The import appreciation thread *cars*

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Hi I have decided to make a thread for those who like imports be it reliability performance etc. I do like my share of domestics like mustangs vettes and camaros but I am more into imports.I like supras 300 350 370zxs rx7s Nissan Skylines *infinity g35 and g37 in America*Nissan Leapord *Infinity m30 in America*Nissan Maxima Toyota celica Scion tc Subaru wrx Mitsubishi eclipse evo and 3000 gt honda s2000 acura nsx and last but not least the Nissan GTR!!

My [broken] car. 1984 Toyota Celica Supra. Pretty much my favorite looking car ever. I love 80s imports the most. They're fantastic looking. I like the Z31 300zx a lot, basically all the 80s notchback cars I just love.



I really love the R30 and R31 Skylines, too, and they're legal to import to America now. I just need like, money, if I want one. RWD only, though.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUEa7ZoLEno[/youtube]
A series of Japanese movies, Shuto Kousoku Trial. Great fun street racing movies. Not particularly deep or artistic or anything, but fun movies with lots of good racing and 90s import stuff.

Also, I LOVE Initial D. Initial D is what got me into cars. Before I saw Initial D, I didn't care about cars at all.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWhZWX3FnXg[/youtube]

Then there's Wangan Midnight, the anime came out recently, but it's actually a good deal older than Initial D. Initial D came out in 1996 or so, whereas Wangan Midnight came out as a manga in 1991 or 1992. Also, Wangan Midnight oddly enough had like 6 live action movies, that were straight to video, before an anime was made.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwiQT5mUMng[/youtube]

I always liked the look of the 1980s 300zx I own a 1991 Infiniti m30 it has the same exact engine as the 80s 300zx but it looks like the r31 skyline and amazing I flund out it shares the same platform. I love the vg30e I wish to some day convert it to turbo vg30 et or vg30 dett but it would be cheaper staying n/a

Eh, it's not cheaper to stay NA if you actually want power. The VG30 isn't a fantastic engine, though. That said, it's not bad and people have made them powerful. Most people, though, just swap a Nissan RB motor in. Lot easier in the grand scheme, even dyno numbers aside, an inline six simply sounds a hell of a lot nicer than a V6. For VG30ET, you can grab the turbo manifolding off a Z31 turbo 300zx. I don't think you'd need to mess with the ECU, either, if you kept boost low, you could just use a fuel pressure regulator. I know for my Supra with it's crappy 1984 ECU with an AFM, people routinely run 5-6PSI without issue on the stock ECU just with a fuel pressure regulator. The main cost in a good turbo setup isn't the turbo, though, it's the engine management. I think Nissan is a bit easier, as people have cracked the ROM on Nissans, so you can just buy ROM chips for like a dollar, and write them on your computer, whereas mine is 1980s tech and is almost for all intensive purposes analog. The Z31 turbos are weird, as they run a T25 on a V6, and no intercooler, so it's only a little under 250hp (maybe it was 230?) but it's just instant boost all the time. Actually for you, too, for the ROM chips, just use 300zx ECU stuff, problem solved.

If you got a spare grand or so lying around, you could easily turbo it. On my car, I was thinking of using a Holset HX35, the Holset turbos are cheap, they're diesel turbos. Supposed to spool pretty quick, too. The easiest thing to do for my car is just buy the 7MGTE turbo setup off a MKIII Supra and bolt it on. Who knows what I'll do when I eventually get some cash. Gotta start by getting it working again...

I got good tires on my car, so I just wanna maybe get some coilovers. Probably just buy some cheap ebay sleeves and put them in front. Honda Prelude sleeves fit over the front struts. Rear has separate springs and shocks, though. I could convert the rear to like, 240SX coilovers in back, but I don't know. I need like, money, and a job, and stuff like that.

I love Japanese cars! Currently I own 3 Japanese vehicles- 2 Geo Metroes (joint venture between Suzuki and GM) and a Nissan Frontier pickup I have had for 14 years. The Frontier is a one owner and is nearing 370,000 miles of pizza delivery on it's original engine and it still passes a compression test! It does go through a quart of oil every 3,000 miles now though, so I guess the rings and valve guides will need freshening one day. As for Japanese cars I want to own, well there's the B13 Sentra SE-R, original Datsun PL 510 (SR20DET swap please!), Hakosuka Skyline GT-R, Honda S600, Honda N600, Honda Beat, Toyota AE-86 (with a 4A-GE 20V swap from a JDM AE92) and, of course the Toyota 2000GT.

