drifting into the unknown!?

[turbophonic]

Hey all....
Turbophonic here...new to the world of Drifting.....from a place(Cape Town ,South Africa) that doesnt even know what DRIFING is!??!
so ya...after a years worth of net reasearch on all sites i could get my eyeballs on(incl this fine one right here)..i have now descided to undertake the task of setting up a drift car...and of cause..as NOBODY HERE IN THIS ENTIRE FRIKKEN COUNTRY can set up a drift car!? let alone advise me ....i have come to you guys for help!!
my love is def for SKYLINES(it's something about a 6cyl turbo that gives me wood) ...so i was "advised" to now started assembling a rather "strange" combo engine....RB20det head...with RB30 block and twin turbo manifold setup!!all this to be fitted into a R30/R31 bodyshell(all orinally non-turbo models, and the 2.8 GTX as we know them, from the R30 range, being the ONLY 2 door coupe version)as this was the LAST SKYLINES EVER brought into this performance absent country.
my question to the masses....(1)is the engine setup mentioned above a good idea??will it make good power for good smoke drifts??(2)is the R30/R31 good bodyshell choices for drifting???(3)and is there drift setup parts(suspention...brakes ect) readily available for such "older" model cars??
your help with these matters would be highly appreciated as im very eager to get started in the world of drifting,and to spread the "gospel" of it to the masses here, so we too can have drift days and drift-khana's.at present there is only ONE sad excuse of a "racing" track in entire province i live in...built in the late 60's!! so ya...a big wake up call is needed here and i need your'll guy's help to do this!
many thanx in advance!
TP

[dreamdrivedrift]

you should setup the suspension and get a decent LSD before anything else, also, you should probably replace the bushings. but...for r30, im not sure what you can do

[turbophonic]

ThAnx for advice
for R31,is a set of lowering coils enuff??or MUST it be coil-overs??and if just lowring springs...how can one eliminate body roll, to enduce drift?
psh yes..a very puzzeling question i have come across that has the tyre guys baffeled this side...is it true that one must fit thinner width tyres,as compaired to the actual mag wheel width as to help with drifting stability??

[BenR]

ThAnx for advice
for R31,is a set of lowering coils enuff??or MUST it be coil-overs??and if just lowring springs...how can one eliminate body roll, to enduce drift?
psh yes..a very puzzeling question i have come across that has the tyre guys baffeled this side...is it true that one must fit thinner width tyres,as compaired to the actual mag wheel width as to help with drifting stability??

You don't need full coilovers, but I'd suggest replacing the shocks if you change the springs. You will need a clutch type LSD.

You should also get a strong solid puck style clutch, I've had the springs break out of weaker clutches.

Unless you are having clearance issues you shouldn't need to stretch your tires. Also extremely wide wheels are not necessary.

[brainfood]

What year is the r30-r31? You wont need a lot of power to drift you need an lsd and a little skill. You should focus more on suspension setup and practice on lower power I assure you will learn more with less power than going straight into a built motor 300+hp car. Right now I have a stock ka in my s14 and my drifts are just as fast as most of the sr guys locally its more about entry speed and line, its easier for me to carry more speed because I can keep it planted much more. But to get you started the only thing neccesarry for a good learning base is an lsd. Then coilovers or a good shock/spring combo and then adjustable suspension arms and a good alignment and then more power. Drift cars arent much different than circuit cars its just different driving techniques or style but setup wise most good drift cars ie. d1 cars will turn good lap times in a grip comp also.

[free motion]

By the way your plan for a setup would be awesome! I'm sure the r30/r31 skylines would make wonderful drift cars. Good luck finding aftermarket support though. Anything you could find like lsd, coilovers, rear sway bar, etc. would probably be lucky. Unless you can read Japanese mags/websites.
(that car in my sig is an r30 i believe)

[danceofcurse]

id use the rb25det or the rb26dett head...the rb30 with a bigger head would give much more power with a wider bore then the small rb20...i know of some rb30/25det or rb30/26dett...http://www.meggala.com/ email him and ask he knows much about skylines/the rb30...

