Caoboy

The only thing that might be bad is if it's a decent hit that transfers all the energy through the hitch and into the cabin rather than, say, your rear door and spare tire.

It's a risk I'd rather take though.

drg007

iTrader: (2)

ClabbeB

Got hold of a set of hood dampers for the V
Had to trim off a bit of plastic on the fender protector

Smackin

ClabbeB

The standard prop stick have two positions, standard and service
The dampers give a lift a little larger than the standard but not as much as service position.
However they are more "stable" than the normal prop stick in case of wind for example as well as you don´t have the stick in the way.
And as Rolling Stones put it, "It´s only rock´n´roll but I like it.."

AndrewDB1

I didn't even know about service position but have wanted my hood higher, so thank you for that!

ClabbeB

Just have a look in the top left corner of your hood, there you will find the "hole" for the service position.

ClabbeB

After some search, since I don´t like the towball in my tow kit I bought, (yeah I know but it´s aesthetic) and I most likely will never use my towhook, basically I bought it and had it installed as a safety feature if i ever would be rear ended.
Both since I have my dog in the boot and also because of my daughter in the backseat.
But at the same time I would like to have something in case i would need to tow something, like a red D-ring or similar for looks and give a more of a offroad feeling.
Was considering to have it manufactured to my specs but went on eBay just for some inspiration.

Ended up ordering a drop plate and a pin ball jaw coupling :p
Can´t wait to get it home and install it

ClabbeB

Second hand 16x8" ET40 deep dish D-style steelies.. Check ✔️

W8SEY

ClabbeB

No idea what car they were on before, neither do I know what brand/make they are as I just picked them up and had to rush to my office.
They are 5x114" and bore is 71.5mm so I need to get some rings.
Waiting for my 15mm Eibach spacers as well so the ET will be 25 so they should be pretty flush on the car.
Will wait until next month when i get my 225/70 Geolander G015´s as well..

W8SEY

ClabbeB

Paid 150 quid for them so quite alright.
trying to find center caps for them now.

The bar haven´t arrived yet as I have it co-shipped here to BG with a forwarding company to save costs..
But should arrive within a week.

W8SEY

ClabbeB

Since I blacked out the grille pretty fast and in a pretty lazy way (no pre-work, just sprayed on) I had to redo it again after a 3hrs drive in snow blizzard that wasnt´t to kind to it.
And it is kind of disturbing when the front looks like a sack of ****.

I also thought that a completely blacked out grille didn´t suite the V, too much black with the H blacked out as well, so I went ahead and ordered a Type-R front emblem, since it is almost as big as the OEM H on the V, a few millimeters difference.
And it makes the grille look better IMO



And picked up my custom cut new panel for my switches and gauges, to go in the hole under the stereo after i removed the useless flap door

W8SEY

ClabbeB

ClabbeB

It is orthodox Easter here in Bulgaria and everything is closed, so I decided to give it a shot and install the switch panel.


Start with labeling up all the cables (a label printer is a god sent product) and then start connecting all connectors and cables..



Check so everything looks OK from the front with all switches, gauges and LED control lights



Install the panel in its place and check so everything works when switching on the ignition..

​​​​​​


Now I just have to hook up the gauges..

ThisIsMatt

Wow, very nicely done! The screw holes are even counter-sunk! Super clean install. Looks like you've got one more slot for a light switch...in case you want to put lights on your lights... Your next mod is going to have to be replacing your alternator with a nuclear power plant. "1.21 Gigawatts!"

ClabbeB

Im afraid of the dark and there is some more lights coming :D
Guess I´m too Swedish where we are used to darkness 3 months out of the year :D

ClabbeB

Always fun with custom made stuff.
From same guy who made my roof basket.
Just rust treatment and painting before going on the car..

W8SEY

Looks great clabbe


Is that a step for the rear bumper your making there? looks nice and mean. presume its going to be black when its done?

Could you please explain what you had to do to get your safari bar on? i really want to get mine on now!

Thanks

W8SEY

ClabbeB

The Westin Safari bar... quite a story.
As some of you have seen in another thread, the Westin bar is not sold in Europe.
Reason for that is that apperantaly the radiator fram is different on the US produced model comparing to the UK produced one.

I learn this the hard way by importing a Wesin bar (impossible to get hold of a black bull bar in Europe!) and then trying to fit it.
It was a disaster.
The UK frame is "wavey" leaving the supplied bolts to short and the brackets slamming against the frame as well as the bracket for the subframe not even lining up towards the main bracket.




Had some mail contact with Westin who basically pointed out that they can not guarantee fitment as they don´t have a European model to mold the brackets after.
The bar is intended only for US produced V´s.

Fortunately I don´t give up easily as I figured then at least I will be one of the few in Europe with a Westin bar
With the help of a great friend and his father, we managed to get the bar in place anyway but it took a few hours of measuring, thinking, measuring again and come to a conclusion.



Basically if you wanna fit the bar om the European V, you can start with throwing away all bolts and nuts (except the long ones for attachment in the actual bar) and use all the washers.
This because US uses inch staging on the thread and Europe use mm, meaning bolts and nuts won´t fit each other if you try to mix.
Start off with the main bolts, got longer M12 bolts for the main bracket, used 60mm long but you should do fine with 40 or 50mm, as we cut off some of the thread on my bolts after everything was mounted.
Didn´t care about using the third bolt on the end of the bracket, as it meant that I would have to take down the intercooler and the radiator to access the hole, not interested in that.
It makes the bracket a little more adjustable as well.



As you can see, the bar will end up a few mm lower than original but you wanna get it there, right?
We used two lug nuts as distances, you could cut out distances out of a pipe if you want a more stable distance but that will give some extra work to get them aligned with the wavey frame.
You can see on the picture as well how much is left of the thread on a 60mm bolt.

Since the support bracket is supposed to be mounted in the subframe bolt, a bolt you shouldn´t play to much with in my opinion, they don´t line up with each other as the main bracket has been spacered down further to clear the frame.
And I wouldn´t recommend longer bolts for the subframe either as it will put more stress on the subframe.
So out with the grinder and butcher up the support bracket for a more custom fit.


Then the only option is, or I´m sure there are other options as well but this is how we did it, attached and fasten the support bracket in the subframe bolt as intended and the weld it to the lower part of the first bracket.
This way it supports the bracket as well as it makes the bar a little less flimsey and if someone would hit the bar, it won´t just fall off as it would if only hold with the first bracket.
Also getting access to the bolt of the bar in case I need to take it off without taking down everything.





Now it sits there, but it is very close to the bumper, had to remove the number plate holder that the European version have and move the number plate.
Looks better now in my opinion.
The bar is still vibrating and is not completely still which will cause vibration in the lights if you mount anything.
To sort this out I will put rubber distances in the upper part of the bar, between the bumper and the bar, using the holes for the licence plate that is behind the European number plate holder.
This will keep the bar "pushed" out and should be pretty vibration free.



And I´ve already sourced some lights for the bar
Just trying to figure out if i should let them hang down or if I mount the standing up.
problem with standing up is that they then will cover the number plate, something that will become troublesome down the road while driving in Europe.

ClabbeB

Custom length b​aided brake lines and among the best brake fluids you can get for a Honda





9

ClabbeB

Wonder how long it will take before the police will want to talk to me about my plate..