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garagelu
02-05-2012, 09:34 PM
So I've been procrastinating and been planning on putting up a fresh build thread for this S15 that I bought back in June. So here it is, because I'm changing up a few things for the 2012 season. Hate it or love it...here it is.

Back in 05 I started out with this car.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6827367935_bb7854b6e7_z.jpg

And almost 7 years later, I turned it into this. Fun 400 hp, reliable, great handling car.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2188/5821178396_5400638235_z.jpg

I always told everyone that I'd keep this car forever. I mean come on...I was the second owner of the car, 1st owner was a middle aged lady, and it was a unmolested s14. 7 years of blood and sweat, 7 years of memories, and 7 years of love is hard to let go.

But on March 20, 2011 I was browsing zilvia on my lunch break like I do every day and I see this s15 in the for sale section. I look at it and it's almost too good to be true. It was kind of funny because people were bashing the seller saying he is trying to scam someone. But come on, you'd be stupid to wire that kind of money without seeing the car. I immediately call the owner and after several emails and phone calls, I decide to buy this beautiful car. So fast forward about 3 months later I am the proud owner of my dream car... 2001 Nissan Silvia Spec R.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2748/5802452532_5842a7530f_z.jpg

Here is a condensed version of what's been happening since I bought the car.

Step 1: I had to get rid of those hideous Advan SA3R on the car. Fortunately I had a set of Volk GTU that I had bought for my s14 but never had a chance to put them on. BTW, GTUs are one of my top favorite wheels.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6827518569_cb7edd7cab_z.jpg

Step 2: The wheel gap was wack so I needed to do something quick. The car sat on Ohlins struts and Espelir springs. The car handled amazing for a strut and spring setup but it had to go. I wanted something comfortable and performance oriented at the same time. I decided on HKS Hipermax 3 coilovers. Right after I purchased these, HKS USA closed down and moved back to Japan. Not a big fan of that so not sure how many HKS products I'll be buying in the future.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6827507323_465d7d5da8_z.jpg

Step 3: Got rid of the nismo exhaust. Nismo is nice and all but it was only 2.5 inch piping. I am a huge fan of JIC Magic exhausts so I bought a JIC bullet exhaust straight from Jon at JIC. Slip fit construction and beautiful welding.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6827505337_9f8919a0e3_z.jpg

Stay tuned for the life and times of this S15!!! And finally, check out my recent feature on canibeat. Shout out to my boy Jordan Chronister. He does awesome work. Also check out his site called drivenmotive.

Storyteller: Kevin Lu's Nissan Silvia | Canibeat (http://www.canibeat.com/2012/01/storyteller-kevin-lu-nissan-silvia/)

Functiontheory
02-05-2012, 09:36 PM
HOLY CRAP!!!!! im tuned in

ShakotanGazelle
02-05-2012, 09:38 PM
nice!
in for updates.

HiddenCharacter
02-05-2012, 10:55 PM
In for this.

boyou2
02-06-2012, 05:34 AM
nice parts

tuktuk23
02-06-2012, 06:28 AM
:jerkit: tuned in!!!! nice ride bro

nickkaplz
02-06-2012, 08:14 AM
so nice to see a car like this in the south, are you going to have it at ia Atlanta or anything?

CamryOnBronze
02-06-2012, 08:18 AM
You know I love this thing Kev... so cool! Excited to see the changes this year.

John P
02-06-2012, 08:31 AM
Subscribed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

STL240SXDRIFT
02-06-2012, 08:37 AM
It sounds like it was pretty easy to purchase this S15. If you don't mind me asking...was it already in the states? Or was it imported?

garagelu
02-06-2012, 08:38 AM
so nice to see a car like this in the south, are you going to have it at ia Atlanta or anything?

Yea I'll be at IA spring meet in Atlanta for sure. It's at Turner Field this year which is 5 minutes from my house. It'll be at IA Summer meet too.

It sounds like it was pretty easy to purchase this S15. If you don't mind me asking...was it already in the states? Or was it imported?

It wasn't as easy as it sounds. There was definately some hurdles I had to get through. Luckily this car came with EPA, NHSTA, and bond release papers. And it was already in the states. I bought it from Seattle.

hks4life
02-06-2012, 02:37 PM
hope the kid that has your s14 doesnt wreck it, its so nice! and cant wait to see this at turner!!

VAs13
02-06-2012, 02:43 PM
i officially regret selling my s15.

conrad_s13.5
02-06-2012, 02:58 PM
^ yeah,. never a good idea

jsu1012
02-06-2012, 03:00 PM
damn you're lucky, one day I'll own one.

azndan2
02-06-2012, 03:17 PM
Congratulations Kevin:hitit:

tricky_ab
02-06-2012, 03:34 PM
Step 2: The wheel gap was wack so I needed to do something quick. The car sat on Ohlins struts and Espelir springs. The car handled amazing for a strut and spring setup but it had to go. I wanted something comfortable and performance oriented at the same time. I decided on HKS Hipermax 3 coilovers. Right after I purchased these, HKS USA closed down and moved back to Japan. Not a big fan of that so not sure how many HKS products I'll be buying in the future.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6827507323_465d7d5da8_z.jpg


If you're not a fan of that, then you won't be a fan of a lot of parts...

i officially regret selling my s15.

This made me sad, but this thread has made me happy again!

God I can't wait till these are legal...

garagelu
02-06-2012, 06:16 PM
If you're not a fan of that, then you won't be a fan of a lot of parts...


Well when you just spent around 2000 dollars on coilovers, find a defect in the product and can't get in touch with the manufacturer, you'd probably be frustrated as well.

garagelu
02-06-2012, 06:42 PM
I stopped by the place where I store my car tonight to get a few things done. I wanted to show you guys some of my garage neighbors. There are some dope ass cars here. This place is pretty sick for car guys. You can store your car here and included in the monthly membership fee, you get access to 3 lifts, tools, car wash, TV, internet, fridge, bathroom, shower, and some other things. Its got a full security system and a ventilation system. Considering that I just recently bought a condo with NO GARAGE (probably a big mistake on my part), this place definitely is definitely well worth it. Plus majority of the members are big into road racing and some are even instructors so I am considering on tracking my daily TSX this spring.

Theres 2 E30 M3, 600 hp E46 M3, a couply E36 M3, a couple 330s, Brian Fuller (2 guys garage) built 61 Impala, Year One built 67 nova, Shelby Mustang, 60-something Cuda, and more.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6833007875_1c82552016_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6833008665_24bdfa6223_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6833008269_5b16bd35e6_z.jpg

blueshark123
02-06-2012, 06:51 PM
damn do i love that gt500. You should pull a gone in 60 seconds moment on that car haha.

killer240
02-06-2012, 08:13 PM
i like really like that kouki, so clean. if S15 will be legal in Cali, i'd snag one in a heart beat even if im broke ill sell my kindey

MadScientist
02-06-2012, 08:37 PM
Good to see who bought this... I was the other buyer, glad you got it because I still have my Kouki and a Nismo Frontier now.

Oh and so everyone know this is a Grandfathered in U.S. Legal Motorex S15.... and it sold for hella cheep compaired to what some other non legal S15 owners are asking!!!

keep up the good work...

Om1kron
02-06-2012, 11:34 PM
ah the gold kouki ka-t now I know who you are, haha. So many random car friends on facebook. You gave me a lot of helpful advise on ka-t.net or whatever it was. Never did build a ka-t obviously.

CleanAndLegit
02-07-2012, 12:14 AM
Luckily this car came with EPA, NHSTA, and bond release papers.
so does this make it full state legal?

Om1kron
02-07-2012, 02:32 AM
so does this make it full state legal?

Regardless of all of that, it may be federal legal, but not still not legal in California.

garagelu
02-07-2012, 06:11 AM
ah the gold kouki ka-t now I know who you are, haha. So many random car friends on facebook. You gave me a lot of helpful advise on ka-t.net or whatever it was. Never did build a ka-t obviously.

Um, sorry wrong person. I've never had a KA-T and never will. However, I am friends with you on FB.

fliprayzin240sx
02-07-2012, 06:50 AM
Didnt I sell you my old SR head and GT3071 turbo kit?

Thats one of the cleanest S15 interior I've seen. On every S15 I've seen in Japan, the damn gray paint around the dash trim is peeling off. Shit looked tacky.

OBEEWON
02-07-2012, 07:04 AM
Um, sorry wrong person. I've never had a KA-T and never will. However, I am friends with you on FB.

Smart man. Cool cars.

garagelu
02-07-2012, 07:09 AM
Didnt I sell you my old SR head and GT3071 turbo kit?

Thats one of the cleanest S15 interior I've seen. On every S15 I've seen in Japan, the damn gray paint around the dash trim is peeling off. Shit looked tacky.

Thanks, yea the interior is mint. The car only has 21K Km on it. I bought it with 12K Km.

And I know for sure I didn't buy a 3071 kit. I did buy a full race twin scroll 3076r setup for my s14 from someone else on the forum. And I don't remember buying a SR head on here. I have bought a few SR heads but they have always been local.

so does this make it full state legal?

Yes its 50 state legal. Not sure about Cali though. Not like it matters because I doubt I'll ever live in Cali, Lol. I love it out there but just can't see myself living there. Can't wait for WEKFEST SF next week!

s14unimog
02-07-2012, 11:26 AM
I stopped by the place where I store my car tonight to get a few things done.This place is pretty sick for car guys. You can store your car here and included in the monthly membership fee, you get access to 3 lifts, tools, car wash, TV, internet, fridge, bathroom, shower, and some other things.

I've heard about this place; seems like a cool place but how do they ensure your car isn't pillaged or taken by another member or member's friend?

Did you buy that S15 from Bryant? I love that gold Kouki.

Imarvin240
02-07-2012, 12:37 PM
im excited to see how this turns out, looks like a good start

garagelu
02-07-2012, 02:18 PM
I've heard about this place; seems like a cool place but how do they ensure your car isn't pillaged or taken by another member or member's friend?

Did you buy that S15 from Bryant? I love that gold Kouki.

Well there's a full security system with cameras everywhere so it would be tough. You need a code to get in the door and you also need to enter a code in the box once you walk in to disarm the system. Some of the cars in that place are quarter and half a million dollar cars so I feel pretty safe with them. And pretty much all the members are older guys and probably could care less about my rice bowl. They are all into beemers and muscle and they all have pretty baller jobs. You won't find a 18 year old kid storing his honda civic there. What I'm trying to say is that these guys will repect your property as long as you respect theirs.

And no I don't know who Bryant is. I bought this from a guy in Seattle. Thanks for the compliment on the gold car. I miss it a lot. The kid that bought it is local and he said he'd let me drive it sometime so I am looking forward to it.

tricky_ab
02-07-2012, 03:52 PM
Since I'm living vicariously through you, what do you have planned for this car?

garagelu
02-07-2012, 07:17 PM
Since I'm living vicariously through you, what do you have planned for this car?

