Photos: Deven Solanki
NZPC: Hey mate, that Skyline of yours is pure eye candy! How did you get into performance cars in the first place?
Ever since I was little, I have always been amazed by cars and grew up around them. My poppa, Adrian Nisbet, was heavily involved in the drag racing scene in Whangarei. When I first moved to Auckland from Whangarei, my dad, Linton Nisbet, bought a fully forged Evo VI as a company vehicle. He would drop me off at primary school and drive around Orewa, Auckland, and anywhere we went. My uncle Richy (Richard Biddle) also always had fast and loud cars — from Cefiros, Skylines and Commodores to Falcons and Mazdas. You name it. As I got older, I started to really like Skylines, as any young boy would. I would get a new NZPC magazine every month, go through it countless times, cut out my favourite cars, and make my own little magazines.
Having a passion for cars isn’t for the faint-hearted, which I came to understand as I grew up. It was expensive, and, well, you weren’t very liked by your usual civilian, I like to say. I didn’t really take a liking to knitting or sports, so cars and being obnoxious seemed to be the way to go. Seeing all the cars every year at Big Boys Toys and the 4 and Rotary Nationals and seeing owners standing by their cars and getting appreciation for what they had built, I could see how happy it made them feel. Seeing that made me want to feel like that, too!
What condition was the Skyline in when you first got your hands on it?
The car wasn’t in the best shape. The RB20DET gearbox wouldn’t go into second gear, third gear would crunch, fourth gear would whine, and it would pop out of fifth gear when you decelerated. The wiring was a mess, from daisy chains to twist and tape and the bonnet touching the battery. I did get lucky when buying the car, as it already had the S4 RB25 in it, which was the main selling point. At the time, I paid $7.5k for the car with a WOF and rego. The body kit on the vehicle was a mismatch of fibreglass and plastic aero, with mismatched wheels, but as an 18-year-old, it was a dream to finally get the car. It didn’t matter what the car looked like. My dad then drove the car back from Wellington to Auckland. The car broke down in Taupo, and from then on, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and so it began …
How long have you owned the Skyline, and what’s your favourite thing about it?
I have owned the car for almost eight years now. I bought the car on 1st October 2016. I would have to say the best thing about the car is the sound, and you really can’t beat the tail lights on the R32 — being so distinctive; everyone knows Skyline tail lights. I also can’t not mention the colour, as it stands out a fair bit being bright turquoise!
What was the most challenging part of the build and why?
Panel beating the car was the most challenging part for me. As everyone knows, while building a car, it has to be perfect. I have well over 200 hours in the panel work alone. Rust patches had to be perfect; guards had to be perfect — everything had to be taken back to bare steel or bare plastic. I think I did the rear guards five times. I would get them ready for primer, decide they weren’t perfect, and start again! Trying to find the best front guards, doors, and headlights with no chrome damage was a challenge. Once the panel work was done and I was happy, it went into paint. From there, the car transformed very quickly into how I envisioned it when I first started building it.
I see you own a panel and paint shop. How has that benefited you during your build? I have a small family-owned business in Orewa, Auckland, called Coast Collision. We primarily do insurance work, but we love to have the odd custom job come through to show what our shop is really capable of. I was lucky enough to go into business with my dad two years ago. We both got the opportunity to buy it, and it’s been amazing ever since. Having the business, I would love to say it helped, but we did not own the business when the car was panelled and painted. However, it has helped a lot when I’ve had little mishaps with the car, from bonnets flying up to a slight bus incident. Not to mention, when I get a decent scratch or even a stone chip, the car is pulled apart, and the bonnets and bumpers are repainted. Whatever may be damaged, it is repaired straight away, as the car must always stay perfect! It is a representation of yourself, right? Also, it’s my personal panel work and our shop’s work showcasing what we are able to do.
If you could go back in time and redo one thing on the car, what would it be?
The one thing I regret not doing would have to be not spending more money on the motor internally. I do wish I did a forged bottom end as now I know it is going to affect me as we all want more power eventually, and having the factory bottom end I am limited to the power I am making now. If I had the garage space and experience, I would have put the car on a rotisserie as the goal was to restore the car to its former glory with some tweaks, of course.
Do you have any future plans for the car?
The future plan for the car is to send it to Hi-Power Performance to have the bottom end built and some minor head work done. I might go down the track of a SpeedTech gear set, switch the car to ethanol, and try to chase more power. Ultimately, the end goal would be to go RB28 purely for the ability to rev more and the increased torque. This is a goal far into the future as, at this stage, I just want to enjoy the car and let others enjoy and admire it.
You have unlimited funds; what wheels are you putting on your Skyline?
I have always loved Work Equip 05s, and only in 17s. My runner-up choice would have to be Blitz Techno Speed Z1s.
I see you’re also building another R32 in the background. How’s that coming along, and what are your plans for it?
