R32 Gt-r Modernization Project

[toddlls]

Very nice car mate, however if you wanted to butcher a car, why are you starting off with such a nice example? You have a perfectly tidy car, and from the sounds of things interior and exterior are all to be retrofitted anyway, essentially the only thing left standard would be the rolling shell or chassis. Wouldnt a rolling shell have been a better start? You can pick these up so cheaply and the money you would have saved by buying a a shell you could inject back into it exactly where you want it and finish with a much better result. By the time you add the coin of all your bits and pieces, the labor etc to your tidy example, you probably wont be far off getting a real one. Not asking you to get an r34, I just think the money could be better spent making it go better or tidying up the 32 if needs any tidying. If you think about what you are going to do, ruin perfectly good paint and bodywork and then put on a 3rd party bodykit (which in a lot of cases are dodgy unless theyre from Japan) and then apply perfectly good paintwork again! Sorry for being so blunt but why would you want to embark on a project whereby the finished product is something which is neither here nor there, but instead you could a have a clean and tidy (which is quite unique in itself as a lot of 32's are falling apart) example of a true legend. When you do take it back to the states, the BNR32's rarity will make you stand out like dogs balls anyway, you wont need a kit car R34 gtr replica to turn heads. Make your pretty 32 go faster with the money you intend to spend, and you wont just turn heads when you get back home, you'll snap necks!

just my 2 cents.

+1

What does everyone think of this option?

OEM BNR34 front, with R34 style rear bumper and side steps made by East Bear:

This is as far as I would go-still retains the 32 look but great mods-very tastefully done

[Superbike81]

I would love to buy a R34, but I think you missed the part about I'm American, and when I return to the USA, I want a car I can bring with me. I wouldn't be able to bring back a R34 until 2024 due to the import regulations, my R32 I can bring back in January 2015.

I think after doing some browsing around, I will start with just the 34 front, and then go from there. I may still want the 34 rear, or I may not. I am slightly concerned about structural rigidity, perhaps cutting the rear fenders and rear pan might compromise the chassis.

Oh, and I won't be using any cheap body panels. Bee*R makes quality stuff, I'll be using the conversion fenders they make. East Bear has been known for high quality parts for a long time if I decide to go with their side steps and rear bumper. Also, remember, I do live in Japan, so I've got easy and quick access to all of the OEM parts for cheap. No corners will be cut, everything will be done right.

I'll say it again, my paint might look good in that one picture I posted, but it's got ALOT of problems beneath the surface.

Edited July 10, 2010 by Superbike81

[DJRIFT]

i love the idea of a project like this.

if you take a moment to browse through an aray of online picture sites it is pretty hard to find a totaly original one off r32 that isnt totally out there.

its just a fact of life that just about every set of wheel and every type of kit has been fitted by more than one person so somthing new is always good because there will alway be plenty of original good examples around.

one thing i notice if i park my 32 in a car park, as it sits at the moment, that even thoe the shape and style are light years ahead of cars of a similar age they are starting to look old amongst 2010 cars. a face lift with a r34 front and some new interior styling wouldnt go astray.

by the way do you have a link to more details of the r34 style skirts and rear pods for r32? they are very nice and i think Roy's car would be the idea candidate for them.

[Superbike81]

It's expensive stuff, the rear bumper is ¥71,400' available direct through East Bear, but I'm sure you've got someone in Australia who has a contact with them.

http://www.east-bear.co.jp/shopdetail/006007000001/order/ for the bumper

Side steps are actually an add-on piece to the OEM side steps, and run about ¥40,000

http://www.east-bear.co.jp/shopdetail/006008000001/order/

Edited July 10, 2010 by Superbike81

[Superbike81]

As part of my project to bring my R32 into modern times, I took some measurements and found that the Z33 350z dashboard was a pretty close match to the R32 dimensions.

So I went ahead and found a used dash frame for about $75 USD shipped. Not too bad, it's in good condition overall. Pulled my dash out today for the initial test fit. I was VERY pleasantly surprised, this is going to be easier than I was expecting. Check out the pictures, I am utterly amazed how well this fits the R32, like it was meant to be.

This is what the entire dash looks like installed complete in a 350z:

List of things to do I've found so far:

1) Modify main crossbar, because right now it's in the way of mounting the navigation unit I have. So it's going to need to be cut in the center, and then just have a strong enough steel plate welded in the back of it to maintain strength, but give me an extra 3 or 4". This isn't completely needed, but I want my navigation unit to be in the hideway section just below the center triple gauge section. If I installed it in the factory stereo spot, no need to do this.

2) Cut about 3/4-1" of depth out all around, and modify/fabricate some mounting brackets to get everything mounted solid. Other little minor trimming and filling here and there, nothing major though.

3) Cover the spot where the passenger airbag was with something. Thinking about mounting something in there, just not sure what yet. Maybe one of my audio components or something, I dunno. I might just cover it with fiberglass/plastic and leave it blank.

4) Have everything retrimmed in leather/alcantara/carbon fiber.

