Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

[Duncan]

well, there you go!

[BaronOBeefdip]

Back again. This one's gonna be a little pic heavy, so bear with me😉

 

Last post I mentioned that I was going back to Japan in October for R's Meeting and that I would finally be driving my own R34 for the very first time, and that's exactly what I did! Unfortunately though leading up to the trip, even with just a few days to go before leaving for Japan, it wasn't clear the car would be shaken'd/reg'd/and ready for me to pick up/drive, because of acute communication issues from the person handling all of it. Luckily things were sorted out, but the miscommunications resulted in me having to pick up the car in Tokyo, instead of the car being back down in Gifu waiting for me like originally planned.

 

I wasn't alone though, as my good friend Kendan was with me the whole way from Narita. Once we finally made it to the parking garage, I was getting rather nervous as it hadn't quite sunk in that I was gonna be walking up the ramp of the garage to see my car for the first time in the wild, literally. But as we walked up...there it was, in a poorly lit parking space right in the middle, ready to turn the keys and run south into the night. It was a moment I won't forget and really, the whole trip was surreal and doesn't truly feel like it happened. I believe I shared the moment on IG stories. But man....what a feeling that was.

 

After quickly looking things over, we packed our gear into the car, went down the block to get a tank of fresh and then set out onto the Expressway heading south. It's hard to put into words what it felt like for the very first drive...of my own BNR34...all I know is I had a huge stupid grin on my face the whole time -until we ate a very filling CoCo curry dinner and I about passed out!- and kept saying to Kendan "that's my f***ing RB!", which of course for him is nothing new as he now has three GT-Rs....

 

 

What's suuuuper fortunate about the first drive, is that for jumping into a car on the other side of the world and immediately driving 4hrs, we didn't experience a single issue with the car and it performed just fine, though we weren't pushing it all. I didn't want to do any sort of pushing until I could go over the car more closely over the next few days. Once we did I felt a little more confident giving it the beans.

 

And let me tell you....the car is quick, responsive and gets the lead out. It's clear the previous owner took care of it and got a decent tune on the FCon V Pro. There's still a ton to do to the car with replacing and refreshing parts but for how it stands, I was pretty pleasantly surprised with how it all felt. Cautiously optimistic I will remain!

 

Once we got everyone together in Gifu, the gang headed north while I stayed behind to do some more to the car and fit some bits on. After that, I went up Tokyo way to meet them and from there on out we did so much driving and picture-taking; it really was jam-packed every day up until the last day everyone was together as a group. Trying to herd cats, something, something.....

 

 

 

 

This is all of us at Omori Factory as a group, pretty cool.

 

We then went to Mine's after Omori, which was pretty awesome getting to share with my guys and seeing their reactions to the newly-restored Hondemo before the major public getting to see it at R's. I had seen it before at Niikura-san's house, during my first trip in Feb of 2023, which was pretty special indeed. It was great to be back at Mine's and they showed all of us great hospitality. Niikura-san went to go look at our cars in the parking lot next to HQ; he's a true enthusiast of these cars and it's reassuring to see that he still has the passion after all these years. Nakayama-san even gave me some of his time to look at my car and talk options. He is almost completely sure that my car has HKS GT-SS turbos as we tried to look as close as we could. He's looked at thousands of setups, so I'm inclined to believe him...

 

 

Over the weekend we made our way south to Fuji Speedway for R's. Sunday was the event, and let me tell you, for those who haven't been...it's impressive to be there. So many things going on, cars attending, stuff to buy, etc. It all felt like a blur, but it was a seriously awesome event and I can't wait to go back. Mine and Kendan's cars were invited to be in it at a booth, so we did that. Not too many foreigners can likely say the same with their own cars. It was great to catch up with people I talk to in Japan who are in the same circles, and even though it was a long day as I'd spent the previous night detailing the car 'til 2am, I didn't want any of it to end. Truly a worthwhile experience to make a Japan trip for. Every one of us who hadn't been just had our jaws on the ground haha.

 

 

 

 

Here's a GTR Magazine-style picture I got. Unfortunately none of us guys were selected to be in the magazine photoshoot, as there were issues with lottery results and all that. Hopefully in there's no issues in the future, but Japan loves their lotteries for selecting people for things🙄 Then we did a group photo at the entry gates.

