1987 HR31 Skyline

[31GUN]

Time to fit my beer bought 3" exhaust.
The car is up on stands, and as I'll be working underneath it.....



To get the old exhaust out is a fairly simple job.
Just drop one axle...


...and wiggle it out.

Here it is next to the new one



The old 2.5" pressbent has always produced good power.
I put it down to being fairly straight, with only mild bends
Whereas the 3" has 2 big 90 degree bends at the back, and the bends themselves on the way through, are more severe as it has to twist it's bulk more to clear stuff.



To get the new one in I had to remove some stuff.
Tailshaft..



And there is no way that this....



....will fit through here



So this....



...will have to come out also.
Which is a bit of a problem here..


Because that is where my Doctor said I have a hernia.
Probably got it from a heavy bout of laughter whilst removing an R200 diff.

Thank god for the humble jack.



Plenty of room now



To the other end.
Here is the dump.



The original -R engine came in a front cut.
And when they say cut, they mean everything, including the exhaust.
Here is where the engine fitter has adapted the 3" dump to the cars original exhaust



And here's where my new piece fits in. Just hack off the original 2.25" bit and on she goes.



The dump isn't much better but until something better comes along....


....we're stuck with it because of the rear housing of the turbo.


If you look at the bottom of this pic, you'll see the wastegate arm is built into the turbo outlet.
So until we get a large injection of funds, this is it.


Took me a while to finesse.....


....the exhaust on.
(The one on the left caused some blood and exclamations of "oh bother" and "oh dear, I appear to have struck my thumb")

My adaptor needed to have an S bend, so it didn't work quite as well as I hoped and now I have an exhaust leak.
I'll have to take it to a professional to get it fixed.

The new exhaust is both quieter and louder than the old one.
Quieter low down and louder up high, with a much more pronounced howl which is a trademark of these engines.The last time I was listening to the engine howl I ended up with a speeding ticket.
I was much more circumspect this time, besides, it's raining and the car just wheelspins when it hits boost in 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
The turbo is whistling more now, and the engine seems to be revving out better.
Feels more powerful from the pants dyno, but I'll wait for the real dyno to give a verdict.

Hooks

[31GUN]

action shot


I've had a bit of a problem with my electric aerial.



It'll go up but it won't go down so needs a fix.



...and here's the culprit


The switch.

First you have to pull out the ashtray to get at 2 of the 3 screws that hold the facia in.




The 3rd screw is hidden above the ciggie lighter...Sorry, bit of political incorrectness there.
I should have said utility power point



Just ease it out a bit and unplug the afore mentioned power point



And there the little sucker is attached to the radio cassette mount


You can see the top 2 screws that hold the whole thing in, there is another 2 underneath.
Undo those 4 screws and gently slide the whole thing forward.
Be careful because everything is still connected at the back.


You can see the 2 screws that hold it to the mounting plate.
Unclip the electrical connector and then take the switch assembly off.

Once you have it out, there are 2 screws that attach the switch to the facia



Once you have that off it starts to get a bit tricky.
There are 4 clips around the outside.



Gently lever them up until they disengage



You may get the whole lot come out



you will need to put the buttons back carefully as there are little ball detents



Before you clip everything back in, give the casing a squeeze so the clips will re-engage properly



The buttons should clip back in with the white plate
The only piece you actually need to take out is this bit



What you need to do now is carefully bend the copper spring arms up so that when they are depressed they will contact better.
You will only need to get about 1-2mm more height in the arm.



then you can start reassembling it.
This is the way around everything goes.
The contact arm part can go in either way up, so make sure you have it this way around or you will press the up button and the aerial will go down.
Heaps of fun at parties


If you are unsure about which way it goes, check the car. The connector will tell you which way is up.

When you are putting the screws back in remember, this is 20+ year old plastic. Just nip it up gently or it will break.



Now before you assemble everything back together in the car, plug it in and give it a try.
Nothing worse than getting it all back in to find out it still doesn't work.



Remember what I was saying earlier about 20 year old plastic breaking?
Here is one I prepared earlier.


You can see where I tightened it up a bit too much and broke it.
Not to worry , I just used a washer and tightened it very carefully.

