GoHashiri

Hi all, I finally took delivery of the R34 on December 24th and immediately went on a roadtrip to the Mt Fuji, Fuji five lakes area.

Coilover, arms and wheels are here waiting to be installed - hopefully this weekend - then it's off for my third alignment in a year. It needs some work, but hey, that's to be expected.

I appreciate the kind words on the Z. It was a great car and I'm fairly gutted I got rid of it but the space and the admin of keeping one car, let alone a second, is just too much of a pain for me right now.

It's gonna be a little while until I take it to the track, I'm guessing around the middle of the year we should be good. 

Enjoy some pics of it in it's current unmolested state!  

lol - seriously lucked out on the plate. They're randomly generated as far as I know.

Done

4 hours ago, Luigi350z said:

Ohhhhhh! this is fantastic!

Welcome back! Very happy to read again about you

Thanks Luigi! It's crazy the amount of places which are deserted because of the covid situation.

4 hours ago, SuperStu said:

Are you sure these gorgeous shots aren’t from Gran Turismo?

Cheers pal! You could probably say that Gran Turismo has played an important role in taking me here.  

5 hours ago, marzman said:

Please stay on this forum and replace this thread with your Skyline build!  Your pictures are the best. 

I'll update with my Skyline as soon as I get it! 

On 10/10/2020 at 01:24, msitpro said:

@GoHashiri well this thread is going to die off, isn't it? 

 

The return to track wasn't kind on the engine.

Hahaha - unfortunately, yeah. I don't know what good it will be starting my new car build here. Although, I'll probably link this to my new thread on the new forum. No idea what the Skyline bunch are like though. 

On 08/10/2020 at 21:57, Payco said:

Any Datsun 510 retro's running out your way ?

Oooffff, I can't say I've seen one. I sometimes see Hakosukas or Kenmeris (see pic below). 

On 07/10/2020 at 21:47, Luigi350z said:

No other lovely pics from Japan?

TOOO MANY! my IG page still gets updated: @gohashiriya - surprise surprise. Cheers for the compliment!

Hi all,

Sorry it's been a while. I was hoping to update this post sharing pics of my new car. As msitpro said, the return to the track was not kind on the engine. 

Probably back in August now, I visited the track and put a few laps down only to start hearing a knocking sound at high revs under load - I couldn't replicate it at a standstill. I figured my engine was finally knackered, particularly given the oil pressure woes I had been facing. Anyhow, I toyed with the idea of getting it replaced - which was the most financially viable option - but in the end decided to bite the bullet and buy a Skyline R34 GTT, just as prices for these were rocketing.

The Z was afantastic car for the short amount of time I had it but it needed work - as all cars like this do - and I just figured, before I go all in on it I may as well get my dream JDM sports car. 

I wanted to keep the Z but it was just a bit of a nuisance owning 2 cars in the short-term, whilst my landlord charges me around £50 p/month p/car to park it. Not to mention it would have probably sat there for about 6 months whilst I worked on the Skyline. 

Anyhow, I'll post some pictures of the new car when it finally arrives (in the next couple of weeks). Here's a few I never got round to posting!

How did you get on with this?

I have some rusting on the underside. Not as bad as your example but it is in similar locations.

This weekend I took the car 300km north to see some family. Dropped by one of my favourite spots for the first time by car, enjoy the pic!

I'm gonna try and fix a few niggly issues this month and should return to the track in a couple of weeks.

Has anyone here suffered from a noisy AC condenser before? I'm gonna guess the pulley is on its way out.

On 11/08/2020 at 18:57, Luigi350z said:

Uau..beautiful! Which city of Japan is this?

Thanks Luigi, it's Nagoya, Japan. Lots of race tracks in this area too if you're ever to visit. 

15 hours ago, marzman said:

These pictures are great. 

Thank youu!

50 minutes ago, msitpro said:

Stance so on point - might have to change my 265/35 285/35 setup for 255/40 275/40. I'm low but gaping arch gaps!

Hell to arch gaps! Seriously though, check camber as well because I was considering an offset of +5 before my alignment, it's +15 currently. Chunky tyres will mask some arch gap too

8 hours ago, davey_83 said:

Back where she belongs, looks really sweet 

Almost! Should be back at the track at the end of the month. I want to get a roadtrip into the mountains in before potentially stacking it again.

