QotW: What’s your 2014 automotive resolution?

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A new year is upon us, and if you haven’t already made a 2014 resolutions yet it’s not too late to start. Perhaps you have a heap of parts waiting to be re-merged into a car. Or 2014 could be when you finally make it out to one of the great car shows like JCCS. Or Maybe this is the year you add that special car to your garage.

What’s your 2014 automotive resolution?

We, for one, are going to make some improvements to this little corner of the internet we call home. The website is going to undergo some changes that’ll polish up navigation, presentation and just make the overall JNC experience more pleasurable. It’s going to be an exciting year ahead!

What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “Which “Class of 1989″ car is the greatest “new” JNC?” 

R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R

Like the dilemma of too many great cars to choose from, this week we also faced too many great comments. There was AndyB‘s nomination of the Subaru Legacy, dankan‘s selection of the Miata, and even a rare write-in from Lupus for the Daihatsu Applause. However, in the end we had to go with Michael’s entertaining Aussie-tinged history of Godzilla himself:

Agree with Ryan 100%

The R32 GT-R not only re-introduced the most hallowed three letters in the Nissan vocabulary, it helped to re-ignite (explode!) the Japanese tuning & car world in general.

Nissan took aim at Group A racing & let rip! Godzilla tore all apart before him! Porsche 959 was the benchmark…..not for long! The GIANT beast from the East was unstoppable.

Here in Australia the car was booed off the track by every Holden (Chevy) & Ford yobbo (redneck) around. Did not matter! Godzilla could not be stopped. The ruling bodies tried to restrict them… they still won!! The only thing the competition could do was complain until the rules were changed & the GT-R was outlawed.

The R32 GT-R is a legend for all time! Always will it be remembered.

Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!

JNC Decal smash

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50 Responses to QotW: What’s your 2014 automotive resolution?

  1. Mike Yee says:

    More running time than down time.

  2. Bear says:

    I’m finally going to fit my rebuilt 18RG along with a rebuilt W50 into my RA23` Celica….. FINALLY!

  3. Lupus says:

    Actually i don’t do new years resolutions. But when it comes to car-related stuff i would like to buy myself a bit newer car. For daily-driving purposes, so i can start to properly prevent my Daihatsu from becoming a crap. Thats all.

  4. dankan says:

    My resolution is just to enjoy my car more. It’s not all that hot (actually the exact opposite) and it’s not a JNC classic, but I intend to use the heck out of it making as many memories as I can. It is a car, and therefore awesome. The fun is in the driving.

  5. mrbigtanker says:

    I hope to some what finish my Datsun truck this year,or at least up to or almost paint ti this year.

  6. John Butcher says:

    My 2014 resolution is break the ” While I’m at it” syndrome that has overwhelmed me.

  7. invinciblejets says:

    my resolution is to get a jnc as a daily so I can make my other jnc a daily.

  8. Dave says:

    I want to finally get into autocross. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time, and I think this is the year! That means, of course, that I need to get my car in better mechanical shape, get a helmet, and join the manufacturer’s contingency program. All of which cost $$$. Which means budgeting. On the other hand, I can get more serious about hunting for Hot Wheels. Cheaper habit, still lots of fun. I dunno…

  9. Bart says:

    Wow, this is a good question. For me, the number one thing, is to NOT buy any more vehicles (except maybe another bike). But really, my resolution is to have all my projects done. I really want to stop wrenching and start enjoying my rides. Its overwhelming sometimes, maintaining four aging vehicles, but it is a labor of love that needs to start giving back. So far so good, as of today I do not have any non-running vehicles in my garage. This is a pretty big accomplishment for me, since I have had at least one, if not two disabled automobiles in my garage taking up space for the last five years.

    • Tim says:

      I have a similar resolution. I’m 29 years old, and I’ve owned 20-something cars. I will NOT be purchasing another one in 2014. Instead, I’ll pay off my daily driver. In 2015, I’ll have the same resolution – This time the money will instead go towards a spacious new garage, hopefully with a house attached. 2016 will be the year of the project car for me!

