2000 Nissan Silvia - Brave New World

2000 Nissan Silvia - Brave New World

Shubash Singh's brazen taken on the S15 Silvia is both humble and defiant--a refreshingly pleasing duality

Shubash Singh's '00 Nissan S15 Silvia is calm from the outside. With its factory gray casting back ominously, the exterior features an overly polite veneer that signals a potentially falsified sense of speed, power, and overall workmanship. The body modifications are not applicable, and Shubash is unapologetic about it all. Because just like the old maxim asserts, "Don't judge a book by its cover," his S15 is a crusty title-less paperback with coffee stains and dog-eared corners. The major separation of this underwhelming façade is the Silvia's pristinely planned, disco-ball-turning, massive guts.

Headgames Motorworks's Dave Localio first brought Shubash's car to our attention. I can remember the cold Tennessee night when I heard it start for the first time; it sounded strong and it rode well, but I couldn't get past its near-stock surface. "There has to be a reason why Dave, who builds four-digit-horsepower 2JZs for a living, like this thing," I reassured myself. And after a neck-whipping 70-140 freeway pull, I realized why. I was speechles, even after we pulled over to have a peak under the hood, and as the photographer muttered the words, "It's . . . beautiful!" I looked over and his face shone pure bliss. He was staring at the Silvia's SR20DET with magic in his eyes; the sight of the already ultimate motor fully developed was angelic. It was a moment of saccharine ecstasy, a spiritual connection through cars, and it's for those moments like that of unity between tuner and engine that the SR20 exists. Shubash is right in being unapologetic about the exterior.

"I grew up with a passion for cars and basically anything with wheels, from performance, sound, electronics, to appearance. I enjoy and fiddle with it all," Shubash said, "I bought this car because my father bought one some years back and I couldn't get enough drive time with it. The car handled and performed great in its stock state. The options and many ways you can go with this platform intrigued me and caught my interest. When I saw one for sale from a friend, I jumped and have been in it ever since." Much of that physical manifestation came from Shubash's father, who owned an auto sales and body shop when Shubash was growing up back in Trinidad. His father was also an avid street racer, flogging cars like the Datsun 1200, Mitsubishi Lancer GSR, and Mazda RX-7. This passion for cars, as well as the appreciation of the engine, transferred seamlessly into Shubash's life.

Everything in this Silvia was coordinated to an epic T, from the politeness of the exterior to the massive, velvety engine bay that cascades underneath the hood like a stage revealing Broadway performers. The engine alone cost around $15K in parts and labor. The motor's head is fully ported with a polished valve job, matched perfectly with the intake and exhaust manifold. Piping was customized for shorter runs with less aggressive angles, and the rotating assembly has been balanced. The 2.0-liter displacement remains intact but the compression ratio has been raised from 8.5:1 to 9.0:1. The stock turbo was upgraded with one from Precision, a model HP6262. The manifold is from Peakboost, with an equal-length T3 top mount, while the Greddy intercooler and pipes were customized to Shubash's liking and the boost controller was replaced with a Blitz Spec-R ICD-III version. All of which helps the Tomei Procam camshafts, Eagle H-Beam connecting rods, and CP pistons move a little faster to a tune of a firm, absurd loudness.

"I wanted to build this myself and see where I could push the envelope without sacrificing drivability and comfort. At the end of the day, I like driving the car," explained Shubash, "The most unique feature is the Tomei Reytec ECU; it takes me so long to explain to friends and strangers that Tomei, in fact, sells a stand-alone that is MAP-based for the SR20. It was this product and all the other unique ones that were the root of my frustration, waiting for them to arrive at my doorstep from shops around the country as well as Japan. In the end, of course, it was all worth it."

Working under the hood and the car overall, Shubash always found himself generally pleased, but wishing the S15 was tuned to a more perfect setting. He tooled around with several setups and in two years, he found a level ground in which he felt the car was at its tuning peak. He then focused on the ride to complete the build. He installed a set of Ksport Kontrol Pro coilovers, Nismo bushings and motor mounts, and a Kazama Hicas Stopper kit. The factory wheels were replaced with 18-inch Rays Gram Lights 57 Pros with a deep dish in the rear that seems to run endlessly. Behind the Gram Lights sit Brembo calipers with Rotora rotors in the front and Brembo rotors in the rear. Project Mu B-Force brake pads run on all four corners, as well as SPL stainless steel braided brake lines. The interior includes a svelte set of Bride Euro II front seats that face a custom gauge panel for the Defi and Innovate wide-band gauges between the radio and climate controls.

