Antz 1994 R32 Gtr Project & Restoration

[Ants]

Ok, well this has been long overdue but now that I have finally some time (and if the world doesn't actually end) and that things are coming together I thought it would be be best to give you guys a look at what I am doing.

First of all a little bit of history.

The car I have is this

It is a late model 1994 R32 GTR which I purchased in 2003 (feels like many light years ago it ) and it has evolved mildly as the years have gone by.

Previous configuration of engine was a follows:

Standard Bottom end

Tomei Sump baffle plate

Tomei poncams (type A) 256deg lift 9.5 in and 260deg ex lift 9.5

N1 Oil Pump

N1 Water Pump

Nismo turbos

Sard 550cc injectors

Twin Plate direct clutch

Greedy turbo / inlet piping kit including

2 x RB25 A/F Meters

Cooling Pro Intercooler 600x300x100mm

Cooling Pro raditor 42mm dual core

Gates Timing Gears (not dialed in)

Gates timing belt

Trust clear timing cover

Cooling Pro Oil Cooler (not sure what size but that big)

CES Racing dump pipes (short version)

Aftermarket exhaust (know idea what type but it is loud!!)

Aftermarkert adjustable suspension (whith HKS coilovers)

Pivot speed meter (registered 256km top speed once )

Chipped CPU tuned on shell optimax (at the time)

Engine power over 310rwk at 20psi (with boost dropping due to shyte wastegates) and quartermile 12.4 @ 192kmph

Anyways, I have a huge passion for the skyline GTR and the new Nissan GTR but the RB26 is an obsession for me.

Any GTR owner knows it is that this is an expensive hobby (understatement ) but to me this car is my mistress and yes I am married to a beautiful and understanding wife and have a beautiful daughter together (who are truely my number one passion)

Anyways, the car has done a fair amount travelling as it was my daily for some time although I a Ford Falcon POS station wagon these days.

I knew that the car would need to be rebuilt so I had started to collect the necessary parts for it after some guidance from my mechanic (who is well known on the Gold Coast)

The ideas was something like this:

Brand New N1 Block

CP 86mm pistons

N1 Oil Pump (or better)

New R33 GTR crank

Reconditioned Head

Garrett GT2860-5s

Bigger injectors

Apexi PFC

New Exhaust

So I had been gathering all these over the years but recently I cam across this

Must admit that after looking at the specs of this I could not beleive my eyes how good this was for its price considering you the cost of a brand new N1 engine from Nissan.

The specs for this are as follows:

COMPONENTS USEDCYLINDER BLOCK ASSEMBLY – NISSAN OEM N1 REINFORCED

CYLINDER HEAD ASSEMBLY – NISSAN OEM

PISTONS – TOMEI FORGED

CONROD – TOMEI FORGED H-BEAM

CONROD BEARING – NISMO F112 MATERIAL + NEW OVERLAY PLATING

MAIN BEARINGS – NISMO F112 MATERIAL + NEW OVERLAY PLATING

CAMSHAFT – TOMEI PONCAM Type-B

TIMING GEAR – TOMEI ADJUSTABLE PULLEY (IN/EX)

TIMING BELT – TOMEI STRENGHTENED

HEAD GASKET – TOMEI METAL

WATER PUMP – NISSAN OEM N1 SPECIAL (High Flow Type)

OIL PUMP – NISMO (WITH REINFORCED GEAR)

OIL GALLERY ORIFICE – TOMEI

OIL PAN BAFFLE PLATE – TOMEI

SERIAL PLATE – UNIQUE WITH TOMEI SERIAL NUMBER

※ All the other parts used that are not mentioned above are NISSAN OEM parts.

