Bakemono Nissan S15 - Build Thread!

[BakemonoRicer]

FIRST MILESTONE COMPLETE: Brake Install

So the first milestone has been reached, that being, upgrading the brakes.

I finished seasoning the rotors a couple of nights ago (a simple process to minimise chances of the rotors cracking prematurely). The brakes are an absolutely massive improvement from the stock rotors, and the stopping power is awesome. I've been practicing my heel-and-toe braking technique lately - improving but still need to master keeping the brake pressure constant.

Anyway, enough of my rambling and heres a couple of pictures of the brakes:

For anyone wondering, the rotors are not slotted/drilled, they are actually slotted/dimpled.

[Hanaldo]

Lookin good Benji.

If you're thinking of doing track-work though, I suggest ditching the Greenstuff pads. I've got them in mine, and they are absolute rubbish on the track. Pretty good for street duties, but get some heat into them and you'll find yourself in the sand trap pretty often. Which isn't good for the paint, trust me on that.

Otherwise, I'm diggin the build man, keep it comin!

[Manuel Kasko]

Yewww updates karnt?

[BakemonoRicer]

Time to pass on the updates I have from my JDMST thread that I've been keeping up to date over the past months.

In mid-march, a mate of mine helped me to install the Tomei N2 Oil Pan.....

After some spirited driving a few days after the install, I noticed I had an oil weep which was coming from the sump....there was a noticeable amount on the bottom of the pan and around the flange area.

I showed my mate who helped install it, and then a mechanic, and it seems possible problems with the welding joining the flange and the vertical surface (its welded on the inside) has caused this. The installation of the pan is NOT the cause.

Tomei was contacted and a bulkload of pictures provided with an explanation of the problem, and theyd like me to send the pan back so they can test it to confirm if its a manufacturing defect. They are willing to replace it if it is a defect. They aren't willing to bear the costs of me shipping it to them and shipping the new pan to australia even if the current one is confirmed faulty. Those of you who know much shipping is to and from japan, the logical decision would just be to get the welding fixed here.

Here are some pictures of the sump from where the problem seems to be coming from...

Front of the pan where the oil weep isnt as bad, but still weeping out near the join

Cleaned the big patch of oil on the bottom of the pan previously, and this is after half an hours worth of fairly normal driving...

[BakemonoRicer]

At the start of April, the coilovers and alignment arms were installed (with MUCHHH thanks to my mate).....all bushes have been reset as necessary to allow for the new coilovers and ride height. The factory bolts were actually veryyy hard to get off....(but keep in mind this is a 100% stock car that I've started with). It took roughly 10 hours to do the works.

Front coilovers installed (including Ikeya formula front castor and cusco tension bar).

Noticed a smidge of surface rust on the rear camber arm near the weld where a touch of paint was missing....wire brush + primer/paint = problem fixed.

Progress..

Rear coilovers installed, including Ikeya Formula rear camber arms (pillow-type) and Ikeya Formula rear toe arms (bush-type).

After a few adjustments and some trial and error, the ride height was sorted. Very happy with how its sitting, and at this height the control arms are bang-on parallel with the ground.

Initial impressions of the suspension is that it is silky-smooth, with the quality and ride of the coilovers being exceptional. The previous stock struts (with different springs) were completely worn out so not only was it a very hard ride, but also lots of bodyroll. Haven't pushed the car at all as I still need a wheel alignment, but the car feels much tighter. Very happy with the result....I'm eager to see how the car will perform once I get a wheel alignment.

[BakemonoRicer]

Since the wheel alignment was done, the car handles like it's on rails and is very well suited for the street.

The car actually feels like a sports car now, with turn in very crisp and precise, and more speed able to be carried through corners.

I have an order in to for a swaybar setup, and have a list of things to do before June.

[34GeeTeeTee]

Benji, this car is written off as per my assessment on the tech night

/thread

[Adzmax]

Dude, we are hand twins. This is amazing, there could be some real money in this.

[timmy_89]

Nice build thread mate. I had a S15 Autech prior to my R34, so I've definitely got a soft spot for them

Keep up the nice work. Any ideas on what's next?

Benji, this car is written off as per my assessment on the tech night

/thread

^^^ What? Lol.

[BakemonoRicer]

Benji, this car is written off as per my assessment on the tech night

/thread

Haha facepalm.jpg

Nice build thread mate. I had a S15 Autech prior to my R34, so I've definitely got a soft spot for them

Keep up the nice work. Any ideas on what's next?

