Rezz

Classic thread... solid gold classic right there

Thanks Poida... I was just going to say, theres the 'Japan headcount' thread 7 threads down on the main page. Closed.

Update Bit of oldskool history here: 童夢-零 DOME Zero The original Dome Zero: Japans first proper 'Supercar' born in 1978. It was a prototype sportscar from DOME Co. Ltd that was exhibited at the 48th Geneva International Auto Show. The 'Dome Project', started by Minoru Hayashi in 1975, had the goal of producing small volume sports cars using knowledge gained from his racing exploits. The Dome Zero was the first of such low volume sportscars, and after failed attempts at getting Japanese domestic homologation due to 'bureaucratic barriers', their efforts were concentrated on overseas homologation. The project would never be completed... The story of the Zero is one of bad timing, and although the Zero was the dream car of Mr Hayashi from the very beginning, an equal love of competitive racing would see to it that the Zero road car was put on the backburner indefinately. The initial design of the Zero started in 1976 with most of the work done on the prototype done by the end of the following year. It was at this time that Hayashi first had the idea to be able to compete at Le Mans, a prospect that had full support from his employees. Getting funds to be able to compete at Le Mans became a top priority, and being able to sell some low volume sportscars would help aswell. But this is where things got difficult. The Dome Zero prototype was completed in time for the 48th Geneva Auto Show in '78 where it was the hit of the show and had recieved alot of attention from various investors and interested buyers, but as mentioned earlier, Japanese homologation was discouraged. This led to more energy being commited to a second prototype road car and the Le Mans endevour, which began the following year from 1979 until 1986. It's not entirely clear exactly why the Dome Zero (structurally) couldn't get Japanese homologation for such a successful concept car, but what is clear is that homologation rules were very strict at that time in Japan, and Dome hadn't the funds to go through with the costly homologation proceedure - which Japans mainstream auto makers with their giant budgets had no trouble doing. This led to the development of the Dome Zero P2, a car made specifically for the international market. The P2 had unsightly large front and rear bumpers added (for the US market) and various other structural strengthening. Even so, the car was shown in Chicago and Los Angeles in 1979 and had rave reviews from the US 'Road and Track' magazine. It was at this point, Hayashi realized a high profile could be had by making a Dome Zero racing car dubbed the 'RL'. The RL was raced at Le Mans in '79 but DNF'd, and only managed a last place finish in 1980. It was at this time that Dome dropped the Zero road and race car projects altogether and continued contesting Le Mans with other cars until 1986. The Dome Zero RL: The Dome Zero wasn't really a supercar by todays standards, but for Japanese privateer carmakers at the time, it was an incredible step forward. It was by no means powerful with it's 2.8L L28 SOHC inline six cylinder engine producing 145ps (105kw), but it only had to propel a 920kg chassis. The exterior and interior styling was sensational for 1978, the wedge styling looking like a cross between a Lancia Stratos and a futuristic Lamborghini Countach... if you can imagine that. The Dome Zero P2 was to sell for around 4,000,000 yen (A$45,631) Name: Dome Zero Chassis: - (mid engine rear wheel drive) Engine: L28 Capacity: 2753cc Power: 145ps (105kw) Torque: 14.0kg/m Transmission: 5MT Weight: 920kg Drive: Rear wheels Brakes: Ventilated disks/solid disks Suspension: Double wishbone/coils Tyre: 185/60/VR13 Front, 255/55/VR14 Rear

Jowett Jupiter Sports car - class winner at Le Mans from '50 - '52?

Sounds like you've got completely wack FWD offset wheels on if 8" wide rims scrape on your 33. Basically, I had 19x9.5 rims on the front of my S13 and they didn't scrape at all lock to lock. It was a matter of either a) getting a low enough offset (like +15 or lower) or wacking a 25mm spacer on... but do that and you'd have to get wide front guards obviously. Flaring the rear guards would be the maximum you'd have to do in order to fit 10" wide rims. I'll be honest, when talking about Skylines I'd only really recommend proper Japanese wheels in conservative sizes (up to 18/19 inch). Going 20s with widths over 9" wide is getting into VIP territory and really only suited to big sedans/SUVs.

Tubs??? Just how wide do you want to go? I've got 10" wide rims under my S13 Silvia with lipped guards only. Ok, it isn't slammed as much as some, but then again slamming cars too much blah blah blah.

Those are worth nothing in Japan (like $250 THE LOT), so the estimates of $800 above seems ok I guess... those rims have been out of production for years.

I went for #9. It just looks very 'Australian' to me, as opposed to all the other Skyline sites banners from other countries.

What do you mean 'it was on it's rims'? You mean they did burnouts so much that there were no tires left, yet they still managed to get away from the cops? :wtf: I'm refering to the first post lol

Geeeeeezuz Keerrrrrrist. Would you listen to you all? You've scared the poor guy off with all your 'MY states better than your state so nyaaah!' crap. It happens without fail on any Aussie forum. F*ck! Ok, rant over. js3324: Mate, as stated above, just reseach the state Universities in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland and see which one specializes in what you're studying. There are a heap of other good Uni's in AU, but as was also stated above, the east coast is much more convenient in all aspects exept beatiful women, the best weather and lifestyle... you'd have to come to Perth, Western Australia for that...

