nelsonmxmarc

I'm everywhere Thanks Josh PS. check my website - under links i posted your site. I plan to compose a full write up about the skyline community under the 'events' section once it's in, rather vicariously through your blog - WHICH i would like to post a few build things on! Seeing as you've got RIPS / Adam and Sean going at it, i'd love to contribute Let me know what if anything, i can contribute!

Thanks for the feedback guys ! I like it as well, Aaron. Nice to get rid of the broken vent, and to justify outrageous replacement costs from nissan or A/M is just suicide. Might a well make it useable! Chapter 26 – BMC stopper prototype Toyed with the idea of making a brake master cylinder stopper as the typical Cusco units are rather overpriced (100$ ballpark -http://www.rhdjapan.com/cusco-bcs-ki…-group-a-10798) , and being that I couldn't fathom the absolute necessity to have one, I figured it'd be best to see what could be made! Using some steel flat bar, I managed to come up with this. Disregard the weld 'neatness', as i had the feed set WAY too high and was in a rush amidst arranging a few personal issues. Now, after i designed it and put it together, i completely left the strut brace out the equation! Fortunately, it all fit without an issue; I've ground the welds and painted it black. For a prototype, i think it turned out quite well! It's adjustable, as well. If anyone's interested, more can be had for a very fair price

Thanks a lot! Glad it helps I've got a bunch more to update very shortly!!

Chapter 22 - Gearset disassembly and input shaft bearing reinstallation I have YET to find a proper DIY on changing the input shaft bearing or swapping gearsets on the RB20 Transmission, so i'll likely write one when im done, but here are a few pics of the process; Remove these 5 bolts to expose the input shaft bearing (Culprit of the whiny RB20 transmission noise) Next, remove the rear housing. Simply undo all the bolts and attain leverage on the case by hammering on the intermediate plate, using a block of wood to avoid damaging the case. Inside the front of the bellmouth, where the first step took place - there are circlips to remove. 1 is a small visible one on the shaft itself. Remove this then remove the spacer. Next, remove the large one holding the bearing in place (around the outside, hard to see). Once that's done, dislodge the intermediate plate from the bellhousing as you did to the rear portion a minute ago, and pull the 2 apart. Now you have all your gears/synchros exposed. If your transmission is noisy with your foot off the clutch, you likely have a worn input shaft bearing (one in the front). The reason i say this is because your throwout bearing is free, and when the car is at a stand still with the clutch engaged (foot off and in neutral), the only shaft spinning is your input shaft. Your intermediate shaft is free (holds the gears per se) and so is your output shaft. The only bearing spinning at this point is the large one you see in the first picture. To change this, you'll need to strip the gearset down, heat the bearing race after freezing the input shaft by tossing the whole unit in the freezer for a few hours. Chapter 23 - Some new parts! Chapter 24 - Engine bay repaint - coilover installation - GTR intercooler installed Decided to repaint the engine bay anyways. I'm very anal about small scrapes/discolouration's and etc so this had to get done.. Also mounted my GTR intercooler and cut the hole on the driver side to fit the piping/oil cooler lines. And then i finally mounted my new suspension. Front is done.. Cleaned the wheel wells up too.. Turning out to be more of a showcar than a track car! Wheel fitment! Chapter 25 - Centre vent gauges are now complete! Center vent delete. Angled down slightly as the dash is contoured, as well as angled towards the driver at the same degree as the center console!

It was a bit of a struggle. Having swapped the AC compressor for a usable/new unit, i compromised that weight in other areas.. The front soundeadening was already out (never realized the rear seats had it as well), passenger seat was out at time of weigh in (~20 lbs), all firewall sound deadening removed and the structural supports below the dash.. All hicas lines, mounts, rack, pump, solenoids removed. All steel bolts on the under body and brackets removed; replaced with lighter aluminum ones with fabbed aluminum brackets. GTR wheels are quite light (16 lbs each). Stock brake lines were a few grams heavier than the oem, their brackets removed as well. Rear wing removed, spare tire (simple things), excess wiring removed as well, as well as a list of other things.. I had a list of what had been removed when i did this last winter, however i cant for the life of me find it - i never thought it'd withhold such importance as you're surely not the first one interested in this as well! I'll get a scale shot of this winters build when i break 1100 kg, AS WELL, as keep it documented and somewhere safe. As more and more things come to me, i'll gladly share my previous weight savings!

