Spare Engine Rebuild Update: Tomei Poncams

The rebuild is going well and I've sent in my Tomei camshafts + Pulleys and a N1 Water Pump in for the final stage of the project. Looking forward to how the cams perform as not only will they improve response and overall performance but the poncams will also have a positive affect on the R33 GTR's exhaust sound.

And why Tomei? Tomei Poncam camshafts are designed as a "drop in application", so no dialling in required as the nock-pin has been pre-set. The Poncams are also designed to work with the standard valve springs and offer the best drop in performance gain for both street and track use. No machining is required at all.

Tomei manufactures several camshafts for the RB26 engine, the most mild being the Poncams. Designed as an upgrade when compared to stock cams, the Poncams fit all generations of the RB26 engine (R32, R33 and R34), and come in three types, Type A, Type B, and Type R. The differences between the Type A and Type B Poncams are limited, with the Type B version featuring 260° of lift on the exhaust, compared to 252°. This slight increase in duration means more air can enter the cylinders at higher RPM. The downside to additional duration is that low end power is sacrificed, as the turbochargers typically can not move enough air at lower engine speeds. The Type R Poncams were designed by Tomei to cater to those who wish to remain "street legal" by Japanese standards. This means decreased duration for better emissions, as well as compatibility with stock or aftermarket catalytic converters.

Type A camshafts are suitable for engines that will be using stock or larger bolt on turbochargers. Type B camshafts are for engines that will be running N1 turbo chargers or full aftermarket turbo kits. The Type R camshafts should only be used when a car retains the factory catalytic converter, or when you wish to upgrade to an aftermarket catalytic converter.
 
Tomei Pon Camshafts + Pulley Set: Nissan BNR32/BCNR33 RB26DETT Duration IN 260, EX 252, Lift 9.15 (Pon Cam + Cam Pulley IN & EX) 143036 A Type + 153027 Cam Pulley.

Excerpt from nengun.com about the Tomei Poncams:

Tomei presents the popular poncams. Generally, engine tuning is to modify the torque characteristic of engine by changing cam duration timing and height of the cam lift, so as to gaining maximum torque and horse power. However, when tuning the engine strictly, it should be carried out with the idea of securing effective area of the valve not only by duration timing and height of the cam lift, but also by through improvement of its intake efficiency. High valve lift allows huge amount of air to flow in, yet it mechanically damages the system and gains friction loss. Also, wide cam duration will deriver great power at high RPM, but it gives rough engine character at low RPM too. Tomei have worked to get an ideal well-balanced profile of camshaft and succeeded to give it 1.3 to 1.5 times more effective area than regular camshafts.

Economics - Keynes vs. Hayek

I know my blog is about cars but this video deserves to be promoted. People need to be made aware of flawed economic policies and the ongoing discourse that's occuring in the hallways of power and at centres of higher learning.

Its chock full of digestible tidbits from the Keynes-Hayek dispute. Ultimately, governments are unable to regulate business cycle and fiscal policy - by intervening and bailing people out as they did three years ago, they're only setting the stage for another global economic crisis.

Spare Engine Rebuild Update - Tomei Forged H-Beam Conrods

Apologies for the lack of updates but its been a busy month for me and I've been waiting on a particular part to arrive. In fact, its the last piece of the engine rebuild jigsaw puzzle. I'm referring to conrods as it was the only other forged item that I wanted for this rebuild. Lo and behold the official spiel (summary courtesy of Nengun):

Usually, to give con-rod buckling strength and light weight character at the same time, H-beam or I-beam profile is applied. Tomei have applied a H-beam profile for the connecting rod for NISSAN RB, SR, CA, VG engines and succeeded in gaining high buckling strength while reducing the weight. Tomei produces con-rod's using a forging mold with the main bearing hole in its large end, so the 'metal flow' runs along con-rod's entire body. And with a use of special materials, they have succeeded in producing con-rods with extreme intensity and durability. 

Naturally, I got standard RB26 stroke conrods as I'm not stroking the spare engine. Thanks to my good friend Glenn Trollope of Chasers Motorworks Melbourne (good luck at the World Time Attack dude!), I was able to source the conrods in record time.

