Progress Bar: R32 Part 7 - Baby Steps

MY R32 JUST DYNOED AT 500 WHEEL HORSEPOWER!

Nah, I wish. It's still got around 0.2 horsepower currently and that's only when a couple of guys push it around the shop to be moved. Le sigh.

Anyway, even though my new Nismo RB26 hasn't magically teleported into my engine bay yet work has been proceeding apace, well a slow pace, but A pace at least so I figured it was time for another Progress Bar.

Let's start off with a pic of the car as it is now:

Oh my God somebody stole my wheels! And the brake calipers! And the front lip! And the interior! And the Armor All New Car Scent air freshener I had on the dash that was a Christmas gift! I'll never replace that!

Okay, the real reason all those bits are missing is because while I'm accumulating the parts for my new motor – and you'll like the list of parts when I eventually reveal it – I decided to take care of some other stuff on the to-do list. And besides, you'd know the interior was already missing if you read my previous Progress Bars.

So, lets go over what's been done or is in the process of being done:
  1. Brakes are off and we're waiting on the powdercoater to get in the supplies for the snazzy new shade the calipers will end up in (no, it won't be pink). After that gets done it's rebuild time and new rotors and pads will go on too. No new brake lines because the car already had stainless steel ones – thank you previous owner for once lol. Making sure the brakes are in tip-top shape is important 'cause being able to stop is a slightly useful trait for a car after all.
  2. The front lip has remained off since the car was towed because we're installing something useful down there for future emergencies. Stay tuned for a future writeup once that gets done.
  3. Front fender liners were removed to replace with new ones. The previous owner had drilled these horrendous holes in the old ones – presumably for cooling. Unfortunately it was at the expense of the liners' structural integrity 'cause he thought liners are NOT RACECAR apparently. I'm sure the brakes got plenty of airflow after the left side liner BROKE APART from all the stupid holes they drilled. One way or another they looked like ass - the dirty crack addict kind and not the nice, shapely Leah Dizon kind – so they had to go. Left side is done and much nicer now but the right is awaiting some work on the oil cooler fittings 'cause my friend Dan builds race cars and he likes to add cool stuff because racecar. Did I say racecar enough times?
    Remember kids, Swiss cheese is a shitty material for car parts.

    Never let untrained monkeys run around with power tools or this kind of damage can happen! Only lend your tools to trained monkeys.

    New, unperforated liners are nice. You'll also note how the calipers are gone for a rebuild.

  4. I removed the main dash panel so that an upholsterer can try and re-cover it. I'm waiting to see how that goes and keeping my fingers crossed it succeeds or I'll have to buy a replacement dash 'cause I hate staring at bubbles and holes and shit.
    I think I'll leave it out and put in a HUD. Yeah, that'll be total awesomesauce.
  5. I cleaned up the floorpan and installed Stinger Roadkill. Roadkill is similar to Dynamat and supposedly just as effective but cheaper and doesn't stink like Dynamat does. I also added small amounts to the trunk divider panel, rear quarter panels, and below the rear seats. On the floorpan I added a layer of closed cell foam on top for cushioning to replace the old jute matting that I binned together with the old carpet. I'll add some more Roadkill to the doors later on and do a DIY once all that's done.
    Stinger Roadkill sounds like an anti-tank missile instead of some foil with some heavy stuff on it.

    Passenger side.

    Closed cell foam sure beats the old nasty jute.

  6. The new carpet has been installed and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I think it looks great for being installed by a knuckle-dragging amateur like me and I can't wait to see it once the dash, center console, and seats are all back in.
    Plush new carpet. A lot of work but so nice to look at :)
  7. Speaking of the seats, I've been working on those too and have started putting on the Nismo seat covers I bought. I'm done with the front passenger and rear seats and now just need a chance to do the driver's seat. I'll do a DIY on that too later in case anyone buys these covers as well. You can thank me then because the instructions are all in Japanese and the front covers are so annoyingly fiddly that you'll need a lot of patience to fit them. You may punch your seats a few times in frustration since the whole thing is more maddening than planting a big smacker on one of the faces of Nyarlathotep. Grrr.

  8. The trunk has been nicely cleaned up including the surface rust in the spare wheel well. Next up: fitting the replacement trunk liners.
    It's just a spare wheel well but not having rust is nice.
  9. Removed the old parcel shelf and speakers and got a nice new replacement shelf made up by an upholsterer. The old one was as warped as my mind after watching three straight hours of hardcore porn (not that I've ever done that mind you) so I'm happy to toss it out. After taking that out I put new side panels in so that my imaginary back seat passengers can be cocooned in awesomeness.
    More Roadkill and the rear panels are back in.
  10. Watched some cool military hardware flying around. One nice thing about spending time at my friend Dan's shop is that you can watch some awesome stuff at the adjacent Marine air station – everything from brand-new F-35Bs to old F-5N aggressors to E-8 JSTARS to this Royal Air Force C-17 that showed up a couple of weeks back:
    Keep calm and carry on kicking ass.

In the coming weeks the old motor will be getting pulled out now that I've got a lot of the parts on the way. Once it's out it'll be time to refresh the engine bay in preparation for my shiny new Nismo mill to go in. God that'll be an awesome day...whenever it comes...in a thousand years or so...



Comments

  1. I just got a Nismo Fine Spec Final Edition motor for my Skyline GTR the other day! I feel like I am on the same journey as you are. Keep the posts coming, I'll be keeping an eye on your blogs.

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    Replies
    1. Another Skyline owner with a Fine Spec motor - cool! Whereabouts are you located and is it an R32 also?

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    2. Northern Alberta, Canada. And no, it is going into a 95 Skyline GTR Vspec R33.

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    3. Ah. you're one of our lucky neighbors to the north with the 15-year exemption! I wish we could have the newer stuff like you guys so I could get an R34 lol. I'm sure that'll be a great ride once your new motor is in. Are you going to post about it on a forum somewhere? It'll be interesting to see how it goes for you.

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  2. Oliver, how do you like those seat covers? I can't find any reviews or comments online. I was a little concerned about them being PVC leather. Build quality good?

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    Replies
    1. I'm planning on posting a full review and DIY once I get the seats all back in the car which I hope will happen this week. For now I can say they fit really well and look nice and well put together but they're a pain to install. Are they worth the high price? Well, I have to say it depends. I'll go into detail on that when I can do a full post on it.

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  3. LMAO, Thankfully, I didn't drill those holes.... And yes the brake lines were replaced with steel lines and R33 Brembo units, paint on them had alot to wish for...

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