GSX-R35

The motor was an arm, a leg, and my right testicle which is why I'd like not to lose my left one for a sump because I might still need it for the good of the species. As for the sump extension, I dunno how much, they aren't readily available here in the US like I said and everyone seems to keep banging on about getting one but don't offer concrete info on a good place to get one. I never said I questioned the virtues of a high capacity oil sump. The problem is availability here in the US as I've pointed out but seems to be repeatedly ignored. Thank you for actually responding to my main question. That's why I'm looking at the Nismo pump versus the Tomei. However if someone could get around to pointing out a cost-effective sump extension solution then that could be a different story. THANK YOU! Finally, someone gave me a lead to where I can possibly get a sump extension instead of just assuming here in good old Obamaland I can just ask the bum on the street corner what he uses for his personal race car. Much obliged, I've got an email in to Racefab now!

I can't really say there's a shop known to "specialize" in RBs here in the US. They're pretty rare over here since Skylines weren't legal until recently. RB swaps are more common but still few and far between. I know of a few shops with RB experience on the West Coast and a couple on the East. It would be easier to answer your question if you specified a region of the States since as I said there really isn't a particular shop renowned for RB tuning. R35 GT-Rs I can rattle off good shops till you die of boredom, R32s not so much.

I'm in the US, not Oz so AFAIK there is no way to get an extended sump for that cheap around here. Cheapest option I've seen is the Trust extension kit but that's 400 bucks plus welding and the design looks bad for a street car since it hangs so low and the drain plug sticks out. If you have a good option for where to get the sump extended that won't cost an arm, a leg, and my left testicle I'm happy to hear it.

Thanks for the input. I've been reading a lot of stuff on the RB's oiling issues already and that's why I was undecided since most of the stuff that's written seems focused on cars expected to see heavy use - not a car like mine that will be mostly street driven and rarely see a track. After talking to a guy with a lot of RB experience including crew chief on an N1-spec race car and has tried the different solutions out there including the Tomei I'm probably going to go with the Nismo oil pump - it's better than the N1 but not overkill for my needs. As I said, the motor I have is a Nismo Fine Spec so it already has a later-spec crank and tighter oil restrictors. My main question was whether the Tomei pump would be okay to use without going to an increased capacity sump. Thanks for the input. Limiter bashing and heavy use seem to be the main reason for pump failures from what I keep reading. Although the N1 pump is probably okay for the low-stress use I plan for my car, the expert I consulted recommended at least going with Reimax gears in the N1 pump for more insurance. I'll probably go with a Nismo pump though since it's not too much more after factoring in labor to do the gear swap and reinstall.

Hello everyone. I'm having a tough time making a decision on some parts for my R32's build and was hoping for some guidance. My Nismo R32 decided to develop engine trouble a couple of months ago and I was able to pick up a new Nismo RB26 Fine Spec Final Edition longblock to replace the old tired mill. I'm now in the process of accumulating appropriate supporting parts for it. My ultimate goal is to have a reliable setup with a bit more power. I'm not aiming for a lot of added oomph - I'd be overjoyed if I could have 500 crank hp but my foremost priority is reliability so I was pondering what to do about the oil pump. The Fine Spec comes with a Nismo oil baffle but the oil pump is just an N1. From my research the N1 is only slightly better than the stock pump - just upping the oil pressure a bit more but flow is the same. People kept telling me to get a Tomei and although the price had me balking at first I eventually thought I'd bite the bullet to ensure as much reliability as possible. But then further reading online has me seeing people saying the Tomei is not a foolproof solution because you can run the sump dry if you don't have a higher capacity one. I don't have plans to upgrade the sump at this time. This car will mainly be a weekend driver/show car. I might take it to the track once or twice just to give it a go but that'll be it since I have other cars for regular track duty. So I'm left with the dilemma - while the engine is still out should I upgrade the oil pump to a Tomei knowing that's supposed to be the best out there? Should I leave it alone knowing it'll mainly be driven on the street with only the occasional spirited driving? Or should I adopt a middle solution and maybe get a Nismo oil pump that is slightly higher flow than the N1 and with stronger gears for less money (but not as high flow or as strong gears as the Tomei)? Thanks in advance for your help.

