Chris' R34 GTT Series 2

[hoodedreeper]

Some photos from the same mini shootshoot

[Steve85]

Very cool. The car is looking amazing. [emoji106]

[hoodedreeper]

Thanks Steve!

 

In the future I plan on getting the interior trims skinned in Carbon Fibre. I've decided to paint them instead for the time being. I wanted something subtle but eye catching if seen in the right light.

White would have been too much and so would Red, so I decided to go Black, but which one? Working in a Motor Factors it was a bonus to have a rack full of aerosols, along with being able to mix paint if need be. 

Ford Panther black has always been a favourite,so it was an easy decision

I really need to sort out the lower dash trim to get rid of all of the scratches from the stereo. I can get a brand new one from RHD Japan for £130 + shipping + import, but its not an urgency just yet

While I had everything out I replaced the cig lighter bulb for an amber version. This now matches my ignition barrel light (photo further up)

This was also the perfect opportunity to swap the bulbs in the climate control for a better quality LED. After several recommendations these were purchased from an eBay seller in Australia

[Steve85]

The trims make the interior look brand new. You have a real eye for details. [emoji16]

[hoodedreeper]

June is Prom month for alot of students, I was thankful to be asked to do a couple (only have photos of the first one). It was great to help out fellow Skyline lovers, hopefully see them on here in a few more years time lol

Me and Lu took a drive out for a bite to eat, ended up doing a 100 mile coastal drive around Norfolk, oops! Managed to stop at a couple of places for a snap

Every year Myself and a group of friends organise a charity car meet raising money for The Big C Charity and East Anglia Air Ambulance. On the night we raised £1300 and we still have a raffle going for another week or so. Here's a photo from the night

[hoodedreeper]

I've been looking for a rear tow hook for awhile but couldn't find one I liked, so I made one

Using the original one as a template, I extended it so it would be visible underneath the bumper

The original is a 2 skin pressed piece with a bracket on the side. Mine is made from 6mm steel sheet, I understand its not as strong but I don't intend on using it for towing, its purely for aesthetics

We've recently had some thunderstorms (doesn't happen all that often) I was lucky enough to grab this photo while out at a car meet

Which kinda brings me onto my next update, this weekend just gone at Silverstone Classic. I went along with the GTR Drivers Club, it chucked it down with rain most of the weekend but it was still a great weekend. Nissan UK and Nissan JPN supplied the hospitality along with loaning us a 2020 Nismo Model along with their GT-R50 prototype. Seeing photos of this online I didn't like it, but its not quite as bad in person lol

Next stop.....JAE in 2 weeks time

[hoodedreeper]

Its been a busy month or so, I've been waiting to build up enough info/photos to make it worth while posting.

The first package to arrive was from Japan. I've been wanting to try it for awhile now so I bit the bullet and ordered some. Its an expensive way to drink coffee but oh so JDM

The next one original came from Japan but was shipped from within the UK. Garage Sweet Tooth stock some really cool authentic parts and clothing. I wanted some more accessories to go with the hannya omamori and the tsurikawa handle and this new-old stock coin holder caught my eye. Still waiting to get some coins before I fit it so i'll save that for another update

Next was an item I spotted in the Garage Sweet Tooth shop, but they didn't have the type I was looking for. I dropped Josh at Torque GT a message to see if they had any Electronic Toll Card Readers kicking about, luckily they did! A couple of days later it arrived and I didn't waste any time fitting it. I only wanted one because it talks haha. Videos are better than photos so heres a short clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFzzkqWi3UI

With my 30th birthday approaching my fiancée asked what I'd like, I suggested a 1/24 scale model kit of an R34 so I could make a replica, but it wasn't as straight forward.

Because mine is a 25GT with an Altia front bumper, this meant two kits had to be purchased and blended together. Luckily my friend Tom at Waltonstyle does custom Hot Wheels so he offered to lend a hand to sort it. 

With the shell now complete it was ready for paint. Working in a motor factors I have access to mixing paint. Tom also makes custom water transfers and was able to make the Nismo graphics

Miniature Recaro Sportster CS seats came from Australia, some photos of the interior too

Some photos of the shell nearer completion. Tom even made the Pistonheads logo,Nismo badge and number plate for me, some nice attention to detail

And here's the finished model, complete with Work Emotion CR Kiwami 

[hoodedreeper]

Got some good and bad news

The bad news is, the engine upgrades that I've been storing will be on hold for awhile longer

The good news is, I'm getting married! So I've now got a year to organise that which to be fair most is already sorted. Followed by a honey moon in Japan in 2021! (I think I'm more excited by that to be honest hehe)

The front bumper needed to be resprayed under warranty, which was the perfect opportunity to fit the Blitz FMIC 

Gave the pipe work and chassis areas a coat of paint

The reinforcement bar had to be cut/modified to fit around the intercooler, which wasn't alot of work to be fair. I also replaced the blue silicone hoses for black ones along with mikalor clamps

The horns had to be relocated, so I swapped them for some new ones

Stainless fixings and bolts replaced the original rusty ones

The bumper went back on about 90% right. I think the intercooler is still fouling it ever so slightly so that'll need adjusting/trimming again 

I also removed the window stickers

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

10 hours ago, hoodedreeper said:

The good news is, I'm getting married! So I've now got a year to organise that which to be fair most is already sorted. Followed by a honey moon in Japan in 2021! (I think I'm more excited by that to be honest hehe)

Should try and squeeze in Tomorrowland (we did on our 2nd honeymoon lol).