5) I can easily modify my stock door panels to work, but I will be doing 350z door panels, so that way everything flows together nicely. You can eliminate quite a bit of work if you are willing to slightly modify the shape of the upper stock door panel. But I'm going for a full interior upgrade, not just the dash.

6) Route new piping from the airbox so I can still get good A/C and heat and defrosting and everything, shouldn't be too difficult, might just have to get creative with it.

7) I want to use the 350z gauge cluster, so wiring it up should be interesting, we'll see how that goes.

8) Relocate e-brake handle to the other side. Easy, just have to make a new bracket, drill some holes, and move the g-sensor a little to the right.

I'm sure there will be other little stuff I'll run into, but this is the major stuff. Now that I know it will fit well, I need to start shopping on Yahoo Auctions for the rest of the panels. They should be fairly cheap, another $100 US or so total.

I know not a lot of people will want to do this modification, but I'm still going to write a detailed log of modifications made in order to do this. I think overall it's going to be pretty simple. Door panels may prove to be interesting, since a fair amount of reshaping will be needed. As well as modifying my current door handle setup to work with the Z door handle.

Edited July 11, 2010 by Superbike81

[paulR32gtr]

Man thats amazing how well it fits. The rest of the dashboard shouldn't be a problem there isnt too much to contend with other than the cross bar.

[DJRIFT]

if this fits as easy as its looking and looks good it will be a hot new mod.

big kudos for giving somthing new a go.

and its in typical nissan fashion to make things off the same base. the best thing about them is how lazy they are. they never try to re invent the wheel with every new model.

good job

[PM-R33]

My god that fits in there good!!

I think you are onto something here! $100 says there will be group buys next year for 350Z dashes on the forum

[Superbike81]

Depending how far you want to go, it can be pretty easy, or it can be fairly in depth. I'm doing the full center console, navigation mounted in the hideaway area, and door panels, so mine take a bit of custom work. But if you just do the dash and center console, not really that tough, but still a little bit of custom work will be required.

[Superbike81]

Oh and I'm also going to have to rewire the headlight switch as well. Maybe use a R33 steering wheel mounted style stalk or something.

[DJRIFT]

Oh and I'm also going to have to rewire the headlight switch as well. Maybe use a R33 steering wheel mounted style stalk or something.

you could use a R31 skyline or pintara indicator stalk. All the australian nissans around the 88-90 mark had the same column switch. it is the indicator and high beam dip stalk as well as the headlights off-park-on switch. and it twists at the end of the stalk. from memory it would screw straight on. im not familiar with the mounting of the r33 stalk but it would definatly be a more moddern looking switch. the r33 switch is common with most mid 90s australian nissan cars as well so it would only be a matter of getting one out of a mid 90s pulsar from the wreckers if you cant find a r33 one.

[MRSAMO]

What does everyone think of this option?

OEM BNR34 front, with R34 style rear bumper and side steps made by East Bear:

Me like

I know where you're coming from as I'm planning on doing the same as mine since mine is still stock as a rock. I think the R32 has its own unique looks that should be kept especially the front and rear designs but add or change the other stuff like diffusers, ride quality, seats, side skirts. The advantage of having an R32 is that you can spend quite a bit more than the next guy in an R33 or R34. Most people tend to work on the engine a bit more, but like you I'm not after a 1000hp beast either.

I'll look at working the interior a bit more, getting better quality seats and modifying the central console.

I've also read about the Z33 interior replacement, sounds and looks great on paper but to me the Z33 front dash is very pasticky unless you can work some carbon or alacantara magic then its getting beyond a dash replacement. I'm waiting on another guy who's doing/done this project.

[Superbike81]

So you know someone who is doing the Z33 dash? Do you have contact info for them? I would like to collaborate with them to make everything go a little smoother.

[Superbike81]

No progress pictures on the dash, just been doing some trimming here and there.

I'm going to fit my satnav in the location of the stock stereo, not the bit above it with the opening door. I was going to modify my dashboard crossbar, but decided against it. Sourcing the rest of the parts for the dash now.

Ordered my tires, nothing special, just cheap daily tires. My AD08's will go on a cheap set of track wheels.

[Superbike81]

Latest pic, with my new 19's. I think they look amazing, perfect for a street car with some style. I understand not everyone will like it, but I love it. I just need bigger brakes, which I'll be going the route of V37/370Z sport Akebono brakes.

[AtomicBomberMan]

My god that fits in there good!!

I think you are onto something here! $100 says there will be group buys next year for 350Z dashes on the forum

Another concern is although it looks like it all fits well on the surface, unless its mounted properly and i mean REALLY properly, the noises from vibrations, creaks and rattles will drive you crazy. Car manufacturers spend heaps of time ensuring that the final product is free of any such noises before it ends up in the showroom. My friend removed his r32 dash (had bubbles on top) and replaced it with another r32 dash from another car and it still had rattles and creaks! He only had standard suspension. Could you imagine the amplification of noises with a set of coilovers!?

Real TE's will come eventually

I got these wheels for $900, which is the same amount I paid for my Work XD9's and the same amount they will be sold for. So I'm simply trading my Work wheels for a wheel that will clear big brakes no problem, and look better at the same time.

