Twin flying wedges - 1983 DR30 Skyline coupe + sedan

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And things went well. Sump is more or less straight once again, the oil pump whine is gone, alternator now charges properly, and the accursed chain rattle on startup is also gone forever.

...then the car decided it would start running on 3 cylinders as I drove it back from the werkshop

anyway, nursed it home, pulled out the old Iridiums that were installed, and stuck in some standard NGK BP6ES plugs instead. Huzzah, running on four again, apart from a couple of slight misfires when cold - I guess that's what happens if you leave a car sitting for three months and then have to start it on stale 95 octane

Spent most of yesterday afternoon driving the car and adjusting the TPS. it's not 100% sorted and still has a slight stumble/miss at a certain manifold vacuum point/throttle position but I guess i could spend the next few days and still not get it exactly right.

car's now pretty mcuh ready to be driven in anger around Taupo on tuesday at my mate's memorial trackday. bring it

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Well the squid named terror ran flawlessly at Taupo racetrack on Tuesday - until early afternoon when alternator #2 decided to go the way of the first one by blowing its voltage regulator as well

just like when the first one blew up the only way for me to keep the charge under 15V is to run with the headlights and accessories switched on, otherwise it continues increasing with revs (we've seen it go as high as 19V at 3500rpm and still climbing). Managed to drive it safely home and will get it checked out by a reputable sparky, but it would seem the charging system is cursed in some manner.

On the flip side, I now know what aspects of the car require immediate improvement if I'm to chase 300ps... namely the brakes (pads mostly) and suspension, particularly in the rear. All in all, still a pretty successful day. The car was a bit of a handful I must admit, and almost tried to kill me on a couple of occasions when it came on boost whilst trying to navigate the corners (including one series of NASTY tank-slaps that almost saw me colliding side-on with a marshal post), but the FJ20 ran most reliably and sounded awesome

man, those guys who punted them around in the '80s - Fury, Seton et al - they be CRAZY.

check out that bodyroll, hah

and is my rear dish a bit much?

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friend of mine finally ripped the in-car footage he took during one of the morning stints at Taupo where he rode shotgun, the lack of brakes meant I was slowing down a lot sooner than I'm used to in my track car

at the very end of the clip you can hear me say "It's running a bit hot"... the radiator top sensor finally carked it.

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So, for 300-350PS at the rear wheels. A recap.

Take one FJ20ET. (Here's one Nissan prepared earlier)

Add one Garrett GT3071R twin-scroll turbo, one Tial 44mm wastegate and 0.8bar spring, one Bosch Motorsport fuel pump...

and a set of Denso 830cc injectors, freshly cleaned and flowtested.

Combine all ingredients in engine bay, and set rear wheels to "bake" with the help of a Link G4 Storm.

I'm not the sort of person who keeps to deadlines, but would like to have this setup all installed, tuned and running before the middle of next year. Overly ambitious? I hope not!

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Coupe progress: finally figured out what the weird hesitation/surging on acceleration was. Now I have to spend the next 6 years tracking down another AAC valve in functioning condition

Squid progress: Not much. House purchase/mortgage slowed down the impulsive urges a bit.

But found the funds and time to purchase the following:

End result on brand new Toyo 205/55R15s up front and 225/50R15s down back. Needs to go L-O-W-E-R. Will probably get Suspension Tech or Autolign or similar to custom build some shocks and springs to sit at the appropriate height (fixed, non adjustable coilover.)

Then the new rear seat turned up fresh off the boat from Japan (to replace the sun-damaged one), as well as my Defi DIN-Gauge. No photos of the seat just yet, as it's still in its gigantic box awaiting unpacking, but here's the gauge:

Then I stumbled across a new old stock Pioneer audio cradle that was produced specifically for the R30, so bought that as well. It will go perfectly with the vintage stereo setup I'm planning to run, allowing me to finally ditch the ugly 2-DIN Kenwood unit that was mashed into the gap under the console back in Japan

Some of the vintage stereo equipment I have to choose from. Half of it is earmarked for the banana.

