Tabla de contenidos para No 282 June 2020 en NZ Performance Car

As I write this, I’m sitting in my shed gazing at the gloriousness that is its cleanliness — a state far beyond what I’ve ever seen before. If I go any further, the toothbrushes will be coming out. Almost nothing is out of place, and there is hardly even a speck of dust on the floor. Shit, maybe all this extra time at home isn’t all that bad after all? I’m just thankful I’m able to get into the shed during these weird and unprecedented times we are facing. As I’ve said before, it’s an escape for me, a place to clear my head and forget about the world for just a moment. Aside from cleaning the shed every second day, I’m using this extra free time to finish off…

Good news coming out of Japan among the current sea of uncertainty: the Super GT championship has issued a revised season calendar that sees its two international events pushed back into winter and the series to instead kick off in July — in contrast to the season-opener originally dated for April at Okayama circuit. The circuit will now host the first round over 11–12 July, followed by races at Fuji and Sugo. Rounds in Thailand, Malaysia, and Suzuka circuit in Japan have yet to be rescheduled, having been pushed to the conclusion of the season that is looking to roll over into the winter months (for the localities). “The rescheduling of the rounds at Suzuka and in Thailand and Malaysia are now under consideration but plans still call for the…

Despite being delayed to at least the beginning of May, the big news coming out of the Formula Drift (FD) series is that long-time Formula D driver and internet celebrity Ryan Tuerck will be joining the Papadakis squad this year, behind the wheel of the 746kW 2.7-litre turbo 2AR–powered Corolla hatchback. The car was previously driven by former FD champ Fredric Aasbø, who has switched out for a 2020 Toyota GR Supra that the team is busy developing. And Tuerck is no stranger to the car either, having pedalled a detuned demo version at various events in 2019. With both names now under the Papadakis banner, it’s a strong entry into the series. Aasbø is the most-winning driver in Formula D history, with 13 career victories and a series title…

At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, when details about the virus were still not fully understood and motorsport series around the world looked uncertain, Red Bull Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko suggested to his Formula 1 team that all drivers, including Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon, attend a virus party to become infected and ride it out so that the racing season could go ahead. His proposal did not go down well with other factions at Red Bull and the idea was quickly abandoned. We appreciate the desire to see racing go ahead, but this wasn’t the way, Marko……

1 INTAKE STROKE The first part of the combustion cycle starts with the intake, which is when the engine draws in the mixture of air and fuel. When the apex of the rotor passes the intake port and the port is exposed to the chamber, the chamber is at its smallest size, but then when the rotor moves past the intake port, the chamber size grows as it draws in the mixture. Finally, as the rotor apex passes the intake port, the chamber is fully sealed off, and the compression stroke begins. 2 COMPRESSION STROKE As the rotor continues its path around the housing, the chamber size gets smaller and the air/fuel mixture gets compressed, as that’s all it can do — it has nowhere else to go. By the…

A head of an impending health pandemic and as most other events around the country fell for the foreseeable future, there was one last chance to get a taste of normality before the entire country went into lockdown: Summer Drift Matsuri 2020 (21–22 March). Hosted by the team at Zeroclass Drift, it was exactly what we’d come to expect from these premier grassroots drifting events: one hell of a wild weekend that combines the fast and loose adrenaline rush of full-send style drifting with the professionalism and organization of a legitimate series. Bruce Mclaren Motorsport Park became the playground for drivers of all skill levels — not just the seasoned pedallers but also those getting their first experience behind the wheel in a closed environment. There aren’t many other places…

NZPC: Why this chassis and engine combo? Michael: This was the second car I’d owned. My mate was always talking about AE86s but I couldn’t afford one of those so I bought this KP60 instead. I went with the 4A-GE 16V for reliability and because it sounds so awesome with the individual throttle-bodies that are fitted to it. I’m not really after any big power, just a package that’s fun to drive. What is it about drifting that brings you here? I actually have no idea; it just sort of turned into drifting. One of my mates was always on about his AE86, showing me videos, and I just kind of got the bug. Started drifting the Starlet with an open diff and original 4K motor — it evolved from…

NZPC: Why this chassis and engine combo? Tom: I bought an S14 and then the seller sold that from under me. This S15 popped up an hour later so I bought it instead. Originally I had a WRX, which I was drifting [featured in NZ Performance Car issue No. 262] but it was hard to keep it street legal and driftable, so I bought the S15 and made it a dedicated track car instead. The motor package was original in the WRX; it all came out and went straight into the S15. What is it about drifting that brings you here? It’s just fun! Can turn up, have a hoon, take the boys out — there’s nothing to worry about, no winning or losing. If you last half the day…

