AKWIKZ

You pronounce it Ha-ko-ska. Brian

As cool as that video is, everytime I watch it I'm pulling my hair out when he mispronounces Hakosuka. I turn down the volume during the english commentary until it is just the car on the track. That S20 does sound pretty though. Brian

You're a bit off on the fork lift parts. That motor is an H20, not a U20. The H20 is basically just a stroked R16. The H20 is still a pushrod OHV while the U20 is SOHC. Brian

The best bang for your buck is one from Australia, not Japan. These are getting pricey in Japan along with all the other classic cars these days. Even when you factor in getting the replica GT-R parts, an Aussie model will cost you half of what one in Japan will run you in similiar shape. Just for example, I found a 4 door '76 in Japan. It had serious rust and was still going for $2500. For a rusted out 4 door. Factor in everything, and $6k is a safe amount for one with all of the GT-R parts landed here in the U.S. Brian

Guys, My '74 Skyline has finally been loaded and shipped out. She left port this morning. It's been killing me with the wait, but the replica GT-R parts turned out great and were well worth it. She should be here at the end of the month. Check out a few quick shots of the new parts. She's not quite the prom queen yet, but once she gets a new outfit (paint) and shoes (Wats) I'll bet she turns heads. I have a line on another one that my friend is going to look at this weekend. We might just send that one up too. Brian

Oh yeah, the small one sticking out from the big one on the side of the block goes to the small nipple on the side of the engine bay. As for the two holes in the firewall, those were for the dealer installed A/C lines. Brian

The upright nipples on the both float bowls should have a hose going to the smaller nipples on the back side of the air cleaner assembly. You will notice that they are almost identically spaced on both sides. The large nipple facing downwards on the air cleaner assembly goes to the smog pump. I assume you have removed the pump. You can simply cap that one. The jumper hose on the balance tube is not bog deal, they are probably the ones feeding the anti-backfire valve, which was then routed to the other side of the smog pump. Again, you can get a couple of plugs for those. Brian

Guys, I'm still somewhat new to the Phoenix area so I wanted to ask for suggestions from others that may know. I am looking to get my '74 Skyline painted. It's pretty clean for the most part but will need some panel work as there are a few dents. I'm not looking for a full show concourse job, as this will still be a street car. I just need a place that has a good rep and is reasonable. Thanks Brian

Guys, I am looking for a way to get a higher C/R using pistons I have already ordered. I had planned to build 2 RB30's, one turbo and one N/A. I am now looking to build just the N/A. The problem is that I already ordered a set of 9:1 C/R pistons. I want to get closer to 11:1. The calculated head gasket thickness is 1.2mm. I can get 1mm or even .8mm to start with. The combustion chamber of the RB26 head is 66.5cc. How can I safely get more compression without having to buy new pistons? CAn I get away with decking the head? Or possibly the block? Thanks Brian

The easiest and most powerful N/A RB will be an RB30 bottom end with an RB26 head. High comp forged pistons can take you over 10:1 C/R and the RB26 head has factory throttle bodies already on it, simply remove the intake plenum. This is the set up I am currently working on myself. There are a number of guys getting close to 300hp out of a 3 liter L series. An RB will flow much more air with it's twin cam head, so having a comperable displacement and C/R would most likely yield well over 300hp. Not to mention probably a lot mor throttle response. The other option is to simply buy a N/A RB25 as they are all over the place. Have an adapter made if you want TB's or carbs. An N/A RB25 puts out around 160hp I think. Brian

He may have gotten an offer he liked. But yes, anything over $25k will need to be perfect. The cars you showed are a good example. A 3mil yen that is roughly $25k, then around $1500 for shipping and fees. Even though the first one is a four door, you can see that it is practiclly flawless. I can show you a few 2 doors for $30k that would make you wet your pants. "I know that i might be dreaming but when i talk to the guys that imported Brians car they told me that somewhere around 20K would get you want I want. Anything under 18K would most likelly have rust spots that arent that bad but would need work. Which mean a new paint job and so on and so forth." Just so evryone is clear, he is referring to Yasuhiro who sourced and bought my car for me in Japan. He had nothing to do with the actual importation of the car though. You are more or less on your own in that regard. Brian

I spoke with the seller of that one on e-bay this afternoon. It looks to be pretty clean but he is asking $30k for it. Far too much for what it is. While it is nice, there are signs of rust in the rockers if you look closely at the pics. Any car over $25k would need to be perfect, in all ways. This is most likely a good, $18k-$20k car. At $30k he is just trying to make a killing off of it's rarity. As for me, I am still awaiting the rest of the money for mine. I received the deposit a while back so I think things are still a go. We expected it would be mid December before everything was done anyway. I am still, obviously, looking at other cars to replace it. It may be some time before I do though. Right now I am seriously thinking about using some of the proceeds to fully build the Kenmeri. All it really needs is a little bit of bodywork and a new paint job. I have almost all of the GT-R clone parts already here, along with the new wheels. I will probably gut the interior, replace the rear seat with aluminum sheet, and install the Sparcos I have. If I go this route, I will still be on the lookout to replace the Hakosuka, but in no real hurry. Brian

The KA has potential, but you must remember that the KA in the Hardbody does not use the same intake as the 240SX. You would need to swap intakes, computers, and possibly the harness before you could start the turbo mods. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it might end up costing as much as an SR and still be just as much work. Putting a turbo on a VG in a D21 is problematic. The crossover connection from the right side manifold usually goes over the tranny, the D21 is pretty tight in that area. Taking the stock design going under the engine might work, but then you would need to bring it back up on the drivers side to meet with the collector from that side before you could mount the turbo. Anyway you go, it is an awsome idea. Brian