All back together now and working perfectly.

Hooks

[boostin31]

Very informative build up! If you wanna go down the aftermarket ecu route, Pm dale (10secrx7) on here, he'll hook you up with a nistune or haltech for a decent price!

[31GUN]

Heard a lot of good things about the Nistune.
But I'm also like most 31 owners, if you don't have to spend a dollar, don't
I may look at getting my chip tuned in the future, the good thing is, at this power level, nothing is on the line, it'll do it all day every day, track day, whatever.

This was sticking out of the letterbox today...


Woo, new stabiliser bar.

So, of course, the next bit is.....

How to:-
Sway bar fitment.
Earlier this week I received my new Whiteline adjustable front sway bar



Complete with urethane bushes, grease sachet, and the all important sticker.....


....because everyone knows that it doesn't handle any better without the sticker.
In fact, some people think that you don't need the actual product, when the application of a sticker will add power, make the car handle better, get the most attractive girls......

But I digress.

Okay, first up I'm working under the car again so I'll need the trusty safety glasses.



These are great for stopping stuff falling in your eyes, dirt, spanners, nut and bolts, loose car parts....



We're here to change a smaller sway bar for a bigger one.
Step one, jack up the car......


....so we can fit the jack under it



And remove the under tray.


It's a good idea to run one of these.
It keeps junk and stones out of the belts and actually aids cooling.

Next undo the sway bar drop links



Once you have the links undone, remove the pivot points.
These have a bolt at the rear and a stud & nut at the front.



Unfortunately, on mine someone has already had a go at the nut and rounded it off


These type of nuts are a bitch to remove when in this condition.
This is the second time I've seen this on this car.
The first was on the passenger side strut top and was a little easier to get at.
as you can see, this one is shrouded quite badly.
Time to get out the drill and carefully release the pressure.

I was careful and only touched the thread on the stud twice, but it is off (yay me)

Here are the 2 bars side by side



You can see the different thickness here



But just in case you can't....




Old and new bushes



Pivot bushes



Time to remove the drop link. two 14mm spanners will do the trick.
Remember, they been there for close to 1/4 of a century, a couple of well placed swear words should see them undone



The joint in my drop link was dry and a bit rusty so I put a bit of kerosene in it and blew it out with air and then pushed a heap of grease into it



For the initial trial I went with the softest of the 3 settings (I have subsequently gone up one)



Here is where the sachet of grease comes in, make sure there is plenty in the pivot bush.
There is nothing more annoying than squeaky suspension. (I lead a sheltered life)



Put some on the drop link where the bushes go also



And assembly is the reverse of the above. Make sure you tighten everything with the weight of the car on the suspension.
This is where ramps are handy if you have a low car.
And through the magic of photography, here is the finished product




Now for the most difficult decision, where to put the sticker?



In time honoured apprentice tradition, I chose the toolbox.



So, the handling.
As mentioned above after a 20 minute or so drive, I changed the bar to it's intermediate setting and went home.
Turn in is the big improver. The car now changes direction much better.
But there is a downside and I found that out later.
My mother in law needed to be driven home last night (about 20 mins 1 way)
She lives in one of those suburbs infested with roundabouts.
And it's now raining.
My particular combination, the new front bar with its ability to change direction quickly, the tight lsd, a 5 puck clutch, Pirelli Dragon rear tyres which are like a slick in the dry, and like a slick in the wet, and a peaky, sudden RB20 with a To4, means it has become a real handful in the wet.
Unless I practically crawled through the roundabouts, the rear would start to come around.
This was no relaxing drive, made especially bad by the afore mentioned mother in law.
I was actually sweating at the end of it.
On the plus side, it is going to be interesting to get it onto the track again.

Hooks

[31GUN]

How to:- cheap front brake upgrade
So these got delivered today.



R33 GTS-4 front brakes.
They are a cheap upgrade for the R31 in that they are a 2 piston slider type caliper as opposed to the R31s single piston.
Why didn't I go 4 piston?
Because I like my wheels and 4 potters won't fit.
Besides these are pretty much a bolt on upgrade.
The rotor is a bit larger too, 280mm plays 274 on the R31 and it is a thicker rotor too at 26mm.
The rotors came off a wreck and are basically ratted, they look like they have been sitting in a bucket of water for 6 months.




