Hey all - I am a noob

[R33LJ]

Hi all,

 

Long time JDM fan first time Skyline owner. I recently picked up a R33 GTS-T. I was told is was M-Spec? It is stock as except Exhaust so I am happy with that.

The goods:

- 130, xxx KMS

- Interior in good condition

- Drives good

 

The bads:

- It has some mechanical issues at the moment - seems when under load acceleration just drops. ;/ I can see some threads regarding this so it looks common. Recently replaced spark plus and oxygen sensor, this helped it out but occasionally still occurs, I think the next step would be air flow meter?

- Paint is trash, thinking of getting it resprayed soon. Do you think these rust spots are bad? Should it done sooner then later? (see pics)

- Don't like the wheels (up for suggestions or a link to a thread that has plenty of ideas  )

 

Thanks!

[The Bogan]

Welcome

Asking questions on the interwebs can be fraught with danger, for every answer to someting you ask you might get 1 out 5 who actually know what they are talking about, hell, I'm just a crazy old guy who drives a 86 now

My 2 cents

Priorities 

1. Take it to a shop and get it looked at, the last thing you need to do is break your car, whilst the car has problems minimise the times you drive it, and keep off boost when you do, a "good" shops that won't rape your wallet are few and far between, good shops out there, just be wary

2. Full service, engine oil/filter, transmission and diff, coolant, radiator flush, airfilter, bleed the brakes, does it have service history, if not, I would throw on a new timing belt and water pump, the coils on these cars can give the symptoms you speak of, but before you replace the coils take it to a shop to diagnose, it gets costly when you just replace parts willy nilly 

3. Sort out the rust, is there more rust, I would wire wheel the rusty bits, hit it with some rust converter and then prime, putty, prime and paint it myself to start with, a pro job can get very costly, you can do a good job yourself if you do good prep

4. Don't waste too much money on the car, it's old and they can soon become a money pit

5. Drive the car

As for your wheels, I would rather focus on good tyres, but if you need to swap out the rims have a look in the for sale section, wheel whores are always swapping out rims, and there's lots of people stripping their old cars, R33 GTR rims look good and there's lots of good rubber in the size, same for R34 GTT rims, good rims and they don't cost much

Spend the next month or 2 browsing this forum, everyone has done everything to this platform, the good, as well as the bad

Enjoy deciphering the good from the bad, most importantly, dont listen to crazy old guys who drive 86's

[R33LJ]

Holla,

 

Thanks for the information,

 

Luckily my friend owned this car for some time (I have know him for 3 years) and it was barely driven. The few things I mentioned before were all done at a garage. He mentioned it is in good condition for age. I feel as if it is the one and only problem at the moment.

 

As for the money pit - I don't mind (until broke i guess lol). I really want this thing A1. Had a soft spot for R33s for a while.

 

Thanks again for the recommendation!✌️

[Ben C34]

That rust looks kind of mental. Just do skids and post vids.

[R33LJ]

Mental, as in I should get it fixed asap? ?

[GTSBoy]

Mental as in rust below the side windows is not a good thing.  It has started under the window's seal and spread.  There will probably also be rust on the other side of the panel.  Take the rear trim out and inspect.  You may be better off doing almost anything else with the car rather than spend on rust repairs there.

[The Bogan]

I've fixed worst rust myself in a weekend, sure its not a pro job, but it looked 100% better than what it was.

Nothing that some prep, putty and paint cannot fix, for a few years at least.

I estimate $100 tops and a long weekend. 

[R33LJ]

Thanks all!

 

I have taken it to a panel beater for a quote ($5000 closed door, includes plastics wing etc) and showed him the rust and he didn't say a word about it. Another mechanic said it's nothing. I am booked in for a quick quote with another panel beater shortly. I will see what he has to say.

 

Thanks again,

[PranK]

Well done on the purchase. As @mlr has been saying, you can start to address the needed stuff before worrying about wheels or paint but then it all comes down to your budget.

Are you planning on making some power or do you just want a low key daily that's a bit of fun? Your goal will kind of move the discussion direction.

I think Ben's 'mental' comment kinda matches my opinion, I've never seen rust there on a 33 before but that's not saying anything, just that its not a common place to see it. 

When you work on your budget you can work on whether to fix it yourself or not. I think that irrespective of your plans, you wont make it look worse than it is and once you've cleaned it and painted it yourself you can work out next steps. Just don't leave it to get worse.

M-Spec eh? These were more easy to spot in the series 1's and series 1.5's and I'm actually a little dubious about the series 2's even having an M-Spec. I'm happy to be corrected here.

Welcome to the site. Lots of people with lots of knowledge, you're in the right place.

 

[R33LJ]

Cheers! 

 

For the time being it will serve as daily. My budget at the moment is just fix as it breaks ?. I will definitely get the rust sorted asap. I'm glad I asked so thanks everyone! Will keep you posted! 

[PranK]

Maybe consider starting a build thread. I love resto builds as much as any other.

[R33LJ]

Hi all,

So the mechanical problem is all sorted! Air flow sensor was at fault. So happy it is all sorted. Respray is next  

Cheers

[PranK]

Nice! I bet its nice to drive now!