new to skylines

[keng]

looking into buying my first skyline and was wondering what kind of things i should look for, common problem areas etc.. any help would be great, dont want to get something that im gonna have to sink a crap load of money into right away.

[Snow]

...dont want to get something that im gonna have to sink a crap load of money into right away.

Step one: Buy a Civic.



It may not be a "crap load" of money (depending on what you deem a "crap-load" and your mechanical abilities) but these cars are not cheap to maintain by any means. Especially when you start playing around with GTR's and the RB26.




Step two: Scroll up. Look right. Count three links in. Search. Everyone asks these questions. We've all answered them before.

I'll give some sparknotes:

Timing belt/water pump change. Extremely important. Will cost you $1000+ at a shop if you can't do it yourself. Open the valley cover and inspect for red dust. Often a sticker on t-belt cover.

Rust. Mainly in the rear quarters and strut towers.

Compression test. Should be in the 150psi range. Should be within a few psi on each cylinder. You should look at a rebuild when there is a difference of 14psi between any two cylinders.

Generally speaking a highly modified car was driven as so... may not be worth the money.

There's many other things. Like I said, take a look and search and you will be amazed with this huge resource we call GTRC.

Oh and welcome. If I sound discouraging ignore it. Skylines are awesome.

[RHDskyline]

Look at the classified section.


Some AMAZING deals going on

[falcon]

search

[GTR_Russ]

What snow said X 2

these are not good cars to have to worry about a budget. They suck to work on and parts are sometimes hard to find or a long way away.

But.... when things are good.... they are real good.

[Snow]

^^^ Exactly. I've been thinking about it the last week or so that my car's been out and I've decided that they generally just require constant attention to behave.




Much like a gf

[x_o_k_x]

i dont know much about skylines either, but that is why I bought it. I also however work on my cars and fix things myself. So Im still slowly learning everything and getting to know my car better.

[falcon]

when I bought my Skyline... I thought it was pimp because it was RHD. I didn't even know how to change my spark plugs.

Now look at me. I pretend to do engine swaps! And make myself sound awesome.

[RABBIT]

im agreeing with snow ... wait what?

[AstulzerRZD]

list

looking into buying my first skyline and was wondering what kind of things i should look for, common problem areas etc.. any help would be great, dont want to get something that im gonna have to sink a crap load of money into right away.

First Skyline:
Correct me if I'm wrong gurus. I've been reading through a lot of threads here lately, and this is what i've come to conclude.

1. These are 15 year old cars, things will go wrong. Don't dump all your money into the car or the modifications. Be sure you can afford the insurance, and gas.

2. The pre Feb/March 1993 R32 GT-Rs have a narrower crank collar (which affects the oil pump- big source of failure on GT-Rs)

3. The front upper control arm bushings are often worn out and the whole control arm might need to be replaced

4. Look for boost restrictors on the Turbo wastegate actuators

5. Watch the Oil Pressure Gauge while driving

6. Don't do 7000 rpm dump clutch launches. A fresh OEM clutch will burn out within 8-10 hard launches

7. HKS pod filters don't filter very well. Try to get a car without them. Another way of telling whether or not the car has been abused is the paint on the exhaust manifolds. If a car has been abused, then flaking paint on the exhaust manifolds will be a clue

8. The V-Spec R33 and R34s have a torque vectoring A-LSD rear differential (shifting power from one side to another, driving the outside wheel to negate understeer) so you might want to consider an R33 GT-R

9. As snow said, look for a timing belt change. Should be done around 90k-100k kilos

10. If the vehicle has a speedometer other than the stock 180km/h one, ask to see a service record so you can know the true KMs the car has done

11. I'm not sure if R32s have an alarm system or an immobilizer. I would probably get a fuel-cut off or something to prevent people from stealing your GT-R. You could also get a removable steering hub
Good luck with finding your First GT-R.

[Snow]

im agreeing with snow ... wait what?

^^^ Haha sig worthy.

Glad we're on the same page (for once) haha.

[AstulzerRZD]

Thx snow, don't post much here.
Usually read build threads and tech threads to find out more.

[Snow]

I was referring to RABBIT's post.

But I do agree with what you had said. It is pretty spot on and slightly more specific. Except now he won't be doing much searching, although I do recommend it.

[AstulzerRZD]

searching is always good.
I'm sure i'm missing a few things

[keng]

i have been seaching and i found some info but alot of stuff that i dont need to know. insurance im not worried about i have two high horsepower sleds and my car insured as it is and its cheap, i would preffer to get a R33 but ive been reading that the rb20 is better then the rb26 but cant seem to find an answer to why. and by a crap load of money i mean i get the car then have to dump a grand or more just to get a safety i mean i know it happens, but i want to at least get to drive it for a week before i have to spend. lol. and mechanical work unless there is something way different than what i see on domestics im sure i can do all the work myself. (used to be a mechanic.)