Red ratty R33 GTST

[Michaeldroptop]

Hi All, I have lurked here for years, had a previous username I lost, (can’t even remember what it was now) and I recently bought at car that might be of interest.

After playing Gran Turismo and watching F&F etc I have always loved skylines. With two kids back seats are a necessity for car shows but the saloons I never liked the shape of so the r33 has the best back seats I think.

This is the one I bought:


I can’t quite believe it is mine, I’m so happy to finally own one 25 years after driving it on a PlayStation. I will be doing a bit of a build on it over the summer before tucking it away for the winter.

Underside will need attention and that is the first significant work.



So it is booked in with the Chassis cleaning Company for an ice blast, few bits of welding and fresh underseal.

So far all I have done is changed the gear shift surround from an auto to a manual (was an auto car that was converted but they never bothered to change the surround) new gear knob and a change of steering wheel to one that came off a mk1 mx5 turbo I had a few years back.


The OMP is worn but at least doesn’t have leather hanging off it like the momo did.

[thomasrs50]

Looks like a nice base to have a lot of fun with.

I'm still going back and forth between getting one of these before the prices rise even more...

[ND_19]

Great cars.

Always felt faster then the factory 250BHP would suggest.

I remember selling an R33 GTST with the factory wing and kit for £3750 back in around 2006.

[thomasrs50]

ND_19 said:

Great cars.

Always felt faster then the factory 250BHP would suggest.

I remember selling an R33 GTST with the factory wing and kit for £3750 back in around 2006.

That's what keeping me from buying one... I remember the days when cars were cheap, well, not cheap, the prices back than just made more sense.

[Michaeldroptop]

thomasrs50 said:

That's what keeping me from buying one... I remember the days when cars were cheap, well, not cheap, the prices back than just made more sense.

I must admit the rate of inflation I prices does frustrate me but having accepted I will never have the money for a Supra, I wanted to get a Skyline before I missed the boat there completely as well.

Obviously prices vary hugely depending on spec and condition and I’ve bought right at the bottom of the market so I’m anticipating spending between half and the entire value again on works to get the car to where I want it over the next year or so. I will do another post at some point about the spec plan…

[thomasrs50]

IMHO, I would prefer a Skyline over a Supra , so well done.

Are you going to keep the red colour?

[Michaeldroptop]

thomasrs50 said:

IMHO, I would prefer a Skyline over a Supra , so well done.

Are you going to keep the red colour?

I think I have to. I love red cars. It looks fairly average on a grey day but when the sun comes out it looks amazing.

I would rather spend the money on the engine bay. The build plan at the moment is:
Intake kit (mushroom in the post)
Front mount intercooler (came with the car, just need to tidy it up and fit it)
Boost controller (I have an after market digital boost gauge on the dash but it don’t think it is a controller)
Turbo actuator
Front facing intake (questionable, internet seems divided on these although I simply can’t understand why. Does also necessitate more custom pipe work…)
New turbo internals
ECU (Link or Haltech probably although if anyone can suggest an alternative that doesn’t cost £1500-2,000 I would love to hear from them!)

All of this should take me to a fairly comfortable 400hp. Maybe a bit more but I’m not looking for crazy power, I still want it to be usable to take my kids out in and don’t want it to to scare my wife if she has to drive it.

Any other suggestions from people for the build list I’m interested to hear about???

I would consider a top mount turbo manifold but again, requires a lot of pipe work changes for essentially just vanity. It’s at the bottom of the list.

[thomasrs50]

I would start with a major service (fluids, belts, plugs), check:

- brakes
- suspension components
- tires

And when those are done, start with everything else.

[Michaeldroptop]

thomasrs50 said:

I would start with a major service (fluids, belts, plugs), check:

- brakes
- suspension components
- tires

And when those are done, start with everything else.

Service bits are sat in my garage waiting for me to find a half day…

You are right I need to book in for some new tyres (now the seller has posted me the locking wheel nut!) but the suspension is all very good order actually. Not sure if it’s unbranded aftermarket or OEM but definitely been replaced at some point.

The only other service thing maybe is a change of the gearbox and diff oil. Gearbox is a little bit crunchy in 1st gear when cold. Not sure if that is common or not. I’ve never done a gearbox or diff oil change though.

[thomasrs50]

Tires make such a difference. I drove my rx8 for 2 years before getting a set of goodyears and it transformed the car.

Diff and gearbox services are not difficult. Just make sure you undo the fill plug before dropping the fluid. You could otherwise be left stranded.