mbb's Nissan Silvia

[mbb]

Hey guys, long time lurker and finally decided to make an account


Here it sits to this day







Rewinding back a few years - this was my first 'real' ride which sparked this money pit we call 'modifying'


It was a 1995 Honda Integra SiR-G - b18c standard motor with a S80 ****ty LSD long gears gearbox











Nonetheless, it was granny driven, had a 12" sub to pick up the bitches and a fart cannon.




I then took the plunge to finally get a turbo vehicle and my friend sold a limited STi version of a Forester to me. EJ20 all the WRX goodness in a fat fat body












I wish these were LM GT4s - still limited Rays Engineering wheels also however - my biggest regret when selling this off


The Type II M was as I said 'limited' but its value did not hold up - either way I only had it for a few months before I got the DC5 Type R







This lead to me diving into my savings and pushing further for a nicer car and I had always wanted a real Type R - and I quickly snatched up this beauty


Fully stock JDM Type R 220 HP motor with the lovely Wedsport SA-70 Wheels that came with it for only an extra $300!

















But something wasn't right with this car - I couldn't certify the mods for the coilovers here in NZ because of a specific rule against DC5 and EP3s - this weirdly put me off the car as I didn't want to drive something that voided my insurance.
The K20a was a great engine however - especially combined with the short ratio 6 speed gear box - Hondas finally had torque and I didn't have to buy a Euro R or Prelude.


But yes something was wrong - it didn't satisfy me - it was the car I always wanted but it never made me want to go overboard on it or drive it really..


Goodbye DC5 - I will probably purchase a DC2 Type R in the next few years when I settle down








The next post will start the story of my S15 but first here is another teaser from a previous drift day

 

[phillll]

Nice! Love yellow 15's!

What was the problem with the coilovers on the Honda dude? And what are the rules against them on the Hondas?

 

[mbb]

Nice! Love yellow 15's!

What was the problem with the coilovers on the Honda dude? And what are the rules against them on the Hondas?

Been a couple of years but I think the rule is still in place from our certifiers here. Basically for the EP3 and DC5 setup the steering arches to the welded strut housing. Been ruled to be unsafe cause its in the area of welding - unless someone down here wants to do crack testing and destroy coilovers

Its only a rule to the EP3 and DC5 chassis to my knowledge

 

[mbb]

It had been a few months of owning the DC5 and already it had been sold. I had chopped through two cars but gratefully I made a profit on both of them by just flicking them off.


I had always had a dream (like everyone else) to own a GTR but $20k + price range for finding a nice 32 was out of my budget and I had this feeling of fuel economy still in the back of my mind (Bloody Hondas). So for a few weeks I searched for different types of performance imports and even considered a FC Rx7 - Thank god I didn't get a rotary.


Then I began searching for alot of S14s - the S13 was too old for me but yet I didn't mind the R32. Very Contradicting and also my Nissan game was weak - No knowledge except RB this and RB that and of course the SR20DE and DET.
I then began to expand my search to find a nice Spec S S15 as it had the luxury look like the DC5 and still had the 2.0 N/A engine!


Finding a Spec S S15 here unmolested or unmodified is rare - they pop up from time to time but have already gone through the process of a hardpark car. Slammed on Rota Grids, D2 Adjusties, Camber camber camber.


No luck there - It also had to be JDM, Autech if I could.


I found a nice tidy Spec S S15 in blue, higher Ks at 160,000 but looked stockish. I went to check it out one morning. The interior was amazing. It had the orange silvia optional seats from factory and all that jazz - If I remember, it had the Orange Silvia Cluster also. Popped the hood and saw alot of oil residue around the head, oil drips on the bottom and I looked around the area to see if it was parked and little drips around also. I immediately suspected a leak with the sump - a friend advised me to look out for this as his SR20DE did the same. The car popped first go and the VCT rattle was apparent.


Walked away with no second thoughts.


A couple more weeks went by with nothing and finally I took a chance and bought a car without a test drive.


It was a 2001 200SX NZ New S15 in factory yellow with just clocking 100,000ks. It had little description in the classified and had a set of green neons equipped with it. Fully stock with no mods whatsoever.
The neons kinda put me off because it was advertised that an older gentleman has owned it. Its the old 'one careful lady driver' line when the car is fully worked - cept this was bone stock and clean as hell


It was an auction so I bid on it and long story short - I got it within budget and around market price for one. I asked the owner if it was possible to get a pre-purchase inspection and they agreed. Again at this point I am still skeptical as hell because I'm sure this is owned by a teen and being an hour and half drive away from where I live - I had to limit the risk.


Pre Purchase inspection passed with flying colours. I went down and picked it up off an actual older gentleman who had owned it brand new from Nissan and had all the books and service records


Sadly no photos of it being purchased and the classified loses its photos after a few months but here are a few of what it stood on to give a clear idea














I drove it straight home and boy was it fun and the power that it had from factory compared to what I had driven before. It was pretty much a JDM model but badges are different and has a rear aerial and not detuned like ADM models

 

[mbb]

So having the S15 for a few weeks, what did I want to mod first - I also had put myself out there and signed up for a practice skid day at a pan to familiarise myself with the RWD vehicle.


