Everyone Likes Surprises...Until They Don't
There should have been a totally
different post here today but I got some unexpected news earlier
while my R32 was in the shop to finally get the timing and accessory
belts and water pump replaced. It turns out the harmonic balancer on
my RB26 was showing signs of degradation and replacing it was
recommended. I had also noticed before that the previous owner of my
Skyline had done some sort of hack job to the radiator shroud and the
full extent of the questionable work was now obvious with the
radiator out of the vehicle. The car still worked fine with the crap
that was done but the fan and shroud had suffered some rubbing and
consequent wear so apparently redneck engineering isn't confined to
the US of A. Even Japan has it despite the distinct lack of banjos
and questionable marital partners.
Worn parts give me sadface |
Since putting in new stuff wouldn't add
any additional cost in labor it didn't make sense to put the old
parts back in but of course I'd have to wait for the additional items
before the car could be buttoned back up and be drivable again. I was
able to source an uprated ATI balancer from a retailer here in the US
to replace the OEM Nissan one but the radiator parts would have to
come from overseas with a resultant wait of about 2 weeks. Thankfully
I'm friends with the manager and staff of the shop so keeping the car
safe there for the time it takes the parts to arrive won't cost me
anything except for the irritation of not being able to drive my
Skyline for a couple of weeks.
The whole situation just shows the
pitfalls of owning a unique car though, especially one that's 25
years old and not sold here in the first place. Performance parts for
an RB26 like a new aftermarket harmonic balancer may be fairly easy
to come by but OEM stuff entails a wait while they arrive from
overseas – assuming they're available. The R32 and RB engines are
popular enough that getting parts for it isn't all that bad
considering its age and grey market status here in the US but forget
about Fast and The Furious-style “overnight parts from Japan”
availability.
The radiator shroud situation also
shows another pitfall of owning a 25-year old JDM car – they're old
enough that a lot of them have probably gone through what Top Gear
affectionately calls “bodge jobs”. Wiring that's been Scothloked
to hell and back is common but other weird sh*t can be seen on these
cars. I read one fellow R32 owner's complaint of sheet metal screws
being used to attach a body kit on his car by the previous “retarded
owner”. I'm not really sure what the previous owner of my car had
tried to do with the trimming he had done to the stock radiator
shroud (none of my friends are sure either) but it sure didn't help
things.
Of course, surprises aren't anything
new if you're used to modifying cars. Even modern cars with
well-established upgrades and easy parts availability can run into
snags like with my R35's build that stretched two months past the
initial deadline.
So if you're looking to get into a nice
piece of classic JDM kit or want more than just simple modifications
on any car, bring patience and/or money. Preferably huge bags of
both.
And have a second, reliable ride handy
for those times your project is out of service.
On the positive side, surprises like
these can be turned into a positive. Old worn-out parts can be
replaced with new, better ones. You also learn more about your
personal car and the experience just adds to the link you have with
it. Once the hurdles are done and fading in your memory like that
blind date your friend said you wouldn't regret, getting your car
back better than before is ample reward.
You've probably had an unforeseen snag
in the middle of a build or even just regular maintenance so feel
free to share your story in the comments if you'd like!
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