandable. The number of people that might cause a fuss. Or alternatively, maybe more money from those that can afford a collector's car as bling. And if the fluids are fully equivalent except for increased temperature rating, why not? Arguably that's required anyhow to keep up with the increased "modern" usage of brakes (and hotter pads?), plus allow for engine improvements which even old cars have often undergone.


You should certainly park near the Bellett guys. Even though built on the Isuzu "Opel" Gemini, the Piazza was (IMO etc) the car that played a key role in the split of GM from Isuzu, hence returning Isuzu to its former innovative "Bellett" days. (Viz D-Max vs Colorado - LOL!)
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Post by archangel62 »

Time for a super quick post before bed. Good to hear some gas shocks are durable - but I get the impression they're either durable OR tough! Alas, still haven't made up my mind on Spax. I reckon the Piazza will just get a matching rear pair of Koni's anyway.

WHYYYY MUST EVERYTHING RATTLE OR SQUEAK!!! I think I need earmuffs to drive this car. Road noise is nicely baffled by the sound deadening, but aaargh, something to the right of the instrument cluster squeaks intolerably, something else vibrates or rattles around the headunit/glovebox area, and there's this strange deep grinding/crunching noise from the back end during suspension travel, just like Lachlan's has (the difference is, mine's a MILE from bottoming out!) Is everyone's Piazza full of annoying noises? It's driving me mental, and I'm supposed to be driving it to NSW for Easter! It doesn't help the speakers are beyond crap....

Oh, and while I'm ranting, the overflow level warning light flicks on over bumps even when full, the instrument cluster randomly reads full temp for a few seconds on and off, despite the car being at normal (even cool) operating temps, oh, and those Narva headlight globes that claim xx% more light are basically exactly the same as standard globes!

End rant. The car has been behaving itself besides the above, and I took it for a somewhat spirited drive in the middle of nowhere in the wet last night. I attempted some lightning photography without success, before blowing a front tyre (the nail that had been in there since I bought the car found its way out). Turns out I have a working jack and crossbrace - that's good! And the spare was down to steel belts, but was still inflated and got me home. That was lucky!!

The air con should be getting gassed this Thursday/Friday. Some old bloke has a gas that will "work for R12 systems." He said it's flammable, but isn't an issue since it's in a sealed system. I was funny about the idea at first, but to be fair, engine bays also have petrol and oil in them, which are/can be highly flammable if they leak. Alternatively he might be able to convert it to R134a, but it's about double the cost. Thoughts?
Indigo - '76 TX Gemini sedan, G180W+T project,
Abigail - '81 TE sedan, white, G180W ITB project,
New Hotness - TG Gemini drift car, orange, 4ZE1+T
Tardis - 1986 Piazza 4ZC1-T, black, forged, 136rwkw @13psi
Coupe - TX coupe grip car, "do it later", G180W+twin carbs
Trevor aka Jimmy's Gem - Grandpa-spec TD
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Post by Bugle »

The rattles are normal, read a review of the Piazza when they were new!
Mine had dash squeaks going over bumps.
Rear end might be suspension bushes, are they ok? The lower arm to body bush broke on one side of mine sending the arm off to the side to rub on the arm mount.

The R12 replacement is called HR12, it's LPG (half propane half butane I think). I wouldn't be worried it is a small amount of gas required.
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Post by IZU069 »

Flammablility schmamability. But is is a consideration...
However, if it were a "serious hazard", would it be legal and acceptable?
I was glad for those that didn't get their original air-cons re-gassed with the original R12 replacement. Procrastinaters and broke people survived until fluids that did NOT need re-sealing came on to the market. (Like NOT rushing out to by the latest Windoze, CPU or smartfone release, some things are worth delaying.)


Rattles - yeah, I can well imagine. I can see the Piazza being that typical nightmarish "new car" type that - once you have dismantled the instruments cluster or dash (or doors) - you never get the rattle or squeak out.
Though I admit, I have been impressed at how often the Piazza does NOT rattle & squeak after such works. But maybe that was by people that knew what to tighten, or where to add lube or glue etc (RodeoBob, Bartamann?).