[hoodedreeper]

I'm selling my power upgrade parts as I'm no longer able to go ahead with it.

I understand most parts are available in Australia but its worth a mention. Parts will be shipped from the UK

New Hybrid Turbo (rated to 420hp) stock OE unit rebuilt by Universal Turbos
New Tomei Turbo Elbow
New Genuine Turbo Gaskets
Used Walbro 255 Fuel Pump
Used Apexi Power FC w/ commander
Used Z32 MAF with Apexi Filter
New Competition Clutch Stage 2 Clutch Kit & Lightened Flywheel
New Braided Clutch Line
New Splitfire Coilpacks

Turbo Specs are

Re-Profiled Compressor Cover
T38 Compressor Wheel
360 Degree Thrust Bearing
T3 Billet Backplate Modified
T3 Bearing Housing Modified
Hi-Temp Turbine End Piston Ring Seal
T38 Turbine Wheel
Re-Profiled Turbine Housing
Ported Wastegate and Larger Poppet Valve
1 Bar Actuator
Up-Rated Actuator Bracket

[hoodedreeper]

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and will have a happy new year 

Not much of an update I'm afraid

Myself and some friends took a drive over to a Paul Walker memorial meet, managed to snap some phone photos 

Heres a photo from one of the last Cars & Coffee (events I help organise. I've just finished finalising the 2020 dates and info so next year is shaping up to be awesome

The car has been in use since the last update, dodging the grit trucks this time of year and only taking it out when the roads have been clear for a few days. Took a drive out to get some last minute photos with some local christmas lights.

Probably the main reason why the Skyline has took a breather is because I've upgraded the daily. The 2.2D Gen 2 Mazda 6 has been changed for a 2.0 Petrol Sport Gen 3 Mazda 6. As you can imagine, I couldn't resist modifying it hehe

The RX8 R3 Alloys are definately my favourite change

[hoodedreeper]

Time for an update!

The biggest announcement being I'm going to be a dad! Woohoo! Its due to arrive 6 weeks after the wedding which is gonna make our summer very busy!

 

 

Bought a new camera lens, a Canon 35mm f/1.4 so gave the car a clean to test it out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago we went for a B road blast, came into a small village where the already narrow road became alot narrower. I moved over to pass some cars and ended up hitting a hidden curb, not with one wheel....but both
 

 

 

 

Immediately took it to a local Wheel Refurb company to get a quote. They've done a tester and although they can do a shadow chrome finish, the front face will be darker than the factory finish. I've decided i'll get all 4 re-done so they all match. Not what I needed, but hey ho thats life
 

I've been wanting to head into London to take some night photos of the car, following a few photographers on Instagram certainly boosted the idea. With the ULEZ charge paid, it was time to travel 2.5hrs south west towards the concrete jungle. With the city being so busy I knew we had to get there late to help avoid heavy traffic.We arrived in central london at 10:30pm and started the tour of locations I had saved on my phone. The mirrored Google Maps on my CD player certainly made things easier rather than being glued to my phone.

 

 

Having never driven through London it was an all new experience but it wasn't too bad, I envy those who live or commute to the area. After a few wrong turns and driving around the block a couple of times I finally found one of the main locations I wanted to stop at.

 

 

Seeing super and hyper cars driving around as if they were your normal run of the mill cars was certainly a sight worth seeing. As we pulled over behind Harrods, a Mercedes G Wagon rolled past with the reg plate G 63, if that doesn't shout expensive I don't know what does lol The city was littered with AMGs of all varieties, lambos, ferrari's and bentleys. Not many other modified cars which was a shame.

 

Sloane Street was one of the main places to see those cars, although I think its quite over hyped after being there a little while.

 

 

 

The last location we wanted to stop by was The O2, this place is a common location (overused in some photographer's eyes) but I wasnt going home without stopping by. With Canary Wharf lit up behind it makes a fantastic background. 

 

 

 

The other half captured this photo which was pretty cool

 

It was a loooong night, we didnt get home till 5:20am and I had a photoshoot booked in a few hours later, oops!

