I'd heard of people racing Nissan NX 100s in various Tarmac events, but I hadn't seen any rally examples until now.
The pictures are copyright protected on Flickr so I can't embed them, but there's a rally NX here, here and here. It looks like it's driven by João Luis Palma & Luis José Maldonado, and Joao seems to be a fairly frequent racer. Sadly I can't translate any of the reports...
Spookily enough I'd just been on a short holiday, and took the chance to do some rally driving in a Peugeot 205 - maybe someone is trying to tell me something!
Anyone else got any unusual NX motorsport pictures? Spotted one going ice-racing?
Monday, 21 September 2009
Sunday, 12 July 2009
The NX decision
Well, after a bit of thought, and a lot of sitting around I've made a decision about the future of my NX.
We're going to rebuild it.
It's going to take a lot of work and effort, and a lot of time (which is something which is in short supply for me), but the cost to get it into a state where I could sell it wouldn't be returned - and I'm strangely unable to see it go to the scrapyard.
So for once I'm actually going to start planning it carefully.
First stage is to come up with a plan for the finished article - I'm giving myself 12 months to get it into a decent state again, which seems reasonable considering all work will be happening on my driveway unless I can find a good friend with a garage I can use or someone with a workshop sitting idle.
The basic plan is something fairly stripped and light, fairly subtle, and retaining a couple of creature comforts to have something that's usable but a bit quicker and more unusual than standard - I'm not going to go over the top with body mods, and I don't have the money to do something really bizarre.
I'm also looking at how to rebuild the engine for more power, or possible engine swaps. There must be something which is a better alternative in terms of cost than the popular Pulsar GTi swap.
Inspiration is coming from a range of places, including cars like the Integra Type R - something that discerning pople know is quicker than standard, but not something that shouts about how quick it is.
We're going to rebuild it.
It's going to take a lot of work and effort, and a lot of time (which is something which is in short supply for me), but the cost to get it into a state where I could sell it wouldn't be returned - and I'm strangely unable to see it go to the scrapyard.
So for once I'm actually going to start planning it carefully.
First stage is to come up with a plan for the finished article - I'm giving myself 12 months to get it into a decent state again, which seems reasonable considering all work will be happening on my driveway unless I can find a good friend with a garage I can use or someone with a workshop sitting idle.
The basic plan is something fairly stripped and light, fairly subtle, and retaining a couple of creature comforts to have something that's usable but a bit quicker and more unusual than standard - I'm not going to go over the top with body mods, and I don't have the money to do something really bizarre.
I'm also looking at how to rebuild the engine for more power, or possible engine swaps. There must be something which is a better alternative in terms of cost than the popular Pulsar GTi swap.
Inspiration is coming from a range of places, including cars like the Integra Type R - something that discerning pople know is quicker than standard, but not something that shouts about how quick it is.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Considering the fate of my NX...
Well, the MOT didn't deliver great news - I expected that it might be a fail, but it turns out the NX needs a fair bit of welding, as well as a catalytic converter replaced.
Overall, it's not an extortionate cost - the local garage estimated an MOT pass for about £300 of work.
But it looks like I'll be commuting more in the future, so won't need a car for getting to work - and can I really justify a second car for the occasional weekend trip? Plus, after getting an MOT pass, there's a few jobs which will need fixing for the future.
So I have a dilemma.
So far, the choice is to sell the car as a whole, strip it for parts (it's got some nice aftermarket bits fitted), or take it off the road and consider taking the time and effort to restore it properly (without a garage or a car lift, this is likely to mean professional help and a fair bit of expense).
I've been trying to decide for a while, in between sulking that the MOT was due just before the weather started getting better and I could at least have enjoyed a bit of summer cruising with the roof down...
Rest assured I'll have a decision shortly - after all, selling it or taking it off the road means I need to reclaim some of the car tax and cancel the insurance, so the longer I wait, the less I save.
In the meantime, if you're interested in snapping up what would be a great NX for someone with access to welding equipment, or a really cost effective donor car for parts including seats, alloys, lowered suspension, plus original roof cards and roof panel bags, give me a shout... (thewayoftheweb at googlemail dot com)
Overall, it's not an extortionate cost - the local garage estimated an MOT pass for about £300 of work.
But it looks like I'll be commuting more in the future, so won't need a car for getting to work - and can I really justify a second car for the occasional weekend trip? Plus, after getting an MOT pass, there's a few jobs which will need fixing for the future.
So I have a dilemma.
So far, the choice is to sell the car as a whole, strip it for parts (it's got some nice aftermarket bits fitted), or take it off the road and consider taking the time and effort to restore it properly (without a garage or a car lift, this is likely to mean professional help and a fair bit of expense).