    • Dave says:

      That’s a pretty good one. I don’t have the budget and room for stray dogs…er…cars right now, but I frequently look at classifieds and think/talk about buying this and that fixer-upper for next to nothing, much to my wife’s horror.

  10. Carlos says:

    My resolution is to get my 71 corona ready for the next JCCS event in Long Beach, its running decent now so I wanna get the outside and interior JCCS worthy.

  11. Styles says:

    My resolution it to get my car out for a drive at least once a month. After owning the car for 3 years, and only having it usable for about 6 months of that I’ve finally gotten it back on the road. So this year, no mods or work that’s going to take more than and hour or so to complete, and drive her as much as possible!

  12. Aaron says:

    Try very hard not to sell my cars for the rediculous offers I’ve been getting….

  13. Nihonnotekko says:

    This post is inspired by last week’s video link.

    My automotive resolution is going to take some time to appreciate Honda. In my area, there are a lot of “ricers” in poorly modified, and well modified, Hondas of all models and vintages. I’ve never wanted to be associated with that crowd, so I shied away from owning any Honda, period, and through the years I’ve cultivated a stigma against the company solely on the image of “fart-can” racers I see all too commonly. My attitude has cut me out of the loop for way too long, so for 2014, I’m going to change that and really learn about and appreciate what Honda’s built over the years. Hell, I might even take the plunge and buy a Civic just to see what it’s all about.

    2014 – Nihonnotekko’s Year of the Honda

    • pstar says:

      I’m a closeted Honda fan, and I kind of understand where you are coming from, and definitily have a similar “origin story” as you regarding Hondas and feelings about them. I

      • pstar says:

        … hit submit somehow. Too soon junior. Anyway… I am really drawn to EFs and EGs and EKs. Coupes and hatches. But, I will never own one because of the massive theft culture that surrounds these Hondas. Not only is there a VERY strong likelihood that your car would get stolen, but almost all the used parts you’d come across would also be stolen from an enthusiast not unlike yourself. And I just don’t want any part of that.

        • Nihonnotekko says:

          Yes, theft. That’s another facet I’m not to keen on as well. I had a friend who owned a Civic Si that got stolen, chopped, and the remains burned on the side of a highway. I’m not eager to experience that pain.

          After I sell my RX-7 it makes the choice for my next car a bit more difficult…a stone-cold reliable, bone-stock,’91 Civic hatch 4-speed that’s likely to be vandalized or stolen, or a restored ’83 Corolla 4-door auto that might give me more trouble than I’d care to deal with (I’m not to read up on Corolla reliability through the decades)…

          ..Ohhhh, the AGONYYYY!!!!

  14. _John says:

    To keep the 510 running this year. That means leaving the drivetrain alone. Stop futzing around with engine swaps and stick to one. And I suppose getting the interior in better shape wouldn’t be a bad idea as well.

  15. James Bock says:

    To find another Toyota Sports 800 to add to my collection, and steadily work on the others and share information to those in need

  16. salia-nwonk says:

    Well now that the RatZun is (mostly) done I could spend a little love on the Frontier. Or just keep going on adding too the Z and the Fronti at the same time…..decisions, decisions.

  17. Peter says:

    more driving. more adventures on the side of the road. more cuddles.

  18. MOCMAN says:

    To get my Nissan 720 to the JCCS finally so I can stop breaking promises to myself. Dang you self. Stop looking at me like that. We’re okay now.