I have a lot planned for the car this year but you'll just have to stay tuned! Here's something to hold you over. New turbo came last week. I'm talking to a few companies right now about retrofitting a billet compressor wheel.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6838678697_47dbfa7d2c_z.jpg

garagelu
02-12-2012, 06:43 PM
On Friday after work I got started disassembling my Brembos to get them ready to send off for coating. I did some research and couldn't find anywhere that stated the torque spec when you reassemble these calipers so I checked the static torque on the bolts before I removed them. Dynamic torque is usually about 5% of static so I'll be torquing them back at about 150 Nm.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6866548051_4ae4698a5d_z.jpg

I started with the front calipers first.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6866548625_a17b280570_z.jpg

Used a pick tool to remove the dust covers. Right after I pulled all the dust covers from the front calipers, my buddy called me to see if I wanted to head out to Sweetwater brewery to get some beer. I definitely didn't say no after such a long week at work. Spent 10 bucks for about 7 or 8 beers...not too bad. So needless to say, I didn't get too far with the brakes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6866550125_575d57b043_z.jpg

Cool! Didn't know there were nismo pads in there.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6866551657_b9892476d5_z.jpg

heiyuu
02-12-2012, 08:04 PM
Didnt I sell you my old SR head and GT3071 turbo kit?

Thats one of the cleanest S15 interior I've seen. On every S15 I've seen in Japan, the damn gray paint around the dash trim is peeling off. Shit looked tacky.

Hey that was me! Your old stuff is still sitting in my basement. Lost my job soon after I bought that stuff from you so I never got a chance to finish collecting the right parts to throw it all together.

But now life is back on track and I am a ecu away and a few bolts away from putting it all together. Weeeee! </threadjack>

PS. One of the lifters is missing, where they stock or something special?

va240dude
02-12-2012, 08:47 PM
Dude, I'm seriously impressed with your Zenki build...looks gorgeous! Any links to your build? Great choice on the GT-RS, one of the best turbos for the SR20 by far. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Congrats on owning an S15!!!

garagelu
02-13-2012, 09:17 AM
Dude, I'm seriously impressed with your Zenki build...looks gorgeous! Any links to your build? Great choice on the GT-RS, one of the best turbos for the SR20 by far. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Congrats on owning an S15!!!

Thanks, I miss that car a lot for sure. No I never did document much on that car. I took a lot of random pics along the way but never put it all together.

The GT-RS turbo will definately be fun. I'm not looking for a crazy amount of power on this car so I think that turbo is perfect.

kyles1988
02-13-2012, 11:09 AM
Looking forward to this Kevin!

Glad to hear you were kidding about selling this thing haha.

bigs
02-13-2012, 11:18 AM
I had a boner driving next to this thing on the way to IA. Just sayin' haha

Beautiful car.

tricky_ab
02-13-2012, 04:00 PM
I'm down with the choice of turbo...It's on my short list of ones I'd like to run myself...

I've been collecting parts for a while now and the wait is killing me! This thread should calm my nerves :)

garagelu
02-13-2012, 08:00 PM
Wheel faces removed tonight! They're ready to ship out to Cali for a new look!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6873320869_8c933ff7f0_z.jpg

89SwapXE
02-13-2012, 08:13 PM
i want more of this XD

garagelu
02-14-2012, 06:54 PM
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6878173817_55944c7eab_z.jpg

Big Zee
02-14-2012, 07:10 PM
this thread is lacking

lacking more pictures!!!
beautiful car! were the brakes factory ? or do you have a z series brembo on them ?

VAs13
02-14-2012, 07:16 PM
well since i sold my s15 ive been driving an suv. you have inspired me to start my next s13 build, hence i ordered my rb26 today. so thank you and i am looking forward to seeing this build!

garagelu
02-15-2012, 10:50 AM
this thread is lacking

lacking more pictures!!!
beautiful car! were the brakes factory ? or do you have a z series brembo on them ?

No the brembos were never a factory option for the S15. These brembos are actually off a r33 GTR. 100 percent bolt on with 12.75 inch rotors. I had STI brembos on my s14 and OEM brembos are very cost effective and plenty for an S-chassis.

MORE PICS COMING!!!

well since i sold my s15 ive been driving an suv. you have inspired me to start my next s13 build, hence i ordered my rb26 today. so thank you and i am looking forward to seeing this build!

Your white S15 was pretty iconic so you are an inspiration to me as well. I still can't believe you sold that thing. I can't wait to see what you do with the s13.

tricky_ab
02-15-2012, 12:01 PM
well since i sold my s15 ive been driving an suv. you have inspired me to start my next s13 build, hence i ordered my rb26 today. so thank you and i am looking forward to seeing this build!

I'm looking forward to your next build for sure!

And I like where this build is going so far!

fatduece
02-15-2012, 12:47 PM
Subscibed. Build is off to a HOT start. Just dont ruin it with something g@y like a v8 swap.

rb20240sx
02-15-2012, 01:12 PM
Damn that s14 was hot did you ever drive through the florida panhandle with it?

garagelu
02-15-2012, 09:31 PM
Subscibed. Build is off to a HOT start. Just dont ruin it with something g@y like a v8 swap.

V8=EWWW, lol. A V8 in this minty S15 would just be wrong. Others may have different opinions but that's just me.

Damn that s14 was hot did you ever drive through the florida panhandle with it?

Actually, yea I did. This picture was from my drive down to Pensacola. I think this was during spring break in 08. I drove from Michigan, where I was going to school at the time, back home to Huntsville, AL, and then down to Pensacola.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6884583349_c8702ef909_z.jpg

garagelu
02-22-2012, 05:34 PM
Got back into the ATL on Monday. What an amazing weekend in San Francisco for Wekfest. Got to hang out with all the PGK(Premium Garage Krew) guys, Frank from Downstar Inc, Ryan from Rywire, Joey from The Chronicles, etc. This was the first time seeing west coast cars in person and I am definitely impressed. East coast is so far behind it's not even funny.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6775786382_53f59b1310_z.jpg

Today I finished up disassembling my Brembos.

Once you get the dust cover off, take the bleeder screw out so you can blow compressed air into the caliper. One thing I learned is to compress the piston before you try blowing it out. This will allow the piston to free up a little. If your caliper has been sitting for a while, it will be tough if you don't break it loose.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6921848157_45974c9511_z.jpg

After you blow the piston out, you have to remove the rubber o-ring.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6921847987_d5cdb408c7_z.jpg

All ready to ship out! If you guys decide to do this, make sure you label EVERYTHING so you can put everything where it was originally.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6775733132_640ba4b8c7_z.jpg

Imarvin240
02-22-2012, 05:51 PM
nice walk through on the disassembly.

koukimuncher
02-22-2012, 06:23 PM
V8=EWWW, lol. A V8 in this minty S15 would just be wrong. Others may have different opinions but that's just me.



Actually, yea I did. This picture was from my drive down to Pensacola. I think this was during spring break in 08. I drove from Michigan, where I was going to school at the time, back home to Huntsville, AL, and then down to Pensacola.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6884583349_c8702ef909_z.jpg

lol wow wish i could see it back than i live in pensacola lol our beaches are pretty nice

2toneSilvia
02-23-2012, 06:43 PM
Seen in person super clean!! Great guy too bought some parts from you in the past

CamryOnBronze
02-27-2012, 09:57 PM
Excited to see the brakes when they get back, Kevin! Looking good.

tricky_ab
02-28-2012, 11:52 AM
A V8 in this minty S15 would just be wrong. Others may have different opinions but that's just me.



I see us becoming friends...

GideonD1025
02-28-2012, 01:13 PM
In for this build love it so far

S14Serge
02-28-2012, 06:15 PM
Dam this is def baller status owning an s15!

2stepGoesPowPow
02-28-2012, 06:24 PM
that place where you store your car looks a lot like what i presume heaven looks like... i wish i had a place like that for my car :'(

xGUNKX
02-28-2012, 09:16 PM
subscribeddddd

shnice s15

garagelu
02-29-2012, 05:06 PM
Another episode of "what's in the garage"...I was up at the garage this weekend working on my car and saw this car for the first time. I sat there staring at it for a minute.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6796295592_a7d49a4864_z.jpg

garagelu
03-21-2012, 08:21 PM
Damn, life and work have been incredibly crazy and busy these past few weeks.

I got my brand new Z32 backing plates in from nissanparts.cc. Still waiting on R33 e-brake cables from them. Also I got my Agency Power front conversion lines and SPL rear lines.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6048/7004633595_43b02910f9_z.jpg

Since I had a S13 Greddy RSPL FMIC kit laying around, I decided not to let it go to waste and did some cutting to make it fit the S15. I finished mocking everything up for the most part. Just waiting on my Tial bov to come in so I can get the flange and piping all welded up.

Also received my Greddy intake pipe in. Since inlet is 3 inch for z32, I'm planning on getting a spacer made so I can use the stock s15 maf on it for now....instead of using an ugly 3 to 2.5 inch reducer coupler.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/6858517804_189e6bd20c_z.jpg

And since S13 and S14 intercooler mounting points are different on Greddy kits, I made mounting brackets for it. I bought 6061 aluminum flat bar and bent it on a vise. I didn't have a torch handy so I went ahead and bent it and then welded where it cracked...should work great!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7004633989_613b8db6e8_z.jpg

tricky_ab
03-21-2012, 10:08 PM
You're alive!?!

Just playin' :) Thanks for the update....

turbo_dreams
03-21-2012, 11:35 PM
Awesome build. Been a good week on Zilvia among S15 owners past/present.

garagelu
03-29-2012, 08:30 PM
More parts! HKS purple is so beautiful...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/7028391899_9976f9918b_z.jpg

leung
03-29-2012, 09:27 PM
Love that oil cap, have one myself :) Funny that thats the wastegate I'm planning to get for my purple bay too haha

Chl_drifter
03-30-2012, 09:51 AM
What do you do for a living if you do not mind me asking?

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

garagelu
03-30-2012, 12:12 PM
Love that oil cap, have one myself :) Funny that thats the wastegate I'm planning to get for my purple bay too haha

That's actually a bov.

What do you do for a living if you do not mind me asking?

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

Na you're good. I work for a company called The Tool and Gage House. I'm the site manager for my group that works on site at Caterpillar Griffin, GA. We do all of CAT's tooling so this includes everything from fixtured spindles to air guns.

You don't have to be rich to own an S15. You just got to be ready when the opportunity comes along.

HPKMotorsports3
03-30-2012, 06:08 PM
You don't have to be rich to own an S15. You just got to be ready when the opportunity comes along.

BOSS!!! :bowdown:

garagelu
04-08-2012, 06:08 PM
Finally received my wheel faces back from polishing. Spent some of Saturday doing some touch up. A company in cali called California Chrome Wheel did the work. I only paid 300 bucks plus shipping there and back. I felt like it was an amazing price considering other companies were quoting me 500+ dollars for the work. There was even one company that quoted me 800 dollars.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/6912499658_b8347f2af6_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6912499928_6db8d8c74d_z.jpg

Then spent today doing the final assembly at the garage. Still need to install my Volk Racing center caps that I recently bought new so people will stop calling these things VS-XXs. 160 dollars for center caps was hard to swallow but oh well...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/6912500234_ab4094c890_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/6912500622_7668ecd2bc_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7058583067_f628271568_z.jpg

garagelu
04-08-2012, 06:12 PM
Snapped this picture of my buddies LS FD while I was driving home from the garage. This is my first rolling shot and considering I was driving while taking the pic, I think it turned out pretty nice.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6912499148_f42d55c012_z.jpg

tricky_ab
04-08-2012, 08:18 PM
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7058583067_f628271568_z.jpg

I'm loving the vibe in this picture (and the rim choice)...

