Help please advice for my 1987 R31

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Hi my name is Jonathan iv recently bought a 1987 Nissan Skyline R31 Silhouette only had it for a month and a half the day I got it blew the head gasket because the guy I bought it off didn’t tell me he took the thermostat out an that the water pump was cracked and leaking.. 

iv bought a new motor which cost me $1500 had to get it freighted from NSW to Vic payed another $1100 to get it fitted an now I’m gonna be paying another $800 for road worthy and starter motor and new injectors so iv already put heaps of money into the car which I already knew was gonna happen I want to put a nice exhaust system on it not sure which one so that maybe use can give me some advice on that iv heard 2.5 inch exhaust go good but like I said just looking for advice. And I’m just looking for tips and any type of advice on this car as I have never had one before and I am very keen to learn about it 

thanks Jonathan 

[GTSBoy]

You sound young. Here's a tip. Don't spend money on this car. As in, don't spend money you don't need to. Repairs to keep it going are fine.

Don't get an idea that you need a new exhaust if the old one is working, then save up your pennies and throw it at the car the instant you have enough. Same with seats, wheels, etc.

A new exhaust that is better than the old exhaust is only a good idea when the old exhaust is full of holes. New seats are a waste of money unless the old seats are buggered and/or will fail a roadworthy. Same with wheels, headlight globes, air filters, spark plug leads, etc etc etc.

Own the car for a while. Decide if you like it. Save some money to NOT spend on the car. Do all these things, before getting carried away with throwing money at the car. In the meantime you will either fall in love with the car, or it will reveal itself to be a horrible money pit that you would be better off swapping for a Yaris (or it could do both).

There is nothing worse than seeing every young lad follow the same path of throwing a ton of money into the first shitter that they get their hands on and every last dollar of that is effectively wasted.

Now, I'm not ragging on you or your car. I'm sure that there are a few good R31s left out there and yours could be one of them. (But most of them have been used as mobile bong smoke storage devices for the last 25 years, so the odds are not real good!) I'm just giving you a free life lesson.

And so, if you actually do have to replace the exhaust, then yes, a 2.5" system is a decent size for the power level. If you put a decent mid muffler in it and a Magnaflow or similar rear of a decent size it will give it a clean RB sound without it being too loud. Don't bother with stainless. Mild will likely outlast the car.

If you want to spend time with the car doing things that make it look good and you feel good about it, there is nothing better than buying some cloths and some Meguiars (or similar) paint cleaning and polishing products and spending time bringing the paint and other surfaces back from whatever state they are currently in.

Also, look to do thorough inspections on the brakes, the suspension bushes and arms etc, looking for wear, collapse, etc that will both cost you money and be a horrible safety problem if they fail while you're driving. Better to spend your time and effort learning about the things that really matter. Learn how to jack and support the car safely (so it won't fall on you and so the stands don't damage the underside of the car!) and start taking a close look at all the dirty bits.

Edited August 5, 2020 by GTSBoy

[Matty George]

Well said. I’m onto my 7th skyline and I’m 41 years old. Would be down 70k over the years with money pumped in. Stereos,subs,exhausts,wheelsetc. Give it some love and it will love you back. Money is hard enough to get , without pumping it into something you will piss off in 18 months. Struts, bushes etc and just get the squeaks out of the old girl, and enjoy the 3litre beast.?

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Alright sweet I’ll do that, your right I shouldn’t jump into trying to make it sound better an what not till the car is going perfect. 
I appreciate your advice an I will take it on board

if there’s any common problems with this car that you know of as well let me know cause iv heard they have problems with over heating and the crank angle sensor, but yeah any other advice you can give me I’m more than willing to listen and learn cheers Jonathan 

[Matty George]

They are pretty bulletproof. I had one at 360k km before it needed work. Just keep all your fluid levels right and they will keep going. The worst for me was thermostats went a bit for me. Easy fix. Post some pics bro. I’ve had series 2&3 shillouettes. Love the wedge look?

[niZmO_Man]

https://forum.r31skylineclub.com/index.php

All your questions have been answered there

I still have my R31 which I bought 15 years ago! Spend the minimum amount on maintenance etc. Exhaust upgrades is meh, 2.25 with two good mufflers is plenty. Not worth on a standard RB30E.

Spend the money on bushes, better brakes, suspension, tyres, etc. Loads to do before touching the engine and exhaust.

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Hey Matty here’s a couple photos of my silo 

 

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Spoke to the mechanic an he reckons it’s not my starter motor or my injectors 

he said he thinks it’s the distributor

an is gonna have an auto electrician to have a look Monday so hopefully all works out good 

[Matty George]

Yeh neat bro. I had one that colour and a white one which I smashed not a roo and killed it...(and the roo). Good luck and enjoy it.

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Hahah I will when the thing actually goes 

looking forward when it actually goes properly an does die on me when I try to start it 

eventually want to turbo at least for not another year or 2

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Quick question I was looking to get thermo fans I was told there go to have to stop the car from overheating...? Any chance someone can recommend a good brand or if they have any other ideas?

thanks Jonathan 

[niZmO_Man]

On 09/08/2020 at 8:46 PM, JohnnyR31Silo said:

Quick question I was looking to get thermo fans I was told there go to have to stop the car from overheating...? Any chance someone can recommend a good brand or if they have any other ideas?

thanks Jonathan 

Factory clutch and R32 fan, so it doesn't sound like a XE/XF Falcon.

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Are silhouettes with abit because iv heard people say there not worth that much....?

[GTSBoy]

Given that Silos are either at the top or very near the top of the model order, you would expect that they would be worth more than low end models. But put this all into perspective. Once any car is >20 years old and has completely depreciated, the difference in "value" between the top end model and bottom end model of the range gets diluted away to nothing. So where the dealer might have wanted $5k more for a Silo than some other plebeian model in the range, neither of them are even worth $5k now. A Silo might be worth a couple hungy more than an equivalent condition other R31.

Edited August 28, 2020 by GTSBoy

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Oh okay that’s not to bad then I guess, do you reckon prices will jump on r31 or no? 

[niZmO_Man]

nah, the imports held their value at around 10-15k, the SVD models went up slightly (GTS1, GTS2).

I think the only model to follow the GT-R trend is the GTS-R because of their limited numbers.

[GTSBoy]

I don't class Aussie built R31 as being the same car as Jap R31s. I was therefore only talking about Aussie live axle cars.

Having said that, when looking at R31s for sale right now, and not expecting to find any, I found this. An intriguing exercise in "Is it worth anything at all, gee I think it might be worth something, it's certainly unique, what would I do with it if I bought it....etc etc etc".

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/1987-nissan-skyline-silhouette-manual/SSE-AD-2812285/?Cr=21

The other 2 R31s on carsales are asking <$5k.

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Yeah iv seen nowadays people asking for 4-5k min for there r31s 

[JohnnyR31Silo]

Another question I have I wanted to get a 2.5 inch exhaust for my r31 just wondering if use know a good site to order them off or a certain brand..? Iv been told eBay but thought I’d ask use first 

[GTSBoy]

No. Go to trusted local exhaust shop and just get it made using good quality mufflers. The idea of a "kit" exhaust is so USA, especially for a car (R31) for which there is probably only 1 person per year seeking a new exhaust.