Among his team who worked on the car, including the people at MTR Racing and Headgames Motorworks, Shubash often refers to the build as "good times" and it is telling that he was so taken with the concept of goodness. What was an ideal car on paper, he has built into a gargantuan presence. "There are so many SR20s floating around, but few are really completely done. It was a gradual build, but it was so much fun to do," said Shubash. It's difficult to imagine any tuner finding much unhappiness in Shubash's S15, and if they did, they shouldn't expect Shubash to do much about it.

Tomei Reytec The Gratuitous Sidebar That Rhymes with VTEC.

So what's this hubbub about the Tomei Reytec? To get to the bottom of this somewhat enigmatic ECU, we hit up Riki Endo, representative of Tomei USA.

According to Endo-san, "This programmable ECU is very popular in Japan due to its convenient software setting, A/F ratio adjustability, and mapping the ECU is done with ease. We also provide downloadable data on our website for the user! Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to inform your readers about our Reytec system!"

No problem, buddy!

'00 Nissan Silvia

Engine

SR20DET; balanced rotating assembly, custom head porting; Tomei Procam camshafts, oil pan, throttle body, rocker arm stoppers, Reytec Hi-Boost, oil cap, polished compressor housing, multi-layer exhausts manifold gasket; Russell braided lines; Eagle H-Beam connecting rods; CP Pistons 9.0:1 pistons, piston rings; ARP head studs; Supertech valve kit, dual valve springs, titanium retainers; Greddy S15 Version 2 intake manifold, intercooler pipes, fuel rail, catch can; HKS Hi-Power exhaust, blow-off valve; Precision HP6262 V-band outlet turbocharger; Peakboost equal-length T3 top-mount turbo manifold; Tial wastegate; Blitz Spec-R IDC-III boost controller; Koyo aluminum radiator; JDM radiator hoses; Flex-a-Lite FAL-220 radiator fans; Enjuku Racing adjustable thermostat; Splitfire ignition; NGK spark plugs; Injector Dynamics ID1000 fuel injectors; Aeromotive A1000 fuel pressure regulator; Walbro and Bosch fuel pumps; Power Enterprise head gasket

Drivetrain Ogura Racing Clutch kit; Nismo transmission mount

Suspension Ksport Kontrol Pro coilovers; Nismo bushings, motor mounts; Kazama Hicas Stopper

Wheels/Tires Rays Gram Lights 57 Pro Titanium wheels (18x9 front, 18x10 rear); Nitto NT-555 tires (235/40-18 front, 255/35-18 rear)

Brakes Brembo calipers with Rotora 13-inch slotted rotors (front); Brembo calipers, rotors (rear); Project Mu B-Force pads; SPL stainless braided brake lines

Exterior Stock

Interior Bride Euro II seats; custom gauge panel

Electronics Defi/Innovate gauges; Blitz/Defi displays; Eclipse iPod and navigation head unit, speakers; KnuKonceptz wiring; Optima Battery relocated to trunk

Name.
Shubash Singh

Age. 30

Hometown. Nashville, TN

Occupation. Programmer

Build time. Two Years

1996 Nissan 180SX - In Its Element

1996 Nissan 180SX - In Its Element

Seems The Pair From D2 Are Right At Home With Each Other.

When I was younger, I used to frequent clubs-not for the girls (you know you really don't have high standards if you're successful at picking them up), but rather for the music, the ambiance and really just to be amongst friends. Long story short, we saw a crowd gathered around a stretched Hummer limousine one night after clubbing. Curious, we joined to find inside that the lights were on, and some young, stripper-esque girl and her guy were getting it on for all to see! Not that I didn't enjoy the peek (she was definitely hawt), but the whole scene was really out of its element.

Which sort of parallels my thought behind the drifting phenomenon. Yeah, on occasion I enjoy going to a D1 or a Formula D event, but something was lost in the over-commercialization of the sport that I could never seem to put my finger on. Fast-forward to present day Japan. We're on a mountain pass, instructing D2 Motorworks mechanic, Fumiaki Komatsu, to drive back and forth on a section of the pass, busting U-turns at each end, so we could get a motion shot for our fine 2NR readers. Not only does Komatsu do that, he blows by us with glorious power-slides each time. Did I forget to mention that Komatsu is also D2's pro driver? It's at that moment it clicks for me: Drifting is best in its element, when done not for a trophy or heavy purse, but in its roots, through back mountain passes, by die-hards who couldn't care less if anyone's watching them do it. In my heart, what was lost was regained. My love for drifting had been restored.