D.Dro.S14
04-08-2012, 08:43 PM
Finally received my wheel faces back from polishing. Spent some of Saturday doing some touch up. A company in cali called California Chrome Wheel did the work. I only paid 300 bucks plus shipping there and back. I felt like it was an amazing price considering other companies were quoting me 500+ dollars for the work. There was even one company that quoted me 800 dollars.



dang that was an amazing price! not too many chrome guys out here do stuff for that cheap. just wish i contacted them before i redid the chrome and seals on my works.. =\

kyles1988
04-09-2012, 07:07 AM
Looks great Kevin!

CamryOnBronze
04-09-2012, 07:13 AM
Dang, that is looking awesome Kev! You made the right choice for sure.

tuktuk23
04-09-2012, 07:36 AM
man i just got a chubby...updates!!!!

garagelu
04-10-2012, 09:39 AM
Today I took my greddy intake pipe and chopped off the bov recirculation port and the port where one of the crackcase vents goes. I am not recirculating my bov and I guess this was made for s13 sr since there is already a crankcase vent port on the turbo inlet that bolts to the stock turbo so no need for either. I filled/welded the holes up first.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/7064687825_ff7135ae4f_z.jpg

Then I grinded the welds down smooth. I need to go back and fill some of the thinner areas. I'll regrind and go back and polish the whole thing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7064687849_b65d422c9e_z.jpg

garagelu
04-17-2012, 12:55 PM
I got the intake all done. Just need to do some final sanding with 3000 grit and polish it. I took a hone and smoothed out the inside of the intake as well.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7088092515_c0b568780d_z.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5199/7088093381_6f424a3b04_z.jpg

Here is the plastic spacer I had machined so I wouldn't have to use a reducer coupler.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/7088093739_65fcde541c_z.jpg


Bryan Fuller built Impala. Every bolt on this car is ARP.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7088094259_5f68540272_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/6942023980_15f875dd4f_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6942024562_e64d540b25_z.jpg

CamryOnBronze
04-17-2012, 01:15 PM
I'm working on having a friend do something similar to my GReddy intake pipe right now, haha. Looks good man!

240drifter1
04-24-2012, 08:53 PM
Nice running into you and seeing your car. Thing is sex on fire.

I have the red kouki that was lost and asked for directions, haha.

colombianbryan
04-25-2012, 04:27 AM
I love this car so much! Looked amazing as always at IA this past weekend!

S14_kouki504
04-25-2012, 05:44 AM
looks really nice bro

bigs
04-25-2012, 06:21 AM
Favorite car at IA hands down, wheels look great!

garagelu
04-25-2012, 07:17 AM
Nice running into you and seeing your car. Thing is sex on fire.

I have the red kouki that was lost and asked for directions, haha.

Thanks man. I do not remember giving anyone any directions but then again I was so zoned out the whole weekend. I had been stressing out all week to get the car running for IA and finally got it done at 8PM on Friday.

PrimeDirective
04-25-2012, 11:54 AM
Wow, that is one clean and beautiful car. :wackit:

Can you post some pics of the interior and engine bay?

240drifter1
04-25-2012, 12:04 PM
Thanks man. I do not remember giving anyone any directions but then again I was so zoned out the whole weekend. I had been stressing out all week to get the car running for IA and finally got it done at 8PM on Friday.
Haha, it was when everyone was leaving sunday, you were making like a 6 poin u-turn in the middle of the street and I was behind you trying to find 75 north.

But anyways. Moar updates.

garagelu
04-25-2012, 12:48 PM
Haha, it was when everyone was leaving sunday, you were making like a 6 poin u-turn in the middle of the street and I was behind you trying to find 75 north.

But anyways. Moar updates.

Yea that definately was not me. I didn't make a u-turn anywhere after IA. Me and the PGK guys left around 2 PM to go eat Taco Mac. We were trying to avoid the post-IA traffic.

Updates coming!

garagelu
04-25-2012, 02:07 PM
Awesome shot from my homie Khris H. at the Southrnfresh Welcome to Atlanta Pre-IA meet.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6964107238_837616e747_c.jpg

My instagram photo from IA spring meet. Follow me! @garagelu
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/6967455342_2e03a50e6a_z.jpg

kyles1988
04-25-2012, 02:15 PM
new color on the wheels is looking great man

Nicelyphe
04-25-2012, 02:41 PM
Suscribed, that thing looks amazing, keep up the good work.

tricky_ab
04-25-2012, 07:26 PM
I knew I had seen your car over on the chronicles blog...It's looking great!

garagelu
04-29-2012, 07:45 PM
So now I finally have time after Import Alliance to post some content up. You can plan things all you want but it always seems like we are wrapping things up at the last minute before the big day. So I found out the hard way that fitting a FMIC on an S15 is far harder than S13 and S14. I have installed several intercoolers on S13 and S14 and never had to trim the bumper.

I have about 8 hrs of labor in this bumper. The last thing I would have wanted was a huge gap between the bumper and the intercooler so I basically trimmed, install bumper, trim some more, install bumper, oh it still doesn't fit, trim some more, install bumper until it fit perfect. Here is the end result.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/6980294978_ea94bea1e1_z.jpg

This isn't even close to what I trimmed off. By the end, I was covered in plastic dust. I even broke my dremel...from overuse I guess.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7126376485_ee80466a51_z.jpg

When I was fitting the front bumper for the intercooler core, I didn't have the piping installed so I after the fact, I found out I needed to trim some more. FML.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/7126376023_a1b5652f95_z.jpg

As you can see from this picture, there is a fog light bracket you have to cut away.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7126376207_4e3b4620ce_z.jpg

Here is the finished product.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7126376707_6baca1b48b_z.jpg

There is a huge hole that the owner in Japan cut for a FMIC and its hideous so I cut out a piece of aluminum to cover the battery try. Eventrually I'll powdercoat it black.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6980293914_7057f3a901_z.jpg

Mounted my Tial BOV in the bumper. This is where I mounted my BOV on my S14 so decided to do it the same way on this car. Main reason is to get it out of the engine bay. I think the bay looks cleaner without a BOV sticking out of the piping.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7126380049_fb718249cc_z.jpg

Here is my modified Greddy intake pipe mounted. Can't wait to go MAP so I can get rid of that MAF.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7126381283_a3ca554af0_z.jpg

Engine bay shot. Still have lots of work to do.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7126382605_1e376a3eec_z.jpg

garagelu
04-29-2012, 07:53 PM
The weather was amazing in Atlanta this weekend so took the S15 out for a spin since it's been about 3 months since I drove it last.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7126377113_4f4c0a2436_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7126377919_33b42708e9_z.jpg

My daily beater in the background.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/7126378769_c36128a2cf_z.jpg

2stepGoesPowPow
04-29-2012, 08:19 PM
gorgeous.... i never seen someone mount a bov outside the bay before, its probably a lot louder for people outside.

Om1kron
04-29-2012, 08:36 PM
gorgeous.... i never seen someone mount a bov outside the bay before, its probably a lot louder for people outside.

A lot of drag honda builds I've seen put it down there, since I daily my car I don't want anything that could introduce outside elements into my intercooler piping to get sucked into the engine. So it's safer in the bay, I think I may weld a bung on my mid mount cooler for the bov so it kind of sits in limbo out of the way but also out of the bay.

I hear you on trimming the oem bumper though to fit over the intercooler. I have a jdm kouki bumper as a spare in case something happens to the aero and it needs a good 2-3 inches chopped off of it.

Are you ever going to go aftermarket on the body of the car or just keep it oem spec?

garagelu
04-29-2012, 09:15 PM
A lot of drag honda builds I've seen put it down there, since I daily my car I don't want anything that could introduce outside elements into my intercooler piping to get sucked into the engine. So it's safer in the bay, I think I may weld a bung on my mid mount cooler for the bov so it kind of sits in limbo out of the way but also out of the bay.

I hear you on trimming the oem bumper though to fit over the intercooler. I have a jdm kouki bumper as a spare in case something happens to the aero and it needs a good 2-3 inches chopped off of it.

Are you ever going to go aftermarket on the body of the car or just keep it oem spec?

Yea but anytime the bov is open it "should" be blowing out. I know there is probably that split second when you open the throttle that it could suck something in but I'm not too worried about it. I definitely agree that it is safer in the bay. There were times when I drove my s14 in the rain and I was pretty scared about water entering the bov.

Why did they design jdm aero differently? I was so frustrated that day. I didn't want to take too much off so I just trimmed little by little till it fit. The last thing I would have wanted was a 2 inch gap. I had a usdm bumper with lip on my s14 with no trimming and still had at least an inch between the bumper and the intercooler. Same on usdm s13 iirc.

It is something I have considered but I am such a purist when it comes to my cars. I like oem aero with aggressive wheels. If I even did aero, it would be either vertex lang, ridge, or c-west. Lang being my first choice. I'd love to do something like rocket bunny or tra kyoto but those kits are so far from my style.

Right now my main focus is power and the engine bay. This car is so slow it's not even funny.

garagelu
04-29-2012, 09:26 PM
I have been wondering what this sticker reads ever since I bought my car. Can someone translate?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7126381617_c734e01d62_z.jpg

Om1kron
04-29-2012, 09:47 PM
looks like the yearly inspection sticker due to it being stacked. and yeah normally jdm cars have different crash standards than their us counterparts so their bumpers are normally shorter and don't have huge foam padding under them, etc, etc.

angel mkiv
04-30-2012, 02:57 AM
beautiful s15!love it!clean and simple with baller parts!

CamryOnBronze
04-30-2012, 09:10 AM
Awesome job on the bumper, Kev. My Dremel took a dump too- my Harbor Freight angle grinder has actually held up better to all of the hours of use, lol.

97nismo
04-30-2012, 09:17 AM
looks very nice....i saw your car at ia.......but didnt see you

garagelu
04-30-2012, 01:53 PM
looks very nice....i saw your car at ia.......but didnt see you

You have my number...no excuses, lol.

garagelu
05-03-2012, 07:10 PM
I finally got my brand new nismo floor mats and brand new S15 floor mats in from Japan today. These are almost impossible to find!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6994321220_f95439034c_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7140409881_59f708d2bc_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/7140410031_2356189681_z.jpg

Also I got some more goodies in this week. I can't wait to start my engine build. I just bought a HKS exhaust manifold that I hope works out. I'm going to start buying parts and then start the engine build after summer Import Alliance meet.

1) Flex-a-lite fan with HKS fan controller-Took me a while to find the HKS fan controller. I bought it used for 50 bucks so hopefully nothing is wrong with it.

2) Works bell hub and quick release-I really want the Nardi deep 350 but it has red stitching and will not match my blue interior.

