Latest News

Jun 27, 2008

I like nitrous

Jun 21, 2008

Old English 800

HPI 1/43rd Scale Nissan R35 GT-R

A bit steep on price.

Updates

Sorry no updates the last week. I have been working long hours on something. Something to do with GT-R's. Updating.

Jun 15, 2008

R32 GT-R Carbon Fiber Grill

Just in case yours flys out on the freeway.

Jun 14, 2008

More seized Nissan GT-R's in Florida

I have a source that told me that more cars were seized in Florida fairly recently. I also have some other conflicting information from other people. If what I am hearing is true, this is all because of tax issues at the Florida DMV. The cars values were understated, and someone got caught. Other agencies picked it up, and before you know it, cars are getting seized.

If it is true about the taxes and DMV in Florida. There could be more than 100 cars seized.


US Customs is part of Homeland Security. People seem to think that Homeland Security is separate from customs.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/

"CBPis one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws."

Its always about the money. Always

In Car RC Video Camera System


From Autoblog. This is really cool. Put yourself in your RC car. Pan and tilt on the camera.

Video after the jump

Broken 3rd Gear Nissan Skyline GT-R


I got a technical email today. It read
"Well it finally happened..... 3rd let go in my stock box today. Its behind a 2.8 with twin RS's... I know 3rd is the weakest link and I am always a pansy shifting into 3rd.
What are my options here? What would you recommend? OS gearset? Im no too keen on the 5th gear being shorter then stock....
It is a road car so im not interested in straight cut noisy gears."
Third gear is a weak link in the Nissan gearboxes. Its at the center of the stack, and we think the gears walk a little bit outward on each other and then shear all the teeth off. There is also a mismatch in the stack of gears. In the following picture of the OS Giken gearset, you can see the gears don't mesh up 100%. In the above picture is an early and late R32/R33 gearbox. Some people try and say the later boxes are stronger, theres a picture of two broken gearsets.
So what are the options ?
An OS Giken Gearset is an option.

OS Giken Gearset


The OS Giken gearset is stronger. Good for about 700 hp. Not unbreakable. It can and will break. The 1st gear is longer, 2nd, 3rd , and 4th closer together. You will hear this transmission called a "crossmission". It actually should be called a "closemission" or "crosemission" . Japanese and their R's and L's , B's and V's. Just a pronunciation error. There is an optional 5th gear, but you can run the standard 5th gear. The OS gearset is helical cut gears with synchros . It drives and feels like the stock gearbox.


The R34 GT-R Getrag is always an option. They are the same/similar V160 that is in a Toyota Supra. The Supra guys have pretty good luck with them. In GT-R's we tend to break synchro sprags, and that type of thing. The Getrag is a good box, 6 speed. A little noisy. Sounds like a box of rocks at idle. You need a new transfercase as the Getrag uses a unique bolt pattern on the transfer end. You also need a new clutch, or actually a new flywheel as the height is different. New main driveshaft or section, new propshaft. Couple other minor things. The Getrag was setup for 3.54 main gears , so the stock R32/R33 4.111's might be a bit steep. You have an extra gear though, so its not too bad.
Getrag V160 internals
Other options are all racing style,no synchro boxes. Pfitzner Performance (PPG) , HKS, Holinger ,Quaife , Greddy, OS Giken Sequential(OS88) , Automatic options .

My suggestions for most cars is to try out an OS gearset ,
Redline Shockproof Heavy(not in the Getrag) , a twin plate sprung hub clutch, and shift easy into 3rd.





Jun 13, 2008

Update to Seized Skylines: Seven More Seized on the East Coast


Rumors are seven more Skylines were seized on the East Coast recently. More information to follow I wonder what the link is ? UPDATE: From UK GTR Forums.

"1) I think it came from japan according to the export certificate.
2) Dont know who imported it, i think the guys name was Andre or Franz or something.
3) Somone in florida registered it originally in the US for the guy i bought it from in Georgia. So the title went from florida to georgia.
4) Florida. i have a copy of the first title given to the car.

Well, the agents did say i am not the only one. They said they are seizing a lot of them."
Franz is Andre. Same guy. He had some more cars seized earlier in the year. R34's and S15. The Florida title guy ... have to wait and see. I probably know who it is.


R35 GT-Rs in LA

R35 GT-R's at the port in LA

R32 GT-R Seized in Texas


From GT-R.co.uk forums

A poster over on GT-R UK forums had his "state legal" R32 GT-R seized by US Department of Homeland Security.

"I just had homeland security come to my house (after owning the car for about a week, (agents said it was just bad timing on my part nothing triggered it i just owned the car at the time)) in Houston, TX and tell me that my gtr was illegally imported and needs to be seized. They said that they are cracking down on all "illegal" skylines in the country and it was part of some big skyline investigation or some crap. I have the seizure warrant if anyone wants proof.