 

 

 

The next day most of us went our separate ways, as some of us had to head back to the US. It was a bit bittersweet, as we all -mostly!- had a pretty good time together, which is pretty rare for large groups of people. But that didn't stop us from going up to Hakone for some more pics and the view on a perfectly clear day. It's cliche, but pics definitely do not do the scenery justice. Just take my word for it😛

 

 

I've slowed down buying parts but still on the lookout for things as I still have a lot left to acquire, as well as some big things planned. I do intend to go back to Japan twice in 2024; once for a big plan related to the car, and then to go back for R's again! It was so good I have to do it all again. That's all for now, stay tuned for more!

 

'til later

Edited February 14, 2024 by BaronOBeefdip

[GDZ32]

Loving the pic on front of Fuji Speedway's entrance

[BaronOBeefdip]

Thanks man! It was a cool moment for sure. Apparently we made it into a Sammit video or something while we were taking pics at the entrance and he drove by. Dunno don't watch his stuff anymore😆

Edited March 6, 2024 by BaronOBeefdip

[MotHot]

Cool pics and great story to go with it. Very jealous

[BaronOBeefdip]

Realized I haven't been back here in a while. Still here, still alive, still waiting for the car. 

I went back again the only time last year from Oct-Nov for R's Meeting and drove it around some more, including a few laps on Fuji Speedway(in the wet, sadly). The car still feels good, but have a couple small things to address. I've been getting more parts but have slowed down still, and most of the bigger purchases are now out of the way.

I find myself getting impatient more and more when it comes to getting started on this project; it's quite hard for me not being able to really dive in and start making this car my own because it's halfway across the world. At times it doesn't even really feel like I own one of these.

Haven't really been motivated or had the desire to document the last trip on here or social media for, well, reasons... but here's some pics...it's also still alive and well as you can see:

I've narrowed down to the last large part purchases(anything over $2k) before the engine build to be:

1) Ohlins Road & Tracks

2) ATS Twin Carbon clutch

3) Endless BBK with some custom options

and 4) Kansai Service carbon driveshaft

I don't think the budget exists for all of these this year, but I'll try for one or two items I think. Though, every time I look at my spreadsheet I sigh, shake my head, and get depressed just that little bit more. 

'til later.

[soviet_merlin]

Just checked in first post and you should be able to bring it home November this year, right? I'm amazed you made it through four years of this. As hard as it feels now the rest will go by in a breeze in hindsight, I'm sure.

[joshuaho96]

1 hour ago, BaronOBeefdip said:

Realized I haven't been back here in a while. Still here, still alive, still waiting for the car. 

I went back again the only time last year from Oct-Nov for R's Meeting and drove it around some more, including a few laps on Fuji Speedway(in the wet, sadly). The car still feels good, but have a couple small things to address. I've been getting more parts but have slowed down still, and most of the bigger purchases are now out of the way.

I find myself getting impatient more and more when it comes to getting started on this project; it's quite hard for me not being able to really dive in and start making this car my own because it's halfway across the world. At times it doesn't even really feel like I own one of these.

Haven't really been motivated or had the desire to document the last trip on here or social media for, well, reasons... but here's some pics...it's also still alive and well as you can see:

I've narrowed down to the last large part purchases(anything over $2k) before the engine build to be:

1) Ohlins Road & Tracks

2) ATS Twin Carbon clutch

3) Endless BBK with some custom options

and 4) Kansai Service carbon driveshaft

I don't think the budget exists for all of these this year, but I'll try for one or two items I think. Though, every time I look at my spreadsheet I sigh, shake my head, and get depressed just that little bit more. 

'til later.

I know mentally you're set on the ATS clutch but honestly I'm a big fan of the Nismo Super Coppermix Twin. It's much cheaper and in some ways I think it's a better design for a street/circuit car.

[BaronOBeefdip]

2 hours ago, soviet_merlin said:

Just checked in first post and you should be able to bring it home November this year, right? I'm amazed you made it through four years of this. As hard as it feels now the rest will go by in a breeze in hindsight, I'm sure.

Yeah, that's when. I guess you could say I'm as patient as I am foolish(or just a masochist?🤔). I've strongly considered throwing in the towel and calling it all quits many times, and have almost done so. It's a first-world problem for sure, but I've had a pretty rough go of it, as well as other factors; hoping something good comes of all this; it has to.