SPECIFICATIONS

DISPLACEMENT – 2597cc

BORE SIZE – Φ86.5mm

STROKE – 73.7mm

BLOCK TOP DECK CORRECTION – Minimal

PISTON CLEARANCE – 0.055mm

CONROD BEARING OIL CLEARANCE – 0.045～0.055mm

MAIN BEARING OIL CLEARANCE – 0.045～0.055mm

INTAKE CAMSHAFT DURATION / MAX LIFT – 260°-9.15mm

INTAKE VALVE TIMING CENTERLINE – 110°

INTAKE VALVE CLEARANCE – 0.45mm

EXHAUST CAMSHAFT DURATION / MAX LIFT – 260°-9.15mm

EXHAUST VALVE TIMING CENTERLINE – 115°

EXHAUST VALVE CLEARANCE – 0.38mm

COMBUSTION CHAMBER VOLUME – CORRECTED

HEAD GASKET SIZE – Φ87.0-1.2mm

COMPRESSION RATIO – Approx 8.4

FRONT FINAL GEAR RATIO – BNR32/BCNR33 4.111

Needless to say that I could not resist to miss this opportunity and after one phone call with Kyle from Hi Octane Racing I think I became one of the last person to procure this limited edition Advance spec engine

Last week I recieved any email from Hi Octane stating that my engine would arrive by the end of this month

So my initial idea of the N1 block and 86mm cp pistons went out the window as this engine is going to be interesting to say the least.

Since I had the idead of replacing the nismo turbos my car has been off the road since December 2010 and currently looks like this

Actually it looks even worse now as it does not have the coolling fan and a/c piping etc.. as I have been resotoring the car as follows as follows

Dirt and dust that has build up behind the I/C

All cleaned up

Paint stripped, sanded and with any rust removed and then cleaned with degreaser

All wrapped up and ready for respray.

Resprayed with rust proof primer and then will be fnished off with Holts Autospray color code DSSB01 (the closest color to Nissan Cristal white 326)

It is getting a bit late now so will end this introductory post, but for all of those out ther who love evolution photos here is an early Christmas present for you

CES Racing dump pipe removed

CES dump pipe cleaned out, sanded and painted in VHT Hi temp proof black paint

OEM timing cover paint striped, sanded and prepped for some new painting

As always, preparation is the key to almost everything especially when it comes to painting

Just another photo before painting.

All primed with anti-rust primer (not that alloy really needs it)

And finally with VHT Wrinkle red spray paint (and yes this was all done before I have acquired the new engine and will be available for sale later on)

P.S. Tomorow I will give a breakdown of the ancillaries that will be joining the new Tomei advance spec engine so watch this space

[Ants]

Ok as promised here is what will definately be going in my new engine

A box! well that's not going to go onto my engine now is it question is what's in the box?

Another box....c'mon now....but there are numbers on this box what could it be????

Enought teasing, yep brand new Garrett GT2860R-5 which were acquired from my good friend Andrew at Kudos Motorsport

These should do the trick for what I want which is approx. 600hp at the crank.

Few more photos of the turbos

Made in Japan I like it

Rear exhaust housings

Since I am chasing 600hp at the crank or 400kw at the wheels I have been thinking about the following ancillaries:

1,000cc injectors but what type i.e. HKS, nismo etc...(forgot to mention yesterday that the car already supports a Sard uprated intank fuel pump 280lph but is it enough?)

Apexi Power FC (non-d-jetro and will explain why later)

OEM exhaust manifolds ported (photos will follow shortly)

Dump pipes - CES Racing long versions

Front pipes???

Exhaust - should I be getting something bigger than what I already have???

Anyways, I'm certain there other things to consider so any input is more than welcome.

[whizzn]

Love it, this engine is soo close to the specs i will be building mine to

Looking forward to more updates

[Ants]

Thanks whizzn,

I have seen your project build thread and must say that you and I think very much alike (awsome project thread btw )

[Ants]

Ok, today I fnished porting one of the OEM exhaust manifolds which used to look like this

I then superimposed an exhaust manifold gasket (this one is a Tomei metal one) and marked the outlets with a permanent marker

Then I went to Bunnings and got the following

Why you say? well it is simple, I do not have an air tool and the above fits directly into any electric drill (like a drill bit does) and although it costs $69 a peice it is worth its weight in gold and will save you the labour costs of someone else doing it for you + if you are like me you get the benefits and pleasure of doing the work yourself

The results....

I also purchased a Dremel tool from Bunnings as I think that it will be very useful in the future

and you get to this with it

Sanding the rough bits left over after being ported

Top ones are ported and the ones below are standard OEM ex. manifolds

Here is a better photo that compares the ported manifolds vs standard ones.

