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Just a couple of shots of the car overall, as well...

Pulling apart the inlet manifold showed a decent coating of oil on the inside of the pipes, so the extra boost has got the engine breathing a bit. (I really should get around to running a compression test as well...) Have fitted up this oil catch can from JustJap, was pretty straightforward to fit up (once I figured out which way the pressure went...). The hose they sell is pretty good too, the wire lining prevents it from kinking up and deforming too much when you make sharp corners in the engine bay.

That's not really what I was getting at - I was more wondering what back-to-back testing of my previous setup (with AFMs and convoluted piping) would be, vs the current setup, with a better air path. I reckon the convoluted pipes would have introduced a lot more turbulence than my straight pipes. I have no doubt cars are punching out big numbers with the factory airbox, though. Yep, agreed. In addition to trying to make a partition between the intakes and the engine bay, I might see if I can somehow insulate the actual pipes. I have also seen people cut vents into the bonnet above the intake, to draw off hot air - maybe that might assist me as well.

Once it was all welded up securely, I grinded off the welds and painted it matt black. It was high-temp paint that needed heat to cure, so I cooked it in the oven at 180 deg for 15 minutes (or until golden brown, baste regularly and season to taste... LOL). It set nicely and looks pretty boring, so won't jump out during any under-bonnet inspections. RESULTS: Well, I wasn't expecting much, but I think there is a small improvement in response, especially with regards to turbo spool-up. There is no discernible difference in the sound. Maybe if my car was more modified, and flowing more air, it would make more of a difference? Would be interesting to do another dyno run now with this mod - might try and organise. Would enable me to quantify the flow restriction from the afms. Ideally, I would like to make up a heat-sheild out of alloy sheet or similar, to sit between the pods and the engine bay. Might fold up a dummy out of cardboard first and then try and make one out of sheet?

Steps: Basically I tried to replicate, as far as possible, the existing inlet system shape. The main hint here is to cut your sections of pipe slightly larger than you expect, then stickytape them together and see how they sit in the bay. Cutting is easier than joining. Keep cutting and taping, and sitting it in the bay each time, until you are happy it will fit nicely, clamp together nicely and not be too difficult to take apart. You need to have it sitting in there with the filters, because they take up a lot of space, and you need to be happy with the angle of the pipe into the filter and how it clamps on. Once you are pretty happy with the shape, TACK-WELD it together only, and dummy fit it in the engine bay - including filters, siliconer joiners, hose clamps, etc. Then try to get the bonnet closed! It's not as easy as you think, getting everything to sit in there - especially getting the rear pipe to fit neatly under the strut brace. The front section is basically two sections of 90 deg bend joined together, but each bend is cut quite significantly to give the final shape. The rear section uses 2 full 90 deg turns, with the section closest to the turbo requiring numerous attachments to be welded/brazed in. Once you're happy with how it all sits, weld it up. Remember to throroughly clean any swarf that might have gotten into the pipes during cutting etc before fitting - clearly you don't want that going into your turbos/engine. By far the more difficult section is the rear turbo inlet, because it has all those attachments coming off it. Due to the varying thinness of the metals, the smaller outlets (PCV and vaccuum hose) were brazed on. It helps to heat the thicker metal first, then get an assistant to hold the attachment in place (with pliers!), then braze that on. You need to be careful to sit the PCV inlet in the right spot on the elbow so it sits under the collector pipe. You will see I have a silicone joiner in the middle of my rear pipe. This is not *strictly* necessary - you could weld them together. However, leaving a join in there will make disassembly much easier, as you can remove the front section without removing all the PCV's etc.