[ Shit man, even my Wasp since its electric window conversion has a passenger-side "door is half-closed" type of rattle. I have yet to investigate - maybe it is the door itself - the door & pillar catches aren't ideally spaced and internal pillar bracket retainers limit repositioning by slotting holes.
Otherwise no rattles except the occasional classic Bellett loud metal knock from up under the dash caused when the front-hinged bonnet bounces on non- or hard-rubberised stops. But that's usually fixed with the first piece of little-finger sized wood/branch that I find. (Yes - I am a bush mechanic ha ha!) ]


If the washer lamp flickering is due to bottle bounce, maybe a capacitor across the switch or dash pins might fix it? (Another round-tuit investigation?) Like low-fuel warning lights, that should have a time-delay.
But it could be part of the general dash/gauge flickering - probably caused by bad earths though maybe erratic PSU operation. [That was another round-tuit - a PSU replacement for the digi-dash since that seems the biggest reason for digi-dash failure. And that's not surprising given its electrolytic caps (that dry out and break down over time) and general inductor voltage conversion technology.]
The cap filter might also solve the high temp flickers, though that's only likely if a sender disconnect results in a high-temp reading, and I think most "modern" vehicles are the opposite. (If open-circuit = high temp, then a bad connection to the sender is likely.) But apart from smoothing out bad or erratic readings, caps can also reduce noise that might be injected into the circuit from other electricals.

High output globes - yeah, I tried Philips +40%. IMO useless.
I decided instead to use higher power globes and fit a dimmer. EG - a 100W low beam bulb that is normally dimmed to 55W. Not that I completed my investigation into how halogens react to PWM, nor have fitted the bulbs and dimmer.
Same incidentally for my Wasp's 10W halogen front parkers which are mounted in its 5-3/4" outer low beams. Dim to 3W for legalities, and run at 10W as DRLs or for night time camping set ups etc.

FYI - my views on HIDs - forget them, wait for LEDs to cheapen. Far superior lighting without the Regulatory hassles involving HIDs. Also ironically no extra legislated power limits as yet, however there is usually no limit to high-beam lighting power, only low-beams.
As to the 55W LED driving light I saw a couple of years ago (~$600 RRP; $350 import cost; each!) - holy cow! Any cow in its path would have been photoned to death!
And being rectangular, they would probably fit nicely into the Piazza headlights, and probably negate the need to raise the covers. The original lens could be replaced with some unbreakable and unscratchable (vented?) clear cover. (Or are they as rare as unobtainium engine and car components?) Of course that needs a hi-beam low-beam combination.


It's really nice to hear she's on the road. So few have such a cool car - especially when still un-gassed.
Keep it up!
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Post by Piazza_man »

IZU069 wrote: [That was another round-tuit - a PSU replacement for the digi-dash since that seems the biggest reason for digi-dash failure. And that's not surprising given its electrolytic caps (that dry out and break down over time) and general inductor voltage conversion technology.]
Sounds to me you wouldn't mind fixing other people's digi dashes when they go bing. Have I understood you correctly mate (at a price if course)? Although I have 3 other spare digi dashes the original one that's in my car has played up on 2 or 3 occasions. Maybe you could give it some of your special touches.
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Post by IZU069 »

Don't confuse "wouldn't mind fixing other people's digi dashes" with things I'd like to do.
However for the owner that spent over $4,500 having a digi dash fixed some 20 years ago, I might be tempted. Might. I'm still single remember - not that that has anything to do with non-commitment (though my GF of >20 years may offer a different opinion!).


But yeah - years ago RodeoBob gave me some defunct digi dashes to play with. He or others thought it might be a lucrative repair, though I've had many other lucrative offers that just seemed to vapourise.
But those dashes are in a box which I can touch now if I stand up. In fact I just did, and it's clearly labelled "DASH PIAZZA" in 2 lines.