17 minutes ago, alexgv1 said:

Looking great! White is growing on me 

Cheers pal

Further update: today i managed to install the wing, a couple of new door hinges and the bumper; which takes the mend to near completion. I still need to get the chassis brace and probably a power steering cooler of some kind.

I've noticed it now rubs a tiny bit. I was too tired to figure out which corner it's rubbing on but I did manage to take some pics with my new camera (which i don't really know how to use, so excuse the ISO).      

16 hours ago, Ogman said:

Glad to see its back on the mend! 

Me too - the weather is bloody lovely at the moment and I'm dying to get back out there.

4 hours ago, Luigi350z said:

Hi Maverick, sorry for your pain, but happy to see that you are recovering fast. Your accident reminded me when I was doing track days on motorbike....motorsport is an expensive hobby... but the fun is great!  

Cheers for the support - damn expensive, yes. But incredibly fun!

Just an update: on the weekend i managed to swap out my core support, noticed my radiator is bent but not leaking - so all fine. The dreadful OEM PS cooler took a hit too, it's something I've been meaning to replace since I noticed it boiling over at the track.

Got an alignment today, make of it what you will. the specs seem fine to me bar the wanky caster (I have whiteline comp arm bushes):

Before:                                                                                 

FL Camber -2.13 / FR Camber -2.20 

FL Caster 8.40 / FR Caster 8.05

FL Toe 0 / FR Toe -1.0

RL Camber -2.47 / -2.49 RR Camber

RL Toe 1.0 / RR Toe 1.6

After:

FL Camber -2.14 / FR Camber -2.22 

FL Caster 8.40 / FR Caster 8.05

FL Toe 0 / FR Toe 0

RL Camber -2.16 / -2.16 RR Camber

RL Toe 0.5 / RR Toe 0.5

Bear in mind that inbetween I had the compression arm bushings done and I d*cked around with the suspension height. I think the front strut bushings are on their way out which could impact the camber values. 

I've got the new fender ready to go on and just bought a bumper. I was looking at getting the ultra racing rear chassis brace because mine took a beating but the bumper was a whopping £500 so I'll need to hold off until next month. Oh year, my DSLR died on me also.

Real nice man! It's nice to see a good G35 in the UK

13 hours ago, Ogman said:

Yeah I'm with you on that one!

 

I gathered as soon as I posted it regarding the postage!! - but I'm sure you get the idea, theres bound to be a few floating about for sale over there.

 

Good luck with the search! I'll be keeping an eye on your next move anyway 

Cheers pal!

Ordered today:

Wing (in white - hopefully it matches, it was  about £30 regardless)

Core Support

Undertray set

Quick Release Bumper Clip (whilst i source a good bumper)

Next week I'll get fixings, PS fluid, etc and update here on how the alignment goes. An angle kit would would be awesome but it won't pass the MOT here.

9 hours ago, Ogman said:

Fingers crossed then, that would be ideal 

 

Theres one for sale on the forum at the moment:

 

 

I'm sure the same company do a couple of different options too, but this may be a good place to start?

Thanks for this, I see what you mean. I'm also considering getting one of those front bars but it seems a bit extreme for me - I still want the car to look pleasant.

Unfortunately the shipping would be a pain with the one for sale here, otherwise it would entirely be an option. I'll check the local auction sites for options.  

3 hours ago, Ogman said:

Most people just wouldnt post about these experiences...love your attitude towards things mate!

 

Hopefully it's not too expensive to get back up and running!

Have you considered some additional strut braces underneath to take some more force if it happens again?

Thank you! There's no hiding I'm an amateur but it's damn fun on the track and I'm hoping to get good enough to run in the togue... next year.. maybe. Either way, it doesn't matter too much as long as it's fun.

It shouldn't be too expensive - I'm estimating about £3-400 without replacing the bumper. I have an alignment booked-in on 03/08 so that should reveal more. 

I actually hadn't considered that but for sure it is something I need to look into. Have you got any recommendations?

9 minutes ago, Umster said:

This is why I'd now say this is the best 350z thread going. Epic photos and no hiding the pain of the track life. Hope the repair is quick, easy and cheap! 

Thank you! I'm hoping the car will be ready again by the 9th of August.

I'll update my progress here.  

Went for a blast at Mikawa today; i was planning to run a drift session in the morning and a grip session at lunch time. Sadly, i crashed early on in the drift session.

The good news is, it's not that bad. I need to get an alignment (again - christ) to ensure the suspension components are okay but from our initial observation it all looked okay.