The S13 before you is owned by the aforementioned Fumiaki Komatsu of D2 Motorworks of Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan, and started life in their stable as a street-class drift and time-attack vehicle. This is Fumiaki's tenth S13, and it shows in his driving. That's not to say he sucks, rather the opposite: mastering the skill he has takes practice, and if you're not wrecking cars along the way, you're never going to get there. When we asked Fumiaki his goals for this car, he replied very matter-of-factly, "To build a better car. To develop new parts." As if to say this is what he does with his life; just another day; no big deal. Some people spend their whole lives obsessing over one car. Komatsu crashes one, and then ponders what he can do better with the next. He doesn't get heart broken.

In its current state, this jolly green midget has outgrown the street class in time-attack and drift competition, and is currently undergoing further tuning and chassis reinforcement suitable for both. The SR20DET's muy gigante HKS GT3037 Pro S turbo should be the final modification before the S13 would compete as an all-out track slut. For engine build-up expertise, Fumiaki didn't have to look far. As is often done in Japanese hierarchical culture, the elder assists the protégé. Under Takeshi Minoyama's guidance (Komatsu's zen master and employer), he bored the SR block out to 87 mm, to ready it for HKS Stage 3 pistons and rings, the associated connecting rods, crank, and other miscellaneous rotating goods, and topped the bottom end off with a D2 original extra-capacity oil pan.

Our young "Grasshopper" and Master also collaborated on the upper architecture, using Naprec (Nagoya Precision) valves and HKS valve springs and retainers to let in the powerful high-octane air/fuel cocktail. An Ikeya Formula intake manifold and throttle were port matched to the head. Intake, intercooler and exhaust piping are all in-house, TIG-welded titanium. Even more impressive is the custom titanium D2 intake manifold that, taking a hint from RB26DETT power supremacy, houses Ikeya Formula individual throttle bodies.

Boosted charge meets engine management via 1,000cc injectors, controlled by a D2 proprietary HKS PFC F-Con ECU, tuned by Minoyama-sama. HKS fuel pumps pressurize the Auto Staff fuel rail and pressure regulator. Igniting the concoction are HKS race spark plugs, resulting in an "approximate" whopping 550 whp-the D2 crew knows the engine's true output; they simply see no reason to brag about it.

An HKS twin-plate clutch and lightened flywheel are bolted to the back end of the SR crankshaft, but what follows aft is even more impressive: An HKS six-speed sequential gearbox, allowing for incredibly fast mid-corner shifts, sustaining drifts or powering out onto straights. To transfer power to the rear diff in either scenario are an ATS two-way LSD and D2 carbon fiber propeller shaft.

However impressive a boosted, individual-throttled, 550whp SR and sequentially shifted drivetrain might seem, a closer look at the chassis shows it's only part of the equation for track dominance. Although the chassis prep starts with a modest store-bought Safety 21 (a division of Cusco) six-point bolt-in cage, the car's A and B pillars are gusseted in to further make the cage a structural part of the frame. Optional door bars and a rear cross bar add to chassis stiffening, as does stitch welding of the unibody. And with their signature attention to detail, the D2 crew rigged the S13 to a chassis straightener for this phase-believe it or not, vehicles do not come from factory perfectly straight, and hidden tension in the body can cause warping during the welding processes if such care isn't taken.

Drift suspension is addressed via Hyperco 10kg/mm springs up front and 8kg/mm in the rear (558 lb/in and 447 lb/in), HKS D-Dash shocks with adjustable height, rebound and compression settings that eliminate spring lash, and Cusco front and rear bars that further limit chassis flex. For time-attack, stiffer springs are swapped in, with the dampers adjusted accordingly. A set of staggered, black LE37s with chrome lips encase a set of R33 hubs and OEM GT-R four-pistons calipers. Larger, aftermarket brakes are in the works, but this setup did the team well throughout their street-class endeavors. Front tires come in the form of Toyo Proxes, with Achilles ATR Sports at the rear, again mis-matched only for street-class duty. With its significant power increase, expect the S13 to be rolling stickier rubbers at each corner by the time you read this.