I've been trying to decide for a while, in between sulking that the MOT was due just before the weather started getting better and I could at least have enjoyed a bit of summer cruising with the roof down...
Rest assured I'll have a decision shortly - after all, selling it or taking it off the road means I need to reclaim some of the car tax and cancel the insurance, so the longer I wait, the less I save.
In the meantime, if you're interested in snapping up what would be a great NX for someone with access to welding equipment, or a really cost effective donor car for parts including seats, alloys, lowered suspension, plus original roof cards and roof panel bags, give me a shout... (thewayoftheweb at googlemail dot com)
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Strange MOT test coincidence
I hadn't noticed until now, but in a completely odd coincidence, it appears the two cars in the family, built 11 years apart by different manufacturers, and owned by different family members, have one striking thing in common.
The MOT is due on the same day!
So I'm already preparing justification for keeping the NX on the road, as it will inevitably cost more than the other, more modern car. I also forgot it was coming up, so committed the cardinal sins of not doing basic checks for possible faults, and not giving it a good clean etc to at least give a good impression.
Mainly I forgot because the eletrical problems I had turned out to not be the battery (So I now have a spare battery), but an electrical fault somewhere. Taking out the alternator to test it, and then replacing it, seems to have magically cured it for the moment, but I'm just waiting for it to reappear at the worst possible moment.
The MOT is due on the same day!
So I'm already preparing justification for keeping the NX on the road, as it will inevitably cost more than the other, more modern car. I also forgot it was coming up, so committed the cardinal sins of not doing basic checks for possible faults, and not giving it a good clean etc to at least give a good impression.
Mainly I forgot because the eletrical problems I had turned out to not be the battery (So I now have a spare battery), but an electrical fault somewhere. Taking out the alternator to test it, and then replacing it, seems to have magically cured it for the moment, but I'm just waiting for it to reappear at the worst possible moment.
Friday, 13 February 2009
The cost of tax for the Nissan NX100 1.6
In addition to finding out the previous electrical problem was only temporarily cured by a new battery, there's a lovely letter from the DVLA asking me to renew the tax for the Nissan.
So if it's helpful, the cost for 6 months is £101.75, and the cost for 12 months is £185.00.
It's obviously cheaper to go for 12 months, if you know the car will last that long! Luckily reinforcements have arrived to help me work on the car, so hopefully I'll be able to go for the longterm option in the knowledge I might actually get the NX off the driveway at some point.
So if it's helpful, the cost for 6 months is £101.75, and the cost for 12 months is £185.00.
It's obviously cheaper to go for 12 months, if you know the car will last that long! Luckily reinforcements have arrived to help me work on the car, so hopefully I'll be able to go for the longterm option in the knowledge I might actually get the NX off the driveway at some point.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Replacing a flat battery on the Nissan 100NX
It seems like only yesterday that I was getting the alternator repaired on the Nissan, but last week when I turned the ignition key, nothing happened.
I assumed the alternator might have packed up again, but due to the winter evenings and an early start for work I charged and replaced the battery the night before I intended to use the car.
And when I sat in the NX the next morning, only the clock was faintly working.
So I had to assume the battery had died. Great timing! Luckily the Halfords website actually lists the Nissan 100NX in the list of batteries it carries, so I've picked up and fitted a Halfords Calcium Battery HCB005. I did turn down their kind offer to fit it for £4.99, thinking that even I can wield a 10mm spanner - and it'd cost me more to get the car there!
For the record, the steps are pretty easy to replace a battery - it's a five minute job.
Using a 10mm spanner, loosen the negative terminal first, remove the retaining metal bar, and remove the positive terminal last.
Take the battery out, put new one in.
Attach the positive terminal first, and the negative terminal last.
Job done.
(Disposing of a car battery means a trip to your local tip - although a sign in Halfords did say they also dispose of them. Best to be careful, bearing in mind they contain acid.)
I assumed the alternator might have packed up again, but due to the winter evenings and an early start for work I charged and replaced the battery the night before I intended to use the car.
And when I sat in the NX the next morning, only the clock was faintly working.
So I had to assume the battery had died. Great timing! Luckily the Halfords website actually lists the Nissan 100NX in the list of batteries it carries, so I've picked up and fitted a Halfords Calcium Battery HCB005. I did turn down their kind offer to fit it for £4.99, thinking that even I can wield a 10mm spanner - and it'd cost me more to get the car there!
For the record, the steps are pretty easy to replace a battery - it's a five minute job.
Using a 10mm spanner, loosen the negative terminal first, remove the retaining metal bar, and remove the positive terminal last.
Take the battery out, put new one in.
Attach the positive terminal first, and the negative terminal last.
Job done.
(Disposing of a car battery means a trip to your local tip - although a sign in Halfords did say they also dispose of them. Best to be careful, bearing in mind they contain acid.)
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