Welcome to the Weekend Workshop, a place where you can save some cash by getting your hands dirty. These tech guides aim to arm you with the necessary info and knowledge to get out there and give it a go yourself, with no professionals needed, and at a price tag that won’t break the bank. This time we will cover what is needed to convert your rear-wheel-drive SR20DE/T engine to the much more efficient NEO VVL VE head. A handful of people have done the head swap in New Zealand, guys such as Ben Cox with his 745-plus kilowatt (1000-plus horsepower) Datsun 1200 drag car, Hans Ruiterman with his 500kW Time Attack car, and Adam Hedge in his 447kW S14 drift car, but there has been no real guide or…

STEP ONE: Start off by bolting together the two wings using the small joiner and 12 smaller M6 bolts/nuts. Once these are together and the bolts are nipped up, slide each upright on, ensuring that the folded edge will sit against the bumper (essential to avoid scratching your car). STEP TWO Bolt on the support piece joining the two uprights together, again with smaller M6 bolts/nuts. Next to go on are the L-shaped brackets that hold the kit to the car. You will want your wings to sit on the same plane as the centre of your wheels, so attach the appropriate set of adjustment slots. These should hook over the radiator support panel and into the boot space. Attach using the larger bolts with wing nuts, to allow for…

Welcome to the Weekend Workshop, a place where you can save some cash by getting your hands dirty. These tech guides aim to arm you with the necessary info and knowledge to get out there and give it a go yourself, with no professionals needed, and at a price tag that won’t break the bank. In this project we delve into MIG welding an exhaust system. Nothing too fancy, just a basic mild steel three-inch exhaust system found on many of your more common builds. For this weekend workshop we will be following the team at TTT Auto Engineering as they build a three-inch system on a 13B turbo RX-3 using mufflers from AdrenalinR. But you can take the skills shown here and apply to any exhaust build, no matter…

Well, I sure chose a bloody brilliant time to not have an active project car! While most of us have had a fair few more spare hours up our sleeves thanks to the Level 4 lockdown, it’s good to see a whole heap of you utilizing it in the garage, getting deep into those neglected builds. Limited access to parts has been a challenge for many, forcing the need to reuse or recycle whatever pieces can be dug up from the dark corners of the property. Or, if you were smart enough to have foreseen the situation we are in now and stocked up, I hope you’ve been making good use of what you have in the interim. Thankfully, there is some light at the end of the tunnel with…

The term ‘muscle car’ doesn’t really get bandied around these pages all too often. Coined in the good ol’ US of A in the late 1960s, the criteria around ‘muscle’ were pretty well defined. A coupe or fastback with a filthy great bent-eight taking up real estate in the front, drive sent to a fat set of rear tyres, and most probably a healthy moustache or mullet peering out the driver’s window. Muscle cars were definitely indicative of everything Japan’s automotive scene wasn’t, especially during the ’60s. Japan’s global dominance was really just beginning to unfold. Styling generally tended towards the conservative, if not totally staid. As a juxtaposition, Yankee muscle was epitomized by design: flashy, substantial chrome bumpers and mouldings; louder-than-life colours matched with brazen decals screaming the vehicle’s…

THE BASIC PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO ALL THE MAZDA PRODUCTION ENGINES ARE VERY SIMPLE INDEED, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF THIS FEATURE, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE TWO-ROTOR MAZDA ROTARY ENGINES THAT YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD REFERRED TO WITH NAMES LIKE ‘10A’, ‘12A’, AND ‘13B’. A ROTARY ENGINE IS ASSEMBLED IN LAYERS. THE TWO-ROTOR ENGINE HAS FIVE MAIN LAYERS THAT ARE HELD TOGETHER BY A RING OF LONG BOLTS. COOLANT FLOWS THROUGH PASSAGEWAYS SURROUNDING ALL THE PIECES. THE ROTORS The rotor itself is a triangular-shaped component with convex (rounded outward) faces. On each of these faces, you will notice a dip inwards. How deep this dip is directly relates to the compression ratio — just like the dish on the crown of a regular piston. Each rotor has special seals on…

NZ Performance Car: Why this chassis and engine combo? Brody: It was my first turbo car. I used it as a street car for five years then converted it into a track car. The 13BT was something different, not enough people are using them. What is it about drifting that brings you here? It’s all about the adrenaline, going fast sideways — I don’t really care about going fast in a straight line — the good vibes around the community, and your mates. Every drift day you go to, you meet good people and have a good time, taking people out for laps etc. Do you have any future plans for the car? Nothing major yet. I would like to put a decent gearbox into it, and have more seat…