It's a great idea, but unfortunately it will not work without serious mods. The 2x frame is quite different than the 4x. I have owned both and the idea crossed my mind back when I had my lifted 2x. Also, the Skyline tranny is not really needed, you could get the correct VG tranny for barely $300 if need be. You can still drop the VG in there, but I would pass on trying to convert it to 4x. Now, something I have been thinking of is this; find a 4 cylinder 4x in standard cab. Pull the KA out and drop in an SR20det. It will bolt right in. Then, lower it as best you can. If you gut the interior of the bed and pull off the tailgate, you could have a truck barely 2000 pounds. Picture that, an SR pushing 300-350 hp, AWD, and 2000 pounds. This would be the easiest way to build a Hardbody sleeper. Brian

That one belongs to my friend, also named Brian. It is exactly as it looks, nearly perfect. You would be hard pressed to find a better one. It was really a tough decision for him to put it up for sale. But, a great deal has become available for him and that's why it's on the auction block. His reserve is a bit less than the BIN. If someone wants a very rare car that will pretty much need nothing for quite a while, here is your chance. As a '77, it is technically a GC111. The later "deluxe" version on the GC110. No real difference from the earlier ones aside from different seats, and I think they were available with A/C. But I can't remember if this one had it. But as you can see, even this model can bring good money and with a little work can look absolutely mean. Brian

Yes, mine is up and running. I think I have about $3k into it right now, before it is shipped. So, again, tack on $2500 for shipping and fees and you are at around $5500 landed. I'm sure I have mentioned it before, but for some odd reason it is a lot more to ship cars from Aus than from Japan. All three of the cars I brought from Japan were $950 each for shipping. From Aus it is $2000. Customs fees are pretty much the same at $500 or so. Brian

These Australian one had an L24 in them. Fender mirrors would need to be sourced in Japan. I've seen them range from $150 - $400. I would not expect perfection, but any car over $2500 U.S. would be pretty good. Most likely some bubbles here and there, but no severe rot. Brian

Yes, anything newer than '75 will need to be smogged in Ca. And to be honest, it would take a few things too. As the L series here in the states had gone EFI, you would probably need to either convert it or have it inspected by the BAR as the L24 in these cars had a single downdraft carb. That being said, I am in Phoenix and not subject to the same laws any longer. If someone in Ca wants one, I can just sell them my '74 and then buy the '76 for myself. Not to mention that my '74 already has the GT-R flares and grille and is a fair bit cheaper. I am still waiting on the grille before it can be shipped though. This is the only part we have been having trouble with in the molding process. And as my parts are the first batch, they have taken longer than originally expected. Anyhow, if it interests anyone let me know. Brian

You want to stay away from the U20. They are expensive to get into and parts are even harder to find. If you want to stay along the original lines, there is a motor Nissan used in some fork lifts called an H20. It is basically an R16 that is 2 liters. It bolts right in. A motor swap is a great idea though. I actually built the first SR20det Roadster in the U.S. about 5 years ago. I sold it a while back but still have fond memories of it. http://www.sdsefi.com/features/nov02fairlady.htm The rear suspension is not really the problem, it's the strength of the diff. I broke two rear ends in a short time. As far as sleepers are concerned, it is a ringer. My car was only running about 250hp but weighed in at 2040 pounds with a full tank. Guys at the local drags would say "cute car" as we lined up. When we got back to the pits I would ask them if the back of my car was still "cute". It only took one night of racing to find that only the big V8 cars would run me. And only a few of them were successful. It really was a fun project. Brian

Actually, what was said in the video you are referring to is that Mines left the engine bore stock. They said that on the rebuild they believe that the stock bore gives better response with the mods they used. You need to keep in mind that they also use HKS turbos and several other high end bolt ons. But still, this is an exotic. The engine in that car would easily run you $15k to reproduce. If you are going along with an RB26, you will be amazed at what the engine will do stock. Remember these guys on the video are race car drivers. What average people like us find fast these guys laugh at. They are far too comfortable with a GT-R in stock trim. The first time I drove an RB26 was in an R32 GT-R. The engine has no real lag. It will pull cleanly and happily right off idle. The powerband is crazy. You can just leave it in 4th or 5th gear all day and punch it. It may not start to really rocket off until 3k, but it will not buck or fight with you below. Brian

Here is a very good one; This one is a '76. What is not pictured but included is the GT-R grille and flares. This one is a bit on the higher end though as it is very clean. A few imperfection here and there, but pretty good for 30 years old. He is looking for $3900 U.S. for the car. Tack on another $2500 for shipping and fees and $6400 is what you are looking at. Brian

Is it just me, or did Chrysler just take a Pathfinder and put their badges on it? I know Chrysler has been hurting, but at least they could say "Thank You" to Nissan when they ripped them off. I guess it's now an issue of the American automakers stealing Japanese designs. The funny thing is that this is the best looking car that Chrylser has made in a long time. Brian

Yes, that does include shipping to Long Beach. I have only shipped cars into the west coast so far, so I don't know if it would cost any more to go to an east coast port. All in all getting cars from Aus is a relative bargain. Keep in mind the cars would not be show cars at that price, but would be a very solid and complete car. As for Hakosukas, not a chance. Even a rust bucket would draw more than that. I could get a four door Hakosuka for about $8k, but it would need some work. Any 2 door that is under $10k would almost require a complete restoration. Brian

I thought I would see if anyone here is seriously interested in getting one. I have had a couple more 240K's show up for sale in Australia. Most would need to have all the GT-R badges sourced but the grille, flares, and spoilers are easy enough to get. You would be looking at around $6k by the time everything was done. Just thought I would put it out there. Brian

I may stand corrected. I did not notice the car was a 2+2. It looks as though they may in fact be the correct mirrors for the later 2+2 cars. Definately different than the 2 seater S30's. Interesting. Brian