Husky's Yard - Subaru Transmitted Infection

[michrulejj]

If the R33 is able to be imported legally how can it cost so much? buy one in Japan and ship it over.. that just makes sense to me

I don't understand America's import laws... it makes no sense to me what so ever.

Has to meet US safety laws and standards for US motor vehicles. Its just like a bunch of small stuff that you have to change. But the list goes on and on. I think you have 60 days to change it or the car gets impounded. I had the PDF of it somewhere but can't find it.

 

[Katiegan]

Thank you very much, I truly appreciate it! Not to sound full of myself or anything but this poor R33 has found a very good home, it was very badly mistreated in its past but we're slowly getting there

I love stories like this though. It's like when a dog gets abused and abandoned and then gets adopted by a loving family and lives happily ever after. the feels

 

[Aquarelle]

I love stories like this though. It's like when a dog gets abused and abandoned and then gets adopted by a loving family and lives happily ever after. the feels

I just do my best to keep cars that others would send out for scrap on the road When I bought it this skyline was a sad, sad state - much worse than what I've divulged here because I haven't had the time to document everything.

Now everything runs smooth as silk, I couldn't ask for a better daily driver~ it's even pretty damn good on gas!

With the bodywork done I can turn my focus to the turbocharging process, I'm sure I'll kill my motor doing this but I already have a DET lined up - so it should be just fine.

Has to meet US safety laws and standards for US motor vehicles. Its just like a bunch of small stuff that you have to change. But the list goes on and on. I think you have 60 days to change it or the car gets impounded. I had the PDF of it somewhere but can't find it.

It seems ridiculous then that they're so rare in the states.. if it were that easy I'd be importing a GT-R immediately~

 

[Crash]

Wha... how...? the base car is like 10 grand or so...?

Cost to Federalize the car (ie. make it compliant with US environmental, theft and safety laws and other regulations).

It seems ridiculous then that they're so rare in the states.. if it were that easy I'd be importing a GT-R immediately~

It's not that easy.

First, the car has to be shipped directly to a registered importer, (very few; 16 registered importers total in the US, as it's difficult and expensive to become for an extremely niche market). A car that needs to be federalized can only be released to the importer, and after the owner has paid import duties on the car. The owner cannot even pick it up. Then once the registered importer gets it, then it has to go to a licensed federalization shop to do all the retrofit work needed to comply with safety and emission laws (may be as simple as changing speedo and odometer to miles, adding catalyst and bumpers, to as complex as needing to retrofit side impact cross members, body reinforcements and significantly redo bumper structure). Lots of pictures and large amounts of paperwork needs to be submitted by the shop to the government to certify that the required modifications have been made and the car is compliant with US laws. Once the government approves the application, then the car can be released by the shop to the owner for registration. The entire process can easily take six months, once the car has landed in the US.

The above is also assuming that it can even be imported in the first place. The Federal government keeps a list of vehicles that it will allow to be imported and modified to meet Federal regulations.

There are a lot of laws, requirements and nuances that must all be met. It becomes really complicated, very quickly.

The exception is when a car hits 25 years old (suppose to be down to the month of manufacture, but some people have been lucky with government agents who only look at model year). Once a car is 25 years or older, it can be imported without having to go through the federalization process.

 

[Aquarelle]

Cost to Federalize the car (ie. make it compliant with US environmental, theft and safety laws and other regulations).



It's not that easy.

First, the car has to be shipped directly to a registered importer, (very few; 16 registered importers total in the US, as it's difficult and expensive to become for an extremely niche market). A car that needs to be federalized can only be released to the importer, and after the owner has paid import duties on the car. The owner cannot even pick it up. Then once the registered importer gets it, then it has to go to a licensed federalization shop to do all the retrofit work needed to comply with safety and emission laws (may be as simple as changing speedo and odometer to miles, adding catalyst and bumpers, to as complex as needing to retrofit side impact cross members, body reinforcements and significantly redo bumper structure). Lots of pictures and large amounts of paperwork needs to be submitted by the shop to the government to certify that the required modifications have been made and the car is compliant with US laws. Once the government approves the application, then the car can be released by the shop to the owner for registration. The entire process can easily take six months, once the car has landed in the US.