Core support is split in two, bumper is busted, undertray is broken, PS fluid cooler was hit but is not leaking and the right wing is buckled from where the wheel hit it at lock; the underside took a battering. On the face of it, nothing serious but I'll be sure to update here when i fully examine everything. Fortunately these parts are all pretty cheap, bidding on a white wing at the moment for £2! Meanwhile, enjoy the pics and crash video.   

Clean run: 

Crash: 

Sorry for the terrible quality phone pics

6 hours ago, marzman said:

free as in, you dont pay for it?

I meant free to select what type of driving you want to do. Costs are:

JPY 2,500 (£19-ish) for 1 hour drift

JPY 4,500 (£32-ish) for 1 hour grip

It's pretty much the going rate at any of the smaller tracks

14 hours ago, marzman said:

Awesome videos, that looks like a great little circuit!!

Mikawa is a banger, being open pretty much every day for free practice you can easily secure a quiet track - trees are the danger though

18 hours ago, da.murf said:

Those are my dream seats right there lol. If you ever think of selling them Please keep me in mind lol. 
 

car looking great!!

Will do, particularly when I'm back in the UK. These things are tough to find in good condition - makes me worried about using them!

Also, here's a couple of videos from a recent blast at Mikawa Motorland:

Grip: 

Drift: 

Sorry all, it's been a while since I've posted here. Whilst I've been waiting for my engine to grenade itself (it's still working fine with its 5psi oil pressure btw), I've picked up a few things.

I managed to get my mits on a beautiful set of Recaro SR3s in Le Mans confetti. TBH, I'm finding them a bit annoying, particularly on longer drives. The bolsters are a bit better, the height is basically the same as stock if not a smidge higher.

I also ran my first grip day recently, whilst I was waiting for the track to open up for the drift sessions. One thing that held me back was the fear of my lugnuts breaking and sending me into one of the many nearby trees. I was running on halfords-equivalent nuts, so I bit the bullet and picked up some RAYS nuts.

Also dropped the car another CM as I felt it was a bit high and installed a switch for the VDC.  

It does have a very minor leak at the plug tube on cylinder 6. I was on the verge of replacing it until I started investigating the oil pressure more. Can that be a cause of significant oil pressure loss?

Yeah, the wind deflectors were actually really useful, particularly when it was raining. It just annoyed me how it disrupted the line of the car at some angles. Oh, and now I've got a bloody water leak on the passenger side door above the mirror.

Just picked up some absolute beauty JDM seats -  should have them fitted in a week or so!

1 hour ago, davey_83 said:

Sorry to hear of the oil pressure issues, might have a stuck open PCV. Fresh oil change to 5w40 and fit a magnetic sump plug and drop the oil after another 500 miles to see what nasties its picked up.

 

Loving these pictures, that last one looks indoors WOW

I actually replaced the PCV valve about 2k miles age as an attempt to quell the oil consumption - it's not that, but a good shout nonetheless, it didn't occur to me it may be that. Another thought is it could be the galley gaskets - not common on the DE for sure, but maybe. I've read around and it has happened.    

Used 10/15w-40 oil (can't remember the winter spec) already actually in another attempt to get the pressure up. Put a Greddy magnetic plug in at the same time also.

At this stage, I'm actually just grateful of how cheap the used engines are here.

Cheers for the comment. Yeah it's indoors in a market street, they open up to cars at night. 

I should probably update here that the car has been suffering from low oil pressure, about 5ish psi at idle. Tested with a mechanical gauge, and if i look hard enough, I can find tiny copper- lookin' shards in the old oil.

Being the uninformed and impulsive buyer I was and not knowing KPa conversions, I bought what was essentially a time bomb. However, the car was relatively cheap and I factored in having to perform major repairs/getting ripped-off into the purchase - being a non-Japanese speaker and all that.  

I've tacked-on about 4,000 miles since buying the car and have been collating quotes for a replacement engine (enjin koukan in Japanese - a phrase I have so prematurely had to learn), to which I have 3 quotes for labour, ranging from £700 - £1,500. Used engines are dead cheap here as well, they're all floating in the range of £350 - £700, some with warranty, others without.  

The car seems to be a chronic oil burner also at about 1l/1,000 miles. 

I'm on the fence as to whether to run the car until it bangs a rod through the crankcase or whether to just switch it out and rebuild the old motor slowly in my spare time.  We'll see; I have a few hundred mile road trip next weekend through the Kiso mountains. Wish me luck.