But that is okay because they will only be used for fitup and until I get some new slotted rotors.

The calipers are pretty good, the pistons are a little rusty on the inside but we'll be able to tell a little better once we get them all apart.



Should be a useful upgrade to the stoppers.



After a little poking around on the net/phone (in Australia)
RDA make a replacement rotor Part No RDA7691 280x26 slotted.

A bit more information for anyone contemplating doing the same upgrade.

The same brakes can be found on the Skyline R33 GTS.
Basically the R33 RB25 non turbos all use a 4 stud hub the same size as Skylines going back to God knows when.
And they are generally cheap as chips. A lot of wreckers just throw them away.
The R34 Skyline RB25 non turbo has the same brakes but the mount bolts have been enlarged to a 14mm.

I would be interested to see how they went on a DR30 for instance, or something even earlier.
That is what I like about Nissans. So much stuff just bolts onto different models.
Want to drop an RB engine and gearbox into your S13? No problem bolts straight up.
The gearstick even comes out through the same hole, and all the mounts line up.
Want to put an R34 GT-R engine in your R31?
No probs, RBs are all alike, just use an RB25DET gearbox which is basically a GT-R gearbox without the transfer case.
Want to use the cable speedo but the gearbox has an electronic sender? there is a Nissan 4wd that uses a version of the same gearbox with a cable drive.
Love the Nissans.

[31GUN]

Ordered new RDA slotted discs (Part No- RDA7691S) today from Peps Parts in Liverpool.(Ph 9608 3600 Australia)
Very reasonably priced.

Also Got some brake fluid.


Really good stuff this. $15 a bottle from Austrack Motorsports/ Revolution Racegear in Minto NSW. (Ph 9820 4255. Australia)
I can't speak highly enough of this fluid.

He also does braided brake lines, so I might get a quote on those too.

These got delivered today, less than 24 hrs after I ordered them



They have the minimum size stamped into the O/D.

Which is what I was trying to find on the old pair.


Brand new size is...


26mm
which means that these ones...


although pretty rusty are not far off new too.
And (added bonus) they've been "weathered"
For $60 each, I can get these slotted also if needed.

Hooks

[31GUN]

Oh my god! they're replicating!



They look better than the other set, but actually they're not


So I get to pick and choose now, and sell of the other set

Hooks

[31GUN]

Okay, time do fit up my new brakes.
This is where we're starting from



First up you undo the brake line with 12mm ring spanner.


You can use one of those line clamps to stop the fluid running out, but I just let it run into a small bucket.
I'm going to flush new fluid right through the system anyway so meh

Then undo the 2 caliper locating bolts


These are both 19mm

New and old next to each other (new on the right)




Make sure you replace these right for right and left for left. (yes, they will fit on the wrong side)
How to tell?
The bleeder always goes at the top, so when you bleed them the air comes out of the system. (air bubbles rise to the top)



With the caliper out of the way you can remove the old disc.



I'm lucky, mine came off easily, but if it is stuck on you can try giving it a bash from behind with a SOFT hammer, or failing that, screw some bolts into the jacking bolt holes and jack it off



Old Vs new



You can see the difference in diameter here, it's 6mm



The biggest difference can be seen here



The old discs have a new thickness of 22mm, with a minimum thickness of 20mm



So these are pretty much new



Time for coffee and a little light reading


Hmmm, seen this somewhere before



Back to work
The R31 brake line banjo fitting has a small locating pin



That fits into a small hole in the caliper




The R33 caliper uses 2 pegs either side of the steel tube part of the banjo.
This didn't need any modification and the R31 banjo bolted straight on



Before you put the new discs on, clean all the greasy preservative crud off the outside


You'll still get plenty of smoke for the first few brake applications as the grease on the inside burns off.

Time to fit up the new calipers.
My calipers came with the R33 bolts.
They are shorter than the R31 ones so don't use them.



