pyro
18th December 2008, 12:58 PM
This wasn't meant to be a project car. This wasn't meant to be modified.
I bought this car, completely standard, only 2 owners, brought into the UK, brand new, from Nissan Japan.
This is the story of my daily driver.
I agreed to buy it from a clueless n00b in Northampton, for the princely sum of £3000. He managed to crash it into a kerb and ruin the front bumper and both front wings. I gave him £2500 on December 3rd 2005.
It had the complete Nissan Japan owner's pack. This is rarer than rocking horse shit and I currently own the only copy of the 180SX owners/workshop manual in the entire English speaking world. Wow.
Anyway. It looked like this.
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/180a.jpg
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/180b.jpg
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/180c.jpg
You can't see the damage there, really. When he hit the curb, the bumper pressed down, cracked and kinked both wings, cracking the paint. This is now looking pretty dismal but I don't care. Bodywork is beneath me.
I drove it home. I'd never really had or driven a turbo car, so it was novel but quite tediously slow.
Fortunately I'd aquired a turbo off Mr.Phil Morrisson. One low mileage GT2860RS with a 3" inlet and a 0.86 exhaust housing. Mint. It looked like a turbo. You don't need to see it.
It didn't have an actuator. I purchased an adjustable one from HKS. Lovely.
To go with that, I bought a shiny titanium coated manifold, that was very pretty. Mmm. Shiny titanium.
I then obtained the services of a 'mechanic' to install these parts as the car was boring me, considerably.
The actuator didn't fit. The braided hoses didn't fit. The turbo had been drilled for a EGT sensor and the bung didn't fit.
The manifold gaskets DID fit, so we bodged a new actuator bracket out of some random bit of metal, forced the hoses to fit with many washers and welded the hole in the turbo and made it fit.
IT ALL FIT. It took 2 solid days and the 'purchase' of a SiP welder from B&Q. The welder was returned for a refund.
The car ran. It had more turbo-y goodness. It was still shit slow, just had more lag but was louder. AWESOME!
I made an additional purchase of an A'pexi (thanks Sy) induction filter.
This also did not fit but, once again, we made it fit. You can make anything fit with enough cable ties and self-tappers.
At the same time, we tore out all the emissions carbon canister, recirculating dump valve, standard air boxes and ducting and a whole pile of black plastic shit, to be replaced with a simple cone filter.
The filter had no bracket, so it flapped around. It was funny, so we left it.
The car was now even louder and had slightly less lag. It made funny pigeon noises when you let off. I loved it. It was still too quiet.
I purchased an HKS cat-back exhaust. It was fitted by another Nissan expert but when the old one was removed an eroneous EGT sensor was not removed from the cat and tore loose. The remaining wiring was poked inside the chassis, without my knowledge.
Days later, it started rattling. The Nissan expert assured me it was just a sticky lifter. I believed the expert as he was an expert. I kept on driving like a hero, for a number of weeks.
A section of wiring in the engine bay set on fire. I had it chopped out and replaced at considerable expense.
It started running on 3 cylinders. I ignored this for a few weeks and continued driving.
A coilpack set on fire. I had them replaced. They all set on fire. I replaced them again and traced the wiring fault.
My ECU was melty and on fire. I bought a programmable one. Further A'pexi loving.
I took the car to a Mr.Jeremy Horsham, who specialises in fuel maps.
He replaced my standard MAF with a bigger MAF and my poxy injectors with shiny yellow Nismo ones. Ooooooooh. More shiny.
At this same time, I had an electronic boost controller installed and setup (PRofec B Spec II). It has buttons and it lights up blue. BLUE! FUCK YES!
The bodged actuator bracket started to flex and the wastegate wouldn't stay shut past 9psi. That's less than standard boost.
The car was mapped to 9psi and I drove home.
The day after, the big ends went. It wasn't a sticky lifter. It was December 21st.
On December 23rd, inside my works premises, the new Nissan expert removed the engine.
I ordered a shiny turbo elbow (Tomei), some rocker arm stoppers (Tomei), a complete set of rocker arms and shims (Nissan), a complete gasket set (Nissan), a set of big end and main bearings (ACL), some head and main studs (ARP), some new braided hoses (Kazama), new oil and water pumps (Nissan), engine and gearbox mounts (Nismo) and a new set of pistons and rings (Nissan).
These arrived on the 4th. From America. Go FRSport.com.