So that ends this update as the crank is being balanced but I'm hoping the engine will be ready before the end of May. Theres also the Nismo bearings that need to be installed and those had arrived sometime last month, courtesy of a fellow Skyline owner (thanks Nain!). 

Here are the bearings:

Can't wait for all the parts to come together. Watch this space.

The repainted RE30s are back on my R33 GT-R

Words escape me, so I'll let the pictures do the talking... ;)

The sight that greeted me as I arrived at Autodetailer earlier today (picture courtesy of Darren): 

Couldn't be happier! =)

Repainted my Volk Racing RE30s

I decided that the bronze look wasn't working out and called on the services of Darren from Autodetailer. My previous car, which was a manual track-spec 350Z, had been detailed by Darren in early 2010. Hence, I knew the car would be in good hands, if not the best in town. Since I was going to be out of the country for a bit, the R33 was and still is, at Darren's batcave in Jaya One.

I was initially stumped with trying to decide what pattern or colour to paint the rims. My first thought was to turn the rims glossy black and have the lips painted red, to look something like this:

But after sleeping on it, I decided that such a paint scheme was just too plain hectic and might be deemed untasteful among certain quarters. So it was back to the drawing board.

I eventually decided to play it safe and go for a tried & tested two-tone look. This paint scheme is actually carried by Volk Racing from the factory - heres an example:

I was pretty sure that this paint scheme would work out, especially after I saw the following pictures of a silver Porsche 997TT with matte black rims and chromed lips:

And so, before heading to the airport, I dropped the GT-R off at Darren's and was overseas for a couple of days. The trip was pretty tiring but all the aches & pains went away, after I received an e-mail last night. Attached to it was a picture.

This is the end result of Darren's work and I'm mighty pleased with how the project turned out. Can't wait to see them on the car and a big shout out to Autodetailer for making it happen!

Installed: Blitz Nur Spec R Exhaust

I've been looking around for a replacement exhaust in the lead up to my engine rebuild. My old exhaust system is a workshop amalgamation of a Kakimoto muffler and a custom straight pipe with numerous weld points. So it had to be factory crafted, loud and net a power gain. 

I was looking at titanium systems but not really sold on the sound - I prefer the more bassy note of stainless steel systems. Its also difficult to get a titanium exhaust repaired if anything were to break or crack, as we do not have a titanium welding facility here in Malaysia (or one thats accessible to the general public). Despite what some people say, you can't do a weld on titanium pieces unless its in a controlled environment, devoid of oxgyen i.e. a vacuum-controlled chamber!

So my search continued but time and time again, I came to the same conclusion. The Blitz Nur Spec R exhaust system came up tops among most Skyline owners in their forum discussions. The system also comes with a detachable silencer thats nests inside the muffler. So if there ever came a time to tone down the decibels (i.e. MOT tests), one can turn to this device (refer to the pic below - its the object next to the gasket and screws). The Nur Spec R is also one of the few exhaust systems thats completely made from 100% stainless steel - tip to tip.

So I ordered a brand new set from neweraparts a month ago and the exhaust arrived in Malaysia two weeks ago (80mm at the midpipe, 115mm at the exhaust tip). I also specified for a Zacetec Decat Pipe, which is required to replace the catalytic converter section of the system. This too came in the air freight box from Japan. Big up to Miguel from neweraparts for making all the items fit in a EMS shipment box - otherwise, I'd have to go with another Japanese air freight company and pay more. 

And so without further ado, here are pictures of the unwrapping and installation:

The package was long and huge!

Got a bit excited seeing the Blitz emblem

Factory packaging and bracing to ensure the exhaust is not damaged during transit

The Zacetec Decat Pipe

Getting ready to install the mid pipe

Wonder what lies beneath all that cardboard and plastic?

Isn't she a beauty?

I have to say that I chose well. The exhaust sounds amazing and loud enough to satisfy my inner boy racer fantasies. By removing the silencer, the exhaust is pushing out sounds above 100 decibels. And thanks to the small center cannister, there's absolutely no in-cabin droning, even at high speeds. Very satisfied with Blitz Nur Spec R and I hope to record the sound it makes, sometime this weekend - hopefully on a drive up to Ulu Yam with the boys.

