Gorgan the NB

[The Green Goblin]

Hey All,

I’ve been lurking the forums for a little while, new to the MX scene & Mazda’s in general, thought it would be good to start one of these threads & keep track of how Gorgan comes along. I will try & keep it brief & to the point.

So, it all started here…this day put things into perspective for me. A well prepped NB RS.. pulled good, was a little go kart. Thrashed around wakefield all day long.. awesome adrenalin rush, as i was driving back I thought.. I need more of that in my life.





Having owned a clean s15 for 6 years, all I knew was Nissan..it was my dream car & I brought it a long way from stock form, great car, pulled good, was good at skids, smooth etc. it would always keep weekends fun. Although I had it for a long time it had never seen circuit racing, I just thought it was far too clean for that sort of thing. I have always wanted to get good at circuit racing & I knew that holding onto the s15 was going to hold me back from doing that, so I made the executive decision to let it go.. it was a sad day, but I didn’t regret it as I knew which direction I wanted to take after it + it was time for something different.

Here is the s15.. it's turbo spool will forever remain in my heart.


After searching for about 1 month or so I quickly realised that it was hard to find an NB series 2 in decent condition, most owners were careless & grubby, I was loosing hope until I found something at a dealer in the north shore.. I have never bought a car off a dealer but thought I would check it out & if it was any good, I’d play hard ball with the sales man.

I had it thoroughly inspected & it passed, so I proceeded.. I did pay a little premium for it even after negotiating a fair bit, but I think it was worth it considering the condition of others that I had seen with higher km’s & in thrashed condition.

I picked it up mid May, washed polished & cleaned the interior.. also purchased smaller black & white plates.






84,000 genuine km’s, good service history, clean paint & interior, smooth & no mechanical issues..chassis & drivetrain in good order, so I couldn’t complain much even though It had some niggly things that needed attention but what 12 year old car doesn’t.

The goal is.. keep it simple but effective aesthetically, road registered, track it as much as possible, I want it to have a good driving feel & decent track set up.. So it has begun..

[The Green Goblin]

Before I begin with major modifications, I’ve been spending some time getting to know it..also came up with a ‘clean up’ list. Basically want to get it to a decent standard & have done the following so far, post a major service ofcourse.

- New wipers
- New tyres & allignment – Hankook K415’s (previous were cheapo’s & loud)
- Fix minor dents in doors & rear quarter panels
- Fix front bar & re-spray (the license plate bracket had bent & damaged it + had bad scratches & chips). Also remove front bar badge.
- Tint windows
- Obtain new license plate bracket
- Change the head light & fog light globes
- Obtain new OEM floor mats
- Remove the tape around air con vents (previous owner!)
- Polish head lights + fog lights
- Clean & care for roof (used that aerospace 303 stuff.. really good)

All have been done now except for the removal of tape from air con vents..I am looking into the removal process & want to avoid damaging the dash. any write ups here would be good.

Doesn’t look much different really.. hit some cruises recently & was good fun fanging around royal nasho.. can definitely push this car more than the s15 before the ass lets go..

head light clean




no more massive badge




new license plate bracket + can see the tinge of blue from new head light globes


cruise-age




the garage view.. still getting used to it.


Have ordered some new parts recently.. counting down days until they arrive.

[TTT]

looks very clean.

you didn't have a user id of OMG on another forum some years ago by any chance?

Just your userid the green goblin was a nick name that was given to an S14 years ago in another car club in Sydney..
with you having owned an S15 I thought it might be possible.

[Nevyn72]

Congrats on the new aquisition, looks great!

What parts do you have on order?
Hopefully the list includes the standard mod of clear side indicators and reflectors!

It also looks like you have a couple of wheel centre caps missing.....
Do you plan to keep those wheels in the longer term?

[speed freak]

Welcome mate. Nice looking NB. I remember your post about you thinking of selling your S15 for an mx5, glad to see you went ahead with it. As Im sure you have already worked out you have made a great decision, gone from one fun car to another, the faster you go and the harder you push the more fun they are.

The NB series 2 is a great platform too, but Im biased haha. Got any big plans for it or just the basic/normal mods?

They love track work too, I daily drive mine but take it to the track as regularly as possible and it loves it, if you look after it, it will look after you.

Will be good to see this transform over time when the mods begin.

[The Green Goblin]

looks very clean.

you didn't have a user id of OMG on another forum some years ago by any chance?

Just your userid the green goblin was a nick name that was given to an S14 years ago in another car club in Sydney..
with you having owned an S15 I thought it might be possible.

thanks mate.. & nay didnt have that user name previously.

[The Green Goblin]

Congrats on the new aquisition, looks great!

What parts do you have on order?
Hopefully the list includes the standard mod of clear side indicators and reflectors!

It also looks like you have a couple of wheel centre caps missing.....
Do you plan to keep those wheels in the longer term?

thanks, re the parts you will soon see : )

i was actually looking at the IL motorsport indicators along with clear reflectors but against the dark blue paint i think it will stand out a little too much & look weird, so i might leave the OEM ones.

these stock wheels will be used for skid pan days.. & as back ups where needed. i already know the rim/tyre spec i am after.

