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UDATE
February, 27,2008


ひさしぶり！！



It's been a loooong time since I have been back in here...over a year actually. Got some good news on the Laurel. A couple of new things here and some new stuff coming for the future. I also decided that I am going to take down the pics from the Tokyo motor show from 05. I also have a few new videos up for your viewing pleasure.

To see the new parts, check out page two, and look towards the top

New videos are on top of page 5



UPDATE
February 15th, 2007

So, the Laurel just got a whole lot nastier. On Saturday, February 3rd, I picked up an HKS Electronic Valve Controller (EVC 1) at an Up-Garage near where a friend of mine is stationed. I installed it this past weekend (Feb 10th)with some help from another friend who is attending college here.

Last week, I also purchaseed an open wastegate O2 housing dump pipe from another friend in Okinawa. Right now, as it is, it won't be going on the car. The previous owner had the wastegate dump welded to go up instead of the usual down, and had it venting through his hood. As much as I would like to do that, I'll have to pass. Anyway, it showed up today and will get dropped off at the shop tomorrow to be re-welded back to it's original configuration, polished and cleaned and hopefully be installed by next week at the latest.

And yesterday, I picked up a set of new tires. My old ones were wearing thin, and they weren't the greatest for grip in dry or wet weather. I had Bridgestone Grid II tires, but yesterday, I picked up a set of Nexen N2000 series tires. 225/50/16 in back and 205/55/16 in front. I'll hopefully get a chance to do the inagural tire fry with them next week and then take them out on the highway for some twisty running through Tokyo.

Anyway, here are pics of the new dump pipe.

UPDATE!
January 25th, 2007
Check page 5 for videos of the Laurel in action!

UPDATE!
24July06:
The Gold Digger has developed a little larger attitude problem. On Monday of last week, I finally got my front pipe put on the car. Fitment was perfect, just had to bend the rear mount hanger a little to fit a Laurel...the pipe came off a Skyline.

Now, for the part you all want to know.
Yes it has a little more power...not a lot, but a little. My butt dyno is pretty decent, and what I noticed is a little more low end torque, and a lot smoother revs, and that in turn gets the turbo to spool a tad bit quicker too. I can actually hit my max of .0.75bar well before I hit redline.

The exhaust didn't change as much as I was hoping it would. She has, however, picked up a much louder voice at wide open throttle, and de-celleartions is nice sounding too.

Now, all I need to get on is a decent, medium sized intercooler, and she'll be good to go.

Next thing on-tap is to get the Skyline inlet tube modded to fit the Laurel so I can recirc my C.P.V. (compressor bypass valve, more commonly known as a BOV) and run my other computer.

Other than that, still the same great car she was when I bought her, just a little meaner sounding.
It's also a good thing I quit street racing, I'd prolly either be 1.Broke, 2.Dead, or 3. Divorced.

New pics page added. Look at the bottom for page 6!!!

July 2006
It been a while since I last updated, so I will fill you in on the current going's on with the Gold Digger.

I was able to get my hands on a front (down) pipe for the Laurel. It's a unique on in that it's a split style. Twin 2" tubes. Starts off as a 3.25" collector from the O2 housing, into twin 2" tubes, back into a single 3.25" collector to the cat. I pick it and a brand new Koyo radiator up for ��10,000 or about $95.

In early May, I was offered a free, that's right, free-thousand dollar RB20DET from a 1990 Nissan Skyline GTS-t Type-M with tranny. So, on a nice and hot sunny Sunday a weeks after being offerd the engine, my friend and I, along with the guy that told me about the motor, went to where the Skyline was being kept to pull it's heart. The car was in sad shape anyway, but the engine was decent. It still ran, but I thought to myself, "Nah, this motor will get a nice rebuild over the next year and get some decent parts put into it."

Several weeks went by before I could actually get the truck from my father-in-law to transport it back home.

We pulled the engine and tranny out as one unit. So, it got put into the back of said F-I-L's trucks and brought home.

Currently, it is in the process of being stripped down and prepped for overhaul. Since my current engine is still running strong, there is no hurry on the over haul. And also, I have some uuber secret plans on a possible turbo set up. More on that when I get confirmation.

As the engine sits now, the following parts have been removed.
Tranny, clutch, flywheel, scatter shield, turbo, cross pipe, air intake tube, BOV recirc pipe, starter, intake manifold, fuel rail, injectors, wiring harness, cam/valve covers, ignightor chip, and center valley cover.

The next order of business is to get engine mounted to my engine stand, and start working on getting the cams out, head off, valves and related components, A/C compressor, alternator, crank pulley and front timing cover off to get to the timing components and water pump. Hopefully that will be done by the end of the month. If not, I have two weeks vacation coming up in August. I hope to have the entire engine disassembled by the end of September and start aquiring my rebuild parts to include, new gasket kit, N1 water and oil pump, stock pistons if needed, rings, Tomei or HKS cams, Apex'I SAFC, HKS S.L.D., exhaust manifold.

I will keep updating on a somewhat non-regular basis.

October 2005

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Before photo of the wheels on it when I bought it.

UPDATE

October 2005

I just piced up a new set of wheels for the Laurel. I am now fitted with some Enkei RP-01's in 16X7 front and 16X8 rear with +35 offset and +38 offset respectively. I bought them used at an Autobacs second hand parts store. The tires have decent tread left, but for $275 out the door, who's complaining. They look great on the car, almost like you cant even see them...lol stealth mode.

RB20det, swapped in Skyline GTS-t type M manual tranny, catback exhaust, JIC coilovers and springs,Blita dual turbo timer, Blitz boost guage, Blitz SUSpower Core LM filter,Kenwood CD/MD, aftermarket BOV, folding front license plate holder, L.E.D. interior lights.

One in a series of Nissan's famous RB engine

Page 1: Home page, basic explanation.
Page 2: More pics and stuff.
Page 3: Miscellaneous pics.
Page 4: Pics of a couple of nice Nissans
Page 5: Videos of the Laurel