"The height of lunacy."

managed to find a cassette tape lying around, so wired up the KP-707G for a quick test run. I may or may not have been tipsy during the course of recording this video

Vl_50C8wfrw

I thought I'd misplaced my Link when moving house but managed to figure out exactly where it is... sitting safely in a drawer at Glenn's

::edit:: discussion - viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10380

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How to regain motivation for the coupe:

Fit some lush wheels.

Track down a functioning AAC valve and other miscellaneous replacement engine bay sensors, then give car to John for an afternoon to werk his magic. Voila, car feels like a completely new beast to drive and actually picks up from down low instead of bogging like a bastard.

Wash it for the first time in aaaaaaaaages. (Then cringe when it starts pissing down with rain an hour later)

Yes, I know it looks like it could do with a bit more slam but this is actually an optical illusion more than anything else. Perhaps 55 profile tyres weren't such a good choice after all.

Tell me to put some drifteks and a RB30 in it here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10380

p.s. here are some sweet models

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Who is this jammy bastard called E. Nardi, and why has he seen fit to etch his name into my steering wheel?

Between this and the Wats, coupe is fast approaching cliché spec. In fact if I fitted my ADthree ducktail spoiler the trifecta would be complete. Then I can rock the brown suit, shades and a shotgun, pretending I'm Detective Chief Daimon.

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Headed out west in the coupe for a quick photoshoot before the drizzle closed in.

as I originally feared the tyres are too low-profile and detract from the general awesomeness of the Watanabes, seriously considering going back to 60s all round

But it's going to be a downright c-unit to sell the 205/55R15 and 225/50R15 tyres, there just isn't any demand for them.

Tell me I should give up completely and swap it for a 1996 Honda here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10380

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Another special delivery courtesy of Ewan @ hayatonka arrives at my doorstep... or as the case may be, on my desk at work. Ironically enough, it was cheaper AND faster to send via seamail, instead of in the latest container. Go figure!

The part in question? A mere Pioneer component audio cradle, model ADT-N202E, new old stock, and as rare as hen's teeth. This is a genuine aftermarket part manufactured especially for the R30 Skyline, back when the Lonesome Carboy range of component audio gear was really popular and people were adding tape decks, equalizers and the whole shebang to their cars - Pioneer definitely doesn't make stuff like this anymore, and you gotta love how understated their packaging was in the 1980s. Nowadays it's all flash graphics and marketing jargon.

The idea is to remove the factory lower console and bolt this cradle in its place which then provides space for two extra audio components. No issues for me since the lower console is long gone in squid, and in its place currently sits an ugly Kenwood 2-DIN headunit that I have no particular emotional attachment to...

Fitting instructions included, all in Japanese of course. The detail of the OEM console diagram is astounding given this is an aftermarket part! Looks like it should be a cinch to install.

Hopefully I'll have some time one upcoming evening or weekend to dummy-fit the cradle and the cassette deck I have lying around. Question is, do I fit an extra amp or an equalizer in that second space? Choose wisely, young would-be Jedi.

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Doing a bit of last-minute prep for Nizfest...

Won't get a WOF on the standard rims as the tyres are completely shot, cracks in sidewalls and all sorts of crazy carry on, and besides, who wants to see squid on the original boring-arse R30 wheels anyway? So I went and dug these out of storage yesterday, gonna run a pair of 225/50s on the back (cheers to sheepers) and a pair of 205/55s up front (which have been lying around unused since I pulled them off the banana) which is the exact same tyre combo as the coupe.

Today - washed and waxed squid for the first time in ages. I don't think it made much difference to the finish, oddly enough.

Then decided to fit the new rear seat that I acquired some months ago to replace the sun-damaged one. Was lucky enough to score one off Yahoo Japan for a reasonable ~$150 (plus shipping via hayatonka container) as seat parts don't come up for sale very often - the alternative was to spend upwards of $700 getting the existing one re-upholstered, and with no guarantee that the replacement fabric would match!

Large shipping package, and sweet dish in the background.

