Badbong's SP: "Diablo"

[hks_kansei]

So someone stole your instrument cluster, or your whole car?

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=52486&hilit=help+stolen

[BadBong]

In the midst of all the chaos involved in getting Diablo back on the road, I've done a bit of shopping here and there.

The latest round of goodies have produced a set of 6ULs... 15*7 in matte black, brand spanking new at a good price





And of course... wheels are just for looks if you don't marry them up with some good rubber. So I've taken advantage of the current Bridgestone deal too... RE002s in 195/50/15 specs for only $400 balanced.



Got a special project for the wheels soon, can't wait to try layering with Plasti-Dip (it'll either turn out really well or a complete flop but hey... it's going to fun!)

Car's coming back temporarily just for the Brass Monkey weekend then back with Fhrx Studios to get the audio gear back on.... can't wait!

[BadBong]

Just got the car back (for the weekend) from Concord Customs, Silverwater.

Very, very pleased with the paint job and the repairs on the bonnet. Will attach a before/after shot later ;)

Did a fair bit of mods to the car as well... here's a sneak preview until I take some decent photos this weekend (rain pending...)

[zero00]

Well done badbong!

Good to see it progressing after the incident

Nice choice of wheels too! same colour as my 6UL's cept I went for the 7.5's

[Lokiel]

Add some red "rimskins" (http://www.rimskins.com/) or red rim protectors (http://www.smartmadness.com/servlet/the-1292/smart-car-Wheel-Rim/Detail) and the black rims might look OK with your red & black theme

[luist]

your car looked awesome! good choice on the red insert to your headlights! made it look awesome!

[bruce]

I hope you've upgraded the locks/security at your garage (if you have, I would not discuss it).
I am reluctant to discuss specific locations/mods/licence plates as anyone could be reading this.

[BadBong]

your car looked awesome! good choice on the red insert to your headlights! made it look awesome!

Thanks mate, but they're not inserts... ;)

I hope you've upgraded the locks/security at your garage (if you have, I would not discuss it).
I am reluctant to discuss specific locations/mods/licence plates as anyone could be reading this.

Thanks for your concern mate. Everything to do with the security of the car, garage space and even the building is in progress.

However, if I need to restrain from posting or talking about my mods in fear of a potential break in then I might as well not have the car at all. If he comes again, he'll find a way Until next time though.... I'll enjoy what I have

*More photos to come after the club run tomorrow.

[Regie]

my camera is packed for tomorrow

ill have to chat to you about the headlights, im keen to do something with mine, keen to head the process you did

[NitroDann]

250+whp..



Dann

[NitroDann]

The dip is the car pulling out of the rollers and bouncing on the straps.

Final settings were 19psi, and this dyno run was done with the air con on, its was super hot, I estimate 280whp.

Stock SP with forged bottom end, NitroDann exhaust, Ecu setup and tune, with injectors and clutch upgrade. Yep, another Haltech Elite install, should get better than OEM economy too.

Dann

[BadBong]

Hi everyone, I've been a member of this site for a long time but it's been a while since I've last visited.

Many things have happened since my last post in 2012, both in terms of modifications made to my beloved ride, 'Diablo' and the different perspective that I now have on what 'having fun' is all about.

I'm not here to brag about what I've done to my car but I am here to give everyone an objective review on the work that (Nitro)Dann had completed on my car. I receive no discounts, kudos, referral fees, benefits etc. for writing my review below. I only want to give credit where it's due.

How I got to know Dann:

I met Dann via this forum a couple of years ago. I've only met him in person once back in 2010 but have been observing the type of work that he's been doing for a while: from a young man going through the modification phase to a DIY warrior to a competent mechanic to a small business owner based in the Central Coast area.

Every entrepreneur/business owner is proud of their own work and Dann's pride is often mistaken as his ego by other people. I don't know him well enough personally yet but on a professional level, I would describe him as diligent and responsible. A compliment I would give him is that he knows what he doesn't know. He's a specialist in car modification who has built his initial reputation on his welding skills, fabricating exhaust systems. He's obviously accumulated alot of valuable experience along the way but he's very clear about what he can't do, in which case he'll either refer you to a true specialist or invest a huge amount of time and effort off his own bat to become more knowledgeable in a given field like tuning (more on that later).

I trust him and his workmanship enough to leave my car with him for several weeks to complete some major mechanical work all at the same time.



