[dismalswamp]

So time drags on and i spend the next 4 months in various Golf GTR courtesy cars....Great job Access for looking after me.

 

[dismalswamp]

Time goes by...and by...until 1st July, finally some good news. Exhaust has at last arrived, 30 day build plus 2 months covid delay and Elite have it, and can begin the rebuild.
Rob has already repaired the Nismo fiberglass bumper. I really did not want to go after market or source a copy, so this was a fantastic job.

 

[dismalswamp]

July 10th I have the car back, but tracking is all over the place. Turned out that the troublesome driftworks front suspension was shot. Read back to see the trouble i had with this and the failing ball joints over the years. Driftworks supplied the replacement updated version 2 full lower arms at much reduced cost, so I booked for in for an MOT..

 

[dismalswamp]

Passed with flying colors, next stop was to have the car detailed and do something about the sorry state of those genuine LMGT4s

 

[dismalswamp]

AR Detailing restored the paint to perfection, bringing out the pearl, and JP Wheels (next door) did an amazing job on those rims!

https://www.ardetailinghull.co.uk

https://www.jpwheels.co.uk

 

[dismalswamp]

Finally, get the tracking done.....fraid to say...getting the car ready to sell...

Difficult decision, but having owned the R34 for 7 years and the emotional turmoil after seeing all my hard work almost destroyed and being without it for almost 5 months I decided that I had to get out on a high. The repair / insurance / car hire costs for this rear end shunt had added up to well over £20,000. Had I been the one at fault, I would have been truly screwed over this!

Everything on this car is 'real' (Nismo, Mine's, HKS, Kakimoto) and the difficulty in getting parts meant i knew my days were numbered. I could not bear to not have original genuine parts, nor change the style/look that i had gone for. Too many GTTs end up being pretend GTRs, and though no offense meant to anyone, is just not what I ever wanted.

That new Kakimoto is gorgeous though, isn't it!!!

 

[dismalswamp]

Few more little jobs, thought i'd sell the Mines mirrors separately, but damn this was a lot harder than I remember, perhaps something to do with being a few years older and carrying a back injury, but it almost damn killed me lol.

 

[dismalswamp]

Adam at AR put together an amazing video of the car, that I will have to keep, mixed feelings watching this, as **** ME, it looks amazing

 

[dismalswamp]

Final job was to remove the catch can. Although they are quite cool, they are a little illegal when venting to atmos and also offer the added fun of gassing the driver with oil/petrol fumes if running aircon whilst stationary, so back to stock under the under the hood, well kind of....

 

[dismalswamp]

The car was sold mid-September as is now enjoying a new life in Ireland. The new owners flew here and drove it via a ferry crossing back to Dublin. Very exciting start to their Skyline journey, and I wish them well, and hopefully will contribute to this forum too .

Some final pictures

I am happy that the car is in the best shape, mechanically and visually that it ever has been in since I bought it

 

[dismalswamp]

So what's next.....well yes I did think long and hard about an R35, but my budget would limit me to around 2015-2016 model and with the running costs and supercar risk, I decided to take a little time off from babysitting and the stress that goes with it.
So a little change of direction for the time being.

 

[dismalswamp]

So here she is, this will be my ride for likely the next 3 years. I will be back though, the R35 dream is still the goal , though mods from now on will likely be little cosmetic tweaks. My days of dismantling cars are done....but i do keep having a peak on Ford Performance parts website lol

 

[dismalswamp]

Well that's it...for now . I will still browse the forums and look at what everyone else is up to.
Hopefully 2021 will see some shows back on the calendar.

All the best everyone.

 

[V-SpecII]

Wow Fella!!! What a journey. Hat's of to you.... gutted the car wasn't listed up for sale to the forums first. ☹

 

[dismalswamp]

Thank-you! It was on the forums, under R34 wanted for a little while. Members on here are more into doing their own builds I think