^^^ What? Lol.

Cheers man. They really are a great platform given how lightweight and nimble the chassis is.

For what's next, stay tuned, I have a few things up my sleeve =).

As for Mat's comment, he's just taking the piss because of the fact I always enjoy going on about how the body of the vehicle is in factory condition.......and on the way to the tech night on Wednesday I had a slight mishap where rolling contact was made with a 2001 era Honda CR-V at approx 1-2kmh while I was stuck in a traffic jam. The body now has some cosmetic/superficial damage including a couple of scuffs on the front bar and a small dent in the bonnet due to the contact with the spare wheel on the back of the CR-V.

Dude, we are hand twins. This is amazing, there could be some real money in this.

[TimmyMA70]

Awesome write up Benji

Glad you are happy with the suspension. We'll have to bolt on the rest of the bit and pieces you have for it soon.

[BakemonoRicer]

June update,

I finally got around to taking the Tomei Oil Pan off. It was a bit of a hassle to take off due to its design, stock oil pan is much easier. I had it tested at two mechanics workshops and they both confirmed that a defective weld was causing the leak. I could either a) get it rewelded or b) ship it back to Tomei in Japan and prove a point. I opted for Option B as I really felt it was necessary to prove a point.

Here is a pic of the weld causing the issue...

In July, I picked up a few parts....

CES Racing Front/Dump Pipe
Nismo Low Temp Thermostat
OEM door bump rubbers
ARK Design Turbo Timer Harness
HID Harness

ISC performance engine/gearbox mounts

[BakemonoRicer]

July update,

Below are some pictures of a brand new fully automatic HKS Turbo Timer (Type 1). This turbo timer has long been discontinued.

I choose this Turbo Timer as it has old school & era specific styling, and will look fairly stealth given its a similar colour to the under section of the dash.

This one has a whole stack of extra functions such as vehicle speed and RPM display, speeding warning level, shift light, timer (for 0-400m, 0-100kmh etc) and more.

[BakemonoRicer]

July update.

At this stage, the car was still off the road as I was waiting for a reply from Tomei.

I filled in some time by spending approximately 50 man hours fully detailing the car. The only thing that is left to do is paint touch-up for stone chips and so on.

Here are the results... in these photos the car has sealant applied, I added wax a little while after.

[BakemonoRicer]

August Update.

Got word from Tomei at the start of August that the problem with the oil pan was their fault. They said they are very sorry & they offered to reweld it or replace the oil pan, and also compensate me with a free t-shirt and sticker....so I'm hoping that the t-shirt and sticker will be super rare.

Only problem is they don't have oil pans back in stock till September, but I've decided I'll just wait it out and have it replaced so long as they do a double check before they send it out.

A few days later, I decided I'd just reinstall the stock oil pan for now.

On August 20th, I had ISC Performance Solid polyurethane engine/gearbox mounts installed....

Initial impressions were that the cabin really vibrates like a mofo, lots of NVH (bear in mind I still have the stock exhaust and no power mods). However, this is expected to become a little less after I've done around 10,000kms.

However, the car has a lotttttttt more character now and it is a lot more "race-car". The mounts have actually made the car handle like its on rails , throttle response has improved immensely and gear changes are incredible.

Here is a video of me rev matching some downshifts now that the mounts have been installed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOYDIeGVoMw

[34GeeTeeTee]

Grade 2.0

[Manuel Kasko]

Benji can you pm me about the engine/gearbox mounts. Cost of them and cost to install. Pretty interested in stiffening up my whole car so this is a place to start.

[darksky34]

Grade 2.0

Troll

Benji can you pm me about the engine/gearbox mounts. Cost of them and cost to install. Pretty interested in stiffening up my whole car so this is a place to start.

PM me too please. Or just you know...post it up here

[BakemonoRicer]

Daniel & Chris,

From memory the engine and gearbox mounts were around $225 for the lot. Then add labour onto that price. It took a mechanics workshop around 4 hours to remove my old ones and install the new ones, but they only charged me for 3 hours labour ($330). So it was $555 all up, quite pricey but definitely worth it. They will also last about 3 times as long as the stock mounts.

I think ISC Performance only make them for S13/S14/S15 though..... but I'm sure there would be other similar options out there.

[93WIZ]

wow, being a welder/fabricator i must say that is a terrible weld especially from tomei! would expect them to have certain testing procedures before sending products out to ensure there are no returns.

hopefully there is no faults with the next one, cool build thread too!