The actual work carried out:

What started as a simple gearbox swapping exercise turned into a bit of a project once I've been given the green light by my generous wife. So within a fairly reasonable amount of time, Dann was able to complete the following:

- Swapping the gearbox with a low kms one and installing a new clutch (all parts were machined);
- Installing new OEM suspension bushings;
- Assembling and installing new Ohlins coilovers;
- Completely new wheel alignment;
- Fabricating and installing a new 3" exhaust system with a Varex muffler for volume control;

Thanks to a wicked friend who allowed me to drive his recently tuned turbo NB, I was hooked by the power and decided to get the rest of the package done at the same time. The good thing is that my engine was already strengthened from a previous rebuilt, my turbo is in good working order and my exhaust system has also been recently upgraded so all I really needed was an aftermarket ECU so to add to the above list:

- Installing the Haltech Elite and assembling the customised loom;
- Tuning and dyno-ing the damn thing (more on that later);



My take on how everything went as a customer:

Dann has always been upfront about the cost and time involved in completing the above tasks. However, given that he is running a small business, his time does get stretched from time to time but he is very responsive to calls and messages via his official FB page. I was very well informed every step of the way and he was completely open to sharing the process in which he'll go about his work and any challenges that he encounters as they appear, which gave me great comfort as a customer.

The first part of the list above was completely flawlessly as you would expect from any reputable specialist and Dann was no exception. What I do want to share is my experience in going down the route of an aftermarket ECU so hopefully it'll help others who are pondering the idea.

I've owned my SP, 'Diablo' model for a few years now. It's got a decent amount of power compared to the stock NB8Bs (~160hp at the wheels), which suits my driving style but I always knew that it had a mind of its own: heating issues, lumpy power delivery, intermittent farts from the exhaust and inconsistent throttle response (when compared to the NB8A I had previously).

I knew that the only solution to the issues I had was to go get an aftermarket ECU and tune the hell out of it but I was also fearful about the issues that have plagued so many aftermarket turbo builds: rough idle, unreliable air-con, electrical faults, overheating, engine damage, (even more) lumpy power delivery etc. etc.

I'm happy to report back that the end result of the work that Dann's done on Diablo has been nothing short of excellent work.

The car is making 250hp at the wheels now, which is probably too much for daily driving... Power aside, the more important thing is the way in which this power is delivered. It's progressive, consistent and smooth. Throttle response has been drastically improved and despite a 50% increase in power, it is very manageable and usable. The best way for me to describe it is as if I have an extra gear to play with - every turn that I use to make in 2nd gear can now be made in 3rd with more (smoother) power at my disposal to improve the way in which I exit a turn. There's enough power everywhere along the rev range to make day to day driving more enjoyable. Couple with that the ability to out accelerate current model Commodore SS, WRX STi, 370z and Golf Rs on tap (tested on multiple occasions... ), Diablo has really become a complete package.

Sure, there were a few challenges along the way but the solutions were relatively painless:

#Tuning time - Dann did a really good job with the base tune when I first picked up the car. We spent a good 4 hours together with him in my passenger seat to make adjustments to the tune whilst I'm driving in various conditions. However, it would be better to allow Dann to have the car for a longer period of time (than just a week...) to give him enough opportunities to smooth out its cold start idle settings;
#Electrical issues - If you have any installed any aftermarket electrical devices: HID lights, sound system, alarm systems etc., be prepared to invest the time to work with Dann on ironing out issues that might affect starting/idling performance. I ended up uninstalling my cheapo HIDs, which was causing all sorts of regularity issues to my electric circuit and Dann managed to ironed out the rest of the problems with some fine tuning;
#Testing - At the end of the day, no one knows my car better than me. I drove my car more in the week right after I picked up my car than I have for the past 3 months and managed to find alot of things that Dann couldn't have possibly discover. Once I was able to present the facts to Dann, they were quickly resolved;



My conclusion

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the work that Dann did. I got a sense that he couldn't tolerate imperfection and wouldn't give my car back just because "it starts so it's ok" or because "he's gone over budget".

For people who are interested in going down the aftermarket turbo route, give the man a good 2 to 3 weeks (plus time to source various parts) to tune the hell out of your car. The rate and time that Dann charges is neither high nor low and it's fair. Do factor in at least 3 visits to his workshop, which is based near Newcastle.

According to my research, I wouldn't recommend anyone else but Dann to conduct a complete turbo upgrade/install/overhaul for your NB in Australia at this point in time.

[Juicy HiC]

Completely agree with everything you've said.

[ManiacLachy]

Great write up. I know my car is going to Dann, is just a matter of when!

[NitroDann]

Doesnt hurt that the whole car is a sweet really tidy package.

I butt dyno'd the car at 280whp, recently the dyno it was tested on was found to be faulty, so Id stick with my butt dyno at 280whp, not 250.

After having built over 50 of these my butt dyno is pretty accurate

Dann