Nissan Micra K10 1.2 GSX [1991]
Nissan Micra K10 1.2 GSX [1991]
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Discussion

ben_strange

Original Poster:

15 posts

75 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2020
quotequote all
Evening!

Some of you may have seen my post about my 350Z. Anyway the idea was to keep it off the road over the winter, and buy something else to drive while it's off the road. Anyway I ended up buying this and I LOVE it.





It's a 1991 Nissan Micra 1.2 GSX, I think GSX was the 'posh' model, it doesn't have anything like power steering or electric windows. I've even amassed a small collection of cassette tapes just to keep the originality.



This is all the history I know - It was owned by an old lady from new for 28 years, she passed away, and was owned for a year by the previous owner. It's only got 51k miles on the clock.



So, plans I already had for the car after the drive home:

-Remove the towbar (what can you tow with a micra??)
-Change front plate (it's wonky)
-Change rear plate (not centered haha)
-Remove K11 wheel trims, refurbish the stock steelies and find some genuine center caps
-Remove rest of the black paint from the wiper arms (and change wipers)
-Oil, plugs and filter change
-Replace springs and shocks (maybe this will make it handle less like a canal boat??)
-Replace missing door strips (both front doors)
-Interior light is LED (doesn't look old enough for my liking!)
-Desperately needs new tyres!!!
-Stainless pipe (but keep it quiet)
-Possibly fit a roof rack
-Would love a Nardi steering wheel

So - standard filament bulb in:



One thing I find very cool, is the sunroof can be completely removed!



KYB shocks and 35mm lowering springs in:



Also no tow bar too:



Black plastics restored using Gtechnic -

Before:



After:




Next - replaced the front number plate with a Jap style plate:

Before:



After:



Made a return trip to Cardiff this weekend (about 140 miles) can also see I've started to stick the door strips back on - the idea was to remove these, the front two had already fallen off (passenger one was missing) and the rear ones were barely hanging on. The paint was too far gone so I've ordered a replacement passenger one and stuck them all back on, keeping it original too!



One of the tyres didn't quite make it though - if you saw a Micra pulled up on the side of the M4 on Sunday 18th, that was me putting the spare on!!!

Got some genuine Nissan center caps for the steelies:



I've just this evening ordered a new rear plate - went for a drive in the 350Z and when parking it up I noticed the rear plate isn't even centered!!!



There will be more!!!

P.S - 4 new tyres are being fitted this Sunday smile

anonymous-user

82 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Mechanically, those are indestructible.

Many years go, a work colleague of mine was given a 80,000 mile old 1.2 GSX by his parents when he was 17 and he absolutely hated with a passion, so tried to kill it.

Drove it like a lunatic everywhere, thrashed it, redlined it at every gearchange, and just totally abused it for nearly 2 years.

It never missed a beat, nothing ever went wrong with it, and the engine still ran like a swiss watch when he finally sold it.

helix402

7,913 posts

210 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
The tow bar will have been for the dump run trailer.

manmaths

476 posts

168 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
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I like what you've done with it!

Blackpuddin

19,367 posts

233 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
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Lovely.

Rayy

131 posts

169 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
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It’s wonderful to see an old car given some love. The improvements you’re making are sensible.

chrismc1977

858 posts

140 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
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Not a fan of the JDM front plate personally. OEM+ fresh UK look all the way

Rear plate needs to come down & sit in the middle of the plinth too.

An old school friend had one of these back in the mid 90’s & they are indeed unbreakable. ~40mph in 1st gear down a hill etc etc. It was completely unburstable. Suspension was slightly comical however- horrendously under damped

TwigtheWonderkid

48,854 posts

178 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
chrismc1977 said:
Not a fan of the JDM front plate personally. OEM+ fresh UK look all the way
Agreed. Keep it standard. It isn't a Jap personal import, so don't pretend it's something it's not.

That aside, I'd be keeping this and binning off the 350Z hehe

d_a_n1979

13,539 posts

100 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Awesome cool

Looks well with the JDM plate IMO

Are these on a belt; can't remember now, but worth looking into before it goes pop?

