Aston Martin V8 Vantage

[digitalsolo]

In the random tweaks category…

The headers I installed deleted the EGR pipe.   The tune deleted the codes for it.   So, now I had a big, rusty, cast iron chunk of ugly on my engine for no purpose.

So, I whipped up a quick block off plate, and removed the EGR entirely.

Which set a code for a barometric pressure sensor in the hatch.  Uhhh, okay.

So I tore apart the EGR box and identified a pressure transducer in it.   I tied that back into the vacuum and electrical systems and all is happy again.    I assume they do some kind of sanity check between the sensors for emissions systems.   Anyway.   Removed the big ugly part regardless and probably took 2-3 lbs off of the car as well.

Small tweaks and improvements.   

Waiting on that Black Friday sale for the exhaust now.    Then tint, clear tails, updated side skirts, rear shear plate, and updated nav system with car play.

Then I’m done modding it.  I mean, improving minor details in ways that aren’t modifications.   Yeah, that’s it.

[shainiac]

Now that you've had some time to wrench on it, what's opinion on build quality and engineering of the Aston? More/less difficult to work on than a contemporary German or Japanese car?

[digitalsolo]

The electronics seem to be similar to late European cars from a “fussiness” standpoint.   Build quality, mechanically, is very much reminiscent of Ford and Volvo of that era.   Fairly simple overall, things generally make sense.

The hand built aspects mostly relate to slightly “eh” panel fitment in some places and the extremely nice interior vs. contemporary cars of the time.

Handling and braking is fantastic.   Power output is reminiscent of a modded 90s inline 6 turbo car.   It’s soft on torque down low overall, but not terrible, but really gets moving from 4500-7500.   It really rewards smooth driving vs the brutality of something like my RX7 or Mustang.

Servicing it seems to be pretty easy.  I’d put it about even with a C5 Vette.   A few small annoyances but overall pretty easy.

[digitalsolo]

Ordered a stock style valved muffler to replace the loud one I have now.   Yay Black Friday sales!

Nothing else planned for the near future, other than maybe the Bluetooth upgrade at some point.

[digitalsolo]

Got the old muffler off the car.   I don’t know what they made the bolts for the muffler clamps from, but they looked like they’d been under the ocean for 20 years.   Everything else under the car is spotless.

Anyway, I’m replacing them with some stainless bolts and zinc’d fasteners (double stainless on exhaust is a bad time in my experience).

Waiting on the new muffler and high flow intake filters to arrive.    I ordered new cabin filters while I was at it.  I need to schedule window tint over the winter some time.  This spring I’ll probably do the infotainment system upgrade and add a rear view camera.

[cholmes]

Interesting comment on stainless / zinc fasteners. Do stainless / stainless tend to seize or gall together?

[digitalsolo]

At exhaust temperatures they can have a tendency to gall.    OEMs that use stainless on things like that use special coatings (zinc maybe?) to reduce the galling, or use copper nuts, etc.    To me, the main thing is using a stainless bolt, because as long as the threads don't get any corrosion, the nuts should come off even if they get a bit.   The clamps on the Aston exhaust are these weird custom things, but they lock like a weird v-band, so I'm basically replacing just the tension bolt portion of it with stainless, then use a regular grade 8 zinc nut to lock tension on it.

[cholmes]

That makes a lot of sense, good info, thanks.

[Cobranut]

I've had good luck with stainless hardware, even on exhaust, but I always use anti-seize compound on ALL stainless fasteners.
In fact, unless a fastener requires thread-lock, I generally use anti-seize.

I did buy some SS band-clamps recently that had the absolute cheapest bolts I've ever encountered.
The damn threads stripped off clean before the bands had even conformed to the joint. 
I picked up some standard SS bolts and everything worked fine.

[Venom13132]

There was an 09 Vantage V8 that just sold on FB in Indy for somewhere close to $41,000   I think it had like 30k miles.  Black on black 6-speed.  I wish I had the $$ to scoop that one up.  I was trying to get my buddy to buy it.   He could have turned around and sold it on BAT for $50k.      I am putting an addition on my house and adding 3 car garage at the same time so my car budget is gone for a few years

[digitalsolo]

There was an 09 Vantage V8 that just sold on FB in Indy for somewhere close to $41,000   I think it had like 30k miles.  Black on black 6-speed.  I wish I had the $$ to scoop that one up.  I was trying to get my buddy to buy it.   He could have turned around and sold it on BAT for $50k.      I am putting an addition on my house and adding 3 car garage at the same time so my car budget is gone for a few years

I saw that.  That was a little less than I paid for mine, and it had some mods I want to add.   If I didn’t have mine already I’d have snagged that for sure, was a solid deal.

[digitalsolo]

I ordered one more thing for the year, since it was on sale.   Shocking, I know.

Apple Carplay integration/upgrade kit.   The car has horrid Volvo navigation that is from roughly the Apple IIe era, and no infotainment at all.   It has a screen that pops up (mine needs fixed, it sticks), but only does the horrid nav.   I had previously done the Mr12Volt Bluetooth integration kit, but it's so-so at best.    A company called Aston Installations makes a full kit to add Apple Car Play/Android Auto to the car, including integration into the screen and factory nav system, etc.  It also adds automatic function backup camera, which is nice as the Vantage doesn't have great rear visibility (you can add a front camera also, but I see less need in that).

They do have a screen upgrade option to, in order to increase resolution, but a guy online has a guide that he did to set that up himself for about 1/10th the price, so I think I'm going to give that a shot if the screen resolution bugs me in Car Play (let's be honest, it will bug me).    The car already has a great stereo and generally lovely interior, so I think that the infotainment upgrade to allow me to use YouTube Music and Waze/Maps on the screen is the last thing it really needs, other than tint, interior wise.    I did add some Lloyds floor mats to it also, as stock it doesn't have any mats and I'd like to keep the carpet nice since it's expensive to replace.

When I tear it apart for the infotainment system work, I'll reflow the solder joints on the bluetooth switcher.   That's under the passenger floor area somewhere, and they get wonky and cut out occasionally.  Mine doesn't do it often, but a good kick to the floor on that side fixes it generally, which sounds like cold solder joints to me.  If not, I'll just rebuild it.   They want like 100 dollars to replace it and it's just a little board with a relay on it.  No thanks. 

[kinger]

Love these updates!

[digitalsolo]

So, the company that makes the infotainment upgrade setup discontinued the model I ordered.    They only make the HD screen upgrade/wireless version now.    It’s 1100 dollars more, which isn’t awesome, but the vendor offered to split the difference and cover my shipping (it has to go to England and back).   So I’ll end up paying a little less than 500 out of pocket for the upgrade.

All in all a win I think.   Wireless CarPlay and double the screen resolution is a big upgrade.

I’m tearing the interior out for this work and a dashcam hardwire job this weekend.   Hopefully my exhaust comes by then also.

I’m also going to modify the high flow cat setup I built.  Just adding some flex bellows to keep load off the headers a bit.

[Exidous]

Modern infotainment is always worth it.

Wish I could update my Lexus LS 460 from 2010.