Duncan

Yes, that is true that a ball bearing turbo is likely to take that treatment better than a thrust bearing turbo (particularly compared to some of the old 270o thrust bearing turbos). I guess you don't need anyone to tell you it's not ideal either way though

Well, there is a reason TE37 (and their copies) have been popular on skylines over the years. They have the best brake clearance which helped back when 18" was crazy large. I know this isn't too helpful...but there is really no way to ensure a wheel will fit when it is close without trial fitting. Width and offset are a guide to getting the tyre to fit within the guards, but even then the width of the tyre and aspect ratio vary between manufacturers and models For caliper clearance, as you've discovered it comes down to design of the inside of the wheel. Offset can be a guide for that because wheels with a lot of "dish" generally sacrifice room for brakes. Some of the Japanese rims have options which provide more or less brake clearance but again it would not be a guarantee they fit. Generally, forged wheels have more internal clearance than cast My suggestion is stay with the classic wheels on your classic car. If you are determined to change going up a size will almost certainly fix the problem unless you choose low offset wheels.

do it man, throw a brick through it the night before

Good question, I've never really looked into it but isn't there a problem with aftermarket ECUs and Direct Injection? You may need to look into remapping the standard one.

I'd expect paperwork as on ongoing record of the work done to my car, doesn't seem like an unreasonable ask.

Funny story The above added ventilation has increased my IAT by 5°c and my coolant, which typically sits at about 90°c, was at 97°c After doing some hasty wool tuft testing, it seems kow when at speeds over 40kph the reverse cowl works very well at sucking in air, pressurising the engine compartment, and reducing the efficiency of radiator stack quite well I assume my trans temps would have raised as well as the air to oil trans coolers efficiency would have been effected as well So, lucky I have the spare bonnet that will be getting the frame modified to give me some clearance Marks bad idea #943: Fitting a reverse cowl scoop LOL 🤯 lol pics of driving around with wools stuck to the car or it didn't happen

Can you put up a pic of your setup? I don't understand why the balancer should turn due to a puller (normally the pushing rod for the balancer has a cap that rotates freely on the shaft) Either way, even if you don't have an assistant (and assuming you don't have a flywheel lock tool) you just need a bolt on the rear of the motor, a pry bar between the bolt and the flywheel ring gear, and a long arm...

So the FCD is cheapest way to address your immediate problem (other than putting the original exhaust back on) but it has a narrow range that it can help with. You should still probably run in on the dyno after install to be certain everything is OK so that is another couple of hundred. I picked up about 20kw back in the day when I put the FCD on with 3psi extra boost (10 instead of 7psi) An SAFC is a much more flexible choice than a FCD and it is probably able to deal with all the changes you listed. Again, you really need to set it up on a dyno to be sure everything is safe and it will take a little longer because there is more the set up. But, through 20 years of doing this and watching other people doing this...I can say 99% once you have done all your current plans, you will put on a bigger turbo, need bigger injectors and a new (or deleted) air flow meter and at that point you need an ECU. I have a Link on my Stagea and Haltech on the GTR, the Link does everything a street car needs and is cheaper (actually for that matter a PowerFC is way cheaper than either and does everything most people need) - but if you are going this route what really matters is what your tuner prefers because their time to tune something they are not familiar with will cost way more than any difference in purchase price

No idea, I don't have any around. But a quick search says it is no good for the paint's clear coat so probably not a good choice

brake cleaner/thinners and rags should get the rest

Yep, so the stageas are particularly sensitive to extra airflow, it's not exactly a boost cut as such but the factory ECU has a very narrow band of what it expects and once you go outside that it starts running very rich and retards the timing to protect the motor from what it thinks is some sort of issue. Shame because Stageas can do with a bit of extra go. You do have options like an HKS Fuel Cut Defender (that is where i started with mine), but realistically if you are going to modify a stagea you need to change the ECU early in the piece because it is very sensitive and you will probably go backwards from everything you listed above without one. I'd suggest saving for a Link or Haltech before you change anything else. Even now you are probably making less power, not more, than factory.

