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  • Frankiman's street/track GTR project

    click here to jump to;

    chapter 1 - where it all began
    chapter 2 - out with the old, in with the new
    chapter 2,1 - answers
    chapter 3 - bringing home baby, parts 1-2
    chapter 4 - SSTLC - some skyline tender loving care
    chapter 5 - blood sweat and tears parts 1-2
    Tech article 1 - rant about BBKs
    chapter 6 - Tuning sessions, #1, dyno style
    Tech article 2 - how to make an effective ''for sale'' forum ad
    chapter 7 - 2009 track days, parts 1-2-3 **videos**
    chapter 8 - 2009 meets, and GTRC members
    chapter 9 - the UltraRide 2009 **videos**
    chapter 10 - The Master Plan, parts 1-2
    chapter 11 - GoPro photos galore
    chapter 12 - Remembering the fallen (2008), parts 1-2
    chapter 13 - Theworkinprogress, week1, parts 1-2
    chapter 14 - Theworkinprogress, week2, parts 1-2
    chapter 15 - Theworkinprogress, week3, parts 1-2
    chapter 16 - Themoreworkinprogresshaagettingtired, week4
    chapter 17 - Theworkinprogressgotcustomstuff, week5
    chapter 18 - Theworkstillinprogress, week6
    chapter 19 - Theworkinprogress, week7
    chapter 20 - Theprojectthatshouldbedonebutstillinprogress, week8, parts 1-2
    chapter 21 - The Epic CustomWerks week, week10, parts 1-4
    chapter 22 - Finally some results, week11, parts 1-4
    chapter 23 - Almost there, week12-13, part1 / part2 / part3
    chapter 24 - Because MOAR is MORE, week14, part1 / part2 / part3
    chapter 25 - Bolt-on? not so much, week15, part1 / part2
    chapter 26 - And she lives, week16
    chapter 27 - And she drives, week17
    chapter 28 - Tuning sessions, #2, dyno revisited
    chapter 29 - Tuning sessions, #3, Suspension Calibration
    chapter 30 – Needs restraining
    chapter 31 – Patience, it'll get done, part1 / part2
    chapter 32 - The Mad Dash
    chapter 33 - 2010 photoshoots of teh GTR
    chapter 34 - The Ultraride 2010, part 1 / part 2
    chapter 35 - 'The' trackday 2010, part 1 / part 2
    chapter 36 - The Fix
    chapter 37 - The end of an epic summer 2010, parts 1-2
    chapter 38 - The master plan continues, week1
    chapter 39 - That good ol' feeling of hard work, week2
    chapter 40 - Carbolicious, week3
    chapter 41 - Caged in, week4
    chapter 42 - Interior Works, week5
    chapter 43 - Interior Works continued, week6
    chapter 44 - Carbolicious2, week7
    chapter 45 - Enlightening, week8
    chapter 46 - So fresh and so clean, week9
    chapter 47 - Playing Catch, week10 - 2011
    chapter 48 - Skymeet 2011 and more
    chapter 49 - Keep on rollin'
    chapter 50 - Hard Parking

    ^^ you wouldn't want to see the code behind this link dump
    Last edited by frankiman; 04-16-2012, 12:10 AM.
    sigpic

    [links to all chapters in first post]

  • #2
    Chapter 1 - where it all began

    took me a long time to come around to starting my own project thread

    before i get started, heres some info on me
    -i'm 21 years old as of june 23rd 2009
    -my only car prior to buying a skyline was a beat-up mazda 323
    -i'm a student in Mechanical Engineering @ ETS university
    -i've never had a full time job, only compensated internships
    -i have never worked as a mechanic
    -and i'm like a freaking SHAMWOW with all car related information, mostly driving physics and mechanism, i absorb them

    so here we go, got alot of stuff to cover


    i got my first GTR back in august 2007
    pretty much stock car, with coilovers, cat back exhaust, oldschool HIDs and AVS wheels
    good interior fully stock
    stock exterior with worn paint and moldings
    A1++ mechanical condition, engine had just been replaced as a condition of purchase
    well worth the 12,5k i paid worth it back then, from JDM Montreal, tip top shop !