My current import, 1986 Honda Civic Hatchback 1.3L with 650,00k+ on it came from the older car, doesn't leak a drop and runs like a top, only took us 4 hours to do the swap which isn't bad for a couple of noobs. I still have the newer engine from the newer shell on an engine stand in the garage, sent the cam off for a regrind and I am going to run bike carbs and a 4-2-1 header.... it already has: 5spd Si transmission, Centerforce stage 2 clutch, KYB-GR2 shocks, DIY stainless steel Shortram with a K&N filter, Porsche Arctic Silver paint, otherwise stock.


R.I.P to the 1984 the came before it. Same engine and transmission as we swapped it into the newer car. The paint on this was R-M Carrizzma 3K candie. I painted it myself. It had leather, power, massage, heated lumbar supporting seats out of a Yukon Denali truck, it was like driving around in La-Z-Boy attached to an upholstered skateboard. So. Much. Fun. It had been in a front end hit before I got it, pulled it out on the frame machine as best we could before we did the bodywork and paint, still looks bent up in the front, I think it added character...

We bodged a rack on the back of it and used it for hauling wood to our campsites, toting our camping gear around... we lived out of this car for 6 weeks in the mountains in B.C. for vacation... With a blown drivers strut and at the time we didn't know it but the previous owner had installed the clutch in the 4spd backwards, pushing the seals in and draining all the oil, so we drove with over a ton of stuff, with a 4spd with a backwards installed clutch that was covered in oil, up and down crazy mountain roads




Took it to places we really shouldn't have....


I know every nut and bolt, every torque spec, I can field strip and repair the carb if need be, I know every squeak. No computers, I can and do work on it myself. Simple, logical. Spark, Fuel, Air, Go.


Sorry for the huge post, I really love my old Hondas.

I own an 86 Civic hatch, but it's sitting in storage due to title issues. 1.5 carbed motor, D15a2. Extreme. Fun car, though. 4 speed manual also. Really should work on getting the title for that... Too much crap on my plate right now, though. ugh.

Why not just find a 2JZ-GE out of a GS300 in a u pull it yard and build that instead? Run it off a Megasquirt with a good junkyard turbo and you'd have an astonishingly good combination capable of ridiculous power.

I've gotta get me one of these:

Oh that's an import for you...

Technically in the United Staes Mexico and Canada that is not an import but a domestic and a badass domestic at that. Usually Imports are from Japan Korea Germany Italy Sweden or France.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHzZTYzdhU4[/youtube]like this black Japanese Supra beating a souped up Corvette. And if my M30 was twin turbo it would go fast like this hehe although this guy is holding back on this vid I am assuming his m30 is pushing about 400-456 hp just modestly.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GevajtEIpko[/youtube] Ill probably go for the junkyard turbos since pick and pull sells turbos for 65$ if i was rich enough though i would just swap motors and put a VQ37 de and put twin turbo change the transmission from 4 speed auto to 7 speed of course I would have to upgrade the suspension add an intercooler just in case as well as brembo brakes to handle the power and you would be looking at 650+ hp there hehe.I would keep it stock on the outside though with maybe just a factory spoiler from a Maxima and possible rebadge it as a Skyline it would be an awesome sleeper!A vg 30e maxed is capable of generating about 500 HP a vg 30et however maxed is capable of generating 800 hp. A VQ engine maxxed with turbo your looking at 1k-1700ish hp. I would do an RB swap but those are not smog legal in the states sadly, unless you have them carbed certified etc and such and those cost an arm and a leg!

CokneyRebel lives in the London, England. Therefore to her a Mustang is an import just like their most awesome car, the original Mini, is to us.

I like taking my car uphill

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omhdzZvqCa4&feature=related[/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXS9cWiYHZ4[/youtube]Never underestimate the power of imports hehe.Youl never see a Ferarri or lambo do drift hehe [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euZ1RpEhmUE[/youtube]Hehe and here is my baby mines black like the first one shown [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGmsfxAtb3c&feature=related[/youtube]Heres what my baby sounds like firing up mines black just like this one [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2ysgXKiYJQ&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4FUOnSeFZI[/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHZnQR9kddU&feature=related[/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A9bfjQ0ePQ&feature=related[/youtube]