Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Rixsta Sammons
“Man it was funny how people didn’t have faith in this project at the start” laughs the owner of this Skyline Sameer Kumar. Of course as the owner of Forged Developments, a Wellington based business that spends its days pumping out high performance builds, it was just another day in the office. The difference being that since it was his own car rather than a customers, he could call the shots and build the car exactly as he wanted.
The starting point was a damaged and uncompilable R34 GT-R imported from Japan, but that didn’t worry Sameer in the slightest. With the values of GT-Rs going through the roof, in some ways it wouldn’t make sense to modify one these days, so the fact the car couldn’t be complied was a huge help. A quick search locally for an R34 GT-T uncovered the perfect starting point, and better still it was close to home. Those who had no faith in the project may have missed the fact that essentially everything is interchangeable between the GT-T and GT-R shells, well, except for the 4WD system. While the GT-R chassis run raised front chassis rails to give room for the front axles, the GT-T’s don’t, meaning a 4WD conversion was never on the cards.
Of course Sameer was never trying to make it a genuine GT-R, and having it as rear wheel drive only added to the fun factor. What the donor car did provide though was the RB26DETT engine he needed. Like any good speed shop owner, he had big plans for this department of the build, and before long had the engine stripped down to a bare block. With the machining work sorted he began piecing it all back together with a Nitto stroker kit that saw the displacement increase to 2.8-litres. The top end wasn’t neglected either, with Sameer opting to add Brian Crower Stage 3 cams, Brian Crower valves, and Ferrea valves to ensure the engine was capable of what was coming next. That next step was ditching the original twin turbos for a custom exhaust manifold and a giant Master Power C365 with twin TiAL wastegates. Master power advertises the C365 as being for when “you are looking for target power above 1100hp and still want good response” which gives an indication of which way the build was heading… With that turbo setup came the need for not just a decent ignition system, but also a fuel system that could keep the monster well fed. For the former Sameer opted for the tried and tested option of R35 GT-R coils over plug, while on the fueling side he opted for 1200cc injectors fitted to a custom fuel rail.
While there are plenty of RB fuel rails available off the shelf, Sameer sublets part of his workshop space to CNC machining guru Bruce Graham, aka Five13 Fabrication, so had the capability to build and use plenty of one off components in his builds.
Before the engine could go anywhere near the engine bay though there was plenty of body work required to get the car looking how he wanted it. While the plan from the outset was always the legendary Bayside Blue, arguably the most desirable of all factory R34 GT-R colours, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. The main one being getting the car to look like a GT-R, meaning the wide rear guards, but wanting it to be even wider than the genuine thing, but without losing the genuine look. To this end, custom widebody rear guards were created that allow the car to easily swallow 295/30R18 Nankang AR1 rubber wrapped around 18×10-inch (+15) Volk Racing TE37 replicas.
The rest of the exterior looks pure GT-R thanks to use of all the genuine GT-R components off the donor car. The long list of parts swapped over includes not just all the obvious components but everything right down to the doors, bootlid and side indicators. Completing the look was a fresh coat of Bayside Blue along with the subtle addition of N1 side skirt add-ons and rear bumper add-ons. While that had the car looking almost as Sameer imagined. It wasn’t until the Tein 3-way adjustable coilovers were installed and adjusted to just the right height that he could finally be happy with how the car looks.
With the engine back in the hole, the engine bay looks the part too thanks in part to a custom intake manifold, Nitto cam cover and liberal use of carbon fibre. Of course there’s much more than that going on in there though, as Sameer cut no corners on making sure that the car would make reliable power for years to come. That meant swapping out the cooling system for a large aluminium radiator and a high CFM electric fan along with plenty of other custom touches.
As the stock GT-R four wheel drive gearbox was never going to work, an RB25 five speed ‘big box’ was used, but not before Sameer had it fitted with a PPG gear set and custom MP Autoparts/Forged Development twin plate clutch. Likewise, knowing the pressure it would be under, the rear diff also saw an overhaul in the form of a 4.22:1 gear set, high volume billet head and a Cusco LSD.
As you’d expect, Sameer also took the full GT-R interior and transferred it across to the GT-T shell, making the car for all intents and purposes into a rear wheel drive GT-R, and fooling even the closest on-lookers into believing it’s the real thing.
