Hi...New guy questions / advice

[Brazen]

Hi guys - about to purchase a Series2 Stagea... and below is the customary series of "questions from the new guy" :Oops: Hoping everyone can offer opinions on some things I am considering getting the caryard to do for me pre-sale (so i can get it all financed with the purchase - otherwise i might risk never getting around to them (wife kids and always other things to pay for) :boohoo: .... I have read all the threads but its sometimes hard to dig out all the info - so hoping some of you will have the patience to advise on this "Stock Stagea shopping list" summary thread

1. Wheels - The yard can fit a nice lookin cheaper aussie brand set of 18 inch new wheels and tyre package for $1900... or I could hold off and scan the skyline forums and dealers until a nice set of second-hand rims comes up cheap... opinions? - go the no-name shiny and new or hold out for a bargain second hand?? And if I do get some from the dealer - how much $ do you reckon I should be wanting from the dealer to leave the stock 16s and tyres?

2. Ride height and Suspension... thinkin Kings for springs to lower it, and maybe leaving shocks til needed... had Kings put onto my last 2 cars and loved the ride - dealer estimated around $500... $850 fitted. Saw on one of these Stagea threads that a couple of u said replacing springs was really easy to do yourself... how easy we talking? ... ie its embarassing but I have never even changed a sparkplug myself - but I can confidently follow a step-by-step walkthrough, and have a mate with a GTR that is under-the-car savvy - so are springs THAT easy that i dont need to pay someone $350 to put them on? Also if I am gonna do springs should i do the Bilsteins as well at same time even though very low kms car?... and Gary are your Bilstein's still for sale and to confirm do they just swap over easily?

3. Clear side indicators... how much fitted would be reasonable to pay?

4. Clear tail-lights - do they exist? If so how much fitted would be reasonable?

5. Exhaust... value for money bolt on Jap brand with a nice smooth note (without drawing unwanted attention) - please recommend makes and ball park $ fitted I should be happy with

6. Front mount intercooler/pipes/airpod - best straight forward and legal option - no cutting away at important stuff ... and ballpark fitted estimate please

7. Body-kit (series 2) - only going to be done if ultra cheap - saw the thread about the $1200 Autech kit - but most of those yahoo auction links in that thread dont work anymore - can anyone point me to a URL for a piccy of the autech kit... is the QLD contact still doing them?

And to anyone who has the time to respond - THANKYOU IN ADVANCE for your opinions and recommendations - MUCH appreciated. Oh yeah - and need to finalise decision on what to get done pre-sale in next couple of days - so please help me out if you are logged on!

[mcnamg]

brazen if you have a look in my gallery there is about 270 odd pictures of stageas in there and i am sure that there is some autech 260 kits for the series 2 in there as well as other series 2 kits so have a browse and see what you think

i will let others reply to some of your other questions

good luck with the purchase

Glenn

[Brazen]

Thanks Glenn... anyone else please feel free to help me out with some opinions etc!!!...

[Jay95R33]

G'day Brazen,

Cool that your joining the Stagea group

I say if your happy with the look of the new wheels then go for it. $1900 for a wheel tyre package is pretty good. Just make sure you don't get a UmCha brand tyres. I sold my old stock tyres for only $300, and only got $75 for 2 stock rims (still got 2 if anyone wants them !).

About the springs.. Might be worth looking at just getting new shocks and cutting a grove in them to lower the ride height. I haven't done it myself, but SydneyKid will be doing it as the spring rates on the stock springs is good, but the stock shocks are crap

Swapping the shocks springs over is really easy, and if your mate is good with cars then you'll have no problems. I did the shocks/springs in my old R33 GTS-t (pretty much the same setup in the Stagea) and it was very quick to do.

J

[Sydneykid]

As Jay said the stnard springs are a pretty good rate, but if my shocks are anything to go by, they are the most in need of replacing. I have already done the stabiliser bars, highly recommended upgrade (there is a thread on Stagea Suspension have a read)

[Brazen]

Thanks for suspension tips - but have been told the body roll etc was really tightened up in the series2 (because of extra power to 205kW with Neo6 and introduction of manual and tiptronic standards) - so did a comparison test drive and yep - my series2 compared to the series1 is like chalk and cheese - series1 = soft and rolly vs series 2 = tight and minimal roll!!... so from what i can gather the series2 shocks and stabilisers aren't quite as urgent a mod as they would be on a series1 - so think ill get the springs changed/lowered 30mm now and look at shocks further down the track.

So Ive sorted out my questions 1 & 2 - decided to get the wheels fitted by the yard - but went with a different sort - Lenso ZT6 18", and Kings will fit their harder rate springs at a 30mm lower ride height.

But other questions still would love advice/opinions/recommendations on...

- Clear Side indicators - who to go to in Perth to fit them and how much to pay

- Clear Tail light kit - anyone found them in Japan???

- Exhaust - a good cat-back Jap bolt on to go for at a reasonable price - how much and who to import it through?

- Intercooler and pipe-work - good affordable option with not too much cutting/moving of existing engine stuff

- Air filter/intake - good pod choice? And is a power intake kit worthwhile (eg HKS Power Flow kit)??

- Bodykit - can someone PM me the name of the QLD company that does the copied GTR fronts that is hinted at in other threads. Also who is every bodies favourite contact for ordering parts to my door??