The above is also assuming that it can even be imported in the first place. The Federal government keeps a list of vehicles that it will allow to be imported and modified to meet Federal regulations.

There are a lot of laws, requirements and nuances that must all be met. It becomes really complicated, very quickly.

The exception is when a car hits 25 years old (suppose to be down to the month of manufacture, but some people have been lucky with government agents who only look at model year). Once a car is 25 years or older, it can be imported without having to go through the federalization process.

So... you have to basically rebuild the car to meet safety requirements.. unless it's an older and more unsafe car...?

America, you crazy.

 

[Aquarelle]

So this weekend I finally got around to installing my gearbox, I truly don't know how it took me so long!! mostly clashes in schedules and such but I should have taken the initiative to just do it myself long ago.

My old gearbox was restricting power FAR more than I had expected - with the new box the R is feeling seriously, seriously quick - I was truly floored when I tested it this evening

Which brings me to the next point

What do you think of the T1Rs? I just had a set of Potenza RE002s fitted on to the Max.

I thought I'd come back to this post since I just got back from hitting the utterly soaked roads.

The T1Rs handle the wet brilliantly, much better than expected given the tread pattern. Going into a hairpin bend I shifted into second, blipped the throttle, let off the clutch as I turned in to flick the rear out and it was just SO controllable, truly astounding levels of grip at the limit.

They do feel a bit nervous until you figure out their limits though, so just be careful.

That said, back to the box.

In total it took me about 7 hours, unsurprisingly there were several bolts missing - like with everything in this car.. so I put 4 bolts in the bottom and two through the starter and then just used the pressure from the crossmember holding the box up against the engine to make the seal - worked surprisingly well but I will be pulling the motor out to do it properly (And overhaul the motor)

Awkwardly, I went out and bought some offset spanners after getting stuck on one top bolt only to find they wouldn't fit and I ended up having to tilt the engine and use every single extension piece for my socket wrench to get it out but hey they were on special and they'll come in handy in the future.

Tomorrow I was intending on installing my front hubs but unfortunately I've been asked to come into work - so maybe later this week.

Unfortunately no photos were taken because it has been pouring with rain all day and I was too stressed out about getting this job done before work to be mucking about with a camera.

 

[Aquarelle]

So I discovered this video while finding out more about 400R kits after discovering an NZ based company that supplies quality fibreglass and FRP products which stocks them (Yeah I'm really taking to this idea, I don't know why since I should be spending my money turbocharging my car)



It was actually my first time seeing the interior of a 400R and it has given me a great deal of inspiration.

Specifically - the center vent delete in favour of gauges as well as replacing the ash tray with the turbo timers. Naturally, these items will have to wait until I actually have a use for them as the right most gauge will be a boost gauge and I don't want to be that tosspot that has a boost gauge in an N/A car.. but that's the direction I'm heading in with my interior.

I'm also looking for a new aftermarket steering wheel as mine is simply too small - suggestions?

 

[Aquarelle]

I need a better camera this is ridiculous =/

But here you go! I finally got around to making this stupid video.

 

[Eyes Fried Open]

Nice work getting it this far. Cant wait to see this painted and breathing boost. I actually think i have seen this on one of my many commutes up north. My Mrs family live up in Kaikohe so i drive through there maybe twice a month. Anyway nice work man.

 

[Aquarelle]

Nice work getting it this far. Cant wait to see this painted and breathing boost. I actually think i have seen this on one of my many commutes up north. My Mrs family live up in kaikohe. Anyway nice work man.

Wow! I'd be floored if someone actually recognised my car in real life If you do stumble upon me feel free to say hi! I don't bite

Cheers man, It has come along nicely for only 4 months work - Paint is definitely coming very soon once I get the minor dents pulled out and I should have her boosted by summer! It's a bit lower on the priorities but you never know

 

[Eyes Fried Open]

Wow! I'd be floored if someone actually recognised my car in real life If you do stumble upon me feel free to say hi! I don't bite

Cheers man, It has come along nicely for only 4 months work - Paint is definitely coming very soon once I get the minor dents pulled out and I should have her boosted by summer! It's a bit lower on the priorities but you never know

Its just those skirts being a different colour i think is what caught my memory and that anti air flak cannon you have for an exhaust. I remember seeing it and commenting to my Mrs thats a big as 🤬'n Exhaust.

