Update: 22/12/2020 – A Year in Review

 Update: 22/12/2020 – A Year in Review

Since the last update back in April 2020, I’ve had a lot of work done on the skyline to get some items sorted with it, but it all has proven quite difficult due to the Covid19 pandemic. I managed to finish my honors business degree and start / finish another diploma course also. With all that in mind, I only covered a measly 1600km this year which is disgraceful!

Once out of storage and after the restrictions lifted, the first thing was to refresh the tyres with some new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 - 235/40/18(95Y XL MFS) for the fronts & Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 - 255/35/18(94Y XL, MFS) for the rears. Fair play to Rowan Tyres as always.

Next up was to replace some tired HKS parts so I added a Nismo Shift Knob GT500 Soft Urethane along with a Nismo S-Tune Oil Filler Cap. At this point, the car was running ok but not as well as I wanted it to.  Stockpiled a bunch of parts such as:

NGK BKR8EIX Spark Plugs,

Mobil1 10w60 Extended Life Engine Oil w/Greddy Oil Filter OX-03,

Gearbox / Diff Oil Change – Mobil 80w90,

Link CAN Lambda Wideband w/Bosch 4.9 Sensor

And booked in with Robbie@TDP.ie in June to get them all fitted along with Link G4+ ECU check over. The Link CAN Lambda wideband was fitted and the Innovate LC-2 wideband was removed. This addition ensures more accurate wideband readings and allows the Link ECU to do its thing more effectively. At this point, TDP had to remap it to his satisfaction.

The results speak for themselves

Performance Details - TDP.ie Map / Dynapack - July2020

359.6BHP at the Wheels @ 6608RPM

395.5BHP at the Fly @ 6625RPM

372.4lbft of Torque @ 4841RPM

Peak of 1.4Bar on High Boost @ 3878RPM

It was discovered that the replacement#2 stock manifold had warped and cracked from the excessive heat build-up. It was temporarily welded up until a replacement could be found along with a stock heat shield.

Once replacements were found, back down to TDP in the July timeframe. While we were at it, my ChaseBays Powersteering AN Kit was fitted to replace a tired stock leaking power steering setup. Picked up the car, and instantly noticed it was randomly miss-firing or hesitation at any major throttle. After data logging it for a few days, TDP diagnosed a faulty trigger crank sensor. Essentially the wire had broken (unknown why) and that was causing the issue. 

With a new sensor ordered up but, in the meantime, I decided to get the NCT out of the way earlier than end of November. They failed me as minor things like surface rust on brake lines and a few other minor items. Dropped the car down to Armstrongs Bodyshop to take care of the items including leaky rear lights again and old seam sealer under the rear window causing a leak. All sorted now so worth it for the peace of mind.

So all this brings me right up to November timeframe where we drop the car down again to TDP for the faulty trigger crank sensor to be replaced. Once replaced, it was only then I could say it was faultless, ran so much smoother and the healthy 395bhp at 1.4bar certainly packs a punch for an old girl!

With winter looming, temps dropping and motor tax up along with the then current restrictions, I got Prestige Transport to drop the car down to Larry Kehoe in New Ross for winter storage until March2021. To say I can’t wait to get it back is an understatement. Now with college over and the kids a bit older, I should be able to get out a bit more in 2021 assuming we are restriction free!

My To-Do List for 2021 is decent so will get stuck into it once car is back. Here is the plan….

MeisterR CRD Coilovers & Damper Extension Cables

HardRace Front Upper Camber Arms

Wheel Alignment

Stoptech 309 Sports Brake Pads - F & R

Nismo Rear Lower Link Arm Set

Garage Whifbitz Skyline Bonnet Damper Kit

OEM exhaust hanger / bracket

Speedtek Brake Ducts

Nismo GT LSD 1.5way (PN#38420-RS015-B) - Need to purchase

If you have read this far, fair play! Some pictures below 😊

Stay safe & stay tuned!