Piazza_man project
- Piazza_man
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Decided to continue with on with the theme of freshening-up the interior with some modern touches. This time I focused on the centre hand brake cover and centre console. They were removed, the faux texture was then sanded down and smoothed out, spray painted with a metallic dark grey, and sealed with a few coats of clear. Once dry I used a cutting compound to get the clear coat looking smoother and glossier.
This dark grey colour was chosen because I wanted it to be a nod to the original factory grey colour, but with a shiny metallic twist. For those interested in the colour here it is below:
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Today was rear springs day. I regret selling the previous set to Eli, and these other chopped springs were still sitting too high.
For the lower isolator I replaced them with nolathane isolator part number 9.6108 from the same supplier in the US. This gives an additional 5-6mm extra height but has an excellent footprint for the new wider diameter springs.
My mechanic got a set of Ford Cortina springs (#2114) from Pedders to tie me over until I sorted out what I wanted to do. The Ford Cortina springs were pretty heavy duty, at over 15mm in wire diameter, but being chopped they would fall out if jacked up.
I eventually decided on a set of front springs off a Mk2 Ford Escort from King Springs (KFFL-13). King Springs make them as a progressive rate, which was exactly what I was looking for.
The spring diameter was about 12.5mm and were sitting taller than the chopped Pedders ones I pulled out (or should I say fell out)
Both springs were very similar in overall diameter too.
When the new springs were installed they only JUST managed to be be captured by the top plate (with the top rubber in position).
I must say the new ride height was spot on where I was hoping it would be. Very happy with the outcome and was easy to do in my garage. All I needed was a car jack and timber pieces (or car stands if you have them). I haven’t taken it for a spin yet, but I’m very happy with the result so far. Can’t wait to take it for a spin. Next step will be to have the panhard rod resized to suit the new ride height.
Update: I swapped over the top rubber isolators for the rear springs with nolathane isolators. The original rubbers were too small and not holding the springs in properly. In the image below you can see the nolathane isolator looks remarkably like the factory bottom isolator, only thinner.
I also notched an edge to make clearance under the chassis For the lower isolator I replaced them with nolathane isolator part number 9.6108 from the same supplier in the US. This gives an additional 5-6mm extra height but has an excellent footprint for the new wider diameter springs.
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Last edited by Piazza_man on Thu Sep 12, 2024 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Piazza_man
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Had a chance to deal with the rear parcel shelf the other day. The original elastic cords located inside the parcel shelf have perished and are no longer pulling the cords. So for those who are contemplating the same thing here’s a guide how to replace the worn out elastic cords.
To fix this I bought about 2meters of new elastic cord from a haberdashery shop for a couple of bucks, a small pack of shoelace aglets from eBay for a few bucks, and 1meter length of 10mm heat shrink tubing (I’ll explain later).
Removing the original elastic cords is relatively simple. First, flip the parcel shelf and remove the metal channel from the runner with it’s 3 screws. Next, carefully remove the plastic retainer clips on each end that the cord slips through. Next, pull out the plastic ends from the parcel shelf housing. When you pull them out and open it up you’ll see how the elastic cords are connected and crimped with aglets. Remove-cut the old elastic cords and cut the new elastic cords to be about 3/4 length of the parcel shelf runner. Attach the aglets in the same fashion as the original ones. The only thing I changed was to tie a small knot on the end of the new elastic cord that gets secured inside the plastic end instead of attaching an aglet (pic showing the original elastic cord). You’ll need to feed both new elastic cords at the same time. I used a wire coat hanger which I straightened and attached the new cords to one end. The problem I then faced when I kept trying to feed the wire through the metal runner was that the elastic cords kept snagging little burrs along the inside of the runner. It was obvious the inside of the metal runner/tube was very rough. Definitely not ideal! After some head scratching I came up with a super easy fix. Insert the 10mm heat shrink tubing inside the runner and cut off the excess. This provides a smooth shield for the elastic cords to slide against inside the runner. Now feed the coat hanger wire through and attach the ends of the elastic cords. As the new cords will be shorter than the runner/tube be sure not to let go whilst tying it all in as it will fling back deep inside the runner, and you might have to re feed the elastic cord again.
To fix this I bought about 2meters of new elastic cord from a haberdashery shop for a couple of bucks, a small pack of shoelace aglets from eBay for a few bucks, and 1meter length of 10mm heat shrink tubing (I’ll explain later).
Removing the original elastic cords is relatively simple. First, flip the parcel shelf and remove the metal channel from the runner with it’s 3 screws. Next, carefully remove the plastic retainer clips on each end that the cord slips through. Next, pull out the plastic ends from the parcel shelf housing. When you pull them out and open it up you’ll see how the elastic cords are connected and crimped with aglets. Remove-cut the old elastic cords and cut the new elastic cords to be about 3/4 length of the parcel shelf runner. Attach the aglets in the same fashion as the original ones. The only thing I changed was to tie a small knot on the end of the new elastic cord that gets secured inside the plastic end instead of attaching an aglet (pic showing the original elastic cord). You’ll need to feed both new elastic cords at the same time. I used a wire coat hanger which I straightened and attached the new cords to one end. The problem I then faced when I kept trying to feed the wire through the metal runner was that the elastic cords kept snagging little burrs along the inside of the runner. It was obvious the inside of the metal runner/tube was very rough. Definitely not ideal! After some head scratching I came up with a super easy fix. Insert the 10mm heat shrink tubing inside the runner and cut off the excess. This provides a smooth shield for the elastic cords to slide against inside the runner. Now feed the coat hanger wire through and attach the ends of the elastic cords. As the new cords will be shorter than the runner/tube be sure not to let go whilst tying it all in as it will fling back deep inside the runner, and you might have to re feed the elastic cord again.
Im checking in on here regularly! Nice to get some tips and follow your progress 

