We'll be the first ones to admit it, our venerable stable of project cars has seen better days. When you're constantly tinkering and "improving" your car in the name of investigative reporting, some lines are bound to be crossed. Our Nissan 350Z project rides around with tired shocks, worn rear tires and a scraped-up exhaust system. Our Subaru WRX sedan is parked indefinitely with blown head gaskets and the rest of the cars we're scared half to death to drive because of police scrutiny.
While we may not be Formula One engineers here at 2NR, we mess with cars for the same reason that you do. Modifying our rides gives us that extra bit of personalized speed, damned the cost. On the days that our projects do run well, they give a feeling of enjoyment and speed that only true enthusiasts can relate to.
Lawrence Ojas of Seattle, Wash., knows the arduous tale of the project car all too well. The former D1GP AE86 competitor summed up all his experience by simply telling us, "Building cars can be both fun and a huge pain at the same time." Amen to that, brother.
So when Ojas, an employee of Silk Road USA, decided to build a new project to represent the company, he knew that he had to go buck wild. There would be no faded paint, no leaking fittings, no loose wires, no zip ties and no compromises. The project would have to be built as a truly top-notch, no-expense-spared platform that would excel at drifting, time attack and car shows. A rear-drive machine was obviously necessary, and a 1989 Nissan 240SX was purchased.
The S13 chassis 240SX was first sandblasted of all its original paint and then stitch-welded by Intec Racing. Next, the car was delivered to P1 Racing to have a roll cage built that would meet the specifications for both drifting and time attack competition. After leaving P1, the car's exterior was shot by James Guse in Le Mans Sunset Orange, an OEM color from the 350Z. The cage wears PPG Chameleon Silver/Gold, while the rest of the interior is PPG Gunmetal.
With the chassis built to be stronger and stiffer than a battleship, Ojas threw his efforts into creating a heart stout enough to match the body of his S13. The weapon of choice was the ubiquitous SR20DET out of a JDM Nissan Silvia, the 240SX's hot foreign cousin. Built by Charles Dundon of Intec Racing, the SR20 sports CP pistons and Eagle connecting rods, in order to withstand 17.6psi of boost pressure. Up top, Tomei 264-degree camshafts spin with Tomei adjustable cam sprockets on GReddy valve springs and Tomei solid pivot lifters.
At the heart of this pumped up four-cylinder is a GT2871R turbocharger, fed by a Silk Road tubular stainless-steel exhaust manifold. Grasping air out of the GReddy intake pipe, the GT2871R spits its waste out of a Silk Road turbo exhaust elbow and into an A'PEXi titanium exhaust system. Boosted air, however, is carried through the black anodized Silk Road front-mount intercooler system and into a polished GReddy intake plenum. To ensure proper cooling for both the front chiller and a GReddy radiator, Ojas uses a V-mount setup, which provides adequate airflow to both heat exchangers at the same time.
With 375hp and 345 lb-ft. of torque available at the rear wheels, Ojas had to make a few changes in order to avoid blasting his engine to pieces during a hard on-track run. A higher-capacity GReddy oil pan was installed along with a GReddy oil cooler and an Accusump system, ensuring that Ojas never has to think twice about proper oiling when he's out driving.
An ATL fuel cell is utilized along with a SARD fuel sump tank, virtually eliminating any chance of fuel starvation to the SARD 630cc/min injectors during hard cornering. Those with a keen eye will also have noticed the ATL dry break receptacle on the side of the car, a setup that Ojas uses, along with air jacks, for lightning quick fuel and tire stops during events.
Keeping in mind the adage that to finish first, you must first finish, Ojas has almost all his exterior body panels attached with quick disconnect Dzus fasteners. Fit around an S15 front-end conversion, the Origin Aggressive bodykit can be removed in just a few seconds with the turn of a quarter. If any panel is damaged during competition, Ojas can easily remove the section and continue on without any risk of further damage. Standing tall as some of the few pieces that are hard fixed, the carbon-fiber Vision mirrors, Seibon carbon hood, Seibon carbon hatch and Seibon carbon doors were installed purely for weight saving purposes. An APR Performance rear wing and Silk Road under spoiler complete the aerodynamics package, which comes into play more during time attack events than drifting exhibitions.
Because Silk Road specializes in suspension design back in Japan, Ojas knew that his Silk Road USA demo car would have to be setup just right. Silk Road RM/A8 adjustable monotube coilovers are used with Cusco front and rear swaybars, corner balanced to a 53 percent front and 47 percent rear weight distribution. Up front, Silk Road upper camber plates are used in combination with Kazama Auto tie rod ends.
For drifting, Falken ST-115 tires are used, and for time attack events, Toyo RA-1 tires are used, both wrapped around Super Advan Racing Version 2 wheels. Clamping duties are handled by R32 Nissan Skyline brakes, which are fit using a later model 240SX five-lug hub conversion. Possibly overkill for drifting, the Skyline brakes are perfect for time attack track duty, squeezing Endless brake pads on to Silk Road brake rotors.
Having already spent a large chunk of change and time on every aspect of his S13, you'd think Ojas would be finished. But you have to remember, the interior is his cockpit, as well as his second home. An already drool-tastic Bride Zeta III bucket seat is upped even further with the addition of a Nardi steering wheel. Dead center is the crowning glory, a Stack dash display and custom switch panel, held in a carbon-fiber dashboard. Fully molded to fit perfectly around the roll cage, the dash could almost pass for OEM; if it weren't for the lustered shine and carbon weave, that is. Like we told you earlier, this is a professional effort.
Having already assembled one of the most comprehensive and well thought out drift/time attack cars to ever hit the import scene, Ojas should be resting easy on his laurels. But a 2.2L stroker kit has already been sourced for this SR20DET, promising to push more than 420 wheel hp without breaking a sweat. Even in its current state, Ojas' 240SX effort makes our project car lineup look like a huge steaming crap pile and you know what, we don't mind one bit.
HotboxSilk Road UsaSilkroad-Usa.Com
Intec RacingIntecracing.Com
A'pexiApexi-Usa.Com
Falken TireFalkentire.Com
SeibonSeibon.Com
P1 RacingPosition1.Net
OriginOrigin-Lab.Com
JetworldJetworld.Com
Toyo TiresToyo.Com
Behind The Build
Head to the message boards at www.importtuner.com to chat about this feature VehicleName. Lawrence Ojas
Age. N/a
Hometown. Hawaii/Seattle, Wa
Occupation. Deep in the import scene
Hobbies. Cars, beer, steak and women
Build Time. six months
Feedback. sales@intecracing.com
Quote. "I wanted to introduce Silk Road into the import scene"