3) HKS boost gauge-This will go in the place of my stock boost gauge on the a pillar. OEM boost gauge only goes up to 1 bar and I plan on boosting more than that on my setup.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/6994321898_3633acfc53_z.jpg

OMG, you guys have no idea how happy I am to have this part. The FMIC kit I have on my car is a Greddy R-spec S13 kit that I kept after parting out a car. I cut and modified majority of the piping and the only pipe that didn't turn out the way I wanted was the upper cold pipe. If you look at the picture of my engine bay that I posted earlier, you can see how the pipe goes into the throttle body at an awkward angle.

Last week I found this Greddy S14 pipe on zilvia and snatched it up immediately. All I need to do is some sanding and filling where the BOV pipe was, just like I did on my Greddy intake.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/6994322214_ba5dedb86e_z.jpg

Got my Mezerna finishing polish today from autogeek. Every 50 dollars you spend, you get a choice of some free samples. I need to do a finishing polish on my mom's CRV that she recently bought so I bought this after hearing good things about it. I'll be using it out on my S15 because I have some very light swirls I want to get rid of.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7140410939_b772de7c18_z.jpg

And then finally, my nismo bushings that I bought. I know I don't really need these considering my car only has 22,000 Km but I figured these are hard to find so went ahead and picked them up. I love seeing old school nismo logos! So nostalgic!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/7140411355_cdc718d2c8_z.jpg

tricky_ab
05-03-2012, 07:38 PM
Finding those new floor mats is straight dedication... I love it!

97nismo
05-03-2012, 08:14 PM
what are the holes on the nismo mats??

leung
05-03-2012, 10:35 PM
what are the holes on the nismo mats??

Clips to keep them from moving around

CamryOnBronze
05-04-2012, 07:52 AM
Dang, so much cool in one post...

LeythDC5
05-04-2012, 07:29 PM
Beautiful car man, I just moved to Atlanta about a year ago. I hope I'm lucky enough to see the car on the road one day.

EDacIouSX
05-16-2012, 09:21 PM
Hey man, nice car. good to see people still give a damn about what they own on zilvia! Keep up the great work/progress and maybe one day I'll join the us s15 club too!

garagelu
05-16-2012, 09:37 PM
Wow, Formula D Atlanta weekend was so tiring but so amazing at the same time.

Obviously my favorite car there...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7213329184_f2bcab8222_z.jpg

Gotta eat good!!!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5112/7213330074_4e026b454b_z.jpg

It was mind-blowing hearing Daigo's drift monster.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7213330476_f9bf0b2e16_z.jpg

So sad it's over :(

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/7213330978_e4f384f256_z.jpg

Amazing find during formula D weekend. I was originally planning on buying the garage defend carbon fiber knockoff but considering this arc piece was more than half the price, titanium, and super hard to find, I went ahead and picked this up.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7213331454_b919ace558_z.jpg

bc.
05-16-2012, 11:07 PM
If you would have started this build two years ago, HKS USA wouldn't have needed to leave.

Om1kron
05-17-2012, 12:12 AM
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7213331454_b919ace558_z.jpg

I feel so bad how that thing looks in my car right now, definitely needs a polish and some cooler mounting hardware.

CamryOnBronze
05-17-2012, 07:49 AM
So cool man! Nice score.

turbo2nr
05-17-2012, 08:05 AM
awesome build man keep it up!

xoxide
05-17-2012, 08:14 AM
Saw your car in the parking lot at FD last weekend.... It is one of the nicest cars ive even seen. Perfectly executed! Im jealous!

Pinggg
05-17-2012, 02:26 PM
Wow man! The car is beautiful!

Okinawandrifter87
05-17-2012, 03:43 PM
Saw your car in the parking lot at FD last weekend.... It is one of the nicest cars ive even seen. Perfectly executed! Im jealous!


I def agree.. walked by it and I looked at my wife and said the guy that owns this car is the one that sold me all my really cool shirts including that last Nissan shirt we got in the mail. She loved your car as well. Keep up the great work, looks even better in person than it already does on here!

garagelu
06-04-2012, 04:14 PM
I got my new project in today. Many of you may have seen these calipers on the for sale forums recently. The seller wouldn't ship but luckily I had a friend that lives 15 minutes away from him. I was going back and forth debating on whether to buy these or not because the rotors were not included. I called a few project mu distributors and all of them quoted me over 2000 dollars just for two rotors. I was pretty discouraged at that point but after doing some research I found out that evo X rotors are almost identical in size. Considering you can get one piece evo X rotors for around 300-400 dollars and two piece rotors for around 700-800 dollars, I decided to pull the trigger.

I immediately called up my buddy that has a evo X and asked him if I could borrow his stock rotors since I know he upgraded to Girodisc two piece at one time. So here I am today, with project mu rotors, brackets that apparently were modified to fit Ken Gushi's RSR TC, and evo X rotors. Im pretty confident I can make this all work. I still remember grinding away at a block of aluminum to make brackets for my sti brembo back in the day when evo and sti brake swaps were uncommon.

This weekend I will see if I can make the bracket work. If not, I'll have my local machine shop make one for me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7339003736_22996291a3_z.jpg

When I received the calipers there were a lot of scratches in the clear. I took my buffer with some Menzerna polish and now they look super wet. I've always dreamed of owning a project mu or endless BBK so this is one project I am extremely excited about!!!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7339004498_bd43fb7106_z.jpg

VAs13
06-04-2012, 04:30 PM
fuck, why did i sell my s15. car is gorgeous man

va240dude
06-04-2012, 05:48 PM
I have been wondering what this sticker reads ever since I bought my car. Can someone translate?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7126381617_c734e01d62_z.jpg

Car looks amazing man! BTW this sticker is for keeping track of when the oil and filter was last changed...

S14Serge
06-05-2012, 07:16 PM
Fuck this car is so dam sexy! Loving the parts your going with as well.

sex14
06-05-2012, 10:49 PM
awesome car man btw how much did the wheel refinishing cost u?

tricky_ab
06-08-2012, 10:07 PM
I got my new project in today. Many of you may have seen these calipers on the for sale forums recently. The seller wouldn't ship but luckily I had a friend that lives 15 minutes away from him. I was going back and forth debating on whether to buy these or not because the rotors were not included. I called a few project mu distributors and all of them quoted me over 2000 dollars just for two rotors. I was pretty discouraged at that point but after doing some research I found out that evo X rotors are almost identical in size. Considering you can get one piece evo X rotors for around 300-400 dollars and two piece rotors for around 700-800 dollars, I decided to pull the trigger.

I immediately called up my buddy that has a evo X and asked him if I could borrow his stock rotors since I know he upgraded to Girodisc two piece at one time. So here I am today, with project mu rotors, brackets that apparently were modified to fit Ken Gushi's RSR TC, and evo X rotors. Im pretty confident I can make this all work. I still remember grinding away at a block of aluminum to make brackets for my sti brembo back in the day when evo and sti brake swaps were uncommon.

This weekend I will see if I can make the bracket work. If not, I'll have my local machine shop make one for me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7339003736_22996291a3_z.jpg

When I received the calipers there were a lot of scratches in the clear. I took my buffer with some Menzerna polish and now they look super wet. I've always dreamed of owning a project mu or endless BBK so this is one project I am extremely excited about!!!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7339004498_bd43fb7106_z.jpg

My God I need these in my life. If I ever come across another set I'm scooping them up and selling the Evo 9 BBK I've picked up.

Very nice pickup my man!

ixfxi
06-10-2012, 12:38 PM
On Friday after work................
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6866548051_4ae4698a5d_z.jpg


BOSS


this is why the z32 caliper thread can eat a dick, because no one has the common sense to use a tool like this.... whatever this super hifi digital torque analyzer is


what type of shop do you have access to? because i know most hobbyists like us wont have something so nifty laying around. looks like a machine/engine building shop.

garagelu
06-10-2012, 03:18 PM
BOSS


this is why the z32 caliper thread can eat a dick, because no one has the common sense to use a tool like this.... whatever this super hifi digital torque analyzer is


what type of shop do you have access to? because i know most hobbyists like us wont have something so nifty laying around. looks like a machine/engine building shop.

Lol, I love your bluntness.

My day job is deals with a lot of high end tooling for Caterpillar. I am the site manager for our group so I have no problem working on personal stuff every once in a while. Yes you're right about the average joe not having access to this kind of stuff. You are looking at a 8-9K dollar setup right there.

awesome car man btw how much did the wheel refinishing cost u?

It cost me around 400 dollars. I didn't have the best luck with California Chrome. They have horrible customer service and I was not happy with the end result. I highly recommend Wheelflip though. I have heard a lot of good things about them and their prices are very reasonable. I actually got a quote from Wheelflip when I was deciding on who to send my faces to and they were only about 75 dollars more than California Chrome. At this point, I totally regret not sending them to Wheelflip.

My God I need these in my life. If I ever come across another set I'm scooping them up and selling the Evo 9 BBK I've picked up.

Very nice pickup my man!

For sure man. These things are so hard to find used. And I refuse to spend the 3700 dollar price tag if you buy them new. With buying the calipers, buying evo X rotors, and then machining new brackets, I should have about 1600-1700 dollars in everything. That's not bad because I know the resale value is there.

ixfxi
06-12-2012, 09:27 AM
Lol, I love your bluntness.

My day job is deals with a lot of high end tooling for Caterpillar. I am the site manager for our group so I have no problem working on personal stuff every once in a while. Yes you're right about the average joe not having access to this kind of stuff. You are looking at a 8-9K dollar setup right there.

its only a matter of time till i get deleted off this forum.. its way past due


i love that torque analyzer... i can only imagine the amount of uses for it. ide love to have one in my shop, but i dont think its cost would justify the expense

i like this build. its not crazy, its simple. people need to do more stuff like that. nowadays, its all about swapping an LFA v10 if you want RESPECT.


fucking idiots

97nismo
06-12-2012, 09:39 AM
^ this.......

garagelu
06-12-2012, 10:37 AM
I got some time this weekend to do some mockup with the new brake setup to make sure everything fits. I mainly wanted to see if the evo x rotor would work and I am very happy to report that it will work perfectly. The only issue is that the bracket originally was for a 350z which would have worked, but it was modified for another chassis. I sent all the information to the machine shop I go through for work and they quoted me a pretty reasonable price to machine two new brackets.

I'll be dropping off a complete s14 spindle and hub, evo x rotor, and calipers to the machine shop this weekend so he can machine the brackets and mock everything up.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/7365682730_03ec91fb6e_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7365683074_78e3a8eff7_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7365683364_9bceb7792c_z.jpg

I was digging in my center console this weekend and I saw the coolest thing ever. I have never noticed this before but S15 center consoles have a little slot for cards and stuff. I'm easily amused by this kind of stuff...lol.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7180457295_290f74e7ca_z.jpg

CamryOnBronze
06-12-2012, 11:27 AM
New brakes are looking awesome man... nice job getting them to work! I should have gone that route, lol.

ixfxi
06-12-2012, 04:07 PM
I was digging in my center console this weekend and I saw the coolest thing ever. I have never noticed this before but S15 center consoles have a little slot for cards and stuff. I'm easily amused by this kind of stuff...lol.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7180457295_290f74e7ca_z.jpg

you should leave your credit cards there

ATM cards, too.

tricky_ab
06-12-2012, 05:46 PM
New brakes are looking awesome man... nice job getting them to work! I should have gone that route, lol.

