K_D's 1989 R32 Gtr Build

[k_d]

Hey all,

I finally decided I would create a thread for my 1989 R32 GTR. Now a bit of a warning, there are a few photos here so i will have to split this over a few posts. The rest of the photos are on my photobucket (assuming my internet fixes itself!)

Before the GTR i had had a R32 gts-t which was my 1st introduction to imports. I loved it, then made the silly mistake of putting a rb25 into it.

Whilst it went really well, it was unreliable and a pain to drive, so long story short i swapped it for an s13 with rb20, coilovers and a few other bits and pieces.

This was my daily for a little while until i heard of a cheap gtr for sale. after lusting after one for so long i was so happy to have found one for cheap and didnt even have to travel to get it. I went and saw the bloke selling it to have a look. I was blown away with how good it looked even with tacky (in my opinion) chrome bits and pieces.

So i had to ask the question "why is it so cheap?". The answer was simple, it had what the owner thought was a rod knock. When he started it there was a pretty bad noise, but came from the head, not the bottom end.

So knowing there was something that wasnt fun going on, i thanked the bloke, and told him i would keep in touch. After looking online at motors and stuff i decided that i could yank the motor and replace it with another standard one so i called the bloke back and said id take it.

After getting the car home i decided i would investigate the noise before i purchased another motor.

Anyway to cut a long story short and speed this up a little the oil was putrid and really thick so i changed it a few times to get all the old stuff out. I noticed after the first oil change the noise was quieter and after the 2nd one was gone completely. Win! So i did some investiagtion and it was only a slightly sticky lifter from having putrid oil. Anyway first drive on a permit, bam! rear turbo gooooone . So whilst being pretty devo and realising it was going to be a massive sh!t fight to change the turbo i reefed them off and bought a dirty single manifold.

I then got a 2nd hand turbo off a mate which is aparently a trust t67r. So my christmas 2011 was spent removing old turbos and installing the new one. Also got a 100mm tube and fin cooler whilst i had the front end off it.

After installing all this stuff (tomei reg and a few other little bits and pieces went in at the same time) i had the hard decision, do i make/find a greddy style intake that let me use the standard mafs and run a power FC? Nah. Did some research and came across the haltech range of products. Just a quick google showed me that it was way more than i currently needed, but i had plans to make a bit more power and didnt want to shell out for bigger afms later. Not to mention the cool gadgets the haltech can have added to it. So i forked out the 1800 they wanted, Merry christmas to me!

Installed that at the same time as some 720cc injectors and a hks fuel rail. So as i was waiting for my tuner to have some time to tune it i decided i would get the front and rear bars resprayed by a mate who is a painter. one thing led to another and i was striping the car for a respray. Fark. Anyway i pulled it apart and prepped it all myself. Two days before it was due to roll into the booth it decided not to start. Great. no spark.

I thought the igniter had crapped itself. Borrowed another one and no dice still. Scratching my head as to why there was only a weak spark i changed coilpacks to spares that i knew worked. Still only weak spark. I decided that i had just got 2 bad igniters and re-wired the coilpack soom to remove the igniter and use rb25 s2 coils just like i had on my old r32. After all this trouble still nothing. so i had a long hard think about it and decided to put the jerrycan and lighter away and check everthing. Ecu unplugged and plugged back in, nothing. changed to std ecu, nothing. haltech back in still nothing. unplugged the two green relays next to the ecu and switched them. Coughed an spluttered into life!! Dunno why they werent working but cleaned all the contacts and it started again. Pretty random problem to have but whatever it was fixed!

Whilst this was going on my painter had switched shops and couldnt use the booth at his new shop for a while. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. So i just started buying bits and pieces for the fuel system and suspension. Finally the time came to get it in and done.

It got primered then my "mate" that i was paying to do it didnt want to spend anytime on it even though i had done all the prepwork ready for basecoat and paid him. lesson learnt. Some 2 months later it got painted. Finally!!! Test fitted my wheels just before the basecoat went on to ensure i had rolled the guards enough.

Was super happy that it was finally done and ready to be put back together.

[k_d]

Got it mostly back together and sent it to get tuned.

The next day i got a voicemail from the tuner asking if i could please call him back ( i wasnt expecting it back for another few days ). Fearing it had thrown a rod or bottom ended i called him back fearing the worst. Luckily it was just my stupid low slung exhaust + rubbish suspension meaning that when they strapped it the exhaust would hit the roller. Ooops. took it home on friday night and put coilovers and cams in at the same time over the weekend. Took it back on the monday and got told off for pulling the CAS off and putting it back on slightly out . Got it tuned on pump fuel (injectors werent big enough for e85 DOH!!). Made more than i expected, 313rwkw at gatespring pressure (15psi). I was stoked and told him not to use the controller to try preserve the bottom end. Driving it home for the 1st time in a year was the best feeling, but being double demerits decided to cruise safely home license intact. Anyway this is how it sits now, still with its 4x4 ride height from the dyno. Currently waiting for my ID2000s to turn up, and some more cash dollar to start building a forged bottom end.

