R33 GT-R Update: R34 GT-R Steering Wheel Swap

Not many people know this but R34 GT-R steering wheels are plug & play when it comes to Series II / late model R33 GT-Rs. Airbang and all mind you, with no error lights showing.

Now theres nothing wrong with the stock R33 GT-R quad steering wheel. Its just that it doesn't have much character going for it. I mean, it only has an embossed 'Nissan' on the horn button, along with the corresponding moon corporate logo and outer red leather stiching. It was also present in the Silvia S14 and other Nissan models like the Skyline GTST (ENR33 / ER33). No offence to the owners of those cars but I wanted a steering wheel that had a tad bit more GT-R exclusivity. Nissan must have really liked the design by the way, because it was still in use in their first generation X-Trail! Ahh, you've served me well old girl...

I've always been a fan of the R34 GT-R steering wheel, mainly because of the tri-star sculpted design and the prominent 'GT-R' horn logo. It's also smaller by an inch or so in terms of diameter. No prizes for guessing where I managed to source a unit (thanks to my good buddy Eu-Jin at JDM Auto Link). Supposedly, these are quite rare and difficult to source.

It was a pretty straight forward affair in removing the stock steering wheel. I knew that the airbags in the two steering wheels were of the same model, but there was no harm in checking. To do this, the side latches were opened up and the airbag housing unscrewed. Fortunately, the sockets all matched up, so we were good to go. Do note that this modification is only possible in Series II / late model R33 GT-R's, that feature driver and passenger side airbags. If you have an older BCNR33, then you're unfortunately out of luck. This is confirmed for Series I R33 GT-Rs. Oh and did you know that airbags have a shelf life? The one in my stock R33 GT-R steering wheel has clearly gone pass it's expiry date (circa 1997!), while I'm hoping the R34 GT-R's airbag is still good for a couple more years. Food for thought, gentle people.

Now all that was left to do was to line up the R34 GT-R steering wheel and bolt it in. I have to say that due to the tri-star design, the steering wheel feels much smaller and more chuckable. I just love it because it's a straight fit (no adaptation needed), looks like it belongs there in the first place, is much smaller than the unit that it replaces and really spruces up my R33's interior. Aki, you should really do this mod, mate ;).

Found a Series III R33 GT-R Front Bumper

Now as I had disclosed in an earlier blog entry, my R33 GT-R is actually a Series II BCNR33. Hence, the bumper looks like this:

Its a very clean look and I like it, but I thought I should try getting a hold of a Series III bumper. The reason being that I had upgraded my Series II headlights to the xenons from the last model of the BCNR33 series. The Series III looks like this and yes, I just bought it today thanks to a tip off from some fellow Skyline owners (Jahax, Temujin and geber - thanks again boys!):

Just a bit of background on the car that this bumper came from. According to the rear bonnet section, the car was a late model V-Spec edition BCNR33. The tell tale paint chips of the front bumper indicate that the car was originally Awesome Blue or Aqua Blue and not Midnight Purple. However, it could just be that the previous owner had swapped in a new bumper that was originally painted blue (heck, it could have been painted in R34 Bayside Blue even). Whatever the case, one can't help but wonder what the car was like before its demise.

Notice the Nismo air ducts right in the middle? Another major difference between the Series II and Series III bumpers is that the intercooler airduct has a slightly larger opening.

First thing I did after purchasing the said item was to rush over to my painter and have him start work on restoring the bumper. It needs some minor restoration in the bottom skirt section as well as the sides. Once he has done doing that, the bumper will be colour coded to suit my car and we'll pop it on. Can't wait! Quite pleased with the purchase as the bumper came with the indicator lights, as you can see below.

R33 GTR Upgrades: Nissan Factory R33 GTR Series III Xenon Headlights

The Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, codenamed BCNR33, was first launched in 1995. The car went through three stages or three series of variations before production ended in 1998. My BCNR33 is a Series II according to it's build plate and tell tale exterior features.

In February 1997, the Series III adopted xenon headlights. Now as you might already well know, most car nowadays feature this lighting technology as it makes things easier to see in the dark. It also makes the car appear "cooler" what with the clean and crisp white lights. Hence, I wanted to get a set of Series III headlights for my Series II.

Unfortunately, they aren't easy to source but fortunately, thanks to Eu Jin from JDM Auto Link, I was able to get my hands on a set. Wasn't cheap though but these are rare as hens teeth. Had to wait for a month plus but here they are (thanks Eu Jin!):

 Here they are being installed and its almost plug & play

So from that ...

 ... to this!

Definitely money well spent and it totally changes the way the car looks. Somewhat more refreshed and updated. Not to mention the brightness and clarity of the xenons are really night and day from the old halogens (something I've experienced with my other cars), hence this improves safety and motoring vision. 

Very happy with how this upgrade turned out.