By now, you're all wondering about the most stunning aspect of this 180SX. Saving the best for last, D2 collaborated with Kei Miura of TRA-Kyoto for this wide body kit sold exclusively via D2, featuring a fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) front and rear bumper, side skirt, duck tail, roof wing, front and rear wide fenders, and carbon fiber hood. Take notice of perhaps the two coolest features: the riveted rear bumper panel and minimalist aero mirrors.

Remember folks, Chicks dig infamy more than fame, and mastering the drift on back canyon roads in a gutted and caged S13 will drop them like flies. Just ask Komatsu.

'96 Nissan 180SX

Output 550 hp (approximate)

Engine SR20DET; 87mm bore, 94mm stoke; HKS 2.2L kit (includes rods, pistons, rings, and crank), valve springs, Stage 3 camshafts, adjustable cam gears, 3037 Pro S turbocharger, six-row front-mount intercooler, wastegate, turbo manifold, PFC F-Con, spark plugs, fuel pump, 1,000cc injectors; Auto Staff fuel pressure regulator; Greddy Profec-B Spec 2; D2 Motorworks head porting, tuning, oil pan, titanium intake manifold, intercooler, turbo-back exhaust; Nagoya Precision (Naprec) valves; Ikeya Formula individual throttle bodies; Samco radiator hoses

Drivetrain HKS twin-plate clutch, lightened flywheel, six-speed sequential transmission; ATS two-way LSD

Suspension OEM Nissan R33 GT-R five-lug hubs; Hyperco 10kg/mm front springs, 8kg/mm rear springs (drift); HKS D-Dash compression- and rebound-adjustable coilover dampers; Cusco bars; stitch welded chassis

Wheels/Tires Volk Racing LE37 wheels (17X8.5 front,18X9.5 rear); 235/40-17 Toyo Proxes R1R front tires; Achilles ATR Sport 265/35-18 rear tires

Brakes OEM Nissan R33 GT-R 30mm calipers; Earl's stainless steel lines; Endless pads; Datsun pickup parking brake; D2 Motorworks hydraulic hand brake actuator.

Exterior Original D2 body kit, produced by TRA-Kyoto: FRP front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, "ducktail" roof wing, front fenders, rear over fenders, carbon fiber hood

Interior Bride Zeta 3 seat; welded and gusseted Safety 21 eight-point cage; Cusco rear bar; Nardi steering wheel; Defi multi-display; Takata four-point harness; a very minimalist i-pod adapter with two small-ass speakers (for touge drifting, we're guessing).

Gratitude D2 Motorworks, Auto Staff, TRA Kyoto, Nagoya Precision, Car Make Kamidaira, Super Made,

Behind The Build

Name.
Fumiaki Komatsu

Age.
32

Hometown.
Takatsuki Osaka

Occupation.
Mechanic FOR D2, Professional Driver For Hire, Ladies Man

Hobbies.
Cruising clubs in stretched Hummers

Build time.
9 Previous S13s and 1.5 years

1992 Mazda RX-7 - Black Ops

1992 Mazda RX-7 - Black Ops

The Japanese Street Fighter You Never Saw Coming

"I never really wanted an RX-7 in the first place," confesses Dan Beighley, on the days before taking ownership of the black-on-black crime machine in front of you. An East Coast transplant, Dan spent the mid nineties cutting his teeth in San Diego, CA's, growing import scene from behind the wheel of his modded 200SX, rolling with a crew that boasted some of California's first SR-swapped rides. Enlistment in the Marine Corps brought him out here four years prior, and after mastering the trade of heavy equipment mechanics and attaining the rank of Sergeant, he was looking forward to applying his skills to the private sector. His last day of service was September 10th, 2001-needless to say, civilian life was short-lived. "I re-enlisted the next morning," Dan explains, "and Okinawa's tropical beaches weren't where I was looking to go." Fate, it seems, would just as soon grab us by the balls and shove us down our path, than ask our feelings on the matter.