1989 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Lotus Turbo Red 92000km
1989 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Lotus Turbo White 183000km
1987 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Pre-Lotus Turbo Red 131000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Two-tone 145000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Black 92000km
1989 Isuzu Gemini JT190 Red 173000km
1989 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Lotus Turbo White 183000km
1987 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Pre-Lotus Turbo Red 131000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Two-tone 145000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Black 92000km
1989 Isuzu Gemini JT190 Red 173000km
- Piazza_man
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- Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm
- Piazza_man
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- Posts: 874
- Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm
- Piazza_man
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- Posts: 874
- Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm
Next up, a ground-up wholistic speaker upgrade. First step involved sourcing front and rear factory ported HBL speaker enclosures. The rears were purchased from a Japan Yahoo site. The fronts were later sourced from IPTOC, thank you Clive
The standard speaker grill fabric were either worn, faded from sun, or had slight tears and blemishes. Either way they had to go. New speaker fabric was then fitted and the rear enclosure trim surround was treated with spray paint and clear coat for that quality detail finish. Interesting to note the rear enclosures hold a volume of precisely 1.7litres water. Standard round holes were then cut square to accept the new enclosures.
New 4” speakers fitted. Rockford Fosgate 2-way 142 Power series for the fronts The original 2” speakers and internal crossovers (IC) were left in. Although the 2” speakers are still in good condition I will be updating/upgrading them in due course. I’ve tried to research the IC frequency crossover point of the original HBL enclosure, but no luck. So I’m effect the fronts will be a 3-way component system (4” 2-way + 2”), with 2 x ICs