Ive always been into my Nissans, Skylines especially but never owned one (Skyline that is) had an A31 Cefiro manual conversion with RB25DET, one word for that car FUN and an old primera. My Mrs's has an M35 Stagea that i wouldnt mind giving a forced induction job, would love a GTR front cut to make it look like the one in my avatar but thats a deposit on a house right there. However been working a bit on me mazda lately tracked down an intermittant mis fire to a dodgey Lead. Believe it or not try finding a set of RX8 leads on the shelf NO ONE and i mean NO ONE stocks them not even Mazda NZ (ex Japan 3 weeks). With the amount of them on the road you would be sure they would be off the shelf items. anyway back to your car, if i ever saw your car again if possible ill stop and have a chat with you.

Just glad to see someone so enthusiatic with a project. keep it up man.

 

[Aquarelle]

Its just those skirts being a different colour i think is what caught my memory and that anti air flak cannon you have for an exhaust. I remember seeing it and commenting to my Mrs thats a big as 🤬'n Exhaust.

Ive always been into my Nissans, Skylines especially but never owned one (Skyline that is) had an A31 Cefiro manual conversion with RB25DET, and an old primera. My Mrs's has an M35 Stagea that i wouldnt mind giving a forced induction job. However been working a bit on me mazda lately. believe it or not try finding a set of RX8 leads on the shelf NO ONE stocks them not even Mazda NZ (ex Japan 3 weeks). With the amount of them on the road you would be sure they would be off the shelf items. anyway back to your car, if i ever saw your car again if possible ill stop and have a chat with you. Just glad to see someone so enthusiatic with a project. keep it up man.

My exhaust is my best feature it's such a fantastic conversation piece anywhere that I go that despite how obnoxious and ridiculous it is I won't ever be able to bring myself to replace it!

Nissan's are fantastic cars, an absolute joy to work on and a pleasure to drive boosted or not - though I wouldn't mind a nice little Mazda, what I really want is an FD to be honest - but nothing will ever get between me and a good R!

I'm afraid however that we don't have anything like that at work and nowhere really jumps out to me as a good place to check unfortunately but I'll keep my ear to the ground for ya~

But yeah please do! My car isn't that special but it means the absolute world to me and to me that's what matters most.

 

[Eyes Fried Open]

My exhaust is my best feature it's such a fantastic conversation piece anywhere that I go that despite how obnoxious and ridiculous it is I won't ever be able to bring myself to replace it!

Nissan's are fantastic cars, an absolute joy to work on and a pleasure to drive boosted or not - though I wouldn't mind a nice little Mazda, what I really want is an FD to be honest - but nothing will ever get between me and a good R!

I'm afraid however that we don't have anything like that at work and nowhere really jumps out to me as a good place to check unfortunately but I'll keep my ear to the ground for ya~

But yeah please do! My car isn't that special but it means the absolute world to me and to me that's what matters most.

As they say Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Its not just that but there is a connection when you work on them yourself. You know the work was done and done properly to your own standard & that feeling of self accomplishment. I had that with the Cefiro, i did a lot of work on that myself with the help of friends and learnt a lot. Unfortunatly some scumbag thought it was up for adoption and after coming out of the shopping centre here in Auckland to find all that was left of my car was a small pile of glass from the passengers window. Gutted.

I wanted an FD too but they are super expensive. The RX8 was actually relatively cheap compared to the other cars i was looking at at the time. 5-9k cheaper than S15, 350Z, FD, WRX. Only paid 11,990 +ORC and only had 65k on the clock at the time of purchase which i thought was a score. Has its problems but every car does its just wheter or not you can live with them. There was a R32 GTR on trade me at the time which i kept looking at but in the end just couldnt justify 20k.

 

[Aquarelle]

As they say Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Its not just that but there is a connection when you work on them yourself. You know the work was done and done properly to your own standard & that feeling of self accomplishment. I had that with the Cefiro, i did a lot of work on that myself with the help of friends and learnt a lot. Unfortunatly some scumbag thought it was up for adoption and after coming out of the shopping centre here in Auckland to find all that was left of my car was a small pile of glass from the passengers window. Gutted.

