A Family Affair; Racing a Nissan NX1600

,

A Nissan NX1600 at the track?
 
“Why don’t you swap that thing?”
“You’re running a GA16DE? Is it turbo’d?”
These are the typical questions that I get and, quite honestly, I have thought them myself. I just cannot give up on this powerplant, which has been mine since December, 1992. I bought this sport-cute car new off the lot and have been driving it ever since. It has been a daily driver that has seen snow, road salt and everything in between. When things started to show there age in 2002, that is when I began to upgrade. First is was the suspension, then a good exhaust, and then just about everything! See the list at the end of this article.
 
I have benefited from the Nissan experience of Mike Kojima, Greg Amy and Jeff Daley to name a few. Calum has put untold hours into a pre-production ECU for the GA16 – and along with many others I am waiting for the production model. The build has now come to the point where I need to start upgrading my upgrades. For example, when I installed my GC coilovers and KYB AGX suspension it was just about the best thing out there. It is beginning to show its age. I also have to thank my good friend Dave Schlueter who has assisted me with technical support for many years. The bottom line is that we have a low powered car that is a lot of fun to drive. It’s a consistent car, faster on the track than many cars that have a much higher price tag and what a great way to learn how to drive.

 
As already mentioned, the first upgrade was my suspension. The OEM equipment was showing its age and so I sourced out Ground Control Coilovers. The installation was a bit of a challenge simply because I was not ready to start pulling my car apart. This was followed shortly after by the purchase of a HotShot header and CAI. I found a shop that would fabricate the exhaust for me and I was off on the modification route. I have found many parts on the SR20 and Nissan forums and have purchased excellent items from as far away as Great Britain. Perhaps the search is part of the fun! This past winter saw the installation of an Autopower four point roll bar with diagonal and harness bar, Kirkey Intermediate Racing Seats, Corbeau five point harnesses and upgrading the brakes by replacing the NX1600s rear drum setup with NX2000 disks and master cylinder from my parts car. This was completed with 18 mm hubcentric spacers that I bought from a Quebec racer that I met at Calabogie, Enkei RPF1 15×7 rims and Hankook Z214 tires. Right now we are on the look out for a replacement steering wheel as both OEM NX2000 steering wheels have seen the leather separate from the wheel surface. And while I have Hankook Z211 tires I am desperately seeking some more Z214s.
 
The NX1600 is quite an amazing car. After seventeen years I know that it still has life left in it and I am looking forward to seeing the times at Mosport in July. The goal is 1 minute and 48 seconds; taking a massive four seconds from last year’s personal best of 1 minute 52.191 seconds.
 
Here’s the list:
Suspension and Brakes:
Motegi RT5 – Yokohama S.Drives – street tires
Ground Control Coilovers
KYB AGX struts
Eibach Springs (300 front/200 rear)
ES HyperFlex Suspension Bushing Kit
Prothane Motor Mounts
Shigspeed’s Rear Pillowball mounts
Active Tuning Rear Strut Bar
Progress Adjustable Rear Sway Bar
Whiteline LCA castor bushings
Whiteline front strut tower bar
Whiteline 4 point Lower Control Arm brace
Ground Control Camber Plates
AD22VF calipers and rotors – front brakes
Carbotech XP10 pads – front
Carbotech XP8 pads – rear
NX2K rear calipers and rotors
NX2K brake master cylinder
Techna-Fit Stainless Front and Rear Flex Lines
Motul RBF 600 brake fluid
18mm custom made hubcentric spacers and ARP extended studs
Toyo RA-1 tires mounted on NX2K wheels
(14″ x 6″ wheel with 40mm offset, 59mm center bore, 4x100mm bolt pattern)
Hankook Z214 C51 mounted Enkei Racing RPF1 15″
(15″ x 7″ wheel with 35mm offset, 59mm center bore, 4x100mm bolt pattern)
Hankook Z211 C51 mounted on MX-5 wheels (bored out)
 
Drivetrain:
JWT S1 cams
Mobil 1 engine oil
Redline MT 90 transmission fluid
Rebuilt transmission – bearings, syncro’s
Phantom Grip LSD with Green Springs
Bully Clutch – stage 3, 3 puck
Fidanza lightweight flywheel
HotShot Cold Air Intake
Fabricated CAI brackets
AEM Bypass Valve
HotShot Header
Fabricated 2″ stainless steel exhaust/mandrel bends
Performance Catalytic Converter, 24″ XL Magnapack and MagnaFlow Muffler (the cat and magnaflow resonator can be replaced with a straight pipe for races)
B&M Shifter
Unorthodox Racing pulley
Outlaw Engineering Intake Spacers
Additional Grounding Wires
Calumsult Preproduction ECU for GA16
 
Safety:
Autopower 4 point Roll Bar
Corbeau 5 point harnesses
Kirkey Intermediate Road Race Seats
Fire Extinguishers (2.5 and 5 lbs)
 
Appearance:
Tinted Windows
NISMO 350 Z dual horns
NX 2000 steering wheel
NX2000 shift boot
NX2000 Seats and carpet
Nismo Rad Cap
NISMO Oil Cap
NISMO 350Z pedals