EDIT: you have been warned... this post has turned into more than just my b13 build thread. If you find yourself liking this thread because it's awesome, well you would be correct. Because it is awesome. - April 25th
I have been wrestling with the idea over the past few weeks If i should post my build to this thread.
You See:
My name is Jon, and I have a problem. I have never finished an automotive project, ever. But as sat in my office yesterday it became clear to me that this time it would be different and that through sharing what is sure to be a long process full of other vehicles and distractions this little Sentra isn't going anywhere. Hopefully someday it's going to go everywhere fast.
The reason I am titling this thread "Out of the Shadows" is because of the first picture I took of my 1993 Sentra SE-R. This one: <img src="" />
Yeah, you are seeing that correctly that's a real deal Nissan Skyline R33 GTR V-spec. It's one of my dad's cars. My dad is the man. I'm a gear head because he was. He is the reason I'm addicted to cars, motorcycles, speed, anything old and vintage. He is one of my heros. But I have always stood behind him and lived vicariously through his racing and his collection. (ill share more about his collection in a later post)
As I looked at this picture I realized that my new car that I worked hard to get was shining the light on his car. It was the focal point (and deservingly so) of the picture. Nope, not this is my time. It is my time to stand on my own two feet and live out my own motoring dreams and be proud doing it.
Its my time to come out of the shadows and be my own gear head. To share about what Im doing with my build and this time... Finish it.
Rewind to 2 months ago. I was sitting in the Florida panhandle on the internet after accepting a new job back near where I grew up in Central Florida. Gainesville would shortly be my wife and I's new home. At that time i was rolling around and a nicely built Jeep XJ. I had a love/hate relationship with the thing but it was an amazing trail rig to take out on the Eglin AFB reservation. <img src="" /> <img src="" /> It was a total blast. My wife and I loved every moment of getting to do "real" off roading and exploring that I never had to the chance to do in my old 1984 Chevy CUCV. (more on that beast in a later post) <img src="" />
I knew we were moving to Gainesville so I was looked for new places to take the jeep. I stumbled onto "The FIRM" in Starke Florida. Check THE FIRM out
"Wait, you mean to tell me there is a rally school, rallyX course and full race track just a few minutes from where we are moving!? " (Shoots wife a text): "Babe, I'm Selling the Jeep"
I got it in my head to build a RallyX car. I knew it was cheap and buckets of fun. So, because I bleed Nissan/Datsun. I began to research Nissans that were good for rallyX. In comes the Great Jacob Perkins aka member "Bubs". He is the king of RallyX in a Nissan b13 Sentra. I read every page of his journey of being a RallyX driver in his SE-R and that was it. Time to buy an SE-R. I always had a soft spot for those cars and I had once owned a 200sx SE-R that I loved more than anything. I knew the platform and motor well so it seemed like a good option.
I searched Craigslist for weeks and found the car I now own. From the pictures it was rough. But no rust on the car, it didn't have a sunroof and the car already had aftermarket goodies and a SR20VE swapped in it. The description said that it was a fresh swap and that it was mechanically A+. I was sold. I talked the owner down a bit to 1800 bucks and headed to Miami.
CL Photos:
My amazing wife and I drove the 12 hour trip and got the car. I'll be honest... I was exhausted and so was my wife. I trusted the guy too much. I barely inspected the car and got on the freeway for the 5hr drive to Gainesville. I Really got into the power... Kinda sluggish... Then comes bad noises... Bad CV. I thought to myself.
"What have I done?"
I needed this car to be a daily. And a reliable one at that. I work for a church in Gainesville as the Director of Family ministries. Translation: I don't make much money (but i love my job). My wife is in graduate school. We are broke.
I bought new CV joints and put them in ($160). Realized the tires were crap and the break pads broke apart in my hands. Great... Found some Kosei K1s on Craigslist with decent tires for a great price ($400) Had the wheel hubs bored to fit the Nissan hubs ($120) and we were moving in the right direction. <img src="" />
I spoke with some wise RallyX folks. Many of whom advised me that it is best to have your RallyX rig be something you don't daily drive and this car was already built more for track days on the tarmac rather than the dirt.
Change of plans: Build a Capable Daily Driver that can hold its own at the track.
The car was still not running the way it should. This wasn't a SR20DE its a VE... We are talking at least a 50hp difference. Something wasn't right. So I Pulled out the ECU that I was told was tuned properly to check it and it's the stock sr20de ecu... Again, my fault for not fully checking the car out. So I immediately unhooked the MSD window switch running the VVL after learning its bad to run the VVL with a stock DE tune.
My buddy GAVE me his old Corbeau seat after i found an old Seat bracket specifically for a corbeau seat in a b13 Sentra on ebay for $75. Yeah I have great friends. <img src="" /> It sits a little high for a guy my size but it will do for now. I need to lower the rails for better helmet room.
So here I am writing my first post and I own one of the many cars on my bucket list. Im excited and looking forward to what is next for this build. I hope that you will follow and enjoy the thread as I hope to keep it updated regularly. Happy motoring. Here are some more pics of Leo (short for Leprosy... The clear coat is peeling off all over and a middle school student said it looked like it had leprosy.) <img src="" /> <img src="" /> <img src="" />
Stay tuned for the next posts as I share about next steps for the car and a solution to my ECU debacle as well as a visit to meet a B13 legend.