Ya, as stated, CAS or AFM, 100%. My friend had this with his GTR, ended up being one MAF was shot.. Even after resoldering etc, the thermister had had it. CAS along with TPS can be typically faulty around the 60-80,000 km mark

Thanks a lot guys! It's true out on our side of the world too.. We rarely praise the light weight brother of the GTR; all about hp #'s i'm afraid! But 350whp in a sub 1100kg car is not something to overlook! Glad you guy's enjoy the build. I'm writing up a few updates as we speak.. ARP sent me the wrong headstuds setting back my engine build a week or so.. And i've just disassembled my rb20 trans to see why i'm getting so much gear clash going into reverse, as well as swap out the whiney input shaft bearing.. The DIY should be up soon!

Here are some updated interior shots along with our newly developed carbon cooling plate. This was our prototype for the GTST+GTR! Installed is the rear carbon firewall cover, and the speaker deck (not shown). White cocking matches my new white stitched leathers from TopGaiters! More to come, when i finally get over the fact i'm already back at school.

Only issue with fitting the 33 brembos is that you're going to also need to fit an A/m prop valve to balance the bias front/rear. Otherwise you'll need to source the master cylinder as well. People underestimate the OEM brakes, but with good pads (HPS/HP+/EBC), BMC stopper, stainless braided lines, high quality fluid (ATE is best bang for the buck) and slotted rotors (Stock size), you can go a long way. Tracking my car with the above setup but with stock blank rotors, i had experienced very little brake fade within 10-15 laps. Our longest straight was up around 220kmh into a tight hairpin; it was absolutely killer on the brakes. Most GTR's faded, but since the GTST is considerably lighter, we can get away with a decent brake setup for less.

Right. Even the GTR with the painted lower valence, if you pay close enough attention to detail, it's also a rough surface but has a coat of paint to match the rest of the body kit. These lower black portions were stock on the GTS. Since GTS/GTST/GTR bumpers are all interchangeable, that is most likely a bumper from a GTS. Perhaps the previous owner was involved in a small collision - the GTS parts are far easier to source > GTR OEM. You can paint it without an issue. Mine was also black; On red, i wouldnt mind so much, but on silver it stuck out like a sore thumb. Painting it takes 2 seconds, so if you dislike it, have your paint matched at the local auto parts and paint over it!

Chapter 21 – Piston reinstallation The piston went back home. The spring compressor revealed the mysterious cylinder scoring. Whomever tackled the previous engine build decided to lodge this down inside the cylinder to facilitate the reinstallation of the piston. This would seem to most like the proper way to do it, however, it is far from proper. First, line up the rings in their proper calibration. This is listed on page 223 of the FSM. The oil ring has 2 openings, upper and lower, and this one was not properly calibrated, so check to make sure everything is aligned beforehand. Once they are, get a good amount of oil on the piston, or engine storage spray, as well as on the surface of the piston ring compressor and pair the two. It’s not stringent on how high or low the piston ring compressor is on the piston, as long as the two are together snug, and the ring compressor is not cocked. Next, place the rod inside the bore. Best bet is to tape the rod end bolts so they dont score your journal. I didn’t do this, but luckily when i replaced my piston, the con rod bearing fell directly onto the crank journal, so let that be a lesson! Now, because its a snug fit, you can either use your own force to push/transition the piston from the holder to the cylinder. Other option is a piece of wood and a light hammer to slowly tap it into place. MAKE SURE YOUR RINGS DONT CATCH THE CYLINDER. Should flow pretty nicely if you’ve followed the above steps.. Just don’t hammer the compressor into the bore.. Common mistake, obviously, and can easily be avoided..