Pull out the pads to make the job a little easier
Here are the '33 pads (left) next to the '31 pads



Still plenty of meat on the Metal Kings



It was about now that I found out the new pads were the wrong size


Dammit!

Undo the top caliper bolt (14mm)


And pivot the caliper out



Old Vs new



Slip in the (old) pads and bolt it back up again.
You may need to push the pistons back to clear the pads if you are putting in new ones.

Then put the wheels on.
On another note, wheel nuts are used for holding the wheel on, not for taking the weight of your car.
That job is done by the hub.
If your wheels have a larger hub diameter (like mine) you will need to invest in some hub rings like the ones pictured here


They take up the gap between the hub and the wheel and also centre the wheel on the hub


Got a persistent wheel balance issue? This could very well be the problem.


Here are the brakes all together showing the wheel clearance.


Plenty of clearance on my 16 inchers, a 15 inch wheel would fit over them easily and I think maybe a 14 inch too. There is room to bang a 14mm ring spanner between the caliper and rim.


Time for a bleed.


With my you beaut bleeder.
You will need to start with the new calipers to fill them with fluid
Then start as usual with the caliper furthest from the master cylinder and work your way to the closest
(yes you have to bleed the front calipers twice)


If you get any fluid on your paint (it is an efficient paint stripper) or else where use this stuff to get it off


Good old H20 (water for the scientifically challenged)


Now the all important, where to put the sticker?



Tool box of course, but here is a lesson for advertisers, Toolboxes usually come in red or blue.
Having red and blue stickers loses a bit of the impact



After a bit of a bedding in session there was quite a bit of smoke


All in all, a pretty easy job

Hooks

[boostin31]

Power steering leaks?

[31GUN]

Yes!
How about that, a 31 with a power steering leak

[boostin31]

Well I'll be damned!

[scrad]

awesome write up, awesome car.

Vote for name change to Babalouie 2.0

[31GUN]

No, I'm not that anal. Eh Kev?

[31GUN]

Got an early xmas present


Leaking master cylinder.
I have a few leaks that need fixing now;
Brake fluid from the master cylinder
Coolant from the turbo line around the rear of the head.
Gearbox oil from the rear gearbox seal.
Time to get the spanners out.

[31GUN]

Time for another How To.

How To:- change a master cylinder
Got this one from a friend of mine, (Fatz) He likes to keep his parts fresh



It's off an R32 GTST Skyline so it's slightly different internally. Externally? exactly the same.



The difference is the bore is 15/16ths for the R32, 1" for the R31.
It should work okay with the brakes I have put on.
The twin pot brakes have a smaller volume than the standard single piston ones.
I will use this while I get the original repaired.

First up, gotta get all the paraphenalia out of the way
Strut brace..



Master cylinder brace..



Boost sensor, related brackets, etc etc...

Trap for young players.
Flare nuts.


These are bastards to undo.

Best to invest in one of these...


Flare nut spanner.

If you use a standard 10mm open ender on these, chances are you will round it off 95 times out of 100.
The reason is that the nut is quite thin, and if it has been there a while it won't want to undo.
So what will happen is the nut will deform, then you start swearing, go out and buy a flare nut spanner and that won't fit because the nut is bent out of shape and rounded off.

Then it'll be time to get some more serious tools...



And then some even more serious tools...



then call some professionals...
Or invest in a flare nut spanner for about $10.
Here it is again


Trust me, buy one.


So, once you have those little bastards undone, undo the 2 nuts the hold the cylinder to the brake booster


Not a very good pic that one.
You are looking at the blurry end of a 12mm spanner.


and off she comes



Looks like she was leaking from the front.



Fitting the new cylinder is pretty much the reverse of the above.
Just nip the flare nuts up, the flared seat provides the seal.


Don't do em up too tight or you will be back in the shitter next time.
And here's a trick, get the flare nuts started before you bolt up the cylinder to the booster.
As for bleeding the brakes, do the fronts then start at the back and do them all again.

Hooks

[31GUN]

As an adjunct to the above, as in, if you do that, you'll have to do this.

How To:- bleed your brakes (and save the world) single handed.