I took the engine to pieces and carefully put all the bits into nicely labelled ziplock bags. I am anally retentive.
The crank/flywheel/crank pulley/clutch were taken away to be polished and balanced.
This was done and returned. It was January 8th. Work reopened on the 9th.
The car was pushed into the car-park. The Nissan expert moved to another country.
I shit myself but thought "Fuck it. I'll rebuild the engine."
I rebuilt the engine. Lots of shiny goodness.
I had no idea how to refit the engine. I asked a friend if he knew somebody who could do such miraculous things with wires and hoses. Such a person was recommended. I arranged to have the engine and the car taken to this person. It was made so.
The person informed me that my sump was broken. I sourced a new sump.
The person informed me that 9-10 components were missing and 4-5 different types of bolt.
I was amazed. Zip lock bags, remember. I swore at him a lot.
I needed the car back in a hurry. I bought new parts. They took many weeks to arrive. Go Nissan.
The person could not get the car to start. He said he couldn't be responsible because he hadn't removed the engine and had no idea what he was doing. This process took many weeks.
I arranged for the car to be removed to a less inept person. It was May. One week later the car ran. On 3.
The ECU was melty, again.
I traced the wiring fault to the 'temperature' sensor that the Nissan expert had ripped off and pushed into the chassis, during the HKS exhaust install. It was arcing out. I bought another ECU.
The HKS exhaust was shit and had holes in it. I had a new one made. It was shiny.
The shiny ti manifold is cracked. I purchase an awesome one from Mr.Tomei. It is fitted after I spunk on it.
I took the car home. It was June.
The car overheated. Badly.
I replaced the thermostat with a Nismo item.
The car overheated. Badly.
I ignored it and kept refilling the coolant system, daily. It was cold.
I purchased a Koyo aluminium racing radiator. I had it fitted by the less inept person.
The car overheated. Badly.
I got bored of trying to fix this problem and kept driving the car, carrying 5 litres of evian on the back seat.
The car was taken back to Mr.Horsham who stated that the boost controller no longer functioned.
I left it on the car because it lights up blue. I like blue.
The car was re-mapped to 9psi and returned to his unit...where a hose popped off.
The viscous fan fell off and smashed to pieces.
The car was re-mapped, again, with the hose secured in place and I drove home.
The car does not drive right. It is suggested that my standard wing-mount intercooler is not only shit but potentially broken.
I purchase shiny Trust front mount intercooler. I purchase racing battery. I purchase hole saw.
I remove front of car, battery and prep the battery tray for destruction.
I drill the pilot hole with the holesaw and as the saw bites into the metal, it explodes, sending metal shards flying into my hands and face.
I remove said metal shards and weep, softly.
I attack the battery tray with a screwdriver and a hammer, hacking a hole into it, over the course of 5 hours.
I fit the intercooler. Everything is peachy. The car still drives like shit.
I replaced the fan. The alternator shoots a bolt through this new fan.
I crapped myself because it sounded like the big ends had gone. They hadn't. I had the alternator fixed.
The big ends went. It was April 2008. My bodge engine had lasted a year. I was chuffed.
I bought another engine. It was fitted. The car ran okay. It was May 2008.
The rear shocks exploded. Tokico stuff is shit. Don't use it. Standards were put on.
Superhard front, supersoft rear. Great for a drag car. Shit for a road car.
The 4WS tried to kill me in the rain. I had it removed. HICAS eliminator and locking bar FTW.
The brakes are shot. They've done 60,000km without a pad change. The discs are like wafers.
I purchase some fully refurbed Z32 callipers, 345mm disks and a Z32 rear setup.
I purchase new pads and braided lines. I purchase new brackets.
Disks are huge. Look insanely massive under 17s.
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/brakes.jpg
My car is 4 stud. Z32s are 5 stud. I got the disks redrilled. This delays them 2 weeks.
The car is an import. It has non-standard rear handbrake mechanism. I have no handbrake!
I purchase DW CS1 coilovers. They are fitted. They are sexytime.
The brakes fit but the wheels do not. I need longer studs. I need a bigger spacer. I order these items from H&R in Germany.
They are yet to arrive.
I purchase ORC D1 spec sprung twin-plate clutch. I am told it works with standard bearing.
I purchase standard bearing. Clutch is fitted.
Standard bearing does not fit. I purchase ORC bearing. It costs me £100! I cry.