By "illegal" they mean r32's and 34s without DOT bond releases. There is NO WAY for me to get it back as a race car, show car, offroad, etc. The car is not technically significant, prepped for track, etc to qualify for those sections, so i am being forced to export it. Lets not get into the debate about legal versus not legal in this thread. I was just another one of those guys who thought that titled, registered meant legal, but now i know after talking with many head honchos at DOT."

I posted on that thread that I found it odd to get his car seized. His is the first I have heard of.

Jun 12, 2008

Nintendo Wii , less than a million dollars

Less than a million dollars now. Still fairly expensive.

Notice of Cancellation of NOPI Colorado and NOPI Utah Events

Notice of Cancellation of NOPI Colorado and NOPI Utah Events


ATLANTA, Georgia – June 12, 2008 – Effective immediately, NOPI Motorsports is forced to cancel two upcoming NOPI Events located in Colorado (Drag Race and Car Show) previously set for June 21st and 22nd as well as the Utah event (Drag Race, Drift and Car Show) previously set for July 18th and 19th of 2008. NOPI Motorsports has faced extreme weather at their past 8 events, which has affected NOPI events in a great way. Each event the NOPI staff has pushed through these adversities to accommodate all of its sponsors, racers and fans in the best way possible given the circumstances. Many times events have been postponed and made up at a future event due to weather shutting down tracks and making it unsafe to run on.

This unfortunate turn of events has placed a major financial burden on NOPI Motorsports, which already faces an extremely challenging economy. With fuel costs at a record high, people are watching all of their extracurricular activities, and taking a chance at attending an event that would possibly be affected by weather plays a negative roll. “We have been running top notch events for years now,” said Michael Meyers, President of NOPI Motorsports. “I have never been faced with anything like this. We are having incredible support from racers and fans this year, in fact some of the best action we’ve ever seen has taken place here in 2008. There was no way to forecast any of this. We are working through all of it to see how we can make these events up. I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to everyone. This is a major setback for NOPI Motorsports and new territory for all of us.”

Makeup events have not been announced for the two cancelled events located in Colorado and Utah. The NOPI Motorsports staff is working on the possibility of makeup rounds, as well as determining points towards the 2008 championships. Each of these issues will be addressed here shortly.

The next NOPI event will take place at the New England Dragway on August 2nd and 3rd. Please stay tuned for future news and events from NOPI Motorsports for the 2008 season. If you have any questions, you may contact Jesse Poole at Theory Communication and Design at jpoole@theoryconcept.com or 954.428.1800.

NOPI hates the West Coast. Westerly States. They just get no love out West.

Jun 10, 2008

Japanese Muscle: Part 10 of 10. Nissan Skyline GT-R

Part q0 of 10

Japanese Muscle: Part 9 of 10. Nissan Skyline GT-R

Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Japanese Muscle: Part 8 of 10. Nissan Skyline GT-R

Nissan Skyline GT-R

Jun 8, 2008

R32 GT-R R34 GT-R Vspec Rear Differential

R32 GT-R. R34 Vspec rear differential.

Full Titanium Exhaust - Nissan Skyline GT-R

Video, full Titanium exhaust

Jun 7, 2008

Nissan Silvia S16 - RWD Sports Coupe Information


From 7Tune via Autoblog
"Expected to be based on a shortened version of the Z's FM platform and dubbed FR, the new coupe should be powered by either a naturally aspirated 2.0L or possibly a 1.6L or 1.8L turbocharged four-cylinder. Speculation is that the S15 Silvia successor will be approximately 4,350 mm long, 1,750 mm wide and share the same wheelbase as the Z."

A cool, cheap, turbo, rear wheel drive coupe. Who will buy it ? Whos in line already ?

Cars and Coffee

A few GT-R's out and about. My first time to go to Cars and Coffee.

An RB25 powered right hand drive Z. Super clean.


Big Lip R33 GT-R

Nice, red is faster

Jun 4, 2008

Got My R35 GTR Today

Out of the box.

Tamiya 1/24th scale. The only GT-R I can afford.

This looks more difficult to put together than the real ones.

Bikini Driving School : Focus Auto Sales R34 GT-R


Episode 8: Tuner Time

Girls and Cars. Jacko did a great job there. Kept focused to the job at hand.

RB26 Bolt Tightening Torque

Head bolts 12mm x 1.5

The cylinder head tightening sequence is a five step process. The bolts are tightened from the center outwards.
1. Tighten to 22 ft/lb
2. Tighten to 80 ft/lb
3. Loosen bolts completely to 0 ft/lbs
4. Tighten bolts to 22 ft/lbs
5. Turn bolts 85-90 degrees clockwise with an angle wrench, or tighten to 76-83 ft/lbs when torque wrench is used.











ARP headstuds




The head studs are 12 mm. 