Contents: DR30 Skyline rear seat. Not sure what's so fragile about a wire frame wrapped in a bit of foam and cloth? Lewl.

Like an inquisitive pet, squid wants to know what's in the box.

This is yuck! Comparison of old and busted rear seat back vs. the new hotness.

I have plans to scavenge the fabric from the old rear seat back (or base, depending which one has enough coverage) to repair the driver's seat. This probably won't happen before Nizfest though, so hopefully no one asks any pointed questions about it

But feel free to ask pointed questions about other aspects of the cars here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10380

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Weird misfire on squid has actually lessened somewhat over the last few days (see original videos in this post here) but is still affecting the car's ability to build boost above ~3k rpm or so.

10-5 dropped by tonite and we had a go at checking the resistance of the leads, condition of the dizzy cap and coil etc.

Nothing conclusive except that spark seems to be a bit on the weaksauce side so the coil may be struggling. Leads are still in relatively good condition considering they are the factory ones from 1983 and cap/rotor are all good with no cracks, corrosion or pitting. Plugs are burning well so those have been safely ruled out.

I should be able to nurse it to Hampton Downs and back this weekend, after which point I'll swap the coil over from my coupe and see if that makes any difference. At this stage I'm reluctant to start throwing heaps of coin at the ignition side of things knowing that in 6-9 months time all the factory shit is going to be ripped out in favour of Link goodness.

Had some weirdness on the alignment machine today, seems that the toe on the right rear wheel loves to shift around of its own accord, lol. Managed to dial approx. 1deg30min negative camber into the front wheels so it looks a bit more aggressive nowe

we recently acquired a super expensive Canon multifunction for the office, so I fumbled around a bit with the scan-to-email program and managed to produce a copy of my Skyline showroom plate (to display at Nizfest). Pretty convincing facsimile, for a mere piece of paper stuck to cardboard with blu-tack!

Since the Ewings ahve been fitted once again, here are some bonus photos of faux-slam. Oh if only I could get the car this low and drive around without gouging giant holes in the tarmac/sump/chassis.

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After busting my arse all week to get both DR30s to Hampton Downs, an administrative fuckup today resulted in neither of my cars being judged in the show and shine competition at Nizfest which I paid to enter.

The organizers gave me two bottles of cleaner wax as amends, but I don’t think I will return next year unless an oldschool.co.nz club stand is organized. Was pretty disappointed and ended up leaving the event early after discovering this.

However Snoozin von Richy snapped these photos of the DR30s on the trip home, which kinda cheered me up a little. And at least I made it there and back in the end, even after all the trouble squid was giving me! Thanks to all of the OS guys who came down for the day, and cheers to Ned for taking on driving duties in the coupe.

Squid definitely needs to go lower. For the love of dish!

Coupe has near-on perfect road stance though.

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The component cradle mentioned previously is now installed in squid, with cassette deck and EQ fitted (non-functional as of this moment - see below).

It is awesome!

Made a bit of progress on the vintage audio project over the weekend as well. Took a couple of headunits and amps down to Cam and Ned at ProTech, opened up the cases, hooked them up to a test rig and tinkered around for a while – the end result being that with a bit of judicious (and precise!) modding, it should be a cinch to “hook into” the cassette line-level output with a suitable media player device and still have the headunit control the tone, balance and volume levels.

Next step: figure out how to switch input seamlessly between cassette and line-in without blowing anything up. (Don’t look at me like that; everyone knows cassettes are The Bomb!)

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Rolling coupe around over the break, if everything goes to plan I shall give it an oil change and it'll accompany me to the Far North later this week. It's never been any further north than Orewa in the time I've owned it, lewl.

Audio build progress update! Stripped out the drive from one of the seized decks (a nice KP-88G) and got it all functional with 3.5mm AUX-in spliced directly into the preamp channel. The cassette is used to switch the unit on and off and doesn't do anything else. Signal is nice and clean, and contrary to my comments in the video the Dolby NR does kick in when the button is pressed. Choice

I plan to install this setup in squid, and save the cassette/line-in switching puzzle for banana later on down the track. That process involves pulling apart one of my "good" headunits, and I'm kinda reluctant to do that at this point in time.