Also who would u guys recommend in Perth for the engine work - air intake / intercooler / exhaust etc... Xspeed, C-Red, others?? The guys from Xspeed service my car now and seem good and reasonably priced - but havent heard any other opinions about them... except that they've got a couple of covers under their belt (Hot4's, Zoom etc).

Thanks for all the info - please keep it coming!

[RB26VL]

i can recomend Hyperdrive Motorsport in Malaga, ken and lumpy do an awesome job, and always keep the costomers happy

they are good with the nissan engines, and lumpy knows a fair bit about the stageas so ive been told from previous experience

they will be wiring up my stagea rb26dett conversion, and they have done previous work on my rb26 vl and they done a great job as always

PM me for shops that i highly reccomend you stay well away from...

thanks

Brad

[mcnamg]

skyline imports are the guys that do the plastic crappy copy stagea to gtr front end kits but you still need to find your own gtr bumper bonnnet radiator supports and a few other goodies from a real gtr but hey to each his own.

personally i would get it direct from masa they are cheaper

[Brazen]

Ahhh I see - plastic and crappy ... wont bother then - I am thinking with my budget may just stick with stock body with maybe the Abflug bonnet air vent/scoop at 11,000 yen... hmmm

Will check out the guys in Malaga - thanks Brad... and will PM you bout the ones you dont recommend... cheers.

As a side note bout exhausts - found in-stock in Perth 1 x new Stagea specific cat back HKS Hi-Power 409 Exhaust WGNC34 for $700 (not fitted) - I dont know anything bout exhaust brands and prices - does this sound an alright price and exhaust??

Really enjoying this forum - very active for just a few Stagea owners!

[R34GTT-R]

May i ask what yard has series 2 for sale? coz i have some mad goodies for neo.

[Brazen]

Causeway Auto Wholesale in Perth has one with 90,000kms on it - the one I am looking at Ill let u know about if i dont end up going ahead with purchase If I do get it and you are off-loading good value goodies let me know by PM!

[Jay95R33]

On the exhaust stuff.

I got a custom made 3 inch turbo back made for mine for $950 fitted. It's not stainless but it's legal !! A lot of the jap stuff is too loud and you'll cop a defect for it

Just a thought.

[Rhinorebel]

About the exhaust. I found mine sitting in a workshop while my suspension was being done (King springs and Bilsteins) It is a Invidia 3" Stainless cat-back exhaust. I had a hi-flow cat added and a Rob Bliss dump pipe made for it. I was worried about the noise but it is fairly quiet until your right foot gets busy, then the note is sweet! Cost all up was $900 including fitting. Seems the previous owner had the exhaust on his car and when it arrived it had to be removed for SEVs. When he wanted to put it back on, his wife told him NO! It is too loud!!

Dave

[ICE12]

I am thinking with my budget may just stick with stock body with maybe the Abflug bonnet air vent/scoop at 11,000 yen... hmmm

I have tried to contact Abflug about this air vent but have had no luck has anyone else tried to contact them as I would like to purchase the air vent from them.

ICE

[mcnamg]

try contacting someone like nengun or a parts wholesaler they will be more likely able to source it for you as the guys in japan dont usually deal direct with overseas customers.

Glenn

[Brazen]

Thanks for all this help guys... 2 follow up questions ifyou will indulge me please ...

1. Has anyone heard an HKS hi power 409 exhaust doing its thing? Is that likely to be a legal noise?? It has a resonator plug thing to whack in if need be... want to keep it legal

2. Widest rims anyone has got under their front gaurd?... found a good deal on here for a set of Kakimoto 18"x9.5" rims

Seller says defintely dont fit GTS-T - but dofit GTR - does same go for Stageas - 9.5" too wide at the front??

3. What else is "Illegal" - things like bleed valves and bonnet vents and powerFcs... all greek to me - so please someone do a quick list for me of things i shouldnt do if I want ot be 100% legal ...

[Sydneykid]

What else is "Illegal" - things like bleed valves and bonnet vents and powerFcs... all greek to me - so please  someone do a quick list for me  of  things i shouldnt do if I want ot be 100% legal ...

Basically everything you have listed is technically illegal. The tyres are too wide, the rims too big, bleed valves change the emmisisions, Power FC isn't the standard ECU, the exhaust might be too loud or it might increase emmissions, etc etc:cheers:

[Brazen]

Thanks SK

Well if not illegal - maybe I am meaning what stuff I am NOT going to be able to get over the pits and an engineers sign-off on to show the cops and insurance company??! What things are even outside those bounds maybe is what I mean? What is max rim width/size I should stay under to be ok? What little mods should i not do coz they are insurance voiders (versus ones that are ok if declared) etc etc

[Sydneykid]

Thanks SK

Well if not illegal - maybe I am meaning what stuff I am NOT going to be able to get over the pits and an engineers sign-off on to show the cops and insurance company??!  What things are even outside those bounds maybe is what I mean?  What is max rim width/size I should stay under to be ok?  What little mods should i not do coz they are insurance voiders (versus ones that are ok if declared) etc etc

Sorry I am not going to be much help with this stuff. Each State is quite different, so you should really talk to a WA certified engineer. I have seen some pretty hairy cars "engineered" in WA, that wouldn't pass in NSW, wouldn't have a hope in Vic and would be exported from SA. Let me warn you early on that, not only will it be difficult to get what you would want engineered, it will COST.

[mcnamg]

best bet is to talk to one of the local workshops about what can be done and still pass roadworthiness or ring dept of transport they should have a rule book on hand

good luck

Glenn