New Member - SR20 510 in Oz, GTR in CA.
Hey guys,
My mate cnynracer1 put me onto this forum due to this track event you guys are running: http://www.sr20-forum.com/2015-west-coast-convention-bakersfield-california-sep-24-27/77004-buttonwillow-raceway.html#post1028184
Sounds excellent. I've been itching to get out again in my GT-R after having a blast at Streets a couple of months ago. So I'm not sure if you guys would have me, but I'd love to come.
A little background, I'm originally from Australia. Came over 10 years ago following my GF, now wife. I fell in love with the Datsun 1600 (510 in the US) when I was a teenager, and promptly got one as a project car, with the grandest of ambitions. Lots of fun mis-steps along the way, and a small mountain of parts collected including, S15 Silvia SR20DET with 6-speed transmission, adjustable rear suspension, mufflers, etc etc. I stripped the car and it went to paint jail. The shop I took it to does amazing work, but it was never a priority for them. The car was slowly (very) worked on over the course of 5+ years, and I eventually got it back, albeit unpainted. So I have a hand-finished, no filler, no rust, mint condition 510 shell sitting in my parent's shed in Australia, with a nice 2000Mi old SR20DET sitting next to it.
I was super frustrated while the 510 was in paint jail, and hated driving my FWD shitbox. And a friend had a 240z for sale with a blown headgasket. After fixing that I got a little carried away and ended up doing a L28ET conversion with a GT35R turbo on the side. The build thread is here: ozdat.com ? View topic - 240Z L28 Turbo if you care to take a look. Picture of the engine bay:
And a video a mate took of me on my first outing with a non-function wastegate, and a shitload of air in the brake lines:
Still fun!
After I moved to the states, I went a couple of years with no play car, focusing on renovating a beach house in my wife's family. Eventually I got a 280Z here, with plans to keep it as a daily and just enjoy it.
Dave's 280z VK56DE Project - S30 Series - 240z, 260z, 280z - HybridZ That didn't last very long, which is a bummer. I did this one a lot more sensibly than the Australian car, suspension, drivetrain reliability, and wheels and tyres. Planning on enjoying it like that, the engine popped, and I then got all excited about VK56DE's being available here. So I started that conversion, and never finished it. I suck. Very sad. Interestingly the engine and transmission (G37 with adaptor) went to Australia, and the shell with all the nice suspension bits, just waiting for a new heart, went to Chicago.
Fast forward another year, and I finally wore my wife down, and finances allowed me to get the car that I never thought I'd ever be able to. A brand new Nissan GTR. I got a good deal on a '14, as it'd been sitting in the dealer for pushing 2 years, so they were willing to make a deal. Picked that up November '14, and have been enjoying the living shit out of it since. Plans for it are to optimize it for HPDE events. Build thread is here:
Dave's slow, stealthy, Black Edition, HPDE-oriented build - Build Threads - Nissan GT-R Heritage progress is slow. These cars are fucking expensive. So far I've gotten a harness, and second set of rear wheels to put on the front (car is understeer biased from factory), and I'll shortly be getting the whiteline suspension bushings to add a bit more negative camber for clearance and tyre wear.
Anyway, glad to be here! And I hope to meet you guys on the 24th!
Dave
My mate cnynracer1 put me onto this forum due to this track event you guys are running: http://www.sr20-forum.com/2015-west-coast-convention-bakersfield-california-sep-24-27/77004-buttonwillow-raceway.html#post1028184
Sounds excellent. I've been itching to get out again in my GT-R after having a blast at Streets a couple of months ago. So I'm not sure if you guys would have me, but I'd love to come.
A little background, I'm originally from Australia. Came over 10 years ago following my GF, now wife. I fell in love with the Datsun 1600 (510 in the US) when I was a teenager, and promptly got one as a project car, with the grandest of ambitions. Lots of fun mis-steps along the way, and a small mountain of parts collected including, S15 Silvia SR20DET with 6-speed transmission, adjustable rear suspension, mufflers, etc etc. I stripped the car and it went to paint jail. The shop I took it to does amazing work, but it was never a priority for them. The car was slowly (very) worked on over the course of 5+ years, and I eventually got it back, albeit unpainted. So I have a hand-finished, no filler, no rust, mint condition 510 shell sitting in my parent's shed in Australia, with a nice 2000Mi old SR20DET sitting next to it.
I was super frustrated while the 510 was in paint jail, and hated driving my FWD shitbox. And a friend had a 240z for sale with a blown headgasket. After fixing that I got a little carried away and ended up doing a L28ET conversion with a GT35R turbo on the side. The build thread is here: ozdat.com ? View topic - 240Z L28 Turbo if you care to take a look. Picture of the engine bay:
And a video a mate took of me on my first outing with a non-function wastegate, and a shitload of air in the brake lines:
Still fun!
After I moved to the states, I went a couple of years with no play car, focusing on renovating a beach house in my wife's family. Eventually I got a 280Z here, with plans to keep it as a daily and just enjoy it.
Dave's 280z VK56DE Project - S30 Series - 240z, 260z, 280z - HybridZ That didn't last very long, which is a bummer. I did this one a lot more sensibly than the Australian car, suspension, drivetrain reliability, and wheels and tyres. Planning on enjoying it like that, the engine popped, and I then got all excited about VK56DE's being available here. So I started that conversion, and never finished it. I suck. Very sad. Interestingly the engine and transmission (G37 with adaptor) went to Australia, and the shell with all the nice suspension bits, just waiting for a new heart, went to Chicago.
Fast forward another year, and I finally wore my wife down, and finances allowed me to get the car that I never thought I'd ever be able to. A brand new Nissan GTR. I got a good deal on a '14, as it'd been sitting in the dealer for pushing 2 years, so they were willing to make a deal. Picked that up November '14, and have been enjoying the living shit out of it since. Plans for it are to optimize it for HPDE events. Build thread is here:
Dave's slow, stealthy, Black Edition, HPDE-oriented build - Build Threads - Nissan GT-R Heritage progress is slow. These cars are fucking expensive. So far I've gotten a harness, and second set of rear wheels to put on the front (car is understeer biased from factory), and I'll shortly be getting the whiteline suspension bushings to add a bit more negative camber for clearance and tyre wear.
Anyway, glad to be here! And I hope to meet you guys on the 24th!
Dave
Last edited by thehelix112
on 2015-08-30
at 20-52-00.
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