Great look with the 19's on mate! however, i still think its a step backwards from genuine jap wheels to chinese copies. Not for the aesthetic aspect but more so the safety aspect. this thread might be worth a read.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Tr....html&st=40

Real TE37's are 3 times the price you paid for your chinese knockoffs for a reason. The Work wheels may not be as expensive but at least you know that these wheels are made to exacting standards with the highest quality control. You actually live in Japan where you have easy access to all the up garages, I-parts not to mention millions of other parts stores and yahoo auctions! Surely a good buy will come along sooner or later! Pick up a "goo parts" magazine, there are plenty of second hand wheel and tyre packages at very reasonable prices.

Although your rims might not be the same brand as the ones in the thread above, but in my books i think it would be safe to say and i believe a lot of people would agree, that most if not all chinese rims belong in the "i dont really know what im getting" basket. I think the cost of damages caused from a faulty wheel (assuming you walk away from it)would far outweigh the cost of "doing it right" the first time. I definitely hope you are not intending on putting a set of pretty coloured chinese brakes behind those rims either! (dont get me started!) That said, i think the questions raised are, what price can you put on your own safety? and what are you really "Trading"?

Edited July 24, 2010 by AtomicBomberMan

[SiR_RB]

mate what headlights you got? they look different to the normal projector and N1 types ? i like em

[Superbike81]

Another concern is although it looks like it all fits well on the surface, unless its mounted properly and i mean REALLY properly, the noises from vibrations, creaks and rattles will drive you crazy. Car manufacturers spend heaps of time ensuring that the final product is free of any such noises before it ends up in the showroom. My friend removed his r32 dash (had bubbles on top) and replaced it with another r32 dash from another car and it still had rattles and creaks! He only had standard suspension. Could you imagine the amplification of noises with a set of coilovers!?

Great look with the 19's on mate! however, i still think its a step backwards from genuine jap wheels to chinese copies. Not for the aesthetic aspect but more so the safety aspect. this thread might be worth a read.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Tr....html&st=40

Real TE37's are 3 times the price you paid for your chinese knockoffs for a reason. The Work wheels may not be as expensive but at least you know that these wheels are made to exacting standards with the highest quality control. You actually live in Japan where you have easy access to all the up garages, I-parts not to mention millions of other parts stores and yahoo auctions! Surely a good buy will come along sooner or later! Pick up a "goo parts" magazine, there are plenty of second hand wheel and tyre packages at very reasonable prices.

Although your rims might not be the same brand as the ones in the thread above, but in my books i think it would be safe to say and i believe a lot of people would agree, that most if not all chinese rims belong in the "i dont really know what im getting" basket. I think the cost of damages caused from a faulty wheel (assuming you walk away from it)would far outweigh the cost of "doing it right" the first time. I definitely hope you are not intending on putting a set of pretty coloured chinese brakes behind those rims either! (dont get me started!) That said, i think the questions raised are, what price can you put on your own safety? and what are you really "Trading"?

I completely understand, but under my normal driving conditions, which are an average of 50-60kph, with an occasional sprint up to 100kph, all on roads that are in pretty good condition, I don't think the safety issue of these wheels will be a factor. I live on a small island with lots of red lights and low speed limits everywhere. Something like Rota wheels, I can understand, because they are made to be lightweight as well. If they aren't forged, and are still lightweight, there is only really one way to make them light, and that's to use less metal. These wheels are still fairly heavy, feel very solid, and I don't think they will give me any problems. When I do go to the track, a beat up set of R33 or R34 GT-R wheels will be fitted with good tires.

The dashboard, I'm working on as well, I'm going to be using a dampening spray on the underside to hopefully eliminate any vibrations or rattles. I'll be mounting it very securely, and adding foam material to further block rattles in areas that really need it. Also the dash will be covered in leather, so should make it less prone to rattles.

mate what headlights you got? they look different to the normal projector and N1 types ? i like em

They are custom done by me at home. The base is a kouki (late model R32) projector headlight, with the inner housing painted black and a aftermarket clear lens cover used. I used 55w 6000k HID's as well, and it lights up the road amazingly well, much better than my old headlight setup.

Edited July 24, 2010 by Superbike81

[Superbike81]

Got a few new things on the way to me in the mail right now, should be here sometime next week....

Mitsubishi Evo IX MR Recaro leather/alcantara seats:

SpeedHut custom gauges. 80mm GPS Speedo, Tachometer, and Boost Gauge. Along with 52mm Water Temp, Oil Pressure, and Fuel Level. The gauges should be here in ~2 weeks since they are custom made.

Momo Evo steering wheel, will be installing custom buttons to operate the turn signals so I can eliminate the stalk. Also the shiny parts will be covered with 3M Di-Noc carbon vinyl to match the rest of the interior.

Dash fitting is going well. Going to do some more custom stuff with it though. The outer edges, as well as the lower panels will be "flocked", the passenger airbag panel as well as the driver's side main panel will be covered in carbon fiber vinyl. So the dash will be a mix of a carbon vinyl and flock, should look very good as long as I execute it all correctly.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Superbike81

[Rowdy]

i like the idea of indicator buttons on the steering wheel, very cool