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Well, it's been a while since I updated this thread, so I figured to get it back up there and ask for some advice on the planned direction for the build.
The car is at Kaizen Tuning right now, getting a custom intake job, fuel setup (new lines tomei pump, SARD rail, 1000cc injectors (I know, a little overkill, but they were the same price as 750's so I said what the hell), and a conversion to a MAP setup with a Haltech ECU. They have a dyno in house and will do the tuning there. HICAS is coming out. We're doing some custom work to an extra steering pump to make it single stage, and removing all the HICAS lines and actuator. A Cusco kit is going in to replace it. Honestly, it was just cheaper than any of the driftworks or other kits coming out of the UK. I didn't like the idea of the bar because it just seemed less reliable, and I get rid of the stock tie rods.
Additional stuff I've done/working on:
I'm doing a double din computer kinda like this: setup, but the way I wired it was to take an old laptop I had lying around, and connect it to this monitor. It has a special power unit that lets it run off the car battery, but also integrate to the ignition so it powers off when the car's off and boots up when the car's on.
This will let me run a custom gauge readout in the double din area (removed the stock triple gauge), kinda like the R34 or GTR, but it will from a Windows 8 computer (with wifi! using the hotspot from my cell phone). This will also allow for an the fly adjustment of the Haltech.
I'm waiting on a whiteline sway bar setup from Eric's Performance parts.
I'm also waiting on this ETS Controller, so a lot of this car will be adjustable via in-built computer.
I'm looking to modify the suspension, and have been reading a lot of this guy at farnorthracing. Some of the best info I've found on the net as far as suspension setup, and the main takeaway I'm getting from it is that off the shelf coilovers are no guarantee that the suspension will improve the performance of the car, you really need to be prepared to put your setup through a shock dyno to know it's performing like it should. In retrospect, I look at how people judge suspensions, and it's really a butt-feeling, maybe some lap time comparisons, but that seem so subjective compared to the science he talks about. Anyway, I'm probably going to look around to do a custom setup in the US northeast (any recommendations anyone?). I read about the stuff sydneykid put together in AU, but haven't found stuff from him directly as far as what valving/spring/rates, etc he recommends. Anyway, that is kind of my research project for now, as well as....
wheels & tires! I think I'm inclined towards a set of Enkei RPF1's in a (18x9.5). They don't make them in +22, so I'll have to use some spacers to get the fitment right. I also have some decent leads on a set of Rays Gram lights, and really at this point just want to find a good deal. I figure going into the winter, people will be looking to unload. RPF1's are my preference though since they seem to have a good rep for strength and lightness (19lbs for that size!)
I'd love to get a set of vintage wheels (ie LMGT's (1 or 4's)), but they are getting hard to find, and pricey when they do come up. As far as tires are concerned, my tuner here recommends Yokohama AVS, which are pretty pricey, but when it comes down to it, rubber is the only thing from the car touching the road, so start there if you want to make an investment in parts.
Finally, I'm looking at drivetrain. I have a 1.5 NISMO LSD fresh in from Japan that will go in, and I am looking to shim the rear. For the tranny, I want to do an OS Giken cross gear kit 1,2,3, only, keeping the stock input shaft. If I make a lot more power, I'll go to a hollinger setup, but the ORC twin plate clutch I have is pretty much brand new... I'm looking for a place that will do the install/rebuild on the transmission. I think I'll have this place do it: http://www.midwesttrans.com/. They have a lot of experience on the FS5R30. (Apparently R32 skyline trans internally are the same as 300zx, frontier, pathfinder & a couple others). Fortunately, I have a spare, so while that's getting worked on, the car is still driveable. Although, while it's waiting on Kaizen to finish up, I'm looking for other tidbits I can add to it.
Oh, NISMO short shift kit, the 30% reduction one went in. HUGE difference in lateral movement. (will post pics to show comparison in lever arm) There is a significant reduction going forward and back, but you can really tell the the difference in left-right.
Anyway, that's the plan for now, just chipping away at it as the budget allows. Hope to have a beast to share by next season!
