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Project Hilux - stage two complete

Nicely

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Nooooooooooo. Don't show me stuff like that!! I thought I was fairly safe with my 3Y engine with its 'hit it with a hammer' mechanicals. And now you show me this!?! :p

TBH, I'm probably not going to tinker with the engine (though it would be nice to get a decent sounding exhaust :D ). I'm looking to replace it with a Navarra towards the end of the year if I can. :)
 
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sillbeers15

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The new Nissan Navarra? Cool!

Too bad that I live in Urban Singapore that makes private ownership of a dissel powered vehicle almost not viable because of the silly tax structure on these vehicles.

Else, I would like to own and tinkle a Issuzu D-max 3litre turbo dissel 4x4 truck as a personal daily driver high rider!
 
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sillbeers15

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These 4x4 SUVs are totally different animal.

Getting outright power from them isn't top on my list....my Murano rolls like a boat when I take it through corners.
 

Nicely

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Lol. You should try the Hilux! :p However, take it off-road....

I'm after torque more than anything... :nod: Oh, and something that returns better fuel economy than the S15! The 20 year old Hilux struggles to get 20mpg on the daily drive.
 
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sillbeers15

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I'm glad that you can understand why our S15s cannot be viable daily drivers after so much done to it to improve performance.

High maintanance cost on aftermarket brakes, shocks and the high strain on an overboost engine and drive train is only half the matter....difficulities in sourcing and long leadtime to replace worn aftermarket parts just makes it a poor option to be daily drivers.

That is not considering the possibility to rack the car when it is driven more often.....until it becomes no longer is your object of desire.
 

Nicely

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Don't get me wrong, I'd have the S15 as my daily drive on choice :nod: The only reason I don't is because of mileage. I'd be putting on around 25k miles (40k Km) a year if I did... :eek: It returns a consistent 26-27mpg, the insurance isn't outrageous (thanks to my age :p ) and parts are no more expensive than Toyota parts. Getting them from Japan is considerable quicker and cheaper too. Aftermarket stuff is always cheaper than Nissan OEM, also. :)
 
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sillbeers15

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In Singapore, it makes economical sense to drive your ride as much as you can and ditch it for a new one whenever your ride needs major change of parts.
An example of the S15, annual road tax is about 400pounds, insurance is about 1000pounds (full w/o no claim bonus) and the depreciation per year from new is about 3000pounds. So a full annual cost to keep an S15 is 4400pounds w/o any running cost tabulated yet.
I believe in conserviving milleage for a ride I wish to keep for a long period.
I also do think that spares can be a concern since the S15 isn't an officially imported Nissan from the agent. Parts can take a while to come by if required isn't common Nissan bin parts. OEM Nissan parts are cheap here.
For aftermarket parts...it is a different animal all together. For commonly worn and need replacement parts: The HKS Hipermax coilovers cost 600pounds and oem shocks would be 200pounds at most to replace. Pigid pads cost 300pounds and AP racing disc cost 300pounds per set while oem ones cost 30pounds and 100pounds respectively. A piece of Bridgestone S-03 255/35/18 tyre cost 140pounds while oem size of 205/55/16 of respective make cost 30 pounds each. So running cost can be considerable for a modified car in my country. And any aftermarket clutch disc will cost 2-3 times the price of the oem part. So if one puts 40k km a year, the replacement cost for the above would be say, 4000pounds in one year. Perhaps it is different for oem to aftermarket parts prices in the UK, but for me in where I am, aftermarket parts certainly cost lots more! That is why I did not wanted to alter my Murano since it is a daily driver and a family car...except for the 22" wheels. But the cost for a piece of conti 285/35/22 is 250pounds still hurts for running cost.
Besides cost matter, I cannot take the daily punishment from my S15 stuck in a traffic jam after a full day from the office. The fuel pump wines, the exhaust drones, the clutch is relatively heavy, the hard suspension so often causes my right foot to jerk the sensitive throttle in slow traffic....errrrrr. But on a bright and cheerful sunday morning, a spin in my S15 eases all the stress at work for a whole week....what a joy!
 

Nicely

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Ouch! :eek:

Would it not be cheaper to get your parts direct from Japan, rather than via Nissan or Singapore suppliers? It certainly is here. Nissan GB prices are generally 2-2.5 times the Jap price.
 
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sillbeers15

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For Nissan parts, I'm fortunate that my neighbour happens to be a leading Nissan parts supplier in South East Asia. So i can get Nissan parts fast, easy and less expensively.
As for aftermarket parts, I used to get them directly from Japan throught a buying house. It saved me a bundle, for example: HKS parts - I get them at 22% discount off HKS published retail prices. But now, the Japanese guy has retired from this business. Fortunately, my S15 built is completed.

I now only require parts now and then to replace my existing ones...like the HKS F-CON V Pro that I'm waiting for from the local HKS agent with HKS technical support factory backing...I'll tell u if their tuning can be better than my previous tuner using my current PowerFC setup after my V-Pro setup and tuning is done.
 
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Tone

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Hi Nicely,

Your hilux looks good . I have the same one and it needs a fix .
But i have a problem here in the Netherlands i can't get parts for the hilux .
Can u help me out and tell me where to find parts. I like the new front u put on yours.

greetings Tone
 
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i never new you had a old 80's hilux.......................... me too............. solid front axle for the win
 

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Seems such a long time ago now. I moved onto the Surf before I sold this (and still had the S15!). The Surf was a brilliant 4x4 and much more refined :p But the Hilux was unbreakable, and very capable off road.
 
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i tried to come down our local 4x4 track at speed a while back.................... and nothing broke, apart from my head hitting the roof a few times. the old ones are the best
 
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