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Neil's R33 Gts-t Build


Neil

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Well the time has finally come where I had to decide on what to do with our GTS-T. We have owned it for 10 years now,,,we don't really drive it much anymore and I'll be stuffed if I'm selling a perfectly good straight car to some pimply just got his turbo licenced kid for 10 grand. No way not happening. My other little problem is the wifey Melinda,,,I have to somehow ween her off loving the thing. So my plan so far is to slowly make it rude and obnoxious. Step one was the diff, nothing beats the clunk of a Nismo locker. Step two were the wheels,,,she just hates the look of rivets or bolts holding the centres together. Step three will be the semi slick,,,again she hates the road noise they make. Next will be removing all the luxury items one by one. The rear wiper was an easy remove,,,pissed her off straight away.

AASA have really opened the door to these cars,,,they make building one and racing it so much easier. I would never ever had entertained the thought of this without them. CAMS are so far behind the times it's a joke. Realistically I would have to build a sports sedan or improved production car which would be money for no fun at all. So I'm going to start building it loosely around tarmac rally specs with different mods for track days,,,rub racing,,,supersprints and hillclimbs but really with an eye on targa.

While the Radical is great fun to drive and it will be staying in our household for a while yet,,,I really miss driving a tin-top. Duncan,,,you have a lot to answer for. Actually it's wasn't so much doing tons of laps in your GTR but more letting me loose in Kel's 350Z and me doing laps at Oran Parks last weekend in our Skyline that got me. There's something about wrestling a fat over weight car that I enjoy.

So we basically start with a car that has very minimal mods,,,it has never had a boost increase by the way.

1/ Whiteline adjustable sway bars front and rear,,,they will be staying.

2/ FMIC

3/ Wow an apexi panel filter

4/ 5 Zigen cat back,,,no name dump pipe and a high flow cat

5/ Urethane radius rod bushes

6/ Cusco brake master cylinder stopper

7/ Front and rear strut braces

8/ DBA Front drilled/slotted discs and rear slotted discs.

Cool mods indeed.

So now it's time to open my very tight arse wallet and start buying stuff.

It must be said right here and now that I'm not a massive fan of Japanese and Chinese aftermarket parts.

Yes some will have to find their way onto the car but primarily it will be euro and local stuff.

I'm not going to touch the engine or any drive line stuff until the suspension,,,roll cage and auxiliary stuff is on the car and sorted properly.

Yes I know everyone wants 400 kilowasps but quite frankly that isn't going to happen. Somewhere around 280-320 would be much more to my liking. I'm more interested in reliaility/midrange and as much torque as possible.

I have already opened the said wallet and so far I have

1/ Re-valved Bilstein height adjustable shock running Eiback spring with helpers. Nice bit of kit.

2/ DBA front slotted discs,,,my better judgement says I shouldn't run my drilled and slotted used ones which is interesting. As we know they should crack but after 3 track days they are still fine. Go figure.Gone anyway.

3/ Nismo front lower control arms and a full set for the rear.

4/ Chinese rose jointed radius arms. They can stay for testing and then an upgrade.

5/ Chinese engine oil cooler with filter relocation kit. Again testing and some of it can stay.

Thats enough typing for now.

Cheers

Neil.

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iRace/MRA/AASA seem to be the go these days, im attempting to head in pretty much the same direction.

looking forward to seeing how this turns out neil.

Yea Stephen it's funny Cams are like a government dept,,,very slow on the uptake and very little vision on the future.

Cheers

Neil.

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A dollar spent on the Skyline is a dollar wasted that should be spent on the Radical...you have a real car and should be driving the wheels off the thing. If you want to punt a mushy, heavy road car then we can swap keys :)

Edited by Roy
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Troy,,, it's all good mate,,,the Radical is still much loved and will be thrashed accordingly. I weighed up throwing my wallet at it ,,,but quite frankly that would be a waste of money. My best time ever at wakie was 2 laps in the 1.02's on new tyres and perfect conditions. I'm usually in the 1.04's and at state rounds the 1st half of the field are punching out consistant 59's to 1.01's. Open sport car racing is a rich mans sport of which I am not.