So it was adjustable suspension.


I found a friend who was selling HKS Hipermax II D Spec but doing a bit of research it was the older model and quite dated - I wanted something that could last at least a few years so I went with the BC Gold range from all the reviews I read.


I never knew how easy it was to put suspension in - Just a few bolts and elbow grease and bam they were in. A good friend of mine spent a sunday afternoon doing it and man it felt great to be lower. Handled much better also - less body roll etc.


Here are a few pics from a potato


Old rears out





Fitment was spot on cept with the front brake line bracket needing slight bending to fit properly - otherwise no worries

 

[mbb]

The first drift day was fun, but a huge learning curve - I was basically turning the corners and when the rear did kick out, I was fully just spinning and spinning. Looking back, it was mix of not driving the car harder - kicking that clutch, more speed and I blamed my helical diff.


I set out to go all the way and my mechanic advised to get a 2 Way LSD - I did alot of reading on it before actually biting the bullet and ordering one straight from JP Auctions.


I said **** it, got my friend who has a friend in Japan and bid outright to get a Nismo GT Pro LSD and shipped by EMS. Scheduled to arrive in 4 weeks - I signed up for another skid day 5 weeks away.


During this time I despoilered the car - wasn't going to fully go for a weld up repaint job but a family friend is a panel beater and he did a great job plugging the screw points

 

[mbb]

So the 2 Way came in about four days of being shipped out. EMS is sure getting fast.


Went straight to my mechanic - I had no confidence to change a diff myself. Popped in within a couple of hours and clunk clunk clunk. It was amazing, it felt great and so loose dumping the clutch.


I just want to put for the record, a 2 Way is not that bad for daily driving - its predictable and you won't magically kick the rear out unless you are really hooning it. The car is probably at 150 - 160kw at the wheels so normal driving for it is fine.


The Nismo GT Pro LSD came with new bearings, 2 bottles of Motul LSD oil ! and the centre itself.








Stock Helical LSD hidden away







So I was a few weeks out from the next skid day - I cambered in the fronts to get as much negative camber as I could and sent it to get an alignment - was ridiculous- -3 in the front and about -2.76 on the rear being on all stock arms

 

[mbb]

The next drift day was a great learning day. Finally felt comfortable with the rear coming out - holding some slides and learning transitions and throttle control.


I also sprayed the wheels - Lost all the photos for that - turned out great - wet sand paper, primer, repco cans. Not bad for a quick job and a nice black look








After this day, my friend was selling his BBS RS II Type - O 17x9 +20 all round off his S14 Kouki - Got them for a great deal

 

[mbb]

Not much happened over the new year - The drift day was in November - I think it was time to give it some TLC - at least an oil change


Motul 10w-40 Full Synthetic and a K&N Oil Filter


I also saw a classified for someone getting rid of a Black SR3 Recaro from a DC2 ITR - Drivers side only - exactly what I wanted. Get me some of that Honda feel I love.
Fitted it up on NZKW rails and drilled the bracket for the seatbelt














Also installed a GKtech drift handbrake button for the mad 1 pot rear lockies - I need to really upgrade the GTST Rear brakes





Black to keep things nice and stealth

 

[mbb]

So I threw up whether to go for an FMIC or an exhaust - the plan was to start doing some bolt on power mods - support upping the boost abit on the T28BB with a EBC.


What was the point of going a 600x300 generic kit and get choked by the exhaust section. I got a great deal on a brand new HKS Hi Power Silent catback system












Ordered in a few weeks after some Megan Racing products from a good importer Moonlight Racing





Out with the Cat and Factory Front Pipe


I kept the factory dump because I was advised keeping a bit more response by having a smaller dump and the T28 is way bigger than T25


Went from around 9psi factory boost to about 11psi from just bigger front and decat

 

[mbb]

Fast foward to present day - Nothing much has happend being winter and all, saving my money up for a steering setup and not skidding till about october or november.


I picked up some Parts Shop Max Knuckles and organised with a good guy named Todd who does Keto Steering Systems for some D1 Drivers here in NZ








I got some GKtech offset rack spacers, 25mm Spacer to throw me into -5 offset after the knuckles are in and needed to roll the guards silly and remove the plastic **** out of the way -








Split a little bit of the paint but its nicely rolled in the front now and just needing a loom tuck





Knuckles are hopefully going in on Tuesday and the lockstops just need to be shaved from the LCA and reweld some new ones to get slightly more lock - Hopefully all goes well but something is bound to come up!