When Dan arrived at his new post a few months later and learned of the responsibilities of his new role-and of Okinawa's well-established automotive culture, ripe with reasonably priced used rides, plentiful aftermarket support and low-pressure law enforcement-his affinity for island life grew. His re-location would be for an "undetermined" amount of time, so his first order of business was to find a ride, preferably something Nissan-badged. "I really wanted a Pulsar GTiR," explains Dan, "but they were all in pretty shitty shape. GT-Rs were everywhere, but were out of my price range. Then one day I found this FD at a seedy little used car lot in the middle of nowhere, for $5,500." It was one of the first FDs ever produced, manufactured in October of '91 on a converted FC assembly line, as part of a batch sold in Japanese dealerships under the "Efini" marquee-Mazda's short-lived sport-oriented brand exclusive to the JDM. The car had previously been modded with the addition of a Veliside Type-I aero kit and wing, and some ultra-rare RS-R wheels commissioned by Mazda as optional equipment for the FD. The car had been taken care of, but like any first-year model, it came with its share of problems. "The vacuum lines and cooling system were shit," explains Dan, "so the salesman let me have it for $4,500." Good thing, too, because it overheated on his way home from the dealership, teaching Dan his first lesson in owning an RX-7: they need lots of attention. After spending a month replacing every vacuum line and coolant hose in the engine bay-a process Dan "wouldn't wish upon (his) worst enemy", he learned his second lesson when the FD overheated, again, on its first testdrive: leave no stone unturned; a faulty radiator cap-the only part not replaced-was to blame.

After the addition of some bolt-ons, a manual boost controller and Dan's handiwork in re-configuring the FD's sequential turbos to deliver boost simultaneously, his next step was to replace the dated Veliside kit with something a little more contemporary. Taking a page out of the Okinawa street racer's handbook, he replaced it with a full Wise Sports Type A kit kept in its natural fiberglass finish-no body filler to crack or chip under the daily rigors of aggressive daily driving. The corny battle wing was discharged, and Dan replaced the stock flip-ups with a custom flush-mount headlight kit of his own making-one of the nicer-looking ones we've seen, at that. The car's rear fenders were rolled to match the widened stance of the Wise fenders up front, and the already black FD was re-coated in genuine Mazda Brilliant Black paint, for an even darker demeanor.

Dan began pounding the pavement of the Okinawa street scene during his off-time, meeting other gearheads in the random Lawson's or Family Mart parking lot and battling up the 58 freeway between Naha and Nago City, or along a certain desolated stretch of roadway running adjacent to Kadena AFB. It was on one of these excursions that he caught up with "FC Chris" and a crew of dedicated rotorheads based in Sunabe, blew up his motor pushing it a little too hard, and learned his third lesson in RX-7 building: for best results, start from scratch.

Chris's crew was some of the fastest drag racers on the island. His personal 13B-powered FC RX-7 pushed over 500 whp at the time, and routinely sniped built GT-Rs at HKS Drag Series events at Nago Circuit, until it became too fast for its own good; "If he stayed on the throttle all the way to the traps," laughs Dan, "he'd overshoot the braking distance, and have to dodge trees at the end of the track." The crew took their fight to the streets, and hanging with them taught Dan the proper ways to build a street-driven race machine.

Dan and the crew pulled the FD's 13B, rebuilt it with street-ported housings, machined rotors and 2mm apex seals, and ditched its stock twin-turbo setup for a custom tubular exhaust manifold and Turbonetics 62-1 single turbocharger. Fuel delivery was beefed up accordingly: Bosch 550- and 1,680cc injectors and two Walbro 255s, with an A'pexi Power FC and AVC controlling it all. A tweaked Greddy front-mount intercooler kit, a Racing Design three-core radiator and some bits to help them perform optimally were added in the cooling department, and the new hardware was tuned for high-octane pump gas. Sure, more radical builds have been performed, but who can argue with 442 whp and street reliability?

Like the rest of his build, when it came to drivetrain modifications, Dan just installed what was cheap and easy to find, living in Okinawa. Which, in this case, was an OS Giken twin-plate clutch and flywheel, Kaaz two-way LSD, RE Amemiya 4.7:1 final drive, and a few other bushings and braces for which the rest of us would pay gladly pay three times the Okinawa street price . . . if we could even find them in the first place. Feeling envious, yet?

Suspension mods are simple and effective-RS-R coilovers and Mazdaspeed strut and sway bars-but the rest of the underpinnings didn't come as easily. When Dan dropped his ultra-rare RS-R rollers off at a paint shop for some fresh powdercoating, he wasn't aware they'd be donated to charity. "I saw security footage from the night I dropped them off, and you can see someone 'break in', go directly over to my wheels, take only them, and leave," Dan explains, "And one of the shop's new-hires quit the next day." Dan needed something to fill the sprawling void of the FD's flared wheel wells, but was also hell-bent on keeping styling clean, sleek and unique. A set of Uras NS-01s, 17x9, +30mm offset in the front and 17x10, +15mm offset in the rear, with Project Kics spacers matching the increased fender width, were a perfect fit.