With the air-flow meters now redundant, it was time to go about fabricating a new inlet system. This achieved two purposes - eliminating the afms, as well as the flanges and concertina-like bends in the existing system of ducts, which just has to slow down air flow. We all know what they look like. I was originally running the APEXI pod filters, but they have a specific cast adapter -flange for the r32 afms and not a normal "clamp-on" neck. So I decided to replace them with conventional pod filters and straight pipe. My HKS 2530 turbo setup retained the existing 2.5" inlet system to the turbos. With that in mind, I decided to opt for 2.5" mandrel bends all the way through. Materials required: 1) 4 x 2.5" mandrel 90 deg bends - mine were mild steel bends from an exhaust shop, and were about $40 each (ouch!). You may be able to score a better deal. 2) various other sections of pipe that replicate the PCV inlet, the vacuum line inlet, and the outlet to the blow-off valves. 3) 2 x air filters with 2.5" inlet neck - these were surprisingly hard to find. I went to supercheap/autobarn etc, and the vast majority of the filters had 3" necks. The rare few 2.5" necks really didn't look sufficiently large or of sufficient quality to put on a GTR that was sucking 17psi worth of air (even allowing for the fact I was using 2 of them). After wading through the K&N filter catalogue, I eventually decided on part no. RX-4950 (refer pic). It has the best combination of filter area (the top part is open, unlike most) and compact dimensions. It is a washable, oiled filter, and the best deal I could find was AUD$280 for both of them, delivered to aust, from simpleautosports.com. I paid via paypal and they arrived at my door about a week later. These turned out to be ideal for my application. 4) you will need 3 x sections of silicone joiner (see pics), 2.5", and about 6 hose clamps.

Hey guys thanks for the positive comments. RE: the cam gears, I have considered those, as well as dropping in some poncams. However, in phase II of my build, I will be including some pretty lumpy cams, and springs and cleaned up cylinder head, so thought I would end phase I without cams. I will be assembling a separate long motor and then swapping them out to minimise downtime and the risk of this turning into another "performance parts selloff" thread. I will also be addressing some of the other failure points, including the crank collar and oil pump. I have assembled a spare head and alloy sump/baffles already. As for the turbo lag, I noticed no difference in response (and I was looking for it). However, I should note at the same time as I swapped the turbos, I ported the manifold flange and replaced the dumps with the higher-flowing ones, so I may have been giving lag with one hand and taking away with teh other. THe amoutn of work involved in swapping turbines ruled out back-to-back controlled testing. End of the day, they give factory-style boost response with heaps more top end. Having scrolled through teh turbo upgrade thread, most people choose 2530's, and I think there is a good reason for it. Finally, on the power level, I am of the view that dynos are good for comparing power levels between vehicles on teh same dyno, on the same day, and that is it. I mean, I have seen claims of 300rwkw on stock turbos, and I just don't think it's feasible without significant measurement differences. Any particular dyno will give you a ballpark figure on your power level, but I don't think it's a technically sound base for comparing power levels across dynos. There could be something wrong with my motor, but as I said I am building a new one so it doesn't bother me greatly. End of the day, my afrs are good, my fuel consumption is normal, idle quality and driveability is fantastic and the top end power is completely transformed, so I am not going to fault the tune. I'm not holding my car up as something to aspire to, just an example of what can be achieved with a few basic tools and a willingness to get your hands dirty.

My only suggestion would be to try and make the plumbing from the front-mount to the inlet plenum more direct, reducing the length/bends of piping to the plenum will make your car more responsive. (I lost a lot of response on my r33 when I went to similar setup as yours). I have seen 2 ways of doing this, one is by cutting and shutting the existing inlet so the throttle faces forward, the other is just getting a pre-fabricated replacement plenum. What would be TOTALLY awesome, though, is if you could get an adapter plate to run the side-mount plenum and 6-throttle setup from the rb26. Imagine having the variable cam timing AND the individual throttle setup! wicked.