My apologies good fellow Ok first of all, the black bonnet and boot lid. We weren't going to paint them at all originally (just leave them white) but the guy doing the spray painting said it was no trouble spraying them black while he had the gun out for the mirrors, grille etc. I personally don't like black painted bonnets it kinda looks try hard carbon ya know? lol. Anyway, the paint color (Mitsu 380 monlten red) it awesome IMO, totally goes against all the kermit greens, yellows, pinks etc that you see every other S13 in. Also, in the sunlight the 380 Red has this wicked gold flake... a factory color btw. In the shade though it just looks like a wine red, it's really unassuming. The 19 inch Starcorp Impuls got sold to a VERY enthusiastic bloke who introduced himself as 'Paul the Maori'. Paul had a BA XR6 Turbo, and the wheels looked the goods on it. I wanted to sell because the 19s were just too big on the Silvia, it watered down the performance a bit... probably because they were so heavy and the rolling diameter was out by quite a margin. My brother wants to sell his white Starcorp Impuls to any Perth people who are interested? $2000 the lot with the mandatory 15mm spacers to clear the front calipers (on R32 GTS-t Type M, maybe R33 GTS25t aswell). Next on the list is carbon bonnet and boot, Racing Hart CP-S10s and interior bits and LEDs galore... in good taste of course

Thats a Honda Prelude... dude. I don't care if Americans can't get Skylines, that kind of Skyline disrespect should be made illegal. "...WOAH look at his Hahn-duh!!!"

They were about $220 for the pair. No work had to be done to them, I fitted them myself (and my friend help with the drivers side one). I got them in Japan and fitted them there before the car was shipped over. If by work you mean positioning and fiting, well there was none, just whacked em on first try. See, thats the problem with cheap and nasty kits made and sold in Australia... they are substandard, it's like fiberglassing is in the dark ages still. My guards on my Silvia are the biggest pieces of shit I've ever laid my eyes on (from the so-called 'Best bodykit maker in Perth') and he still charged $550 for them. When I asked what he thought of the R32 aero guards he said 'well they're original Japanese guards and you probably paid a bomb for them..' No... I paid a bomb for your shitty ones. I'll post up pcs of the Silvia tomorrow - she's all painted and I'll show you the guards up close... it's embarrassing. PM me if you want to know who the supplier was

export: If you read this (you won't but I can try) and you are a Japanese citizen why don't you find other ways of offering services to SAU memebers instead of the shonky Yahoo auctions way? Why not offer some cheap accomodation? Or a tour guide service that has motorsport as a priority? Or why don't you come down to Australia and show us your ninja drifting skills? Whats that? You're a semi-retired 58 year old ojisan who wants to make a quick buck so you can get on down to the nearest Pachinko parlour? ...aaaaaaaand locked.

Yep, the relatively cheap large RWD sedan with plenty of power is what Australia makes best... even Toyota's Crown Majesta (4.3L V8 FR sedan) is more a Mercedes E-class competitor. The concept of a cheap V8 RWD sedan is foreign to the rest of the world bar the USA, and I'm not suprised the Top Gear crew loved the Monaro. If the VE Commodore V8 had quad cams (higher rev limit and peak torque higher in the rev range), sub 1600kg kerb weight and better build quality, I would get one... I think I just described a BMW 540i...

Smiddy I've got some wheels you might be interested in. PM me if you want more details. I'm in Victoria Park.

I personally was posting about my experience with a late model Commodore SS. The fact that I had just gotten out of an S13 beforehand doesn't mean I was comparing the two. I've driven many many *sportscars* and the FD RX-7 was the standout *Sportscar* in my opinion. That was my idea of a sportscar. Now one of the other members said "just cause there not imported,doesnt mean that cant handle like a sports car." I replied basically that the bar is set so high these days for *sportscars* that the Commodore shouldn't even be put in the same sentence, and it's all relative to what you've driven before. It's a GT sedan and theres nothing wrong with that - if you're happy with the build quality A GT sedan/coupe. I think you mean Aus delivered? I totally agree with you there. This is why I hope the VE is a great car and the locals will finally get a car that they KNOW is good from top to bottom (with proper brakes and sub-1650kg... wishful thinking) What the Japanese makers offer in Australia is only half the story. Pit the Commodore up against the Toyota Mark X (JDM only) and you know what would happen? The local car rags would say the Toyota is a great car... but the Commodore is best for Aussie roads. With such one eyed support for the 'Can-do-no-wrong' Holden Commodore, I'm not suprised all the Japanese makers offer are FWD refrigerators in the large car class. And vice versa in Japan. Their car magazines are very one eyed and give 100% support their local brands too... OS car makers in Japan have such a hard time, all except Mercedes and BMW - who incidently make better cars...Commodores up until now have had so much local support even with all it's quality flaws etc, but now it's time to see the car for what it really is. Can it stand up to the OS makes with decreasing import tariffs? Once again, I hope so.