It is December 18th 2008. I have no car for Christmas. Again. :cry:
I bought this car, completely standard, only 2 owners, brought into the UK, brand new, from Nissan Japan.
This is the story of my daily driver.
I agreed to buy it from a clueless n00b in Northampton, for the princely sum of £3000. He managed to crash it into a kerb and ruin the front bumper and both front wings. I gave him £2500 on December 3rd 2005.
It had the complete Nissan Japan owner's pack. This is rarer than rocking horse shit and I currently own the only copy of the 180SX owners/workshop manual in the entire English speaking world. Wow.
Anyway. It looked like this.
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/180a.jpg
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/180b.jpg
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/180c.jpg
You can't see the damage there, really. When he hit the curb, the bumper pressed down, cracked and kinked both wings, cracking the paint. This is now looking pretty dismal but I don't care. Bodywork is beneath me.
I drove it home. I'd never really had or driven a turbo car, so it was novel but quite tediously slow.
Fortunately I'd aquired a turbo off Mr.Phil Morrisson. One low mileage GT2860RS with a 3" inlet and a 0.86 exhaust housing. Mint. It looked like a turbo. You don't need to see it.
It didn't have an actuator. I purchased an adjustable one from HKS. Lovely.
To go with that, I bought a shiny titanium coated manifold, that was very pretty. Mmm. Shiny titanium.
I then obtained the services of a 'mechanic' to install these parts as the car was boring me, considerably.
The actuator didn't fit. The braided hoses didn't fit. The turbo had been drilled for a EGT sensor and the bung didn't fit.
The manifold gaskets DID fit, so we bodged a new actuator bracket out of some random bit of metal, forced the hoses to fit with many washers and welded the hole in the turbo and made it fit.
IT ALL FIT. It took 2 solid days and the 'purchase' of a SiP welder from B&Q. The welder was returned for a refund.
The car ran. It had more turbo-y goodness. It was still shit slow, just had more lag but was louder. AWESOME!
I made an additional purchase of an A'pexi (thanks Sy) induction filter.
This also did not fit but, once again, we made it fit. You can make anything fit with enough cable ties and self-tappers.
At the same time, we tore out all the emissions carbon canister, recirculating dump valve, standard air boxes and ducting and a whole pile of black plastic shit, to be replaced with a simple cone filter.
The filter had no bracket, so it flapped around. It was funny, so we left it.
The car was now even louder and had slightly less lag. It made funny pigeon noises when you let off. I loved it. It was still too quiet.
I purchased an HKS cat-back exhaust. It was fitted by another Nissan expert but when the old one was removed an eroneous EGT sensor was not removed from the cat and tore loose. The remaining wiring was poked inside the chassis, without my knowledge.
Days later, it started rattling. The Nissan expert assured me it was just a sticky lifter. I believed the expert as he was an expert. I kept on driving like a hero, for a number of weeks.
A section of wiring in the engine bay set on fire. I had it chopped out and replaced at considerable expense.
It started running on 3 cylinders. I ignored this for a few weeks and continued driving.
A coilpack set on fire. I had them replaced. They all set on fire. I replaced them again and traced the wiring fault.
My ECU was melty and on fire. I bought a programmable one. Further A'pexi loving.
I took the car to a Mr.Jeremy Horsham, who specialises in fuel maps.
He replaced my standard MAF with a bigger MAF and my poxy injectors with shiny yellow Nismo ones. Ooooooooh. More shiny.
At this same time, I had an electronic boost controller installed and setup (PRofec B Spec II). It has buttons and it lights up blue. BLUE! FUCK YES!
The bodged actuator bracket started to flex and the wastegate wouldn't stay shut past 9psi. That's less than standard boost.
The car was mapped to 9psi and I drove home.
The day after, the big ends went. It wasn't a sticky lifter. It was December 21st.
On December 23rd, inside my works premises, the new Nissan expert removed the engine.
I ordered a shiny turbo elbow (Tomei), some rocker arm stoppers (Tomei), a complete set of rocker arms and shims (Nissan), a complete gasket set (Nissan), a set of big end and main bearings (ACL), some head and main studs (ARP), some new braided hoses (Kazama), new oil and water pumps (Nissan), engine and gearbox mounts (Nismo) and a new set of pistons and rings (Nissan).
These arrived on the 4th. From America. Go FRSport.com.
I took the engine to pieces and carefully put all the bits into nicely labelled ziplock bags. I am anally retentive.
