tangomatt

I have been a good boy all year, so Santa rewarded me with some of JDM's finest for Christmas.... Nismo Heaven! Dry carbon spoiler flap - supposedly 750g weight saving (big deal) and more downforce at speed due to raised gurney at the trailing edge according to Nismo. To me its an obsession with carbon fibre! Fitted: Look at the perfectly symmetrical and even dry carbon weave up close: Even the striation of the weave is visible. Unlike 'wet' carbon, there is NO gloss clear resin overlay on 'dry' carbon. I UV protected it with a few coats of 'Zaino' Next up Garage Defend Carbon Cooling radiator panel. The supposed benefit is that the panel will divert more air to the intercooler and radiator. But again its my obsession with carbon fibre again! Installed: Continued next post....

Hey Mark, The excitement is palpable. It seems like its all falling into place now. All the shiny bits in the engine look good. Cheers Matt

I agree! A straight out of the box R34 is boring and very very ordinary. That's why my R34 didn't stay stock for more than two weeks! The R35 on the other hand is fast in stock form, no doubt about that. I am just making comparison based on MY OWN experience with my modded R34. I wish one day I would be in a position like Snowman owning BOTH a modded R34 and a R35 - The best of both worlds. I envy you Snowman!

I agree totally with the above quote, as I test drove the R35 at Ferntree Gully Nissan two weekends ago. The R35 is tamed, quiet, efficient, clinically fast and easy to drive briskly on the streets. In comparison, my R34 requires a real effort to drive fast, and it makes all the whizz, bang idiosyncratic noises (the rattling from the twin plate clutch; the minor squeal from cold brakes; the howl from the front pipes at over 4000rpms; even the puff of smoke that I leave behind when I hammar it) that make it exciting and give it personality; its also manual so I can light up the tyres at will. It hunches and lurches around corners if not careful (until I get my suspension sorted). ANd it bites if you don't respect it. That's my 2 cents worth. This is an interesting thread as I have the same dilemma! Cheers

Yes, SS8_Gohan is spot on with the explanation. I didn't mean to create confusion. BNR34 came with NO electronic stability aids, only ATTESA (acronym for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain). Cheers Matt Thanks Phil! Your car is well known internationally! I drew inspiration from your car and a few other well known ones - the Top Secret Competizione R34; Jay's JDMEgo R34 in The States; 'Darkchild's BNR34 from Malaysia etc. Please don't sell it (if you were thinking about selling it) I love your car in black as well. Cheers Matt

This has to be one of the toughest R34 GTR around. Makes mine look tame lol. It would be interesting to have a look at a dyno graph. Also, more pics please. If I hadn't spent all that dough on my build, I would have snapped this one up GL with your sale.

Certainly, video will be on its way. Cheers Matt

Bump! Anyone?

Looking for a cheap sump to cover the bottom end of engine to be sold. Please pm if you have one collecting dust to give away or for sale. Cheers Matt

Hi guys I am selling my original engine, but need an old sump to cover the bottom end as the original one has been placed on my new engine. My engine is going interstate. I just need the sump, no diff required. Pm me please Cheers Matt

GT500 block...Hmm.... I am so jealous! Head work looks great.

SOLD at a damn bargain price

I guess that is true to some extent (except I don't have a BIG cheque book, just a limited one) as I am relying on a third party to take care of the engine side of things. Knowledge about the car I have, albeit not enough to dictate exactly what components; brands; specs for the engine builder to use. There is a bit of blind faith involved when I, myself does not have to mechanical know how. The situation with the engine is mainly I do not want to be in a position where a component that I specifically stipulated is blamed for an unexpected failure or diminished performance. Certainly I questioned intensely the Racepace approach to engine building and doubted why things were done in a certain way, and every time each of my concerns were answered unequivocally, with 100% confidence and data to back up from their own research and customers cars! As for the rest of the car, the bodykit, brakes, wheels, tyres, interior bits and pieces; clutch (list goes on) choices I have all selected meticulously myself. I think I have personalised my car that way and made it uniquely mine!!! So, 'NO' I have not let someone else create my wildest and wettest dream!

I guess that is true to some extent (except I don't have a BIG cheque book, just a limited one) as I am relying on a third party to take care of the engine side of things. Knowledge about the car I have, albeit not enough to dictate exactly what components; brands; specs for the engine builder to use. It is a bit of blind faith involved when I, myself does not have the mechanical know how. The situation with the engine is mainly I do not want to be in a situation where a component that I specifically stipulated is blamed for an unexpected failure or diminished performance. As for the rest of the car, the bodykit, brakes, wheels, tyres, interior bits and pieces; clutch (list goes on) choices I have all selected meticulously myself. I think I have personalised my car that way and made it uniquely mine!!! So, 'NO' I have not let someone else create my wildest and wettest dream!

