Want the power just not the bling!! - GT-R Register - Official Nissan Skyline and GTR Owners Club forum

Mel HKS · 18th July 2008, 10:58 AM

Hi guys
Some of you might know but my GTR dream has not yet been realised due to buying a bit of a pig a while back. (still wondering where I stand legally as the time has flown by)
Anyway after having a Blue printed block build the head has failed. (The guess is it is cracked somewhere and builds pressure after time). The temp kept rising too much at high boost. This is all within the garage after the build. Forgot how the car drives!!!

Now I want over 600hp and have about 540 @1.3. I want it to obviously be reliable and responsive with good torque.

Heres what I have:
Seasonal Race Block assembly
Old R32 block, stress tested etc
R34 con rods
Woosner Pistons (Coated)
Calico Bearings (main and Bigs end (H's)) (coated)
New Crank Shaft
HKS 1.2 Drag head Gasket
700cc Injectors
HKS 264 Cams
HKS Adjustable Cam Pulleys
Splitfire Coil Packs
HKS Giant Intercooler
HKS Hard pipe kit
Oil cooler
Tomei Kevlar cambelt
Tomei Sump baffle plate
Nismo fuel pump
HKS Hyper exhaust with decat
Trust downpipes
HKS sequential BOVs
2x Garret -5 turbos
Cusco catch tank

Do I need the below:

Head ported and flowed
HKS fuel rail
Crank damper pulley
aftermarket plenum
Knock amp sensor
uprated fuel system (ie more pumps and surge tank)
earthing kit

or anything else??

I just dont want to be sold crap I dont need and I doubt I'll ever take it to more power than that. It a fast road occasional track car.

Your proffesional experience and help would be much appreciated.

kismetcapitan · 18th July 2008, 11:34 AM

1) can't hurt. Mines runs turbos that big with the stock rail on their car (including the "ultimate response R34", but I'd do it so I can get twin feed at both ends.
2) absolute necessity. You want to minimise vibration and flex in your crank, which is going to try its damnest to do so, even with ATI damper attached.
3) not needed
4) critical piece of kit. Knowing your knock helps you modify your driving behavior when the engine isn't happy and lets you know to take it easy. I have two - on my Power FC, and an audible knock amp so I can actually listen to my engine and hear knock if I'm not looking at my knock graph.
5) Add a second pump. Get braided lines, and a good fuel pressure regulator. Done. Surge tank not required.
6) Also, can't hurt. I *think* my car's electricals improved a bit, I never get misfires from my ignition amp going dodgy anymore (I used to on occassion).

Since you're replacing the head, why not go nuts on it? Valve guides, and port and polish the whole thing. No need to modify for high lift as you don't need cams that big. Uprated valve springs are a cheap and good mod as well.

Mel HKS · 18th July 2008, 12:58 PM

kismetcapitan..........Do you work for my mechanic???? haha

Thanks for the answers.
Not sure whether I can go the whle hog as the money Ive poured into this nightmare has been more than the cars worth...............literally and I have to be a bit sensible as like most I have other financial commitments etc..... A Woman!!!

Would the port and polish make any difference in performance over me just getting a new head and fitting it?

Is the street ATI damper sufficient?

Anyone else got their personal opinion on this?

kismetcapitan · 18th July 2008, 01:55 PM

budget route: ATI street damper and knock amp, save the rest for later. Keep the boost below 1.5 bar. Keep the head stock. No plenum. Stock fuel rail. Add a fuel pressure gauge for in the car. With eyes on knock and fuel pressure you can have a good fighting chance to catch catastrophic failures before they occur.

wait, wait, you didn't mention your ECU, or if you have Z32 AFMs.

Mel HKS · 18th July 2008, 02:12 PM

Kismecaptain

Yeah true forgot a few things!

Got HKS Fcon Vpro

Just found new 2008 knock amp for $770!!!! not bad since old ones still going for that .

kismetcapitan · 18th July 2008, 02:17 PM

the downside of the FCon is no knock sensing. The upside is if you get that knock amp/wideband, it'll self-map the fueling. Nice feature

SamuraiSam · 18th July 2008, 03:06 PM

Head ported and flowed- If you want to spend the money, you will make power all over your rev range and make the same power at less boost, meaning less stress on your engine
HKS fuel rail- or other lower-cost alternative or a modified stock rail. Not a necessity, but not really a waste of money above 550whp levels
Crank damper pulley- Required try the ATI street damper
aftermarket plenum - No but modifying the stock one may be a good idea
Knock amp sensor - Knock Amp is useless if you can just read the OE knock sensor. All you need is a piece of crushed copper or tin pipe bolted to your block with hose slipped over into a pair of headphones/stethoscope for a DIY set of "Det cans". If you cannot monitor knock then yeah a knock detection device may be a good idea but the HKS item is stupidly overpriced. Try a J&S Safeguard or other less expensive knock detection device.
uprated fuel system (ie more pumps and surge tank) Yes at least another pump, a surge tank is a great idea. Use your intank Nismo to feed the surge tank and put a Bosch 044 in the tank. Bulletproof.
earthing kit- No f*cking way. Make sure your OE grounds are clean and replace any frayed wires with generic cable and new soldered ends. (Test wires for resistance by ohm-ing them out with a multimeter.) If you have a lot of resistance between X component and your chassis or your chassis and negative battery terminal then you need to add or replace wires. If you don't have much resistance then a grounding kit is going to do NOTHING to improve anything on your car.

