Nissan Skyline R32 GTR - Group.. A?
Discussion
frayz said:
All im gonna say... You jammy b
d!! 
I bet you had some serious gloat when that just slipped on as intended. Great idea on the spiders for centring the pins, that worked a treat.
My rear diff was solid mounted to the car in the back of my Impreza and the diff cradle picked up on cones taht were attched to the rear cage that went through the floor. Needless to say, the transmission noise was outrageous but the kid in me loved it.
TIG work is coming on nicely now mate, another great watch, Thanks for sharing Alex
Gloat yes, many celebration swears I had to edit out. Now its welded up it probably wont fit anymore d!! I bet you had some serious gloat when that just slipped on as intended. Great idea on the spiders for centring the pins, that worked a treat.
My rear diff was solid mounted to the car in the back of my Impreza and the diff cradle picked up on cones taht were attched to the rear cage that went through the floor. Needless to say, the transmission noise was outrageous but the kid in me loved it.
TIG work is coming on nicely now mate, another great watch, Thanks for sharing Alex
Ah that's interesting to hear... I think I might go ahead and weld the solid mounts in then. I was worried about inducing cracking and things like that, but I guess it'll be ok. Different harmonics to that of an engine.
Spoiler - I've got a six speed straight cut dog box for it, so NVH is already out the window.
Cheers buddy, appreciate the info!
Das speck said:
Nice vid.
As much as I like tig welding I also hate it. I kinda don’t bother with it for steel unless I’m really feeling it, the mig does it so a much quicker and I’m better at it!
I know I say summit awkward every time I post and here it is - did you check that metal sleeve that you reused was suitable to be welded?
Cheers mate!As much as I like tig welding I also hate it. I kinda don’t bother with it for steel unless I’m really feeling it, the mig does it so a much quicker and I’m better at it!
I know I say summit awkward every time I post and here it is - did you check that metal sleeve that you reused was suitable to be welded?
Yeah, it was a mix of getting some TIG practice, wanting flat unlinished welds, and Shane was using my MIG on his cosworth
Lol, i like awkward questions. All I did was sparked it a little bit and ran a file on it. Just behaved like mild steel, wasn't hardened or high carbon. Another advantage of TIG, you can see how the weld pool is behaving and how clean it is. Where as if it was different on MIG the weld would kind of look normal, but wouldn't be stuck to one side.
Scalino said:
Really enjoying the videos! Both a very interesting build and nice presentation!
Cheers! glad you're enjoying it Das speck said:
I like polished alloy too.
The cars gonna be really nice with the effort you’re putting in when it’s done.
Thanks mate, i really hope so The cars gonna be really nice with the effort you’re putting in when it’s done.
frayz said:
Loving the gaffer tape Darlek haha. Looks like somethng you'd take into show and tell, but cool that it works and the cheapo cabinet seems to have been a right result. Even sped up it takes ages doesnt it, but satisfying seeing bits come back to new.
ACF50 i gather you're talking about. Great stuff, just dont get it near any kind of braking/friction surface lol. It works really well at keeping things protected but it is a fine oil mist and i find it works better at protecting stuff thats already got some kind of protection on it anyway. On bare alloy, you'll need to keep applying it regularly.
You may want to look at the likes of Dynax UC from Bilt Hamber. Dynax UB is also excellent, however this is a dark brown colour. UC is clear.
This is basically a clear wax type coating which will be longer lasting then ACF. However if this is purely a track car and is unlikely to see any kind of nasty weather, ACF may be enough.
ACF is magic for things like threads on coilovers, airjacks and things with threads you'll want to adjust in future. I run a set of AST coilovers on my daily driver which i use all year round. When i fitted them i coated them in ACF 50 and get some coilover covers from Motamec, when the covers come off and they get a wipe down, they look brand new.
Ah cheers for all the good info! The car wont be used on the road much, but the comedy value of driving it to work will be too great to resist sometimes. ACF50 i gather you're talking about. Great stuff, just dont get it near any kind of braking/friction surface lol. It works really well at keeping things protected but it is a fine oil mist and i find it works better at protecting stuff thats already got some kind of protection on it anyway. On bare alloy, you'll need to keep applying it regularly.
You may want to look at the likes of Dynax UC from Bilt Hamber. Dynax UB is also excellent, however this is a dark brown colour. UC is clear.
This is basically a clear wax type coating which will be longer lasting then ACF. However if this is purely a track car and is unlikely to see any kind of nasty weather, ACF may be enough.
ACF is magic for things like threads on coilovers, airjacks and things with threads you'll want to adjust in future. I run a set of AST coilovers on my daily driver which i use all year round. When i fitted them i coated them in ACF 50 and get some coilover covers from Motamec, when the covers come off and they get a wipe down, they look brand new.
does the Dynax UC go hard? Or does it end up picking up dirt and grime?
Ahh now you've got me tempted to coat the air jacks with it... I'll have to wait until its on the floor I guess.
