R32 Gt-r Modernization Project

[Superbike81]

This is going to be a fairly unique project amongst Skylines, as it seems most people go for big power and not much else.

My goal with this car is to bring it into modern day styling while still being relatively fast and comfortable for daily use. Including an R34 body conversion much like another member MWR34 of this site did and full custom interior upgrade. You may ask, why not just buy an R34? Well, this is a car I want to bring back to the US with me when I return, and they have very strict rules about importation, the car must be 25 years old or older to come through without any hassle.

The car as it currently sits:

Current Mods:

Full Exhaust (HKS downpipes, stock cat, Trust Power Extreme II cat-back)

HKS Hiper-D suspension (old and tired, but not blown)

Apexi AVC-R Boost Controller

Tuned ECU

HKS Twin Plate Clutch

HKS Air Filters

18" Work Emotion XD9

Eclipse Navigation DVD/CD 7" LCD

Red Bride Brix II seats

Custom clear lens headlights with blacked out inner housing and 55w 6000k HID's.

Upcoming Mods (in no particular order):

Upcoming Mods (this list isn't completely in chronological order and will be changed/updated as I see fit):

-19x9.5 +12 TE37 knockoffs with 245 or 255/35/19 tires (already got the wheels, ordering tires now).

-350z dashboard and center console custom installed along with 350z door panels. Will either be reupholstered in leather, alcantara, or a mix of both. Will use 350z gauges as well. (main dashboard is on the way to me now, will take a few months to complete the fitting as quite a bit of customization is needed)

-R34 GT-R (or Eastbear replica) seats, reupholstered in leather eventually. Or perhaps R35 GT-R seats as well, not sure yet. Has anyone fitted R35 seats in a R32/33/34?

-R34 GT-R Spoiler

-Remove all old sound deadening material, and apply newer material with better sound blocking capabilities (Second Skin most likely)

-Complete stereo system (External processor, single 12" sub in the spare tire well, 6 channel amp for front stage, mono amp for sub, 8" and 5.25" in the door, tweeter either on a-pillar or mirror trim)

-Complete R34 body conversion (except for doors and roof), not going to be done until I deploy (I'm military) in 2012. Here's an example picture of the end product:

http://s949.photobuc...MG_3413copy.jpg

http://i74.photobuck...34/IMG_0444.jpg

(I won't mold in the side skirt like MWR34 did though)

-Respray to pearl white and complete rust removal and restoration throughout the entire car

-475-500bhp mild engine upgrades (Nismo N1 turbos, bigger injectors, and ECU ROM tune?)

-Aragosta suspension (great handling characteristics while still being soft enough for daily driving) and other suspension goodies.

-New carpet throughout, higher quality carpeting

-R34 GT-R or F40/F50 brake upgrade

-Much less aggressive clutch, perhaps Nismo coppermix?

-A few gauges to fit into the triple gauge location in the 350z center panel

Will start the dash work next week when it arrives. Should also have the new wheels fitted in a couple weeks. Will keep everyone posted with updates.

Please feel free to comment and make suggestions!

[N1GTR]

I think it looks fkn tough as all get out as it is currently

[AtomicBomberMan]

Please feel free to comment and make suggestions!

Very nice car mate, however if you wanted to butcher a car, why are you starting off with such a nice example? You have a perfectly tidy car, and from the sounds of things interior and exterior are all to be retrofitted anyway, essentially the only thing left standard would be the rolling shell or chassis. Wouldnt a rolling shell have been a better start? You can pick these up so cheaply and the money you would have saved by buying a a shell you could inject back into it exactly where you want it and finish with a much better result. By the time you add the coin of all your bits and pieces, the labor etc to your tidy example, you probably wont be far off getting a real one. Not asking you to get an r34, I just think the money could be better spent making it go better or tidying up the 32 if needs any tidying. If you think about what you are going to do, ruin perfectly good paint and bodywork and then put on a 3rd party bodykit (which in a lot of cases are dodgy unless theyre from Japan) and then apply perfectly good paintwork again! Sorry for being so blunt but why would you want to embark on a project whereby the finished product is something which is neither here nor there, but instead you could a have a clean and tidy (which is quite unique in itself as a lot of 32's are falling apart) example of a true legend. When you do take it back to the states, the BNR32's rarity will make you stand out like dogs balls anyway, you wont need a kit car R34 gtr replica to turn heads. Make your pretty 32 go faster with the money you intend to spend, and you wont just turn heads when you get back home, you'll snap necks!

just my 2 cents.