The standard speaker grill fabric were either worn, faded from sun, or had slight tears and blemishes. Either way they had to go. New speaker fabric was then fitted and the rear enclosure trim surround was treated with spray paint and clear coat for that quality detail finish. Interesting to note the rear enclosures hold a volume of precisely 1.7litres water. Standard round holes were then cut square to accept the new enclosures.
New 4” speakers fitted. Rockford Fosgate 2-way 142 Power series for the fronts The original 2” speakers and internal crossovers (IC) were left in. Although the 2” speakers are still in good condition I will be updating/upgrading them in due course. I’ve tried to research the IC frequency crossover point of the original HBL enclosure, but no luck. So I’m effect the fronts will be a 3-way component system (4” 2-way + 2”), with 2 x ICs
- Piazza_man
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Continuing...
The rears are 4” Focal K2 ES100K 2-way component speakers running at 60W RMS. Very sexy looking, and almost a shame I cover it with speaker covers. .
While the door cards/trim are off I used the opportunity to thoroughly clean them. Here you can clearly see the difference between clean, and not so clean. I thought they looked alright until I started comparing the difference. Next up was sound deadening. The rear seating area was treated with commercial grade 100mm thick ultra dense sound absorbing material. I crammed it in every cavity available, and then added Dynamat sound deadener on the wheel arches and around the rear speaker metal frame for good measure. (Forgot to take a pic of that) Same deal for the front doors. Both inner skins were covered in Dynamat (to absorb vibration), followed by 3mm Dynapad (to absorb sound) on the inner skin only. End result looks factory and clean. For a more stealth look I chose to place the Focal tweeters here
The rears are 4” Focal K2 ES100K 2-way component speakers running at 60W RMS. Very sexy looking, and almost a shame I cover it with speaker covers. .
While the door cards/trim are off I used the opportunity to thoroughly clean them. Here you can clearly see the difference between clean, and not so clean. I thought they looked alright until I started comparing the difference. Next up was sound deadening. The rear seating area was treated with commercial grade 100mm thick ultra dense sound absorbing material. I crammed it in every cavity available, and then added Dynamat sound deadener on the wheel arches and around the rear speaker metal frame for good measure. (Forgot to take a pic of that) Same deal for the front doors. Both inner skins were covered in Dynamat (to absorb vibration), followed by 3mm Dynapad (to absorb sound) on the inner skin only. End result looks factory and clean. For a more stealth look I chose to place the Focal tweeters here
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Continuing...
Also installed a Pioneer IB flat 12” sealed shallow-mount enclosure single voice coil sub woofer. Tucks in nicely behind the rear seats, and still plenty of room in the boot. Speaking of which, the amp in the boot is an old school Boss Audio 1000w unit that came with the car when I bought it nearly 10 years ago. I’ll be looking to upgrade the amp soon, but even with the old amp struggling to supply enough power to the 10 speakers, it still sounds awesome at high volume. Crystal clear sound with good base. Mind you the amp gets so hot after a loud and hard session that I can’t even touch the amp for too long.
Also installed a Pioneer IB flat 12” sealed shallow-mount enclosure single voice coil sub woofer. Tucks in nicely behind the rear seats, and still plenty of room in the boot. Speaking of which, the amp in the boot is an old school Boss Audio 1000w unit that came with the car when I bought it nearly 10 years ago. I’ll be looking to upgrade the amp soon, but even with the old amp struggling to supply enough power to the 10 speakers, it still sounds awesome at high volume. Crystal clear sound with good base. Mind you the amp gets so hot after a loud and hard session that I can’t even touch the amp for too long.
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Next up on the agenda was to address the dull, heavily-scratched, and faded black B Pillar covers. For anyone interested in removing these, there 6 screws holding each cover, and these are the real deal cast aluminium parts, not the cheap black plastic covers you’ll find on pretty much every new car today.

Newly sprayed covers from the auto body works spray shop now installed. Looks mintHot damn! Loving this
Did you ditch the rubber part at the bottom of the B-pillar covers ? Wasnt shure if its there or not on the photo..

1989 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Lotus Turbo Red 92000km
1989 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Lotus Turbo White 183000km
1987 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Pre-Lotus Turbo Red 131000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Two-tone 145000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Black 92000km
1989 Isuzu Gemini JT190 Red 173000km
1989 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Lotus Turbo White 183000km
1987 Isuzu Piazza JR120 Pre-Lotus Turbo Red 131000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Two-tone 145000km
1984 Isuzu Piazza JR130 N/A Black 92000km
1989 Isuzu Gemini JT190 Red 173000km
- Piazza_man
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- Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm
Man this project is just awesome to follow!
Keep it up!

Keep it up!
ISUZU PIAZZA TURBO -89 | HANDLING BY LOTUS
KAIZEN RACING PROJECT かいぜん
www.nismo.se | www.kaizenracingproject.com
KAIZEN RACING PROJECT かいぜん
www.nismo.se | www.kaizenracingproject.com
- Piazza_man
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