It was 17psi, the theory was that the OEM cams were holding it back. This is all on 98 pump fuel. Very safe afrs. Bear in mind I have no idea what condition the bottom end etc is in - it starts and runs fine, but I haven't run a compression check on it. I was hoping for at least 300's, and was a bit dissappointed, until I drove it

Intake My air flow meters are now redundant, so will be replacing the complex system of flanges, afms, convoluted rubber etc etc with some straight metal pipes and some pods. Welding in progress… Now that phase I is over, I am preparing for phase II - the RB31dett conversion, with big lumpy cams, balanced forged 3.1 bottom end, and a ported head, and some other things like bigger inlet plenum and sump baffles etc. Am currrently looking at purchasing a pre-built bottom end 'off-the-shelf' and screwing the long motor together/installing myself.

Then it was time to think about engine management. In addition to enabling me to run my bigger injectors and more boost, the ECU upgrade will also give me a future platform for the future mods I am planning (more about those shortly. I had my Vipec installed by ESP racing in Queanbeyan, by Glen. He did an awesome job, and found some general maintenance issues and other problems which I missed, despite all my time spent under the bonnet. But the cost of the ECU itself was $1666, and Glen charged me under a grand for tuning. There were other costs associated with replacing a blocked cat converter and fitting the injectors, supplying clips etc. I can’t recommend ESP highly enough. I think tuning is a make-or-break kind of thing, and this tune really made the car. Better driveability, massive top-end power increase, and same fuel economy (well, it’s probably improved, because I get the same k’s to a tank even though I am driving it harder). Despite the conventional wisdom that map-based tunes and/or 1000cc injectors prevent a smooth idle, you would not be able to pick the difference from stock. As you can tell, I am well pleased. End result was 279kw at all four wheels (dyno dynamics dyno) and a very happy customer.

Other miscellaneous mods: Radiator Again, picked up a cooling pro radiator from Just Jap, 40mm (massive). I think it was between $300 and $400, not that much more than the cost of reconditioning a factory-style radiator. Turns out my OEM radiator had a snapped outlet neck, so this was written off as a maintenance cost, LOL. Although, I just was NOT able to refit my radiator shroud, the fan kept fouling on it. Oh well, might switch to thermos at some point anyway. Fuel injectors/rail Scored a set of 1000cc injectors off eBay for $405. It included an earls-fitted rail, but I didn’t use it. They were second hand, but when they were tested all flowed within 1 per cent of each other, so perfect. Got these fitted at the same time as I had my vipec fitted and tuned at ESP racing. At least I know this is the first and last injector upgrade I will need to do! Fuel pump I know the OEM pump is meant to be good for 300rwkw, but being nearly 20 years old I didn’t want to take the chance, so decided to upgrade. I was originally going to buy one of those bosch 044’s but then I read the write-up on here about what is actually required to fit them, and though ‘screw it’. I mean I have the mechanical ability to do it, just couldn’t be arsed. The tomei one was a straight bolt-in, took all of 45 mins and only cost around $500. Was worth it for the piece of mind alone.

Then it was time to consider intercooler options. As everyone on here knows, Just Jap sell cooling pro coolers in 70mm and 100mm (they have a 120 bar and plate, but they said that would be too laggy to use on the street and is for drag use only). Since the OEM is 60mm, I opted for the 100mm version. They were having a sale at the time, I got it for $399. Installation was pretty straightforward, only thing was needed was to angle grind the front reo bar (pic). The particular one I had required cutting and redrilling of the bottom mounting tabs. As you can see, based on the sheer volume of the thing, it has to be better at cooling inlet charge than the stocker. I couldn’t notice any increase in lag, but the top-end was slightly (but noticeably) improved. Hint: Use factory service manual for removal of front bumper bar etc. there are a couple of trickly little clips and such.