The crank/flywheel/crank pulley/clutch were taken away to be polished and balanced.
This was done and returned. It was January 8th. Work reopened on the 9th.
The car was pushed into the car-park. The Nissan expert moved to another country.
I shit myself but thought "Fuck it. I'll rebuild the engine."
I rebuilt the engine. Lots of shiny goodness.
I had no idea how to refit the engine. I asked a friend if he knew somebody who could do such miraculous things with wires and hoses. Such a person was recommended. I arranged to have the engine and the car taken to this person. It was made so.
The person informed me that my sump was broken. I sourced a new sump.
The person informed me that 9-10 components were missing and 4-5 different types of bolt.
I was amazed. Zip lock bags, remember. I swore at him a lot.
I needed the car back in a hurry. I bought new parts. They took many weeks to arrive. Go Nissan.
The person could not get the car to start. He said he couldn't be responsible because he hadn't removed the engine and had no idea what he was doing. This process took many weeks.
I arranged for the car to be removed to a less inept person. It was May. One week later the car ran. On 3.
The ECU was melty, again.
I traced the wiring fault to the 'temperature' sensor that the Nissan expert had ripped off and pushed into the chassis, during the HKS exhaust install. It was arcing out. I bought another ECU.
The HKS exhaust was shit and had holes in it. I had a new one made. It was shiny.
The shiny ti manifold is cracked. I purchase an awesome one from Mr.Tomei. It is fitted after I spunk on it.
I took the car home. It was June.
The car overheated. Badly.
I replaced the thermostat with a Nismo item.
The car overheated. Badly.
I ignored it and kept refilling the coolant system, daily. It was cold.
I purchased a Koyo aluminium racing radiator. I had it fitted by the less inept person.
The car overheated. Badly.
I got bored of trying to fix this problem and kept driving the car, carrying 5 litres of evian on the back seat.
The car was taken back to Mr.Horsham who stated that the boost controller no longer functioned.
I left it on the car because it lights up blue. I like blue.
The car was re-mapped to 9psi and returned to his unit...where a hose popped off.
The viscous fan fell off and smashed to pieces.
The car was re-mapped, again, with the hose secured in place and I drove home.
The car does not drive right. It is suggested that my standard wing-mount intercooler is not only shit but potentially broken.
I purchase shiny Trust front mount intercooler. I purchase racing battery. I purchase hole saw.
I remove front of car, battery and prep the battery tray for destruction.
I drill the pilot hole with the holesaw and as the saw bites into the metal, it explodes, sending metal shards flying into my hands and face.
I remove said metal shards and weep, softly.
I attack the battery tray with a screwdriver and a hammer, hacking a hole into it, over the course of 5 hours.
I fit the intercooler. Everything is peachy. The car still drives like shit.
I replaced the fan. The alternator shoots a bolt through this new fan.
I crapped myself because it sounded like the big ends had gone. They hadn't. I had the alternator fixed.
The big ends went. It was April 2008. My bodge engine had lasted a year. I was chuffed.
I bought another engine. It was fitted. The car ran okay. It was May 2008.
The rear shocks exploded. Tokico stuff is shit. Don't use it. Standards were put on.
Superhard front, supersoft rear. Great for a drag car. Shit for a road car.
The 4WS tried to kill me in the rain. I had it removed. HICAS eliminator and locking bar FTW.
The brakes are shot. They've done 60,000km without a pad change. The discs are like wafers.
I purchase some fully refurbed Z32 callipers, 345mm disks and a Z32 rear setup.
I purchase new pads and braided lines. I purchase new brackets.
Disks are huge. Look insanely massive under 17s.
http://www.pyroteknikon.com/180/brakes.jpg
My car is 4 stud. Z32s are 5 stud. I got the disks redrilled. This delays them 2 weeks.
The car is an import. It has non-standard rear handbrake mechanism. I have no handbrake!
I purchase DW CS1 coilovers. They are fitted. They are sexytime.
The brakes fit but the wheels do not. I need longer studs. I need a bigger spacer. I order these items from H&R in Germany.
They are yet to arrive.
I purchase ORC D1 spec sprung twin-plate clutch. I am told it works with standard bearing.
I purchase standard bearing. Clutch is fitted.
Standard bearing does not fit. I purchase ORC bearing. It costs me £100! I cry.
It is December 18th 2008. I have no car for Christmas. Again. :cry: