BUILDS>> DANDY BONNEVILLE GT-R – PART2
I headed over to the Dandy workshop yesterday to check out how Yoshi's Bonneville GT-R project was coming along. Since we saw the car earlier in the month it has now moved onto the second step of the build. With about a year to get this car completed it will be built with no rush to guarantee first of all, that it meets all regulations for the street car class it's participating in and of course to make sure it will be as reliable as possible.
So from the roll cage fabricator Quest, the car has now taken permanent residency on one of the lifts at Dandy. Dandy Tanaka was kind enough to take some time yesterday afternoon to show how the work and planning is proceeding.
But before we get into the engine side of things let's take a closer look at the cage that was put into this very unique BNR34. As you may recall this is one of only two hand-built pre-production press cars that Nissan created back in 1998. The shell was already additionally stiffened from the factory so the cage is primarily in there to offer safety in case something goes wrong. Dandy's FC3S RX-7 had a pretty wild high speed flip at last year's event, the roof caving in quite badly on landing, so they aren't taking any chances with this car.
Since Yoshi will continue to drive the car once it returns back to Japan after the 2012 event, a lot of detail work has been carried out to make sure the car remains as easy to live with as possible. Check out how the door trim has been modified in FRP to allow it to clear the cage's side impact bar.
Custom made diamond plate floor protectors…don't want to get corrosive salt onto the chassis!
The engine and gearbox have already been removed.
A closer look at the roll cage and all the extra stiffening plates that are required to be put in by the regulations.
Roof cross bars…
…and the A-pillar area.
Yoshi doesn't plan to go wild on the exterior, in fact the car will be kept mostly stock looking. Wheel size choice will be dictated once the final gear is chosen.
The stock hand built RB26 has already been stripped down, and on the engine stand the bare stock 5U block sits awaiting…
…the complete JUN 2.7L stroker kit which will included a balanced and forged crankshaft, H-section connecting rods and forged pistons.
The head has already been skimmed, ported and polished and along with the stock valves Dandy will be adding Tomei valve springs, as to reach the top speed goal of 400 km/h (248.5 mph) this motor will be seeing 9,000 + rpm. HKS camshafts will complete the headwork.
Wanting to keep modifications to a minimum to prove the true potential of the BNR34, the stock Nissan/Getrag 6-speed transmission will be used along with an ATS triple plate carbon clutch.
After taking a look at Yoshi's Skyline GT-R it was up to the office overlooking the workshop to have a quick chat do Dandy-san about the build. From his desk he can keep an eye on the workshop, the GT-R's rear end high in the air as it awaits its new heart to be put together!
Dandy-san was kind enough to write down a rough preliminary spec of the car. Together with the JUN bottom end and reworked head either an HKS T51R or Garrett GT420 turbine will be used, along with all supporting modifications like a stainless steel exhaust manifold, HKS GT2 external wastegate, custom piping and a massive Trust intercooler.
The above chart gives possible top speeds for each of the Getrag's six gears, all the way up to 9,500 rpm where the BNR34 would be capable of reaching 414 km/h, or 257 mph. There are still many possibilities of playing around with final gears or differential rations, running the car in AWD or 2WD, all things that will be decided as the build progresses.
I'll be making regular visits to Dandy over the next year so you can expect to see continuous updates on this interesting project.
-Dino Dalle Carbonare
