SRL-00248 has a new home!

[Alvin]

Had an epic day driving Sora to work yesterday!


Spotted this '65 Land Rover also enjoying the drive on HW 85:


Grabbed some apple fritters on the way in:



As I was snapping pics by the bayside a gentleman called out "Are you Alvin?"


Turns out he's a fellow roadster owner with several cars!
This is his '70 with a 215hp Rebello U20:



1 of many(!) race cars:


We chatted for a bit and it was rad. When he's ready we'll put it on the dyno.

Lovely commute on I-280 with great weather!

[dynaguy]

Dang that's one nice Fritter! Sora is pretty sweet too. Pat

[Alvin]

The whitewall tires on Sora needed some love. I thought the stripe could be cleaner and the sidewall as well.



This is a tip I learned from my friend Mike "bikermike" to clean the stripe: Behold, the Magic Eraser




I also tried a new(to me) sidewall product from Aerospace 303. I've never been a fan of tire dressing and "shiny" sidewalls so this seemed to be a compromise with a "satin" finish:
I tried it on my SR-powered roadster first:




After on Sora:

[spl310]

Very nice

[RCMike]

Spotted this '65 Land Cruiser also enjoying the drive on HW 85:

Just wanted to point out that is a Land Rover.. Us Land Cruiser guys like our trucks to run.. Maybe someone can make us a decal of the Land Rover logo with a circle/slash...lol

[theunz]

I’ve been using just the regular 303 protectant on many things including tires for the last year or so with great results. Like Alvin, I too dislike the super shiny look of most tire dressings, and like he said this product gives more of a satin finish. I think it makes your tires look like they did when new, maybe just slightly more vibrant. Most dressings look like..., well, let’s just say way overdone. This product doesn’t.

[Alvin]

Spotted this '65 Land Cruiser also enjoying the drive on HW 85:

Just wanted to point out that is a Land Rover.. Us Land Cruiser guys like our trucks to run.. Maybe someone can make us a decal of the Land Rover logo with a circle/slash...lol

The plate said "65Landy" and well, I got thrown off by the road Thanks for noticing, I corrected above

[Alvin]

Sora is back!



Autumn is finally showing




The heater core developed a leak and it was removed. Back to bypassing again until the core is repaired.



Trying to restore Sora back to OEM spec and the console needs to go.

If anyone has a correct extra piece please contact me!

[Solex68]

Let me know if/when you want an air box for her

[rwmann]

Need a side-by-side with the just re-surfaced, sold, and claimed to be SRL311-00249!

[Alvin]

New Bilstein shocks for Sora!



Since I got the Bisltein (front only) shocks on my black roadster I thought it would be the perfect time to replace Sora's aging KYB Gas-adjusts. I also felt by replacing all 4 shocks I could give a more thorough review of their performance as Sora has the typical Nismo competition rear leaf springs and Nismo Comp-style front coil springs from Mike Kerr.


Installation was performed at the shop.


On the lift:


Unboxing the new Bilsteins---Jim's instructions are clear and packaging is nice:


Front, old KYB's


Old KYB's


Bilsteins installed up front:




Rears:


In-progress, old KYB's



rear isntalled:






Driving Impressions

I was really excited to test the shocks on Sora. I only had the fronts on my black roadster with a non-standard 4-link setup i back so Sora would be the true comparison for before/after ride.
Like many others I noticed an immediate improvement in ride quality. It's no secret that the rear NISMO leafs paired with KYB shocks lack travel, and this combo will routinely send you off your seat on large bumps on the freeway. While new shocks won't help with the amount of travel, the Bilsteins help manage the high spring rate at all four corners much better...no huge rebound. The "jarring" ride that I've been accustomed is was gone. That high frequency, ""race-car" ride is no more.
If you are considering these shocks I wouldn't hesitate to buy them. Locals, I can offer you a test drive...you'll be surprised.

Nice work JT, and thanks for offering these to the community.

[Datsun.David]

Hey Alvin -
Sora is a beautiful car. I have just come across a complete early Solex manifold and all the associated bits - and I am contemplating running them on #50... what do you think of them now that Mike rebuilt them? I would probably go that route from the start - a fresh rebuild...

And I just ordered a set of Bilsteins from Jim in part because of your detailed report. Thx

[Alvin]

Hey Alvin -
Sora is a beautiful car. I have just come across a complete early Solex manifold and all the associated bits - and I am contemplating running them on #50... what do you think of them now that Mike rebuilt them? I would probably go that route from the start - a fresh rebuild...

And I just ordered a set of Bilsteins from Jim in part because of your detailed report. Thx

Sorry for the late reply. The rebuilt carbs look great and perform well. You will love the Bilsteins. Rob just drove Sora and that's the first thing he noticed...how well it drove now...and then he thanked me

[Alvin]

Moving out of our house, and Sora had to leave. Last week I drove her to the shop but there was no room so back to my house Sora went.



Today it had to leave, "for real", so I watched Rob fire her up and drive off from my house and he went straight to the shop. Minutes later I got a VM from him: "I haven't driven Sora with the new shocks, man what a difference!"


Then, an 1hr later he sends me another VM
"I got it on the dyno. You should drive Sora it runs so much better"

Wait, what?
Apparently it had been running lean and he was making carb adjustments with the wideband. I'll update with here with specific changes.

It made me happy to see him enjoying Sora, and having fun playing with her. Pics he sent me from today:

[Alvin]

6 months later we are back in our home and Sora has returned to my garage!