2006 4.3 Upgrade list
Discussion
So, after much deliberation I decided to spend some money on upgrading my existing 4.3 Vantage rather than px’ing or buying a 4.7. With the condition of my 4.3 and the previous amount of work getting it back to a great condition, I was torn for a while as I know I could have got an early 4.7 manual roadster, possibly even with lightweight seats. However, as I love my 4.3 so much (especially the unusual Oyster Silver colour), I went for a few upgrades which are all reversible back to the original if I ever wanted to sell it.
I’ve listed the modifications below just in case people want a bit of detail. I’m happy to take the criticism of making the look like more like a V12 etc etc, but it’s a personal opinion and I’ve done what I wanted to do to my car.
Air Filters
Firstly I managed to design and manufacture some bespoke air filters. These remove the air boxes completely and instead use an ITG foam filter and 3D plastic printed bracket. I’m sure there is a small weight saving and a little bit of increased air flow, but this was just about being involved in a design/make project. Luckily I am a CAD designer by trade and my friend has a 3d printer, so between us we made several measurements and prototypes before deciding on the final design. We discussed possibly making these and them being available to see as a kit, but haven’t to date made any progress. I know that Rich of Redpants (Telum01) sells improved air filters and air box removal kits, these can be purchased from his site if required.
Bumpers
Although I like the original bumpers, I’m a big fan of carbon and thought the newer 4.7/V12 bumpers tidied up the rear end. These are an expensive luxury, but Kyle at AM Bristol did me a great deal with Matt at Brin Jones Paint Bristol performing a flawless colour match (As they had the secret recipe from painting my car a few years ago). I was going to fit them myself, but decided to give the complete job to the paint shop as any scratches or issues, they could fix.
Light weight seats
The original leather seats are nice, but a bit big, heavy and not very supportive. I had made enquiries about getting some lightweight seats, but the AM ones (Recaro) are very very and once more a very expensive option. I’m not sure how the cost is justified, but I couldn’t afford them. So I started looking at other options, second hand ones (very rarely for sale) and then on the main seat manufacture’s websites, Recaro, Cobra Sparco etc. In the end I just happened to see someone on Pistonheads (Thanks Mark) that were selling some Cobra lightweight (GFRP) seats that he had in his previous car and was now selling. Not only did I know that they fitted in a Vantage, they had already been trimmed partially in Iron Ore Leather. The black alcantara didn’t match mine, so I got the alcantara replaced with Tailors grey and some stitching similar to AM. In addition, I bought some headrest badges and fitted them myself. I must admit the process of removing the old seats and fitting the new ones was a painful one. Firstly, removing the old seats as they are just so big and heavy. Keeping the bases from scratching anything was difficult. Then trying to fit the new seats as they are a very snug fit on the rails with me forgetting to refit the seat belt parts. I had to make a couple of adjustment to the slider rails so there was some forward/backward movement available (As I’m short and need the seat all the way forward). John at the Trim Centre Nuneaton did a fabulous job of re-trimming them in addition to the door card inserts.
Exhaust
So, I already had aftermarket cats (200 cell Prodrive) and Tubi back box, but it wasn’t what I considered a ‘joined up’ solution. Yes, it sounded fantastic, but I knew the engine/exhaust wasn’t optimised for the changes (Including the air filters) so I opted for the DAE Power pack. This was basically new headers, cats and ECU remap. I knew the OEM exhaust was quite restrictive and it’s very evident when you see the original headers. I assume the design and manufacture was compromised due to costs. Now that I have the DAE power pack (Velocity AP) it now sounds and drives far better with a quicker throttle response. It is now very loud on start-up and with a non-valved exhaust, there is no way to tame her first thing in the morning. I now have to keep the garage door closed for the first few minutes until the idle speed drops.
Aerial
I swapped the original aerial for a stubby from Amazon, simple to just replace with a screw attachment.
Wheels/tyres
After all the other mods, the only thing left that made the car look a little dated were the alloys. Although I really like the original 7 spoke alloys, I wanted something a little more modern and to fill the arches a bit more. I ended up getting a set of 20” DBS ‘Winter’ alloys and pairing them with some very nice Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. I unfortunately bought the wrong width rear tyres and this caused them to stretch and provide a very bumpy driving experience. WARNING: Before you go complaining to the tyre seller and Michelin, always check the tyre size and balancing (Costly mistake to make). Even though these tyres had been fitted locally and balanced, it was only when Kyle at AM put them on the Force balancer did it indicate a problem. Once I bought the wider tyres, then these were fitted, balanced and now the drive “is smooth as a gravy sandwich……” (Brian Johnson – Cars that rock
)
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I’ve listed the modifications below just in case people want a bit of detail. I’m happy to take the criticism of making the look like more like a V12 etc etc, but it’s a personal opinion and I’ve done what I wanted to do to my car.