Here's an interesting new twist in the Motorex saga - another importer in the US, Rivsu Imports, has been able to convince JK Technologies to work with them to import an R33 GT-R LM. So far it's just a one-off but this at least brings up the possibility of more R33's now being imported, although probably at a hefty cost. I posted about it on my blog here: http://23gt.blogspot.com/2015/10/motorex-redux-r33-gt-r-enters-country.html

This news just broke today but if you have the money someone was able to get JK Technologies to do the OBD II conversion and bring in an R33 LM: https://www.facebook.com/rivsuimports/photos/a.1407597889470839.1073741829.1387835771447051/1714179538812671/?type=3 Rumor has it that the process cost $35K though so it's not exactly a cheap option.

Although the Feds make silly decisions sometimes there's no issue with monopoly here - performance cars aren't an essential need and there are many other avenues to get one besides importing an example that was never sold in the country legally. They aren't under any obligation to make the import process easier. Look at it logically, the manufacturer never saw the need to make the car meet US requirements and sell it here so why does it behoove the US government to go out of its way to let it in? As far as they're concerned there IS a waiver process in place - either wait the requisite 25 year limit or pay the money to go through the process to bring it in before then. You can't reasonably expect the US government to force JK Technologies to release the trade secrets they acquired with their own money when it's for the sake of someone's wants and not for an essential need. Owning a Skyline is not a "need" or an "inalienable right" - it's a privilege. Anyone is free to replicate what JK did, they just have to be willing to spend the money and time to duplicate it. And the "referee station" you talk of is for the state's requirements, not Federal. The Feds have their own requirements for legality, the individual states have theirs - you have to meet both. It's not a case of one or the other. Unfortunately the situation is at it is. I don't agree with the 25 year limit myself and I think 15 years is more reasonable like in Canada but the law is the law. We can work to change it but until it does, we need to abide by it.

Congrats Terry! So what happened when Speedhunters first rocked up to interview you? Did you tell them they'd never heard of their pokey little motoring blog lol?

I've got that problem as well as a bunch of little boxes wired into the car that now we have to figure out what they're for and whether we can get rid of them. The game plan is to remove everything we can't be sure works or simply can't identify and go from there. Oh the fun of a 25-year old modified (i.e. butchered) car lol.

I'm sure my family will disown me if I futz with the mortgage to get this car done lol. While the car's down we're taking the opportunity to take care of some other stuff that needed sorting like fixing the Japanese-standard bodged electrics the previous owner left and then we'll be cleaning up the engine bay. I think the engine can put up with being in storage for a little while in exchange for going into a nicer engine bay

I thought about it but too pricey to do all at once right now. Plus I had already bought a brand new Nismo Coppermix Twin-plate clutch for this box before the engine troubles started. Maybe if this tranny starts giving me trouble I'll pony up for the conversion I'm impatient to get it fitted myself believe me lol - but I want to get the right parts together to do it properly and recycle as little of the old stuff that's in the car. Plus whenever we get the old motor out I figured it would be a good time to respray the engine bay if needed so that the motor has a fittingly clean place to live in

Nice collection of Nismo parts! Mind if I ask what service you use to order from Yahoo Auctions? I'd like to get some more stuff for my R32 that you can't simply buy from a regular shop so I'm trying to make sense of Yahoo Auctions now.

Availability was my concern as well down the line especially with all the new R32 owners in the US. I'm sure I could have a motor that's just as good made from aftermarket parts but it wouldn't be as special as an honest-to-God Nismo motor

I was hoping someone could be kind enough to help me with a couple of things: 1. My R32 GT-R was missing the hood "S" badge when I got it. I've got a new replacement but I want to get it as close to the correct location as possible and not just guesstimate from pics. Can someone give me a measurement of how far the S badge is from the front edge of the hood, preferably someone who has the Nismo hood extension since my car has that? 2. It was also missing the two side trim panels in the trunk. I've sourced replacements but they're missing the fasteners. Can someone please post a pic of what fasteners are needed? Thanks in advance for your help.

It's a delicious bit of kit alright. Now if I could just magically find the money to get the rest of the parts I need to do it justice I was trying to baby my motor so that I could keep from having to do engine work until next year but I think it found out somehow this engine was available and decided it wanted it lol. I'm glad you agree 'cause my wallet wasn't happy afterwards lol.

