[M3] Suspension bushing refurb, short shifter, Sport Evo wing mock-up

[note: this post, like an air-cooled 911, is back-dated to when these events occurred] 

[also note: I have condensed multiple forum posts into this entry, please forgive awkward transitions]

I'm in the middle of my bushing job over here. On Saturday I pulled the front control arms, sway bar, and tie rods. I wasn't going to do the tie rods originally but you know what they say... while you're in there... I order my parts from Pelican because they are nearby and shipping typically takes two days, the only thing they didn't have in stock was the front sway bushing and ECS has taken their sweet time getting it to me. It's just as well I guess, because I have my control arm bushings at the machine shop to get the new ones pushed in and I forgot the little locking tab plates for the tie rods anyway. Aiming to reassemble this weekend.

The ball joints really put up a fight. I rented a fork-type tool to bang them apart - worked last time - but it wasn't enough for three of the joints at the hub. I had to go rent the other tool, the "non-destructive" ball joint tool. This one was successful with some hammer convincing. Top tip, try that one first. The fork destroys your ball joint boots.





I've got a list of awesome parts and projects I'd like to do on this car, unfortunately the big remaining items are quite expensive. KW V3s, Alpha-N and carbon airbox, some really awesome 17" wheels. However, there are still some relatively low-cost things that will deliver maximum bang for the buck. One of those is the wheel refinishing project, if that guy ever gets back to me... another is a short shifter. I have a Rogue Octane kit in the mail. One more is the replica Evo wing I have been lugging around for 5+ years.

There has been some commotion over on the Facebook group about aftermarket wings and the quality of fitment. I received this wing when I bought my first M3, and I was told it was from Markus. Like my Sport Evo splitter, I have moved it from house to house and shed to garage across the years and I think now's as good a time as any to mount it. Before doing that of course, I fitted it up to the trunk. One of the studs is a bit off-kilter, which makes fitment look dodgy as you first start to insert studs to holes, but when inserted with a little squeeze it lands home. I've never had aftermarket body parts on a car so I'm not 100% sure what they 'usually' look like. This one will need a little bit of refinishing but it looks within the realm of normal paint shop stuff. Seems someone was a bit over-eager with the grinder when removing the parting line. The fitment to the trunk lid is good overall and I think it will come out really nicely.











I am very picky so I have anxiety about getting this wing to match the rest of the car. I'm going to take the car to a couple of body shops next week once it's back together for a quote. Tips and guidance appreciated... are there certain things I should look for, or ask about? I'm not up on the latest body shop tech. I also welcome input on what I should expect to pay, as I have no benchmark.

[one week later...]

Bushing job finally completed. I hit a huge snag when I realized that it is NOT possible to push the control arm bushings onto the control arm by hand in situ under the car. I'm not sure why I didn't catch on earlier, considering I did this job on my old car back in 2015 and called out in my old notes that I had used a tool for the task... in any case, I lucked out and a local member had the tool and I was back on track without too much delay.



It appears that I didn't take many photos.





This job is simple, but not easy. There are not many fasteners to remove, but access is restricted and it's a lot of short wrench strokes and ball joints that don't want to pop free. I didn't have a blast, but it's done. I set front toe "by eye" and must have not have gotten very close - it drove a bit wonky on the test drive - but it will receive an alignment before I do any more driving. Summary of suspension work completed:

• Front control arms replaced
• Front control arm bushings replaced
• Front sway bar bushings replaced
• Rear sway bar bushings replaced
• Rear sway bar end links replaced
• Rear lower spring pads replaced (10 > 15mm to increase ride height/decrease camber)

I received the Rogue Engineering Octane short shift kit and installed it while the car was in the air. I only have test drive miles under my belt but it feels really nice, short stroke and very solid. Fitment was spot-on and quality excellent. I've only driven my M3s with the long and notchy stock shifter so this is going to take some getting used to.

Next up: alignment, and visiting paint shops to see about this wing.

[Skyline] Let's let someone else turn the wrenches

I took my car over to Custom Alignment in Mountain View to get everything squared up after dropping the ride height. This was 3/5, or "san-go" day, a celebration of the R35. I parked my car next to its great-grandkid.

Unfortunately the news was not all good from Custom. They informed me that they would not be able to align my car, because the front-lower ball joints and upper link bushes are worn. With these issues they did not feel it could hold the alignment, so it wasn't worth the expense. I was a little bit irked by this because I hadn't noticed a huge amount of play on the front wheels in my short period of wrenching.

Better luck next time.

I can't stay mad at that face.

I added "check bushings" to the list of items that I wanted inspected just a few days later, when I took the car to Z Car Garage in San Jose. I hit it off immediately with Rob - we ended up talking a long time about a lot of cars that weren't Nissans - and I was excited to have his experienced eye look over my car.

I thought these were rare?

At this point I would like to point out that Rob and his team have a staggering CV when it comes to Nissans, more than I can cover here, so I absolutely encourage you to check out their fantastic blog, as well as their feature on Speedhunters. Rob and co. owned a MotoRex R34 GT-R back in the day, how's that for street cred?

I took the car in for a general inspection, to figure out what exactly I've gotten myself into on the oily side of things. I had a few specific issues I wanted reviewed (i.e. bushings) and also asked Rob to install my Nismo braided brake lines. I've done braided brake lines on a few cars, and I have learned to avoid handling brake fluid when I can. So, what did I learn?

• "You have a really, really nice car!" This is the best news I've ever received from a shop in a phone call. That being said:
• My clutch is a twin-plate OS Giken unit, and Rob suspects that the plates are sticking. This feels correct, based on the way it drives. This is next on my to-fix list, the rattly, heavy, inconsistent twin plate is driving me nuts.
• Timing was out - Rob fixed it which cleaned up the mid-range and top end.
• Plugs were gapped incorrectly - fixed.
• Rob confirmed that the items Custom pointed out are worn, but disagreed with the assertion that the car would not hold an alignment. So, he performed an alignment.
• Oil change, brakes bled with the hose installed, clutch adjusted, transmission fluid changed.

Rob and his team wrote a nice blog entry with some photos of the work in action, you can read there right here. (I do not like to post other peoples' photos on my page if I can possibly avoid it)

Another GT-R fresh from Top Rank. R33 GT-R wheels suit it well.

Rob had me run the car around the block before we settled my bill, which is a first for me when working with a shop and a cool signal of pride in his work. A half hour disappeared while we talked about the car and what I had in mind for it, and what plan we could come up with to make it the best little R32 it can be. I have some ideas and I'll be returning to ZCG in the not-distant future.

JDM golden tint, yo.

This wet weather is finally starting to break, and spring is around the corner, which means one thing: Cars and Coffee. I went to the second Menlo Park Cars & Coffee in so many weeks, going so far as to park in the same exact spot in the same lot. This time I rallied Michael and Miles and we did a little caravan action.

The GT-R is frequently a crowd favorite, even in the Bay Area car scene where a Model 3 is a beater and there's a GT3 in every hedge fund parking structure. I think the Skyline strikes people as a "hero car" of sorts, something special built off of a standard-production platform, yet more than the sum of its parts. The video game lore and racing accomplishments only enhance the appeal. Half the fun of owning a car like this is the opportunity to meet other people and share the car with them.

Michael and Miles were both nice enough to let me drive their cars around the block. My mission was to feel the stock clutch, and also get a baseline for how the car is supposed to shift. Their generosity gave me a data point as I select a new clutch to replace what I've got.

I came home to a special package from Australia - installation in my next entry.