Edited July 8, 2010 by AtomicBomberMan

[Roy]

Yeh, ditto...cool project but looks like a great R32 to start with. Brembos, Work wheels, good clean body. Too nice to molest?

[Superbike81]

I understand where you are coming from, but let me point out a few things.

I got this car for very cheap anyways, around $5,000 US. A rolling shell could have been an option, sure, but being American military stationed in Japan, I've got some extra restrictions on me, I'm only allowed to own one vehicle per licensed driver at a time. Also no room for an extra car at my home. The car does look good in the photo, and it's not in terrible shape by any means, but it does have it's problems. Painted over rust in several areas around the rear window and rear side windows, rust spots in the trunk and inside the rear quarter panels (I think you guys call them "guards", not sure). Also some rusting areas under the carpet in the interior. The car was going to get completely torn down and restored anyways. The extra cost for fitting the R34 parts won't be much compared to the total cost of the restoration. I'll be buying most of the parts used, except for the rear fenders and the metal piece that the tail lights mount to. Once I saw mwr34's project, I pretty much fell in love with it, he did exactly what I wanted to do, build one of the best looking Skylines I've seen, while still conforming to his country's importation laws. The USA has even more strict import laws, 25 years instead of 15, and since I plan on going back for a couple years of school, it's going to make a difference.

Now since I can't be out of a car for the many months it will take to complete everything, I have to wait until I'll be gone for a while, so my next deployment is when the car will go to the body shop, which won't be for at least another year. Since it's a year away at least, I may very well change my mind and just restore the exterior, leaving the original shape intact. But as of right now, I'm sticking to the plan. The interior modernization is already occuring, the dashboard from the Z33 is on the way to me now, should be here tonight and then measurements will be done and I'll start the preliminary fitting process.

As far as making the R32 go faster, I will be making it faster, with a set of Nismo N1 turbos and some more boost. Now some may not define that as fast, it's plenty fast for me. Hell, it's fast enough for me right now as is, but with the added weight from stereo equipment, heavier seats, sound deadening, and other misc stuff, I'm going to need some extra power to equalize everything. There's a lot of GT-R's out there built for speed, but they aren't unique, 500hp, 700hp, 1000hp+, it's all been done time and time again. What I'm doing? A complete rebuild of the car to match my personality and bring it into modern times? That hasn't been done nearly as many times, if at all.

Like I said, I do appreciate the suggestions, but I'm going through with this project.

PS, it doesn't have Brembo brakes, not yet at least, I just painted the calipers red.

[SABBAi]

It's too nice to butcher. It looks hella tough currently. Why not sell it off and find one that isn't as nice to chop up?

[dmac_25]

You cutting the rear gaurds and welding new ones or moulded over fenders?? Will be different but a waste of a good car. If you look at a 32 and a 34 the roof line are very similar so you will get away with it easy

for the in trained eye you would think it's a 34

[Superbike81]

Like I said, it looks nice in the pics, but when you get close, this car has a lot of issues beneath the surface. Painted over rust, touched up areas, rust on the undercarriage, etc. Reason that I chose this car is because it was a good deal, and it's a runs very solid and reliable. Sure, I could get a slightly cheaper GT-R with more issues and more KM's on it, but who's to say it won't need a complete engine rebuild or any number of other issues (accidents, etc)?

I bought the car mostly stock, it had the clutch and air filters, the rest I did. So the only reason this car is "nice" is because I've made it that way. Now I'm going from inspiration of others as well as my own ideas to turn it into my own unique creation.

Yes, the rear fenders will be completely cut out, they are fairly rusted on the inner part anyways, so no big deal. I will be following MWR34's build plan, except I'll be using stock looking fenders, as well as not molding the side skirts.

As long as the car is well built and the plan is executed well, in my eyes it will be the perfect sports car, much like I view the Porsche 911. Sure it won't be the fastest car on the street or the track, and it won't be the most luxurious or the absolute best looking, but it will have the perfect balance of old school driving feel, with modern looks, modern interior, enough luxury to keep most people happy (R35 seats, leather trimmed interior, high quality stereo, navigation, etc), enough HP to run a solid 12 second 1/4 mile, and handle pretty well too while still being comfortable to drive everyday. It will be my idea of the perfect car. Isn't that what this is all about? Building cars to be a reflection of ourselves? I'm not a professional racing driver, I don't need 700hp, I don't need it to handle like a go-kart, I just like a good balance of speed and comfort. I could go out and buy a Porsche 911 with the money I end spending on this car, but what's the fun in that? Then I've got a 911 like thousands of other people. Building my R32 the way I want it will make it a truly unique creation built to my standards.