Hello everybody. I know it's been a while since my last update where I metioned how my R32's motor decided it didn't want to be part of this world anymore. I've been holding off on posting until I could do a more detailed write-up. Long story short, the #6 cylinder on my RB26 has lost compression and so an engine rebuild was on the table. I also considered buying a used but newer model RB to swap in instead. After weighing my choices though I decided on a third option. No, I didn't decide to cut my losses and drive my broken car off a cliff, instead my poor Nismo-addicted self decided to buy this – a Nismo RB26DETT Fine Spec Final Edition: It's basically one of a limited run of 200 N1 motors precision built and balanced by Nismo's Omori Factory from new parts. Instead of trying to refresh an old motor, I'll be starting with a fresh longblock Unfortunately it was pricey so I have to take some time to save up for the next step of getting the supporting parts for this little beauty but someday I'll get this car all buttoned up and have the biggest sh*t-eating grin on my face I'd like to gratefully acknowledge Kris at GT-RR for the great deal on this rare motor. Thanks for helping this Nissan fan get a truly special piece of Nismo goodness. As always, a longer, more detailed writeup is on my blog here: http://23gt.blogspot.com/2015/10/progress-bar-r32-part-6-big-nismo-six.html

The only way to get the car certified is through an RI. You could theoretically do the modification work yourself but you'd still need an RI who's willing to check out the car, file a claim with the Feds, and affix a certification label to it. Most RI's probably won't agree to someone else doing the mods because they could lose their license as an RI if the DOT finds out they certified a car that's improperly modded and Skylines get extra scrutiny from them because of the Motorex fiasco. You see in the case of an imported car like this the RI is basically functioning like a car manufacturer. They're making sure the car is up to standards, affixing a federally-required label identifying it as such, and submitting the data package that details how the car was made to comply - and an individual data package has to be done for each car they certify, it's not a group submission. The Feds don't have an "inspection program" where a private citizen can take a car they've modified themselves that's why there's a lot of money and paperwork involved with becoming an RI - you're basically acting as a car manufacturer, only on a smaller scale. Unfortunately the situation is far from simple and cheap. If it were, there would already be several RI's bringing in R33s currently because of the sheer demand for Skylines in the US but instead there are zero legit ones currently because of all the problems involved. Unless you have a lot of money and determination to see this through I wouldn't even bother because in the worst case your car could be seized by the DOT and exported or even crushed. Either way you'll never see it again after all the expense of bringing it over. If you really want to bring it here your best bet is to wait until 2021 when it fits under both DOT and EPA exemptions (you may still face some hurdles though since emissions laws may change and state laws are also a consideration). Here's a good read if you want to know what's been happening to improperly imported Skylines - it also explains the same stuff I mentioned about the correct importation process: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/breaking-news-us-government-turns-up-heat-on-skyline-owners.html

Unfortunately the R33 is only "technically" legal to bring into the US. The regulation you're referring to is VCP-32 from the DOT which allows R33 GT-Rs or GTSs made between January 1996 and 1998 to come in but only if the necessary modifications are made to comply with BOTH DOT and EPA standards. The required mods were originally protected trade secrets but the portion to comply with DOT standards was eventually released however the required emissions mods - namely an OBD II retrofit - are only known to the original RI that developed the system, JK Technologies. So basically unless you can convince JK Technologies to do it for you which they are not interested in currently from what I've been told you can't bring in an R33 even if it is technically possible. If you want to read more I explained this in more detail in my write-up on the Motorex story that prompted the DOT's current dislike of imported Skylines: http://23gt.blogspot.com/2015/09/godzilla-versus-banhammer-sad-tale-of.html If you want to read VCP-32, it's here: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/FAQ%20Site/pages/page10.html If you want the info on required mods for the DOT part they're listed here but like I said, they're not much good unless you can get past the EPA part too. EPA does allow exemptions for cars over 21 years old so you can possibly import the car in 2017 but you'd still have to do the mods listed here and get past any regulations for the state you plan to register it in. To begin with you'll need to have an intact drivers side airbag because that was the key requirement that made the DOT consider the 1996-1998 cars still eligible: http://www.nicoclub.com/articles/NHTSA-update.pdf Oh, I forgot the most important thing - are you a US citizen? If yes then the above applies to you, If not then the below document applies to you. Simply put, if you're a foreigner legally allowed into the US you can import a personal use vehicle for up to one year at the time of your entry into the US but then you have to export it again after that year if it doesn't meet the relevant US DOT and EPA regulations (the ones I mentioned above). http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/importing-car There are no work arounds to these regulations - this is Federal law. If anyone tells you otherwise they're probably trying to scam you or don't know what they're talking about.