I did start an analysis and even got datasheets for what I could. Not that that was easy - those round metal multi-pin OpAmps are so old! And with old programmable logic chips - early embedded controllers etc. Keep in mind, what CPUs or PICAXEs were around in 1980 when the digi-dash was first built?
I had a digital speedo and a supposed "impossible to build" digital Halda in 1978, and was considering a CRT dash by the mid 1980s. But was then, and it was just me.

Anyhow, for the sake of rambling, and posing ideas, I planned the following "offers".
Note that much was based on my own digi dash which was fine except for the voltmeter which didn't work (and IMO a voltmeter is an essential gauge, though primarily it should be a 3-digit display rather than analog). I found that it would be too difficult to decipher AND get the parts to repair the original circuit. I didn't even get to the circuit itself! (Not that many exist - the inter-board connections are all soldered!)
And it might simply be the replacement of old dried-out (electrolytic) capacitors, or blown diodes. But IMO it's coil is also aging, etc etc.

Stage 1 - Replacement PSU. (aka a Level 1 repair)
The PSU is probably the biggest cause of faults. This repair could also include other simple faults like broken tracks, burnt tracks and basic components, and maybe a reliable grounding system. Ideally a cleaning of any inter-connectors, but more on that later.

Stage 2 - a complete "CPU" replacement.
Instead of trying to repair the multi-board smarts, replace with a modern CPU that mimics the original dash behaviour. That would involve stripping the beast down leaving only the original display and probably its drivers.

Be aware that I love the display. It's an "ancient" vacuum-fluorescent display, but I still prefer them for clocks and video players etc. IMO it's an eye-friendly glow that doesn't pierce like LEDs nor washout (as much) in sunlight. And it's the display itself that dims, not the backlight as with modern LCD displays.
Some might replace the lot with available smarts and LCD display(s) like tablets etc, but IMO the Piazza dash is as classic as some older car cockpit instrumentation, but probably even more appealing.

Stage 3 is merely the soft evolution of stage 2. The software would have added features. This is only limited by imagination. It could include auto switching between fuel- (or whatever it was) and volt-meters, or only switch to the other (and initially flash) in a warning situation. Pre-programmed cruise control (digitally pre-set or adjustable targets - eg, 40, 50, 60, 60, 100, 110kmh, with optional +3 or +14 or +29kmh demerit or $peeding-fine additions). Speedo that flashes initially then occasionally (or brightens) when the speed (zone) is exceeded - either as pre-set, or via an attached GPS module.
Alarm functions - whether engine or car status as well as break-in etc - eg, a microwave proximity detector; SMS messages with GPS positioning if stolen; shutdown if your token isn't valid (eg, after detecting abnormal driving, it asks for a PIN next time it's stopped else traveling slow etc; the issues a "shutdown imminent in (programmable) 1 or 5 or 15 minutes etc. Hey dad, while you were away I borrowed your car - NOT!).
The speedo could display whatever temps if abnormal or if requested. Dash left/right arrows indicate the next turn. Etc, etc.


Anyhow, the above summarises my thought from last decade and I'd suggest quitting here.
But I'll continue for masochistic purposes, and as a replacement for my own digi-notes that I may have or not have had before the collapse of 2011 - or was it 2010 I had my big data corruption?.


The principle behind the above is the principle that once the hardware (CPU etc) is in place and fully working, it is merely software that is required for extra functions. And these days it's easy enough to have software or even user preferences downloaded from a USB stick or laptop or smartphone etc (depending on the interface - USB can be expensive and lord knows smartphone and Apple protocols).

The limitation is what can meaningfully be derived from the existing display, and what is humanly friendly or reasonable to input from existing switches. (Yes - interface to existing switches like dimmers and dippers. Even replace their entire circuitry.)
However extra buzzers or even voice announcements can add some functionality, and voice recognition could input anything (give me 14 psi boost, and enable the 2 to be displayed as the first digit on the speed display - hang on, better make that a 3).
Could add extra or peripheral displays etc, though these days I'd be tempted to add a separate touch screen - similar to a GPS.
And of course everything reverts to standard "Stage 2" spec plus GPS-display when in valet mode, or sprung by Police (SBP mode) with its "normal" 110kmh rev limiter!).