56 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

I know mentally you're set on the ATS clutch but honestly I'm a big fan of the Nismo Super Coppermix Twin. It's much cheaper and in some ways I think it's a better design for a street/circuit car.

It definitely is half the price of the ATS and performs great, but I'd like to try something different for once. I've sampled the ATS in a friend's 32 and it's solid👍

[Shoota_77]

You have (externally anyway) a lot of patience!  At the very least your patience has rewarded you financially even if you decided you were over it!!

I only just read your first experience of seeing the car, that would have been amazing!  Well documented too!

It must be exciting knowing there's only 10 months left until you can get it on a boat and on it's way!!!???

[BaronOBeefdip]

I suppose that's true. Barring almost any situation, I'll never sell so what the market does is kind of irrelevant to me. It's possible I'd make most of my money back. That spreadsheet I mentioned? Maybe I could make back more than what the car's total costs thus far are, but the parts and all that is possibly a different story...

Thanks for reading. It was certainly a good moment and just makes the ties to the car that much stronger.

It's exciting that the option will be there to bring it over, however I have some plans with a shop that may end up keeping the car there longer, not sure. Coupled with the fact I want to move there and haven't solidified any path yet. So in a way, it feels like I'm in a limbo state that is uncertain; time will tell.

[Shoota_77]

My purchase experience was no where near as glorious as yours but still a significant moment in my life!

Yeah that's a bit of a dilemma as to whether you bring it back or not!  Obviously a massive waste of time and effort to bring it back if you're only going to move there anyway!

[BaronOBeefdip]

Hey, it's a GT-R, it's just as significant a moment as mine😁

It's not ideal when things are uncertain; I'm the type of person that always has a set plan for things in life so being unsure of this plan puts me in a weird place mentally.

[joshuaho96]

2 hours ago, BaronOBeefdip said:

Hey, it's a GT-R, it's just as significant a moment as mine😁

It's not ideal when things are uncertain; I'm the type of person that always has a set plan for things in life so being unsure of this plan puts me in a weird place mentally.

My advice is if you need a big build done do it in Japan. The yen rate is so favorable and there are shops that can be genuinely trusted and not micromanaged/carefully monitored every step of the way. Garage Yoshida is obviously my preferred option but they're so busy these days and all interaction with new customers has to be mediated through BBL/Toprank now. 

[r32-25t]

Yeah do that, it’s only 120kAUD!!! You should have that sitting in the ashtray 

[GTSBoy]

51 minutes ago, r32-25t said:

Yeah do that, it’s only 120kAUD!!! You should have that sitting in the ashtray 

Sneaky. I heard the price was more than 4x that only an hour ago!

[joshuaho96]

53 minutes ago, r32-25t said:

Yeah do that, it’s only 120kAUD!!! You should have that sitting in the ashtray 

If you talk to restoration/restomod specialists in the coastal US they will turn their noses up at 150k USD jobs. Things are mildly insane here these days.

[GTSBoy]

Yeah, but "restomod" implies Singer and things like it, which implies drug money / trust fund maturity.

[joshuaho96]

1 hour ago, GTSBoy said:

Yeah, but "restomod" implies Singer and things like it, which implies drug money / trust fund maturity.

There's a bunch of smaller shops that don't quite attract Singer money but are still hiring from that same pool of labor. Those are the body shops that you go to when you can't afford a Singer, but your old Porsche needs some serious bodywork. You can't exactly take those cars to the usual insurance body shops.

When I say restomod, I mean they'll do something other than 100% OEM/OEM-equivalent aftermarket parts R&R. In the Porsche world this would be stuff like taking a 50k 964, doing a bunch of deferred maintenance/unwinding the nightmares the previous owners did to the car because a lot of people that own these cars tended to be penny wise, pound foolish types, then maybe some relatively simple off the shelf modifications to things like suspension, transmission, engine, headlights, etc. and you've spent 130k USD.

When even the worst houses in the poor neighborhoods are worth 1M USD and the nice houses in wealthy neighborhoods are worth 3-10M USD suddenly 130k spent on a 50k car seems cheap.

[r32-25t]

9 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Sneaky. I heard the price was more than 4x that only an hour ago!

I meant to write 50 originally and then double checked the price and found it was ¥12m (125k) and came to edit it and realized I had accidentally added and extra 0 in the first place lol