  19. Jim-Bob says:

    Mine would be finally getting around to finishing the “Super Metro” based on a nearly perfect white 92 2 door shell with a good interior that I have in my back yard. While most cars measure their performance in acceleration and handling, a Metro measures it in MPG. My goal for it is 50 MPG city/65MPG highway in a non-hybrid car with A/C and a radio (A/C off for those numbers-I expect to lose 10 MPG with it on). It’s getting a mildly modified Suzuki G10 3 cylinder feeding into a conical merge collector welded into the downpipe putting power through a MV5 5 speed with a taller final drive (either 3.79 or 3.52 vs 4.09 stock) as well as taller tires and minor aerodynamic changes. Target weight is 1650lbs to minimize stress on the drivetrain. The car will also be painted white and have dark window tint as well as additional exhaust heat shielding from a VW Jetta. This is to maximize the efficiency of the A/C system in Florida’s 95 degree/100% humidity days. It will also get a set of low rolling resistance Michelin Defenders in 175 70 13 on 95-2000 Metro wheels with the brakes, spindles and lower control arms from the later car too. This will let it see 3050 RPM at 70 MPH with the 3.79 trans and around 2800 RPM with the 3.52 transmission (if I can find one). Why all the emphasis on fuel economy? I deliver pizza for a living and have been planning the ultimate pizza delivery car for a while. Now that I am finally finishing college (and have most of the parts) I want to build it before I move on. It will also let me cut 25% off of my current fuel costs when compared to my daily driver 1991 4 door Metro with a stock engine (and 3.79 trans/ 175 70 13 Michelins).

    • Randy says:

      Now THERE’S a project I’ve mentally done any number of times, just not on the later generation. LOVE Metros! Best I ever got was 45 in a ’93 or ’94 XFi.

      I saw an ad for a first-gen Sprint, that advertised like, 55/60 for mpg. Would love to know what the differences were, and if they could be applied to the newer engines without failing emissions tests.

      Questions for the build:

      Why not go 155/80-13 tires for the slightly reduced road friction (pumped up to just under max pressure)? (I see that the 175s have a bit higher maximum weight capacity than the 155s.)

      Some aero-type of wheel covers?

      Air-dam-something under the front?

      Pulling out the back seat for weight reduction?

      Oh yeah – I’d say keep the spare tire; weight reduction’s one thing, but if you need a spare, you NEED a spare.

      I found a Metro MPG-build page, but could NOT tell you where it was… Seemed like they were putting in a lot of work and money for minimal increases.

      • Jim-Bob says:

        The main difference between a Sprint G10 and a Metro G10 is the head. GM/Suzuki could no longer get the cabrurated engines to pass US emissions, so they needed to switch to TBI EFI. However, they found that the hemispherical combustion chamber in the original head would not run properly with the crude EFI system they were fitted with (the 89-91 models retained a mechanical distributor with no computer integration!), so they modified the head into a wedge design with a small quench pad. The 89-94 models also weighed about 200 lbs more than a Sprint, and the 95-2000 models weighed about 200 more than that!

        As far as it goes, I have to deal with certain limitations imposed on me by where exactly I deliver pizza. My current 4 door Metro is driven HARD. I don’t run hubcaps to allow the brakes to cool more effectively and also because I doubt they would stay on for long in the potholed, rutted streets I drive on. Plus, at the speeds I usually drive, the aerodynamic benefits would be minimal. Part of the reason for the potholes is that the drainage is terrible here and the ground is not stable, causing subsidence (and a large number of sinkholes!). It’s also why my current car is about 2 inches higher than stock and has no carpeting. It frequently has to be used on flooded roads during the rainy season. Some roads require me to turn off the engine, get out and push because the clutch chatters violently when it gets really wet. The carpeting got drenched when my street flooded 2 years ago. It was in bad shape and the seam sealer leaked, so I pulled it to keep the floor from rotting. As for pulling the back seat, I took a different tack. I pulled the front passenger’s seat. This way I can fold the back seat for a level load floor when needed, leave it up to keep tools from smacking me in the head and still carry two passengers in a pinch. Plus, I now have a floor to ceiling load space in front to allow me to carry large items in a pinch. I have even been able to carry 2x4x8 pieces of lumber home with the hatch closed!