I was planning to do the above after I completed my EFI system whilst on my "departing September 2005" round Australia trip. But alas I never parted.

As to the possibility of such a design, let's just say that I was designing an all electronic ignition for my Bellett in the late 1980s (that worked off flywheel timing without mechanical speed or vacuum advance). That was to incorporate self-learning, albeit based on my ear and a button as a knock sensor since I wasn't au fait with knock sensors at the time. Many should know how possible that is, though maybe not everyone.
That was to be built using a 68HC11 (soon afterwards replaced by the 68HC12) which is the same CPU-base used by Delco in their EFI/ECUs. (Delco are now Delphi, and I know the ~2001 Barina Delphi uses a Siemens processor - ie, presumably NOT using Delco stuff. Damn - there went my easy sequential COPS ignition and EFI for my G200W, Wasp and Belletts!)

Anyhow, when I revisited the project with an idea to adding EFI (probably ~2005 in response to some auto-industry and recently qualified Uni dude that reckoned a CPU system could not self tune or self learn), I had in mind newer 32-bit MPUs that included speech outputs and a host of amazing new functions.
That desire partially died when I found out that even 1990 Isuzus had some self learning (ie, I-TEC 4ZE1 Jacks & Rodeos), as did the N13/VN Commodore/JE Camira Delcos. They were AFAIK limited to idle-speed retuning, but that involved self-learning to re-tune the maps.
In any case, self learning for EFI was a mere extension of my 1980's self-learning ignition except using an oxygen sensor and adding a few more axes. And to think some "qualified and knowledgeable" person some 15 years later was arguing it couldn't be done!

Actually that reminds me how years ago a particular Gemini forum "laughed" at the suggestion that sequential ignition could be done without a CAS. (And we're talking typical dizzy ignition systems whether carby or EFI - not newer ionic-sensing technology.) I can only imagine how people that knew how to do it laughed at them laughing. (I don't know if Poida laughed, but he knew same method I did - and independently of me too.)

But then I became more interested in ionic sensing. What better "mere add-on" for an old Bellett or any vehicle? No dizzy mods or flywheel timing or oxygen and pressure sensors etc, just a post-spark analysis to interpret and remap timings - and even EFI mixtures - for each individual cylinder.

Jump forward to nowadays and I just couldn't be bothered. It's still a one-day project, but since I'm still running around with missing rear brake shoes which were removed before Easter...
The mere challenges have given way to practicality and ease. All "pioneers" that I knew that had pushed Haltec and a few later EFI after-markets all discovered Delcos. My parallel was having finally found a cheap and simple CDI system that could be extended to sequential at a cost of about $5 per extra cylinder, and then finding the RG distributor with blue-IgCoil could cold-start my G61-OHV Wasp with the battery well under 6V. Why then bother with my new great CDI?

During CDI-days I thought I'd still pursue my digital ignition when my mechanical dizzies were too worn. I reckoned the only existing practical solution (the Silicon Electronics - Jaycar programmable ignition kit) would soon cease supply, and it's IMO too bulky anyhow. I reckon I can do it all with a $5 8-pin PICAXE and include more curves, rev-limiter and probably do it sequentially. And that would only require a traditional serial interface for programming and transferring of maps (from files if desired). Mine could also negate the dizzy entirely and use accurate flywheel timing instead, complete with 2 sensors (for redundancy) that did not need gearbox removal to fit.
But the latter was another case of perceived necessity combined with a relatively small investment (as compared to alternatives, or "primitive" distributor repair costs).
And since then, well, I did I mention the RG (dizzy)!


And that brings me back on track (hippy yay ya!) a major issue regarding digi-dash stages 2 & 3.
I may have spoken of simplicity, but should not be confuse with little work or effort. Quite the opposite. Though IMO these things may be simple conceptually to do, the programming can take hundreds of work hours. The mere raw construction alone is many hours, even more if it's to have a reasonable enclosure.
Plus in the case of the Piazza digi dash there's a lot of tracing and reverse engineering involved. It may be a relatively short time to dismantle the thing (30 minutes?), but to then unsolder and disable the unwanted bits...