 

With London out of the way, it was time to search for some daily wheels. I went with some 18" 350Z Rays which really suit the car IMO. The supplied tyres were at the end of their life, a friend hooked me up with some Avon ZZ5s on the cheap 

 

 

 

 

That concludes what's been happening as of late. Show season is round the corner so I'm looking forward to getting out and expanding my photography portfolio 

 

[hoodedreeper]

Awhile back when the bumper got repaired due to a paint defect, I wanted to cut the bumper and open it up but the bodyshop wanted too much money (I thought they were painting the whole bumper under warranty, but they werent) So i decided to go ahead with it now. The bottom piece isn't completely flat, to do that it'd need spraying so it'll do for now. While the bumper was off it was a good opportunity to get the bumper to fit better, luckily the piece I cut out was what was causing the issue.

 

Purchased an intercooler stencil from eBay, looks pretty good IMO

 

 

We sell bumper mesh/grille at work, although its slightly smaller than the OEM mesh, its not far off

 

 

I also ordered a smaller number plate which looks sooo much better :)

 

 

I've been eyeing up the Nismo B pillar garnish for awhile, but couldn't bring myself to spending £150+ on some stick on carbon. It wouldnt be too bad if it was a whole replacement piece, its worth the money then. Again, my work came in handy as we sell 3D carbon wrap so gave vinyl wrapping a go. A friend cut the logos for me, fake it till you make it lol

 

 

I've also seen some GTTs with a spoiler garnish, it can be seen in the Nismo parts catalog too. I've only seen 1 set of brand new ones on Yahoo Auctions and they sold for £450 + shipping + import duty (thats approx $525) which is ALOT for some gel covers.

 

 

 

So the carbon vinyl wrap came out again and I made a template of the spoiler ends and transfered that to the vinyl. Its not perfect but can always be re-done at a later date

 

 

 

I ordered some Nismo clear indicators from RHDJapan, first time using them and it certainly wont be the last. They were dispatched from Osaka on the Friday and delivered to me on the Monday!

 

 

 

 

There's been some minor difficulties with shifting 2nd > 3rd and sometimes into 5th. The clutch doesn't slip but after a search on the forums people point to the shifter being at fault (mainly the Bush)

Alot of people have recommended an Australian company called Cube Speed. Coincidently Speedhunters recently had their contributor Ron post up with the same issue, and fitted the same kit.

 

 

 

 

I went with their Premium kit to allow adjustment on the return spring. Fitting was relatively straight forward with everything access able from the top. To fit the return springs you need the car in the air as they're a bastard to get to.

 

The feel of it now is incredible, it's transformed the drive of the car completely. It's alot more mechanical, albeit a slight notchy feel but that's probably down to the Shortened throw now. 2nd > 3rd is now effortless.

 

I've made a very basic video on my phone and uploaded it to YouTube

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtETQPcSTLI&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2fUDGXTik6UJarqdbTI3x8tiW-_-LocapgNIbi8Hnl-RUbymeLvc0sSJA

 

I have another update to post so expect that within the next week :)

[hoodedreeper]

Following on with the Nismo theme

 

JDM Parts Rupewrecht assisted again with bidding on an item on Yahoo Auctions, this time a set of sales brochures and part catalogs inc Nismo and Tommy Kaira

 

 

Trying to keep things period correct as much as possible, I was on the hunt for a mid logo gear shifter to company the new Cube Speed short shifter. I managed to find one under half the price of a new one someone had offered.

We sell a leather cleaner and restorer at work which should bring it back to life. After a scrub with hot water and washing liquid it was time to get messy with this stuff

The photos don't show much difference, but in person its made such a difference

 

 

 

 

Another Nismo part I've been wanting for a loooong time were the tail lights which got discontinued years ago, along with the Sun Line Racing equivalents. Alot of people suggested ZLED but I'm not 100% sure on the GTR Style lights, I much prefer the individual LED style.

I was browsing through Facebook and spotted a post on a Supra page by a company called Daniel Man's Custom Lights. I messaged Daniel with what I'd like and he was happy to give it a go. I sourced a spare pair of light units and got them sent straight to Daniel.

A week or so later and they arrived just before the country's lock down for the Covid-19 pandemic (please excuse the dirty car!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of front shots while I was there

 

 

[hoodedreeper]

With the Covid-19 lockdown,finding things to do has been quite tricky. I decided to give the engine bay a much needed tidy and spruce up. I saw some photos of a strut brace refurbished in a wrinkle type paint which got me thinking. 

I thought of using truck bed liner paint and a quick google took me to a brand called Raptor made by U-Pol (my work is a U-Pol stockist, not that we'd be able to order anything at the moment). I dont have access to a spray booth or a unit so the 'proper' stuff was out of the window, but they do do an aerosol version though. I read and got told mixed reviews of the aerosol version so I looked at alternates.