Stock torque is 76-83 ft/lbs.




Main bolts

34-38 ft/lbs from the center outwards. Done in two or three steps.

Rod bolts

Apply engine oil to connecting rods and nuts before assembly
Two steps
1. 10-12 ft/lbs
2. Angle wrench 60-65 degrees.



RB26 Bolt Tightening Torque. Head bolt tightening torque. Main bolt / stud tightening torque. Rod bolt tightening torque.

Nissan Skyline GT-R Suspension Specifications

GT-R Suspension Specifications

Shock Extension

Shock Compression

(kg - .03m/s)

Coil Spring

(kg/mm)

Stabilizer diameter

BNR34 front

212

97

3.2

22.2

BNR34 rear

98

63

3.2

24.2

BNR34 Vspec front

267

110

4.0

22.2

BNR34 Vspec rear

125

77

5.0

24.2

BCNR33 front

242

69

3.2

22.2

BCNR33 rear

150

55

3.2

26.5

BCNR33 Vspec front

275

85

4.0

22.2

BCNR33 Vpsec rear

175

67

5.0

26.5

BNR32 front

178

51

2.4

20.0

BNR32 rear

113

41

2.7

25.4

BNR32 Vspec front

200

56

2.4

20.0

BNR32 Vspec rear

113

41

2.7

25.4

Nissan GT-R Suspension Specifications

Skyline GT-R Alignment specifications coming up in a later post



 

Car
R32 GT-R (early)
R33 GT-R (normal)
R34 GT-R (normal)
R35 GT-R (early)
Length
4545 mm (178.9 in)
4675 mm (184.1 in)
4600 mm (181.1 in)
4650 mm (183.1 in)
Width
1755 mm (69.1 in)
1780 mm (70.1 in)
1785 mm (70.3)
1900 mm (74.9 in)
Height
1340 mm (52.8 in)
1360 mm (53.5 in)
1360 mm (53.5 in)
1370 mm (54 in)
Weight
1480 kg (3265 lbs)
1530 kg (3373 lbs)
1540 kg (3395 lbs)
1737 kg (3829 lbs)
Wheelbase
2615 mm (103 in)
2720 mm (107.1 in)
2665 mm(104.9 in)
2780 mm (109.4 in)
Front track
1480 mm (58.3 in)
1480 mm (58.3 in)
1480 mm (58.3 in)
1590 mm (62.9 in)
Rear track
1480 mm (58.3 in)
1480 mm (58.3 in)
1490 mm (58.7 in)
1600 mm (63 in)

Cars and Coffee - June 7th

Cars and Coffee June 7th. Skyline GT-R meetup

From DropJays Blog

"Cars & Coffee but if you do June 7th a little Skyline meet has has been arranged to show up at the regular Cars and Coffee that is held every Saturday down in Irvine CA. Come see a handful of Skyline GTR’s that live in the US and Canada."
Map after the jump

After 17 years , the F Series Pickup is no longer the Sales Leader


From LA Times
"And, after 17 years, Ford's F-Series trucks were dethroned from the top sales position, falling to No. 5 behind the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

"I think it's a watershed moment," said Jim Farley, head of marketing at Ford."

Thats a pretty big deal. It goes to show what a few dollars in gas prices does to the average consumer. I have always talked about "global warming" and consumers choices in vehicles. It is economics that get people to change their choices, not concern for the environment.

"GM in May saw a 37% decline in light truck and SUV sales and its share of the overall U.S. market dropped below 20%, a new low for the automotive giant that in 1980 had 45% of the U.S. market."

"The fuel-efficient Honda Civic compact had a record month with 53,299 sold, a 38.5% increase from May 2007. It and other small cars including the Fit helped Honda, which sells very few light trucks and and is heavy with fuel-efficient cars, post a 15.6% increase in vehicles sold for the month.

Hyundai, Mazda, Kia and Subaru posted sales increases for the month. So did Nissan, which saw an 8.4% increase in sales, driven by a 43% burst from its Altima sedan, which like the Civic comes as a hybrid as well as a traditional drivetrain. But Nissan's results were pulled down by a lineup that includes large SUVs such as the Armada, whose sales fell 52%, and the Titan full-size pickup, which was down 56%."

Big pickup and SUV sales drops. I wonder if people will go for LPG or CNG conversions for big trucks how they do in many parts of the world. Diesels aren't that great of a choice for most people, with diesel over $5 a gallon locally.

The automakers are going to have a hard time reacting to this huge change in consumer demand. It has already been a boon for some automakers, others are in for some huge losses, and may even go away. Hummer anyone ?

Jun 3, 2008

TommyKaira R33 GT-R on Ebay

Real Motorex, federalized car. Originally a California car.

