BakemonoRicer

I have been scanning the local R33 GT-R market as well.... Most people have bought their vehicle via a dealership, so given certain (or should I say most) import dealerships like to make a healthy profit by importing vehicles which go for next to nothing at auction in Japan (for reasons such as those you've pointed out), now you understand why you can't find a good one, even on the private market. I have been told an absolutely mint grade 4.5 R33 GT-R at auction in Japan will set you back ~30-40k landed. It will be next to impossible to find an immaculate example of an R33 GT-R on the local market.....your only hope is to import in my opinion, and even then it's a bit risky.

Fk that's sounds good Sarge!!!

Meh, I personally don't like the idea of not seeing the car in the flesh. But yes, if I was to import I would go through a broker. The agents of the brokers can take as many pictures as you want for you, but in the end they are not panel beaters, and you also have to be very knowledgeable yourself to interpret these pictures.

We are living in the digital age, so to all the importers reading this - it is way too easy for your actions to be backtraced now. Either start advertising your cars for exactly what they are, or I am sure this will continue to happen!!!! And immaculate or very clean aren't terms that should be used for an R grade sh*t bucket from Japan. Facepalm, Then please explain the information montage dodgyimports just dropped...?

Cool!! Any dyno graphs? For a fairly stock setup, when does full boost come on with this turbo?

No worries. Cement fill is likely to be necessary for a 1000hp RB20. It is called "block filler". It gives the block more rigidity, as at high power output the cylinder liners will experience distortion while you're laying down the power (e.g. as they are surrounded by areas which actually can be considered a weak area - e.g. water jacket). You can still run water cooled setup if you fill the block to the top row of frost plugs. But for best support you would block fill it completely to the top, but you won't be able to run water cooled anymore.

Yeah, Lots of stress on the body when you're putting out 1000hp....especially in an older & fragile R32 chassis. Chances are the panel gaps will get warped. To achieve 1000hp with an RB20, you're going to need to stroke out the block to 2.4L (go with I-BEAM conrods as they can be lighter yet attain the same strength as a heavier H-Beam) and cement fill the block for high boost application,then strap on twin HKS GT3040 turbines, convert to solid lifters, full E85 conversion and fuel system to suit, modify the cylinder head as necessary (including a set of drag spec camshafts) and optimise port design etc etc, and lots of other stuff. Done.

Meh, I don't think it's a bad thing in all honesty. The thing is.... 3 years worth of driving a slow NA nugget really doesn't prepare you much for turbo power, because lets face it, turbocharged FR's really are a completelyyyy different ballgame. For those people who have been anxiously waiting 3 years to get a turbo car chances are they'll end up doing the wrong thing anyway. If p platers have to go through the appropriate driving training and such before driving a turbo car, I think it'll make them a better driver sooner. That said, the newer ones are fairly watered down with all their electronic aids and so on, so I wouldn't be surprised if the government bans the older ones.

Zeb, The thought of a P plater getting behind the wheel of a Volvo really worries me.....

Definitely agree... SAU events and cruises definitely have a more mature atmosphere, and everyone is sensible because idiots aren't tolerated. JDMST/EOMM/Lowdown meets etc are more of an attraction to most of the people who have a "look at me" or "us against police" attitude.

There would be absolutely minimal published research that actually relates to your research question, So unless you went out and conducted primary data collection, which would require ethics approval, it would be fairly not doable.

From what I heard the S14 owner was doing a U-turn near a crest, which I don't think is the smartest move especially outside a meet, and an Evo which was in the process of tearing it up down the street then made contact with the rear quarter of the S14.

^ 180sx is worth importing as it is fast becoming a collectible classic. Immaculate low-km examples are going for a mint in Japan. Would be the most fun to drive out of the cars the OP mentioned (i.m.o), & you'd spend less to get it to go quicker. Yes, there is a lot of local 180sx's in Australia, but good luck finding one that isn't a banana.

