R34 Track/Street Car

[Tobz]

 

Hey All,

Recently bought an R34 Skyline Coupe to replace my RX8 Track Car. The RX8 was unregistered and only for track usage, and I wanted a car with more power and something I could drive on weekends. Was really between this and an older Series 1 BMW 135i. Ended up with the Skyline as I love how it looks, all the aftermarket support, and also easier and cheaper to work on.

I found a car that belonged to mamber on here, so this will be a continuation of the this build thread:

When I bought the car it had the following:

 

• 287rwkw on e85
• Adaptronic ECU
• Hypergear ATR45SAT turbo
• NPC HD Organic Clutch
• Walbro 255 E85 fuel pump
• 1000cc E85 rated Bosch injectors
• Splitfire coilpacks
• 3inch, with mufflers and high flow cat
• Blitz return flow intercooler
• Apexi Power Intake Panel Filter
• Turbosmart Kompact Plumb Back Blow Off Valve
• Thick Alloy Radiator

First thing I did was prepped it for the SDMA hillclimb here in Canberra. So installed:

• Project Mu HC800 pads front and rear
• RDA Slotted and Dimpled Rotors Front and Rear
• Motul RBF600 Fluid
• MCA Blues Front and Rear (Rears were on the car, so just needed to add the fronts)
• Wedssport SA70 18x9 +22
• Hankook RS3 245/40 R18's
• Rolled the rear guards
• Normal fluid changes (Those new Nulon push packs for the gearbox and diff oil are amazing!)

Car ran really well, being new to it i was never going to get the most from it, managed a 49.66 lap, but a low 48/high 47 is defo going to happen.

The Project Mu pads were the loudest pads in the world! Bought the project mu shims and it fixed it right up!

Took it to a dyno day here in Canberra and it ran a solid 271rwkw on a day when most people were not achieving their best results by 10-15% so was on point and the tune looked safe as.

Also did a skid pan day, and it was super predictable and fun!

Have ordered the following parts:

• Cusco Safety 21 Roll Cage - 4 Point with full capacity (keeps rear seats, follows the roof line and rear window line)
• Blitz Oil Cooler Kit Type E RD (Fits in right fender)
• Raceworks Catch Can (3 Litre) (See https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/309239-oil-catch-can-diy-installation/page/3/#comments)
• Race Technology Dash 2 Pro (Was looking to upgrade the gauges so I have warnings if any temps or pressures were out of ordinary, but found a good deal on this and will also do lap time deltas, so figured it was worth the little extra

Have also had a chat to DVS and they will be looking to fix the tune a little to make it safer for track use (was perfectly fine for street usage, but may be safer to richen up a little for the track)

Future Purchases

• 27mm Front and 24mm rear swaybars
• 4 point Takata Race 4 Harness (compatible with HANS and has ASM)
• Sparco R100 Reclining Seats

No idea what the future holds, but my aim is to keep the car very drivable on the street (predominately will be a weekend car) and the mods are all going to be to try and keep the car looking as stock as possible. Also plan to probably keep this car forever, i think the older it gets, the better it will be

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Tobz

[GTSBoy]

Excellent stuff.

One thought. What spring rates are the MCAs equipped with? The reason I ask is that MCA generally do not favour heavy ARBs, so your 27F24R combo might be more than they recommend. Might be worth a chat with them before pulling the pin. Might be better with 24/22 combo. And adjustable bars. Not fixed.

What are you doing to get the cage legal for the street?

[Tobz]

Defo going adjustable front and rear. I wanted to go thicker as currently the amount of body roll is a little rediculous and I prefer a slightly stiffer setup. It may mean I'll need to swap the MCA's at a later stage... But thanks for the heads up may do a bit more research before pulling the pin.

 

And basically just hide the cage is my plan. That's why I went a black 4 point cage with no cross bar, so will just have the rollbar behind the seat following the roof and the C pillar supports running along the the rear window so it's a bit harder to see. Rear seats are also able to stay in with this setup so it's not as obvious from the outside. 

 

If it becomes a problem it shouldn't be too hard to engineer as it complies with everything I've read in the engineering guidelines.

[robbo_rb180]

Nice all rounder.
As been said mca don't recommend roll bars. When you order them did you tell them what you were doing with the car? as a few people I know got blues but should have gotten the Purlpe/XR range as they are valved more for track stuff and are still comfortable on the street.

Do you do any CAMS events? As the cusco does not meet the standards for any passenger activities and will need a proper harness bar. 

Good solid base for a weekender/track car. AC is great to have for those hot days.

[Tobz]

The MCA's came with the car, I had reds on the RX8 and had uprated Whiteline bars, but it needed more bar for sure (back when reds were only $1600!!)

The Blues are definitely going need to be upgraded in the future, but for now they should be more than fine.

With the harness I'll be removing the back seat during comps and will be attaching the harness to the rear seatbelt mounts.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Tobz

[GeeDog]

You don't mention any engine work having been done. If you are planning on doing track work you should consider the oiling issues that RBs tend to have on the track.

[Tobz]

36 minutes ago, GeeDog said:

oiling issues that RBs tend to have on the track

Any advice on this would be appreciated. I've been reading the excess oil in the head is more a RB26 issue rather than a 25 issue. It seems a few people have just been adding an extra litre of oil and that along with the extra oil in cooler seems to have been sufficient for others. But if I have misread this let me know as I was thinking about doing a head drain kit (and can that be done with the engine in?). I also read somewhere that restricting the oil passages in the motor is not recommended for the 25?