MDifficult said:
For my sins, I've watched all your videos so far and have to admit to being very attached to the project now - can't wait to see how it turns out.
Unlike many, MANY build videos on YouTube, your entertaining and informative (and self-deprecating) presenting style is really easy to watch, and your range of skill and knowledge is fascinating.
I also really admire your ability to 'just give it a go', plus your rate of progress. It also really helps that each episode is really well edited and contains at least one bloody good laugh
Keep it up - I'm on tenterhooks.
cheers man that was a really nice thing to read. Unlike many, MANY build videos on YouTube, your entertaining and informative (and self-deprecating) presenting style is really easy to watch, and your range of skill and knowledge is fascinating.
I also really admire your ability to 'just give it a go', plus your rate of progress. It also really helps that each episode is really well edited and contains at least one bloody good laugh
Keep it up - I'm on tenterhooks.
I'm going for the 'jack of all trades master of none' build. I said to a mate the other day that I find it a lot better to be disappointed in my own work rather than someone else's.
The videos really help the rate of progress I think. I do apply some engineering practices to project planning (which obviously I don't include in the videos because they're deathly boring for most, design structure matrices etc) but the videos act as a bit of a metronome for me, so i'll be keeping it up for now!
Thanks again
Bit of a weird one..
I'm not sure how long these arms will stay on. I'd like to make tubular arms... but then do I wait until I change pick up points?
For getting the car rolling, I've done these. It's made an incredible difference to stiffness, quite shocking how bad the arms are to begin with.
Pedal box up next... been excited about it for a very long time.
I'm not sure how long these arms will stay on. I'd like to make tubular arms... but then do I wait until I change pick up points?
For getting the car rolling, I've done these. It's made an incredible difference to stiffness, quite shocking how bad the arms are to begin with.
Pedal box up next... been excited about it for a very long time.
frayz said:
NIce job on the arms Alex.
What many probabaly dont appreciate is the relentless cost of doing all this. All the little odds and ends like materials, consumables blah blah. So you cant expect to do all of it in one go. You'll also be learning along the way that mean the tubular bits once made will be of a better design/standard than if you were to make them now. Black zinc looks great but it really does show whatevers underneath, so get the parts as pretty as you can beforehand
It's pretty horrendous. Man logic vs bank balance. What many probabaly dont appreciate is the relentless cost of doing all this. All the little odds and ends like materials, consumables blah blah. So you cant expect to do all of it in one go. You'll also be learning along the way that mean the tubular bits once made will be of a better design/standard than if you were to make them now. Black zinc looks great but it really does show whatevers underneath, so get the parts as pretty as you can beforehand
The black zinc will certainly be a recce, but it'll be nice just to drop everything off in one place. The initial cleanlyness is a big concern, but... worst case I'll just paint the subframe and arms. I've constantly got in my mind that they'll not be there for more than a couple years. (arms and subframe).
Cheers guys! The sound issues are in two parts really. I get stressed over the offset occasionally on clips, but this could easily be me overthinking it. The worst part is the lack of it... often ill look at a days worth of film and half the sound will be totally missing.
Cheers for the TIG complement Frayz, improving it is a very satisfying gradual process. Does require quite the argon investment though lol. This pedal box was something I really wanted to get right, but its probably the least documented part on the cars. I have to say that sheet metal plugins in modern CAD software are a god send!
Don't worry Davie, this'll get finished
I miss it too much. I was at Donington the other day and I cant wait to red mist this thing through the craner curves. I think the wiring loom and engine will be the next slow bits. Other than that there's a lot of clean up & bolt on bits.
Cheers for the TIG complement Frayz, improving it is a very satisfying gradual process. Does require quite the argon investment though lol. This pedal box was something I really wanted to get right, but its probably the least documented part on the cars. I have to say that sheet metal plugins in modern CAD software are a god send!
Don't worry Davie, this'll get finished
I miss it too much. I was at Donington the other day and I cant wait to red mist this thing through the craner curves. I think the wiring loom and engine will be the next slow bits. Other than that there's a lot of clean up & bolt on bits. Davie_GLA said:
I'm sure it will mate. The moment you stamp on those brakes for the first time will be a proper test of all your prep.
I remember the last track day I did on an R1. I wasn't comfortable until I knew that the brakes had a good, solid lever and bit with nice progression after I fitted an aftermarket radial master cylinder. After that it was game on.
I did fall off mind you but it was talent I ran out of, not mechanical skill
Well the AP master cylinders should make a pedal much nicer than standard. I think it's all about distance until the reservoir port closes, it eliminates dead travel at the top of the pedal. We shall see anyway! I remember the last track day I did on an R1. I wasn't comfortable until I knew that the brakes had a good, solid lever and bit with nice progression after I fitted an aftermarket radial master cylinder. After that it was game on.
I did fall off mind you but it was talent I ran out of, not mechanical skill
Glad you're in one piece mate. Hopefully I don't fall off the skyline first time out!
frayz said:
Another good watch Alex. Maybe you need a new DTI haha.