I wanted an FD too but they are super expensive. The RX8 was actually relatively cheap compared to the other cars i was looking at at the time. 5-9k cheaper than S15, 350Z, FD, WRX. Only paid 11,990 +ORC and only had 65k on the clock at the time of purchase which i thought was a score. Has its problems but every car does its just wheter or not you can live with them. There was a R32 GTR on trade me at the time which i kept looking at but in the end just couldnt justify 20k.

You can always justify 20k for a GT-R you just have to dig harder!

I want nothing more than to own a real genuine GT-R - in fact I'd probably even get an R33 GT-R; a complete 180 on what I said only a year ago "R33s are the ugly middle sister that just wallows about in mediocrity"

Since owning one? I've entirely changed my mind and I'm beginning to find them the most beautiful of the 3 "90's R's"

That really sucks about having your car stolen though.. I honestly don't think I'd be able to get up in the morning if something like that happened to my baby - I wouldn't have the strength to rebuild.

But I agree, your average FD goes for 17k and at that sort of price you're not far off GT-R territory - so I don't think I'd ever buy one in NZ - we'll see when I move to Japan in 2 years though; my dream may just come true if I find one for the right price.

 

[Eyes Fried Open]

You can always justify 20k for a GT-R you just have to dig harder!

I want nothing more than to own a real genuine GT-R - in fact I'd probably even get an R33 GT-R; a complete 180 on what I said only a year ago "R33s are the ugly middle sister that just wallows about in mediocrity"

Since owning one? I've entirely changed my mind and I'm beginning to find them the most beautiful of the 3 "90's R's"

That really sucks about having your car stolen though.. I honestly don't think I'd be able to get up in the morning if something like that happened to my baby - I wouldn't have the strength to rebuild.

But I agree, your average FD goes for 17k and at that sort of price you're not far off GT-R territory - so I don't think I'd ever buy one in NZ - we'll see when I move to Japan in 2 years though; my dream may just come true if I find one for the right price.

To be honest i have to agree with you i never really liked the R33 either. Personally i like the R32. But thing change when you own/drive one. Just like me I always like the look and sound of rotors (all of them) but told myself i would never own one for reliability sakes but after having taken one for a drive i fell in love. The 8 has absolutly no torque and isnt the fastest thing out there but it is absolutly fun to drive. corners like its on rails and makes all of its power at 9k RPM+. if you ever get the chance to take one for a drive i thoroughly recommend doing so. I don't think it will seperate you from your baby but it is an experience that is worth it i promise you.

The more i think of it LOL maybe i should have dug a bit harder as you say. Not to many people can say they ever actually owned let alone drove a GTR in their lifetime. I would be interested to know what they go for in Japan. never really thought about looking. Hope you get one one day buddy. you and me both actually

 

[Aquarelle]

RIP headphone users.

 

[Kitten]

RIP headphone users.

Dats Loud

 

[Aquarelle]

Dats Loud

N/A with no cat and a big ass muffler tends to do that

It's only loud when you're stopped like that though, when moving it's actually quite nice.

Which brings me onto my next piece of news - that video was recorded with my brand new dash cam!!

Currently reviewing the footage but I'll upload some stuff in a bit

To mount it all I've done for now is tape the cable to the passenger A pillar - however in future I'd like to hard wire it and install it on the rear window facing forward.

 

[WrxScooby]

Great job with the Skyline finally got around to reading through your thread and catching up. Tastefully done, and held true to what the skyline is. Im sure it was pleased when you took ownership.

 

[Aquarelle]

Great job with the Skyline final got around to reading through your thread and catching up. Tastefully done, and held true to what the skyline is. Im sure it was pleased when you took ownership.

Aw hell man you're gonna make me tear up! Thank you very much it means a lot to me

 

[Aquarelle]

Not a whole heap to report really, I've been enjoying messing about with this camera while also trying to adjust to the new set up of my car. I'm driving a lot slower lately but I'm sure once I feel out the limits once again I'll be back to my old self.

 

[Ronald6]

Get on the right side of the road, you madman! Oh, never mind, you do.

 

[Korza]

Not a whole heap to report really, I've been enjoying messing about with this camera while also trying to adjust to the new set up of my car. I'm driving a lot slower lately but I'm sure once I feel out the limits once again I'll be back to my old self.

You were speeding! I'm telling on you...

Nice vid dude, where'd you get the cam from? Wouldn't mind something like that for the Max.