In that case, your whole issue could just be fouled plugs. I'd pull and replace them before worrying about anything else

Are you sure you have the right spark plugs and coil packs? Since they are the thing you changed immediately before it wouldn't start. Also, depending what you unplugged, make sure everything is seated properly and any grounds were bolted back down again too. I'm not certain about the 34 gtt setup, but assuming it is the same as earlier models you should find a pair of relays at the passenger kick panel, one for the ECU and one for the ignitiion. You should hear/feel them both click when the key is turned to ignition, and off again when the key is turned back to ACC (the ignition relay turns off immediately, the ECU relay turns off after a couple of second)

Mentioning what car this is could help a little, and since you suspect it is boost cut an indication of what boost it is at when it starts dying would help. Having said that, yes it is almost certainly "boost cut", particularly if it is reasonably smooth rather than a misfire which you can normally hear, and the only practical way to deal with it is an aftermarket ECU

OK the Patrol sump is potentially available in Aus but I'm not sure where you are (no location on your profile), there were a reasonable number sold here. I guess the rear sump still uses the regular RWD oil pickup point (obviously the Patrol is 4wd but it is likely the 4wd system is different to the other RB AWD systems), all of which sounds like the AWD block will make the pickup issue worse. One other option to consider, it is straightforward to modify the RB oil pump to use an external oil pickup, which you could then plumb to wherever your sump is. I don't have pics hand but there is an external bung on the pump that you can tap a fitting into instead (and block off the internal pickup of course)

I can't say for certain, but this was a common engine in AWD vs RWD and Auto vs Manual. It may simply be that most manuals were behind turbo engines. I'm not aware of any reason a RWD sump would fit a non-NEO, but not fit a NEO, as I believe all the material differences are in the head and intake (again from memory, I think the rods may be rb26 in the NEO but that has nothing to do with the sump). It can't even be related to NVCS feed or return because that was on the non-NEO heads too. I'd ask the seller what the issue is. A RWD oil pan bolts onto either RWD or AWD blocks no problem. From memory something is required with the pickup using an AWD block and RWD sump but from a quick search on here it may be as simple as modifying the standard sump baffles to suit. Again this issue was across non-NEO and NEO blocks and did not change AFAIK.

AWD blocks have bolt holes for RWD sump, so that part is OK. I am not sure how the pickup should be dealt with, the pickup is further forward in AWD block to avoid the front driveshaft which passes through the sump. I guess "something" custom is required there. There are both AWD and RWD Neos in Skylines, Stageas, Laurels, all sorts of things. Either should work as the base for your conversion, noting you will need a RWD or custom sump if you buy a 4WD engine Yes, auto and manual are the same block, the only difference is ring gear/torque converter vs flywheel and clutch and be aware the autos don't have a spigot bush (but you can insert on to the crank) Engine management is simple, any decent RB ECUs will support it. RB30 with a NEO head would save you 2 sets of changes (noting the Rb30 deck height can cause rework in exhaust, intake, coolant etc piping) Also, be aware that the RB25DE/DET NEO heads are the best of the RB series heads and are often in demand for conversions. You may find it easier/cheaper to go with a non-NEO engine.

You really need to know the machine shop's quote to fix it if you are going that way. The head is easy to hurt more than the block from an oil issue because the cams are steel, running in an aluminium head, withhout bearings in between...it can get chewed up pretty quick.

I've never used or seen that kit. project mu have a serious reputation in braking but there is a lot of information missing from that listing like type and style of dogbone, is the disc solid or full floating to the hats etc. It also mentions they run '1 synchronised pad per piston' which sounds overly complex solution to a non-problem to me. Also no information on price or availability of replacement pads or rotor rings If I was looking for something that serious I'd go AP racing or perhaps Brembo as they have plenty of users and good availability, but in any case something like Just Jap ATTKD are proven and less than half the price (assuming that listing is USD)

Rose joints rattle, and then they wear and rattle more. Seems like a strange way to support something with engine harmonics

Well, I bought brand new, custom BC Racing 18x10s for the GTR from just jap to get the right offset to fit under 23 guards, $4,400 for the set. They are good and strong as proven by crash testing.... Obviously Rays at 3 times that are a no go. I guess great condition, period forgies are probably going up in price at the same rate as GTRs, but maybe there are some scratched 2nd handies somewhere for a good price, that's what I'd be looking for. Hopefully the light car thing saves the problem, I suspect the real issue is with side impacts on curbs so driving style would have an impact

I just measured 2 pairs I have, which are both meant to be 32 GTR (one rebuilt with new boots, one original) Left is 615mm/605mm Right is 650mm/640mm In each case the rebuilt one is 10mm shorter than the original, and they vary from the other numbers you pulled up from the old post, which I guess just goes to show there is a lot of movement in a CV

You really want to repair if you can, although I believe there are billet aftermarket options which may be a go.

Good to see Matt, hope you have some car budget left after life and mortgage!

Just be aware that cast rims can let you down in an exciting manner of the track, I've soon both Rotas and Enkei fail. If you are using cast, make sure it is something tough and good quality casting like weds. I try to only use forged for racing even though they cost a bloody fortune