Finally got around to buying a winter beater today

"The Swedish Bandit" (swedishbandit)
11/16/2013 at 16:00 • Filed to: sparfbait?, sparfbait

I think I may have overdone it...

This here is an '88 Nissan S12 180zx Turbo (that's a turbo from the 80's!!!). It's also RWD and has a 5-speed manual. Other than that I don't know much about these cars, so if anyone want to point me to some more info that would be great!.

Apparently it runs great and the body is in pretty good condition. And honestly for what I paid for it, 6500 SEK ($1000), I can confidently say I got a pretty darn good deal. I'll try to get some more (better) pics up tomorrow.

Now to figure out what to actually do with it...

DISCUSSION (21)

TheBaron2112 > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:02

What to do with it?

It's RWD turbo and winter is coming.

You drive it. Sideways.

The Swedish Bandit > TheBaron2112
11/16/2013 at 16:06

Great point! Will do!

Hoccy > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:10

Deal of the year right here. 6500SEK is cheap for such a car, and that's a rare one in this part of the world as well..

Makoyouidiot > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:13

You're doing it wrong...and also oh so right.

1337HPMustang > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:14

You swedes are a cool bunch. Keep it up.

No Prius Needed > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:14

At first I was going to argue with you that its an 86 but then I remembered how similar these things look.

aquila121 > TheBaron2112
11/16/2013 at 16:16

Remember, colder air is denser air. Denser air can take more fuel in the mix—more fuel, more potential bang. Turbos like winter.

The Swedish Bandit > Hoccy
11/16/2013 at 16:21

How rare exactly? I've heard that they were only sold in scandinavia by a certain someone, but I could be wrong. Were they sold in another country under a different name perhaps?

The Swedish Bandit > aquila121
11/16/2013 at 16:26

Still... only 135 hp that'll probably won't be making too much craziness.

Hoccy > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:27

So rare that I've never seen one. This kind of car was killed by all the taxes here in Norway so they might have had better sales in Sweden and Denmark. But then again Japanese cars have never had very good sales figures in Sweden either (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'd imagine it's quite rare there as well.

RSanthony > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:36

Brilliant. I had one. It was named Nissan Silvia here in France.

The engine was a CA18ET. Inline 4. Turbo. No intercooler. 135 HP. It was more solid than the later DET engine fitted in S13 cars. No hydraulic lifter issues. Much fewer connecting rod bearing disasters as well. Top end output wasn't amazing, but low down reactivity was good. I could start from a stand still in third gear without the car stuttering like a asthmatic horse.

As for the chassis, the car behaved a little bit like a boat. A little floaty. But it was very comfortable. You could make it stiffer, but finding performance parts is complicated. At least it was for me, in France, back in 2009. I roughly remember that either the struts or the springs had to be sourced from the Z31 Fairlady. No coilover kit existed as far as I remember. No LSD either, though I think going the Z31 route was the way to go as well.

All in all they are good fun. Solid. Very easy to work on. I only sold mine in order to buy a S13.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:42

Boss. RWD beaters are incredibly fun.

Just remember they're RWD...

Kinja'd!!!

The Swedish Bandit > RSanthony
11/16/2013 at 16:42

I see, thanks for the info! From what I've noticed so far, the output isn't really that amazing on any level. But the handling feels pretty sharp actually. But then again, my other ride is a '76 Firebird so everything feels pretty sharp in comparison to it.

But as for parts; look for z31 stuff. Got it!

The Swedish Bandit > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
11/16/2013 at 16:45

By that definition, that BMW should have smacked the rear into a tree, not the front!

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 16:52

Well noted. Because I'm an 'advanced' driver, I was half-way through saving it when the road ran out.

It was well past 90 degrees when I went into a barrier. Wet roads and heavy-handedness do not go well together.

The Swedish Bandit > Hoccy
11/16/2013 at 16:53

Honestly this is the first one I've ever seen aswell, so I'd imagine that the sales figures must have been terrible.

Anyways I've dug up some more info ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Si… ) and apperently, Sweden was the only country were they were sold as the 180zx. In NA they were sold as S12 200sx and in Europe they are known as the Silvia -something. The more you know, I guess...

The Swedish Bandit > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
11/16/2013 at 17:01

Ohh that was yours? Sorry for your loss.

I did a 180 off the road in my Volvo 240 last winter so I know what it feels like to simply run out of road. Luckily the damage was only minor on my part and after a weekend in the garage, you couldn't tell anything had ever happened.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 17:11

Yeah, the damage on mine is only superficial too. It'd be fixed by now if I could find a blasted wing for it. There's a good few about, but nothing in the right colour combo.

I reckon the cash-for-clunkers scheme we had a while back put paid to a good few of them.

RSanthony > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 18:10

IIRC, the turbo is a T20 and max boost is set to 0.35 bar. You can easily increase the boost, but I suggest making a custom mount intercooler beforehand. There's sufficient space under the bonnet and it's rather easy to do.

So yeah, Z31 for suspension parts and maybe LSD as well. Rear bushings too. For spark plugs you can use Denso models for SR20DET engines. Also I fitted an Apexi cone air intake from a S14 as well. Made the engine sound a little more interesting. More whoosh.

There is a little community around the S12, it's worth joining it. Great people for the most part.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > The Swedish Bandit
11/16/2013 at 18:54

What are you going to do with it after the winter?

The Swedish Bandit > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder
11/17/2013 at 07:53

Can't really say yet, but probably sell it to pay for parts for the firebird.