These are some pics from the other day, the daytime ones was just after a wash and the dusk ones after I finished waxing. Older pics I do not have handy, but we've all already seen 4-door XE's before so its no thing. That spot on the street is my only 'garage' for parking and working on the car.
...bought new in '95 by my friend's dad. He babied it for 251,000 km (~157K miles) until I bought it in June 2003. When I got this car I found it really fun to drive and reliable. I also knew zero about cars except how to drive without crashing or getting tickets, and maybe check the oil. Now its at 347,000 km (~217K miles), no overhauls.
One day I saw an episode of HackerTV online and they had a bit about hacking their Honda's ECU with a cold air intake...I was hooked. It bridged the gap between computer nerdstuff and cars, and I started hunting....Mike Kojima's garage set me straight and I realized that even a little gas-sipper like my GA16DE sentra could handle like a champ and would respond well even to bolt-ons. And so on. I found nissanforums, and soon archives at sentra.net and the hyperactive sr20forum, and yes I dont have an sr20, but I do have a b13 and that makes us cousins at least
...this car has earned its laurels, never breaking down (except that one time it was -30 and stuff just sludged and wouldnt start), passing through 11 Canadian winters driven heavily all year round, gettin groceries and gettin into the backcountry, down to DC a few times; heck it even drove UP Mont Tremblant for a springtime BBQ and snowboard session.
...presently, the car has had badges shaved, mudflaps off, side moldings shaved, stealth tints all around, a full set of 91 SE-R seats inside, Tsuru front end conversion w/silverstars, front clear side markers, Autobots front badge (I am an 80s cartoon geek), little aftermarket foglights, JVC 200W MP3 head unit with little 4x6 sony xplods in the front doors and 3-way 6.5-inch pioneers in the back (behind the 2 baby seats), hood dampers, 15" matte black Rota Slipstream shoes with Falken Zien 195/50R15 soles, homemade 3" to 2.5" stepped-down CAI with an oversized K&N filter and Drycharger, timing advance to 15 degrees, SR20 sparkplugs, Hotshot header, custom 2" catless exhaust with a CherryBomb resonator and a 6" round Magnaflow muffler. It also has an EBay FSTB and an Active Tuning RSTB sitting on KYB GR-2s.
In my tool room ready to go on there (when I have the time) I have a Walbro 190 fuel pump, a little SunPro mini-tach, a Stillen full bodykit...and a 5speed manual tranny because, yes, the car is still an automatic...and Road Magnet lowering springs should be here soon as well...and that CherryBomb is gonna go (TOO LOUD) and I'll swap in a Magnaflow resonator instead.
...and the (much) newer engine is sitting in the driveway, all wrapped up. Just missing a few bits and pieces for the swap and the car will have new life (the present motor likely has a bad piston ring on #1 and I dont want to spend the $$ to fix it I'd rather drop a newer block in)...
Feel free to comment as I'm sure you already do;
my philosophy is that I work on the car because I like learning more and more mechanics, I did modeling and painting of figurines and dioramas when I was a kid and a car is like a big model when it comes to body work (next year, maybe an orange paint job!!);
I drive it to work every day and love the way it handles, I'm happy with the little power it has, and in a couple years I can give it to my little bro for his 16th birthday and he'll be stoked and by then I hope to have a much sicker car from Japan to play with. Until then its budget time, as I cruise on in my gas-sippin sentra; "1CLNB13" and no we don;t get pulled over, ever...
have a good week,
D