NZPC: Why this chassis and engine combo? Nathan: I own the car 50/50 with my bro, Aiden. He always liked Cefiros but couldn’t always get them to run properly. After coming to Japan with me and going to Ebisu for the Matsuri experience, he was hooked. We got back and he quickly found this Cefiro with the best of both worlds: Nissan chassis with a V8 inside. Aiden loves his V8s, a through and through Commodore man, It was a big toss-up for me as I’m a hardcore Japanese boy and love my straight sixes, but we thought this would be a good platform to learn in. What is it about drifting that brings you here? I originally came from Hondas before I bought a Silvia. Once those tyres were…

NZPC: Why this chassis and engine combo? Daniel: I originally didn’t want an R32; I actually wanted an S13 but saw this and thought ‘yeah nah’. I had to have it because it looked so good. I’ve always wanted RBs and I’ve always been an RB boy; it was in my blood to have it [laughs]. What is it about drifting that brings you here? I used to do dirt racing, stock cars, before I hurt my back quite badly, so I got into something less aggressive with less crashes. Drifting was that solution and I’ve kept doing it because I enjoy it, plus you can’t get into too much trouble down at the track as you would on the roads. Do you have any future plans for the car?…

Welcome to the Weekend Workshop, a place where you can save some cash by getting your hands dirty. These tech guides aim to arm you with the necessary info and knowledge to get out there and give it a go yourself, with no professionals needed, and at a price tag that won’t break the bank. This time, we delve into a bit of weight reduction with the goal of removing sound deadening from a KE70 sedan destined for a bit of weekend track work. The removal of sound deadening is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to lose weight from your ride, thanks to the smart cookies who figured that dry ice would freeze it off. Coming in at around –78°C, dry ice is the solid-state form of the…

Back in issues 250 and 251, we followed the build of an RB34 for Darren Kelly’s Nissan R35 ahead of the 2018 D1NZ season. The engine is based on a RB30E block with a PPM 3400cc stroker kit, and an RB26 head. The PPM stroker kit is 400cc bigger than factory and 200cc bigger than anything Darren had previously considered. The added capacity will make a big difference, as the RB30 would be running out of puff at 7500rpm, but this engine will not only have more power down low, it’ll also have more legs upstairs. BUILDING THE BASE Sadly, as the popularity of running an RB30 increases, finding a good-condition RB30E block is becoming harder and harder. Darren managed to track down this particular block, which looked OK, but…

PRODUCED FOR HOMOLOGATION TO COMPETE IN THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP A AND GROUP N COMPETITIONS, THE FACTORY-SUPPORTED GTI-R HAD GREAT SUCCESS IN THE GROUP N CHAMPIONSHIP CUP FOR DRIVERS OF PRODUCTION CARS, TAKING OUT NUMEROUS FIRST AND SECOND PODIUM PLACINGS Not all builds need drag on beyond what was intended for them. There are those that simply fall into place, allowing a predetermined goal to be reached through the path of least resistance. It may be a relatively rare occurrence, sure, and subject to change at any given moment but these projects are worth paying attention to. They act as lessons that can help steer the course of future undertakings. In an environment where uniqueness is seldom true individuality, but rather an extension of an existing concept, and breaking…

Welcome to the Weekend Workshop, a place where you can save some cash by getting your hands dirty. These tech guides aim to arm you with the necessary info and knowledge to get out there and give it a go yourself, with no professionals needed, and at a price tag that won’t break the bank. This time we delve into LSD shimming, focusing on a Hilux clutch style LSD, as it’s a common upgrade for many cars and also a notoriously lazy LSD after usually having traveled millions of miles serving as a work horse before finding its new home. The unit we are working on has traveled some 350,000kms before finding its way into a rotary-powered ’70s Mazda. The clutch pack LSD and works on passing gear oil between…

While 2020 was set to be an exciting year for New Zealand rallying, with the return of WRC Rally New Zealand, the Covid-19 cancellation of literally everything looked to have put that return on the back-burner as the situation progressed. Rally New Zealand is continuing to look at its options for the remainder of the 2020 New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC); however, series coordinator Blair Bartels states that nothing can be confirmed yet. With April’s Otago Rally and the International Rally of Whangarei in May both postponed, the status of the Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay incarnations is still unclear. “Unfortunately, regarding the NZRC at this point in time everything is up in the air,” Bartels said. “Once we have an idea of when we may come out of lockdown then…

The world of e-racing is booming right now. Once seen by some as not being a real sport, despite having gained a lot of traction over recent years, now it has cemented its position as the only sport for the foreseeable future. Many racing championships saw the writing on the wall during the Covid-19 crisis and elected to maintain a foothold by switching over to an e-series instead — the likes of Supercars, Formula 1, and even Nascar have all done it. It’s the latter where this news has come from, when Richard Petty Motorsports driver Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr abruptly quit an eNascar iRacing Pro Invitational Series race and proceeded to slate the series online. He reportedly struggled with the adaption to virtual racing and used his two fast-repair…