Since Dan's car was one of the earlier models, it came cursed with a tan, 2+2 interior design, featuring ridiculously under-sized rear seats-pretty much a lose-lose all around, made worse by a set of Amori gauges the car's previous owner saw fit to haphazardly screw into the dash. Dan swapped the interior with a black set from a newer two-seat car, and added a Cusco six-point cage, Momo steering wheel, Mazda-edition Recaro carbon/Kevlar buckets, Crow safety harnesses, Knight Sports 300km/h speedo, a grip of Defi Link Meters, a Pioneer in-dash headunit and Carrozzeria speakers-a lot of which was found in scrap yards or on the plentiful JDM used parts market. "Japan is awesome like that," Dan says.

Dan's ride was complete for only a few months before Murphy handed down his infamous Law: Dan received orders to re-locate back to the states, and Uncle Sam would not be footing the bill to send his car with him. "I had to disassemble everything and have it shipped to me after I relocated." It was a $6K headache, and one that still didn't include street legality. "My old man came through for me on that," he explains. "He's an old-school hotrodder at heart, and took advantage of every custom- and kit-car law he found to get it done." Within a month, the car was registered, insured and street legal; the only stipulation being that it would carry a "collectible" designation on all paperwork for the rest of its days. We wouldn't call it anything else.

'92 Mazda RX-7

Output 442 whp @ 7,250 rpm

Engine Street port; Rotary Aviation 2mm apex seals; Viton motor seal kit; Atkins oil bypass valve; Pineapple Racing louvered oil pan; Turbonetics 62-1 a/r P-Trim turbo, T-band clamps; HKS 50mm stainless steel exhaust manifold, 52mm wastegate, Super Drager exhaust; A'pexi Power FC with Fuel Commander, AVC boost controller, turbo timer; MSD 6A ignition amplifier, 8.5mm spark plug wire set; Optima red-top battery; Walbro 255lph fuel pumps (x2); Earl's stainless braided lines, anodized AN fittings, in-line fuel filter; Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator; KD2Y billet aluminum fuel rail; Bosch 550cc primary injectors, 1,680cc secondary injectors; Racing Design polished three-core radiator; Billion low-temperature thermostat, high-temp upper and lower radiator hoses; Greddy 90-degree turbine elbow, two-row front-mount intercooler, intercooler piping hose grommets, Type-R blow-off valve, polished intake elbow, underdrive air pump elimination, oil catch can, oil sensor adapter, Type 4 oil filler cap; Mark's upper engine torque damper; custom motor mounts, grounding system, front pipe and V-band clamps, lower radiator support bracket, air separator tank, throttle body, intercooler piping, oil catch can bracket
Drivetrain OS Giken 990kg B-type twin-plate clutch, flywheel, push/pull kit; Crown Performance stainless steel clutch line; Kaaz two-way limited slip differential; RE Amemiya 4.7:1 final drive; custom transmission brace, solid upper differential mounts, lower differential brace

Suspension RS-R coilovers; Mazdaspeed front strut tower bar; custom rear strut tower bar

Wheels/Tires Uras NS-01wheels (17x9 +30mm offset front, 17x10 +15mm offset rear); Falken Azenis RT-615 tires (235/40-17 front, 275/40-17 rear); Project Kics 25mm front wheel spacers, 20mm rear wheel spacers

Brakes SP Motorsports drilled/slotted rotors; Hawk Performance pads; Crown Performance stainless steel brake lines; Summit Racing proportioning valve, line lock kit; Cusco master cylinder brace

Exterior Wise Sports Type A fiberglass body kit, +20mm front fenders, vented hood; NRG hood dampers; Cusco hood pins; Swat Racing carbon fiber GT mirrors; custom flush-mount headlight kit, +25mm rolled rear fenders; JDM RX-7 Kouki tail lamps, turn signals; Mazda Brilliant Black paint

Interior Defi BF gauges: boost, fuel pressure, EGT, water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, 115mm tachometer, shift light, Link II computer, warning light; Cusco six-point padded roll cage; Recaro carbon/Kevlar racing buckets; RE Amemiya air bag gauge cluster, 380kg ball shift knob, short-shift kit; Knight Sports 300 km/h speedometer; Momo steering wheel; NRG steering hub disconnect kit w/lock; Crow four-point safety harnesses (x2); Moroso kill switch; custom battery location, center console, climate control relocation, polished door step plates

