Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,188
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Nov 25, 2022 15:29:33 GMT
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In another life I'd absolutely be listing to Evanescence while working on an R34. Unfortunately I too completely missed the boat on them and didn't have any memories to fall back on so this thread is extremely helpful, in a vicarious sense. Saw them live last week and I thoroughly agree. R34 and some early 2000's metal... Perfect.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Nov 25, 2022 16:01:13 GMT
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In another life I'd absolutely be listing to Evanescence while working on an R34. Unfortunately I too completely missed the boat on them and didn't have any memories to fall back on so this thread is extremely helpful, in a vicarious sense. Saw them live last week and I thoroughly agree. R34 and some early 2000's metal... Perfect. As did I! At the O2? Absolutely awesome, same every time I go.
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,188
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Nov 28, 2022 10:14:01 GMT
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Saw them live last week and I thoroughly agree. R34 and some early 2000's metal... Perfect. As did I! At the O2? Absolutely awesome, same every time I go. Utilita in Birmingham. Within Tempatation aren't bad either!
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Dec 20, 2022 15:16:38 GMT
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So, after some more titivating, the car was ready to go off to someone far more skilled than I. First up the glass was pulled, and the wheels whipped off. Then the spot welded areas around the windows, door shut, boot shut, arch lip and rear panel were ground back and drilled out. I nipped over to collect the glass and headlining to get it out of the way, and arrived just after the first quarter had been removed. It's as rust free as I was expecting, excellent. The other side followed suit shortly after. Seeing the car in this state was a surprisingly effective laxative - the rear panel was hanging on for dear life! Before any further cutting or welding, the new panel was offered up for a test fit. You can see the existing inner arch in this picture, which gives you an idea of the difference in width. You can also see how the step in the panel lines up with the step in the tail light. It sounds trivial, but this has taken a full year of planning, searching and saving to get to this point, and this was the first time it felt worth it. When planning the job out, we spoke about the best way to widen the inner arch tub to meet the new quarter panel. I was advised it would probably be a good idea to add the extension in the middle of the inner tub, to keep the OEM lip on the inner tub to meet the new quarter, which sounded a good idea to me. The tub was whipped off, extended, and slapped back in place. Easy as that! The inner areas were coated with an epoxy primer for now, ahead of me doing a bare metal underside resto once the car is back with me. With that done, the new outer quarter can go on for good.
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Dec 20, 2022 15:21:20 GMT
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,188
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Dec 20, 2022 16:07:04 GMT
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Wow, never really get a clear idea of how much wider the GTR is over a standard Skyline, the standard wheels look lost!
Great job so far.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus
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mylittletony
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,337
Club RR Member Number: 84
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R34 - Getting out of handmylittletony
@mylittletony
Club Retro Rides Member 84
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Dec 20, 2022 16:14:39 GMT
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Well in!!
You have a large pair of plums to get into that level of work, nice one!
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Dec 21, 2022 13:47:08 GMT
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Thanks guys. Only a small update this time round: As many of you may know, Japanese cars are limited to 180km/h from the factory. In most cases this means they are supplied with clocks which only read up to 180km/h, because any more than that would simply be a waste, sir. I generally like keeping JDM imports reading in km/h when they come over, partly for the novelty of it but mainly to prevent having a mixture of kms and miles on the odometer. It also helps with keeping the 4 wheel steering and TCS/stability working correctly as mentioned in a previous post. Whilst it's quite entertaining being able to send the needle flying right off the end of the clock when the mood takes you, it would still be nice to be able to see exactly how fast you're actually going. I intend to do plenty of trackdays and euro travels so I'm sure I'll have occasions where I'd like to see how much past the 100mph mark I'm actually travelling. Nismo released a 300km/h cluster many years ago, which had been long since discontinued. These are reaching up to around £5k for a N.O.S example on popular auction sites. Crazy money, but people pay it, which seems to be the common theme with these cars these days. Anyway, with the rampant increase in popularity of these cars and parts, Nismo have been re-releasing parts in limited runs through their 'Nismo Heritage' program - I have been keeping an eye out on and off because there were rumours that they would reproduce the Nismo clusters for R34 GTR, R34 GTT and S15. A couple of months ago, pre-orders opened for the GTR clusters and they sold out instantly. There had been no sign that the GTT cluster (the one I need) was going to show up, so I sort of stopped bothering, until last night when I spotted the pre order listing whilst looking for something else. I somehow got lucky with timing, and managed to get a pre-order placed for a brand new cluster, at a very very sensible price. Delivery is marked as April, so it'll be a while until it arrives (if at all, I'm not sure how reliable the pre-order system is, whether I'll get bumped off in favour of a trade customer, etc etc) but if it works out, I'll be over the moon. It'll also mean the mileage will show as 0kms, which I like the idea of, considering this is pretty much a ground up restoration. Some may disagree, but I don't ever intend to sell this car given how much time, effort and money is going into it, so I'm not worried about that side of things. It may seem trivial to some, but these clocks may actually be one of my favourite parts of the car, I'm not even entirely sure why that is!