Ok, now I know that there has been quiet a debate regarding standard (low mount) exhaust manifolds vs stainless steel items i.e. tomei / HKS manifolds but IMO if you are going direct replacement for low mount turbos keep your OEM exhaust manifolds and port them (or get N1 versions)

They are more durable e.g. not subject to cracking and will retain the heat better than most aftermarket stainless steell items which will help the turbo. This will also save you a bit of $$$ that you can either re-invest, give it to me or buy something else towards your build.

I have also ported the turbo exhaust side which used to look like this

but now look like this

They are actually a fair bit larger than the -5's turbo charger exhaust housings

May have to do some port matching here.....

Edited December 23, 2012 by Ants

[trustr32]

Nice build thread mate love the car. Apart from actual engine specs you're heading towards the same type of setup I have just put on my 32. Shame it's not running yet so I can't give you any helpful advice on what I could've done better lol. Anyway will be looking forward to more progress reports and hopefully I'll get mine up and running by the time your finished lol.

[Ants]

Thanks trustr32,

Yeah, I wish things could be done faster but all good things take time.

Hopefully both cars can be up and running sooner rather than later

[Ants]

Forgot to say Merry Xmas to everyone.

I will have new photos tomorrow.

Cheers Anthony

[Ants]

Okie dokie,

The other day I decided to give the front reo bar some TLC as it was starting to get rusty and used to look like this

It had been cut to make to provide more air flow to the impul front bar that was initially on the car when I had purchased it. Is it road worthy.... I don't think so. So, I will be welding some plates and if that fails well I will just source an N1 reo bar.

Rusty bits on reo bar....better treat it now before it gets worse

Rust bits remobed with electric sander

The left hand side rust removed.

Then rinsed and dryed and then resprayed in hi temp 3M mat-black spray paint can.

Just another shot of the resprayed reo bar.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Ants

[Ants]

Some nismo bits that will form part of the engine

Nismo engine mounts and nismo low temp thermostat

The real mccoy.

There are other Nismo items which have not arrived yet but will post pics as soon as they arrive. Kind of will be my belated xmas presents

Edited December 26, 2012 by Ants

[Ants]

Quick update.

I ported the other manifolds today in this ridiculous hot and stormy weather (but made it up by having a few beers after )

All marked and ready for porting

Photo of ported manifold, but I am not happy with it and will need to do some more....but I promise I will not upload any other photos of them

Now cosmetically speaking I received this

I always get exicited when I get things delivered

More excitement....

Tadaaaa!!!

Brand new N1 headlights that will go very well with the rest of the car

Edited December 27, 2012 by Ants

[Nur33]

Very Nice, love the N1 Lights.

[whizzn]

N1 lights will look good in your car, i love them they made huge difference in overall look of mine

How much did you get the Dremel for? Looking at buying one of these at moment as well for pretty much same reason you bought it for

[Ants]

Humm....if my memory serves me right the Dremel kit cost $149 from Bunnings for the model I acquired (also inc. 36 piece set). It is an awesome tool and although not that cheap you can do magnificent work with it.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Ants

[SiR_RB]

Dam I need to get myself a pair of n1 heaights !

[Ants]

Rightyo,

My front bumper needed to be repainted due to the stone chips, scratches and scuffs it had endured while being my daily for several years, so me being the nutty professor that I am I decided to do it myself (you guys are probably gonna laugh your ass off)

So for this recipe I went to Autobarn and got

$50 worth of paint stripper,

Some White Knight Rust Guard all purpose primer (white in color) from Bunnings costs approx. $15 per can (I purchased 4 cans but only used 1 & 1/2 cans)

4 cans of Holts auto spray (paint code PSH01) which costs $25 each from Autobarn (but only used 2 & 1/2 cans)

The official paint color code for you pilgrims

and finally some Motospray Top Coat Clear Coat (the can on the left) also from Autobarn (cost approx $12 per can purchased 3 cans only used 1 can)

Now for the exciting part...the front bumper preparation

Semi stripped and while I was at it put some holes in it to fit some N1 vents (I had photos of measurements and fitting but just I somehow wiped my Iphone clean and had to source backup photos but unfortunately this one gone god damn technology )

Photo of semi stirpped front bumper with FRP N1 vents fitted (they will not be remaining in there...and I will touch on that a bit later)

Photo of bumper now fully stripped of paint, sanded with 1200 grit and cleaned ready for primer

The white bits in the centre are holes filled in where the number plate use to reside

All primed up

Just another shot

Front shot of primed bumper (excuse the quality as it was dusk)

Wrapped up and protected to be resprayed another day

The other day is here....first coat of spray (and yest it was resprayed in the Garage)

Another coat completed

I was quiet amazed of the quality of the spray paint that came from a can!