Electronics Pioneer in-dash CD/WMA/MP3 player, Carrozzeria three-way mid-range speakers (x4)

Behind The Build

Name.
Dan Beighley

Age.
31

Hometown.
OCEANSIDE, NC

Occupation.
Marine Sergeant

Hobbies.
spending time with the family

Build Time.
3 Years

1992 Nissan Skyline - Carbonated

1992 Nissan Skyline - Carbonated

These Osaka-Ns Are High On Something & It's Not What You Think

Body shop owners are a finicky, often cranky bunch. They endure long hours in hot garages, noxious gasses and paint dust. Then there's the constant clatter of tools around. It's enough to make a sane man go nuts. I mean, when was your last encounter with a body shop pleasant? Most of the time you're in there because some ass hit your pride and joy, or you're forking over huge sums of money to paint your car. You, yourself are often tired, cranky, and most likely have taken some time off to deal with your "problem". Face it-body shop people get very little love dealing with people like you. It might even be said that one has to be a little crazy to work in this field.

To that end however, owners Masahide Kawamoto and Syuko Morita of Final Motion must be full-blown certifiable. They've conceived a plan to not only make you fork over huge sums of money, but do so with a smile on your face. Perhaps it's all the fumes, but if you've ever repaired or owned a boat, you know what I'm talking about. Let me explain. "Resin", and it's closely related brother "catalyst", are the haz-mat level-two materials that harden bottoms of boats, fishing rods and crossbows. Readers of this magazine might be familiar with their uses on stereo boxes, carbon fiber hoods and body kits, but one base material used with them that you might overlook is Kevlar. Ballistics-grade versions stop bullets-think of how that can be applied to automotive. F1 and GT500 cars use it to build whole chassis and so do some super-exotic production vehicles. Upon closer inspection of the R32 before you, you might notice the carbon. But if I didn't tell you it is indeed Kevlar, you might not have known. One could literally stand on the hood of this car without nary a hair crack forming. Try that with your cheap Made-in-China reproduction hood.

At roughly $50 per square foot, this stuff is not only expensive but expensive to fuck up. Yes, Kevlar is one of the reasons that sets Final Motion apart from other body and aero component shops. Other carbon-Kevlar components on this '92 Sukagee are the Final Motion wide body front fenders, doors, front lip, bumper, grill, rear wing, radiator diffuser plate, under-car diffuser plate, and side skirts. And not only do they look mean, they all serve function in either creating downforce or aiding in heat dissipation. But all these aero components would be just plain silly if the car underneath it were just a 170hp Civic. Morita employed engine and chassis tuning specialist Nokyo Racing Service (NRS) of Kadoma (outskirts of Osaka City) to help attain speeds more befitting of his Kevlar-clad creation.

In its current state, the RB26 is on its sixth rendition. This version started with a Nismo short block, with NRS boring it out to 87mm, giving it a final displacement of 2.66 liters. With 2.7-, 2.8-, and even 3.0-liter versions of bored stroker kits available, we asked why Morita didn't take advantage of them. The Osaka native explained that he wanted a car that achieved balance. Going further, he wanted a car that does everything equally well. Getting greedy with the power almost always ends up giving you a car that does incredibly well in a straight line, but sacrifices in everyday drivability and corner exit speeds on track. Fortunately, the Japanese aren't greedy.

Delving more into the engine reveals HKS S3 connecting rods, pistons, piston rings, and a Tomei fully balanced and blueprinted crankshaft. Other bottom-end components include a Trust oil pump and a NRS aluminum crank pulley. Leaving no stone untouched, the boys at NRS also ported the head, and fitted it with Stage 2 HKS Camshafts. With the long block complete and in the engine bay, NRS helped it breathe with high-tension valve springs, an NRS one-off intake manifold, turbo manifold and downpipe, and finally a T8833D turbine, all from the Trust catalog. To top off the engine, Final Motion included their signature Kevlar valve cover, and NRS used titanium extensively to create the exhaust and side-exit wastegate pipe.