[The Green Goblin]

Welcome mate. Nice looking NB. I remember your post about you thinking of selling your S15 for an mx5, glad to see you went ahead with it. As Im sure you have already worked out you have made a great decision, gone from one fun car to another, the faster you go and the harder you push the more fun they are.

The NB series 2 is a great platform too, but Im biased haha. Got any big plans for it or just the basic/normal mods?

They love track work too, I daily drive mine but take it to the track as regularly as possible and it loves it, if you look after it, it will look after you.

Will be good to see this transform over time when the mods begin.

yeh thanks mate, it was a tough decision .. but a confident one, as i know this car has potential. they do like to rev dont they.. as i mentioned it's hard to find it's limits as compared to the s15.

i guess 'big' needs to be defined, from my end i want to replicate as much as i can the set up of the silver NB i drove pictured above, it's a set up that others on here have done from what i have seen, so you can say it wont be anything too crazy. i have made the 'mod list' & know where it's heading.. the main thing is having as much seat time as i can so it would have to be reliable.

cheers.

[speed freak]

It will be very fun (or more fun I should say) in the end once it is like the track school one. Mine is quit similar to it now (from what I can see). Stock engine, lighter clutch and flywheel combo, coilovers, enkei rpf1, roll bar, sparco seat, stock brakes with good pads and braided lines. That pretty much sums up all the mods I can think of, done a bit of maintenance but thats it. As you said, get as much seat time as possible and you will quickly learn what you and the car is capable of and what needs improving. Will be a fun process.

What did you use to clean the headlights? Mine is in need of some attention but everything Iv tried doesnt last very long or doesnt help at all. Yours come up really good.

[Regie]

seeya though the Nasho one day Thats my playground also

[The Green Goblin]

It will be very fun (or more fun I should say) in the end once it is like the track school one. Mine is quit similar to it now (from what I can see). Stock engine, lighter clutch and flywheel combo, coilovers, enkei rpf1, roll bar, sparco seat, stock brakes with good pads and braided lines. That pretty much sums up all the mods I can think of, done a bit of maintenance but thats it. As you said, get as much seat time as possible and you will quickly learn what you and the car is capable of and what needs improving. Will be a fun process.

What did you use to clean the headlights? Mine is in need of some attention but everything Iv tried doesnt last very long or doesnt help at all. Yours come up really good.

yeh should be awesome once set up is complete, those mods you mentioned are pretty much on par to the track shcool mx.. im looking at cold air intake, full exhaust, cams + ECU, coilovers & relevant susp arms (bracing if neccassary), new pads with braided lines, bucket seat, steering wheel, roll bar, 15x8 rims with semi's.. will use the stock clutch until it starts to go. before getting the rims & semis though i want to make sure the suspension set up is right.

for the headlights i smashed them with 3 coats of meguiars plastx.. let it sit for a while between coats.. it's been a month now & seems fine, then again they weren't too bad when i bought it i can get anal at times.

[The Green Goblin]

seeya though the Nasho one day Thats my playground also

yes it was my home away from home at one stage.. im a bit over driving on road these days though..

do you guys run regular cruises?

[speed freak]

It will be very fun (or more fun I should say) in the end once it is like the track school one. Mine is quit similar to it now (from what I can see). Stock engine, lighter clutch and flywheel combo, coilovers, enkei rpf1, roll bar, sparco seat, stock brakes with good pads and braided lines. That pretty much sums up all the mods I can think of, done a bit of maintenance but thats it. As you said, get as much seat time as possible and you will quickly learn what you and the car is capable of and what needs improving. Will be a fun process.

What did you use to clean the headlights? Mine is in need of some attention but everything Iv tried doesnt last very long or doesnt help at all. Yours come up really good.

yeh should be awesome once set up is complete, those mods you mentioned are pretty much on par to the track shcool mx.. im looking at cold air intake, full exhaust, cams + ECU, coilovers & relevant susp arms (bracing if neccassary), new pads with braided lines, bucket seat, steering wheel, roll bar, 15x8 rims with semi's.. will use the stock clutch until it starts to go. before getting the rims & semis though i want to make sure the suspension set up is right.

for the headlights i smashed them with 3 coats of meguiars plastx.. let it sit for a while between coats.. it's been a month now & seems fine, then again they weren't too bad when i bought it i can get anal at times.

Sounds good. I think with some coilovers and upgraded swaybars you should be set. The NB8B has factory underbody bracing and a reinforced chassis compared to the other models. Also you can get a good amount of negative camber stock too, dependent on how low you go but Im still above legal height and have about 2 degrees negative camber front and rear and could get a little more if needed. Does fine as a street and track setup and gets pushed pretty hard at the track.

Ill definitely try that Meguiars stuff on the headlights. On mine its only the passenger side one thats a bit cloudy, not too bad but would like to clean it up though.

Cheers

[The Green Goblin]

some new items:





- sparco 383 wheel, 330mm diameter, 25mm offset, suede.
- HKB boss kit
- Bell open face helmet

[speed freak]

Mmm I like that sparco steering wheel.

Is that HKB boss kit the one from MX5 Mania?

Thinking of getting one for mine if I end up getting another mx or something for a daily, dont really want to run the risk with the po-lice daily driving with a non oem airbag wheel.

Looks good man.