(Nick)
As Dave will tell you I have been very slack with blog posts of late. So as QLD gets smashed by wild weather this Australia Day long weekend I thought it would be a good opportunity to let our small but growing group of readers what I will be trying to achieve for 2013.
As I have never really featured any of my cars on here before I thought I would do a small time line of the progress of my S14. I have owned this car since 2009 and it is slowly progressing into the vision I have had for the car for many years.
As Dave will tell you I have been very slack with blog posts of late. So as QLD gets smashed by wild weather this Australia Day long weekend I thought it would be a good opportunity to let our small but growing group of readers what I will be trying to achieve for 2013.
As I have never really featured any of my cars on here before I thought I would do a small time line of the progress of my S14. I have owned this car since 2009 and it is slowly progressing into the vision I have had for the car for many years.
This how my S14 looked like when I picked it up. Virtually standard apart form the 'Sydney spec' wheels. As this car was to replace my 180SX, which was a bit of a beater, I really wanted a clean base on which I could modify to my taste. At the time I had my heart set on an S15, but these were far out of my price range, even series 2 S14's at the time were fetching decent coin. I settled with this series 1, at the time I was not a big fan of the series 1. Dave still reminds me of it's Camry like resemblance. But it has grown on me immensely and I would not trade it for any other S-Chassis.
It also had a factory black leather interior which is very rare in an S14.
It did not take long before I got rid of the chromies,
bought a set of standard wheels, lowered it slightly
on coilovers, fitted a full set of Cazman Industry adjustable arms and began to have some fun in it.
It also copped a Jim Berry clutch and a full CES exhaust system. I also changed to kouki tail lights.
As i was building this car on a apprentice mechanic wage, it was a slow process.
In 2010 I bought some Ray's TOM'S tune C7R's. These were 16x8 +30, the same spec as R32 Gtr wheels. It was a bit of an impulse buy as I had not seen any on another car.
They did not look bad on the car but I soon decided that they looked too small on the S14. The wheels on a car can really make or break it.
It took me a couple of go's to get it right ;)
It took me a couple of go's to get it right ;)
Not long after this I crashed into the barriers on the QR skidpan. Damaged the front bumper so used it as a perfect excuse to search for the kit and look of the car I had always wanted. I had soon put together a Navan front bumper and skirts, S2 jap rear bar and pods. It is the same combo the team Zoom Up Zenki's use in japan and I believe is the perfect bumper combination for S14. I also did a clear headlight lense conversion which really transforms the look of the Series 1's Camry style headlights.
2011 was a fun time, racing my mates around Queensland Raceway for powerplay events.
This was also the year that I started to care less about the legality of the car, i had soon found some R33 GTR wheels powder coated in white, lowered it substantially more.
One of my mates found the number plates ZNK11 (zenki) for sale. I snapped them up quickly. Must have been a good combo as the car became very popular overnight. Every car meet/event I attended i would be tagged in photos for weeks after. JDMST @ Carseldine below.
Photo credit: J K Smith PhotographyI did numerous track days with this set up including Powercruise, a couple of Friday night drift practises and a the first Hardtuned.net track day at the Holden Test Track at Norwell.
Late 2012 was the next transition for the car. I found a very good deal on a brand new set of Work Meister's, my all time favourite wheel which i could never afford. Leo at JDM Concept managed to turn my dream into reality. I put a deposit on the Work's and sold my GTR wheels to a mate. The car then lived in the shed for the last few months of 2012 as I did not want to take it out with stock wheels. In this time I lowered the front a little bit more and changed to Jap front guards.
A few weeks before Christmas my new wheels arrived =D and i had them wrapped in new Federal 595 rubber just in time for the end of the world December 2012.
So this is how my S14 currently sits in January 2013, I have been in contact with 2 photographers and will be having some shoots done in the coming month.
The S14 will then take the backseat for a little while as I have purchased a 90 Mazda MX5.
I want to build something that i can take to the track and push my limits, learn how to control a car and not be worried if I prang it.
I have big plans for the MX5 and will feature it on the blog in the coming months.
Have a good wet long weekend!
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