Said the guy with Endless brakes...:hide:

shark79
06-12-2012, 11:38 PM
awesome brakes

garagelu
06-24-2012, 08:24 PM
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7423234010_6263f013c2_z.jpg

Douglas Machine based out of Athens, GA emailed me some drawings of the bracket mount for the project mu setup. Everything is looking smooth and they are scheduled to have the brackets done in about a week.

Can't wait to get them back and bolt them on the car. There's only about a month till summer IA meet in Charlotte so it's going to be crunch time here pretty soon. I still have to get evo X rotors ordered. I will probably be going with Girodisc for those since my evo X buddies recommend them. I have everything for the rear except for 300zx rotors so hopefully I can knock all that out before IA.

-ichi-go-
06-25-2012, 04:31 AM
That must be an s14 exhaust cause it hangs out miles out from the s15 rear bar - you might want to cut about 1" off it so it lines up perfect, jdm s15 has a diff cat length which does this

garagelu
07-02-2012, 08:43 PM
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7491622958_4a3c0a037d_z.jpg

Almost done!!! The machine shop messed up on one of the dimensions so they are having to remake them. They said they'd be ready this weekend.

garagelu
07-08-2012, 08:26 PM
I got the word on Friday that my "garagelu special" adapter brackets were done so I made the trip today to go pick them up.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7532329116_890d8d1ecc_z.jpg

Here is a closer look at the mounted bracket.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7532328668_7f8657d6cb_z.jpg

Here you can see the caliper is centered perfectly on the rotors. The original bracket did not center the caliper on the rotor so the bracket thickness had to be changed.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7532328012_78b6d39cdd_z.jpg

Here is the front view.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7532327210_37c8af0e23_z.jpg

Here is the comparison between the original bracket compared to the new one. The machine shop put the bracket through their vibration tumbler to get the metal nice and shiny. They used 6061 aluminum with helicoil in all threads. I am super impressed with the quality and professionalism. You guys have no idea how hard it is to find a shop that does quality work...whether it's machine, welding, repair work, etc.

Having the original 2 piece project mu rotors would have been nice with this purchase but I see this as a huge cost advantage. If anything ever happened to the project mu rotor, you are looking at 1000 for just one complete rotor. There are so many options for evo x rotors at very low cost.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/7532326122_c41dcf32ca_z.jpg

CamryOnBronze
07-09-2012, 02:51 PM
Looks like they did an awesome job Kev!

tricky_ab
07-09-2012, 06:55 PM
^^ Agreed! That's some nice quality work....

...Now go and throw them on! :)

Tle1993
07-09-2012, 07:59 PM
amazing build man!

I<3-SR20DET
07-09-2012, 08:32 PM
This build RULES.
I really like the attention to detail and cool QUALITY parts... not another GIMME ISIS PARTS SO I CAN GO DRIFTING threads, kudos.

Keep it up!

ixfxi
07-09-2012, 08:53 PM
thats beautiful.... but



why did you cheap out. I mean you should've just spent the big bucks on say.... megan or rotora BBK? i mean endless, thats kinda cheap... you know. nowadays, its all about getting sponsored.

i would've gone megan, because everyone knows megan makes the highest quality parts for our cars. they're so high quality, they wont even charge you for them.

SPONSORED, y0

ManoNegra
07-10-2012, 07:51 AM
They used 6061 aluminum with helicoil in all threads.


That bracket looks like a well made piece.
I would have had it made out of 2024 aluminum instead however.
It's a much stronger Al alloy and just as light and easy to machine.

garagelu
07-10-2012, 10:36 AM
That bracket looks like a well made piece.
I would have had it made out of 2024 aluminum instead however.
It's a much stronger Al alloy and just as light and easy to machine.

They gave me the option between 6061 and 7075. 7075 is a little more expensive but close to the strength of steel. I felt like 7075 was a little overkill and the machine shop agreed. He didn't say anything about 2024 though. What's the cost comparison between 2024 and 6061?

Mrpopo
07-10-2012, 12:01 PM
Love your car man! Didn't you sell me a set of s14 ses a couple years ago? I think that was you in your gold s14. You brought them to my jail.

ManoNegra
07-11-2012, 11:57 AM
They gave me the option between 6061 and 7075. 7075 is a little more expensive but close to the strength of steel. I felt like 7075 was a little overkill and the machine shop agreed. He didn't say anything about 2024 though. What's the cost comparison between 2024 and 6061?

It depends on availability in the size and quantity you want
last we bought some it was about three times the cost of 6061 iirc.

1gr8bar10der
07-21-2012, 08:29 AM
Any updates? I really the simple yet practical build.

garagelu
07-22-2012, 08:51 PM
So its that time of the year again...crunch time before the big day. Import alliance summer meet is just a few days away and still quite a few things to do. On Saturday I started installing the project mu brakes after receiving the girodisc slotted rotors on Friday.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7626235396_0598b2b56a_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7626234572_06978c232b_z.jpg

After bolting up the caliper and installed the brake line, I immediately noticed a pretty big problem. THERE WAS NO FLARE INSIDE THE CALIPER WHERE THE BRAKE LINE GOES!!! So if you install the brake line, it will leak because there is no way to seal without the flare. So I figured maybe I can find a NPT to female flare fitting.

You guys have no idea how lucky I am and how convenient to have a summit racing store nearby. The summit racing store is actually only 20 minutes from where I work but I was about 1.5 hrs north of the store. I went ahead and drove down there to see if they had the fitting...no luck. I was getting extremely nervous until they suggested an idea. There was a NPT to AN fitting that came installed on the caliper which was a NPT to AN. So use the NPT to AN fitting that I had already to a AN -4 brake line to a AN to female flare. I probably lost you guys by now. I was happy to buy all this since the new lines are about 2 inches longer than stock which gave me the extra length I needed since the calipers are clocked further down from stock location.

Here is a picture of what I picked up from Summit including the fitting I already had. The new fitting that goes on the fender well even had a slot to hold the stock clip.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7626232140_b00386b982_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7626231162_4bc980dbeb_z.jpg

Here is a shot of the brake line all installed. What I found kind of funny was that label on the brake line reads "For off-road use only. Do not use on public highways or roads." I know it's for liability reasons but still...come on!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7626230270_357dd0f3c2_z.jpg

The pads that came with the calipers were almost new but they were in pretty rough shape so I took a piece of 120 grit sandpaper to smooth them out.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7626229654_5c32b4d451_z.jpg

Here are the pads all installed. After this I installed the brake clips and pins and then bled the system. I went ahead and invested in a motive self brake bleeder that I bought from summit racing as well. I usually have a friend help me but I hate bothering them. The motive brake bleeder is a lot quicker anyways and the fact that you can do it yourself is a huge plus for me. It took me a sec to figure it all out but worked pretty well in the end. I think there is still some air in the system so I am going to redo it one more time.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7626228942_a901138291_z.jpg

SO FOR THE FINALE. A week ago I was sitting at Hudson Grille eating a post basketball meal with my homies when I received a very exciting message from a good friend of mine (Treefish here on Zilvia) saying that he is selling his Advan model 5. Ever since he got these wheels I tell him every time I see him to sell me his wheels. Well it was my lucky day and I was ecstatic when I saw his message.

Even though they do need to be refinished, I could not pass this deal up. Do you guys realize how hard it is to find model 5's? Especially in this offet...18x9 +20 and 18x10 +18. Well, I definitely have experienced the difficulty because I have been looking for a set for a long time.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7626226392_6592efc6b0_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/7626227092_8322bfe240_z.jpg

In this picture you can see the rear is cambered in too much. That is due to my volks being +13 in the rear compared to +18 on there. I need to pull the camber out this week.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7626228294_87937a2c3c_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7626227708_caa25a3c3b_z.jpg

Om1kron
07-22-2012, 10:54 PM
that's cool while a burn at the same time. just got the other wheels refinished and then find another set of dream wheels to jump on. Congrats on the find!

1gr8bar10der
07-23-2012, 12:00 AM
Congrats to the Advan's. Extremely jealous! The only thing, exterior wise, it needs is the OEM Spec-R aero bumper!

kyles1988
07-23-2012, 07:07 AM
Wow, model 5's look AWESOME on there! Good pick up

garagelu
07-23-2012, 08:03 AM
that's cool while a burn at the same time. just got the other wheels refinished and then find another set of dream wheels to jump on. Congrats on the find!

Na it's cool. I am planning on keeping the Volks actually. GT-U are pretty hard to find in that size. Now I just need a set of TE's to complete my life...lol. One day...

Congrats to the Advan's. Extremely jealous! The only thing, exterior wise, it needs is the OEM Spec-R aero bumper!

Find me one and I will buy it!!! Another extremely hard to find part. I have been looking but none to be found.

CamryOnBronze
07-23-2012, 09:13 AM
Man, Model Vs look sooooo cool on there! I'm jealous man!

Wish we were going to IA again... maybe I will make it down again next year dude.

tricky_ab
07-23-2012, 09:55 AM
Man congrats on the Advan's! I'm super envious of your new purchase...

TWest
07-23-2012, 10:50 AM
Always loved S15's...maybe one day :jerkit:

Driftwurks
07-23-2012, 02:21 PM
Congratulations on the new wheels! They look great on the car with your brake setup. :yum:

Mr. white
07-23-2012, 04:14 PM
I have been wondering what this sticker reads ever since I bought my car. Can someone translate?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7126381617_c734e01d62_z.jpg


First box on left says what kind of oil is being used, second box on left tells when the oil was last changed (6/10), third box on left tells when you need to change it again (12/10). The next two boxes on the right are the same thing but for the oil element which I think is the filter. The last box, I think is where it was changed.

Awesome Build man!

garagelu
07-30-2012, 09:18 AM
So this weekened was Import Alliance summer meet at the ZMAX dragway in Charlotte, NC. Overall, I had a great time but it just didn't have the same feeling when it was held in Nashville. Attendance seemed a lot less than when it was held in Nashville. Although the meet was much more organized and not so spread out. When it was held in Nashville, it is almost impossible to see all the cars because it was so spread out. Another thing I liked about Charlotte was the area under the bleachers. This is where all the vendors set up and where a lot of the nicer cars parked. I pretty much hung out under the bleachers the whole time since it was so hot outside.

So I was just hanging out after I got my car parked and cleaned up and just watching cars roll in when I saw a white S15 roll by. I almost shit myself because usually you don’t ever see any other S15’s at meets or shows. I immediately recognized the car as VAs13’s old car. It was on some horrid looking Work Emitz wheels. I have seen this car all over the internet so it was pretty cool seeing it in person. I was more interested in meeting the owner and making friends with him since there aren’t many S15 owners out there. After talking to him for 20 minutes, I walked away because he was a complete douche. To have such a rare and nice car but be an ass about it is such a shame.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/7676925066_7543efc605_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7676924676_24306edf65_z.jpg

Then later in the day one of my friend told me he was waiting in line next to a grey S15. I was again very surprised to hear of another S15 at the show. I had seen pictures of a grey S15 from the IA spring meet and turns out it was the same one. This one was a sr20det swapped spec s but it had a lot of things my car didn’t have like HID headlights with the adjusters and even autech seats which I thought only came in the autech version or an option for spec r. He had the matching door panels so it looked like it came factory that way but not sure. It had 18 inch SSR SP1 in the spectrum silver finish which are gorgeous wheels.

But anyways, I found the owner and talked to him for quite a while. Fortunately the owner was super nice so we exchanged contact info so we could keep in touch.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7676925634_9fbc842a3e_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7676924096_76ea82fcb1_z.jpg

I am very lucky to be friends with Downstar Inc/Bolt Boys so I got to roll in early with them and not wait in line. I also go prime parking right down vendor row. I got a lot of positive feedback on the wheels and the car as a whole. Pretty much every person I talked to asked me if my car was a real S15. People must think it’s really easy to convert a S14 to an S15.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7676924322_14b714d723_z.jpg

I took this picture on the way home to Atlanta.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7676925328_652517eed4_z.jpg

ixfxi
07-30-2012, 09:35 AM
So I was just hanging out after I got my car parked and cleaned up and just watching cars roll in when I saw a white S15 roll by. I almost shit myself because usually you don’t ever see any other S15’s at meets or shows. I immediately recognized the car as VAs13’s old car. It was on some horrid looking Work Emitz wheels. I have seen this car all over the internet so it was pretty cool seeing it in person. I was more interested in meeting the owner and making friends with him since there aren’t many S15 owners out there. After talking to him for 20 minutes, I walked away because he was a complete douche. To have such a rare and nice car but be an ass about it is such a shame.

making friends with car-people is a big pain in the ass

most of the time, i find out that these people are more concerned about the scene than they are about meeting people, making connections and keeping it a community. people that were around the 240 community back in the day understand this, as nowadays its a total clusterfuck of guys with illest stickers and wheels that fit like my cock up paris hiltons ass



as for the calipers, i find it odd that they are using a npt fitting to seal... not as durable as a compression fitting. i would not recommend removing those fittings too often, they could end up damaging the thread (over time). in addition, most stainless lines are not DOT compliant... from what i read they dont pass the whip test. i noticed my stoptech calipers came with DOT compliant lines - the main difference is that they have a plastic strain relief piece at the end, though i dont think that does shit. i have a vendor i work with that specializes in hydraulics and they told me its all bullshit. hmmm... ide be curious to see any technical documents in regards to the dot whip test compliance. anyone?

VAs13
07-30-2012, 09:37 AM
i saw a white s15 as i scrolled down and immediately knew it was mine, my old car looks terrible.

yours on the other hand i love.

Lees_Garage
07-30-2012, 10:38 AM
Love the Model 5's. The car looks great.

people are more concerned about the scene than they are about meeting people, making connections and keeping it a community. people that were around the 240 community back in the day understand this

I am pretty young and have not been in the scene all that long, but have had an opportunity, as of late, to meet some of the original members, and this has become quite apparent to me.

garagelu
07-30-2012, 12:36 PM
I forgot to post this picture. I thought it was a pretty cool shot. I just adjusted the shutter speed and held the camera out the window.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7678376314_07927c365a_z.jpg

alixander2012
07-30-2012, 01:33 PM
Very nice build.

future
07-30-2012, 01:34 PM
It sucks when people have dope ass cars and out complete douches about it

But our car, i love

tricky_ab
07-30-2012, 01:40 PM
I can't believe VAs13's old ride now looks like a bag of dicks. And I guess the owner's attitude matches those terrible looking rims. At least the other Spec S owner is a nice guy...

CamryOnBronze
07-30-2012, 01:54 PM
Dude needs to sell that thing to me. I have some 03s sitting in cali that would love to make that car feel warm and fuzzy inside again, LOL.

This is the first info I have seen about IA- thanks for posting, Kev. Hopefully Kyle, Jason, and I will be back next year. Maybe we can all crash together and bro out etc. No homo. :wan:

ixfxi
07-30-2012, 02:28 PM
It sucks when people have dope ass cars and out complete douches about it

i think this is almost always the case... at least thats what i believe

the more i deal with car people, the more i fucking hate them. i get calls all the time from people who want to tell me their mods, as if that makes me care about their car more. if these people would talk about normal shit, i probably wouldnt hate them so much. but instead, they chose to re-enact the scene from Anchorman where Will Ferrell says "I'm kind of a big deal" .. as if we should all care that you drive an <s15> <mclaren f1> <rocketship>


i like this thread and this car because the owner is actually putting effort to build a nice, fun car.


god i hate people

Edwin562
07-30-2012, 02:44 PM
i think this is almost always the case... at least thats what i believe

the more i deal with car people, the more i fucking hate them. i get calls all the time from people who want to tell me their mods, as if that makes me care about their car more. if these people would talk about normal shit, i probably wouldnt hate them so much. but instead, they chose to re-enact the scene from Anchorman where Will Ferrell says "I'm kind of a big deal" .. as if we should all care that you drive an <s15> <mclaren f1> <rocketship>


i like this thread and this car because the owner is actually putting effort to build a nice, fun car.


god i hate people

do you hate me??

xpinoyxmk
07-30-2012, 09:11 PM
Only pic i took of your car there:

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w129/xpinoyxmk/Car%20Meets/July%2028th%20Cruise%20to%20Import%20Alliance/DSC00800.jpg

Om1kron
07-31-2012, 02:43 AM
Dude needs to sell that thing to me. I have some 03s sitting in cali that would love to make that car feel warm and fuzzy inside again, LOL.

Actually the S15 already has some shitty old non period correct wheels on it, it doesn't need a second set. :hyper:

bc.
08-02-2012, 12:24 PM
I <3 model 5's! they look great grey on grey!

cnile51
08-02-2012, 12:57 PM
This is a great thread. Your car is coming out awesome. I know the guy Mike with the white S15, he usually is a genuinely nice guy, maybe he was having a bad day? Either way, t sucks that you had a shitty experience talking to another S15 owner.

My wife's build isn't done yet, but this thread has me anxious. Enjoy:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j77/cnile51/projects15-38.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j77/cnile51/projects15-39.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j77/cnile51/projects15-40.jpg

I'll have a mod list and build thread when she's finished.

ixfxi
08-03-2012, 09:52 AM
I know the guy Mike with the white S15, he usually is a genuinely nice guy, maybe he was having a bad day?

haha and he genuinely has bad taste in wheels :-)

bad day, tell him what i tell my wife. if you're on the rag and not feeling well, stay home. dont go to a car meet.

fuck, how hard is it being cheerful at a car meet. its not like you do anything, you sit around and people ask you endless questions about your car.

cnile51
08-03-2012, 10:46 AM
I'm not defending his actions. I AGREE with you on your remarks. I'm just stating that in the times that I have talked to him my experience has been different. That's all.

It could also be the fact that maybe he approached me first so the roles were reveresed.

Either way.

spooled240
08-03-2012, 02:55 PM
Great build!

I say I would never sell my kouki but damn if it were to get a gray s15 that would be a tough one

blockedwizard
08-05-2012, 10:39 AM
^This guy neoclowcado needs to get the f**k outta here with this shit

MadScientist
08-06-2012, 12:07 AM
I try talking with people at shows, but its just pointless. Nowdays everyones ego at shows is based off their forum popularity it seems like. Its stupid, no-one knows who you are, and I'm sure as fuck not going around indroducing myself as MadScientist or Mr. Rare Trick. 90% of the people I have talked to will blatenly lie about the parts they have also, while standing in front of their car!!

But anyway Lu, I am glad you got this beautiful machine, and I actually hope to meet you some day.

EDT007
08-06-2012, 01:09 PM
Dude needs to sell that thing to me. I have some 03s sitting in cali that would love to make that car feel warm and fuzzy inside again, LOL.


I've been trying to find the guy..LOL. I rarely go to meets and when I do I've yet to see this car. I was originally going to try and purchse this car. I couldn't sell my car in time. Sucks that it ended up looking like that. :smash: Hopefully at some point I run into the guy and can make him an offer. Bring the car back to it's somewhat former glory..:ddog:

garagelu
08-06-2012, 09:20 PM
This is a great thread. Your car is coming out awesome. I know the guy Mike with the white S15, he usually is a genuinely nice guy, maybe he was having a bad day? Either way, t sucks that you had a shitty experience talking to another S15 owner.

My wife's build isn't done yet, but this thread has me anxious. Enjoy:

I'll have a mod list and build thread when she's finished.

Yea I know he was talking about the shitty drive down to NC so maybe that's why he was in a bad mood? I don't know. He just came off really cocky.

That's awesome to see another S15 in the states. I can't wait to see it done. Man I wish I had a wife with an S15...lol.

haha and he genuinely has bad taste in wheels :-)

bad day, tell him what i tell my wife. if you're on the rag and not feeling well, stay home. dont go to a car meet.

fuck, how hard is it being cheerful at a car meet. its not like you do anything, you sit around and people ask you endless questions about your car.

TRUTH!!!

Great build!

I say I would never sell my kouki but damn if it were to get a gray s15 that would be a tough one

I said the same thing about my kouki but when you have your dream car in front of you, it is very hard to pass up.

I try talking with people at shows, but its just pointless. Nowdays everyones ego at shows is based off their forum popularity it seems like. Its stupid, no-one knows who you are, and I'm sure as fuck not going around indroducing myself as MadScientist or Mr. Rare Trick. 90% of the people I have talked to will blatenly lie about the parts they have also, while standing in front of their car!!

But anyway Lu, I am glad you got this beautiful machine, and I actually hope to meet you some day.

Thank you and likewise. I wish to come over to your house to see all the rare shit you have stashed.

I've been trying to find the guy..LOL. I rarely go to meets and when I do I've yet to see this car. I was originally going to try and purchse this car. I couldn't sell my car in time. Sucks that it ended up looking like that. :smash: Hopefully at some point I run into the guy and can make him an offer. Bring the car back to it's somewhat former glory..:ddog:

He said he wouldn't sell it less than 30k which I think is outrageous considering I know what he paid for the car.

garagelu
08-06-2012, 09:22 PM
Beautiful shot in the IA summer 2012 coverage on stickydijoe.com!!! Check it out!!!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7730412860_4206c8e147_z.jpg

igreek
08-07-2012, 12:37 AM
Saw your car at Caffeine and Octane this past Sunday. Didn't know you were on here, but a friend told me. Looks awesome! Those model 5s are legit. I was shooting video, so I didn't get any pictures of it, but here's a quick screenshot of yours:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7731238402_47b2c6716b_b.jpg

funnyscreenname
08-07-2012, 12:07 PM
great progress on a great car.

sorry your bromance with the white s15's owner didn't work out. it's a shame to hear about peoples attitudes when you're genuinely interested in their car. forums are supposed to be where people come to talk about like interests and share info but, like the other user said, it's somewhat of a popularity contest with some people.

i love seeing rare cars like yours and meeting the owners. it's great when the owners are more than happy to share info and answer questions even tho they've been asked the same questions by many other people. nice to see some people don't let it go to their head.

i recently had a set of advans for sale and i met up with the owner only to see he had an r32. it was the first i had seen in person. the guy was awesome. very cool and was happy to answer any questions. would've even let me drive the car. it was like i'd known the guy for years. not only did he have the one r32 but he had 2 of them. the guy wasn't a dick at all. he was pretty much an inspiration after asking about how he came to acquire the cars.

garagelu
08-07-2012, 06:04 PM
Saw your car at Caffeine and Octane this past Sunday. Didn't know you were on here, but a friend told me. Looks awesome! Those model 5s are legit. I was shooting video, so I didn't get any pictures of it, but here's a quick screenshot of yours:


Nice shot man and thanks for the compliments. Yea caffeine and octane was pretty sweet. I haven't been in a few months. The turnout was crazy. Send me the video if you got any footage of my car. You can look me up on facebook...Kevin Lu.

garagelu
10-09-2012, 07:40 PM
Sorry for the lack of updates. Work has consumed my life....