 

[mbb]

So the last post above was probably late last year around October November - So i'll document what I can remember

Knuckles went in perfectly, only change was that these did not support ABS so the plugs have been disconnected to the front - I'll be looking to finish up by removing ABS all together with a kit like this:

http://www.gktech.com/index.php/stainless-steel-braided-teflon-lined-abs-delete-kit.html

Harder to find non abs S14 lines but think this kit will do just fine

Since installing the knuckles I've had binding issues on full lock - the drivers side is scrubbing on the inner guard on both sides of lock. Maybe i'll have to go a lower profile tyre or extend the LCAs by 15mm or 20mm.

The plan initially was to just get slightly more lock but I might have to go all the way and extend the lcas, longer tie rods, relocate rack etc.

I also picked up a random strut brace for a few dollars off a mate. Rigid enough - will paint it when I have time.. haven't decided what colour yet

I also picked up a R33 GTST 2 pot caliper and drum setup and got it installed - just needed a R33 handbrake cable and got a custom adaptor fabricated up instead of the normal 'eagle adaptor' or whatever is used

You can see from above the handbrake cable started getting damaged as I put on some drifteks on the rear to drift on and they were 17x9.5 wide :/

Graveyard for original calipers and stock knuckles

Also went out to another drift day to check out the new knuckles and handbrake with the 2 pot rears - and they felt amazing and increased my margin of error of spinning out. Handbrake locked up nicely too

Heres a few pictures from the day:

Went a bit too hard and dropped the tyre pressure to about 24psi to get more grip in this pair of skid wheels. The compound of the tyre must've been **** cause they lasted a couple rounds before this one got punctured and loss all air in it hence popping off the wheel

Even got to attempt to start experimenting with tandems with this nice sil80 CA18DET

 

[Floyd]

looks like alot of fun mate nice pics!, gotta ask how much you picked up the nismo for? I'm already tempted but they do seem quite pricey... is the difference in noise noticeable from the hlsd?

 

[mbb]

looks like alot of fun mate nice pics!, gotta ask how much you picked up the nismo for? I'm already tempted but they do seem quite pricey... is the difference in noise noticeable from the hlsd?

It was about a rough conversion to british pound at about 0.51 conversion so half my currency - about 600 quid (is that right? quid?) 600 of your local dollar.

This was probably the best modification i've done to any car - though if you daily drive, you will hate it, you will want to burn your car, and destroy it. And yes is clunks, smashes, and skips compared to the HLSD.

There is another build thread that just did an indepth review over a 1.5 LSD - 2 way is just a bit more aggresive and predictable.

http://forum.s15oc.com/threads/14820-My-sensible-fast-road-S15

 

[mbb]

Like I was saying, not much happened over the summer here, this is around January-February now.

Got a Top Gauge water temp/voltage meter. Got it installed from a good mate of mine and only trouble was the adaptor for the sensor on the top hose and cutting it up to fit.

Also picked up a spare pair of LCAs incase I want to extend my current ones

 

[mbb]

So I found some new wheels and have had my eye on them for awhile.. and it was a local set and the price was fair..

I had to say good bye to the BBS wheels and sold them to a friend who just finished converting to 5 stud so it was perfect for his S14

I travelled down the country about an hour out of town to pick up these goodies

18x8.5 +25

They usually come in 18x8.5 and 18x9.5 but these came off an imported 350z from Japan and the owner did not know the value of them.

I picked up some Nitto Invos to wrap the front for some nice grip

and got some trash camber worn Falkens in the rear to fit on and finish off as I was on a budget for the month.



Here they are on

Compared to some fake Drifteks

Here it sits to this day

I really need to get some camber and toe arms for the rear to straighten it up. Want to have it done by next drift day so I can get some more grip

 

[mbb]

Went to a drift day last month, was great. Clearance on the new wheels is good, little to no binding anymore on full lock

Really need to sort out the rear camber to get it as close to 0 degrees as possible as its current still sitting around -3.5

I've found since changing from the 17s, they've scrubbed alot of the inner guard away in spots down to the metal so its starting to rust if I don't fix it up.. might sand it down quickly and apply some primer .. though I don't think this is the best fix.. just temporary.

Also needing to do all my maintenance before hitting another drift day

On the list

Transmission
Engine and filter
Power steering
Brake fluid flush
Front pads

Rear camber arms
Rear toe arms

Maybe FMIC..

 

[sibbers]

What a wicked thread! Love the car, love the way your progressing through and loving the route you're taking. It's almost like a story where you start out as bright eyed aspirational drifter, just making his way to the ultimate drift championship status

you guys have such a great selection of all things Japanese out there. Well jel.

 

[Floyd]

but these came off an imported 350z from Japan and the owner did not know the value of them.

sounds like a good deal haha

 

[mbb]

What a wicked thread! Love the car, love the way your progressing through and loving the route you're taking. It's almost like a story where you start out as bright eyed aspirational drifter, just making his way to the ultimate drift championship status

you guys have such a great selection of all things Japanese out there. Well jel.

Im looking to end up moving to the UK for work in the next few years so hopefully I can buy a Silvia when I'm over.

And by no means - i've only had experience on the ski pan. Open room with big room for error. I'm looking to improve my skills at a couple of new venues coming this year and go full track drifting

Appreciate the comments