[Tobz]

I was looking into a baffled sump as well, but there are so many differing opinions on this!!

 

 

[Murray_Calavera]

1 hour ago, Tobz said:

The MCA's came with the car, I had reds on the RX8 and had uprated Whiteline bars, but it needed more bar for sure (back when reds were only $1600!!)

The Blues are definitely going need to be upgraded in the future, but for now they should be more than fine.

With the harness I'll be removing the back seat during comps and will be attaching the harness to the rear seatbelt mounts.

Just a heads up, using the factory rear seatbelt mounts for your harness is quite dangerous due to the angle of the harness. Ideally the harness would go straight back or down by no more then roughly 20 degrees. 

If you can picture having a head on accident, having the harness slope down at such a high angle, the harness will pull down on your shoulders and compress your spine. 

You might not care crushing your spine but some scrutineers do and won't let you race with it. 

If you can still change your cage, you might want to look at this AGI cage, it has the removable diagonal that you want and can mount a harness to it at the correct angle 

http://www.agi-precision.com.au/product/a-nissan-skyline-r34-2-door-half-cage-4-point-bolt-in/

I've attached a picture to show the angle thing I'm talking about

[Tobz]

2 minutes ago, Murray_Calavera said:

Just a heads up, using the factory rear seatbelt mounts for your harness is quite dangerous due to the angle of the harness

Did a bit of research into this and Takata actually recommend attaching the belts to the factory rear seatbelt points as they have been crash tested and are within the acceptable rear angle for a harness. The problem is when you bolt it to the floor under your seat. They also recommend no more than a 45 degree angle down for the harness.

 

http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/06/takata-ask-the-expert-answers/

[Murray_Calavera]

14 minutes ago, Tobz said:

Any advice on this would be appreciated. I've been reading the excess oil in the head is more a RB26 issue rather than a 25 issue. It seems a few people have just been adding an extra litre of oil and that along with the extra oil in cooler seems to have been sufficient for others. But if I have misread this let me know as I was thinking about doing a head drain kit (and can that be done with the engine in?). I also read somewhere that restricting the oil passages in the motor is not recommended for the 25?

I got about 3 years out of my daily and track RB25 with that setup (factory everything + oil cooler) before I spun a bearing. Your millage my vary. 

No you can't fit a head drain with the motor in. Have a read of the oil control thread, it should answer all your questions. 

[Tobz]

CAMS also allow up to 45 degrees

Edited September 4, 2019 by Tobz

[Murray_Calavera]

1 minute ago, Tobz said:

Did a bit of research into this and Takata actually recommend attaching the belts to the factory rear seatbelt points as they have been crash tested and are within the acceptable rear angle for a harness. The problem is when you bolt it to the floor under your seat. They also recommend no more than a 45 degree angle down for the harness.

 

http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/06/takata-ask-the-expert-answers/

It's a matter for yourself mate, it's your spine. 

This is from CAMS: Schedule I – Safety Harnesses and Window Nets

SAFETY HARNESS MOUNTINGS (a) A safety harness shall be securely mounted on at least two points (Type D), three points (Types B and C) or five points (Type A) in compliance with the prescriptions of Drawings I-1, I-2 and I-3. If the two shoulder straps (Types B and C) join prior to a common mounting point then that junction shall be at least 150mm behind the wearer’s neck. Under no circumstances shall a safety harness mounting bolt be used to affix a safety cage to the bodyshell. (b) A safety harness shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions with consideration to the requirements when using a Frontal Head Restraint and application of the following: (i) The shoulder straps shall be directed to the rear and installed in such a way that they do not make an angle greater than 45° to the horizontal from the occupant’s shoulder where a frontal head restraint is not used. It is highly recommended that this angle should not exceed 10° (refer drawing I-1). (ii) The maximum angles in relation to the centre-line of the seat are 20° divergent or convergent (refer drawing I-2). The shoulder straps may be installed crosswise symmetrically about the centre-line of the front seat mounting points for a safety harness.

 

[Tobz]

8 minutes ago, Murray_Calavera said:

Have a read of the oil control thread, it should answer all your questions. 

I feel the more I read the more confusing it gets.

[Murray_Calavera]

6 minutes ago, Tobz said:

CAMS also allow up to 45 degrees

You beat me to it. What I am trying to say is, there is a reason the recommended angle here is between 0 and 10 degrees. 

I have also personally seen cars fail scrutineering with harnesses mounted to the rear seatbelt mounts at a drift event. 

Do what you like, it's your car and spine. I was just trying to show you an option that may let you have your cake and eat it too.  

[Tobz]

I have an AGI cage in my current cars and I do love them, but for a street car I'm trying to go with a more subtle approach. Will review options later on when I actually install the belts

Edited September 4, 2019 by Tobz

[Murray_Calavera]

I thought that's what you wanted though? a bolt in cage with a removable diagonal to keep it stealthy. AGI have that setup and have the option for harness eyebolts as well. 

[Tobz]

I'm a complicated guy

But the agi rear struts require removal of the rear seat

[Murray_Calavera]

Just now, Tobz said:

I'm a complicated guy

But the agi rear struts require removal of the rear seat

Ah ok  I didn't think about the rear seat. 

[Tobz]

38 minutes ago, Murray_Calavera said:

Ah ok  I didn't think about the rear seat. 

Found a solution, was suprisingly simple. Cusco sell an add on bar that goes to the rear hoop for a harness and it takes maybe 5 mins to put on and off .. will defo get that