I learned to drive in one of these; albeit a 4 speed 'Colette' model wink I think if I got in one now it'd tip over laugh

MDifficult

2,810 posts

213 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
chrismc1977 said:
Not a fan of the JDM front plate personally. OEM+ fresh UK look all the way

Rear plate needs to come down & sit in the middle of the plinth too.

An old school friend had one of these back in the mid 90’s & they are indeed unbreakable. ~40mph in 1st gear down a hill etc etc. It was completely unburstable. Suspension was slightly comical however- horrendously under damped
Agree with every single word of this post!

My very first car was a red K10 with the MA10S 1.0 (rather than this fancy 1.2 equipped rocket-ship). Absolutely unbreakable on the mechanical front, despite hauling it out of a ditch on more than one occasion.

Great to see a survivor OP, but the front and rear plates are spoiling the show. laugh

Spinakerr

1,553 posts

173 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Really like this car and the work you've done - top survivor!

My grandma had two K10s and a K11 (which I later found and resucitated), she always said they were the closest to a Mini Cooper she could find for size, revability and reliability. She didn't drive slowly.


anonymous-user

82 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Another vote for ‘No’ to the JDM plates. I think they spoil the car.

Square plates look really clunky and out of place on many cars.

carinaman

25,078 posts

200 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
I don't like the front plate either but it's your car and I can appreciate it may be a JDM scene thing.

I like just about all of the rest.

Well done on making the use of the hard shoulder to swap a flat.

badgerade

713 posts

226 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
One of my old housemates had one of these, but it wasn't the posh version like yours. His only had one wing mirror (by design - it hadn't fallen off) and had a matt red bonnet through paint fade.

(My favourite memory of it was when he drove it into Reading to get the train. When he got the train back, he forgot he'd driven in to town and got the bus back home. He only realised when he went outside the next day and the car wasn't there, before remembering where it was. A week in a central Reading car park had not been kind to it, with all the windows smashed, tyres let down etc).

sjabrown

2,082 posts

188 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
The towbar could've been a 'manual reverse parking sensor'

Radec

5,898 posts

75 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
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Haven't seen one of these for years.
Well done for keeping it going.

I remember just after passing my driving test, getting into my aunties car thinking why has this car only got 4 gears lol.
Having only been driving and seeing 5 speeds at the time I didn't even realise a car with 4 gears existed.

The March (Micra) super turbo would be one of the first cars I'd buy in Gran Turismo 2, fond memories of upgrading it and trying to beat more powerful stuff.

ben_strange

Original Poster:

15 posts

75 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Hey!

Thanks for all your comments,

I may have now ordered another front plate haha, although a slightly shortened one, but interested to see how it will look smile

@d_a_n1979 - it is belt driven yes, hoping to get it booked in very soon to get it changed, I've got no history of it being done so kinda want it done ASAP!!!

Forgot to say previously, it could do with a decent polish, back end is starting to go green!

Gameface

16,565 posts

105 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Lord Marylebone said:
Mechanically, those are indestructible.

Many years go, a work colleague of mine was given a 80,000 mile old 1.2 GSX by his parents when he was 17 and he absolutely hated with a passion, so tried to kill it.

Drove it like a lunatic everywhere, thrashed it, redlined it at every gearchange, and just totally abused it for nearly 2 years.

It never missed a beat, nothing ever went wrong with it, and the engine still ran like a swiss watch when he finally sold it.
My grandmother had an automatic one. Hard as nails. Couldn't kill it. Couldn't get it banned...

ben_strange

Original Poster:

15 posts

75 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
Gameface said:
My grandmother had an automatic one. Hard as nails. Couldn't kill it. Couldn't get it banned...
At the speed I drive it sounds like it will last indefinitely!!

crofty1984

17,064 posts

232 months

Thursday 23rd July 2020
quotequote all
helix402 said:
The tow bar will have been for the dump run trailer.
Everyone's dad has a tip run trailer. It's like those Norwegian baby boxes for British men. I can't wait until I have kids so the government can give me a small, slightly knackered trailer.