Yes, actually, I have another R32 coupe that I am slowly collecting parts for. I picked up that car as a crashed front-end shell from Taupo for a box of Heineken. At the time, I had another two 32 sedans, so I was able to cut the front of a sedan and repair the front of the coupe, along with converting the suspension to McPherson (S13, S14, and S15) suspension and steering. The engine bay was then painted in Toyota Blade Bronze, and the wheel arches were painted cream. If you know that colour scheme, it will be the same as Adam LZ’s Cream 180SX. It will be a dedicated track car with an SR20DET, aiming for a nice and playful 280-300kW. The car will get a complete roll cage, Vertex Kit, Type M spoiler, and DMAX vented bonnet. I’ll just try to keep the car as simple and grassroots as possible, as I don’t plan on ever taking the car into competitive drifting. I just want it to be a car that I can take to the track, and if friends want to go for a drive, they can hop in and enjoy it as well. Because what’s the point of cars without having fun with your friends?
I also have a Toyota Hilux LN106 that is currently being restored. The motor is completed: a 2.8L 3L with a ported and polished head, TD27 valve springs, Ford Falcon Barra valves, custom-made retainers, cut valve seats to suit, oversized pistons, custom-made head studs from the USA, HRC30 Holset, custom-made exhaust manifold, 40mm external gate, and a 12mm pump. It should hopefully be able to send the little 2.8 to the moon. For the foreseeable future, I do want to build more, but it must be in a way that doesn’t involve selling other vehicles to complete others.
Cheers for the yarn, Jarod!
1992 Nissan Skyline GTS-T Type M (HCR32)
Engine/Mods: RB25DET NEO, RB26 bearings, ARP head studs, Multi-layer steel head gasket, N1 oil pump, Reimax billet oil pump gears, grub screwed crank, DabFab 7L baffled and gated sump, Kelford valve springs, Tomei 264 9.15 lift cams, Tomei adjustable intake cam gear, Franklin Performance head drain, Franklin Performance billet thermostat housing, Franklin Performance LS alternator conversion, Franklin Performance R35 GT-R coil pack conversion, JT Performance custom engine harness, ATI super damper crank pulley, Sinco forward facing manifold, Steve Murch HRC40RS turbo with 14cm rear housing, 60mm Turbosmart wastegate, Otaku Garage intake manifold, 80mm throttle body, 100mm Fenix intercooler, KOYORAD radiator, SPAL fan, Fueled by Fab/Hi-Power Performance expansion tank, DabFab oil catch can, RX-7 Heaven power steering reservoir, RX-7 Heaven radiator over-flow, three-inch intercooler piping, four-inch downpipe, three-inch exhaust, AdrenalinR resonator, Wiggins clamps throughout, custom made stainless fuel lines, Frenchies Performance Garage billet fuel pump carrier, twin in-tank Bosch BR540 fuel pumps, twin fed fuel rail, Aeroflow eight-inch billet interchangeable cartridge fuel filter. NZ Wiring trigger kit
Driveline: R33 RB25DET five-speed, Xtreme twin-plate organic clutch, Drive Shaft Specialists custom two-piece driveshaft, non-HICAS rear subframe, R200 shimmed LSD, custom-made subframe bushes (made by Harry Switzer-Corbett)
Interior: Suede black Bride reclinable front seats, R32 GT-R rear seats, Louis Vuitton scarf back seat drape, suede roof lining, custom black painted interior, Nardi Classic 360mm steering wheel, NRG short hub and quick release, nine-inch Apple car play radio, Haltech IC-7 dash, Mako Motorsport dash surround, GKTech billet hand brake, Vertex gear knob, re-wired fusebox under dash relocation, A/C removed.
Exterior: Type M front bumper, side skirts and end caps, Integra DC2 front lip, Silvia S13 Origin Labo rear spoiler, fibreglass roof spoiler, R32 GT-R headlights and indicators, modified bonnet, R32 GT-R front grill, custom turquoise paint job with vibrance DX78 rainbow flake.
Wheels/tyres: 17×9.5-inch (+15) CST Hyper Zero custom painted BMW Alpine White 3 with vibrance green to blue pearl, 235/45R17 Kenda KR-20
Suspension: BC Red adjustable coilovers, Hardrace front camber and caster arms, Hardrace rear camber, traction and toe arms, R33 lower control arms, GKTech lock spacers, A32 Cefiro inner and outer tie-rod ends
Brakes: Factory callipers, 297mm slotted rotors, Endless Racing pads
Power: 401kW, 20psi
Fuel type: BP Ultimate 98
Tuner: James at JT Performance
Name: Jarod Nisbet
Age: 25
Location: Auckland
Occupation: Panel beater
Build time: Six and a half years
Length of ownership: Seven years
Thanks: I would like to say a massive thank you to my family, Kiley and Linton Nisbet, for putting up with the car being built in the driveway for the first four and a half years of its life. A massive thanks to Ethan and Duane at the Hi-Power performance for finishing the car off for me at its final stages. Lord Bemrose at R’s garage for assisting with parts. Trent Wilson at RX-7 heaven for all the fab work. Brad Foremen at DABFAB Motorsport for all the advice right at the beginning of my building the car. Wade Larsen for all the help and spraying the car. James at JT Performance for the constant help and assistance with the car before and after the tune. Kaleb Jordan for the constant advice and help finding parts and building the car. Mitch Murphy from Engine Parts for all AN fittings and a line and constant advice along the way. Sinco for the supply of all exhaust and intercooler materials. Vinny Fab for all of the clamps and help, I couldn’t thank each and every single one of my friends that have helped through the entire build process of the car.
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 310