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Taking a popcorn break right now too LOL got sidetracked by wanting to re-install bottom shift cover because I thought too much heat was coming up, but I had never popped my shift boot back in place either because I was fiddling with minor adjustments to the retainer and shifter height, so normally maybe any heat would normally be blocked by the boot.
So took off the heat shield and popped the bottom back on, when then test shifting with it on, I realized that I liked it a lot better bottomless LOL so, now have to decided to remain naked on the bottom and hope when shift boot is properly in place it will negate the little bit of heat I felt coming up.
Some sort of micro-dust had gotten on portions of the shifter, after just one week...
...but decided not to sweat it because plenty of people run them coverless and it ain't gonna be like devastating or anything.
Then,
decided to also try and install an A/F ratio gauge since the Scorp header came with a bung already, which I just plugged when I put it on...
...I'm pretty dumb at computer stuff and don't even own a laptop. My brain isn't wired to comprehend mathematics either and it all gets scrambled up confusingly. Perhaps I should get with it because it'd be fantastic to do logging and get real-time information of what's happening and when it's happening, yes it appeals to me but simultaneously I'm a luddite simpleton who can barely grasp many of the parameters being numerically represented! LOL
So I went with something basic just to glance at and see how the A/F is doing.
NTK AFX
Will fiddle with it a bit longer this evening,
but looking more like tomorrow until everything is sewn back up.
1) Unsure why you'd leave the shifter box bottom lid open, since that does allow heat and noise to rise above. The original (unknown brand) short shift kit installed on mine remains in place and provides super crisp shifts, so no desire to open that up for a look-see. I added Hushmat sound/heat insulation to the bottom of the shifter box plate and adjacent to further reduce dBA.
2) That NGK/NTK A/F kit adds a very desirable PID that I can't monitor with my OBDLink MX+ which does appeal, however no unused bung on my header and I'm not gonna mess with that either. The NTK is a spendy sucker too...
3) I too await your comparo impressions. After your Scorp system is bolted in place, perhaps measure clearance from top of res can to the heat shield at the shifter box well as the res can diameter for comparison to Milltek's res-pipe version that didn't work for me. If combo of smaller Scorpion pipe OD with smaller res can OD and larger rear cans might fit mine without interference while reducing dBA inside the cab, I'd seriously consider going that route...
1) It just feels much better to me and I like the way the shift-action feels in comparison to when I re-fitted the bottom lid. Of course, I do have some of the concerns that you cite and may even mod the lid with an extension at some point as many people have done, but at this moment I'm eager to install the exhaust and not too keen on fabbing up the lid, so I'll just leave it off then once everything is buttoned up will gauge heat/noise levels --- many people who install these type of short shifters leave the bottom lid off, so I don't feel like too much of a heretic!
2) Yeah, I got it directly from NGK, at the time I bought they had 19 in stock and the price was $241 so looks like it went up recently by $9. This was yet another 'choice dilemma' for me and originally I was going to go old-skool with an Innovate analog gauge:
Changed my mind on that, then decided maybe best to go with something digital which would perhaps be easier to read at-a-glance,
the Ballenger units appealed to me...
But anyways, hit a bump on installing the NTK because I couldn't find a good place to breach the firewall where I could fit the plug through easily, so will now put it on standby while I figure out how I want to go with routing the cable --- I don't consider it crucial at this juncture because I'm still on stock tune, but when I finally do get a tune, then I consider a decent wideband A/F gauge to be very important.
3) Will do. I'll also see if my caliper fits the Scorp res and get a measurement as well.
4) 6:41 am EST, still drinking my coffee, soon to get busy! By the end of the day I'll know how the Scorpion sounds, but likely not much weekend backroad bombing to evaluate tone because we're having a big family get together for the whole of Mother's Day holiday and will be enjoying that shindig.
Also pulled out an old JCW tip that I had found at a junkyard in the interest of weighing it because they are kinda porky for just being tips.
Each weigh 0.88 lbs. so 1.76 lbs. for both.
I've always loved the way the JCW tips look, and the Scorp STW tips come pretty close to that vibe, although slightly less severe of an angle,
difficult to get a good pic so forgive this, but I tried to make it more legible by subtracting color:
The Milltek tips have a little less of a dramatic angle cut:
Last edited by Oldboy Speedwell; May 6, 2022 at 07:55 AM.
Well, here I am lollygagging and not being productive on the car but instead doing other chores that needed done, and anyway one of the best things about getting older is an overall sense of IDGAF as far as general stuff goes, which is good because I used to be overly self-critical with a tendency to flagellate myself like right now (back then) I'd be stressed n' angry demanding answer as to why such a simple task wasn't yet complete.
