My car life

"Nakazoto" (Nakazoto)
03/12/2018 at 11:14 • Filed to: None

I’ve requested and been accepted for authorship here on Oppositelock, so I guess that means I should author something. As this is my first post, the formatting is most likely going to be annoying or broken. If this upsets you, my response is succinctly summarized via this video:

I used to spend a lot of time on the JNC forums, but through a series of events that left a bad taste in my mouth, I no longer visit the JNC blog or forums at all. The result of this was that I was left wandering aimlessly through the murky cesspool of the internet looking for a good place to share car stories and pictures. Well, since I’m not good at navigating cesspools (I’m an anti-social by trade) I ended up just posting stuff on my Facebook, which can be the biggest cesspool of all. Fortunately, my good friend Flavien Vidal called me an idiot and told me to post here. So, here’s my story in super short form:

I lived in Japan for about seven and a half years and moved back home to Texas about two years ago. During my time in Japan I amassed a weird collection of cars, some of which gained a bit of notoriety on the internet. So, here is my current collection by year:

1967 Mitsubishi 360
This car I chronicled extensively as I went through the restoration process. It ended up on a few sites like Jalopnik, Speedhunters, BuildThreads, etc. Recently, it got sent to LA for something very fun, which I will divulge more info about as I’m allowed to.

1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport
I chronicled this car pretty extensively as well as I was building. However, I didn’t finish the build before we moved back. Now, it’s sitting here waiting for me to handle my business so I can get back to work on it. It would be in the garage right now, but a blown engine on my daily driver has delayed it yet again. Soon though, soon.

1971 Nissan Fairlady Z
I’ve had this car for like 12 years or something. It’s just sitting in the garage waiting for me to do something with it. It saddens me that I haven’t gotten around to it yet as it has a neat story. It’s a 71 model that was purchased brand new by the previous owner’s father in Japan. He brought it back in 73 and drove it for a long time. He then gave it to his daughter, who drove it until the fuel pump went out and then it sat for 10 years before I got it. It has since sat for another 10 years.

1973 Isuzu Bellett
I chronicled the build of this one pretty extensively as well. In short form, I summarized it on Drivetribe (back when I thought DT would become a thing). You can read the story on it here: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

1978 Isuzu 117 Coupe
This is my daily driver and one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. I took it on a wicked road trip through the south of Japan which we documented really well and posted on the JNC blog before I took my leave. You can read that journey here (there’s 10 parts, this is just part 1): !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Unfortunately, she’s had a penchant for consuming coolant, and with our most recent freeze, it went from annoying to alarming. So the head came off and was discovered to have a massive crack in it. I pulled the bottom end too and the bearings were well past there use by date. So, lots of work to be done there.

1988 Nissan 300ZX SS
I’ve had this car since I was 17, it’s been just a wonderful constant in my life. I bought it with 70,000 miles on it and it now has over 180,000 miles. The engine still runs strong, but everything connected to it (in particular the entire vacuum system) has started to deteriorate. So, it’s time for the engine to come out and a VG33 with a new turbo to go on. The goal is a modest 300 non-intercooled horsepower. We’ll see what I can do.

1991 Honda Beat
Last year my wife and I went back to Japan for three months for business (that’s a long business trip). So, we needed a car while we were there. Why buy something boring, when you can buy something fun and bring it home with you. I also chronicled the entire ownership and importation process in a series of Youtube videos you can see here: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

I also currently have two cars for sale (sold?)
1979 Mazda RX7
I bought this car as a rotary learning course for the Cosmo. I rebuilt the engine and played around with it a bit and now it’s time for it to go on to its next owner in life. This is fortunate, because this was a junkyard car, destined for a lonely death in the pick and pull. With some good luck, the new owner will be taking it home tonight!

1984 Isuzu Impulse
I really wanted to like this car. I even flew all the way to Monterey, CA and drove it all the way back with the worst “stanced” suspension in the World. It never really hit home for me though. I think the big USDM bumpers and quad headlights didn’t help, and the G200Z engine just didn’t fit the character of the car. Now, a Japanese Piazza with a 13B-REW swap, that’s something I can get behind! Hmmm. I posted this for sale and immediately got a bite from a potential buyer who promised me he would have the money by March. It’s March and he’s promising me he’ll have the money by May. If he makes another promise in May, we’ll have to post it up for sale again and search for a new buyer.

My father also has two pretty cool cars that I have become the caretaker of in recent years.

1947 Ford Super Deluxe 8
We’ve had this car since before I was born. I drove it in high-school for a bit and it’s just a big, lovable, machine. The flat-head V8 sounds like an angry watch and the steering wheel has so much play even the dirty ladies get flustered.