Chapter 20 – Reinstalling Collets – tips Next; installing collets. This took a lot longer than I had hoped. It’s really a tedious job, and unfortunately there is no physical way to speed up the process as it’s just meant to be a long and tedious job. With the spring compressor back in place, make sure you have ample room to move the collet into position. They are quite long, so make sure the springs are compressed quite a bit. Next, take a spray can extension (red plastic tube) and get a tab of grease on the end, as well as on the mating surface of your collet. Next, finagle your way in there and enjoying the quality hours spent screaming!

Chapter 19 – Valve lapping guide So last night I returned to finish my head.. Figured I could get a 1 day turn around on this beast – 1 day is a slight underestimate unfortunately.. I can say this much, I have zero patience for installing collets and do not plan on doing this until my valve guides and seals give, or a valve breaks. (btw all guides are nice and snug, look to have been changed along with the seals) First and foremost I had to lap my valves into the seats. This ensures a tight-closed fit and promotes a solid sealing surface. You can see after use that the finish has become almost like a mirror, shiny and even corroded slightly. A lapping kit includes; Wooden dowel and suction cup Lapping grease (sandy grease) Theres 2 ways to get this one. Both require you put a small amount of lapping grease on the sealing surface of the valve, then put it into the guide and close it. Take your plunger and suction it to your valve face. Method 1; fire starter, as i like to call it, as you’ll be rolling the dowel between your hands vigorously. Every 4-5 twists, raise the valve with the plunger and smack it back down. This brings all the lapping grease back into contact with the seat. Do this 5 times approx, or until the coarse grinding sound fades to a light gritty noise. Method 2; is the proper, original method (from what i hear), which requires the same technique, but instead of keeping the valve stationary and twisting, you lift and twist at the same time to continuously draw the grease out. It’s hard, because the suction cup tends to let go and requires you stop, reattach, and continue. This was too time consuming IMO, and both methods should yield identical results. Make sure the lapped surface is now clear of grit, and that its uniform. It should look like a rough piece of metal on a background of shiny metal, meaning the lapping has been done successfully, like such; Before; After;

Chapter 18 – Valve spring removal ——————————————- Received my valve-spring compressor, along with my piston ring compressor this morning. I have all the necessary equipment to reassemble and reinstall my motor, minus a new rear main seal, and top end gaskets (aacv/intake manifold etc). I finished the remainder of my porting; If you’re going to be tackling this job yourself, you’re going to need these; 1. Dremmel 2. Diamond carbide bits 3. Green scotch brite 4. Red scotch brite 5. Metal polish 6. Buffer-dremmel attachment First thing you’ll notice after cleaning and prepping the head is that Nissan left numerous casting flaws. The biggest issue with these is that they create turbulence, making the air that’s passing through these channels less efficient. You want to reduce turbulence by porting and polishing. Porting is the physical removal of metal, and such castings, by using a carbide bit attachment on a dremmel. After that’s complete, take your scotch brite pad (green 1st) and clean the surface you just dremmeled to a smooth finish. The Red scotch brite will create an even smoother surface before continuing on to the polishing phase. Polishing is not necessary, and is sometimes classified as insignificant. The velocity of air on the wall is always considered 0. This is because at this psi, air becomes viscous and thick, as opposed to our normal ‘breathing air’. The air will cling to the walls and create a sort of duct, contradicting the myth that a polished surface will enable more air to move more vigorously. That being said, i do it regardless because it’s something i’m accustomed too, and the step only takes 20 or so minutes… The greatest loss of air is typically downstream of a valve, so its crucial to follow the air path in, and make sure there are no castings creating obstructions of the sorts. This is basically what i’ve done here; After; The oem castings just past the seats were rough. This roughness was a collecting a great deal of carbon, which is typical of any motor. To reduce these deposits, smooth out the areas as much as possible. Cleaning the castings on the exit port help as well to increase flow. I also removed a great deal of material to open the mouth as much as possible as well, interested to see how it does on the dyno. Before; After grinding; After polishing etc; Cleaned head; These will be done tonight;

Chapter 17 – Valve lapping kit and Engine paint Have acquired some goods today! Ordered my valve spring remover and piston ring compressor, should be here at 8 am tomorrow. Picked up a valve lapping kit; Paint; For this; Which ended up looking like this;