[turbophonic]

yes a 4 door R31 would be sweet with ,esp with that Rb engine set up!!and i hear that the RB30 turbo setup is not a very common mod.cool.
as for the aftermarket parts,i'll be happy as long as i can get it looking as close to the Blitz skyline as possible (any photoshop ideas??wink wink)
but ya....i have to use that shape..not like i have any other choice?!?i want a skyline...and that is the ONLY ones we have here .
would be wicked if i could get a Jap connection to bring in parts to this place!

[Big Shooter]

Nice to see SOME South Africans who are interested in drifting! I'm south african/canadian myself and just got back from spending half a year there. You guys have unbelievable roads for drifting, I was actually disgusted when I found out that practically nobody knows what drifting is let alone DOES IT! When I would drive around the cape all I could do is drool and wish that my 1986 fwd corolla sedan with a 1.3 L engine was something driftable Anyways, as for your question, teh R30/31 as a drift car = bad idea. That thing is a front heavy boat and it would cost you an arm and a leg to modify it reasonably for drifting the roads there. My suggestion would be to try and find an s13/s14 200sx (I saw quite a few while I was over there, and why the heck not! The ones that you guys got over there already have an SR20DET, and the aftermarket is HUGE!) and modify that for drifting. It'll probably also save you a ton of money on petrol compared to the skyline, as I know that it's not exactly cheap for fuel in SA

Cheers bru

Cam

[marshun]

the best thing would be to read up and study videos. ride along with someone else? or chat with someone else who has been doin drifting long.

then you can pick your set up

[Pennyman]

Dude, keep the Skyline for a showcar, buy a beater for a drifter. If you want to drift at a competitive level, you will probably crash a couple times in the process, and none of us want to see a nice car ruined.

If you're on the cheap, just have the diff welded. A bunch of guys up here in CA just use welded diffs, cause they work well for drifting, will NEVER need maintenece, and are as cheap as dirt compared to a nice LSD.

All these guys are telling you to start spending all sorts of cash to get started, I say just get a cheap rear-drive car and a welded differential, and get some SEAT TIME.

[diablo-wp]

Howzit Turbophonic

Hey man, Ernest here.

Read your post, know your pain! After going a similar route to you with project D. my 120y drift car, I sold it cos it got to difficult and wouldve been cheaper to buy an SX. Then buying a 280zx to drift. A crap which I now only have bad memories of, I finally chose to go with a proper car, the 200sx 1991 that I now have. After sorting out the turbo, thanks for the tips. the car has now drifted her way into the record books, winning the Novice class at Cape Towns first drift event last week.

As to your dillema, as I said Ive done all of that, and its possible yes, however, it can get quiet costly. You WILL need LSD as the guys mentioned, but look to pay NO less than 5-6K for a Torsen or Quaiffe, and maybe 8k up for a proper Clutch type 1.5 Way or 2 way. If the car is NOT your daily, then locking the diff is a great option. And for all you locker haters, My buddy just locked his diff and his car drifts BEATIFULLY! Im using my stock VLSD and its lame for getting big angle!

Suspension, Ian glass shox will work, prolly 3k, and some H&R springs, 1.5k -2k. Traxion makes good coiliovers and brandon form Traxion might give you agood deal on a set ,about 6.5k.

ANYTHING here in CT is expensive, EVEN BEATERS! A friend of mine built a 4AGE powered Box shape Toyota for drift, AE70 i think,cost him so far somethign like 30k IT AINT CHEAP. stuff breaks and costs money.

Another buddy of mine has a skyline GTX that he wants to use as a toy for track and drift. Maynard also drifts his GTX so yes, it is a good platform. Bit big and heavy, but if thats what you want go for it!

Drop me a mail on ernestp@imperatech DOT com and let me know how your project is going.

[QstiX]

http://www.r31house.co.jp/ they have awesome R31's and enough parts for it