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Dec 21, 2022 14:52:11 GMT
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Now that's a properly niche aftermarket part - hope your allocation comes through. Mind you, are you sure you don't want to keep the original - it's got 3/4 of a tank!
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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This weekend was a brief dalliance in titivation to the tune of RHCP's Stadium Arcadium, in my opinion their best album of recent years. Commencing drivel… I have been restrained in doing anything with the car since Xmas as we're on the brink of a house move, so didn't want to end up with a car in pieces with no suspension or wheels, which would be a pain in the backside to shift across the county. Over the past month, I'd been watching a genuine OEM GTR rear bumper on eBay which was new-old-stock. It had no box and had some storage marks, but nothing major. These are currently available for circa £800+ from a few specialists, but supply is dwindling as they're no longer produced. This was on eBay for £650 plus shipping, so I kept it in my watch list, since it's not really a necessary purchase at the moment and I was looking to keep some funds aside for moving day and getting through the first month in the new place. Loopy Liz Truss had already added 30% to my new mortgage and the move from a 1 bed bungalow to a 4 bed house meant my energy costs were going to be disgustingly different. The wider GTR rear quarters on my car require this wider rear bumper from the same model. This is one area where people use a copy bumper and it's very obvious due to iffy panel fitment, missing pickups underneath (for brackets etc, again aiding fitment) and it generally brings the quality of the final product right down. As I’ve said before I’m not making a GTR copy, but I’d like a wide arched variant as a base, and the base GTR styling is a perfect starting point for adding some subtle aero going forwards. Last week, the bumper was marked down 20% in one of eBay's discount events, making it £520 plus shipping. The listing still had the option to make offers, so I figured it was worth making a cheeky offer of £400, thinking the seller might counter-offer £450ish, and I will have saved myself some money what would be an expensive future purchase. They only bloody accepted the first offer... Roll on the weekend, the dog helped my unwrap and check it and it's all sweet. I rolled the car out for a couple of hours, clipped the bumper in place for safe keeping (I need a couple of different brackets and fixings for proper install) and checked the fit. Spot on. Quite happy with that. Next update will hopefully be at the new place, and the car will most likely be upside down and looking naked.
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Nath
Part of things
Looking for a Retro
Posts: 300
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So glad i've came across this, do love a nice Skyline! I remember when I was living back up North, my mate was learning in a Bayside blue Skyline (not sure if it was a turbo or not) but seeing L Plates on a Skyline was....bizarre! Are you far from Southampton as I'd love to see this in the flesh!
bookmarked for future!
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Thanks Nath! Not particularly close to Southampton but I have family that way so it may end up venturing down there from time to time once done.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,191
Club RR Member Number: 170
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R34 - Getting out of handChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Feb 12, 2023 10:16:43 GMT
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Just read this, and I am loving the build!
The attention to detail is stellar. I look forward to seeing how this turns out.
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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After a brief intermission involving packing up and moving my entire circus out t'countryside, we're back. This weeks soundtrack - Soul II Soul: Club Classics Vol One. The plan is to pull the engine and box out over the bank holiday weekend with a few mates, so I figured I'd break away from the decorating and DIY and cross off some easy jobs ahead of time. In all honesty, I was getting antsy having not done anything useful on the car for months. Whilst I've got a buttload more working space now under a huge carport at the side of the house, I've got less space for parts storage. This will be fixed in the future when the carport goes and we build a proper garage but right now I can manage, just means I've got a full interior, most bodypanels, and most of the glass for a Skyline in the downstairs office. The Boss isn't best pleased, but we won't be using the room any time soon so that's just how it'll have to be. The point I'm making is, the lack of storage means I have to be efficient and organised when taking bits and pieces off, so I don't just pile everything up in the shed & office and end up ruining everything. First up, whip the skanky headlamps off. These are halogen lamps - my last one had factory Xenons which were much better looking units and I never felt like I was lacking in light output. I may look for second hand Xenons since brand new units are being listed at upwards of £7,000 per side in some places, but I don't need to worry about any of that for now. I just need them out of the way and put somewhere safe. The units are held in with a few easy access 10mm bolts. Usually the tabs on top of the lamp are broken, they get brittle and the slightest bump on the bumper or wing causes them to snap. Hazy/distressed lenses are common, as with most JDM cars, you can buy replacement lenses pretty cheap around £250 IIRC or you can sand these back and polish them up. If I keep these lamps I'll probably buy replacement lenses and put a layer of clear UV protective vinyl or PPF over the top which usually helps keep them fresh. ] Next