Air Filters
Firstly I managed to design and manufacture some bespoke air filters. These remove the air boxes completely and instead use an ITG foam filter and 3D plastic printed bracket. I’m sure there is a small weight saving and a little bit of increased air flow, but this was just about being involved in a design/make project. Luckily I am a CAD designer by trade and my friend has a 3d printer, so between us we made several measurements and prototypes before deciding on the final design. We discussed possibly making these and them being available to see as a kit, but haven’t to date made any progress. I know that Rich of Redpants (Telum01) sells improved air filters and air box removal kits, these can be purchased from his site if required.
Bumpers
Although I like the original bumpers, I’m a big fan of carbon and thought the newer 4.7/V12 bumpers tidied up the rear end. These are an expensive luxury, but Kyle at AM Bristol did me a great deal with Matt at Brin Jones Paint Bristol performing a flawless colour match (As they had the secret recipe from painting my car a few years ago). I was going to fit them myself, but decided to give the complete job to the paint shop as any scratches or issues, they could fix.
Light weight seats
The original leather seats are nice, but a bit big, heavy and not very supportive. I had made enquiries about getting some lightweight seats, but the AM ones (Recaro) are very very and once more a very expensive option. I’m not sure how the cost is justified, but I couldn’t afford them. So I started looking at other options, second hand ones (very rarely for sale) and then on the main seat manufacture’s websites, Recaro, Cobra Sparco etc. In the end I just happened to see someone on Pistonheads (Thanks Mark) that were selling some Cobra lightweight (GFRP) seats that he had in his previous car and was now selling. Not only did I know that they fitted in a Vantage, they had already been trimmed partially in Iron Ore Leather. The black alcantara didn’t match mine, so I got the alcantara replaced with Tailors grey and some stitching similar to AM. In addition, I bought some headrest badges and fitted them myself. I must admit the process of removing the old seats and fitting the new ones was a painful one. Firstly, removing the old seats as they are just so big and heavy. Keeping the bases from scratching anything was difficult. Then trying to fit the new seats as they are a very snug fit on the rails with me forgetting to refit the seat belt parts. I had to make a couple of adjustment to the slider rails so there was some forward/backward movement available (As I’m short and need the seat all the way forward). John at the Trim Centre Nuneaton did a fabulous job of re-trimming them in addition to the door card inserts.
Exhaust
So, I already had aftermarket cats (200 cell Prodrive) and Tubi back box, but it wasn’t what I considered a ‘joined up’ solution. Yes, it sounded fantastic, but I knew the engine/exhaust wasn’t optimised for the changes (Including the air filters) so I opted for the DAE Power pack. This was basically new headers, cats and ECU remap. I knew the OEM exhaust was quite restrictive and it’s very evident when you see the original headers. I assume the design and manufacture was compromised due to costs. Now that I have the DAE power pack (Velocity AP) it now sounds and drives far better with a quicker throttle response. It is now very loud on start-up and with a non-valved exhaust, there is no way to tame her first thing in the morning. I now have to keep the garage door closed for the first few minutes until the idle speed drops.
Aerial
I swapped the original aerial for a stubby from Amazon, simple to just replace with a screw attachment.
Wheels/tyres
After all the other mods, the only thing left that made the car look a little dated were the alloys. Although I really like the original 7 spoke alloys, I wanted something a little more modern and to fill the arches a bit more. I ended up getting a set of 20” DBS ‘Winter’ alloys and pairing them with some very nice Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. I unfortunately bought the wrong width rear tyres and this caused them to stretch and provide a very bumpy driving experience. WARNING: Before you go complaining to the tyre seller and Michelin, always check the tyre size and balancing (Costly mistake to make). Even though these tyres had been fitted locally and balanced, it was only when Kyle at AM put them on the Force balancer did it indicate a problem. Once I bought the wider tyres, then these were fitted, balanced and now the drive “is smooth as a gravy sandwich……” (Brian Johnson – Cars that rock
)[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/pqBSu5Ax[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/hQ0WckKy[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/QQJc1uJY[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/RFkKAC5H[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/flV0ERMt[/url][url]|https://thumbsnap.com/0YIUCQRE[/url]leerandle said:
there is no way to tame her first thing in the morning.