When we were planning for the build, I was prepared to purchase whatever that was deemed necessary to benefit power and responsiveness on a RB28 platform. If Racepace had recommended ATI damper, Nismo Plenum (which in fact I purchased and subsequently sold); HKS 2530s; fuel rails/pumps; surge tanks; carbon drive shafts; head upgrade; whatever cam profile etc. etc. I would have sourced them and incorporated in the build. The real inspiration came from Racepace own demo R33GTR. Basically the brief for my build was to replicate the way that car drove as close as possible and keep it smooth and quiet to avoid unnecessary attention on the roads.

Hi Jack, Thanks, I think all credit goes to Racepace. I asked Chris/Beno whether there is anymore (power) in the engine with further tuning and higher boost. The answer was to the effect of 'the brighter it burns; the shorter it lasts!' Pm sent. Cheers Matt

Hey Allen, Thanks! So, what's your latest creation? I keep an eye on your builds on the Autosalon magazine. YOU are truly the ultimate when it comes to modifying JDM cars! The engine bay does look different with the black crinkled paint scheme. I guess the aim was to make it stealth. As for the V Cam - improves low end torque and the engine revs alot smoother and quicker through out the entire rpm range Hey guys, Am I missing something about my car being 'gay'?!? or something relating to women?!? Please explain... Cheers Matt

Thanks to the organisers, the event was a great success! It was great putting faces to familiar names on the forum. There is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon amongst cars and having a good old yarn with fellow enthusiasts. Some noteworthy observations: The offset of those VS Work rims on the S14 is absolutely mental and insane - you gotta to love that totally 'slammed' look The Cortina got the most attention from the general public - especially the 'older' demographics. GO CORTINA! The multicoloured Titan lip Gram lights 57S-PRO on the R32 GTR was most eye catching The dramatic arrival of the R32 on Jacks' flatbed truck - I wondered what happened? The only real contest was the voting for the best R33 GTR The general respect and admiration that everyone showed towards each other's pride and joy.

Hi Az, It must have been another car with those gold TE37s. I did consider getting some gold mags at one stage, but in the end decided to stick with black. Cheers Matt

As Eric Bana says in his 'Love the Beast' documentary; his car (in this context, my build thread) is like 'a camp fire', where his mates (our forum members) would gather round and derive enjoyment and comradery. Everyday I look forward to reading new replies. I guess this 'camp fire', metaphorically speaking, is the heart and soul of the build. Thank you all for the congratulatory comments, its like having a new baby in the family! To gain respect from a R35 owner certainly means a lot to me! Cheers Matt

Thank you all again for feedback! The photos really show off the lines of the R34 GTR well! Sorry Roy and Dazmo, I did not mean to incite an argument on selection of turbos - HKS 2530s vs Garrett -5s. Roy is correct in saying that Vics have some favoritism towards the -5s. The choice I made was NOT based on cost, but rather on Beno's advice. We pondered over choice of twin turbos setup - Tomei Arms B7660; HKS GTRS; 2530s; Garrett -5s and various Racepace spec turbos. In the end, Beno says he has tested them all and in his opinion, the off the shelf Garretts -5s were the way to proceed. I am sure he has his reasons and I did not persist with questioning him in detail. That's the thing with extensive rebuilds, especially when one has limited knowledge and minimal expertise in motor mechanics, automotive engineering etc. (like myself), you just have to TRUST your tuner wholeheartedly and have faith that what the tune recommends will deliver. See you Vic members at the Show n' Shine! I am looking forward to it. Cheers Matt

Pro Photos have been processed. However, due to 'copyright' agreement, I cannot post any large format photos. All pictures are watermarked with 'Joel Strickland'. I apologise, but you all know about copyright laws blah, blah, blah.... Here's a sample for my favourites: Just expressing my courtesy and respect for Joel, here's the link to Joel's website: (Note I have no financial interest in his work) Joel Strickland Photographics Website

THANKS GUYS (Sled, Talbo, astrotristan2) for kind words! Hi Dazmo, I feel a bit inadequate now since checking out the power otuput of your RB28 and HKS 2530s. Hmmm... Maybe another upgrade o 2530s. I hope another tune after running in 1000kms would yield more mid range response, maybe wick up the boost to 25psi? Cheers Matt

Thanks Jonn. It would be good to see a few more dynos of RB28 with different turbos and cam profile for comparison.

Dazmo: You wouldn't happen to have a dyno graph of your RB28 HKS 2530s beast? Would you care to post it up for comparison? It would be interesting to see how the VCam affect the shape of the power curve. Cheers Matt