    took the car to the drag strip a couple times (since i had the most powerfull car (wow stock GTR) out of all my friends
    also took it to the track for half a dozen 20min sessions, but unfortunately it was all in the rain

    then, i started pilling up parts for it,
    so i decided to jack the car up for a couple weeks for well deserved upgrades




    finally took me 3 months to do the lot, because of parts beeing on back order,
    and also it was my first time doing some heavy mechanical work on a car (compared to changing brake pads and air filter on my beater mazda 323)
    and i'm proud to say i did everything on my own, without any support except for my dad's advices, but he never touched my car out of respect
    (didn't know GTRC existed back then)



    i was really proud of what i had accomplished, even if i hadn't driven the car for the full summer
    then, exactly a week after the car was off the blocks, i signed up for the "UltraRide", which is basically just a cruise, with 40 others cars

    i got overconfident, as many young drivers get with powerfull machines

    and this happened, scroll down
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -



    nobody got hurt, i only had a couple scratches from getting out of the car
    the body was so badly damaged, there was just no chance in hell of getting the car back into shape

    mechanicaly, the car was fine, only the front had gotten damaged (bumper to plastic fan)
    and while the car was upside down and i was waiting for the tow truck, me and my buddies found some rust behing the passenger tailight, which really got me pissed for some reason

    and to make things worst, THE SAME DAY, september 21st 2008, about 10 hours after the accident, my garage caught fire
    because of an old leaking air compressor


    so i swallowed my pride , decided to buy the car back from the insurance and got it towed home, next to the burnt garage,
    my neighbourgs were all like WTF

    and the car sat there all winter, while i reflected ont the situation

    lets just say i kept the insurance compagny really busy for a while
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    after having sorted all the insurance stuff out, my dad decided to get a new and improved garage
    so i said, F**K YEAH, me too

    so we had a new garage built to our spec, knowing that we would actually put a car in this one

    as soon as the garage was done, we put the old GTR in it, and started taking it the F**K apart








    so now all the parts are up for sale
    and obviously, i'm only selling parts that are still in perfect condition


    so thats all about my old GTR






    Chapter 2 - out with the old, in with the new

    so fast forward to february 2009,

    i was an intern @ Pratt & Whitney Canada, working on a energy saving project
    so i had alot of time on my hanbs :wink:

    at this point, i had reflected alot on my situation and the idea of leasing a brand new car (mazda3) was coming back to me all the time like a boomerang

    but my thirst for GTR godliness was still unquenshed

    and my "wise" father said that i would never be satisfied with anything else than another GTR, to finish what i had started

    so before making an actual decision, i had to make sure what options were financialy feasable first
    so i got really serious about it, everything was going to be planned in advanced, everything would be calculated to the last penny
    i started building a budget considering the next 72 weeks (till my next internship)
    and i didn't want to miss a payment again

    so the moment i realized that i actually could buy another GTR, i picked up the phone, call the bank and got another loan the same day (my first loan was cleared after my insurance money for the car and the garage got in)

    so there i was, with an extra 12,5k sitting in my bank account, waiting to be spent on a new set of wheels

    but i had still not checked the Montreal JDM market yet for GTRs, so i had the money, but nowhere to go with it

    so i started peaking around the JDM shops, my first stops were JDM Montreal and JDM Nagoya Auto Parts since i had good connections there, but they didn't have what i was looking for, which basically was the exact same car i had and placing a special order would have taken months

    and my father had warned me about this, he called it "car rebound", i just wanted my old car back

    so finally got over the fact that my car was gone forever


    finally found a good candidate at Japan Domestic Motors in Montreal
    a black 1990 GTR, with not many mods, seamed to be in really good condition, but interior was a bit worn out