Looking good Lee!If that cold start regime becomes somewhat tiresome after the novelty has worn off, there is a map within the ECU which controls engine flare after start, simple reprogramming job to reduce the flare so that the noise is acceptable at start so you don’t wake up the neighbours and you can drive off immediately, helpful for that early morning hotel startup too where there is no hiding place.
Thanks Mike !
I never get tired of it, but my neighbours do, I've had a few curtains twitched in the morning when shes firing up before 7am....
However, I might take you up on the offer and pop in one time. You'll have to let me know how long it takes so I can plan accordingly. I don't come past Halford as much as I used too.
Its onto project garage now !!
I never get tired of it, but my neighbours do, I've had a few curtains twitched in the morning when shes firing up before 7am....
However, I might take you up on the offer and pop in one time. You'll have to let me know how long it takes so I can plan accordingly. I don't come past Halford as much as I used too.
Its onto project garage now !!
sundayjumper said:
Interested in some more details on the seats - I could do with more headroom and buckets might solve the problem !
Which Cobra model are they, how did you attach them ? Do they go onto the factory runners so that you retain all the adjustment ?
They are called Cobra Nogaro and are available in GFRP or Carbon.Which Cobra model are they, how did you attach them ? Do they go onto the factory runners so that you retain all the adjustment ?
I am not 100% about all the parts being standard as I purchased them from a fellow P'Her. However, I think the side mounts and runners are standard, its the base plates that are fixed between the vantage floor and runners that might be 'custom'. Although these are just some plates with machined holes/threads.
I did have to modify the seat runner handle as it comes flat, but clashes with the Vantage floor, so you cant get your fingers underneath to pull it up.
Nothing a small pipe bender couldn't fix.
Thanks for the report Lee, very inspiring, your car looks beautiful in that colour, I haven't seen many (any?) others in that shade. How rare is that colour?
I'm one week into V8V ownership (a 2007 in Meteorite) and am loving finding out more and more about the cars on here, getting plenty of ideas along the way too... :-)
I'm one week into V8V ownership (a 2007 in Meteorite) and am loving finding out more and more about the cars on here, getting plenty of ideas along the way too... :-)
leerandle said:
Thanks Mike !
I never get tired of it, but my neighbours do, I've had a few curtains twitched in the morning when shes firing up before 7am....
However, I might take you up on the offer and pop in one time. You'll have to let me know how long it takes so I can plan accordingly. I don't come past Halford as much as I used too.
Its onto project garage now !!
Lee. First of all thank-you for your business. I think I might have seen your car when I was over in the UK recently. Glad to see people spending the time to truly make a car their own.I never get tired of it, but my neighbours do, I've had a few curtains twitched in the morning when shes firing up before 7am....
However, I might take you up on the offer and pop in one time. You'll have to let me know how long it takes so I can plan accordingly. I don't come past Halford as much as I used too.
Its onto project garage now !!
If you want the RPM flare altered, just let James know and we can alter the settings in your ECU to suit your preference.
BamfordMike said:
leerandle said:
there is no way to tame her first thing in the morning.
Looking good Lee!If that cold start regime becomes somewhat tiresome after the novelty has worn off, there is a map within the ECU which controls engine flare after start, simple reprogramming job to reduce the flare so that the noise is acceptable at start so you don’t wake up the neighbours and you can drive off immediately, helpful for that early morning hotel startup too where there is no hiding place.
Stuart Dickinson said:
Lee. First of all thank-you for your business. I think I might have seen your car when I was over in the UK recently. Glad to see people spending the time to truly make a car their own.
If you want the RPM flare altered, just let James know and we can alter the settings in your ECU to suit your preference.
Stuart, James did mention you were meeting up at the time my car was in at DAE for the exhaust upgrade, so assume it was probably mine.If you want the RPM flare altered, just let James know and we can alter the settings in your ECU to suit your preference.
Its a shame the headers are hidden away once fitted, as they are a work of art (Especially compared to the OEM).
I'll have a think about the flare, its still loud on cold tickover anyway, so see if I ever get bored of it (Possibly never lol...........)
Great write up .
I would be interested in your filter re-design if you are going to start selling them.
As you mentioned Rich of redpants does them, but what with customs our mail etc and the new restrictions , its nonviable at this present moment.
Whats the measurements on your front number plate?
I would be interested in your filter re-design if you are going to start selling them.
As you mentioned Rich of redpants does them, but what with customs our mail etc and the new restrictions , its nonviable at this present moment.
Whats the measurements on your front number plate?
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