My New R33 GTR - so it begins...

[R33-East]

Love what you did with the wheel wells, looks great!

[ColinR33]

So she is pretty much back together, rebuilt brakes and all the suspension bits in:


My ghetto oil cooler vent

Gauges in and working

Fired her up and checked everything, no leaks Yay! Wheels on and interior back together and she's back on the road.

[ColinR33]

So managed to get her back together and out on the road for a brief shakedown. Even without an alignment she tracks very straight and feels quite planted, and the difference in the steering is unbelievable, so much more responsive and better feel. Couldn't resist and caned it once, my son was grinning ear to ear.

[ColinR33]

Had the car out for an autoX driving course, was my first experience being a passenger in it while it was driven by several of the instructors which was quite fun along with all the driving I was able to do. All of the instructors had lots of good things to say about the steering and handling, they were all quite surprised by how well she handled, but as one put it "your suspension has a lot more to give than the tires can offer". This was evidenced by both the instructors and myself having occasional trouble keep the back end in the back (they weren't used to the power either). So time for a tire upgrade, something I was planning on doing anyway. New shoes:

Before I went to have them mounted I decided it was time to take care of 17 years worth of brake dust and grime on the inside of the oem wheels. Obligatory before/after pic:

When I took the wheels in I ended up trading the oem wheels and old tires (plus some extra suspension bits I had lying around) for some Work Emotion XD-9's, 9.5" wide, I think they look pretty good!

[frankiman]

you will not be disappointed by those tires my friend, good choice

got another angle shot of the rims? offset looks wack

[ColinR33]

+17 offset, need some spacers. Will get some better pics tomorrow.

[cortexx]

So she is pretty much back together, rebuilt brakes and all the suspension bits in:


My ghetto oil cooler vent

Gauges in and working

Fired her up and checked everything, no leaks Yay! Wheels on and interior back together and she's back on the road.

HOLY CRAP , thought that was my dash for a sec , and why is it parked in your living room ? I'd get in **** for doind that from my wife ! Nice updates btw , i have those tires , make sure your alignment is spot on , too much camber and they will chew incredibly fast .

[ColinR33]

Forgot about the wheel picture Frank, here it is.

[Sri-LanKING]

sweet a** ride man can't wait for more update!

[ColinR33]

So, I have taken her out for a few autocrosses, still pretty tail happy, although I think a lot of it is lift-throttle oversteer, so I've got to tighten the nut behind the wheel fisrt, plus I think an adjustable rear sway bar is in order. Playing with coilover settings and tire pressures too. Does help me get good opposite lock pics tho':

One of the instructors took it for a run, when he finished his hands were shaking lol. A lot of cones went to the great autoX course in the sky and I was laughing like a jackass the whole way. Definitely a challenging car to drive well on an autoX course, but lots of potential if I can get it set up right and improve my skills.

[gtrjerry73]

Great thread Collin. Just read through the whole thing. You have made some really nice tasteful changes since I saw it last. You have inspired me to gut and redo all my suspension and wheel wells now but unfortunately just bought motor transmission etc so it will have to wait. Have you had a chance to examine how it feels without the hicas? I'm I the fence about removing mine.

[ColinR33]

I've done 4 autocrosses since taking out the HICAS and like it so far, feels more like a rear wheel drive car now. I hope to take it to some lapping sessions at Stratotech or the Indy track and see how it feels at higher speeds.

[gtrjerry73]

Ok well that is reason enough to get rid of it. Thanks Collin

[ColinR33]

So after a long silence, time for an update, finally starting work on the car (with much help from James - Voodo_ChildR32), first, the goodies:
Tomei Poncams and adjustable cam gears, Whiteline suspension bushes

Sard fuel pump, 600cc injectors and Cusco sway bars

Also have a hard pipe kit on the way, an EDFC for the coilovers and a few other bits to install, plus a bit of maintenance. One items of concern, when James opened up the rad, we found sand in the top pipe:

A little worried about that, pulling the head to check the coolant galleys (may explain why I couldn't get the vent to work), hope no serious damage. Never saw anything like it the last few times I opened and drained the system.

More to come!

[MidnightBlue]

absolutly beautiful build, keep up the good work. and thanks for all the in depth descriptions