    but it was clear the engine was runnig on only 5 cylinders
    since i was really interested in buying the car, i asked them to get it check by a professionnal shop (i.e autoworx)
    so after a couple visits to the shop, they never got the car checked and it was still running weird, and they argued me that it had old sparks plugs, the engine wasn't up to temp, needed more gaz (they kept the gas tanks of all their cars practically empty, wtf)
    so just for argument's sake, i asked to take it out for a test drive
    engine kept stalling repeatedly on my way out of the shop, on a stock clutch, the engine was just no good
    so the vendor got pissed, told me he would drive it, since i "couldn't drive manual JDMs"
    he had to rev the engine like a mother fu**er not to stall it, drove around the block, again, it was clear the engine wasn't doing well

    so i got out the car and litteraly told them to suck my nutsack

    at this point, i had visited pretty much all the shops i knew existed in montreal, but still no luck finding my "precious" and felt a bit beat

    but right after i left Japan domestic motors, i drove around the block next to a shop i never knew was there,
    and laid my sight upon this gem..


    to be continued tomorrow... edit story continued on page 2

    feels like i'm writhing a story more than an actual build documentation..that will change soon
    Last edited by frankiman; 07-10-2010, 03:07 PM.
    sigpic

    [links to all chapters in first post]

    Comment


    • #3
      wow frank, thats a pretty fantastic story! can't wait to see more.

      i won't be at the track i have to work today, but awesome stuff~! ...that looks fantastic, ive always really liked white GTR's.

      what happened with the accident? how did you roll the car like that? speed?
      The SkyLife Community & News Website --> http://www.skylife4ever.com

      Comment


      • #4
        holy hell, thats quite a flip glad to hear no one was hurt and thats not the first time i heard of Japan Domestic Motor being assholes. a buddy and i went down to that shop cause we heard they had a lot of nice wheels for sale and they did, but i would have to give them my first born for a set... bronze TE37's 18x7.5 for my STi they wanted 3k for em, and the dumb salesman kid kept telling me i didnt know anything and would never find a set for cheaper than 4k, he had a broken toe in a bandage so i "accidentally" dropped one on his toe and left... hate that shop... oh and they pour oil in their motor cylinders through the sparkplugs to clear Compression tests and Leakdown tests, we caught them once.
        Check out my RB30 build at
        http://forums.gtrcanada.com/gt-r-pro...b30-build.html

        Comment


        • #5
          Crazy story I gotta say. Why didn't you get a stock GTR the first time rather than a fast one..? Also, I gotta ask, how does a student afford all this?
          Black 1991 GTR. Serious garage stand mantle/parts car.
          Black 1990 Pulsar GTiR. Sold
          Silver 1989 GTR. Sold
          Black 2010 Subaru WRX. Weekend warrior. Sold.
          Black 2013 F-150 FX4 ecoboost. Daily driver.
          White 2012 Ford Explorer Limited. Family wagon.

          Sorry for my offensive comments, I r socially retard.

          start by having A ROLLING GTR then we talk u ******* mofo funzy little *****
          lol

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by frankiman View Post
            to be continued tomorrow...


            but I want to know the story now!!!!!


            Alex
            1991 Skyline GT-R
            2010 Ford Taurus SHO

            Comment


            • #7
              More story needed..
              ________________
              FVI Fo Life
              Imports are more then a Fad, they are a Life Style
              Originally posted by JZ
              Agreed. Good to have you here Ben
              _________________

              Comment


              • #8
                Well for having met Frank in person today and his GTR at the track, it's a nice one.

                but do continue the story hehe
                Marc-André
                _________
                2.2L RB20 GTS-T
                ECU modification enabled - PM me for details

                Comment


                • #9
                  This is quite the story, glad to see all is well now. and I've never seen that before, a chop top GTR LOL
                  Victory is on the horizon..