All up the build took two years between customer jobs and racing commitments, and Sammer well and truly proved those who had no faith in the build wrong. Not only does it look like a tastefully modified GT-R, it goes even better. Sure, with only rear wheel drive it becomes pretty wild when the boost comes on in almost any gear, with Sameer describing it as “you don’t know where to look or what to hold on to! But it’s definitely a happy place hearing an RB26 stroked to 2.8 and revving to 8000rpm. It’s brutal yet smooth and stands its ground”. Of course, like any car that belongs to someone who works in the industry, there’s no such thing as finished, and during the photoshoot, Sameer let slip that he’s already planning the next round of mods on it. Think more power… as if 555kW at the treads isn’t enough!
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 308
SPEC LIST
1998 Nissan Skyline GT-T (ER34)
Heart
ENGINE: RB26DETT, 2600cc six-cylinder
BLOCK: R34 GT-R N1 RB26DETT block, Nitto stroker kit
HEAD: RB26DETT head, Brian Crower Stage 3 Race cams, Brian Crower valves, Ferrea dual valve springs retainer kit, port, polished and flow tested head
INTAKE: Forged Development intake manifold
EXHAUST: Forged Development custom four-inch with Adrenaline R muffler
TURBO: Master Power C365
WASTEGATE: Twin TiAL 48mm
BOV: TiAL 50mm
FUEL: 1200cc injectors, custom fuel rail, GFB fuel pressure regulator
IGNITION: R35 GT-R coils
ECU: Link G4
COOLING: Alloy radiator
EXTRA: High CMF electric fan, silicone cooling pipes, Cometic MLS head gasket
Drive
GEARBOX: Built RB25DET five-speed with PPG Gear set
CLUTCH: Custom MP Autoparts/Forged Development twin plate clutch
FLYWHEEL: Nismo lightened flywheel
DIFF: Nismo street diff gear set 4.22, high volume billet diff head
EXTRA: Cusco LSD
Support
STRUTS: Tein 3-way adjustable coilovers
BRAKES: (F) Endless callipers, APR 360mm rotors, Endless race pads (R) Brembo Caliper, APR 360mm rotors, Endless race pads
ARMS/KNUCKLES: Nismo rear cross-member brace, Nismo under-floor reinforcing bar, GKTech diff brace, Whiteline sway bar kit, Hakon adjustable arms
Shoes
WHEELS: Volk Racing TE37 Replicas 18×10-inch (+15)
TYRES: 295/30R18 Nankang AR1
Exterior
PAINT: Bayside Blue (TV2)
ENHANCEMENTS: Full genuine R34 GT-R V Spec conversion, genuine R34 GT-R Vspec front bonnet, genuine R34 GT-R front bumper, genuine R34 GT-R side fenders, genuine R34 GT-R headlights, genuine R34 GT-R mirrors, genuine R34 GT-R windows, genuine R34 GT-R doors, genuine R34 GT-R boot, genuine R34 GT-R wing, genuine R34 GT-R side skirts, genuine R34 GT-R rear lights, genuine R34 GT-R side indicators, custom rear guards widened to cater for the wide wheels & to be wider than a factory R34 GT-R, Custom steel fuel cap to match wide-body, N1 bottom side add-ons, N1 rear add-ons
Interior
SEATS: Genuine R34 GT-R seats
STEERING WHEEL: Genuine R34 GT-R steering wheel
INSTRUMENTATION: Nismo R34 GT-R 320KPH cluster, genuine R34 GT-R MDF display
EXTRA: Genuine complete R34 GT-R interior conversion
Performance:
POWER: 555kW at the wheels
TORQUE: 770Nm
BOOST: 22psi
FUEL TYPE: 98 Octane – BP Ultimate 98
TUNER: Chris – Prestige Tuning Motorsport & Dodson Motorsport
Driver Profile:
DRIVER/OWNER: Sameer Kumar
AGE: 38
LOCATION: Wellington
OCCUPATION: Owner of Forged Development Ltd
BUILD TIME: Two years
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Three years
THANKS: to all our sponsors & support from Five13 (precision CNC) motorsport fabricator, race engineer, Fahrenheit Cafe, OnPoint Vehicle Grooming, TBG (The Bava Group Construction), Advance Wheel Repairs, Detail Driven, All Fab Fabrication, Forged Development Motorsport Division, Prestige Tuning Motorsport, Dodson Motorsport, ST Hi-Tec, Repco Lower Hutt, Penrite Oils, NZ Wiring Ltd, Carboglass 2.0, and lastly, to the Forged Development team