It’s just that there’s been no internet on my laptop! In addition to helping Keith get more work done at the shop and slowly getting an engine ready to go into one of his Galant VR4s, I’ve been able to get a couple annoying little projects done on the Galants.

The picture offers some hints into what I’ve managed to do recently, but doesn’t tell the whole story. Given the simplicity of the work, there isn’t much of a story to tell, but here’s what’s happened. The boost controller on the fender still isn’t installed. I don’t even know if I want to install it. (Who am I kidding? Of course I want to install the MBC I’ve had collecting dust with the almost-completed [195] in the garage!) Savvy GVR4 owners might notice that the headlights don’t match up, though.

Before getting into cool, JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) headlights, though, I’d like to say that idle surge is annoying as hell and I got tired of it. I’d done some troubleshooting and was ready to pull the throttle body to pop out a freeze plug and block off that fast idle air valve (FIAV) when I remembered that I have this would-be rally car in the garage collecting dust that idled like a rock. I’ve swapped TBs on the cars and [464] now idles like a rock. (Seems to be getting better gas mileage too!) I figure [195] isn’t registered, isn’t insured, and isn’t going anywhere until I can get it on the lift to the shop to yank the 4WS (four wheel steering), finalize bumper cover installation, and maybe re-do my ghetto fab intercooler plumbing, so I can deal with idle surge when I fire it up to keep a charge in the battery.

Getting into cool, JDM headlights.

I listed these JDM headlights and RS corners for Keith thinking they would fetch a pretty penny. When they didn’t, I offered Keith my stockers in trade for them and, considering all my hard work at the shop over the last couple months, he agreed. They’re installed and wired up, although I still need to get them aimed and, more importantly, properly sort the wire harness for them, maybe even using some relays to get the best light possible out of them. This first picture is a comparison of a JDM headlight to its domestic cousin.

The USDM housings use larger 9005 and 9006 bulbs and, when you activate the high beams, the lows shut off. They put out decent light, but <ricer>the JDM lights look cooler</ricer> and are a better match for the JDM front bumper that came with the car. (Technically, I think the front bumper came from Australia, but Australia probably got the same trim as the JDM.) The JDM lights use an H3 for the low beams, it’s a dual filament bulb which also functions as a high beam, and they have an H1 foglight bulb for the high beam side. Trigger the high beams and, not only do the high beams light, but the low beams get twice as bright. I’ve still got to wire that functionality up, but I’ve at least got the lights working as they should, if not how they could. That should happen soon enough, though.

Before JDM headlights

After JDM headlights

The “clear corner” lights are just that, corner lights. The turn signals are actually integrated into the fog lights. It’s pretty cool. Also cool is that these JDM headlights have what they call a “city light.” When the parking lights are on, a tiny bulb inside the headlights comes on with them, dimly lighting up the assembly. My Blackberry isn’t able to get a picture of this in action, but I’ll see about posting some pictures from the SLR one of these days.

Even though [464] is supposed to stay clean, it’s probably going to spend a little time on dirt in the next few weeks. With [195] still in need of some work (that I’d like to do while the car is on a lift), I’m going to be swapping the wheels over from [195] when Dave and I go on the first [RAZ] “Dirty Meet” next month.