For the past 15 years, there’s been primarily one automaker claiming the lion’s share of US national rallying championships: Subaru. Present for the start of that run was motocross freestyle and racing legend Travis Pastrana, having earned four straight Rally America titles from 2006 to 2009 in an Impreza WRX STi. That drive was taken over by David Higgins, who piloted the Subaru Rally Team USA STi to six straight championships from 2011 to 2016. However, in a reset of sorts, Subaru Motorsports USA has revamped its team for the American Rally Association (ARA) 2020 championship and given Pastrana the call-up to rejoin the team full time. He’s now gunning for a sixth US national title — after winning his fifth in the inaugural ARA season in 2017, his last…

The rotary engine is very simple in its major components’ make-up. Compared with a basic four-stroke piston engine, a rotary has a substantially smaller number of moving mechanical components. In fact, there are only three in a two-rotor (10A, 12A, or 13B) engine — the two rotors themselves, and the eccentric shaft. In a piston engine, it’s easy to see that there are many, many more — the pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, camshafts, valves — the list goes on. All rotary engine parts move in one direction, unlike the piston engine that sees components moving up and down and round and round all at the same time. This is essentially where these Mazda engines get their unrivalled smoothness and free-revving nature. In operation, just as in a piston engine, the…

WHAT TO CHECK If it has spark plugs in it, take them out and see they are all the same colour and not coated in oil. Shine a torch into the exhaust ports (if there is a manifold or a set of extractors fitted, don’t be shy, and ask to remove them). Turn the engine over by hand in a clockwise direction (looking from the front), using either the flywheel or a 19mm socket on the main front nut (32mm if it’s a 20B) until you can see the bottom of the rotor housing. This is the area of the housing that commonly wears on the edges. A good engine will have none of the chrome surface missing or chipped, but a continuous surface across the entire face. Also check…

NZPC: Why this chassis and engine combo? Trent: I quite like the look of the facelift S14; I was drawn to it. Didn’t always want one but it popped up and I quite liked the look. Because 2JZ are sick, why wouldn’t you? With the three-litre capacity offering the torque and decent power while being reliable, it made me want to use one. The car was a shell with a cage in it when I got it, so it was an open platform to choose from. What is it about drifting that brings you here? The adrenalin. It’s nervous-as going out, but once you get around that first corner, it’s bloody awesome. Passengers have a blast, too, when you take them out. Do you have any future plans for the…

NZPC: Why this chassis and engine combo? Scott: I really like the S-chassis platform and the S15 is probably the most appealing to me. I wasn’t originally going to buy the S15, though. I wanted an S14 pre-facelift because they were the cheapest at the time, but this one came up fairly cheap so I couldn’t turn it down. I didn’t want to put an RB or JZ into it, so I chose to stick with the SR for the sound and the fact it came in the car from the factory. I’m not chasing big power from it, wanting it to be reliable. What is it about drifting that brings you here? I liked having a street car, but not as much as I liked drifting. Getting into a…

Style. A specific appearance, determined by the way a car is modified according to an accepted standard of features; or, alternatively, a trait that one possesses. It’s one simple word that carries a near-unquantifiable amount of weight behind it. You’ve either got style or have achieved a style, or you’ve missed the mark altogether. There’s very little in-between and the resulting reception can be unrelenting, on both sides of the fence. Some choose to strictly adhere to an accepted style of modification, while others opt to try their hand at producing their own. Regardless of where you fall on the scale, it’s hard to argue that style isn’t one of the most critical components of a build — after all, it’s the first thing we see, and humans are known…

Welcome to the Weekend Workshop — a place where you can save some cash by getting your hands dirty. These tech guides aim to arm you with the necessary information and knowledge to get out there and give it a go yourself, no professionals needed, and at a price that won’t break the bank. This time we want to take on a task that’s guaranteed to make your car stand out on the street. We cruised on down to Smits Group to get the low-down on how to cut, polish, and wax your car properly. This is guaranteed to restore a paint job to its former glory, or if it is already in good condition, it will add a great layer of wax, which will keep it shining for years…

NICK KENSINGTON‘S ’83 SPRINTER KE70 HARDTOP The South Island is an incredible stronghold of the nation’s older Toyota supply and one man that’s doing his best to ensure he’s owned at least half of them is Nick Kensington. This isn’t the first of Nick’s builds that we’ve seen; he made Under Construction appearances back in NZPC 247 with his 4A-GZE turbo-powered KE70 sedan drift car and NZPC 264 with his dad’s 4A-GE–powered Ford Cortina Estate, and this probably won’t be his last appearance, either! This time around, the KE70 sedan has been traded in for a 1983 Toyota Corolla Sprinter hardtop (KE70) coupe. Nick acquired it just over a year ago as an unfinished project car that was caged and devoid of its running gear. He’d been waiting for some…