The lack of applied pressure helps me truly enjoy everything too, because this is supposed to be sort of like a hobby and hobbies are things to be enjoyed.
Fortunate for me is that my work allows for extended down-time where I can creatively loaf with no care for upcoming deadline, and that really helps my lifestyle.
Anyway,
forgot to measure JCW resonator and it's actually larger than the Scorpion res --- although my calipers are actually too small to get super precise, measuring in the same manner that I did with the Scorp gets roughly 108mm.
:
After not liking the shift-feel after re-installing bottom cover, remembered that long ago when I first got my car I had found an NM Eng. cover on ebay for cheap and even though I knew it wasn't designed for R53 went ahead and bought it because I thought that I'd be able to make it work, it was buried deep in the dungeon and had to dig it out. I like the design of it, adding a simple clean box extension utilizing a stock cover as foundation, but it wouldn't fit and had interference when trying to re-install heat shield, could probably modify/manipulate heat shield to conform for added space, but just decided to stay nudist.
:
Something I forgot to mention earlier as regards to shift-feel is that very recently I had changed my trans-mount to a Vibra-Technics version and it may have had a positive impact on feel as well.
I have that NM cover on my R55. I installed the NM shifter extender, and, like you, I didn't feel comfortable leaving it open on my daily driver. I had to massage the heat shield to get it to sit flush with the NM cover mounted, but I feel the efforts involved were worth it. Are you going to modify your R53 shift cover to fit the blue box cover?
^^^ As mentioned in vid comments, "Lil T" which is Little Tujunga Canyon Rd, which was part of my former stomping grounds for spirited moto riding and sports cars.
Last edited by MCS4FUN; May 6, 2022 at 11:34 AM.
Reason: Google link didn't work
"Anyway, forgot to measure JCW resonator and it's actually larger than the Scorpion res --- although my calipers are actually too small to get super precise, measuring in the same manner that I did with the Scorp gets roughly 108mm."
OK then, prox 4.25" res can diameter which IIRC is somewhat smaller than Milltek's. Unsure combo of smaller pipe and can diameter is enough to resolve my fitment issues, so likely will remain Milltek non-res. Good progress on your project while agreeing, no need to rush. It's supposed to be kinda fun!
Taking a popcorn break right now too LOL got sidetracked by wanting to re-install bottom shift cover because I thought too much heat was coming up, but I had never popped my shift boot back in place either because I was fiddling with minor adjustments to the retainer and shifter height, so normally maybe any heat would normally be blocked by the boot.
So took off the heat shield and popped the bottom back on, when then test shifting with it on, I realized that I liked it a lot better bottomless LOL so, now have to decided to remain naked on the bottom and hope when shift boot is properly in place it will negate the little bit of heat I felt coming up.
Some sort of micro-dust had gotten on portions of the shifter, after just one week...
...but decided not to sweat it because plenty of people run them coverless and it ain't gonna be like devastating or anything.
< snip >
Way too much post content to re-quote in entirety, so I'll just include what's relevant to my question...
I pondered why you would remove and leave off the shifter box bottom cover before reinstalling the heat shielding and new Scorpion exhaust. Doing related searches here and elsewhere, I now realize most if not all short shift kits require using a modified cover or none at all. My presumption from short travel and crisp engagement between gears (plus what the OP told me best I recall), mine has a short shift kit. But it still has the OEM shifter **** which isn't compatible with aftermarket short shift kit sticks threaded M12x1.25. So then, what do I have - the OEM shifter or yet another version? Closest I've found is the B&M short shift kit which either reused the OEM rubber bushings or replaced those with solid nylon/delrin type as standoffs in combo with a sold cover plate. If so, that could relate to the reduced clearance between bottom of shifter box cover and top of exhaust just below that. Pics of all that are within my sig topic but think I'll add another post pertaining to this question tomorrow...
^^^ As mentioned in vid comments, "Lil T" which is Little Tujunga Canyon Rd, which was part of my former stomping grounds for spirited moto riding and sports cars.
THANK YOU!
Doubt that I'd figure out "Lil T" as it's a bit cryptic and many thanks for selecting such an excellently well-written article to link to --- I greatly enjoyed reading it. Due to my deep interest in backroads I've read lots of motorcyclist reports regarding rides but they're not usually so eloquent or awe-inspiring, and I also usually limit my readings to the southeast region just because that's where I prowl, so it's cool see other regions too, I now realize, even if they ain't gonna be on my menu any time soon.
