Duncan's Race Car - The Most Overdue Build Thread On Sau

[Duncan]

Well this is a thread I should have started long ago, although in my defence this build started about 6 years before this Build section was created.

Basically this thread will cover some history from when I imported and picked the car up from Powerplay Imports in 2003

Up to it's most recent event, Targa High Country which was 2 weeks ago.

And from here there is a fair bit planned over the next few months which is the reason I figured it was time to pull my finger out and start this thread

[zebra]

Yay!

[Duncan]

First up, how did I end up with a race car?

Well my first Nissan was a mighty 200b. I was a typical idiot p plater and luckily survived the experience. Here is me and a mate (who is now a doctor of rocket science) pushing it out of the kitty litter at Bathurst early one morning.

The datto was awesome and unbreakable (at least, not on a permanent basis). I owned it again years later when I ran it as a motorkhana car, not sure where it is now.

From there I bought an s14 but within 12 months it became the "missin Nissan", taking itself on a 6 year holiday to queensland courtesy of a bikie gang. I did get a call from the cops years later asking me to come and get my car, but I let the insurance company keep it since they had paid me out 6 years earlier.... we did a lot of touring that year collecting "Big Things" pics....here it is with a big chicken.

With the 200sx paid out I had to choose between an S15 and a Skyline, and made the fateful decision to buy HuGE 001 from Powerplay in 1999. Skylines weren't really that common back then and we paid over 40k for it....goes to show how depreciation works!

The car was awesome, did it's first track day with the Honda Car Club at a GOHCCDTD in October 2001....where incidentally we met a lunatic called Pete Carruthers....It was the first of very many track days for that car which it ran pretty much faultlessly for the next 5 years

After a few track days I decided I wanted to step up and leased a drive for door to door racing in the Mo Pro cup...in nothing less than a Daewoo Lanos. I was the driver the racing world had been waiting for, and proved it by ending my first race in March 02 on my roof after rolling at turn 8 at Eastern Creek

I did get a bit more awesome over the years, with a best of 2nd at the Wakefield 500 with Mark and Tom Browell (we was robbed, no seriously we were). Also met a grumpy old man called Neil who volunteered to help out, I bet he regrets that by now....

BTW the sharp eyed among you will notice these pics predate digital cameras as well as SAU......

[Duncan]

So what is the race car and why?

I had been running the gtst hard at track days for years, and also paying to lease the Lanos for a couple of seasons, until finally a very bad influence (Mark Hawkins) talked me into buying a dedicated race car. Considering I had no idea which end of a spanner to hold it was a big decision....if I'd know then that I would work on the car 20 days for every day it was on the track I probably wouldn't have done it....and I'm sure glad I did do it.

Back in 2003 the CAMS Production Car regs (3E) being run in NSW and nationally, and the Targa rally regs were almost identical so we decided to target both uses to make a big range of events available. I could also have log booked it in Improved Production (3J) and in fact there was one other GTR racing there at the time, but a GTR is totally hobbled by the 2x 28mm restrictors it would have to run.

The car runs in the same basic spec today, limited by the 3E rules. In the meantime Targa regs went bug shit and allow you to invent a spec, pretend there are 10 cars out there and build the car to those specs which means the car is no longer a good fit to those rules and is no chance of front running. It's no longer an outright chance in 3E either, but considering it's 25 years old I'm OK with that. An Evo 9 or 10 is the thing to have there because they are allowed to run 1.5 bar boost.....

Mods allowed under 3E are:

Brakes - standard size discs (can be upspecced but have to be same size), calipers must have the same number of pistons (4 front, 2 rear) but are otherwise free, all other components, cooling, brake lines, ABS, master cylinder etc standard. A few years down the track in FAST I discovered N1 spec 32s had little rubber deflectors on the castor rods so I bought a set and run them too

Wheels - standard size (17x8) on vspec 2. Limits both rubber width and rotor size in rally spec.

Turbos - standard. big old laggy bush bearing 80s technology

Boost - standard, the workshop manual says the wastegate opens at 0.8 bar (12psi) so that is what we have to run. It was probably higher stock but we've never been able to prove it.