 

[Aquarelle]

You were speeding! I'm telling on you...

Nice vid dude, where'd you get the cam from? Wouldn't mind something like that for the Max.

Nuh uh!! the GPS was defunct, you cannot prove anything.

I bought it from Repco, they were on sale for 100 bucks last week - The sale ends on the 29th so I'd definitely recommend going and getting one.

It takes micro SD cards, Noel Lemings currently has them on sale for 29 dollars for 32 gigs or 48 for 64 👍

Don't be put off by the weird rattling noise, that's only because I have it right next to my rear view because it's the most convenient place to put it - sometimes they end up making contact and rattling like that

Get on the right side of the road, you madman! Oh, never mind, you do.

I only cross the center line when I'm 100 percent certain that it's safe and clear 👍

 

[Korza]

Nuh uh!! the GPS was defunct, you cannot prove anything.

I bought it from Repco, they were on sale for 100 bucks last week - The sale ends on the 29th so I'd definitely recommend going and getting one.

It takes micro SD cards, Noel Lemings currently has them on sale for 29 dollars for 32 gigs or 48 for 64 👍

Don't be put off by the weird rattling noise, that's only because I have it right next to my rear view because it's the most convenient place to put it - sometimes they end up making contact and rattling like that

Why were people waving for you to slow down?

I might actually go and get one, $100 is quite reasonable.

I can get them cheaper at work.

 

[Aquarelle]

Why were people waving for you to slow down?

I might actually go and get one, $100 is quite reasonable.

I can get them cheaper at work.

Because there was a ute parked on the side of the road they were trying to warn me about unfortunately it didn't work because I didn't realise what they were trying to say until I saw the ute for myself.

I ALWAYS have people doing the "Slow down" jesture to me it pisses me off.. I never speed or if I am I only stray up to 120 or so before I notice. So to have morons waving at me to slow down is getting seriously irritating..

I'm sure you could get them cheaper but really the main thing you're paying for is the stand, that thing GRIPS - it's almost go-pro level of sturdy suction.

My only complaint is at least on my car it doesn't really pivot in a way that allows me to have it somewhere out of my LOS, hence why I have it behind my rear view.

 

[Korza]

Because there was a ute parked on the side of the road they were trying to warn me about unfortunately it didn't work because I didn't realise what they were trying to say until I saw the ute for myself.

I ALWAYS have people doing the "Slow down" jesture to me it pisses me off.. I never speed or if I am I only stray up to 120 or so before I notice. So to have morons waving at me to slow down is getting seriously irritating..

I'm sure you could get them cheaper but really the main thing you're paying for is the stand, that thing GRIPS - it's almost go-pro level of sturdy suction.

I get it a lot in carparks in the Max. Its cause we have loud cars so therefore we must be breaking the speed limit everywhere we go.

I meant the MicroSD cards.

 

[Aquarelle]

I get it a lot in carparks in the Max. Its cause we have loud cars so therefore we must be breaking the speed limit everywhere we go.

I meant the MicroSD cards.

Ohh right, yeah I'm not surprised haha - I probably would've asked you to hook me up but frankly I wanted it then and there

 

[Ibonibo]

Man your exaust.

Dat dent thou Good it will get out. What white will you go for. Are you going for the R33 Qm1? Or something more modern?

 

[Aquarelle]

Man your exaust.

Dat dent thou Good it will get out. What white will you go for. Are you going for the R33 Qm1? Or something more modern?

I'm quite likely to go for QM1, I've been debating going with Toyota as it's a cheaper paint - however realistically I'm very much a "Brand loyalty" kinda person, so chances are I'll end up forking out the little bit extra.

The dent's quite nasty, I seriously don't know how it happened and it would be SO much easier to repair if a previous owner didn't decide to have a go at it himself and stuff it up even further.

I'm gonna have a go at fixing it with a few tried and proven methods and when that inevitably fails I'll be taking it to be professionally done. Body work is not something I want to skimp out on - no point blowing 300 bucks on paint if my body looks rubbish.

There's only 3 "major" dents as I'll be simply replacing my doors with QM1's (Or at least the passenger door, the drivers door only has a very small rust bubble which is hopefully minor) so it shouldn't be /too/ hard or expensive..

Famous last words...