Then it was time to turn to the issue of dump pipes. As you can see here, the factory dumps are very restrictive. Quite a rubbish design when you look at them, really. I was really only upgrading these because they had to come out of the car to change the turbos anyway. I decided to just get cheap ones of eBay – big mistake. Buying cheap dump pipes is just false economy. These were $189. The actual quality of the welding and construction etc wasn’t too bad – let’s just say they weren’t exactly manufactured to exacting tolerances… First, the flange didn’t fit. Needed to grind it out with a die grinder (too bad if you don’t have a high-powered air grinder – dremel would not cut it). I actually checked the dumps against the OEM turbos as well as the HKS to make sure my turbo studs weren’t damaged or something, it was definitely the dump flange. Then, the separator was removed, but the holes went right through to the other side. Had to use a high-speed steel bit to make enough of a countersink to put some screws in. Held ‘em in with high-temp loctite. Finally, there is apparently two different thread patterns for the r32 o2 sensors – make sure you know which is which before you order yours. Of course, mine was the wrong one. Ended up brazing a suitably threaded nut onto the bung (after modifying bung with hacksaw to ensure clearance). Too bad if you don’t have an oxy… Only just fitted in engine bay – the clearance between the front dump pipe and the rear turbo outlet is non-existent. I didn’t send them back because we didn’t realise each problem until we had fixed the last one, by which time we had modified the part extensively. In the end, the seller compensated me for the cost of parts I used, but the 10 hours or so spent modifying the damn things to fit just wasn’t worth it. If I could do it over again, and had I known the level of screwing around that would be required, I would buy some name-brand ones to begin with.

My next step was the manifolds. As most of us know, the factory cast-iron manifolds have much smaller ports on the flanges compared to the HKS turbos. I considered upgrading to stainless tubular designs, but didn't want the potential hassle of the manifolds cracking etc, so just got a die grinder and did a basic port-matching job. The manifolds had to come out anyway for the turbos, so I figured what the hell. Given the size of the lip on the manifold before, this just has to improve flow. So a "free" mod. I considered splashing out on a set of tomei expremes or something, but I'm undecided about my long-term plans in terms of what turbo (single, high-mount twins?) so left it stock for now.

Hey all, just thought I'd post up a thread detailing how I have gone about modifying my r32 GTR, and some of the small tricks and things I've learned on the way. Hope it's not too boring! I had a look around and this seemed the best place to post, but by all means move if this is the wrong spot. My starting base was an r32 GTR with not much other mods than trust front pipes, and cat-back exhausts (HKS). Lots of the usual hassles associated with grey imports, general lack of maintenance etc. My first step after getting it running in OEM-ish condition was to upgrade the turbos. I picked up a pair of HKS 2530's from a forum member for $2300 – bargain. Included braided lines, which made installation a lot easier, and hks adjustable wastegates (meh? I don't really get these, as boost is controlled via solenoid, but whatever). But yeah, ball-bearing turbine with much larger compressor wheel and slightly larger housings. All in great condition, no shaft play or end float. To remove and replace the turbos, I just used the procedures in the factory service manual. HOWVER, the best advice I can offer to anyone looking to remove and replace the turbos on an rb26 is to buy a set of ratcheting spanners. Mine were the locking flex-head type, and were $190.00 for a set of all the ones you'd commonly use (Kingchrome). Once you've cracked the exhaust manifold nuts with a normal spanner, these ones make it so much less frustrating to remove and replace. Since I bought them, they have paid for themselves countless times over. Just be careful lending them to your mates, you may not get them back!

279 awkw, dyno dynamics dyno, tuned by Glen at ESP racing (Queanbeyan) HKS 2530's (yeah, original, I know) Cooling pro 100mm tube-and-fin intercooler (Just jap) stock plumbing split dumps, bigger fronts, metalcat 200 cell cat, HKS zorst 40mm cooling pro radiator Tomei 276 lph fuel pump set up to run 100% voltage Sard 1000cc injectors apexi twin pod filters Unopened top and bottom end, including factory cams etc. Glen did a great job, starts, cold idles, idles as good or better than factory, and improved fuel consumption.

hi, just wondering what flange is the twin turbo manifold setup (T2? ) Just wondering how big of a turbo I can run off each. Also was there additional bracing to the engine block? cheers Andrew

thanks, will wait any further feedback on loss of vaccuum. My other queries relate to potential issues with valve-to-piston clearance using high-lift cams. Does anyone know at what lift the valves are at risk of hitting the pistons? I need to consider whether I want to raise the static compression ratio to compensate for the lack of dynamic compression created by the big duration. Has anyone had any experience with using pistons with valve reliefs? Finally, I am looking at having my porting work done by lewis engines in adelaide (very few choices in Canberra). Has anyone had any experience with them? feel free to shoot me a PM on that point.