Engine - has to be standard except sump (hi octane 9l) and oil pump (nitto) and forged pistons (no more than 0.5mm over). Is measure for compliance including bore, stroke and head ccs each time it is sealed

Zorst - free for 3e and 90mm for Targa

Fuel - surge tank with 044 through standard FPR and injectors

ECU - free, I run a powerFC

Suspension - shocks and springs are free and I run a custom Bilstein/Eibach setup Gary specified. He knows his shit and gave me an excellent compromise for track and rally use which has been very fast. Standard sway bars. Replacement (adjustable) "elastometric" ie not solid buses are OK. All standard control and steering arms. HICAS disabled.

Interior - Safety gear like cage, harness, window nets, FIA seat, kill switch. Some extra gauges and a replacement steering wheel.

Exterior - lairy paint job with stickers.

Cooling - free to add coolers, I run a large oil cooler, larger radiator with stock fans and a small power steer cooler.

Everything else is standard and the car is very heavy, 1480kg in 3E spec. It makes about 240kw in 3e spec (12psi) and 280kw in Targa spec (18psi)

[Duncan]

The import process was interesting, and I understand this particular scheme is still open in the same form.

Basically it was imported as Race/Rally car which needed me to hold a C3 or higher license, demonstrate a racing history and document my plans to use the car. It did not require compliance, and under the NSW rules of the time we were able to obtain conditional rego to drive it to events, practice and workshops. It has held that rego since, and I understand the rally rego scheme has finally be reintroduced this year (it was shut down due to dodgy importers bring in race/rally cars then rebirthing local cars)

The car was 400k yen and about $6k more for broker fees, transport, import duty, customs and quarantine etc.

[Duncan]

So....you get a second hand car from Japan which will be a race car, so what do you do? Spend months carefully checking and prepping it to make sure it is track worthy right?

nope, we just put it on a trailer and took it to Oran Park to a NSWRRC super sprint. It was 29 Feb 2004.

These were awesome back in the day...all you needed was an L2s, there was a standing start and then a couple of laps.

Highlight of the day was watching Kel launch it a 8000, stick it up the inside of Scott in turn 1 and go on to win.

I also blew the ceramic turbos, spun a bearing and destroyed the clutch. Welcome to the repeated story of the next 13 years.

[MBS206]

I also blew the ceramic turbos, spun a bearing and destroyed the clutch. Welcome to the repeated story of the next 13 years.

Rinse repeat for pretty much each track day yeah?

[sweefu]

More!!

[Got a Pulsar]

Yes. This is a worthy Thread.

[Dale FZ1]

Looking forward to this build story. Laughing at the ratio of preparation time vs race time. How true but also makes it worthwhile

[AMR33]

Nice. Always wanted to know the story of your car Duncan. Dont be stingy with the updates.

Amir

[tweety bird]

Finally!

[toppertee]

Where was this info, before I brought mine

Such a joy to load your skyline on to the trailer under it's own power after a track day.... So I've been told. Enjoyed the read!

[Neil]

Where was this info, before I brought mine

Such a joy to load your skyline on to the trailer under it's own power after a track day.... So I've been told. Enjoyed the read!

Ah Yes Mr Slacko harrassed the shit out of me about putting up a build thread and sat back and did nothing.

I gotta tell ya Nigel there have been plenty of times his bitch has been pushed,,,shoved,,,winched and even driven onto the DEATH trailer with no clutch.

I can't wait for the loss of blood stories.I have seen Mr handles turn white as a ghost on numerous occasions.

[zebra]

I remember watching it being driven onto the trailer of death...whilst it was freezing farking cold and dark

[Neil]

I remember watching it being driven onto the trailer of death...whilst it was freezing farking cold and dark

See the problem we have here Zebs is where does this all lead,,,DEATH trailer stories would be an entertaining thread on their own. Mel & I borrowed it once and once only,,,we used it to go to our 1st hillclimb up at Bulladelah,,,shit you not a cross brace on the front broke off and no way could you go over 80kmh or the death wobbles would take over. Moving the car around on the trailer made absolutely no difference. Man that was a scary drive. We bought our own trailer after that and big boy Fatz is still using it. Ask Handles about our wonderful journey back from Wakie one frightful night.

[Roy]

The car was awesome, .

The car and driver that showed me I can't drive for shiza! Ahh 2000-2003. A period where I would do 10-14 track days a year

[evil_weevil]

Duncan

about time you big homo.

in other news, Wife and I were cleaning up the house and I found some old printed photos from a motorconcepts day in 2002.

HGE001 makes a few appearances!

i'll see if I can scan a couple later.

[toppertee]

Duncan

about time you big homo.

Big call...What do you drive....

[evil_weevil]

LOL