My New R33 GTR - so it begins...

[ColinR33]

Where did you get the driftworks parts?

I got them through Braden at JNS Imports.

[cortexx]

hi Colin

I've been watching your thread and it's pretty interesting to see the route your taking .

A word on the driftworks parts - i would install all the parts at once and then get everything aligned , driving around on stock camber with a lowered car will wear out the tires very fast , I found that out the hard way lol.

Previously I did something similar on another platform and it's difficult to get everything to eve a close adjustment at first . So I got my welder and a large piece of square section tube and made basic a basic jig for each old piece with its current adjustment . Once each piece was on the jig and bolted down i then adjusted the new piece so that it fitted the jig , then mounted it on the car , then cut and rewelded the parts for the next piece .

I had the car aligned before i did this , and aligned again after and had the same readings , i then had the shop drop the coilover height and adjust camber , toe etc as they went.

You are going to get very little settling on poly bushes .

[ColinR33]

Thanks for the tips Paul! I was pondering how I could get all the DW parts set to the current setup. I don't have a welding machine but might be able to get the boys in the shop to weld stuff up for me. I was more worried about the coilovers settling.

[ColinR33]

So today I went back to the long neglected HICAS delete, I purchased the DW total HICAS eleiminator along with my 4 arm kit. So to remove the HICAS rack I removed the cotter pin and 12mm nut, then used a pickle fork to split the bearing:

and off came the whole unit after disconnecting the electrical and taking off the two 17mm bolds holding it to the subframe:

Then came the fun part, pressing out the old bearings. I had read a bunch of horror stories about people having to take the whole knuckle out and needing 11 tonnes of pressure to force them out so I was a bit worried. I loaned out a ball joint press from Crappy Tire, but nothing fit! So...after I removed the nut on the front and taking off the cover I used a 34mm socket over the back end and a 5/8" socket over the front end:

added a bit of heat and presto!

Out they came! One was very loose, flopped around on its own, other one pretty tight still.
Installing the DW kit to follow as James (feyd182) came over to help me with the torn CV boot replacement.

[ColinR33]

So a few posts earlier I had discovered my front DS inner CV boot was torn, so time to replace! Got the repair kit from Adam at Feast, kit contains grease, new boot, circlips and straps:

To do this you have to remove the front axle, so remove the cotter pin and cover from the front axle nut, 36mm socket and impact wrench makes short work of it:

then remove the two 19mm nuts on the bottom of the knuckle,


and then you can lift and swing the hub out of the way. Good to remove front strut/coilover for this as they will flex as you pull the hub away (as we learned after taking the pics), also unbolt the brake lines so you don't stress them, and the endlink for good measure, you will need the wiggle room.

Once the hub is pulled out enough, you can slide the axle out with a bit of help from a small pry bar:
Then pull it out from the diff

Take it over to the work bench and put in a vise

And pull off the inner joint assembly after undoing the boot clamp

[ColinR33]

Then remove the spider assembly so you can remove the old boot, there is a circlip and then carefully tap it out:


Slide on the new boot and fasten with the supplied clamp, reinstall the spider assembly (make sure you put it back on the right way or you will not get the circlip back on!), tap it down to make sure it is on all the way and install the new circlip. Grease generously with the supplied tube of grease:


Install the inner joint assembly, "burp" the boot and fasten the clamp and ready to put back on the car!

Reinstallation is the reverse of disassembly. Check if the circlips on the inner joint assmbly came out with it, and if so remove and replace. Mine stayed in the housing, but luckily we were able to slide the driveshaft back in a re-seat them, otherwise we'd be opening the diff!
Many thanks to James (feyd182) for coming by and helping me with this!

[Voodoo_ChildR32]

I shoulda been a hand model, lol. Look at that form, the posture, the elegance, lol. Was sweatin a bit with that circlip, but glad it worked out.

[ColinR33]

So back to suspension installation, did the Driftworks HICAS eliminator kit tonite, pressed in the new bushings, went in pretty smooth:

Then bolted up the bits, trick is to loosely fit everything together before tightening up.

Everything fit well and went in no problem. I am eager to see how it performs in the spring!

[Voodoo_ChildR32]

From what I've read about HICAS eliminators/locks is that the car will feel more like a RWD in that it is more predictable while powering out of corners. I also understand it makes it easier to drift with because the HICAS system isn't trying to correct the input you give the car. I'm just waiting for warmer weather to get rid of it on mine, icy roads are fun enough with it working.

[ColinR33]

So today I finished off the rear suspension by installing the traction rods and rucas, looks pretty sharp, actually getting used to the DW orange....

Used the oem parts as jigs to adjust the new pieces:


Takes a little fiddling to get them right.
Also did the front tension rods, had to disconnect the link from the knuckle to drop it and allow the 10mm hex drive to fit in there. One was cross threaded and a cast iron b*tch to get off, happily the DW kit came with new bolts and nylok nuts.

[r33_gtst]

Lookin good man
I did the dw hicas removal last year along with upgraded fuca, toe links, traction rods and a good alignment.
Car handles awesome but it made me realize how important the subframe bushings are. Mine are junk, need replacing. Definitely the Achilles heel of my suspension right now

[frankiman]

i love how the electric hicas rack looks soo much different from hydraulic ones on r32s

and great job on the DW install, the kits looks awesome

[ColinR33]

Thanks, I have Whiteline subframe bushings on order, if they come in before track season starts I'll go back and drop the subframe to replace them.

[cortexx]

I wonder about the hicas - why do so many people remove it ? Did the original GTR's that raced have them intact , and if so Nissan must have a logical reason for incorporating them .

Do the benefits not outweigh the disadvantages ? I'm surprised no one has overhauled and modded the Hicas to improve its function , almost all other areas of our cars have been modded at some time ..

Just thinking out loud here

[Daryl @ RightDrive]

Personally I'm very happy with my HICAS