It is all comming together now

Photo of final coat

Outside drying in the beautiful warm (fooking hot) sun

I did not want to put the FRP N1 vents in I sourced some brand new N1 vents from RHD Japan

Photo of finished resprayed bumper with genuine N1 vents (BTW I have not painted the N1 vents as they came white)

Just another shot of it

Outside shot of resprayed front bar

and another shot (the N1 vents fitted perfectly and no adhesive required as it has side clips)

A final shot.

I know its not as good as 2pac paint but I thought I would carryout this expirement to see its results as respraying it can be rather expensive (I was quoted $770) and I like to do the work myself

Next will be the lower lip.

Edited December 29, 2012 by Ants

[Waxhead]

Front bumper looks really good, great job. Keep those posts coming!!

[Ants]

Received some brand new nissan OEM parts from RHD Japan the other day

Turbo gasket kit, turbo exhaust studs + nuts, manifold studs and front grill clips as mine are fubar'd

New relay box cover

This will replace my weathered relay box cover and makes the engine look.....well look a bit newer

Brand new hood sealing rubber (the bit that goes onto the front apron)

In addition to the above I also got the following

New Bosch fuel filter (I actually purchased two and I dont know why as the car only supports one filter )

X 6 New NGK iridium spark plugs

New polyurethane exhaust mount bushes to replace the old sh#tty ones purchased really cheaply from ebay

Brand new turbo oil return piping for the GT2860R-5 also acquired from ebay

and finally Kando Dynamic braided oil and water kit for the GT2860R-5 but I probably wont fit them as the OEM are probably more reliable IMO.

More parts to come soon such as Nismo intake plenum, Tomei expreme TI exhaust, and others but will keep them as a surprise.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Ants

[whizzn]

I love RHD now, bought few things from there recently and will be getting lot more as time goes on

[Ants]

Yeah RHD is great and I have used them many times before. I am going to try perfect run japan for the Nismo intake plenum and see what that is like as they seem to be quiet good price wise.

Today I decided to port the -5s as per my previous posts there was quiet a difference between ported ex. manifolds and the -5s ex. housings.

So first up

we need a GT2860R-5 turbine housing like above (notice the rusty bits we will get that removed as well)

Then we get the turbine exhaust housing gasket

and place it on the turbine exhaust housing like this and then

get your trusty permanent marker and mark around the outlet

and get something like this

then it is time to take the turbine ex. housing off the turbo and you are going to need a spanner...I prefer the ratchet spanners like the one above and are very useful to get to hard to reach places in the tight RB26 engine bay

So lets go to town with the spanner like so

Remember to take the clip off the wastgate in order to remove the turbine ex. housing properly I just used a flat head screw driver

After you have removed the necessary bolts and wasteate clip you shoud end up with this

Put the bolts and clip in safe place where you can't loose them as that is the last thing you want. I put them in zip bag and then placed them in the turbo box.

Turbine ex. housing before

Turbine ex. housing after being fresly ported

Turbine ex. housing after being sanded with dremel tool and then sanded by hand with 1200 grit wet and dry sand paper (also sanded the rusty bits on the exhaust plate)

Next is to put the turbine ex. housing back on the turbo.

Here is a photo with ported ex. housing next to the standard turbo ex. housing

here is a better photo showing the difference in size between the ported turbine ex. housing and the standard one

That is how smooth the ported ex. housing is

Ported the second turbo and looks like this....ooohhh very smooth indeed

Photo of both turbines ex. housings ported

Finally, the turbos are wrapped back where next time they see daylight will be for installation on the new Tomei Advance Spec RB26

Now whether there are any gains realised from the porting I cant say for sure, but what I can say is that the turbos should have come like above to start of with IMHO. Will it effect boost, mid-range I don't think so.

I guess once new engine is run in and tuned we will then see the results.

Edited January 3, 2013 by Ants