Engine Rebuild Update: Block resleeved & rebored + purchased an ATI Super Damper

The machine shop has returned my spare block and I must say that I am quite pleased with the work done. It has been resleeved and the rebored to once again accomodate the HKS 88mm forged pistons. The reason behind the resleeving is to strengthen the block and as an added measure to ensure the longevity of the new engine. Below are pictures of the finished item:

Next up is to port and polish the head, which is already underway as we speak:

I've also purchased a ATI Super Damper today. The RB crankshaft, being in a straight 6, is quite long and thus prone to torsional resonances at lower frequencies. Without a mass damper tuned to the cranks natural modes of vibration, one could get some nasty and sometime fatal twisting of the crank. This resonant twisting can also break the oil pump. Hence it is crucial to have when rebuilding an RB26 engine thats pushing out more than stock power. Its certainly not cheap but definitely gives you peace of mind.

Thats all for now. Till next time, stay tuned.

Contemplating getting a GoPro HD HERO Wide camera

After watching a friend's recent attempt at recording a drive up the twisty roads of Ulu Yam, I've been intrigued with the idea of making a video myself. And so I've been researching on whats the best equipment available out there on the market for the filming of car events. These are the two contenders which are available for purchase in Malaysia:

  
Specification Comparison Chart (courtesy of http://www.helmetcamreview.com)

	ContourGPS HD 1080p	GoPro HD HERO Wide
Suggested Retail Price	RM1280	RM1299
Included mounts	Goggle and flat surface, extra stickem pad	Vented helmet, headband, 2 flat surface, 2 curved surface, adjustable pivot arm, WP housing* with add'l open "audio" back, 2 quick release mounts
Included cables	USB	USB, HDTV and RCA
Software	Online download available	No
Lens/Field Of View (FOV)	110 deg. on 1080p, WVGA 135 deg. on 960p & 720p	127 deg. on 1080p 170 deg. on 960 & 720p
Adjustable camera settings	via software: Time, 4 video quality, audio gain, bit rate, contrast, exposure, sharpness, spot/center/avg. metering	via camera menu: video settings exposure metering
Video settings	1080p@30fps 960p "full frame"@30fps 720p@30 or 60fps WVGA (848x480 @60fps)	1080p@30fps 960p "full frame"@30fps 720p@30 or 60fps
File Type/codec	QuickTime .MOV/H.264	MP4/H.264
Battery / included	rechargeable lithium - yes	rechargeable lithium - yes
Battery run time	3 hrs (as per Mfg.)	2.5 hours (as per Mfg.)
Internal memory	No	No
Memory Storage	MicroSD up to 16GB	SD up to 32GB
Memory included	Yes - 2GB	No
Still photos?	No	Yes - 5 mp, several modes
Digital zoom?	No	No
Remote or LANC	No	No
weight w/battery	4.4oz	6.3oz in wp case*, 3.5oz without
Size L x W x H	3.75" x 1.27" x 2.15"	1.6" x 2.77" x 2.5" (in case)
Weather resistance	"water resistant" Not WP without WP housing - NOT included	Yes, only with WP housing* (included)
Other notes:	GPS tracking, Rotatable lens, dual laser sighting system Online video hosting/posting	*housing must be used for mounting of camera

Judging from the reviews and user feedback from numerous sites on the internet, boths products have their strengths and weaknesses. In my case however, I'm looking for a camera that provides high quality footage and ease of editing (the GoPro camera excels in these two areas). Mounting and ease of use are secondary since the camera will mostly be mounted inside the car (the Countour camera is easy to deploy and is less of a hassle to mount). So whats the verdict? 

Have a look at this video comparison between the two cameras and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion that I arrived at:



Oh and check out this awesome GoPro video of a ProSports car race between Porsches and Jaguars as they battle it out at Laguna Seca.

Update (pictures taken after the fire): R35 GT-R catches on fire after colliding with a Volkswagen MK6 Golf GTI

Once again, for the whole story as well as the video of the crash, head on over to to this blog entry. For theories behind the subsequent crash and fire, you would want to read the previous update before this one.

Now onto the pictures! These were taken after the fire had died down, showing the burned hulk of the R35 GT-R and whatever else that survived the inferno.