This thread is about resurrecting my GT3 Nissan for 2022. After lots of off-season work, we've been testing twice. It seems something breaks every time out, and this last time it was the sertrab oil cooler. Trying to get a replacement before our first race of the year- the Icebreaker!

Nissan SR20VE power for this GT3 class. Development is slow, as dyno estima
tes put us at about 200 hp.
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Was this brought on by the woes of the T3 car?

No matter…. Great to see this David! I know we talked about it back at Sonoma Runoffs and have been quietly hoping it would happen.

Good luck on the shakedown and the rest of the season!

 

DK … you have some explaining to do…

 

At this point in my racing career, it's time for me to try developing some future talent. Also, I've had this GT3 car for years, and it's also time to put up or shut up (more on that later). Thus, we're trying to run two cars this year, with Ian Sullivan (2019 RMDiv Rookie of the year) running the T3 Z in an effort to make the Runoffs. I'm concentrating on developing the GT3 car, and both cars have their challenges. The T3 car appears to need a new main harness (possible short) and Ian and his crew are working to re-pin an automatic harness to get that Z back on the track.

Meanwhile, a little background on this GT3 car. It's a full tubeframe racecar with an 8-gallon ATL fuel cell mounted sideways across from the driver and a full drysump oiling system. It's the kind of racecar I raced from 1990-2004 in SCCA GT5 racing. While GT3 is attempting to remain relevant today, they were once the most advanced closed wheel racecars available. This car started life bodied as a Toyota Paseo with 4AGE power before the team folded. I purchased the car and had it rebodied with a 350Z body kit from Nissan Motorsports. While I've now spent time campaigning the T3 Z, I always wanted to get back to the GT3 car as project. Working with additional help from Mike Davies (past Runoffs champ and now SCCA Enterprises Technical Director). and Chris Doyle (IMSA racer and formula car specialist) have helped me get the fire burning brightly to get the car out again. I'll continue this thread with another post, but hope it gets a start on answering some questions.

 

hell yea, post more pics of it!

 

I like it DK! I appreciate your updates, stories/narratives, and photos! Looking forward to more.

 

Here's a shot of the cockpit. SCCA GT rules allow you to configure the cockpit any way you like, and many cars have digital gauge packages. This one is more traditional, with a big tach in the center, flanked by oil and water temp on the left. On the right is a oil pressure gauge with a big bright red light to catch your attention and air/fuel digital readout. The switch panel has switches for ECU, starter, fan and rain lights. No power steering or ABS available in this Z.

 

awesome

 

Very cool. Ive had a few modded sr20ve cars in the past.

 

Sorry to report that my opening race has resulted in a catastrophic engine failure. It started with a stone that damaged the oil cooler for the SR20VE. After installing a spare, we were forced to start from the back of the field for the opening SCCA race. Readings were nominal on the warmup lap, but after the green flag fell, as we headed into the long uphill first turn the engine tightened up and then quit. Dropped the clutch and got off the line as quickly as I could. But I could already feel my tires were feeling slippery. Waited till the end of the race to get towed in and initial inspection looks like a rod failure on #1.

With no spare available, I'm currently weighing what options I have for the future. More photos after the teardown.

 

VK56. Run GT-1 😝

Seriously, that just sucks!! Ehhh….

Was the motor torn down since you’ve owned this? Seem to recall you’ve had it a while. Teething pains can be pretty frustrating! Good luck, David!

 

Oh man! I’m sorry to hear DK … interested to see what comes up from the break-down.

Whats next? Can you put another SR in it to get back on the track?

 

Hah- talk about biting off more than you can chew. GT1 would be like swallowing an elephant!

The SR20VE was a fresh build several years ago. With JE high-dome pistons, Eagle rods and ARP hardware, it seemed to be in pretty good condition. But all it takes is a momentary loss of Mobil 1 lubrication to cause serious damage. We'll pull the head later this week and get a better idea of how bad it is.

 

Was it a spun bearing (rod failure)? Do you think the anything is salvagable? Do you build your own engines or have a shop do them?

 

Not quite sure what comes next. The SR20VE struggled to make competitive GT3 power, so I'm looking at all my options. Unfortunately, my grassroots effort is based in Denver, which lacks many JDM importers/shops. Let me know if you have any local options I should seek out. Meanwhile, I've not only checked out fleabay, but also started calling my Nissan contacts on both coasts to seek out viable powerplants for sale.

 

Brad at Vintage Thunder … they mostly do the early 240z/260z/280z but their up in Arvada … I took my DE there to get honed-out to 96mm and they did a great job.

Are you thinking another SR20 engine? I’m assuming you have a parts discount source? If you dont and need discounts feel free to give me a shout.

 

The engine teardown is going to take some time, but a spun bearing is a possibility. Can't rule out a materials failure of some type until we take a closer look. Car is currently in my garage and will take some time to get the shortblock up onto an engine stand. But initial inspection shows the drysump pan and most of the block look intact.

This particular engine was built at BMF Performance in Brighton about 15 years ago. They did the port and polishing of the head and other skilled tasks, while I did part of the assembly, so I know who to blame if it turns out to be any build failures...

 

I tend to blame no one … just chalk it up to **** happens, and that’s racing. I do try to figure out why it happend and learn from that mistake. The two times I spun bearings I was able to reuse the rod after honing the big-end out. The big end took on bearing material and it was a matter of cleaning it up. Obviously, a spun bearing means everything needs cleaned thoroughly or retired.

I’d love to see some pictures of the engine, tear down, parts, etc if you have them?

 

Teardown tonight stopped when I realized I'd lost the 12-point 13mm socket needed to pull the ARP nuts off the head studs. Look carefully and you'll see the windowed block under the water port. There may be more damage to the drysump pan, and #1 and #4 plugs were badly damaged. The horror show goes on...

 

Here's what those brand new NGKs looked like for #2 and #1.