        Aerodynamic changes will thus be limited to cutting down the front air dam from a 1st gen Chevy S-10 and bolting it to the bottom of the front bumper. If I can find it, I will also install the hatch spoiler from a Swift GT to take a little bit of advantage of the Kamm effect. I will probably buy a set of Moon discs for highway travel, but that is maybe 5% of the driving the car sees. Probably 80% of the time it is driven at 45mph or slower because of the large amount of time spent in subdivisions. The bumper spoiler I will probably also do to my 4 door Metro too as the bottom of the bumper is probably 6-8 inches off the ground now, but that’s not a bad thing. I wanted it a little higher not just for floods but also so that in an accident I don’t have an interface issue and submarine under the car in front. Sorry for the long post, but the wanna-be engineer in me just loves sorting all of these details! Now if I can only get motivated to get it all done…

        • Randy says:

          Interesting about the head… Guess we’ll never see THOSE mileage numbers again.

          Think the hemi head would work with the newer EFI system?

          Did the lumber thing – must have been longer than 8′ though, ’cause I had to leave them sticking out, and align the end with the guy tailgating me. 🙂

          Shame about the roads there; sounds like the “bombing runs” that we call streets in Pittsburgh, though I think that resort that sunk was due to us fata$$ tourists… Probably had something to do with all the pizza… 🙂

          Maxxis makes an all-terrain tire in the 155/80-13 size that has a weight rating of over 1,300 lbs. When I was looking around for reviews, some Australian (I think) forum gave them prety good reviews – just not the best in mud.

          Oh, and it was ecomodder that had all the far-out stuff.

        • Randy says:

          Man, I’m brain dead…

          The tire is the MA-751 Bravo Series.

          • Jim-Bob says:

            The amazing thing about the Defender is that it just works so well for that size in so many ways. I used to have cheap Wal Mart Douglas tires in the 155 80 13 size on the car and they were pretty terrible. I did numerous coast down runs with them before I changed them to the Michelins to get a baseline. Now, worn tires tend to have a better coast down than new ones do, yet when I tested them there was no difference between the Douglas tires and the wider Michelins. Also, the Michelins are very quiet by comparison, which is nice in a car that has no carpets or sound deadening!. They also have great wet weather traction and make the car handle and brake better too. Sadly though, they don’t seem to wear any better. I have put nearly 17,000 miles on them since May 2013 and have probably killed 50% of the tread. Not good for a tire with a 90,000 mile warranty. However, that is what I hope will be their saving grace and help me amortize their cost over a longer period of time, thus reducing my tire cost per mile (yes, I actually do calculate all of these things).

            As far as Ecomodder goes, I used to post there under this screenname (it’s a common one I use on a lot of sites ranging in topic from cars to nuclear weapons history). I learned a lot there from other oddballs who enjoyed tweaking their cars for MPGs. Many of them also liked fast stuff too (as do I) and this was just another form of tinkering to play with.

            As for the 8 foot lumber, I did it with no passenger’s seat and with the rear seat folded down going in at an angle from the passenger’s floor corner to the driver’s side of the hatch. The 4 door Metro hatchback also has a longer wheelbase (4 inches if memory serves) and more upright hatch than a 2 door model, which might help me be able to do this. I also used the car to transport 400lbs of manure for my garden one year when my truck was off the road, but that’s another interesting story. (It helped that the Wal Mart garden center I used is less than 2 miles from home.)

          • Randy says:

            Ahhh, good reasoning on the tires. My aunt has a set that Michelin prorated, because our area “has more abrasive roads,” or somesuch. Never tried Douglases’ but most of what I’ve read about them is that they’re hard, and wear fast.

            I only check in at ecomodder once in a while. I wouldn’t dump the money and work that they do for like, TWO mpgs; I just throw it in neutral when I can, and I refuse to keep shutting it off and restarting it. That can NOT be good for the starter, which I figure would eat up the gas savings when it needs replaced. I would do the fender skirts though.