First up you'll need to make a tube and bottle setup.
Heres one I prepared earlier



It's quite a smple thing, you just get any old bottle, I've used an old brake fluid bottle, but you can use anything with a plastic lid you can put hole in.
I like to use clear tube, window washer stuff so you can see any bubbles in the line, with a small piece of rubber tube over the end that will stretch over your bleed nipple.

The idea is to have the tube extend inside the bottle all the way to the bottom...



Then you put a small amount of fluid in the bottle so that the open end of the tube is submersed.
This is to prevent any air being sucked back up the tube and into the brake system



The whole setup should cost no more than about $5.
Or you can sport out around $15 for a Super Expert Professional Bleeder.



Same clear tube setup with a little one way valve on the end



Aaaanyway, start with the wheel furthest from the master cylinder.
That means; if your car has a steering wheel on this side...



...you start with this wheel...



...and progress to the next nearest, which would be this one...



...then this one...



...and lastly, this one.



Got it? furthest to nearest.
Of course, if your steering wheel is on this side you'll need to do the mirror image...


Okay, first top up your master cylinder



Then starting as explained above, at the furthest corner, put a ring spanner over the hose, in this case a 10mm, and plug the rubber hose over the nipple thus



Crack the nipple, and use a ring spanner guys, it'll save a lot of heartache



Go to the brake pedal and give it 4-5 pumps.
Go almost to the floor, and pause for a couple of seconds at the top of each stroke to give the brake fluid time to fill the master cylinder.
Use a smooth even pump, not fast!
Jumping on the pedal too quickly can stuff the internal seals, especially if it has been sitting around for a while.



It helps here if you are using a different coloured brake fliud.
They come in a range of designer colours, blue, green, yellow, gold....
That way you can see the fresh fluid coming through.
And make sure you have the right Dot fluid.
For instance, putting Dot 4 in a Dot 3 system will quickly stuff the seals.


When you are finished pumping the new fluid through, check the line for bubbles.
If it's bubble free, nip up the bleeder nipple, and top up the master cylinder.


This is important!
Make sure you don't let the master cylinder run out of fluid.
If it does you'll need to start again from the beginning.

Then proceed to the next nearest wheel and repeat, until all brakes are bled and you have saved the world.

Hooks

[31GUN]

I realised that the last time I polished the car was just after I got it registered.
That was like 2-3 years ago!!!
So got the polish out and opened a brand new can of elbow grease and...










So much for that, next weekend I did a skidpan day at Eastern Creek with Driftmob.
Much fun was had



But...




Took 2 goes to get that shit off. and it's still dirty in places.

Hooks

[31GUN]

Picked this Little gadget up from a friend of mine today




Autospoiler down kit.
If you are unsure of what an HR31 autospoiler is, or how it works, this is it.
Mine is looking a little battered at the moment, but you get the idea.



And at the press of a switch...Voila!



It comes down automatically at 80kph and back up at 60kph.
You can put it down manually as long as you have the handbrake on. (I:e; at a standstill)
As soon as you take the handbrake off up it goes.
The Japanese domestic market HR31 (both 2 and 4 door) had these as an option.
They were pretty cool then, so a lot of cars had this option.
Cool now? Below zero in my humble opinion.

The interesting thing is they actually work to improve the roadholding and car stability.
It is most noticable at 100kph and over.


So I'm interested to see what this gizmo actually does.



Seems a little sophisticated to be a simple override



It goes in between the plug and the autospoiler control box that lives under the drivers seat



8 wires go into it from the spoiler loom.



Okay, time to give this sucker a go



The autospoiler controller resides under the front of the drivers seat



So we'll just sneak this in and see what it does



The autospoiler is normally controlled by this switch in the console (under your left elbow)



It has a detent so you can keep it in the raised position, the down switch will put the spoiler down when the handbrake is on.
Which lights up the little light



Better pic



As explained above, the spoiler comes down automatically at 80kph and goes up automatically at 60kph.
You can put it down manually at a standstill whilst the handbrake is on.
As soon as you take the handbrake off, it automatically raises.
And it still does all this with the Autodown kit fitted.