Maybe not segregate between 32/33/34 but at least have a clearly defined section for them as a whole to distinguish it clearly from the R35 or older Skylines. I know I was confused about where to post when I first came to SAU because I could see a clearly labeled R35 section but no similar defined section for the R32/33/34 - maybe something like "R32/33/34 General" would help so that questions specific to an area of the car like the powertrain or exterior can still go to a specific section. Honestly I still find it confusing to see some posts get started in "Vehicle Specific Discussion" and others go into "General Automotive Discussion" when they're all actually about Skylines. Like these threads for example: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/459533-thoughts-on-this-r34-gt-r/ http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/458178-r34-gt-r-australian-market/ They're both basically the same - a guy asking about an Australian R34 he's considering buying but they're in two different sections. What should be the deciding factor? Wouldn't it make more sense to have similar threads like that in one section?

Oh yeah, I found his blog a while back. It's great! I hope my blog goes on to have the same longevity as his lol.

I love reading Speedhunters' features like these ones for Omori Factory and the R34 Clubman Race Spec. The pictures are gorgeous! http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/10/inside-nismo-a-day-at-omori-factory/ http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/09/gtr-for-the-street-and-track-by-nismo/ They just ran their latest R's Meeting feature a couple of weeks ago and the pictures are delicious http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/09/gt-r-indulgence/

Wow, you're lucky to be interviewed by SpeedHunters! They're only one of the most popular modified car blogs in the US lol. They have some really awesome features including some great articles on Nismo and the Omori Factory. Their main man in Japan Dino Dalle Carbonare is a Skyline fan himself and owns an R34 GT-R. Lots of GT-R fans follow that site and they often feature GT-Rs. Every year they do a feature on the Nismo Festival and the R's Meeting. As for how I find SAU - I think it's a great site and is the easiest to get knowledge and advice from of the Skyline forums I go to. One thing I've always found odd since I came here is that there's a separate R35 section but no specific Skyline section - just the "Vehicle Specific Discussion" area. It's not a problem but just seemed different to me from other forums. Also compared to other forums SAU hasn't seemed to attract a lot of American members so far compared to other forums despite the surge in R32 ownership over here - which is a shame since as I said I've found this site more helpful than others I've been to. I think it may have to do with the name. I notice the UK-based Skylineowners.com gets a lot more American activity in its forum and it may be that people gravitate toward it because the name doesn't mention any nationality while Skylines Australia may give the impression it caters to Australian owners only - I know that's not true but it may just be the impression people get especially when they do a search online for Skyline forums.

I had a couple of questions I was hoping someone knowledgeable about Skyline AC systems could answer. I wasn't sure what section was best to post this thread so apologies to the mods if it should be somewhere elas. 1. Will an R33 A/C compressor fit without modification to a different RB26 engine, say one meant for an R34? The reason I ask is because I'm planning on swapping the old tired motor in my R32 for a newer one meant for an R34 and since my car is a 1990 with the old R12 refrigerant that you can't get now I figured now would be a good time to swap the compressor for a newer one meant to run R134a and convert the system over. 2. Did all R33s use R134a? I know late model R32s were supposed to have switched so I assume the R33s had R134 systems but I just wanted to be sure. I've seen some used R33 compressors online and figured it'd be a safer bet to get one of those than get the wrong type of R32 compressor by mistake. Thanks in advance for your replies.

I'd say yes. Usually there are two types of threads - the ill-informed who honestly don't know what they're getting into and then there are the know-it-alls who claim they know better than people who actually own these cars and have been at it for a while. It's pretty common to see both but the latter are especially stupid because they usually act like big shots with all the answers but then disappear when push comes to shove and proof is asked for. Here's another example from skylineowners.com. It starts with an ill-informed guy who obviously doesn't know about the legal status of the R33 then comes along another guy who claims all the forum posters don't know crap (including a guy who does own a LEGAL R33 ironically): http://www.skylineowners.com/forum/186-usa-members-forum/262938-how-much-nissan-skyline-r33-worth.html You also get a lot of companies making false claims about being able to bring in Skylines legally, some stories of which are mentioned here: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/the-facts-about-nissan-skyline-importation-into-the-united-states-5.html