C - West Demo R34 GT-R for Sale on Yahoo Auctions

Auction Link. C-West never drove the car much, always in the showroom or in storage. They put about 8,000km on the car as a demo car but never raced it or drove it hard. Neither did I. I put the Nismo 320k speedometer in brand new when I got the car from them and now it is just over 2000km. So in total the car has about 10k, easy driving. I did have C-West tune the engine from stock after I bought the car from the C-West owner Omoto san about 5 years ago. Also I had them repaint it afterward. Yellow was only produced in 1999 and very limited production. The Japanese don't like yellow much, they like white and black or silver. So yellow was rarely ordered. I've only seen a few R34 GT-R in all my years in yellow. But C-West took the Lightning bolt Nissan yellow which was a bit bland and repainted in the color you see. Now it's on par with Ferrari or Porsche or Lamborghini colors, something Nissan never had sense to do, but it's still the original color... yellow. It does turn heads everywhere I go. Funny, C-West produced the die cast model (limited 500 pieces) in the same color. That was even before they repainted the real car for me. So this big car got the same color the die cast model had. These three points are some of the best selling points for the car. The whole exterior of the car is aero C-West kit. One other sales point is I changed out the whole interior to M-Spec Nur leather heated seats and panels and kouki white stitch. Also I added the kouki bigger rear brakes and calipers. Later upgrades like the rear wing and carbon trunk C-West came out with, I put on this car. I made it racey, but kept it drivable like a good street car, and looking like the original demo car. I think it's about 480 horse power, maybe 500. Since the engine with was tuned from stock with new parts, it has been driven just over 2000 kilometers by me only, and it reads so on the clock, the Nismo 320k speedo I put in at that time new.



Specs:

Engine and Drive Train:

HKS GTSS Turbines

Mines Pro II outlets

HKS front pipe 75 x 75 x 80

N1 Exhaust manifold

HKS Step one camshafts

HKS timing gear pulleys

Trust clear timing cover

Apexi Power FC

Apexi Boost controller

Nismo injectors

ARC Radiator

ARC intercooler (10cm)

Tomei fuel pump

Nismo fuel pressure regulator

Trust/Greddy stainless intercooler pipeing

Trust/Greddy oil cooler with engine bay oil element mount

Nismo air flow meters (air mass sensors)

Ogura twin plate carbon racing clutch

Nismo front lower arms and tie rods

Custom modified intake pipe (stock), Polished aluminum with plate welded in

Polished aluminum (stock) turbine inlets X 2

Quantum (English made) suspension, adjustable for height and soft or hard ride

Kouki Vspec II rear calipers and rotors

Stainless Nismo brake lines

Nismo clutch operating cylinder

Nismo stainless operating cylinder line (hose)

C’s short stroke shifter

HKS power flow air cleaners

Nismo muffler and exhaust pipe (8 cm)

Nismo tower bar with brake stopper

Nismo black 18” wheels by RAYS



Interior and Body/Aero parts:


Nismo White 320k speedometer

Nur M-spec front and rear leather seats (fronts have heaters), with M-spec matching door panels and rear seat side panels.

Nismo carbon look garnish behind door window x 2

C-West full aero kit as per original demo car: front/rear bumpers, rocker panels, bonnet, eye liners

C-West later Super Trunk hood, dry carbon 3.4 kg.

C-West later 3D GT II S wing with optional rear flap, which is on all C-West’s actual race cars.

Full respray, by C-West. All glass was removed, doors and trunk

Original demo stickers reapplied by C-West, one sticker replaced by NISMO sticker on doors

Nismo front WHITE blinker lamps and side markers

Die cast replica model of the car in the photos is included with the real car to the buyer or third owner.

Jun 2, 2008

Targa Newfoundland Paint

Cornwell Ball Hex Metric Allen Set

Sell some to buy some more

Nissan Sales Drop on Higher Gasoline Prices


From Bloomberg
"Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third- largest carmaker, led a drop in domestic auto sales in May, as higher taxes and fuel costs cut demand for new vehicles."

"Sales of cars, trucks and buses fell 6.1 percent to 221,377 from a year earlier, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said in a statement today. The total excludes minicars."
"Japan's consumer spending has slumped because of inflation driven by higher food costs and a record price for gasoline. Car sales also dropped on one less selling day and after the tax rate on automobiles rose to 5 percent in May from 3 percent in April."
"Gasoline in Japan surged to a record 160.3 yen a liter ($5.76 a gallon) last week. The tax rate fell for one month in April after the government failed to agree on a revenue bill."

Gas prices, gas prices, gas prices. Effecting the world.

Jun 1, 2008

Street Racer Movie


Josh's Orange R33 GT-R was in this movie. Straight to DVD, available from Netflix. I am not sure why there is a yellow R35 GT-R and a Mustang on the cover, when in the movie its an Orange R33 and a WRX that race in the final scene.

Probably not going to win any oscars.