Not sure what you mean. The album link is all the before photos. Just a random assortment showing the paint has a lot of scratches, swirls, etching, general contamination etc. The pictures posted in this thread here are after photos. As you can tell, there is none of that present in the after photos. Hi, thanks man. I got my stuff via airmail from Ammo in America. I used AMMO skin to seal the car.

I bought my car in May 2012. I was very impressed by the fact the car had all original paint and panels (with panel gaps that were 100% factory). However, the paint was not in the best condition....and I always thought my car looked a tad dull compared to other examples I've seen in real life and on the internet. It is now in July 2013, that I have finally gotten around to restoring the car back to its former glory, sort of. The reason I say sort of is because the front bumper is pelted with rock chips, the rear bar is a scratched through the clear coat, and the bonnet has a fair few stone chips which would require a lot of brush touching. Now, I drive this car on a daily basis. I strongly believe that a performance car is built to be driven, and also kept looking nice. I think it is a bit of a shame when performance cars rarely ever come out of the garage. I believe you develop a better bond with your car by appreciating how to tackle all the shapes and curves of the car through detailing. I use a Dual Action Polisher, and with the correct pad and product selection, you CAN achieve the same results as with a Rotary, but with less risk. The only downside is it will take a bit more time. Here is my album of photographs BEFORE starting the DETAIL. http://imgur.com/a/lLaNY#0 I put roughly a LOT of man hours into this restoration. I did an extensive amount of prep work before I commenced a 3 stage polishing regimen with an aggressive compound, intermediate polish, and a jewelling polish. & Here are my results....(the pictures taken are with a sealant applied after polishing, once I apply carnauba wax I will take the car out in sunlight and take more pictures). I haven't applied trim conditioners or anything either yet.

AngryRB, the Top Secret R33 GT-R (which is now in the U.K) in the original post and speedhunters article is indeed Smokeys old car, and is the exact same one as seen in the video in the original post. I also suspect it is the same car that did a 300km/h freeway cannonball run before the car was changed to gold. I am not sure of the history of the one in Australia, but Chef has said it was one of Top Secret's cars...but I don't think it was immortalised in any videos. Perhaps Chef can clarify... Smokey was in a Supra in England when he got pulled over.

Yeah, such as being the panel gap guy =P.

Great bunch of people on the cruise. Thanks to Martin for letting me tag along as passenger. Just a bit of shame some people mover vehicles ahead of us were driving extra slow and holding us up. Lol..yeah, agreed. Big thankyou to Owen for letting me briefly pilot the R33 GT-R.....absolutely phenomenal vehicle. Yeah, the first HWP seemed to just be admiring all the nostalgia going past.... which was pretty cool.

My S15 is still off the road.... Haven't heard work back from Japan yet....sigh.

Hahahaha For interests sake, I wouldn't mind swinging past that place and doing a few freakin panel gap inspections....should bring the DSLR camera to make sure what I see is what I could get.

...Came in expecting new video, Left disappointed. Seen it months ago!

Make sure you keep an eye out for any photoshopping of the auction/dereg papers... make sure they are genuine originals etc.

Lol. Thanks. Yeah, that was the day that I was supposed to clock a 1.08...but didn't even end up entering. Are you going to the Sau Nats in SA this year?

Lol. It actually got to the point where my heel and toe downshift / braking technique has gotten to a level which I'd consider quite good (I've been practicing basically every day for months). Still needs a lot of fine-tuning to be perfected. But my S15 is off the road atm so I've needed to modify my technique as I'm driving my mum's E90 Corolla and the pedal/driving position is different. Will take a while to readjust once I hop back in the S15. Reason my car is off the road is because my Tomei N2 Oil Pan was defective (one of the welds was dodgy causing oil to leak), so recently sent it back to Tomei HQ in Japan for testing (and once they confirm the defect I get a replacement pan). Option could of been to get it welded here but I decided I'm going to make a farkin point about it.

Just hangin' out.