Appreciate the feedback anyone!
The car is at Kaizen Tuning right now, getting a custom intake job, fuel setup (new lines tomei pump, SARD rail, 1000cc injectors (I know, a little overkill, but they were the same price as 750's so I said what the hell), and a conversion to a MAP setup with a Haltech ECU. They have a dyno in house and will do the tuning there. HICAS is coming out. We're doing some custom work to an extra steering pump to make it single stage, and removing all the HICAS lines and actuator. A Cusco kit is going in to replace it. Honestly, it was just cheaper than any of the driftworks or other kits coming out of the UK. I didn't like the idea of the bar because it just seemed less reliable, and I get rid of the stock tie rods.
Additional stuff I've done/working on:
I'm doing a double din computer kinda like this: setup, but the way I wired it was to take an old laptop I had lying around, and connect it to this monitor. It has a special power unit that lets it run off the car battery, but also integrate to the ignition so it powers off when the car's off and boots up when the car's on.
This will let me run a custom gauge readout in the double din area (removed the stock triple gauge), kinda like the R34 or GTR, but it will from a Windows 8 computer (with wifi! using the hotspot from my cell phone). This will also allow for an the fly adjustment of the Haltech.
I'm waiting on a whiteline sway bar setup from Eric's Performance parts.
I'm also waiting on this ETS Controller, so a lot of this car will be adjustable via in-built computer.
I'm looking to modify the suspension, and have been reading a lot of this guy at farnorthracing. Some of the best info I've found on the net as far as suspension setup, and the main takeaway I'm getting from it is that off the shelf coilovers are no guarantee that the suspension will improve the performance of the car, you really need to be prepared to put your setup through a shock dyno to know it's performing like it should. In retrospect, I look at how people judge suspensions, and it's really a butt-feeling, maybe some lap time comparisons, but that seem so subjective compared to the science he talks about. Anyway, I'm probably going to look around to do a custom setup in the US northeast (any recommendations anyone?). I read about the stuff sydneykid put together in AU, but haven't found stuff from him directly as far as what valving/spring/rates, etc he recommends. Anyway, that is kind of my research project for now, as well as....
wheels & tires! I think I'm inclined towards a set of Enkei RPF1's in a (18x9.5). They don't make them in +22, so I'll have to use some spacers to get the fitment right. I also have some decent leads on a set of Rays Gram lights, and really at this point just want to find a good deal. I figure going into the winter, people will be looking to unload. RPF1's are my preference though since they seem to have a good rep for strength and lightness (19lbs for that size!)
I'd love to get a set of vintage wheels (ie LMGT's (1 or 4's)), but they are getting hard to find, and pricey when they do come up. As far as tires are concerned, my tuner here recommends Yokohama AVS, which are pretty pricey, but when it comes down to it, rubber is the only thing from the car touching the road, so start there if you want to make an investment in parts.
Finally, I'm looking at drivetrain. I have a 1.5 NISMO LSD fresh in from Japan that will go in, and I am looking to shim the rear. For the tranny, I want to do an OS Giken cross gear kit 1,2,3, only, keeping the stock input shaft. If I make a lot more power, I'll go to a hollinger setup, but the ORC twin plate clutch I have is pretty much brand new... I'm looking for a place that will do the install/rebuild on the transmission. I think I'll have this place do it: http://www.midwesttrans.com/. They have a lot of experience on the FS5R30. (Apparently R32 skyline trans internally are the same as 300zx, frontier, pathfinder & a couple others). Fortunately, I have a spare, so while that's getting worked on, the car is still driveable. Although, while it's waiting on Kaizen to finish up, I'm looking for other tidbits I can add to it.
Oh, NISMO short shift kit, the 30% reduction one went in. HUGE difference in lateral movement. (will post pics to show comparison in lever arm) There is a significant reduction going forward and back, but you can really tell the the difference in left-right.
Anyway, that's the plan for now, just chipping away at it as the budget allows. Hope to have a beast to share by next season!
Appreciate the feedback anyone!
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