It would be interesting to see what the tollerance is on other GTR diffs from factory, just out of interest.
You know what, in a bit I edited out I said about buying a new DTI lol. I say new... an old mitutoyo. But surely it must be accurate. It is just a cheap POS I bought many moons ago. It would be interesting to see what the tollerance is on other GTR diffs from factory, just out of interest.
I do need to give garage D a call about what they're seen on diffs before. I was going to re-assemble it with some new bearings, re-measure, then call them with the info. Hopefully they can recommend shim sizes and supply them for me.
I don't like getting info off companies without buying stuff at the same time!
frayz said:
I know what you mean, always feels like a bit of a piss take if youre just harvesting info withoutr feeling like youve paid for that info in some way.
Not sure how local you are to Essex (Maldon), but ive got a Mitutoyo you're welcome to borrow. Also assuming both your parts and measuring tools are soaked to the same temprature which i guess they are, as we are not talking microns here.
Diffs are one of those things that always seem to be some sort of black magic to setup lol.
I might even take you up on that mate, I'm in Upminster. Not sure how local you are to Essex (Maldon), but ive got a Mitutoyo you're welcome to borrow. Also assuming both your parts and measuring tools are soaked to the same temprature which i guess they are, as we are not talking microns here.
Diffs are one of those things that always seem to be some sort of black magic to setup lol.
Everything is soaked to garage temperature
lol MDifficult said:
1) Just... why? What is it about 90s racing Skylines that is motivating you to do this incredible amount of work? No doubt the end product is going to be amazing but there must be something driving you to do this? Why this particular model and why this particular build?
2) Where on earth did you get your detailed knowledge about the car itself? I've seen you using the build books etc - is it all from those?
3) How did you acquire all the skills to do what, on the face of it, looks extremely specialist work?
Thanks for the kind words buddy. Really nice people enjoy the vids and build. Certainly adds to my enjoyment of the entire project. 2) Where on earth did you get your detailed knowledge about the car itself? I've seen you using the build books etc - is it all from those?
3) How did you acquire all the skills to do what, on the face of it, looks extremely specialist work?
1) There's only a handful of vehicle truly purpose built for motorsport. I mean truly purpose built. I honestly don't think the R32 GTR was ever really designed to do anything but win JTCC. As a ground up exercise that's pretty special.
2) Ties into #1 quite well. The fact this stuff is so hard to get knowledge of makes it more fascinating. It also makes replicas more infuriating to me. A lot is from the books, the red one is pretty valuable for sheet metal work, and white one has some good technical info. It even has a lot of geometry info. I have a large folder of pics of my computer I've collected. The weirder the photos the better. Sometimes I'll even need to pause old JTCC footage to see things.
Then what I said about it being purpose built does come into it a little bit. The architecture of the car can guide you in how and why the change was made. Which is really satisfying.
3) If you've ever owned an old mini you need to learn how to weld. I just try and do my best really, lots of research, and the understanding that practice helps and you're never good to start with
Penguinracer said:
It's amazing how different Fred Gibsons Aussie Group A R32's were to the Nismo versions:
Yeah you're dead right. People usually favour one or the other. Totally different.I always found the aussie stuff less interesting personally, its easier to find information because they like to talk about it so much. Much like cross fitters or vegans.
Interestingly the roll cages in the aussie cars aren't FIA compliant, so you'd never be able to race one over here even with a period cage in it. I'm not sure why they didn't carry over the Japanese cage, perhaps they couldn't get the material, or work with it?
Like the aussie cars mine will not have HICAS, but I'd like to reinstate it one day, maybe when I can afford something a bit more capable control wise. Another one of those nice modular modifications.
Penguinracer said:
I believe the Aussies reprogrammed the transmission to effectively be RWD until the there was sufficient tyre wear to produce low levels of slip at which point it directed more drive to the front axle.
I saw a video in which Mark Skaife was saying that the car was generally RWD until the later stages of a race at which point the loss of grip would push more power forward. The team had their own transmission software in addition to their own ECU - they were certainly innovative. The Holinger gearbox was a staple of Aussie touring car racing, well proven in V8 Falcons & Commodores.
I'm assuming Gibson Motorsport requested blocks stronger than the 24U or RRR offerings.
From what I understand - it was very difficult & expensive for the Australians to get hold of the Japanese parts & setup info, so they started developing their own bits. I guess a lack of OEM information would have made the development direction very different. I saw a video in which Mark Skaife was saying that the car was generally RWD until the later stages of a race at which point the loss of grip would push more power forward. The team had their own transmission software in addition to their own ECU - they were certainly innovative. The Holinger gearbox was a staple of Aussie touring car racing, well proven in V8 Falcons & Commodores.
I'm assuming Gibson Motorsport requested blocks stronger than the 24U or RRR offerings.
I think its really good, and gave two routes of achieving a similar result with the ultimate refinement being circuit dependant.
They'll never go head to head. And they were developed for different circuits. But this is what does it for me...
hopefully this starts at 12:57...
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