A very productive day! I started by ripping out the rest of the rear interior. The car was purchased with only one rear seat belt, which looked like the original Japanese item. This means something very dodgy has happened at compliance, where they are all meant to be replaced. I had no trouble discarding it. The rear parcel shelf was the heaviest item, with large 6×9 inch speakers. I also removed the bracket that holds the factory jack, and the brackets that hold the factory rear speakers. All of the discarded items are seen here, along with the barer rear of the car:

Take care when removing the driver side rear speaker bracket. There is an electric module that Google told me runs the fuel pump. Sure enough, with it disconnected the car wouldn’t start. I mounted it and the fuel pump relay a previous owner had installed on a empty piece of the frame:

Everything from the rear weighed in at 24 kg, which is significant enough. The road noise is louder in the cabin, but there are some loose parts vibrating and some open holes which are contributing to this. I will attend to them at a later date.

Next up I jacked up the front of the car and increased the front ride height by 15 mm. Provided you have a C spanner, this is a really quick and easy job. The car is pretty driveable in terms of clearance, but I’m after the most hassle free experience. There was a broken bolt in one of the camber tops, which I disassembled, drilled out and replaced. Piece of mind there.

The car was purchased with the air conditioning disconnected. The compressor was still on the side of the engine, but no condenser or piping was to be found. I’m not sure if the AC components were removed from underneath the dash. If the car had working air con I would keep it, but as it stands I have no intention of getting it working. I therefore removed the compressor and bracket from the side of the block, saving another 10 kg!

While I was down there, it was obvious a fairly major oil leak had occurred behind the compressor. I couldn’t find a source for the leak but it is easy to suggest the turbo oil lines could have leaked in this location in the past. I degreased and wiped the whole thing down. It’s not perfect but it should now pass scrutineering at WSID. Time will tell if there is a active leak when I check back for fresh oil later on.

Finally, I installed my GKTech brake master cylinder stopper which came in the mail last week. This improves brake pedal feel by preventing firewall flex. I’ve documented the install on the S13 Brake Upgrade(s) page. The car is driving well with its 34 kg  diet and is now ready for tomorrow night. If I have time tomorrow, I may install the fire extinguisher too.