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    ya frank why did you chop the top off the GTr shell!? couldnt you sell it as a shell? or no one would take it? bent frame? lemme know what happend!
                    The SkyLife Community & News Website --> http://www.skylife4ever.com

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      answers

                      Chapter 2,1 - answers

                      Originally posted by archaeic_bloke View Post
                      what happened with the accident? how did you roll the car like that? speed?
                      yeah speed, but if it had been my 4th year driving and tracking the car, i would have made it trough the corner no prob

                      what hapenned is i was following a MS3, but didn't see it going through the second bend/crest of a S twist, so i went in too fast, and basically reacted like anyone with a lack of experience and slammed the brakes instead of letting off the gas a bit and smoothly turning in,
                      when the road started going down, the car lifted, went straight into the ditch, hit the bottom, did a full second of air time, did half a barrel roll, landed on the roof and skidded for 20 feet

                      no one got hurt thank god

                      Originally posted by NismoS-tune View Post
                      Crazy story I gotta say. Why didn't you get a stock GTR the first time rather than a fast one..? Also, I gotta ask, how does a student afford all this?
                      it was a stock GTR, the only power mod was a cat-back exhaust..
                      how can i afford this? two things
                      a 4 months paid internship every year
                      bank loan

                      Originally posted by archaeic_bloke View Post
                      ya frank why did you chop the top off the GTr shell!? couldnt you sell it as a shell? or no one would take it? bent frame? lemme know what happend!
                      well, one thing i didn't mention is, that the tow truck driver was an absolute idiot, (he told me my car handled like ****, and that his crown victoria pocile pack was a race car compared to mine )
                      instead of using his flat-bed to flip the track, he tried to pull it with hooks till it flipped,
                      he dragged it for 20 feet till it finally flipped, every feet he dragged it made the roof collaspe even more

                      Nissan Murcielago ?? i think not


                      some of you might have realized my now that my Avatar's picture was taken right after the crash by a fellow UltraRide participant

                      i got the car towed home about 2 weeks later, since the car had been dropped at a local garage, 180km away from my home
                      a couple days after, i found this picture surfing the pages of local car enthusiats forum MontrealRacing.com with the caption "spotted, skyline on A15 south " some dude actually took a picture of the car on the flatbed coming home


                      anyway, i would never have been able to take the whole interior apart without taking the roof off



                      interior was still ok.. i sold the seats to a friend, who custom fitted them in his track civic
                      the dash was still mint, helped a friend swapped it with his, since his had a bubble like many R32 dashes



                      and i sold alot of other interior parts to GTRC members and local skyline owners

                      most of the damage was absorbed by the car's body, like its meant to


                      alright lets keep going on with the story...
                      sigpic

                      [links to all chapters in first post]

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Thankfully you weren't in a rwd sports car cause it coulda been sooner, when the rear end kicks out easier. Atleast you're ok.
                        Black 1991 GTR. Serious garage stand mantle/parts car.
                        Black 1990 Pulsar GTiR. Sold
                        Silver 1989 GTR. Sold
                        Black 2010 Subaru WRX. Weekend warrior. Sold.
                        Black 2013 F-150 FX4 ecoboost. Daily driver.
                        White 2012 Ford Explorer Limited. Family wagon.

                        Sorry for my offensive comments, I r socially retard.

                        start by having A ROLLING GTR then we talk u ******* mofo funzy little *****
                        lol

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          story continued, bringing home baby

                          Chapter 3 - bringing home baby

                          so i turn around the block to see this shop

                          JDM Advance Motor Import


                          and saw these two parked outside



                          since i had nothing to lose just taking a look at them, i did just that

                          the silver one caught my attention first, since it wasn't a stock color,and that flat black lip looked nice

                          but the white one had that "wow i can't believe its not butter" (replace butter by new) factor

                          so after circling the two car for about 5 mins, the vendor came out with the keys of both cars, opened them both and said "take a look"