            I was lucky it was a nice day when I was hauling wood. I carry a lot of crap in my car, but ain’t no way though, I’d be putting bags of ACTUAL crap in my car…Uh-uh; just no. I’ll spend the $ on renting THEIR truck.

            You ARE keeping the 4-door, I hope. It’s not like they take up a lot of space.

    • Randy says:

      Oops – meant on the ’95-’01; ON the later generation.”

  20. skellington says:

    This year I MUST free my TE31 Corolla from its auto-tragic transmission.

  21. Censport says:

    Same as every year: Travel to Japan again, and get some more JDM classics for the museum. 🙂

  22. Ken S. says:

    While the first instinct is to gripe about my own JNC, a real productive goal for me this year would be to spread the ‘nostalgic disease’ to at least couple of people around me. After few years of weekend track days and autox, I’ve come to realization that the fun level goes up exponentially in a group setting, especially for a niche part of the automotive scene such as JNC’s.

  23. DBXJ says:

    To finally finish my Rx-7 TII, been building on it for the better part of 3 years since I started building on it and originally was just going to be a suspension and brake upgrade its progressed from that to full on standalone rebuilt big street ported motor BNR stage 3 turbo v-mount list goes on and on , and its coming so close I can taste it and will spend the rest of the year enjoying the car on the street and the track since I do feel I’ve earned it, even lost a couple girlfriends over the car lol

  24. Ryan Senensky says:

    My resolutions are 3 fold:
    1.) Make it to JCCS with my GF in my 89 CRX with all period correct mods. (4000 mile drive MN to Long Beach)
    2.) Rebuild my Subaru GL-10’s engine for my gf to have a daily driver
    3.) Run at least 11.9″ 1/4 Mile in my 91 Civic

  25. Mário says:

    Finally i will make my first trip to Japan!!!! Of course i will check one of the great car shows…the JCCA for the first time this year at Fuji Speedway, couldn´t get any better. Will also pay a visit to Daikokufuto PA and shop at AUTOBACS,..well…maybe a few stickers!! Of course i cannot forget TOYOTA MEGAWEB. I will stay for 15 days so i hope a can see much more 🙂

  26. lucas says:

    get on the track for the first time, at least four track days. engine swap in my ra42 79″ celica.
    learn more then last year about fab work.

  27. Michael says:

    Hey guys,

    Thank you for deeming my ramblings last week about the R32 GT-R worthy enough of comment of the week. Very honored. 🙂

    My New Year’s resolutions will be two fold;

    1. Look after & enjoy my Toyota 86 (Scion FR-S to you U.S. guys) more, & more, & more, & even some more! This car is AWESOME! Future classic without a doubt. When question of the week is ” What class of 2012 car is the greatest “new” JNC?”, there will be only one answer! Mine will still be in my garage in 2037.

    2. Save, save, save & save. I NEED to fill the other space in my garage with an R32 GT-R! Ever since seeing Godzilla prowl Bathurst as a 12-13 year old boy in the ’90s, I’ve been smitten. My Father protested (Holden/Chevy man through & through), but GT-R started a fire in me too strong to stop! Hopefully my dream will come true from my 13th Birthday wish soon……… 🙂

    Anyway, too all in JNC fandom, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope 2014 is the best year yet!

    • Dave says:

      I LOVE the new 86; it’s one of the few cars I’d replace my RX-8 with. I’d love an R32, but that’s pipe dream for me…

      • Michael says:

        Mazda RX-8 is a great car too Dave. Have never had a chance to drive one but have always heard it is a great handling chassis. Everyone from mundane motor journalists to Keiichi Tsuchiya has praised them.