Hi, I am just seeking some clarification on some of the info here about cam choices. I am about to send my spare rb26 head out for porting and reconditioning etc. I will also be asking them to clearance the cam tunnel to accept bigger cams, and have budgeted to upgrade valve springs as per the comments on here. I am building a separate long motor with a 3.0 (realistically 3.1) bottom end to swap into my r32. Will be getting a fully balanced, forged etc bottom end from a shop and assembling myself. In terms of the use, it will NOT be a daily driver, so off-boost response is not as crucial - however, I DO want my vaccuum assist to work from idle (ie brakes etc) w/o having a resevoir. I have read on here that the 3.1 bottom end will "soak up" big cams, which intutiviely makes some sense - at the moment I am looking at either 272 or 280 duration, which provides lift in the region of 10-10.5 mm. Is this ridiculous, unusable power for a 3.1? I would like to have boost on or before 4, 000 rpm. There will be inherent limits on revving out a big stroker motor. I also want working vacuum assist. As always, all advice or recommendations greatly appreciated.

Hi just wondering with the HKS manifolds 1) are they high-mount or low-mount? 2) what is the flange type (t3, t4, split-flange, etc) 3) internal or externally gated (is there such a thing as ext gated twins? I dunno.) 4) are they cast iron or stainless?

Hey I have an abs-equipped r32 GTR. I had terrible brakes upon import. I had the stock MC resleeved, it cost about $250 (including removal and reinstallation). I also had the booster rebuilt. It improved it but was still abysmal. Next step was to machine stock drilled rotors, and replace pads with Bendix ultimates (and of course bleeding all calipers and ABS unit as per manual). Again, improved but still rubbish. Then I had the brakes pressure bled by a brake place (as opopsed to the home method of one person working pedal, another lockign and unlocking the bleed nipple). It helped the initial mushiness to the point where I am confident driving it around but would still like to improve it - I may look into the MC brace.

Have sourced a sump and diff assembly, still looking for throttles/plenum if any one has them.

Hey all I am doing a motor build at the moment for my r32 GTR, and rather than taking the car off the road to pull down the existing motor, I am planning to build up a separate long motor and then swap them (with a 3.0 bottom end, but that's not relevant now). I have already sourced a spare head, and am currently looking around for a sump/front diff assembly. A nice one came up recently but was for an r33 GTR, and I was reluctant to buy without knowing whether it will go straight into an r32 GTR. Does anyone know if the parts are identical? Alternatively, has anyone dropped an r33 GTR motor into an r32 GTR body? If so are there any problems? Any advice appreciated. Cheers Andrew

Hey guys I'm chasing a full 4WD sump/front diff/etc assembly from an r32 GTR. I figured someone may have one kicking around if (for example) they have dropped an rb26 into their RWD GTS-t or similar. Anyway, if you're looking to get rid of one for a reasonable price, shoot me a txt or give me a call on 0415 838 790 (please note I DON'T get to access the forums that often). I am located in Canberra, and regularly travel to Sydney, so could pick up from either of those places - however anywhere else and would need to talk postage. NOt in a massive rush, but if you have one to get rid of at a good price let me know. I would also be interested in the individual throttle setup for an r32 GTR, including the inlet plenum that sits between the itb's and the cylinder head (but NOT the big log-style inlet tank between the intercooler and the itb's, if that makes sense. AGAIN, please PHONE or TXT, I don't get to access my messages here often. Andrew 0415 838 790