GoldZilla

Try my old thread, which is here... Not sure what the castings mean, and I did ask, but I did notice that my old blown turbo had different numbers on the turbine housing (as well as what looked like a plastic compressor wheel - R34, maybe?) than the R33 series 1 that I replaced it with (at least temporarily)... Also, the steel wheels on the R33 turbo were "paired" in the same way that some 5-spoke wheels have two blades per spoke, if you get what I mean...

Great thread Alex, this is exactly why I bought my Stagea already converted. Even not having done too much research on the conversion, what I had found was that it would be a time- and labour-intensive proposition, not to mention expensive. I didn't have to worry about sourcing any expensive and rare interior parts either, as everything has already been sorted. I couldn't handle buying an automatic car (call me a control freak), and I'm used to using the gears for engine braking, etc. We already have two automatic cars in our family, and no matter how good an auto will be, it will never provide the control that a manual box and clutch does. It would have been nice to have Neo power and those clear tail lights, but they're minor issues overall... Cheers, Nick T.

Spotted PranK's Stagea at Unique Autosports in Castle Hill - our prez is leaving the ranks of the Stagea faithful and the car is up for sale...

Spotted PranK's Stagea at Unique when I dropped in there this afternoon... Nice, dude, nice - don't sell it man...

Also, make sure whoever cuts it does a good job, as obviously replacing it will be a rather more expensive proposition!!! I'd probably take it to a keycutter rather than your local hardware store who might cut maybe 2-3 keys a week... It's not like you've just shelled out for a key that you could have bought directly from the cutter for $2 (or whatever a blank key costs nowadays).

Dude, I bought Alan's dark green one in October, after I saw it next to yours at the SnS. Thoroughly enjoying it - you REALLY should keep it and do the conversion to manual!

You can just tell everyone you took photos in "Sepia tone" to give added effect. They're not that bad, considering...

Does that make me a cheater too, Duncan? I might bring the "Dragon Wagon" Stagea... No NOS though... It'll be good to get a baseline figure to work from for when I start doing mods. Nick T.

Christian's selling his Stagea!!! Noooooooo.......

Christian, I'm also keen to see pics of the 3-gauge DIN housing. Cheers, Nick T.

Sorry, Chris, I'm out, so you'll have to fly the Stagea flag solo. I have relo's coming from o/seas and need my car to do the usual tourist thing with them, etc...

Exactly - I could have stretched my budget and gone for an R32 GT-R, but I want to be able to leave my car anywhere and everywhere with the minimum of worries. Leaving a GT-R anywhere will either get it damaged or scratched, or stolen...

No too far off my own story - I had an AE92 Corolla (still in the family, now my sister's car), and having loved Skylines for god-only-knows how long, I couldn't turn away from something Skyline-based, but a whole lot more practical and unique. I'd seen a few Stageas in magazines, saw two at the SAU Show and Shine, and then took the opportunity to go and look at one more thoroughly in a yard on Parramatta Road, and my mind was made up! Luckily one of the ones I saw at the SnS was still for sale, so I went and checked it out and it was in my hands about 3 days later. I'm soon to turn 32, and if it weren't for the age factor (of the car, not me...), I would probably have bought myself an R32 four-door. By the same token, the money factor meant I would have had to have borrowed some more money or wait and save a bit longer to buy an R34 four-door. I don't have kids, so I didn't need a four-door car, but I've always preferred them as a better street-sleeper prospect, and the wagon is even better in this regard. It has come in handy though, two trips to the airport (and another couple in a few weeks), carrying a desk, carrying stackable chairs for our NYE party, etc. We have a family dog (a pure border collie), but she hasn't been in my car yet. She sheds so much damned fur, though... She's due for a trip to the vet soon, so I'll see how she goes in it. Cheers, Nick T.

Yeah, mine's been converted to manual with an R32 GT-R box. Was done before I bought it, and was the main reason I bought this particular one...

Much appreciated Brad. Looks like it won't be an issue for the Dyno Day then. Nick

Sounds good Shan. Like I mentioned, if you're gonna be in Sydney anytime soon, please let me know if it's easier for me to come and meet you to grab it. I can pay for it then or do the DD - choice is yours. Cheers, Nick T.

Agreed - prices and pics please!

Brad, does the LSD centre drop into the standard diff casing? I'm still scared to launch my car off the lights in case I break a driveshaft. It doesn't help that my car was fitted with a ceramic button clutch when it was converted. Regardless, it always bogs down anyway, so harder launches will be required when I wanna run some times. Oh yeah, and I might be attending the SAU dyno day next month, but it's a 2wd dyno. They've said removing driveshafts will be part of the cost of the run, but now that you mention removing the slave cylinder or hydraulic line throws a new spanner into the works. I'm assuming they know this and it's the same as R33 GT-Rs? Cheers Nick T.

Do you volunteer to help translate manuals to the best of your ability once you've completed the course? hahaha I was thinking about doing a short course in Japanese too, it can't hurt. I remember seeing them listed in the Community College booklets, and I've got a TAFE one here with me for Western Sydney. Certificate I is in Blacktown, and Certificates II and III are in Baulkham Hills, which are all probably too far from you. Certificate I (1 year p/time) and II (18 weeks p/time) are $185 per semester (or $370 full fee), and Certificate III is $290 (18 weeks p/time).

It says "Find out Feb 14" so maybe it's a present from the gods above for Valentine's day - we will miraculously be graced with enough rain to refill our damned dams. They seem to be looking up at clouds, anyway, so who knows?!?!?! Damned dams - lol

Dooooooo da right fing!

Dude, over 400 photos! That was a hell of a task going through those, but it was worth it as there are some quality shots there! Nice work, Nick T.

Hmmmm, time for Japanese lessons? I know Japanese is not an easy language to learn, but like Terminal says, pictures can help make up for deficiencies in understanding what's been written for the time being. When you get enough numbers, I would be more than happy to meet up with you when you're next in Sydney, if that helps. I'm only about 15mins from the Dundas area. Cheers, Nick T.

Oh, and three more of Jada just for good measure. Not outstanding shots by any measure, but funny more than anything else...

Here's a photo that I took about 18 Months ago, it's of my cousin's daughter Jada. My sister was lying on the grass in our front yard, and she held Jada up in the air and I just took a random shot because I thought it would look good with the clouds in the background... Turned out much better than I expected. I was using a Sony CyberShot DSC-P71, on auto settings. Hope you all like it...