        Like all Mazdas power is easy to come by too with an quick 13B turbo engine swap. Rotor power + great handling = tops fun! 🙂

        Are you in the U.S. Dave? Please do not take me the wrong way, but here in OZ GT-Rs are plentiful & well priced. We are the very, very, very lucky country in this respect. You really can have your pick of R32, R33 or R34 for base spec right up to GT-R.

        I know it is only early days for you guys, but what are prices like in the U.S. for first States side GT-Rs? Do you guys have to worry too about the fact they are RHD? Do you have to convert them to LHD? Again, we are lucky in OZ & do not have to worry about this.

        Not to rub your nose in it again guys but to see what we have available in Australia check out one of our biggest car sites (www.carsales.com.au). Type in or search any Japenese performance car to see what I mean. We are blessed!

        • Dave says:

          I do love the RX-8. It’s a bit slow but handles really great. It also rides well and is pretty practical as a daily driver.

          I don’t know if I should generalize, but pre-R35 GT-Rs are a bit of a holy grail among car geeks like me here in the US. They’re still fairly rare, altho they’ve been trickling in for quite a while. The first time I saw one in person, an R32, was maybe ~10 years ago, a Nismo model no less. This was back in LA, and it was registered and wearing license plates. (I also saw an S15 Silvia with it; that was a fun day!) Back then one way people did it was to import them as parts/chassis, then *construct* and register them as newly-built (I guess custom) cars with new DMV-assigned VINs. This made it really expensive. R34 was the most desirable and expensive back then, and I remember seeing R32 GTS coupes asking for something like $30k. Nobody converts them to LHD; I’ve seen a number of USDM Integras, Civics, 240SX converted from LHD to RHD. I don’t know what the prices of JDM Skylines are these days. I suspect they’ve gained value. Other older JDM cars are becoming more available though. For instance, a company called JDM Legends imports, restores/reconditions, and sells them. They have a 60-series Crown wagon that I REALLY want.

          You guys in Australia really do have it good when it comes to Japanese cars, not just GT-Rs but also rotaries galore! On the flipside, Camaros and Mustangs are pretty cheap here =P It was interesting to hear that GT-R was boo’d by some over there; I always thought Australia was GT-R’s stomping ground and that it’s beloved there!

          • Michael says:

            WOW Dave! Thank you for filling me in on what U.S. GT-R (& I guess all model Skyline / Silvia / Pulsar GTi-R etc) enthusiasts have had to go through. Guess now it will get a bit easier, but prices are still too early to comment on.

            Also crazy to us here in OZ is the price you quoted for the R32 GTS. Good quality, tastefully modified R32 GTS-Ts usally go for around $8-10000 AUD. Plus, the S15 ( & S14) Sylvia were sold here from brand new by Nissan Australia. Prices for these Sylvias are also very reasonable. Just hard to find one which has not fell prey to a wannabe drifter. I love the sport of drifting, but it has a lot to answer for when it comes to the car carnage it creates!

            Mostly the R32 GT-R (& the R33 & R34) is highly revered here too. Just depends on who you talk to! Most Holden (Chevy) & Ford guys still hold a HUGE grudge against them from their Group A racing days. They (Holden & Ford guys) said they (Nissan) exploited the rules, making a car that was unfair to race against.

            Not sure if you know about our track in Bathurst, NSW, but there in ’92 was when it all came to a head & erupted! This moment is still remembered in Australian motorsport. Google “pack of a$$holes Skyline”. The hostility towards the winning R32 GT-R drivers (Jim Richards & Mark Skaife) was terrible.

  28. Gary says:

    During 2013 we started up our new business called Toyota Heritage – and we made a limited number of parts for pre-1985 model Toyota’s (mostly KE1x and Sprinter).

    We plan to lift this business another notch and move into other models.

  29. blue72 says:

    To get my 510 as close to street legal as possible. My wife got me a new Atsugi water pump for Christmas, so I’m getting closer all the time!

  30. John says:

    Finish my damn 1200! 🙂

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