up, crash bar off. This crash bar holds the headlamp brackets (vertical brackets at each end of the grill) and bumper retaining brackets which run around under the headlamps. This is attaches to the chassis rails with 4 large bolts and will go into the pile of bits to be refurbed before refitting. With the crash bar and associated bracketry out of the way, I figured I may as well take off the bonnet latch support since it's only another 3 x 10mm bolts, followed by the electric fan. As everyone knows, the Japanese take fastidious care of their cars. They are serviced to an impeccable standard with exceptional regularity, as evidenced by the condition of the air filt…. Oh. The air feed for the airbox is clipped onto the rad panel, and the airbox itself is held in place with 4 x 10mm bolts. Unplug the MAF, pop a vac line off the back and undo the jubilee clip to the elbow and out she comes. I didn't really have a plan as such and was just sort of fiddling around with some tunes on, so I figured this would be a good place to get washed up and wander down the pub to reward myself for a job well done. Next weekend will be a busy one, the engine stand and engine crane are ready to go, and I'm excited to make some real progress. It'll be mostly labour from here for a while, which is good because I'm flat broke at the minute with the Missus going all Florence Llewelyn Bellend indoors with wallpaper and furniture coming out of her ears. I'm keeping on top of the organisation, just need to get some labels I think to put on the connectors on the loom as I take it apart as I've got a feeling I'm going to forget how it goes back together. More as it happens..
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Imagine taking your running, driving car and ruining it.
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Apr 10, 2023 21:31:30 GMT
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Very interesting read, I do love the care you’ve taken to source parts. Can i ask, where did you get the OE clocks, is this the re-released from Nissan parts? I’ve stayed away from looking for some years as not end up buying another project, but I’ve failed, so I’m back on the part gathering, the info would be most appreciated.
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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Very interesting read, I do love the care you’ve taken to source parts. Can i ask, where did you get the OE clocks, is this the re-released from Nissan parts? I’ve stayed away from looking for some years as not end up buying another project, but I’ve failed, so I’m back on the part gathering, the info would be most appreciated. Hi bud, thanks for the comment. I ordered the re-released set from Nissan via RHDJapan. I've not recieved yet and the listing has been removed now so idk what the deal is, I guess I'll find out
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Of course! RHDJapan, it’s been so long I’d forgotten about them. It’s amazing what info just goes away when you haven’t had a project for a good long time. Thanks again. I hope they turn up 👌🏻
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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May 11, 2023 12:37:26 GMT
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Post 1 of 3: I’ve been busy making more mess, so a quick update is in order. Unfortunately I’ve been quite ill so photos were an afterthought for most of the past month, please bare with me! This week I’d recommend No More Idols by Chase and Status, good way to manifest the noise and chaos that has been unfolding. When I left you last I’d been getting ready to whip the engine and box out. This was fairly straightforward - a couple of buddies came round to lend a hand and start to finish was about 4 hours work. A few thousand swear words were uttered in those few hours but it is what it is. With the fat lump out of the way, the engine bay looked a little bit of a mess, in reality it needs another hour of tidying up the wiring loom and many of the residual lines were due to come out with the front subframe. With the car rolled out the way I could throw the engine up on the stand and get it tucked away for future molestation. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I finally got back out to carry on stripping (…the car). I’d bought a rollover jig and needed the subframes and fuel tank off the car to be able to access the underside and to make the shell as light as possible so I don’t end up kickflipping my skyline over the neighbours fence when I try to roll it over. Front subframe off first - shocks out, then basically 4 bolts for the subframe and it all comes off in one. I’ll be keeping the subframe all built up for now and make it a separate project later on. Not long later, the rear subframe came out. Pretty much the same way, all in one with the driveshaft and diff in situ. Looking back at these pics makes me realise how messy I am, tools everywhere! Finally the fuel tank came out. There’s an access hatch in the boot for the top of the tank where I disconnected the wiring, and the two fuel lines. The tank straps are loosened and the tank dropped out on a trolley jack.
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Last Edit: May 11, 2023 12:41:15 GMT by jossd
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jossd
Part of things
Posts: 31
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May 11, 2023 12:38:31 GMT
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Post 2 of 3: My rollover jig had arrived the week before so I got that put together and ready for the Long Dog Inspection Team to check it over. And after about a day of making and remaking brackets to attach the jig to the car, I had finally got the b’stard up in the air. I haven’t tried rolling it over yet because, frankly, the thought of dropping it makes my butthole twitch something chronic.
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Last Edit: May 11, 2023 12:41:36 GMT by jossd
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