The aftermath of my unpackaging...I want to thank the seller blktopsr20 for doing such an amazing job packaging it. It was shipped through greyhound and received it in the same condition he shipped it in. Sellers that do good packaging is a rarity these days.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8072659125_daa053a991_z.jpg

And finally my pride and joy. I have been looking for one of these for a very long time. After losing two auctions on yahoo japan, I was determined to not let this one slip away. All tabs are intact and not one crack on this bumper. The only thing it is missing are the fog trims which I will have to purchase through rhdjapan.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8072652518_b943b6ec20_z.jpg

Hoffman5982
10-09-2012, 08:38 PM
Sorry for the lack of updates. Work has consumed my life....

The aftermath of my unpackaging...I want to thank the seller blktopsr20 for doing such an amazing job packaging it. It was shipped through greyhound and received it in the same condition he shipped it in. Sellers that do good packaging is a rarity these days.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8072659125_daa053a991_z.jpg

And finally my pride and joy. I have been looking for one of these for a very long time. After losing two auctions on yahoo japan, I was determined to not let this one slip away. All tabs are intact and not one crack on this bumper. The only thing it is missing are the fog trims which I will have to purchase through rhdjapan.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8072652518_b943b6ec20_z.jpg

This is going to look the most good..

1gr8bar10der
10-09-2012, 09:36 PM
When i saw the bumper's fs thread, you were the first person that came to my mind. Glad you actually got it!

STL240SXDRIFT
10-09-2012, 09:50 PM
Spec R right?

DOPE

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8072652518_b943b6ec20_z.jpg

http://imganuncios.mitula.net/nissan_s15_spec_r_95784350650324760.jpg

jesse_s13
10-09-2012, 10:03 PM
Sorry for the lack of updates. Work has consumed my life....

The aftermath of my unpackaging...I want to thank the seller blktopsr20 for doing such an amazing job packaging it. It was shipped through greyhound and received it in the same condition he shipped it in. Sellers that do good packaging is a rarity these days.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8072659125_daa053a991_z.jpg

And finally my pride and joy. I have been looking for one of these for a very long time. After losing two auctions on yahoo japan, I was determined to not let this one slip away. All tabs are intact and not one crack on this bumper. The only thing it is missing are the fog trims which I will have to purchase through rhdjapan.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8072652518_b943b6ec20_z.jpg

Small world! Just saw this on Instagram lol:wackit:

CamryOnBronze
10-10-2012, 09:09 AM
King Kevin S15 2012

VAs13
10-12-2012, 10:31 AM
i am so glad to finally see an aero bumper going on this. fucking awesome man

tsahlin489
10-16-2012, 11:38 PM
Beautiful build so far man!
Anxiously awaiting more updates :bowdown:

myclue
12-29-2012, 07:10 PM
what a great build. keep it up!

DrIvEsldEwAyS
12-30-2012, 07:44 AM
My buddy is the owner of the other grey one at IA. Very cool guy and owns a Nissan specialty shop in SC.

Driftwurks
12-30-2012, 07:37 PM
Any updates? Your car looks awesome.

tricky_ab
12-30-2012, 10:13 PM
I had seen this thread at the top and I got all excited...



...but then there's no real update to accompany it :(

garagelu
12-31-2012, 02:50 PM
I had seen this thread at the top and I got all excited...



...but then there's no real update to accompany it :(

Sorry man, lol. Right now I am saving some money and accumulating some parts. Here in a few weeks I am going to pull the engine and do a full build minus touching the bottom end.

Oakville
12-31-2012, 04:46 PM
SR still?

I don't know why, but seeing JDM cars in the USA is super weird for me, in a good way. The mental image i have is that JDM cars down there are like the anti-christ and you have to have a pair to own one (state titled cars). I don't know if thats accurate or not, obviously you take it to meets and aren't anal about people seeing your car/plates. Good on you dude! Really a cool car, I've only ever seen one in person (illegally in Canada, wont be legal til next year) and it was like nothing I have experienced. Same with the R34 beside it (same situation).

thumbs up from a fellow jdm owner.

tricky_ab
01-01-2013, 08:47 AM
Sorry man, lol. Right now I am saving some money and accumulating some parts. Here in a few weeks I am going to pull the engine and do a full build minus touching the bottom end.

HAHA no worries my man! I just love what you've done so far and I was hyped to see this thread on the top of the page.

I can't wait to see what you have planned :)

CamryOnBronze
01-01-2013, 06:53 PM
^ Agreed, stoked to see the updates Kev!

NewS13Guy
01-02-2013, 08:32 PM
Ive been off this forum for a while kinda got discouraged and ended up outta the scene ...I also talked to VAs13 about buying his S15 back in the day but just had a series of bad events happen and wasnt able to make it happen...

Hate to see his car with those HORRIBLE wheels....

GREAT BUILD garagelu!! Keep it looking clean!

collegekid
01-04-2013, 11:05 AM
Nice car with a lot of money and quality work. I'm stuck in the 90's lol

collegekid
06-10-2013, 08:01 PM
So yeah, did you die? I want to see more of this.

garagelu
11-03-2013, 08:05 PM
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/10662029093_209acf5d4c_c.jpg

Sorry everyone for the lack of updates. I have been crazy busy this year. Mostly been collecting parts and saving up money to do lots of mods and upgrades this winter. Keep an eye out these next few weeks. I'll be posting up some of the cool stuff I have accumulated.

Also check out my instagram (username: garagelu) for updates. Once I start my build, I will be posting frequently on there with random build updates.

This bumper has been in storage at my house ever since I got it. I decided to take it up to the garage and do a test fit. With the oem s15 bumper I had to do a lot of trimming for it to fit the greddy FMIC and the piping. Looks like this bumper will need the same treatment. I am really torn because I really don't want to cut up this perfect aero bumper. Most of you know how rare these are to find, let alone in this condition. And if I run my current piping set up, I won't be able to run the oem fog lights. I think the fog lights look terrible in the factory bumper but on the aero bumper, I think it looks really good. So maybe next weekend I'll pull the FMIC off. Then I'll install the bumper and see how I can install the FMIC and maybe do some custom piping to fit around the bumper.

theericsmith
11-03-2013, 08:47 PM
cars dope!
Started cracking up when you said people ask you if it's an s14 conversion.
I know their both s-chassis so the big picture is similar but the body lines aren't even close to the same.

tricky_ab
11-03-2013, 08:50 PM
Nice to see you're alive ;)

It's good to hear that you've been keeping it moving, and I look forward to the updates.

skimmpysb
11-05-2013, 06:02 AM
what is the name or website of the garage you store your car at? seems really legit.

vJilly
11-28-2013, 10:24 AM
okay i could NOT help but see you passed through Huntsville, AL... You used to live here? If you ever come down here with the s15 please tell. doope build and car! subbed.

garagelu
11-28-2013, 10:46 AM
okay i could NOT help but see you passed through Huntsville, AL... You used to live here? If you ever come down here with the s15 please tell. doope build and car! subbed.

Yea actually I am in Huntsville right now visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. S15 is still back in ATL. I've only driven it to Huntsville once and it was to register the car. Thanks for the kind words. Plan is to pull the engine out this sunday so keep an eye out.

vJilly
11-28-2013, 10:53 AM
Yea actually I am in Huntsville right now visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. S15 is still back in ATL. I've only driven it to Huntsville once and it was to register the car. Thanks for the kind words. Plan is to pull the engine out this sunday so keep an eye out.

huntsville downtown huntsville or like madison/monrovia area?

VAs13
11-28-2013, 11:34 AM
My Aero bumper was pretty ragged when i got it from being cut to fit the Greddy FMIC. I was still able to run my fogs though with the plastic trim around them. Car looks awesome man, you must run the aero bumper!

garagelu
11-28-2013, 11:41 AM
huntsville downtown huntsville or like madison/monrovia area?

Madison city by Bob Jones High School

garagelu
12-01-2013, 09:32 PM
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/11165708235_cc65b37494_z.jpg

So I'm sure all of you know that an actor/automotive icon passed away yesterday. I was lucky enough to be on set and watch him film 2-3 scenes for FF7. I took this picture as he walked right in front of me. My S15 along with my friend's R32 GTR were used as extras for Han's funeral scene. Between takes Paul would walk up to the GTR and pop the hood and check out the engine bay. He even talked to us between takes about cars. Whether this affected your life or not, the fact is Paul Walker was an icon for all car enthusiasts after Fast and the Furious 1. Big loss for the car community. I still can't and don't want to believe what happened yesterday.

Ramonesfreak2010
12-01-2013, 09:46 PM
Wow. That is awesome that you were able to see him in person. He had a huge impact on me when I was a kid (2001) and is one of the reasons why I am into cars today.

garagelu
12-02-2013, 08:07 AM
Well I took advantage of the long weekend and started on my winter build. I was out of town most of it but came back to Atlanta Saturday night so I could have a full day Sunday to work on it. If you have a large shop, these roller dolleys are a must have. This was the first time using them and damn I am sure glad we have these at the garage.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/11165901845_d1f6610f9e_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/11165922946_58d421e13d_z.jpg

This is pretty much all the parts I pulled off Sunday. Got the whole front end off. Pulled everything around the engine so it's about ready to be pulled.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/11166080713_210743e17a_z.jpg

I was at a good stopping point and plus I still need to buy an engine stand so decided to stop at this point. Just need to drain the fluids, unbolt the engine mounts and unplug the harness. I'm glad I got a start on this because I have a lot more motivation to keep moving now. The past few weeks have been so busy to where I am too lazy to even turn the first bolt.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3815/11165901495_e726527271_z.jpg

A new addition to the garage. As I was working on my car, this guy pulled in his Ford GT. Sounded so mean. The owner said he bought it for a steal from a lawyer that was going to jail for tax evasion.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/11165899805_6bda535476_z.jpg

CamryOnBronze
12-02-2013, 09:49 AM
Dang nice GT. Car looks awesome Kevin- keep up the progress!

91coupesr20det
12-08-2013, 01:59 AM
Put the volks back onnnn!!!

Oakville
12-08-2013, 12:28 PM
Our shop has the exact same dollies, they're great eh!

Oakville
12-08-2013, 12:50 PM
Also, I just saw "A look at FAF7" online, which was a teaser leaked before Pauls death showing the funeral scene and a good 3 second shot of the black R32, sadly not of your car tho. Who owns that R32?