1967 Austin Healey 300 Mk.III
Saving the best for last, this thing is brilliant. Everything about it is fantastic (with the exception of all the parts Lucas touched). We’ve also had this one since before I was born and it’s just been one of the greatest sports cars and driving experiences of my life. I’ve driven a GS-F around Fuji Speedway, an LC500 at Dubai Autodrome, a Porsche 911 at Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, and none of them compare to just opening the taps on this little thing.

That’s my car life! I’ll post more pictures as things develop and I take cars out and about.
Cheers,
David

DISCUSSION (42)

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 11:41

Great collection! Very jealous. How is the Beat at Texas speeds? All the Lane guys that have driven the Beat said its just fast enough for Nashville. The S660 and NOne are fine though.

JeepJeremy > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 11:48

Woah

Seriously great collection of vehicles!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 11:58

Also, that story on the Mitsubishi 360 sounds like it might have gone to a certain individuals garage....

$kaycog > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 12:01

Welcome to Oppo, new victim friend! Love the ‘47 Ford!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 12:15

Holy crap - it’s Nakazoto! I often posted on the JNC forums (mostly only your threads) and followed your website as well as you were very good and entertaining when chronicling your builds! You also have a similar taste in cars to me, i.e. the odd and quirky (LOVE the Minica, btw!)

Awesome to see you here and hopefully you enjoy the community - Oppo is a very welcoming and great community...not always on-topic, and always a bit weird, but fun, informative, and friendly!

Welcome, and I look forward to hearing more about your awesome rides once again! :D

Nakazoto > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
03/12/2018 at 12:18

Thank you! The Beat is just fine as long as you are okay with getting passed on the regular and letting the engine spin at a fairly high RPM. At 110 KM/H it’s turning at just about 5,500 RPM, which seems high, but it doesn’t seem to have any issues. Not only that, it still averages about 40 MPG at that speed, which is nuts.

Nakazoto > $kaycog
03/12/2018 at 12:20

Thanks! Pops was thinking of selling it until I got it running good again and now he’s driving it weekly again! It’s a lot of fun to tool about in. It cruises alright between 45 and 55 MPH, so it’s not the best long distance cruiser, but it does great around town.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 12:20

Welcome to Oppo! Your car collection is amazing!

Nakazoto > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
03/12/2018 at 12:21

Right idea, just not quite that prestigious, haha. I wish I could have met that certain individual, but the Mitsubishi was just a step below his show. I’ve been told to keep an eye out for an air date of 5/2 though, so more information soon hopefully.

Nakazoto > JeepJeremy
03/12/2018 at 12:21

Thanks!

Nakazoto > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/12/2018 at 12:24

Thanks! JNC had a good community and the forums were a great place for the enthusiasts to get together. Unfortunately, upper politics started to get to a point that it involved me and so it was time for me to step away.

Any community that can tolerate Flavien and his French-ness is a good community in my book, haha!

If you’re ever down in Texas let me know and you can come check out the Mitsubishi and friends!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 12:24

Welll Doug might review my ISF so whos the winner now? Still you probably as you have some awesome cars and it will be on TV. As you are new here are some of my posts you may be interested in. Not sure of what part of Texas you’re in.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/nashville-oppo-meet-2018-1823078917

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/finally-photo-dumping-these-pictures-from-the-nissan-he-1823377718

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/what-is-it-like-volunteering-at-the-lane-motor-museum-1823033337#_ga=2.172514784.21943396.1520860964-1060260883.1498850506

Nakazoto > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
03/12/2018 at 12:25

Thank you! The wife has limited me to a grand total of 9 cars, so after the RX7 and Impulse go, something is sure to replace them soon!

functionoverfashion > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 12:31

Awesome cars, and welcome to Oppo. I look forward to seeing more from you. This is a good corner of the internet, for sure.

My bird IS the word > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 12:49

Welcome! By and large we have slightly less... exotic stuff around here but the variety makes up for it.

punkgoose17 > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 13:20

Wow awesome collection I love the 360 and the Bellett!

feather-throttle-not-hair > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 13:56

Welcome! That’s quite a collection, i’m a huge fan of the Austin Healey, my dad’s neighbor had one when i was growing up. I always liked that it was one of the few old, british roadsters to not be dog slow by today’s standards. I’ve also got a soft spot for that Isuzu Bellett, I’m sure i loved it in some Gran Turismo game at some point in my life. And as a Z car owner, i’ve got plenty of love for the Z31.