The absolute best sat-nav that I've found was designed for motorcyclists and it has provided me with routes that I would have never likely traversed if left to my own resources --- my prior manual planning of interesting routes via google maps was time-consuming, difficult to follow in real time because I was using handwritten notes, and more times than once chose a road that looked legit on googmaps but turned out being an old dirt road which would require me to turn around and reset the entire thing LOL
Jealous of your old stomping grounds --- I'd say that you're a jammy bastard!
Note:
the first time I ever came across the phrase "jammy bastard" was in textual convo with a guy from West Midlands, and I felt slightly insulted LOL actually asked him 'whaddya mean?' then he explained that it simply meant similar to US-English phrase "lucky bastard" haha
Originally Posted by MCS4FUN
Way too much post content to re-quote in entirety, so I'll just include what's relevant to my question...
I pondered why you would remove and leave off the shifter box bottom cover before reinstalling the heat shielding and new Scorpion exhaust. Doing related searches here and elsewhere, I now realize most if not all short shift kits require using a modified cover or none at all. My presumption from short travel and crisp engagement between gears (plus what the OP told me best I recall), mine has a short shift kit. But it still has the OEM shifter **** which isn't compatible with aftermarket short shift kit sticks threaded M12x1.25. So then, what do I have - the OEM shifter or yet another version? Closest I've found is the B&M short shift kit which either reused the OEM rubber bushings or replaced those with solid nylon/delrin type as standoffs in combo with a sold cover plate. If so, that could relate to the reduced clearance between bottom of shifter box cover and top of exhaust just below that. Pics of all that are within my sig topic but think I'll add another post pertaining to this question tomorrow...
Will reply further in your sig topic.
This is a good video of CravenSpeed shifter + retainer install --- he takes his time to fabricate a custom bottom lid, as well as mod the heat shield, not exactly pertinent to your particular query, but just thought I'd add it here because it's always good to see this stuff in live action and there's been some questions in this thread regarding the retainer...
Cuppa strong mud mornin' and browsing the FB again before I get going, will be able to accomplish a little more work today because ain't leaving for the shindig until a little after noon.
Saw this nicely stanced car on Allmag's page for #FridayNightSpotlight:
Looks great!
But was more intrigued by seeing that they had clocked their rev counter:
Pretty neat to see and not very often seen on an R53.
I've only seen a few like that and they were all dedicated racecars.
Am I using the proper term for this,
or is there a better way of saying it?
Aircool Porsche guys seem to do it most often nowadays from what I've seen, but the practice dates back even further and it makes much sense if you think about it.
Okay,
now looking for examples from 911 world, learned that some call that style ' tilted ' or also simply 'rotated ' .
Last edited by Oldboy Speedwell; May 7, 2022 at 06:08 AM.
“Clocked” is the term and started in racing to make the gauges easy to read at a glance. All gauges were clocked so the needles were at 12 o’clock so the driver didn’t actually have to read them. Redline would be at 12, and any needle not pointing straight up on the other gauges indicated a problem.
Interesting that the tach in MINI and second 911 pic is clocked to 6, most likely due to the lack of vision from smaller steering wheels.
Got an early start today, everything all tightened up and ready for test drive later this morning.
Love the tips.
Clearance is no prob.
Did encounter an unexpected hiccup though, as is often the usual when I'm working on this damn car LOL when trying to re-fit the batterybox skidplate, it simply wouldn't fit --- it fit no probbo with the Milltek. Just something that I didn't take into account, and most people who install the Scorp, it seems, simply just delete it altogether...
...but I did not want to delete it.
I happen to like the way it looks! LOL
I'm sure also that it has some sort of actual purpose too.
Factory terminology refers to it as the "underbody rear air duct" -
Can anyone explain what it actually does?
I had a spare laying around so broke out the angle grinder and cut it up custom to fit.
Amount of material removed can be seen when overlaid on top of another:
Quick polishing job was unsatisfactory though...
...so thanks to @BreckMini learned of a possible magic elixir which I just ordered and will test first on the plate to see how it does.
My take on that air duct is it serves a couple functions: smooths out the airflow around the battery box, and protects the battery box from road debris.
My take on that air duct is it serves a couple functions: smooths out the airflow around the battery box, and protects the battery box from road debris.
“Clocked” is the term and started in racing to make the gauges easy to read at a glance. All gauges were clocked so the needles were at 12 o’clock so the driver didn’t actually have to read them. Redline would be at 12, and any needle not pointing straight up on the other gauges indicated a problem.
Interesting that the tach in MINI and second 911 pic is clocked to 6, most likely due to the lack of vision from smaller steering wheels.
