That is, if my latest stupid plan to acquire a BNR32 doesn’t eat up all of my disposable income.

just before Xmas last year (i.e. less than a month ago) I drew up a small “things to do in 2010″ list on the DR30 sedan which quickly snowballed to include the coupe, and then the RX-7 for good measure. Having somehow ended up in Hamilton on the 31st at a friend’s place to see in the New Decade, it was a no-brainer to visit the workshop the next day to begin crossing Items off said List.

…rather wisely – or perhaps stupidly depending on your outlook – I’d drank no alcohol the night before.

This! is! MADNESS!

Over the course of the day I managed to get squid running again, by getting my electronics-whiz friend Brendan to crack open the faulty fuel pump controller (with a grinder, no less) and re-solder a bunch of dry joins. mental note: do the same to the one in the coupe! Once the car was alive it was time to inspect the faulty alternator – 18.2V at 3500rpm and rising further still with revs… definitely not healthy. With Brendan’s help it was quickly ascertained that, strangely enough, switching the headlights on would cap the voltage at a safe enough level (around 14.8V at all revs) and allow the car to be driven back to Auckland at a later stage. I’m suspecting either a faulty diode, regulator, or both.

with that out of the way it was time to unbolt the mint driver’s seat out of squid, and swap it with the torn driver’s seat from the coupe; reason being that squid will eventually end up at the re-upholsterers getting the rear seat headrest fabric repaired, so why not get the front seat done as well?

Bring on 2010, I say.