Cliff notes: You have cool cars. Welcome.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto
03/12/2018 at 14:08

It did seem like a good community - sad that politics ruined it! :(

Flavien is a pretty cool chap, he keeps us all up to date on Japanese goings on and we are all waiting for more news of his Lancia *blatantly clears his throat and looks in Flavien’s direction :P*

Would LOVE to see the Minica in person, but I am literally on the opposite end of the continent to you, with you down in the lower-left in Texas and me in the upper-right up here in Nova Scotia, Canada! If you ever want to take one of them on a LONG road trip...! :P

Good luck with the Isuzu rebuild - is it going to be hard to find a block for it? Love the fact that you are DD-ing it, by the way! By the way, if you don’t mind my asking - you used to work for Toyota (I think?), where are you working now? Still in the automotive sector?

Nakazoto > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/12/2018 at 18:27

Flavien is indeed a good dude! I’m looking forward to hanging out with him early next month when I head back up that way for work. Hoping to see his Lancia in person as well, super excited about that thing!

Canada is a bit of a trip in a car that has a top speed of about 40 MPH, haha. Well, the offer still stands if you ever decide to fly South for the winter one year!

The block is actually alright on the 117, it’s the cylinder head that’s tough. Externally though, the block and head look identical to the G200Z 2.0 Liter engine that came in Troopers, Luvs, everything else Isuzu made. So, I’ll probably hunt one of those down and then bolt all the 177 EFI stuff up to it.

I got a little more tuning to do on the Bellett before I get to that. I just had the cylinder head done and she’s running beautifully until you really lean into, then it loses power like crazy. I think I may have got my timing all messed up. I’ll have to spend some time with it in the garage once I finish up a bit of work that’s on my desk.

Speaking of work, I actually work for a small company that works with Toyota doing training events and translation for manuals and what not. Still doing the same job, just doing it as a freelancer here in Texas!

Nakazoto > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
03/12/2018 at 18:32

The ISF is such a sweet machine, it was the first of the F machines and really, really good. Having said that, I’ve driven all the F machines except the ISF (GSF, RCF, LC500, and LFA - well, the LFA was only in first gear in a parking lot, but it counts!). Looking forward to Doug DeMuro talking about it. Since I work with Lexus on a daily basis, it’s always interesting to listen to someone’s thoughts on Lexus who doesn’t actually work there.

The Lane Motor Museum has some epic cars! I’d love to go visit someday, if only to see the Clio V6. I’ve seen a few in the wild in Japan, but never one up close. If the 117 Coupe were up and going, I’d be tempted to join the Nashville meet (assuming I could get a few days off of work).

Nakazoto > feather-throttle-not-hair
03/12/2018 at 20:51

Thank you!

The Austin Healey is one of those cars that was pretty affordable until just a few years ago, then they really jumped up. I’m glad we’ve held on to it though, it’s just such a good car. The power is really well balanced with the chassis as well, so it doesn’t get that gross underpowered feeling that a lot of the British roadsters get.

The Bellett is fantastic. It’s like a more reliable Alfa Romeo, haha. It’s not the twin-cam model (although someday I may swap in a G180W/G200W twin cam engine), but it’s full of character and just quick enough to be fun. The brakes are actually unassisted (disc up front, drum in the rear) and I think it’s the best feeling brake pedal of any car I’ve driven.

The Z31 is soon to be the only LHD car I own, but I don’t think I could ever sell it. It’s just such a good car, even by today’s standards its comfortable, quick, handles well, it must have been awesome in the 80s.

Nakazoto > functionoverfashion
03/12/2018 at 20:52

Thank you very much! Hopefully, I’ll have some more interesting stuff rolling in here shortly, so I’ll keep posting pictures up on the regular.

Nakazoto > My bird IS the word
03/12/2018 at 20:52

It’s the quirky stuff that I love the most, which means I’m in the right place!

Nakazoto > punkgoose17
03/12/2018 at 20:53

Thank you! My favorite thing about the 360 is that it doesn’t matter what kind of day you’re having, you can’t walk up to that thing with a frown on your face!

Stef Schrader > Nakazoto
03/13/2018 at 10:46

Hot dang.

If you ever want to be featured by Jalopnik again, let me know. I’m closeby and would love to have a look at some of these!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto
03/13/2018 at 14:09

Ah yes, I remember reading you going to events in some of your previous posts way back when...seems like an interesting job!Hope the Bellet and 117 aren’t too hard to button up! :)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nakazoto
03/14/2018 at 10:06

What an amazing collection! I have a cousin who’s lived in Japan for many years as a teacher. He’s married now and they have two little kids.

Are you going to take up Stef’s invite?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Stef Schrader
03/14/2018 at 10:08

Yes! This!