Components external to the engine include a Toyo radiator with Trust radiator hoses, keeping H2O temps to a minimum, and a three-inch A'pexi core and associated titanium intercooler piping for the intake charge. The oil-frothing issue is dealt with by twin Trust oil coolers, hidden inside the bumper. Fuel management is delegated to twin Bosch OEM Nismo pumps, which flow downstream to some thirsty Sard 720cc injectors, where pressure is regulated via a pressure regulator of the same make. Combustion happens, and more than 900 horses are sent through a Nismo transmission with a twin-disc OS Giken clutch and lightened flywheel. Then it is transferred through a Nismo carbon propeller shaft, where it meets with a 1.5-way ATS carbon LSD. The current set-up had been dynoed at the wheels to push in excess of 680 hp at 6,800 rpm. Maybe not earth-shattering power in the realm of Skylines, but enough to achieve a record-breaking lap at Central Circuit of 1:31. Again, balance is the goal of Morita's creation.

Speaking of balance, the boys at NRS installed a set of proprietary Crux dual-adjustable coilovers with a set of 15kg springs, front and rear. To combat chassis flex, a set of Nismo anti-roll bars were employed, along with a set of Cusco upper tower braces. Nismo hard rubber bushings minimize LCA movement and spherical bushings are used liberally to tie in suspension points that won't adversely affect the street ride. Addressing safety and chassis stiffness, a Cusco Safety 21 roll cage is welded into key structural points. Most just stop at stitch welding. During its fourth rendition, however, while skewered onto a rotisserie, the GT-R received aircraft-grade rivets, and structural foam was used to further strengthen various crevices within the pillars and floor.

A massive set of 15-inch Alcon brakes (normally reserved for Super Taikyu cars) slows the car prior to corner entry. For street use, the R32 wears Advan A048 255/40-17. For track duty, the tangerine/bronze killing machine ditches the 17X10.5 TE37 for a set of SSR Type Cs, wearing a set of Toyo R1Rs of a similar size.

With the liberal use of exotic components, hand-laid carbon-Kevlar, years of careful tuning, and multiple trial and error renditions, we believe Morita has made giant strides towards achieving the balance he desired. It's people like him that the RB26 community will thank for being real-life test beds. Oh and the Kevlar doesn't hurt the eyes, either.

Behind The Build

'92 Nissan Skyline

Output 680 whp @ 6,800 rpm

Engine 2.66L RB26DETT; Nismo N1 short block, bored to 87mm; Tomei Crankshaft; HKS Stage 3 connecting rods, pistons, piston rings; Trust oil pump, valve springs, intake manifold, turbo manifold, wastegate; NRS aluminum crank pulley, cylinder head porting, exhaust; Toda cam gears; Final Motion valve cover; Greddy T8833D turbocharger, fuel rail; A'pexi intercooler and pipes; Koyo aluminum radiator; Sard radiator overflow tank, oil catch tank, blow-off valve, 720cc fuel injectors, fuel pressure regulator, swirl pot; Bosch OEM fuel pumps (x2)

Drivetrain OS Giken twin-disc clutch, flywheel; Nismo short shifter; ATS 1.5-way limited slip differential

Suspension NRS coilovers; Crux 15kg springs; Nismo front and rear anti-roll bars; Cusco front and rear strut tower braces; Nismo hard rubber LCA bushings; custom spherical ball joints, stitch welding, structural rivets, structural foam

Wheels/Tires 17X10.5J +15 offset Volk TE37 wheels; 225/40-17 Advan A048 tires (street); 17x11 SSR Type C wheels; 245/35-17 Toyo R1R tires (track)

Brakes Alcon 355mm six-piston front brakes; Endless brake pads

Exterior Final Motion carbon-Kevlar front fenders, front bumper, side skirts, hood, grille, doors, front diffuser, six-point adjustable GT rear wing; House of Kolor Tangerine paint; Hands On graphics

Interior Final Motion custom Cusco Safety 21 cage, bucket seats, carbon fiber dash and trunk separation; Willans four-point harnesses; Momo Command steering wheel; Nismo shifter

Electronics HKS EVC6; Tomei ECU; Panasonic head unit; Auto Meter water-temperature gauge, EGT gauge; A'pexi tachometer; Alpine six-inch front door speakers, 12-inch rear subwoofers.

Gratitude Nokyo Racing Service, Final Motion, Wife and kids.

Name.
Syuko Morita

Age.
35

Location.
Osaka, Japan

Occupation.
Body, Paint, Aerodynamic Specialist

Hobbies.
Foreign Music and Movies

Build Time.
11years and six engine rebuilds

Favorite Quote.
"Build a car that does everything well-street, strip, circuit. Then you will achieve balance."