This will be one of the biggest and most significant updates ever, due to what has happened and the fact that so much has happened. Firstly the reason it has been so long between updates with all of this news is that I upgraded my PC, and had to wait until now to get back all my old software. So in chronological order….

Firstly we changed the gearbox to the fresh one I had purchased, and it was a bastard job. Taking two full days it finally went in, it really was that bad. On the first day the old box finally came loose from the car and smashed helper’s Craig fingers, enough force to burst the sides of them open from the pressure. Needless to say he retired hurt and myself, Dave and daniel finished the job. A very big thanks to all of them for their help. The new box was much better than the old but it took a while to settle properly before first and reverse didn’t grind on engagement.

Soon after this I noticed some chassis damage on the right hand strut tower in the engine bay. It seemed a combination of countless accidents in Japan and the hugely stiff suspension had cracked the car to bits. A huge split had spread from the battery tray to the adjacent corner of the engine bay. I truly feared for my life every time I drove the car knowing this damage, which thankfully wasn’t very many times. The decision was made that a new shell at minimum had to come, another straight S13 to move everything into.

A strange twist of circumstance saw another friend from Silvia NSW looking to replace his smick 180sx with something rougher to use at the track, and another friend looking to buy a SR20DET to covert his non turbo Silvia. Discussions were made, deals were done and I found myself trading my black 180 (minus driveline) + money for the new grey 180, and the driveline going to the third party.

This week the grey 180 was picked up and the long process of switching over parts from one car to the next began. I am, however, picking up some parts that are staying on the new car at extra cost. The most significant of these is a set of HKS step 1 camshafts. Exactly what I wanted as previously mentioned on the November 19 update. The cams are under 3000kms old and are 256 degree inlet duration, and 264 degree exhaust duration. Cross another part off the list.

Some suspension gear is also staying on the car, mainly though due to the difficulty in swapping them. Firstly a set of pineapples is installed in the rear subframe, aiming to quell axle tramp. More significantly a set of Whiteline swaybars are installed front and rear, which are a great step up from what the black car was running (probably factory). The grey car handles very well, better than the black car ever did, with much softer coilovers. I will be softening mine to emulate this, as the mid corner grip especially over rough road is excellent.

The new car is very interesting in its specification, missing almost every power option. HICAS, ABS, power retract mirrors, cabin lights and power windows are all absent. The rear spoiler is also gone -but from factory -it looks like there was never one there. Perfect for me as the bootlid has beautiful smooth paint on the surface. Perhaps the car has a lot of potential to be lighter than the last.

The engine of the new grey 180 is another SR20DET, but further modified to mine. Apart from the usual stuff it has a HKS GT2540 turbo, 740cc injectors, HKS cams and runs Haltech management. This is a very similar setup to what I am aiming for, apart from the exact turbo choice and the engine management. This engine has shown the goods before, recording a 211 rwkw power figure. Currently it runs no aftermarket boost control, so it’s making similar rear wheel power to what I’m used to but with much less midrange. I’ll hopefully get my Blitz ebc in before the turbo is taken out to experience the type of result I’m looking for in the future.

Very soon when more parts are swapped I’ll put up a new page of pictures detailing the new car. Stay tuned…