1985 NISSAN PULSAR ET
Brett's Ride
Brett is the owner of this striking 1985 Nissan Pulsar ET. When Brett picked it up in May 1999, the car had already been mildly modified. The modifications performed by the previous owner included;
- Unleaded-Spec Black Rocker engine
- 3" cat back press-bent exhaust system
- Blow-off valve
- Interior work
- Wheels and rubber, 195/50/R16
- New metallic purple/pink pearl paint job
- Chopped springs and heavy-duty shocks
After Brett's purchase, the timeline goes a little like this...
May, 1999
The car was bought unregistered. Soon after the ET arrived home a few major issues were identified. Firstly, the car had suffered a reasonably major front end collision. The repair job was substandard, too; bare welding work was abundant and the panel fit was a little off in places. At the same time a rear panel was found to be infected with rust hidden by the recent respray.
After inspection of the turbo compressor, the conclusion was made that the standard T2 was also on the way out.
After the car was presented for registration and returned with 14 separate fail items, Brett was getting the feeling that he'd been screwed. A phone call to the previous owner failed to receive a positive response.
So, after replacement of the suspension and wheels with stock standard items (and narrowly-avoided 'evasion of police' and 'driving an unregistered vehicle' charges - !) the ET passed rego.
At this point the decision was made to fix the ET up the way it truly deserved.
11 March, 2000
Plans were considered for the first serious time today...while the concept of an SR20DET running AWD out of a Pulsar GTi-R was kicked around, more sensible ideas prevailed. Ultimately top end power and handling were identified as areas requiring attention. Aesthetics was relegated to the bottom of the list.
22 March
After talking to those in the business Brett formed the conclusion that stiff springs and aggressive shock ratings were the way to go. In this light Brett's suspension package consisted of;
2 1/4" lowering job
High-rate Jumbo springs
Gas shock front struts
High-rate, low travel rear shockers
Negative cambered front end
30 March
The suspension kit was installed with -2deg camber at the front. This setup provided a great improvement over stock, with the understeer becoming less pronounced, especially when the front was loaded down approaching the centres of corners. Body roll is almost gone - an effect of the low centre-of gravity and the firm springs, no doubt. The downside is that these firm springs and high-rate shockers provide a bone-jarring ride. Brett doesn't mind, but his girlfriend does...
9 April
New tyres were sourced and fitted to the 16's which had apparently made their way back onto the car, probably as the suspension was being done. 195's again, and the improvement in wet-road tracking was quite significant.
5 May
The AFM relocation intake mod was performed, the new filter being installed 200mm above ground level at the bottom of the engine bay using the old turbo-intake bend. This allows good cool air induction from beneath the car, but also has a habit if ingesting large quantities of water when it rains. The plan is to relocate the battery to the boot to allow placement of the filter in the engine bay out of the rain with a cool-air duct.
After a few hiccups getting this setup running the new intake allowed a much smoother turbo spool-up, less hesitation between gear changes, and more top-end power.
21 May
Boost was adjusted through a new wastegate bleed and set to 12psi. This has further improved top-end urge.
23 May
Turning a corner - flat chat, we assume - Brett flew into a patch of unsurfaced road works and basically destroyed his car's undercarriage at the end of the works on the lip where the tarmac started again. Damage was severe, and included a damaged muffler and rear exhaust section, a damaged engine mount and a cracked transmission casing. This last is a fault that required the replacement of the transmission - which was whining and smashing against synchros anyway, or so we're told.
25 May
Replacement transmission went in - turns out that this was a smoother unit than the old one, anyway.
26 May
An Exedy performance clutch kit was installed after Brett got sick and bloody tired of the standard unit slipping under load when it got hot.
25 July
While driving up a hill, Brett found the ET losing power to the point where it stalled atop the hillcrest. Investigation revealed crank rotation was not being matched by cam rotation...
26 July
...so the car went home on a tow truck. The next morning, the head was removed to reveal a true masterpiece of destruction. Four bent valves, four stuffed pistons, and one warped and altogether stuffed cylinder head.
Cam belt apparently lost a few teeth...
6 September
The front end has been changed for a later model Series 2 GX Pulsar front with longer, narrower twin headlights and a narrower grille. This provides a much more purposeful or, as Brett puts it, 'aggressive' look.
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With Brett's engine well and truly stuffed he has taken the opportunity to do it right from the start now. A Japanese-spec Red Rocker version of the E15ET is going in, with an E16 crankshaft, forged pistons (7.4:1 CR), ported head, oversized valves, a new cam and valve springs to suit. A 0.6E 0.48C T28 turbo will be going on once a decent example is found.
Before all of this work takes place, however, a full respray and interior job will completed.
Details will be brought to you as soon as they become available.
