Stockpiling Spares - 32r

[LotusGTR]

So they're getting old now, and some parts are becoming hard to find and will become harder as time goes by. If you're going to keep your older Nissan what parts should you start collecting while you can? Things like suspension, clutches, brakes etc are all readily available after market, but quarter windows, window trims, rubbers, etc need to be from Nissan or off another car if you can find one that isn't as shagged as the part you took off yours.

So, what is a good list of things to start collecting?

[GTR_JOEY]

Shouldn't really need to collect.. You can still buy everything from Nissan Japan relatively cheap enough

[jiffo]

Going to need bloody deep pockets and dedicated storage space if you're serious about it.

[LotusGTR]

Well for the sake of conversation humour me and assume both are catered for. I think if you're selective and look out for second hand parts as well as new then it's may not be that bad.

The original question was what spares do you need to start accumulating that will dry up as time goes by. I'd guess a bonnet and front guards among many others. Also little bit's and bobs. Let's have

[89CAL]

I wouldnt keep spare guards and bonnet 'just in case' I need them one day. They take up alot of room and may never be needed

Id stockpile gaskets and clips etc personally. I have a small collection of this stuff at the moment. Sensors and shit as well would be a good thing

Things that are likely to fail

At the moment its easy to get most parts you might need. I bought the clips for the reat seats and the harness + cap for the headlights of my r33 the other day relatively cheap

[WantGTR]

i wonder when the skyline/gtr scene will turn out like the rotary scene.

people building concourse condition original cars.

[Victory]

I think that it really depends on how long you intend to keep the car.

I love my R33's and since I retired I have been collecting them to the point that I currently have a R33 GTR VSPEC, two Series II coupes, a Series II sedan and I have just acquired a C34 Series II Stagea (all registered).

From my experience with other cars you have to identify what components either fail on a regular basis or have a specific service life and identify a supply point for them. You also need to identify components that Nissan charge like a bull for (e.g. door rubbers at $1,000 per door) and stockpile good second hard parts to cover these components.

Aftermarket parts also become hard to come by as demand dries up and shops stop stocking these parts. Good buys are available when shops are selling up parts that have been on shelves for years and are not moving.

You also have to identify components that are model specific and not interchangeable across the entire model run (e.g. I have a spare v-spec diff).

The biggest issue then becomes storage. How much is enough and when is it too much? There are a lot of small parts that fail on a regular basis that are easy to keep spares of (e.g. electric window motors) but drivetrain, seats, panels and spare shells take up a lot of space.

I have at least one for just about every R33 component both 2wd and AWD with a collection of most body panels both new in boxes from Nissan and good quality spares plus a few shells for other structural parts.

For some reason my family think that I have an obsession with my R33's - please tell me it is not so.

[jiffo]

Definitely an obsession happening there, go for it.

But you're correct, storage is the problem.

As mentioned, body panels are hopeless to store and there's always the danger something will fall on them. Best place for body panel is on a car. In fact best place for everything is on a car.

But door rubbers etc are already at insane prices and will become more so in future. Not an easy item to store properly in the hope it's not going to disintegrate once you open the packet.

Imagine paying around $1000 for a 32 dash only find 10 years down the track it's developed bubbles in your storage, would not be happy.

I'm concentrating on the expensive plastic interior bits as very few 2nd hand will still have all their tabs.