I then found a stone effect paint by Rust-Oleum, but with this pandemic getting it shipped was tricky. All local stores either didnt have it in stock, or their delivery/click and collect services were unavailable. A company called Plasti-kote do a similar product in various colours so I was on the hunt for that. I managed to find the only can in the area, although it wasnt my first choice in colour, I was too eager to give it a go.

With the pipes removed and prepped it was time to see what it was like. The paint doesnt really give a colour, its more of the coloured texture that sits on the surface. The front Intercooler pipes were originally black, so these came out slightly darker. Compared to the throttle body J pipe and turbo inlet elbow. To be honest, unless you knew you probably wouldn't notice.

Here are some before and after photos

Accessable areas degreased and cleaned
Intercooler pipes and Turbo inlet elbow painted
Hoses replaced with red silicone inc new stainless clamps 
TurboZentrum Silicone Turbo hose fitted 
Turbo head shield repainted
Boost controller mounted correctly, new hoses fitted
Boost controller wiring tidied up along the bulk head
Passenger side turret wiring tidied
Amp power cable wrapped in loom tape to hide the yellow
Ground cable kit tided up and re-routed
Carbon Canister, purge valve, hardlines and pipes removed 
Throttle cable adjusted (had quite alot of slack)

Its by far the cleanest or tidiest engine bays but its a start

[hoodedreeper]

Found some newly built industrial units around the corner from the fiancée's work. Would have been rude not to take some photos while I was there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trel]

Really enjoyed reading through this thread mate. Very nice 34 you have there keep the posts up. ??

[hoodedreeper]

Thank you trel  Progress is gonna be slow for awhile, trying to think of smaller jobs to do is tricky. Everything I'd like to do costs so much  

[hoodedreeper]

I've always loved the look of the BNR34 V Spec II rear diffuser, unfortunately they're expensive second hand and even carbon fibre copies are £1k. So i decided to attempt to make my own using inspiration from it. I'm by no means a fabricator so please be easy on me lol

The first decision was material, I wanted the brackets to be strong, the main diffuser strong enough to be sturdy but doesn't weigh a tonne. I decided to use 2mm thick angle iron for the side and rear brackets and 1.5mm steel box section for the front bracket.

 

 

Looking at mounting points and there is a part of the chassis that sits lower than the bumper, this should be ideal

 

 

 The diffuser and fins were going to be made out of 0.9mm sheet steel. I did think Aluminium as its easy to work with but its too soft IMO. I started off with a card board template, unfortunately the exhaust sits too low at an angle for the whole diffuser 'body' to be a single piece. I tried cutting a hole to try and clear it but it left minimal material at the bottom and it would eventually snap.

So i went with a 2 piece design instead

 

 

 

I started off with the passenger side as it was smaller and easier to mount. A slot was cut for the exhaust hanger with enough room for any movement. The rear is braced with a piece of 2mm flat bar which uses a bolt in the wheel arch to the right side of the shock absorber. 

 

 

The box section bolts through the boot floor, this helped angle the diffuser down rather than having it flat. This was the first prototype for the box section, later on I made it longer so it covered the width.

 

 

You may remember me making a rear tow hook awhile back. I decided to incorporate it into the design by cutting a slot, again enough roof to not catch it when fitting/removing.

 

 

I seeked help from some friends as I don't have the skills/equipment to weld or fold sheet metal perfectly.

 

 

With the fins folded I could mock the ends up. These would be bolted on and use the same mounting points as the diffuser itself

 

 

 

The rear bracket was made and mocked up at the same time. I also marked the holes for the centre fins ready for drilling. At this point I decided to give the front of the diffuser a minor bend upwards rather than leaving it straight.

 

 

With everything fitted for one final time,checking clearances and everything was solid and not rattling/vibrating it was time to drop it off for powder coating. Originally I thought about having it done in black, but with the lower black trim just above it, I feared it may get lost and wouldnt be seen. Only other option was silver, the powder coater only had a satin silver so I bit the bullet and went with that.

I ordered stainless nuts, bolts, washers and rivets for the final fit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've made flat under bumper splitters, canards and other little bits and pieces in the past but this was certainly my biggest challenge. I think its turned out very well

[hoodedreeper]

On Monday 27th July we welcomed our daughter Mia Rose into the world. Mum did an absolutely amazing job and active labour was just over 3hrs long. She's yet to go out in the R34 yet as we still need to sort out the car seat (isofix in the daily Mazda 6 is a god send)

 

 

After damaging the Work Emotions back in February, they were refurbished during the Covid-19 lockdown. From the factory in Japan the inside of the spokes are darker with a very bright outer face. The company were able to replicate it,but unfortunately the outer face is slightly darker. I had all 4 wheels done so they all match and they look just as good as before!

 

The car is filthy and is in a need of a deep clean but couldnt resist getting some photos