School Me On Skylines

[Gruelius]

Hi all

bit of a back story

Just started getting into cars buy buying two E30's and building a 1983 coupe over 6 months swapping motors, converting it to manual swapping windows, exhaust whole driveline new front control arms + other parts, swapping whole interior e.t.c. This took so long because i really had no idea lol.

Anyway got written off when someone crashed up the back of me 20 minutes after i registered it..... lol. So im getting paid out, selling the car and all my spares. original plan was to build a 2.7lt stroker in my spare time with megasquirt management but anyway

From all that ive learnt that i cbf doing alot of work initially to have a nice car and that even with alot of work if you start with shit well you sort of end up with shit haha.

goal for my next car is something that can push me into the seat and also ferry me around town easily without too many issues. handling must also be good.

Anyway visually i like the R32's the most. but ive got a few questions

how advanced is the R32 Rb20det? has it got a decent ecu with fault detection? the 323 that i built was all old school which meant 10000000 things needed adjusting and it was a major pain in the arse. if i had a car which could detect faults in emissions shit and all that like my daily that would be awesome.

what are the common faults for rb20det r32's and what are the common maintenance points like timing belt + water pump e.t.c.

are there any common rust spots or other things to look for on the car?

and if i was to go for a GTR are they f**ked for parts? like E30 M3's are rediculous for parts compared to a regular E30.

And just driving around town how is the 2l? i allways thought before i got the bmws id get a 32 gtst type m and swap in a rb25 if i blew it up. Is that a easy swap?

but yeah should i be considering a 33? if 32's are backwards compared to a 33 gtst i wont bother with the 32, i really want something with some sort of odb system and decent rear end suspension.

one mate of mine is banging on about how cheap he can import 32 gtrs and gtst's so im going to chase him up but yeah if the GTR will be very expensive to own ill probably pass, but i really would like to have one! lol

and if anyone is into e30's ive got a 731 fresh head, strut brace, cream 4door interior, megasquirt ecu + LC1, slotted discs, poly rear end noltec bushes, 14" bbs's, auto box + 323 motor + accessories and 3 spoke leather wheel for sale + any spares u can think of lol

Edited March 30, 2010 by Gruelius

[GTRsean]

GTS-Ts are great value for money and a lot of fun too. GTR=wallet empying, but I love em.

RB20 is a solid engine an likes revs, lacks torque compared to the RB25.

All the skylines from the R31 etc have on board diagnostics.

RB20 issues, not many but they are getting on, timing belt, idler bearings every 100k, piston damage from detonation, oil pump failure, usual RB stuff. 5 speed will take up to 220RWKW or so.

Rust can be an issue with the rear quarter panels, front wheel wells near the floor pan, up under the rear bumper, lower sill areas and around the windows.

Genuine GTR parts you can buy from nissan, but they are more expensive than GTS-T's.

Stock or hiflow the RB20 is okay to drive around town, bigger turbos will show more lag compared to the later RB25's

Swaps are done all the time to the RB25, so it is pretty straight forward, there is plenty of details on this forum.

R32-34 have pretty much the same rear irs setups and are a good set up, only prone to lots of neg camber if lowered, (offset bolt, adjustable arms fix that).

[Gruelius]

GTS-Ts are great value for money and a lot of fun too. GTR=wallet empying, but I love em.

RB20 is a solid engine an likes revs, lacks torque compared to the RB25.

All the skylines from the R31 etc have on board diagnostics.

RB20 issues, not many but they are getting on, timing belt, idler bearings every 100k, piston damage from detonation, oil pump failure, usual RB stuff. 5 speed will take up to 220RWKW or so.

Rust can be an issue with the rear quarter panels, front wheel wells near the floor pan, up under the rear bumper, lower sill areas and around the windows.

Genuine GTR parts you can buy from nissan, but they are more expensive than GTS-T's.

Stock or hiflow the RB20 is okay to drive around town, bigger turbos will show more lag compared to the later RB25's

Swaps are done all the time to the RB25, so it is pretty straight forward, there is plenty of details on this forum.

R32-34 have pretty much the same rear irs setups and are a good set up, only prone to lots of neg camber if lowered, (offset bolt, adjustable arms fix that).

yeah with the extra camber from lowerin on e30 you need to drop the subframe and weld in kits lol.

yeah sounds good.

are there any telltale signs for a shagged rb20? like tests i can do when warm or cold?

Wont be buying for about 3 months at least just need to get rid of all the bmw stuff first lol.

is there a range of k's that the oil pumps usually fail at? and how long does the timing belt last?

Edited March 30, 2010 by Gruelius

[Big Unit]

I have a 92 gtst and a 87 e30 325e. For what you pay a r32 gtst is a good unit, good brakes and suspension and the 2lt turbo is good for daily driving. It is definately a modern car compared to a e30. But i still love the e30 for its retro cool and creature comforts, sunroof, leather, cruise control and on board computer etc.

[Mr Eps]

can i ask where you're located?

[Gruelius]

south east suburbs

ive also got bbs 16" wheels but they are f**ked would sell em for 150 cause thats what i bought em for, was going to restore em but no need. they are 4 stud 35mm offset might suit you gts blokes.

Ive had someone tell me that a gtr landed for 12k is definately possible so will be chasing that up.

also big unit, buy my spare brand new (rebuilt in the past two years i think) 731 head, would make your eta fkn FLY lol. if you live in the south east and feed me iced coffes i might give you a hand installing it but being a bmw owner im sure you are more than capable

my E30 is a bit of a track hack orientated one, it came with firm low suspension (still oem) shocks are still good was going to chuck in poly bushes allready sorted the front end, steering was tight and the car was nice and loud. i took it for a fang before nad i wasnt dissapointed with the power at all.

Theres still bits and pieces that would take me forever to get right so this incident made it easier as i could just sell it and buy another e30 or get something more suitable for my goals.

the car itself is mint. the shell was untouched and was completely straight (one of the rear 1/4 is slightly kinked still drives perfect tho). tbh if the cars heater core didnt need replacing and the ac worked and i had a whole trim set that was nice and the motor was motronic id be repairing the car. but in the end it is still a 323i. but i gotta admit putting the hours down on the car shows, my car cost less than other peoples e30's but it came from a car going to the caryard into the sky into a neat lean e30.

It is for sale if anyone is interested, lots of work done to it.

i was considering keeping some parts as spares but if igured easier to just sell everything so i dont lose money and move on. Dont have space for two cars either.

[Gruelius]

i got told the gearbox is a bit harder to get into second does that mean its thrashed?

[Socrates]

Most likey means the synchro mesh/gears are worn, which means its well used but doesnt say outright that it has been thrashed.

[Gruelius]

how much does a rb20 or rb25 box set you back (i understand the rb25 one fits).

[mad082]

rb20 boxes go pretty cheap, the 25 boxes go for a hell of a lot more because more people want them since they are an upgrade from the 20 box.