                          screw the silver car, the white one had me hooked, with its full nismo body kit

                          then i opened the hood, since i was used to the stock oily engine of my previous GTR, looking at the engine bay i took a step back and said "wooh" (picture to follow)

                          my budget for my 2nd GTR was about 10k, so when the vendor said "well the white goes for 12,5k",
                          i went "ishh"

                          so i went home, fiddled with my budget's inputs and outputs again,
                          and pretty much went "fawk it, i'll make it work"

                          so i came back a week later with a blank 1000$ check in my back pocket and my father, i wanted him there to make sure i wasn't rushing my decision

                          at that moment, the car was sitting in the shop, so we took advantage of that fact and jacked it up,
                          did a thorough inspection of the car (as thorough as we could without hand tools), making sure there wasn't any weird sounds, no leaks, every electric feature worked and that the engine was running perfect

                          at first i didn't like the interior too much, worn out bride driver seat, stained stock passenger seat, plenty of wires coming out from the rear of the dash,
                          but it had some carbon fiber leathery goodness
                          and anyway, i said to myself "i can fix this, anything can be customized)

                          the paint looked ultra mint, as did the modlings, except for a couple big scratches (that after all were just stuck on grease) and a huge dent on the front passanger side fender

                          so i stepped to the back of the shop to reflect with my dad,
                          him ; are you sure you really like it?
                          me; fawk yeah
                          him; you're not going to change your mind after you buy it are you?!
                          me; no no
                          him; i don't like the color, you sure you wouldn't prefer a gunmetal again?
                          me; nah, white is perrrfect
                          him; ok then, you got my consent

                          so we walked back to vendor,
                          who told us another buyer had dibs on the car, but hadn't dropped a deposit yet

                          at that moment, i yelled "well now I call dibs" and yanked the 1000 check out
                          we filled the papers and asked them to keep the car for a month, so we could finish taking the other one apart

                          so this is what i bought

                          1991 Nissan Skyline GTR
                          138,000km
                          (all the following pictures were taken by the shop weeks ealier, or by me that exact day)













                          modifications at time of purchase

                          Nismo front bumper vents
                          Nismo front hood lip
                          Nismo side pods
                          Nismo rear trunk spoiler
                          Nismo N1 headlights
                          Nismo shift knob
                          Nismo 555cc injectors
                          Nismo frp
                          Nismo N1 turbos (which i found out much later)
                          Nismo downpipe
                          Nismo fuel pump
                          Nismo solid shift
                          Nismo (suspected) single plate clutch, probly Gmax
                          HKS coilovers
                          HKS EVC1 boost controller (type that in google, its so old its not documented)
                          HKS suction intake kit
                          BeTime turbo timer
                          Sparco boss kit
                          MOMO RACE steering wheel
                          Bride bucket driver seat
                          Greddy GREX oil filter relocator with oil cooler
                          Greddy FMIC with a mix of Greddy and HKS hard piping and couplers
                          Blitz rad cap
                          EXAS 4,5" cat back exhaust
                          R33 GTR wheels with unkown Bridgestone potenzas
                          SS braided brake lines (which i also found out later, after buying another set.. whatever..)
                          Garage Saurus rear "big brake" conversion (it took awhile to find info on this thing)
                          Cusco brake master cylinder stopper
                          Carozziera speakers
                          Sony deck
                          "carbon fiber" shift boot and handbrake boot
                          unkown a/m pedal covers

                          no too bad huh?

                          click here to jump to chapter 3 part 2
                          Last edited by frankiman; 11-19-2010, 04:44 PM.
                          sigpic

                          [links to all chapters in first post]

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            White is the sexiest GTR color. and that thing is hot. bet it pulled pretty good.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              wow! id say with all those mods you got it for a great price!
                              congrats!
                              I've been brushing my teeth with jack but it's resulted in terrible amounts of tooth decay.

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