Thanks for reading, sorry its so long, i forgot the dramas i had with it! Please let me know what you think

Thanks goes out to Jason @ Japspec Garage, John @ Trojan Motorsport, Rob & Vic @ Aussie Automotive, and numerous other people that i have forgotten

As it stands i have done all the work on this car aside from the tune, some of the respray and making the dump pipe. Spec list is currently as follows:

12/89 R32 GTR

Custom HOK galaxy grey respray.

N1 bonnet and boot lips.

Koya CR tek 18x9.5 +22

Advan neova 265/40/18

Standard (as far as i am aware) rb26

Tomei type B poncams

Ssr cam gears

Supposidly trust t67r

Xspower stainless manifold

Tial 38mm Mvr gate

Standard radiator with a thermofan

100mm tube and fin cooler (cant remember brand)

3"mild steel dump

Stainless decat pipe

3.5 / 4" exhaust with apexi cannon

HKS fuel rail

Denso 720cc injectors

Tomei FPR

Speedflow Fittings and Parker pushlock hose

1/2" moroso alloy fuel feed line

Mallory Fuel filter

2x bosch 044 pumps

walbro intank pump

2.5ltr surge tank

Haltech Flex fuel sensor

Haltech platinum pro plugin ECu

Haltech wideband 02 controller

Haltech Input/Output expander

Nismo gear knob

Autometer boost gauge

Shitty drift wheel

Bridgestone NPG coilovers

Whiteline front strutbrace

SRI solid supframe collars

Hicas lock bar

Hardrace adjustable rear camber and traction arms

[Miguelone]

What is the colour? Looks warmer than the stock gunmetal.

[trustr32]

What is the colour? Looks warmer than the stock gunmetal.

Custom HOK galaxy grey respray.

Looks really good slightly more gold/copper tinge.

Great looking GTR man.

[B-rice]

Who did your painting it's a great job they did.

[gtr0321994]

Looks great mate

[k_d]

Custom HOK galaxy grey respray.

Looks really good slightly more gold/copper tinge.

Great looking GTR man.

Thanks mate. Will get someone who knows what they are doing with a camera to take some proper photos as in the sun its nearly a bronze!

[Sinista32]

Good work, seen in the flesh recently.

Might be worth checking/replacing crank collar and oil pump if the engine is indeed unopend and stock.

Hate to see you having to rebuild the engine.

Your now pushing over 300kws so it will come sooner rather than later if your not careful.

Hate to be a worry wart but it happend to me.

[k_d]

Good work, seen in the flesh recently.

Might be worth checking/replacing crank collar and oil pump if the engine is indeed unopend and stock.

Hate to see you having to rebuild the engine.

Your now pushing over 300kws so it will come sooner rather than later if your not careful.

Hate to be a worry wart but it happend to me.

Cheers Richard,

I was going to do that, but im starting to order stuff for a new bottom end now, and dont plan on driving it much till thats done.

Installing the collars requires removing the crank doesnt it?

[Miguelone]

Yep you gotta remove the crank. Requires the snout of the crank to be machined down then the collar heated and slipped onto the end, then as it cools it shrinks onto the crank.

[k_d]

Ah ok, so its a motor out job anyway

[Sinista32]

I heard 26/30

[k_d]

I am toying with the idea, i wont lie. I just dunno about how much of a shitfight it will be in regards to clearances with bonner, brake/clutch master etc etc

[whizzn]

Love the custom colour, really suits it

Set of N1 headlights in that would look good

Just don't be tempted to turn the boost up on that turbo with stock motor, i leaned my old R out years ago with standard turbos and popped an engine, could just imagine what damage that beast could do

[k_d]

Its hard not to, so i pulled the controller out the other day to resist temptation!

N1 headlights or rods hmmmmmm. I think rods might be a better investment at the moment, although i do agree the n1's look better and you can actually see with them unlike these rubbish projectors.

[babyskyline]

Very nice looking r32 GTR.

Love the colour.....definitely looks a million times better with the bronze tinge compared to the standard colour.

[k_d]

Not alot has been happening lately, been super busy with work

Picking up an oil cooler today and then am going to try spend some time cleaning a few things up before powercruise sydney later this month!

[SpeedR1]

Love the car, and especially engine bay

[AshR34GTT]

Cool thread, like others have said it looks great! Good work.

[6BANGER]

mint color choice