That would put it about 1968 then suckah... I thought you were talking about FWD Celicas. The early '81 - '86 MA61 Celica XX (Supra in AU) was the last time a Celica could be called a proper GT car.

Celica is a GT car? Since when? FWD sports cars exist because from the late '70s FWD was the prefered driveline that was cheap to develop, safer (to a degree), and offered more cabin space for small cars. The Sports versions are just marketing, but Toyota, Honda, Renault etc developed the concept to the point were alot of the shortcomings of FWD drivelines were almost done away with (especially with the Honda Integra Type R). So you could say that some people actually prefered to drive these 'proper' FWD sports cars. Well that and the distinct lack of RWD sports cars from big makers like Nissan in recent years Just look at the BMW 1 Series. It's a 'FWD type' body in dimensions, but the driveline is RWD, which harks back to the '70s when the majority of smaller cars were still RWD. The 1 Series (especially the 3.0 model) is the best small car around... because it's RWD. But the same amount of people that think it's good because it's RWD will say it's bad because it's so cramped in the rear seats...

Yeah sorry no response. I didn't know how long to wait? But 2 weeks should just about do it. Ages ago I had a photo of an R31 Autech Version with that kit on (probably a copy) so I think they did exist. I think I actually posted it up at R31 Skylines club... but oddly enough most people bagged it out? It was a few years ago now.

Japans registration laws are the way they are primarily for pollution - or so it would seem. The spiralling registration costs after a car hits 3 years old are just as much to do with keeping the car factories afloat (and the economy) as they are keeping a young, less polluting car fleet on the roads. This 'throwaway' mentality is pretty much the same for consumer electronics too... just so happens to be the other big industry in Japan. Maybe that transport minister just got his new Holden Caprices ass handed to it by a humble Starlet GT?

^^^ Yes. They are ANCIENT cars, so rebuilding/replacing stuff is fairly cheap. I had a hiflowed T25 (watercooled lol) on my old N12 ET, and it saw 2 bar on more than one occasion... They're great fun for a little while, but the torque steer and zero street cred get on your nerves pretty quickly.

That all hinges on the base cars abilities. If the handling 'bar' is set so low to begin with (eg: Commodore SS V8), theres no reason why you can't add a Whiteline suspension package and then say the SS Commie had "sports car like" handling. The modified car would be light years ahead of the base car. That said, go jump into a stock FD3S Mazda RX-7 then tell me which you'd prefer to drive hard. Yes I'm basically saying the Falcons and Commodores can't handle compared to various other (older) FR cars that have performance underpinnings. One day I got straight out of my modified S13 Silvia and into a basically stock VY SS V8. I couldn't have been more disappointed. After all the *great* things I'd heard about the Gen III and the SS package as a whole, after a hard drive I couldn't wait to get out of it. The driving position, the numb steering, then wallowy ride and direction change and the brakes! Don't get me started on those poor excuses for brakes... even after giving the Gen III a good thrashing I was left wondering what all the hype was... then I figured it out: Compared to previous models, the VT-VZ was a step ahead. And I'll agree with that. What I don't agree with is that Holden/Ford contiually pitch their large FR cars as great allrounders that can mix it with the best on a track. In a straight line maybe? So long as you've got the top Gen IV under the hood? I think the Monaro advertisement in Wheels magazine a few years back summed it up nicely - a Monaro three car lengths ahead of a PORSCHE 911 crossing the line first. Arrogant? If they'd replaced the 911 with a Falcon I would've thought nothing of it. If you read Wheels or Motor magazine you'd be forgiven that the Commodore Clubsport R8 was a poor mans BMW M5... and it can be... if you never, ever get into a BMW M5. This kind of 'veil of secrecy' that hides the VT-VZs true abilities works best with the 'Holden men' (and likewise 'Ford men') who spend their lives buying and trading in Commodore after Commodore, and telling their offspring about 'Jap Crap' having never even driven one... but having been thrashed by many. The chances of these guys being exposed to a proper handling car is almost nil, and thats great for Holden as they can continue to get away with whatever they fancy. It's a mute point, people can choose whatever they want for a car, and they can like it and call it a V8 Supercar for all I care. I truely hope the VE Commodore succeeds at what it is best at being, a true Australian family car.

It's just usual caution/warning sticker... - To avoid accidents be aware of the following; - Always use the trailer safety chain (Captain Obvious c 2006) - Don't overload the trailer or use it in a use other than specified Maximum trailer load E: 2000kg C: 750kg A: 500kg (aggregate?) Maximum 'hitch ball' load @ 90 degrees E: 200kg C: 75kg A: 75kg - Check that the hitch ball and trailer chain bolts and nuts aren't loose before using the trailer (this is fun... ) - Put grease on the trailer coupler and the hitch ball to avoid 'chafing'... hehehe I'm trying to make this amusing... just use grease so there won't be any problems is what it says basically. - Get in contact with the place where you bought the trailer if you have any questions. - We can't guarantee anything if you don't follow the rules properly. Was there any hidden voodoo ninja info in there that the sticker ( being written in Japanese) made out? Please tell me you gained great knowledge from my 20 minutes of work and go on to become the best trailer hitching dude in Australia.