Frank_Jaeger
12-08-2013, 02:10 PM
Put the super advans back onnnn!!!
This x1000. Nice car.

garagelu
12-08-2013, 08:21 PM
Also, I just saw "A look at FAF7" online, which was a teaser leaked before Pauls death showing the funeral scene and a good 3 second shot of the black R32, sadly not of your car tho. Who owns that R32?

Yea that R32 belong to my friend Cory in Kentucky. I actually got him on to film that scene. I wasn't part of that shot. As Vin Diesel leaves the funeral, he walks down the hill to his car to chase Jason Statham in that Maserati, my S15 and my friend's cayman will be behind his Roadrunner.

Put the volks back onnnn!!!

They are actually for sale right now but if they don't sell they will eventually make their way back on the car.

garagelu
12-08-2013, 08:41 PM
This is my S15, my friend Dan's Cayman and Cory's R32 GTR parked while we waited for instructions before we drove on set.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/10674886193_722022e837_z.jpg

This is the 2nd day of filming where Lucas Black and Vin Diesel are talking. This is the scene at the parking garage from the last scene in Tokyo Drift.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5524/10675012943_cf50084b9b_z.jpg

As you can see I got a pretty prime spot right next to Vin Diesel's car.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/10674933123_7961a2a095_z.jpg

Interesting fact: I was able to participate in this opportunity because Universal Studios was looking specifically for an S15. My friend referred me to them and when I got on the phone with them I found out that they were looking for a S15 to replicate the Wise Sports S15 that Lucas Black is driving at the end of Tokyo Drift. See, FF7 takes place right after Tokyo Drift. So the first scene would be Lucas Black and Vin Diesel in that parking garage. Well turns out they couldn't find that S15 they used in Tokyo Drift. I was very hesitant after hearing this because movie productions usually do quick, fast hack jobs to make the car look good in the movie. They were talking about roll cages, graphics, wing, etc. Plus that Wise Sports S15 was wide body. They asked to meet with me in person to discuss all the details and any questions I had.

Well once we met they had bad news and good news. Bad news is they found they car they used and good news was that they would still like to use the car as an extra. I was kinda bummed because when in your life would you be able to say my car was used as one of the main character's cars in the movie? But I was still happy to be an extra. I'm so grateful I got to see Paul Walker film 2 scenes and see him in person. This is something I will never forget.

TWest
12-09-2013, 12:08 AM
This is my S15, my friend Dan's Cayman and Cory's R32 GTR parked while we waited for instructions before we drove on set.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/10674886193_722022e837_z.jpg

This is the 2nd day of filming where Lucas Black and Vin Diesel are talking. This is the scene at the parking garage from the last scene in Tokyo Drift.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5524/10675012943_cf50084b9b_z.jpg

As you can see I got a pretty prime spot right next to Vin Diesel's car.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/10674933123_7961a2a095_z.jpg

Interesting fact: I was able to participate in this opportunity because Universal Studios was looking specifically for an S15. My friend referred me to them and when I got on the phone with them I found out that they were looking for a S15 to replicate the Wise Sports S15 that Lucas Black is driving at the end of Tokyo Drift. See, FF7 takes place right after Tokyo Drift. So the first scene would be Lucas Black and Vin Diesel in that parking garage. Well turns out they couldn't find that S15 they used in Tokyo Drift. I was very hesitant after hearing this because movie productions usually do quick, fast hack jobs to make the car look good in the movie. They were talking about roll cages, graphics, wing, etc. Plus that Wise Sports S15 was wide body. They asked to meet with me in person to discuss all the details and any questions I had.

Well once we met they had bad news and good news. Bad news is they found they car they used and good news was that they would still like to use the car as an extra. I was kinda bummed because when in your life would you be able to say my car was used as one of the main character's cars in the movie? But I was still happy to be an extra. I'm so grateful I got to see Paul Walker film 2 scenes and see him in person. This is something I will never forget.

Sucks that you didn't get to be used as the main car, but still, that's an awesome experience that'll stick with you for the rest of your life. Sad to see such a prominent figure of the car community pass on.

Just read every page of this thread and love the direction it's going. Will definitely be following for updates!

Oakville
12-09-2013, 12:10 AM
I'm in awe, that is super cool man. I would have loved to experience that!

CamryOnBronze
12-09-2013, 08:46 AM
Cool to see that you got Cory's R32 in the movie. I wrote his feature for Modified and got to meet him and see the car at the IA summer meet earlier this year. Really cool guy and the car is immaculate!

STL240SXDRIFT
12-09-2013, 08:48 AM
Really cool experience man!

conrad_s13.5
12-12-2013, 02:10 PM
^ for sure!

awesome stuff, thanks for sharing.

Cars awesome, looking forward to watching this winter build,.. and ur car in the next movie!

Rambo slice
12-12-2013, 10:12 PM
This whole thread...DAMN. Thats it subscribed!

da_crew10
12-14-2013, 12:27 PM
Those Model 5's look ugly on your s15 maybe you should sell them to me?

Haha jk my man, car is looking amazing!

garagelu
01-02-2014, 08:47 PM
(Follow me on instagram "garagelu" if you don't already. I usually post pictures as I am working on the car. This post is several days late, lol)

We had a plant shutdown during the Christmas break so I had a few days free to pull the engine.

I used the dollies to roll the car over the lift. We arn't allowed to leave a car on the lift overnight unless you have permission. The dollies make it super easy to get the car lifted.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2821/11722616046_d6291d0161_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/11722615346_2a71d59fe7_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/11722216604_bf78459049_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/11721836175_470743cc80_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/11722613906_acfc2b2be1_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2819/11722613466_6bc79f48cc_z.jpg

Never seen this on any SR manifold over the 7-8 years of messing with SR's.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/11721834565_b97456d880_z.jpg

My almost blank canvas. Next time my goal is to pull the remaining components in the engine bay so it can be ready for prep and paint.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/11722612396_5380f6af40_z.jpg

I numbered the bolts and their location so I can put everything back the same way.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/11722611806_ef47affb02_z.jpg

Prybar used to move the trans away from the flywheel housing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/11722213134_894e583073_z.jpg

The garage had this transmission jack that made it super easy to pull the trans off. This will make it 10x easier when I am ready to install the trans.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/11722610946_783f4bf854_z.jpg

My car only has 27k km so plenty of life left in the clutch.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/11722610336_779c370997_z.jpg

S15 flywheel is a lot different than S13/S14 I noticed.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/11722609806_d8c7fc3c10_z.jpg

tricky_ab
01-03-2014, 05:32 AM
Are there any specific plans to the engine that you have planned, while it's out?

psi999
01-03-2014, 05:39 AM
Neat S15 mate.

What's the go with RHD and rego over there, can this be street rego'd or track/offroad use only?

mlrtime
01-03-2014, 11:48 AM
Neat build man. In for updates.

conrad_s13.5
01-03-2014, 02:02 PM
followed.,..for progress

garagelu
01-03-2014, 03:27 PM
Neat S15 mate.

What's the go with RHD and rego over there, can this be street rego'd or track/offroad use only?

This car is street legal. I have all the paperwork for it to be 50 state legal.

garagelu
01-03-2014, 03:28 PM
Are there any specific plans to the engine that you have planned, while it's out?

Yea definitely. Turbo upgrade and supporting mods. Going to go through the whole engine and just clean it up/reseal everything. Wire tuck too.

NOLAGG
01-04-2014, 10:42 AM
Wow I also just read this whole thread and this is awesome. It's even cooler you got to talk to Paul walker and have your car in the next movie . Great journey your having with your s15 it seems and keep it up!

juvi22003
01-04-2014, 11:42 AM
Awesome build, love it !!!!

Oakville
01-05-2014, 10:05 PM
This car is street legal. I have all the paperwork for it to be 50 state legal.

This car is 50 state legal....? I thought it was just a state titled car. Nice!

garagelu
01-08-2014, 01:46 PM
This car is 50 state legal....? I thought it was just a state titled car. Nice!

Yes it is 50 state legal. This is one of the few. I have EPA, DOT, etc paperwork.

garagelu
01-08-2014, 07:03 PM
HKS Hipermax 3 coilovers off the S15 are up for grabs if anyone is interested. Only about 6-7k miles on them. I hardly drive my car. Paid 2400 new for them. Asking 1800. PM me if interested.

future
01-08-2014, 07:32 PM
Just followed you! Follow me back unlike all the other build threads guys on here lol

tricky_ab
01-08-2014, 08:47 PM
HKS Hipermax 3 coilovers off the S15 are up for grabs if anyone is interested. Only about 6-7k miles on them. I hardly drive my car. Paid 2400 new for them. Asking 1800. PM me if interested.

What coilovers are you planning to replace them with?

garagelu
01-08-2014, 09:05 PM
What coilovers are you planning to replace them with?

You should buy them for your S15.

Oakville
01-08-2014, 09:30 PM
Thats awesome. If you decide to sell this.....I'll be moderately disappointed as I enjoy the instagram updates.

so don't sell it.

tricky_ab
01-08-2014, 09:35 PM
You should buy them for your S15.

I bought a set of HKS Hipermax III D'Nob spec not to long ago...

I would have been interested if I hadn't already bought them... They should sell fast though. It's a quality set, that you're selling at a great price!

garagelu
03-10-2014, 02:51 PM
Forgot to post this pictures up a few weeks back when I worked on clearing out the engine bay some more. All I had left after that day was A/C components and fuse box. Stay tuned for updated pictures from this past weekend when I cleared out the whole engine bay. Or you can check out my instagram username: garagelu for updated pics. Car is pretty much ready to paint!!! Now to decide on a color...decision, decisions.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/12948868733_66be67c240_c.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2893/12948755475_23f75e071c_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/12948823835_6a74d45415_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/12949250894_496ae0a898_c.jpg

tricky_ab
03-10-2014, 06:23 PM
Are you going to get rid of the battery tray?

A54
03-10-2014, 06:33 PM
Great S15 thread...

Oakville
03-10-2014, 09:00 PM
I happened to see one of these pics scattered throughout the 400 pics of Nikes on instagram haha...dont paint the bay! It looks way too nice like it is man

garagelu
03-10-2014, 09:28 PM
So here are the most up to date pictures of my car. Everything is 100% cleared out of the engine bay and pretty much ready to paint. To answer a few questions, yes the battery tray will be cut off and that area will be smoothed out. A lot of people have been telling me to just leave the engine bay the way it is. The engine bay looks a lot nicer in pictures than in person. And I am too OCD about details and I just want everything perfect. A lot of unused holes while be filled and shaved as well.

My ultimate goal for this build is to just make sure everything is done once and done right. This build will be a long journey because I want to make sure everything is perfect. I don't want to cut corners on anything. The best of the best will be on this car. Unfortunately that means lots of money and then that means more time to get that money.

But stay tuned. Things will pick up soon. Im soon to be 29 years old and life just gets busier and busier. I wish I was in my early 20's again when I was able to work on my car at every chance I had.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/13074955725_5a6d35d72d_c.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2626/13075073203_62e1110d63_c.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2626/13075073203_62e1110d63_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/13074954145_49cdefaa84_c.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3726/13075266824_86e7d00a78_c.jpg

How do you guys suggest I remove the fuse box? How do I get it past that hole? I want to get it on the other side of the hole so I can relocate the fuse box.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/13074952045_01977386ea_c.jpg