Chris,,,Ryans path started with big horse power and built his car around it,,,I'm going the opposite way. I will never have his crazy wheel spinning 400 + kilo's. Not that I dis-approve,,,it's fantastic sitting in the passenger seat laughing my arse off as he breaks the rear loose in 4 gear. Bloody insane. I just don't think thats the way I should go. Mel,,,I think is close to being on board now,,,she asked me the other night about re-regoing it. Poor love of my life spotted the shocks and decided it's all over for her and Cheryl,,,yes she has a name.

Matt,,,Glad you liked the 1st paragraph,,,It had to be said,,,thats just a fact of life. While we all strive for the quickest mouse-trap on a limited budget,,,I think I'll be happy with my 50 year old heads thinking.

Brake are an interesting one,,,our car has no abs,,,which I like and I will not be changing anything apart from pads until I've exhausted their use by date. My thinking is way to many peeps change calipers and discs because thats the done thing,,,me I'll play with the standard setup I have till I have to change. Sorry if that bores,,,but I do really think thats the way to go.

Cheers

Neil.

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Yea Stephen it's funny Cams are like a government dept,,,very slow on the uptake and very little vision on the future.

Cheers

Neil.

lol so true.

im not sure if you New South Welshmen have heard but Anna Bligh decided to sell off half of Queensland Railway, which alot of people dont appear to be happy about.

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yea baby

stock setup on the brakes, just make up some serious brake ducts

best part is your stock engine will keep you going for 4 years before you have to replace it like evey other 400+ kw wanka out there

Yep right on there big fella,,,glad your thinking the same as me. Yes I will be running ducting.

Here's a quick comparision:-

BMW E36 M3,,,both 3.0 & 3.2 ,,,1460kg,,,discs 315 x 28,,,2 piston calipers,,,abs no better than R32,,,but a great brake package as standard.

BMW E46 M3 ,,,1549kg,,,discs 325 x 28,,,again 2 piston calipers,,,abs state of the art,,,absolutely stops on a dime.

Now no-one who has ever driven these M3's can say these are not by far 3 of the best coupes EVER made. They go,,,turn and stop like almost nothing else.

R33 GTS-T 1390kg,,,discs 296 x 30,,,4 piston calipers,,,mine no abs,,,I think I can make her stop with standard calipers,,,good pads and discs.

I will be using DBA discs exclusively,,,mainly because I can get them cheap but also because they actually work.

post-29-1288255583_thumb.jpg

Cheers

Neil.

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The std calipers are a good thing in my opinion, just a matter of putting a good rotor in there with a good pad and a fluid that is up to the job. I've grown very fond of my DBA4000/Hawk HT10/sin600 combo.

Will we see the beast in Warwick this year???

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The std calipers are a good thing in my opinion, just a matter of putting a good rotor in there with a good pad and a fluid that is up to the job. I've grown very fond of my DBA4000/Hawk HT10/sin600 combo.

Will we see the beast in Warwick this year???

Noddy,,,you are using hawk's,,,I use them on the Radical and they will be my 1st choice pad for testing. Brake fluid always annoys me,,,Agip is hard to get but great.

No,,,you will not be seeing Cheryl anytime soon. She will be tested at length early next year,,,poor girl doesn't have a cage yet mate.

Cheers

Neil.

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Chris,,,Ryans path started with big horse power and built his car around it,,,I'm going the opposite way. I will never have his crazy wheel spinning 400 + kilo's. Not that I dis-approve,,,it's fantastic sitting in the passenger seat laughing my arse off as he breaks the rear loose in 4 gear. Bloody insane. I just don't think thats the way I should go. Mel,,,I think is close to being on board now,,,she asked me the other night about re-regoing it. Poor love of my life spotted the shocks and decided it's all over for her and Cheryl,,,yes she has a name.