What the Autodown kit does is this;
When you put the spoiler down manually it stays down.
That is, until you manually put it up.
It effectively bypasses the 'auto' bit.
Once you put it up manually it reverts to full Autospoiler mode.

Killer!
I can now do Macdonalds drive thru with the spoiler down, or track and drift days.
All I have to do now is pull out the drivers seat and locate it properly now.


Hooks

[31GUN]

I am in a bit of a quandry with my HKS turbo timer (I call him Mister Clicky).
You see, this turned up yesterday (yes, yesterday Monday 6-2-12. We are now up to date and operating in real time)




Data System turbo timer.




The switch fits in next to the spoiler down/up switch in the console



Looks damn near factory!


It plugs straight in to the harness too.
Really starting to like these Data System gizmos.
Problem is, do I use this or stay with the clicker?



I have a soft spot for this one as I built him out of 2 broken ones.

Fatz has already given his opinion- "burn mr clicky, new one is the shit"

Hooks

[boostin31]

Never used a turbo timer on any cars ive owned/turbod. Waste of time IMO...

[31GUN]

I have them more for 80s cool, than actual turbo timing
Trying to keep a theme with the car.

[VE Safari]

Fatz speaks the truth.

Cool thread.

[fatz]

mmmm hr31

i think i might buy another one!

[itsnotagsr]

Keep the 80s timer. Fits the theme.

[scooby36]

rad thread, love the paper cutouts to assist with pointing out the items of which you are talking aboutttt

also, flare spanners do not guarantee success! iv rounded the fuckers and had to resort to stilsons in the past #$!@#

[lysdexia]

i like mr clicky

[WildZero]

Very interesting post in regards to the Auto Spoiler. You perked my curiosity to dig the cover off my 'Finish sometime in 2018' HR31 project.


This topic was the cause of some confusion before as the GTS-X in question doesn't have it's spoiler switch in the usual centre console location as I was told, just the switch for the electronic shocks (long gone for Konis though I'm afraid.)


Instead the spoiler controls are located around the dash facia below the instrument dimmer. It's hard to make out in this photo due to wear on the buttons surface.

I was under the impression these were factory items, but it when I was querying Fatz when buying some other R31 parts about whether he had a better condition set of buttons it was he who pointed out the factory switch is in the centre console.

Low and behold what was under the Drivers seat:


Thanks for the informative post and helping me find something interesting. Perhaps this is an alternate version of the setup you have? Unfortunately it's a redundant feature at this point in time as at some point in the car's history it has had a front end stack and the front bar was replaced with an Aus S3 item; with the Auto Spoiler conspicuously absent. The wiring harness for the spoiler motors is still there though. (The genius crash repairers also forgot about replacing the intercooler vent which along with another Auto spoiler I haven't had much luck finding a replacement for )

Great thread, learn something new everyday!

[31GUN]

You have a later model HR31, probably a late 88 or 89. I can tell by the seat material, (and the switch position ) mine is early 87.
Yours should have an ECCS redtop version of the RB20.
Seems the switch changed position later in life, and I have never seen a 4 door with the switch in the console..

The vents for the front bar are still available new, though you'd have to cut the hole(s) for them. (I can measure mine if you're interested)
I actually have a new passenger side vent to replace mine which is cracked.
Aussie bars have the mount points for the autospoiler on the reo.
Finding an autospoiler on the other hand....when they do come up they are fairly sought after.

Alternatively, your downkit could be offloaded for around $50 pretty easily.(as in, I could put you in touch with a buyer this arvo)

Looks like a fairly nice example you have there, more pics please.
Next time I'm down your way I'll pm you to see if I can come and have a look.

[31GUN]

I forgot to put this up before. It's me tooling around Marulan filmed entirely in ShakyVision(tm) and um.....I swear a bit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nGJgh6wJzA

In other news...
In the making of this post....



....unfortunately, the pointer succumbed to excess sticky tape and had to be put down.
After an appropriate period of mourning (about 2.6 picoseconds) a replacement will be sought to take up its duties.
The cardboard pointer was unavailable for comment. (lost it somewhere)

Hooks

[aaron_hogan]

Looks like the Cardboard pointer was stolen from The Pancake Parlour?