Nakazoto > Stef Schrader
03/14/2018 at 15:28

That would be awesome!

I’m in a weird position, because my favorite thing about owning these cars is sharing them with people. But out here in the middle of nowhere (about 2 hours south of DFW), there’s not too many people to share with. I’d love to have you out for some fun! Shoot me an email at Nakazoto at gmail and we’ll work something out (my work schedule can get a little hectic at times).

Nakazoto > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
03/14/2018 at 15:30

Thanks!

I started in Japan as an English teacher up in Hokkaido, but I stumbled upon an opportunity to work down in Nagoya doing what I do now after being there for 8 months and couldn’t pass it up.

I’d love to have Stef out for some car day fun!

Nakazoto > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/14/2018 at 15:33

Yup, they’ve got me heading to even more events in April. I’ll actually be out of country for all of April except 5 days. It’s going to be an intense month!

I dug into the Bellett yesterday and it ended up being these pancake type open air filters I put on the carbs. They just couldn’t flow enough air or were causing some weird turbulence or something. I took them off to check the balance on the carbs and drove with them off (open carb) and the car absolutely ripped! I’ve got the original air filter assembly back on there now until I figure out some good velocity stacks and filters for the 40mm SUs.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto
03/14/2018 at 18:18

Awesome! Glad it’s not a huge problem! Has the Bellett always run a bit poorly?

Nakazoto > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/14/2018 at 18:49

Not necessarily poorly, just noisily. I didn’t do the cylinder head in Japan when I did the bottom end and I really should have. The valve stem seals were shot and one of the chain guides was broken. So that rattled like mad and it burned a bit of oil. It also clattered like crazy on start up because all the oil would drain into the cylinders thru the stem seals. I got the head re-done pretty recently and got all new chain guides for it. I checked compression on all cylinders and they all read 175 PSI except number 2 which read 172 psi. Now, that I’m confident the rebuild is good and the head is good, I’m finally confident enough to really step on it and let the engine sing. So, yesterday was actually the first day I’d run it at WOT all the way to 5,500 RPM. I was surprised at how well that little thing boogies!

B_dol > Nakazoto
03/14/2018 at 19:49

Diggin the Honda Beat and kei cars as fun canyon/track projects stateside. Local guy has been running a Cappucino at Northern California track events.

Nakazoto > B_dol
03/14/2018 at 21:34

The Cappucino is definitely a bit faster than the Beat, but honestly, not much out there can outdo the Beat for sound. The Beat would be awesome at an Autocross, but all the tracks here are way too fast for it. I think it’s an absolute riot in town though, everywhere you go you’re bouncing off of 7 to 8,000 RPM and sounding like a race car, but not actually breaking any laws, haha.

Here’s a quick vid of the sound (I recorded the audio by putting a proper microphone in the engine bay, it’s about as close as I could get to the actual sound on video):

B_dol > Nakazoto
03/15/2018 at 11:58

This sounds a lot better than expected, is your engine/exhaust modified in any way?

Nakazoto > B_dol
03/15/2018 at 14:50

It has a feels muffler on it ( http://www.hondatwincam.co.jp/ ) and a set of velocity stacks that you can see in the video. Other than though, it’s all factory! The Beat came from the factory with the individual throttle bodies, which is what helps it sound so nice. In the video, nearly all of the noise you here is induction noise. There’s very little, if any exhaust noise, coming in through there. Normally I keep an airbox on there, so it’s a bit more subdued, but for the video I ran it open, which really accentuates that throaty little sound. It also helps that I was shifting at 9,000 RPM in the video.

B_dol > Nakazoto
03/15/2018 at 14:55

It sounds great, tremendous job on the car. Yes it sounds a lot like the S54 in my BMW, induction and throttle body noise.

Hmm I may need to tally up a Honda Beat wishlist and see how much I would need to sink into it.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nakazoto
03/15/2018 at 17:10

Awesome! Improvements! :D

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nakazoto
03/21/2018 at 23:26

You’re a madman and I love you and love your Cosmos and love your Austin-Healey.

Welcome to Oppo. I’m Jake, my schtick is making terrible financial decisions like the 1977 Jaguar XJ-S with a small block chevy in it that I’m currently trying to sell. Daily is an ‘02 Miata SE lightly modified for autocross.

Look forward to seeing more of you and your insane collection. I think you win the award for “Most oppo on oppo”

Stef Schrader > Nakazoto
03/27/2018 at 01:52

Oooooh. Late to the party, but I’ll email soon for sure.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Nakazoto
07/05/2018 at 17:44

Omg that Healey is just so gorgeous!