same here and Rich did it for me before

 

Is this the correct place for the owners manual?

 

It actually goes in the glove box

 

I really like how the brembo calipers allow for quick change of brake pads!

Once again a lot of cleaning, and since it had been weeks since I removed them I made a couple bonehead moves but when in doubt, refer to the fronts that I hadn't removed...luckily the design doesn't really allow you to screw things up.

I cleaned the rear wheel well liners and all the exposed suspension parts and brake caliper caked in brake dust:




First open the brake reservoir cap and siphoned some fluid out because I had previously topped it up to the max:


To retract the 4 pistons, I used two chisels and then a piece of wood to stop them from moving while I did the rear two:


It was pretty easy to tell the rear pads as they are smaller. Once thing I didn't notice was only 2 of the 4 pads had brake lining wear sensor receivers. Of course I installed both on one side of the car so on the other I zip tied the sensor out of the way. I could have redid them but brake pads should always be replaced on both sides anyways. That and car enthusiasts usually don't wait until the brake light comes on to replace pads...


Clean and add anti-seize if it makes you feel better (noise reduction and future servicing ease are possible benefits):


In the spirit of full disclosure, don't have a Homer Simpson moment and start tapping the pins in from the front - they going in the back first, DOH!












Before bolting the rear wheel back on I added some small spacers to make wheel re/re much easier as the stock wheels were sticking to the rusty rotors. Yes I cleaned some rust up with a wire wheel but I had them in the shed from a previous wheel project so I threw them on. Can't remember how many mm they are but appear to be around 1/8"






Time to bed in the new pads which will also clean up the rotor surface rust in no time:

 

Well it took from Easter Weekend to today, but I am pleased to report that the work is done and car passed safety recheck with flying colours.
Plates transferred and I'm on the road with insurance meeting my goal of ready for this weekend and next week's vacation

You may remember that the quote was $14,800
For battery, rear pads, e-brake pads, tires, hood struts, front hazard lights fixed, rear parking lights replaced it was approximately $3,600 plus my labour (time).

Since I received $9000 off the selling price once it was safety checked - I'm still in the black

The only Vantages for sale in Canada at a price point lower than what I have invested have a salvage title! So that is very satisfying for me

Some pics of it's first trip to work near Toronto (2 hour round trip).
On it's first fill up it averaged better mileage than I expected, 11.2 L/100km of mostly highway driving and I rolled over to 60,000 miles:




At first I parked in visitor until the car and plate was registered (so it doesn't get towed):


Didn't' get covered parking today (nicest car at work is usually a R8) but got a nice safe spot right outside the office window:




Let the "Bond" jokes from my direct reports begin!
At least my mechanic praised me for having great taste in cars

 

LOL okay, the wife will be happy it actually fits in there...

 

OK good to know guys. BTW - I did request it that way via email :
"Please try to use USPS where possible as UPS customs brokerage fees are ridiculously expensive."

However, I was the one that changed to a faster shipping method to meet my deadline. Also in hindsight the size of the large order box may have been too large for USPS.

Again a "one off" and not Rich's fault at all. I just won't do it again. He's a stand up guy and is even helping with shipping on Air Filters that weren't available in time for my deadline.

Rich, feel free to chime in, especially if I've missed any facts.
Supporting sponsor vendors is something I always do...

 

Rich does so much more with videos and how to, he is always one of the first person to response when someone has a question.

Well done Ryan, car looks great... you have a very nice summer ahead of you to enjoy it now...

 

This is going to be a brand-new car when you're done with it! Love the attention to detail!
We were originally going to use USPS, but the shipping was quicker and less expensive with UPS. With your deadline coming up, I didn't want to risk the parts being late.
Plus, the box was too big for USPS to carry. I'd have to actually go through a bit of work to try different weights and box sizes to get the shipping cost to the right level for the size and weight of everything in the order, but the shipping speed was more important so I didn't go through that effort.
There was a one-day delay while things passed through clearance, but I was able to prevent that from being any worse with a few phone calls. Like I mentioned in another thread, keeping on top of international shipments is something I try to do to prevent any delays. If a shipment gets stopped in customs, a single day is pretty much the best-case scenario for getting the shipment cleared. I've had inventory shipments sit in a warehouse for a week on a couple of occasions.
Not as quick as I used to respond, unfortunately But the emails... so many emails...

 

you have to kind of put it in the glove box parallel to the ground otherwise the glove box won't shut, very annoying!

 

I leave mine under the front edge of the passenger seat. There's a bit of a divot there, so it rests there quite nicely.

 

So normally I don't even think about cosmetic improvements until the functional stuff is all addressed, but in this case I can't stop looking at the damage I did to the fender!

I compromised with a quick interim solution to satisfy me for now.

The plan was to mask the white fiberglass showing through the clear bra from the paint chipping.

I came up with an idea to cover the clear bra on the fender lip with vinyl wrap.
Don't worry, I didn't use the left over carbon fiber wrap as it would look silly there. However, in my shed I found some obsolete black vinyl truck decals that could be a great match to Onyx Black. Here are the pics (largely self-explanatory). I was surprised how well it turned out so the pressure to do body work is lower on the priority list now. You can see the edge seam but it matches the seems you see at the end of the clear vinyl. Also I did both sides to follow my symmetry rule...

Steps - 1) make a template 2) cut them out 3) apply the vinyl to clean surface and remove any air bubbles with a microfiber cloth or squeegee 4) Post result pics on your blog for feedback 5) Admire your handiness and have a drink

See they did teach us something useful in art or drafting class:


There was a paint chip at the top of the fender that won't be covered - it will get touch up paint, but for now I'm taking advantage of having a black car and used a permanent marker lol:


Trace and cut out your template onto vinyl and remember to flip it over for the mirror image needed on the other side:


Wrap the edge around the fender lip with your fingers and a cloth so you have more strength and one less seam to see:


Peel off the protective film on the top after you're happy with the location and smoothness:


When you're done both sides it will hopefully look like this:


It's just vinyl over vinyl so I haven't even put anything new on the actual paint job.

Okay next updates will be oil changes...
We found a family member to house sit our dog Aston for us, so the wife and I are celebrating our 1st year anniversary in Virginia Beach leaving in the morning.
And yes I am taking the Vantage on the 10 hour drive!
Ambitious? Yes but that's always been my style as I can convince myself almost anything is a good idea because "life is short".
Wish me good luck - if we have reliability problems, I've never here the end of it, but it's worth the risk

 

You have really resurrected that car, well done!

 

All of this great work with you car, and nor overall interior photos. We need to see how the leather came out on the seats etc.
Ron

 

Have yourself a great vacation, well deserved.