On the R53, I was trying to figure out how it was accomplished since you have to deal with the flat on bottom of the rev counter --- it ain't exactly easy to rotate.
I question if the one in that pic is even functional? Looks to be purely a show 'n shine car?
:
Another interesting variant for R53 is the relocate method,
and midnight seems to be better positioning in my opinion.
Racecar magazine pic:
And,
tracking back to cornering curves CaliMoto twisty bits...
Not surprised no clearance issues running "naked" w/o shifter dust cover. I too wouldn't want to permanently delete the battery box duct cover. My original had a few non-functional dimple dents, so bought a replacement which was actually worse that way. It's soft aluminum sheet stock, thus malleable (fun word). Polishing made it worse by accentuating those dents, so ended up manually graining it which did an acceptable job. Reinstalled the original item and listed the unused replacement cover in forum classifieds...
For future reference, the rub'n buff is available at larger craft store in the jewelry making section usually. I know that Hobby Lobby carries some of the colors.
Also, this stuff is supposed to do a pretty amazing job on pitting. I am picking up a bottle today if I can find it locally... comet-like dry stuff that you use with a cloth and buff in.
Exhaust looks awesome! Looking forward to the sound report.
Not surprised no clearance issues running "naked" w/o shifter dust cover. I too wouldn't want to permanently delete the battery box duct cover. My original had a few non-functional dimple dents, so bought a replacement which was actually worse that way. It's soft aluminum sheet stock, thus malleable (fun word). Polishing made it worse by accentuating those dents, so ended up manually graining it which did an acceptable job. Reinstalled the original item and listed the unused replacement cover in forum classifieds...
Just curious regarding the brand new part you got...
...do they still say Made in France?
Or perhaps after all these years they've changed suppliers --- curious to know if that newer-made part has a country of origin stamp on it.
Originally Posted by jcolletteiii
For future reference, the rub'n buff is available at larger craft store in the jewelry making section usually. I know that Hobby Lobby carries some of the colors.
Also, this stuff is supposed to do a pretty amazing job on pitting. I am picking up a bottle today if I can find it locally... comet-like dry stuff that you use with a cloth and buff in.
Exhaust looks awesome! Looking forward to the sound report.
Thanks!
I love the way it looks.
And thanks for tips n' pointers to as far as sourcing, as well as the blurb about Cameo --- may have to give that stuff a go.
Originally Posted by cooper48
Just so you know, this stuff is available on the Walmart website for $1.56 for 10 ounces.
So,
slight delay of course because friggin' MINI! LOL no, not really the cars fault, my own carelessness actually --- when doing my safety inspection making sure everything was tight n' right, noticed a greasy smear on the floor and it turns out that somehow I had gotten a big dollop of nickel anti-seize on the back of my head all in my hair LOL okay, take a shower and shampoo...
...then,
since I had removed the euro shelf in anticipation of running the cable for the A/F gauge (which ultimately got put on standby to be installed at a later date),, had to put it back in place and it was just being a nasty bugbear pain-in-the-patoolie-hole, inevitable I guess because just earlier this morning I was offering advice regarding it, to pause, chill, breathe deeply, and be patient:
...but was having a difficult time myself because it was being stubborn and hesitant to go back into place and I was yankin' my hair out and wanted to beat the damn thing like a red-headed stepchild! LOL
Finally got it back together.
I do love it despite the twiddly fitting, because it provides good home for my ScanGauge:
No, not an ideal location due to requiring a glance down, but I didn't want it to clutter dashtop, although line-of-sight would be better in a perfect world.
Anyway,
blah blah blah haha
The test drive went excellently!
Much more civilized and now got my whine back too.
Gone is the raspy snapping, to be replaced with nice deep burble.
Still in evaluation stage as it may alter over time like the Milltek did, so eager to see how it fares after a few more hundred miles are driven on it.
after inspection noticed that one of the tips had made contact enough so as to melt a bit of the trim --- thought I had it dialed in proper, but I guess the system "settled" after being driven.
Thankfully not a massive melt. Let it cool down, then dropped the tips to re-adjust, now will drive again on a bumpy road, then inspect again.
My problem was that I didn't tighten the tip pipe clamps enough, so this time gave them mad tights,
think it'll be secure now, but will keep on eye on it.
no, not really the cars fault, my own carelessness actually --- when doing my safety inspection making sure everything was tight n' right, noticed a greasy smear on the floor and it turns out that somehow I had gotten a big dollop of nickel anti-seize on the back of my head all in my hair LOL okay, take a shower and shampoo...