Cheers

Neil.

Neil i love my R33 it is a lot of fun and holds some sentimental value with me as does yours with you, you will get great satisfaction out of the transformation i know i did with mine.

My car only has 250-270 rwkw (depending on boost) but is sure does come on hard, last time you were in the car it had rubbish tyres with good rubber and a little time spent on the rear and set up you will not have any dramas with traction from 3rd and up.

The parts you have chosen look great, how much adjustment do you get out of the Nismo arms? All my arms are std with adj whiteline bushes they are ok but i want to solid mt the diff and cradle and run rose joints through the rear end. As for the front i have purchased a Chinese set of adj lower control arms and guess what they DONT fit woohoo so now i am looking for another option. I will be interested to see how much adjustment you can get out of the arms you have.

The std motors will last a long time if looked after correctly, you will have no drams here mate.

As for the cage they provide a great sense of security and really tie the car together, after driving mine with and without a cage you can really tell the difference. Just make sure it is designed specifically for YOU, it is hard letting someone cut your pride and joy up but if it is done write it will be very rewarding. Just make sure if you are getting a dash bar that the factory dash and cluster fits before it is all finished as mine didnt, if you are anything like me stuff like that is hard to fit into the budget.

My phone is always on if you need have any questions, i will be following your progress.

Good luck,

Ryan

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let me know what $$$ you can get a set, for comparison.

That I will certainly do mate,,,I can tell you that I get discs at a great price. Something about being in the industry helps.

It's always fun caging a car you care so much about!

It'll either make or brake the whole thing.

"Break" would have been better Brad. I think between your ideas/thoughts/experience/welding and My anal approach to the same,,,Cheryl will have the best cage you have ever done. You have 4 weeks tiger to get what ever you have on ya plate sorted and I'll take holidays and buy you lunches. Thats the biggee,,,we need to co-ordinate.

Neil i love my R33 it is a lot of fun and holds some sentimental value with me as does yours with you, you will get great satisfaction out of the transformation i know i did with mine.

My car only has 250-270 rwkw (depending on boost) but is sure does come on hard, last time you were in the car it had rubbish tyres with good rubber and a little time spent on the rear and set up you will not have any dramas with traction from 3rd and up.

The parts you have chosen look great, how much adjustment do you get out of the Nismo arms? All my arms are std with adj whiteline bushes they are ok but i want to solid mt the diff and cradle and run rose joints through the rear end. As for the front i have purchased a Chinese set of adj lower control arms and guess what they DONT fit woohoo so now i am looking for another option. I will be interested to see how much adjustment you can get out of the arms you have.

The std motors will last a long time if looked after correctly, you will have no drams here mate.

As for the cage they provide a great sense of security and really tie the car together, after driving mine with and without a cage you can really tell the difference. Just make sure it is designed specifically for YOU, it is hard letting someone cut your pride and joy up but if it is done write it will be very rewarding. Just make sure if you are getting a dash bar that the factory dash and cluster fits before it is all finished as mine didnt, if you are anything like me stuff like that is hard to fit into the budget.

My phone is always on if you need have any questions, i will be following your progress.

Good luck,

Ryan

Ryan,,,this will be interesting then,,,I'm hunting for more power than you then.,,,My bad,,,I thought you had way way way more power,,,I need to do it with a standard albeit a high flow factory turbo one. I could cheat and run an R34 GTT turbo but I'm not into that. Imagine winning my class at TT and then being dis-qualified. I would never show my face on SAU again.

You will be dissapointed to know that the Nismo arms are not adjustable,,,just another Targa rule. Yes they alter camber but very little.

Cheers

Neil.

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what year TT are you aiming for Neil?

i was originally aiming for 2012, but now thinking its more realistic in 2013 it really depends what happens at work at the begining of next year.

how far are you going with the stipping? all the aircon and fans and heater? or will you be leaving some of that stuff. I'm still undecided, as a few of those items can be really helpful in those raining/foggy situations.

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