To fix my digi-dash voltmeter, the relevant chips/electronics sat between the display and the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) so I'd have to unsolder the display just to see what's it is, let alone replace it (if it could be).
Now I'd rather not unsolder a display (which is tricky enough) from 25 year old PCB tracks that are to be soldered again and reused. I'd rather leave the display as is along with their drivers that "light" the respective pins, and remove everything else, or disable that which cannot be removed (ie, grind away the voltmeter chip's tracks etc).
Even then, the time involved to connect the new circuit to the display (drivers)... hours!
But that's still subject to investigation. It may be easier or better replacing the drivers as well and hence merely attaching the new circuitry (CPU, MPU) to the display pins, or the original drivers' output tracks.

But up front, it's definitely the investigative and related design time, then heaps of programming time. And the prototype would be probably be a "bird's nest" of wiring and components. Then add a PCB design (several hours) and a production run that may realise $10 or $20 per PCB.
Then it's the usual per unit cost for parts and assembly.
But even if the up-front stage-2/3 stuff was paltry 100 hours, even at $20/hour that's $2k. That's only $10 per stage-2 or stage-3 digi-dash if there are 200 orders.
That's why that sort of work is DIY as a hobby, else it targets a mass market (display info enhancements for Commodores etc).
Sorry - the recent ramble is so obvious to many of you.


But I could see the stage-1 PCB replacement or minor repairs being practical. I'd presume maybe as little $30 for parts excluding the PCB, and one hour assembly, plus 1-2 hours per digi-dash to fit and reassemble. That's what - say $100 per unit cost, but excluding initial investigation and design, and the winding of the PSU coils (or add maybe $20 to the parts?).
For $4,500 I'd probably be keen on doing the PSU replacement - unless I get employed first!

But don't worry, I won't charge per word or for the time in this reply. Though I have totally avoided discussion of any documentation costs for any of the above!


Hey! Did I just hijack?

03:30 Zulu. Time for shut-eye.
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Post by Piazza_man »

Spoken like a true mascochistic :) Anyway ill if I can find someone local here. I know I had my digi dash fixed when I had my first blue car eons ago, but I don't have a firm recollection where I had I'd done. But I'll figure that one out when it dies completely. If I can't find the repairer then I'll PM you. Sorry for hijacking your thread aa62, but he started it. :axe:
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Post by IZU069 »

Yeah, that eyecon is really bad for hijacking!
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Post by archangel62 »

Bahaha, it's okay guys, banter is good. Banter keeps forums alive!

Time for another update. It rained good and proper here the other day, so I went for a spirited drive in the deserted reaches of the hills. It occurs to me that even the slight lag from the IHI is annoying at times. Besides this, the Piazza was quite nice until a nail (long term resident) became dislodged from the front left tyre. Apparently said driving was all a bit too exciting for it. Turns out I had a spare (yay) and serviceable jack and wheel brace. The spare, however, was all down to steel belts, and had a bulge where the steel belts had broken and the last hope of rubber had egged through. Nevertheless, this got me home, and another retreaded spare (yaaaay) has now taken its place. To do: buy real tyres. Another goal of said hills drive was to take lightning photos, but apparently this isn't as easy as I had assumed, and the result included a few mediocre night shots.

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On Friday, I went to get the air con gassed, before realising the compressor wasn't plugged in, and that I couldn't see anywhere FOR it to plug in. Checked the spares Piazza to no avail, and had to cancel the appointment (sidenote - this is now sorted I think, I checked Lachlan's Piazza and found the right wire, connected to something else on mine... my bad). Instead, I went to Complete Windscreens and had them remove the rear window so I could fix the rust. Turns out the rust really wasn't that bad, not really worth plating. For some reason, most of the bottom section of the hatch had been bogged, even though it was straight, and the paint was super mega thick, to the point that most of the bubbling was just paint dying. I took all of the lower section back to bare metal, and today I finished MIG welding up the rust holes. A few burnt through and became a lot bigger (in hindsight, maybe plating would have been easier here, but there's no telling how big the holes would have grown then anyway). I'm happy with the result, and the windscreen mob are confident that a generic rubber will fit and it'll go back in no dramas.

Anyway. Whilst taking out interior panels, I noticed some rust in a fairly unexpected spot: under the left-hand side boot hinge, on the structural horizontal beam between the rear pillars. It was fairly serious, and in the single worst possible spot, ever, in the world, fullstop. Profanities. So today I had a crack at fixing it. This involved putting blankets and sheets in the vicinity, welder in the boot, hatch up, and kneeling backwards on the back seat (with a welding mask on, no less) and trying to spot weld a metal plate onto a car which was apparently made of fireworks. I cannot convey the sheer unpleasantness of this job. My neighbours will attest that an adequate description may entail the frequent use of an especially vulgar profanity commencing with the third letter of the English language. I hope their kids are too young to pick these things up. Sorry kids.

Basically, in work-safe terms, I had no room, couldn't see a thing due to the direction of sunglight, was in a horrendous position, the metal of the Piazza kept exploding in a ridiculous quantity of sparks, and all of said sparks fell down against my leg somehow, which burnt me a bit since I was in shorts (I was only intending to weld the hatch), the weld wouldn't take and it turned out the sheet and blanket were both synthetic, and caught on fire several times right above the back seat (!!!) before I FINALLY got the effing weld to take. It just started playing ball and I was about to call it a day, took my gloves off and then decided it needed an extra squirt of weld up the top for strength. I did so, and it was fine, til I looked down. The blanket was quite significantly on fire, a hole had appeared, and all of this suspended maybe 15cm above the very clean back seat! So I freak out and pat it out with my hands.

This is kinda the first time I've ever seen synthetic fabrics burn. Apparently all of my other rags were cotton. This ended badly. I was in emergency for a few hours... and was going to get sent to a plastics person (ie, skin grafting) but then they decided it'd be okay. Not really how I intended on spending the evening.

But, as I came home from hospital, I checked out the Piazza, a final consolation. The weld is strong (enough), and by some miracle, the seat wasn't burned. Or, if so, not noticeably. I have some pics, but I'll have to delay those for next time.
Indigo - '76 TX Gemini sedan, G180W+T project,
Abigail - '81 TE sedan, white, G180W ITB project,
New Hotness - TG Gemini drift car, orange, 4ZE1+T
Tardis - 1986 Piazza 4ZC1-T, black, forged, 136rwkw @13psi
Coupe - TX coupe grip car, "do it later", G180W+twin carbs
Trevor aka Jimmy's Gem - Grandpa-spec TD
BA Falcon - Tow car
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Post by IZU069 »

Geez I hope you recover well and hopefully without lasting damage or scars.
Though some scars can look cool (NO pun intended!!), fingers and hands can be a different matter.
FYI - to combat scarring, I know that Lavender is the beez kneez. I could find out what type if you're interested - there are 12 basic types. I've been told lavender can not only prevent scars occurring but can also reduce existing scars. I'd assume burns are no different but that's an assumption. Though honey is the best for burns with NZ honey being the best (like lots of things from NZ), I think that's for raw burns and healing - ie, anti-infectious and a repair aid. (Hence maybe my use of beez kneez earlier - a preemptive pun perhaps?)
How the heck can you type? (I was going to suggest Nuance's Dragon (voice to text package) but that might be untastefully "hot", but maybe Siri etc?)


I know what the small spots are like, but I haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing synthetic fabrics burn in a big way. With no kids of my own I haven't had the chance, and my nephew hasn't stayed over during winter. But if I get him out camping, maybe I can get him close enough to the fire.

Of course you know relevant OH&S and riot acts just as I do. But I've done the same and have marveled at those clean and deep & moist flesh craters.
I have learned to keep a water hose or spray bottle nearby & primed (set to spray - it's the vapour that chokes the flames) and a fire-extinguisher as backup. (I miss the old mess-less BCM types!)
My last fire was the Florian's engine bay. Hose spray through the radiator had it out within seconds. Unfortunately that was after running around trying to decide whether to call the firebrigade or find the extinguisher or what, so damage was far worse than it should have been (blistered bonnet paint, melted engine bay wiring harness, etc). It proved yet again my theory that car maintenance should NOT be done after sampling Adelaide Greens!
Needless to say, the number of times I do silly things because I'm so fixated on doing something, yet funnily that only seems to involve cars. But I still love the old bitches.


BTW - in Victoria it is illegal to drive on a spare tyre if it is unroadworthy. I suspect the same elsewhere (it's the only "responsible" legal course). That was highlighted on my last country drive puncture - only the third of its kind (drifting across cattle grids and rallying excluded) - whereby instead of a speeding ticket, the officer gave me a canary because of the front baldish spare that had only been replaced ~20kms up the road. (It was a rear puncture, but I rotated a front to the rear due to the smaller spare diameter to avoid diff strain.)
Actually he did a favour by saving me a speeding fine and demerit points (which were then of no concern) since the Florian was to be retired the next month when its rego expired. She'd go off the road for a rebuild and resto, and I already had the Wasp for an intended 12 month period during that resto. (That was circa 1998 LOL! Yesterday I completed the relay-electrics for the recently fitted electric windows in the Wasp which is now on its 13th year of registration.)
I hope to see that officer sometime. I'll tell him "thanks" because his unroadworthy got me back into motorbikes. Unfortunately that isn't true, and I'm not one to lie - especially the bit about the later accident that killed my pillion. Or maybe "crippled my partner" sounds better?
But if it wasn't for the timing and my planned off-roading of the Florian, that RWC would have been far more inconvenient than a speeding ticket. Be warned!


As to your condition, as one grows older one realises that material things can be replaced. (Even seat material... pun). But I all too well remember thinking more about the damage to my bike than my near death and broken collar bone - after all, we then had Medicare - we didn't have MediBike.
So please take care.

Maybe now I also minimise retaliation by avoiding fox-hunting terms, even though the f word would seem more natural to me in your situation. Even then of late I've been tending to use the Galactican term "frack" though after seeing over the past month that frack was used in the original Galactica series, I realised our own frigging is a much earlier term. Not that I believe in bad karma for profanity, though I do have better karma now that I am more disciplined and stay "calm" during the shit that I reasonably expect or know will happen anyhow. I guess I take responsibility instead of blaming that female target or our associated intent.


Speaking of which, at least your bitch is looking bluddy terrific.
But I guess that's why we suffer so.

Recover well!
IZU069 - ISUZU means a lot to me.
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Post by IZU069 »

STOP PRESS!

Your know our discussions about DOT brake fluids....
Well I just returned from my local brake place to get seals for my Wasp's clutch master cylinder.

They stock BOTH DOT 3 & 4 and the guy reckoned they are NOT equivalent. EG - landrovers or similar specify DOT 3 and if you use DOT 4 the seals stuff up.
He reckoned use what is specified on the cap. No that I have heard of Piazzas having issues, and I assume DOT 4 has been used.
So, brake fluids are not like engine oils where the new spec covers the old - just stick to the same viscosity. (Noting that the old SAE 30 is now 20W-50 (AFAIK!!). And no - a 10W-50 or 5W-50 new-spec oil is NOT better than a 20W-50 - it's too thin and can cause engine seizure in SAE30 & 20W-50 engines, as can using thicker oils.)
Note that I have never had problems with my Isuzus and DOT 4, though I suspect few were using their original seals. And not that I have ever bled or road-run my Piazzas.

The brake dude said they ONLY carry DOT 3 & 4, no DOT 5 (I saw no DOT 5 or DOT 5.1).
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Post by Piazza_man »

Woh. I hope your burns heal up nice. You're a brave man for tackling such a difficult job on your own. Hopefully that'll be the last of your rust woes.
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Post by IZU069 »

archangel - this is car mechanically trivial but maybe good for your mechanicals...

The type of scar-healing lavender I mentioned above is Lavandula angustifolia. That's the main type of cultivated lavender, but it is only one of lavender's 39 species.
DO NOT use the wrong lavender as some can kill. (And beware of high concentrates like absolutes.)


Apols for drawing you to a non-specific Piazza reply, but it's also therapeutic for me - I'm needing to boil-down after a door visit by some nong pushing one of those energy-saver plugboards. (So it consumes 10A @ 240V does it? That's 2400W - my TV is only 180W. Friggin idiot!)
I'm feeling cooler now. And that boil-down pun helps too (referring to essential oils and one of their production methods).
IZU069 - ISUZU means a lot to me.
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Post by archangel62 »

Thanks for the info! They gave me this special bandage stuff and it's healed up real nice now, thankfully.

I have news on the Piazza front! I finished the rust repairs/bogging/priming/painting, it came out quite nicely in the end. You can still see where I've bogged because I didn't use enough, so there's a slight unevenness, but I don't really care, it's more than sufficient and the fresh paint actually looks great. The window is back in with a new rubber. I also got the air con gassed, after finding the right wire on Lachlan's car. The car would be undriveable without it! Also, the cruise control works! Seems I'd missed an earth in the engine bay... my bad. Who earths unrelated components to the inlet manifold! Heh.

I've almost finished repainting my Isuzu badge for the front, it's looking excellent and should be on there within the week. The car's running nicely, and has now clocked around 1000km, so I've bought some decent oil and a new filter. Technically I believe in changing the break-in oil anywhere after 200km, but I'm also lazy. I've grown accustomed to its somewhat bizarre handling (due to being completely stock besides awesome Koni front shocks, hence unbalanced, and on terrible retreads). I've priced up some tyres, 185/65s all round because the 195s bulge right out on the factory mags - I hardly think there's any benefit in the extra width, and I'd prefer quality over quantity. I've been laborously sanding away at the front lip - I was told that I'd have to get aaaaall of the crummy cracking old paint off by hand, since paint stripper might kill it. Urgh.

In other news, the lowering process is looking expensive (~$800 for custom springs!!) and tedious, including getting the car looked at first, then removing the old springs and dropping them off, waiting who knows how long before getting the new ones back again and being able to fit them up. Mayhaps I should do this at the same time as shimming the LSD, which will render the car immobile for some time anyway. Unfortunately, this must be done before I can order the Koni rear shocks... So further progress, it seems, will come as an expensive and timely chunk. Maybe I should just focus on real tyres and making it look pretty for the moment. Or, who knows, maybe Industrial Springs can make them in a week. At least they're local.

I bought some awesome Isuzu literature from Japan recently, including lots of cool stuff on Piazzas. Be sure to bug me and make me scan and post it up.

Last of all, today I received the T2 turbo header in the mail from devilishdesigner (thanks!) as well as a boss kit. The boss kit will need some tinkering for the horn disc to contact (I think it may be a modified Gemini item) but if/when I can sort it out, I have a really nice deep centered felt(?) covered sports wheel to go on. I'll keep the original - just not on the car, since I don't really like the feel. The T2 header will go great with one of my GT2860RS turbos and 380cc hose-tail injectors, when (down the track) I get around to aftermarket EFI. With the low compression ratio (8:1 with my forged pistons) I'd like to see if I can get 180-200rwkw on 91RON - by my logic, there's no reason 91RON can't make plenty of power with a slightly lower compression ratio... but I'll see what the prospective tuner says down the track.
Indigo - '76 TX Gemini sedan, G180W+T project,
Abigail - '81 TE sedan, white, G180W ITB project,
New Hotness - TG Gemini drift car, orange, 4ZE1+T
Tardis - 1986 Piazza 4ZC1-T, black, forged, 136rwkw @13psi
Coupe - TX coupe grip car, "do it later", G180W+twin carbs
Trevor aka Jimmy's Gem - Grandpa-spec TD
BA Falcon - Tow car
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Post by Piazza_man »

How low were you planning on going? The King springs I have on my car have to come out because of registration hassles in ACT (10mm too low), but they're yours if you want them. Gotta be cheaper than getting new ones for sure.
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