WxFXbPjixKw

discussion, as per usual: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10380

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Cleaned 1500kms worth of Northland grime and detritus from the coupe in time for display at the 2012 4 and Rotary Nationals. Chur to Richy and the rest of the Auckland team for making our club stand such a smashing success!

So I've reached the point where I actually have nothing left to do to the vehicle, except to enjoy driving it every once in a while (and make sure I keep it well maintained, the usual stuff). Though I do need to find a home for these Pioneer-Carrozzeria box speakers I bought off Matt/mjrstar... perhaps coupe does wants?

Going forward this means I can focus my attention back on squid, and after having mixed and mingled with other like-minded OS members at the 4nRs, I've been converted to the notion of spending a bit more thought and effort on underbonnet aesthetics and presentation once the Big Boost Build begins, to showcase the uniqueness of the FJ20. This will be in tandem with current plans to maintain a "purposeful 1980s street look" both inside and outside the car. (The retro audio project is a big part of this!)

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Sorry about the constantly out-of-focus camera... silly phone has its moments.

EcrkDtrPnfs

Turns out squid just needed a new coil and module to fix the weird misfire/weak spark problem. Swapped the requisite parts over from coupe to get it running for the nonce. Ironically enough, said items were originally from squid in the first place - I'd swapped them over a few years back to try and cure another totally unrelated fault!

I could track down another coil and module ex Japan (or even in NZ) but all that junk will end up being ripped out in favour of Link + big turbo + coilpacks anyway in the next few months, so there's not much point. The parts take approximately five minutes to swap, so if I need to drive the coupe anywhere the inconvenience is only minor

off to Ardmore tomorrow with the rest of the OS contingent! For nowe, sleep tight in new shed.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10380

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Link + big turbo you say?

Just gotta find me some igniters and coils, then go see this Brendan fellow everyone keeps telling me about.

yup, there be some big plans in the werks for this here thing:

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Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

Giant thread bump... pulled apart the centre console on Saturday and changed around the gear in the audio cradle so that proper wiring can be run. The big hole in the console will also be re-modelled to fit a trio of period (Omori or Lamco) gauges with another opening for an equally vintage boost controller.

Took out the old KP-707G deck that still plays tapes, and installed a modified KP-77G with auxiliary input for modern MP3 players. (I ended up lending the KP-88G to a friend)

old setup:

new setup ready to be re-installed:

new setup:

The next challenge will be figuring out external amp placement, and making a line level converter so a small sub can be hidden in the boot.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

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A minor, teeny, weeny, not-even-that-important-really update.

Here be some temporary replacement shelf speakers for squid, as the TS-X20s are in dire need of refurbishment. Although I daresay the sound quality and bass response of these TS-X11s is actually better! They also weigh a ton.

Not bad for $20 off Trademe.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

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Snagged a trio of Omori Meter period gauges for less than the intended budget, but they arrived in Nagoya a day too late for Ewan to squeeze into the container.

fortunately, there's always EMS shipping...... so five days later, they turned up in New Zealand:

I'm not entirely sure the backlighting goes (on all three, oddly enough) but that's a relatively minor setback.

Also sketched out a quick design brief for the gauge/boost controller panel, will template out of cardboard with hopes of getting one laser-cut out of some form of metal once the final layout is determined. Briefly toyed with the idea of including panel-mount 3.5mm audio and USB jacks (for the stereo and Link respectively) but have decided against this for aesthetic and safety's sake - the last thing I want to happen is for some unwitting passenger to attempt plugging their USB device into the port and somehow frying the Link

And on that bombshell, the epic parts collection mission for squid which has taken somewhere in the order of four years and gobbled up over ten thousand dollars has finally concluded. Period-correct gauges were the very last thing(s) that needed crossed off the big list, so it is time to write up a plan to bolt things on and get stuff fabricated, etc, and present said plan to the right people.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/