18th July 2008, 10:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
Mel HKS GTR Register Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London Posts: 189	Want the power just not the bling!! Hi guys Some of you might know but my GTR dream has not yet been realised due to buying a bit of a pig a while back. (still wondering where I stand legally as the time has flown by) Anyway after having a Blue printed block build the head has failed. (The guess is it is cracked somewhere and builds pressure after time). The temp kept rising too much at high boost. This is all within the garage after the build. Forgot how the car drives!!! Now I want over 600hp and have about 540 @1.3. I want it to obviously be reliable and responsive with good torque. Heres what I have: Seasonal Race Block assembly Old R32 block, stress tested etc R34 con rods Woosner Pistons (Coated) Calico Bearings (main and Bigs end (H's)) (coated) New Crank Shaft HKS 1.2 Drag head Gasket 700cc Injectors HKS 264 Cams HKS Adjustable Cam Pulleys Splitfire Coil Packs HKS Giant Intercooler HKS Hard pipe kit Oil cooler Tomei Kevlar cambelt Tomei Sump baffle plate Nismo fuel pump HKS Hyper exhaust with decat Trust downpipes HKS sequential BOVs 2x Garret -5 turbos Cusco catch tank Do I need the below: Head ported and flowed HKS fuel rail Crank damper pulley aftermarket plenum Knock amp sensor uprated fuel system (ie more pumps and surge tank) earthing kit or anything else?? I just dont want to be sold crap I dont need and I doubt I'll ever take it to more power than that. It a fast road occasional track car. Your proffesional experience and help would be much appreciated. Last edited by Mel HKS; 18th July 2008 at 11:16 AM.

18th July 2008, 12:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mel HKS GTR Register Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London Posts: 189	what to do............ kismetcapitan..........Do you work for my mechanic???? haha Thanks for the answers. Not sure whether I can go the whle hog as the money Ive poured into this nightmare has been more than the cars worth...............literally and I have to be a bit sensible as like most I have other financial commitments etc..... A Woman!!! Would the port and polish make any difference in performance over me just getting a new head and fitting it? Is the street ATI damper sufficient? Anyone else got their personal opinion on this? Last edited by Mel HKS; 18th July 2008 at 01:15 PM.

18th July 2008, 02:12 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mel HKS GTR Register Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London Posts: 189	True Kismecaptain Yeah true forgot a few things! Got HKS Fcon Vpro Just found new 2008 knock amp for $770!!!! not bad since old ones still going for that .

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18th July 2008, 11:34 AM	#2 (permalink)
kismetcapitan GTR Register Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seoul Korea Posts: 6,396	1) can't hurt. Mines runs turbos that big with the stock rail on their car (including the "ultimate response R34", but I'd do it so I can get twin feed at both ends. 2) absolute necessity. You want to minimise vibration and flex in your crank, which is going to try its damnest to do so, even with ATI damper attached. 3) not needed 4) critical piece of kit. Knowing your knock helps you modify your driving behavior when the engine isn't happy and lets you know to take it easy. I have two - on my Power FC, and an audible knock amp so I can actually listen to my engine and hear knock if I'm not looking at my knock graph. 5) Add a second pump. Get braided lines, and a good fuel pressure regulator. Done. Surge tank not required. 6) Also, can't hurt. I think my car's electricals improved a bit, I never get misfires from my ignition amp going dodgy anymore (I used to on occassion). Since you're replacing the head, why not go nuts on it? Valve guides, and port and polish the whole thing. No need to modify for high lift as you don't need cams that big. Uprated valve springs are a cheap and good mod as well.

18th July 2008, 01:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
kismetcapitan GTR Register Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seoul Korea Posts: 6,396	budget route: ATI street damper and knock amp, save the rest for later. Keep the boost below 1.5 bar. Keep the head stock. No plenum. Stock fuel rail. Add a fuel pressure gauge for in the car. With eyes on knock and fuel pressure you can have a good fighting chance to catch catastrophic failures before they occur. wait, wait, you didn't mention your ECU, or if you have Z32 AFMs.

18th July 2008, 02:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
kismetcapitan GTR Register Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seoul Korea Posts: 6,396	the downside of the FCon is no knock sensing. The upside is if you get that knock amp/wideband, it'll self-map the fueling. Nice feature

18th July 2008, 03:06 PM	#7 (permalink)
SamuraiSam GTR Register Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 390	Head ported and flowed- If you want to spend the money, you will make power all over your rev range and make the same power at less boost, meaning less stress on your engine HKS fuel rail- or other lower-cost alternative or a modified stock rail. Not a necessity, but not really a waste of money above 550whp levels Crank damper pulley- Required try the ATI street damper aftermarket plenum - No but modifying the stock one may be a good idea Knock amp sensor - Knock Amp is useless if you can just read the OE knock sensor. All you need is a piece of crushed copper or tin pipe bolted to your block with hose slipped over into a pair of headphones/stethoscope for a DIY set of "Det cans". If you cannot monitor knock then yeah a knock detection device may be a good idea but the HKS item is stupidly overpriced. Try a J&S Safeguard or other less expensive knock detection device. uprated fuel system (ie more pumps and surge tank) Yes at least another pump, a surge tank is a great idea. Use your intank Nismo to feed the surge tank and put a Bosch 044 in the tank. Bulletproof. earthing kit- No f*cking way. Make sure your OE grounds are clean and replace any frayed wires with generic cable and new soldered ends. (Test wires for resistance by ohm-ing them out with a multimeter.) If you have a lot of resistance between X component and your chassis or your chassis and negative battery terminal then you need to add or replace wires. If you don't have much resistance then a grounding kit is going to do NOTHING to improve anything on your car.