Edited July 9, 2010 by Superbike81

[sav man]

are the rails rusted?

There are so many R32's that look good in photo's, and turn out to be a rusted mess in real life. I bet once you pull those rear 1/4 pods off you'll just have 2 big rust holes.

How come your not keeping the work rims?

[iseekool]

Definately going to be unique. Post lots of pics for us.

[Superbike81]

are the rails rusted?

There are so many R32's that look good in photo's, and turn out to be a rusted mess in real life. I bet once you pull those rear 1/4 pods off you'll just have 2 big rust holes.

How come your not keeping the work rims?

Yeah, I'm interested to see exactly how bad the rust is under the surface. The frame rails are pretty clean overall, however the area where some people jack the car up on are rusted completely. So that area will need to be rebuilt.

I like the Work wheels just fine, and they will clear The R33/34 Brembos, however they will not clear the F40/50 Brembos. Also I fell in love with the 19" TE37's. For now I will run replicas, but Ill upgrade to real ones after the rest of the build is complete.

[PM-R33]

I'm very curious to see how the interior works out, make sure you post plenty of pics.

As others have said, it is a "different" project, but from reading your explanation I see where you are coming from and if your happy with it, that is the main thing, so go ahead.

Either way it will be very unique

As you have said, don't mold the sideskirts to the rear gaurds. It looks gay and most of the time will end up cracking if you are going to drive the car hard.

[Superbike81]

I'm very curious to see how the interior works out, make sure you post plenty of pics.

As others have said, it is a "different" project, but from reading your explanation I see where you are coming from and if your happy with it, that is the main thing, so go ahead.

Either way it will be very unique

As you have said, don't mold the sideskirts to the rear gaurds. It looks gay and most of the time will end up cracking if you are going to drive the car hard.

Thanks, I will post pics of the interior progress. First thing is to get the dash fitted, and then door panels. I have a feeling even though the door panels are a small thing compared to the dash, it will be just as much work. Because I want to use the Z33 door handles and window switches and everything, so I'm going to have to have new rods fabricated for the door opening mechanism. Then also reshaping main door panel will be interesting too. Then it's all got to be covered with leather/alcantara. Will be a fairly long, in depth project, I'll do most of the fabrication for fitment, but I won't be doing the upholstery, I'm not good at the complex shapes.

[Basti]

I like the Work wheels just fine, and they will clear The R33/34 Brembos, however they will not clear the F40/50 Brembos. Also I fell in love with the 19" TE37's. For now I will run replicas, but Ill upgrade to real ones after the rest of the build is complete.

why spend twice? can you not wait a little bit longer and just get the TE37's? not being sarcastic at all just curious.

[Superbike81]

why spend twice? can you not wait a little bit longer and just get the TE37's? not being sarcastic at all just curious.

Valid point. Because the real TE37's are 3 times the price of what I paid for these. I can use these for 2-3 years while I'm building the rest of the car up, and then later go for the real thing, and then sell these for just a few hundred less than what I paid for them.

[NA_Goodness]

Yeah, you spend all this money for fake TE37s?

[Superbike81]

Real TE's will come eventually

I got these wheels for $900, which is the same amount I paid for my Work XD9's and the same amount they will be sold for. So I'm simply trading my Work wheels for a wheel that will clear big brakes no problem, and look better at the same time.

I'm still not 100% set on doing the rear, I won't be able to give up the car for long enough to get the rear done for another year and a half anyways. I may just do the OEM R34 front conversion using the Bee*R conversion fenders only, and then keep the R32 rear. But the rest of the stuff is going to happen.

Edited July 9, 2010 by Superbike81

[Superbike81]

What does everyone think of this option?

OEM BNR34 front, with R34 style rear bumper and side steps made by East Bear:

[SLY-25T]

guys at the end of the day its his money, his car and his project. if he wanted to tear down a brand new gtr he bought and make it diff im not gonna say dont do it. hes making something unique. i personally cant wait to see pics of how it comes along.

[toddlls]

I agree with the boys on this one, its a great example of a GTR & looks hot. At the end of the day its your call but wanting to make a 32 look like a 34 is just not cricket-buy a 34