After selling my old skyline I decided I wanted to give importing a go, seeing as I always wanted a fresh import but never had the patience or guts to try it. I had liked chasers for years and always wanted to own one so I started searching the auctions in Japan. My initial plan was to buy one and try to sell it before landing and get a feel for what the import process was like, see if i actually liked chasers and take it from there. (That plan didn't go so well.)
I seen this pop up in the auctions and thought it was worth a shot seeing as it was styled a bit different to the usual and the the auction sheet listed a few nice extras:
Then came the long wait for the car come arrive on the boat. During this time I was forever checking the fleetmon app to see the travels the car was on. I also started looking a bit closer into the 1jz and soon fell in love with the car and decided I wanted to keep it for myself for a while.
It eventually landed in Dublin and once customs cleared it, home it came. The day it got home I knew the spoiler wasn't going to be my personal style, so took the ends off to see did I like it any better:
Then time to wash the few months of dust the car had accumulated and the shipping marks on windcreen:
It then got all fluids changed and full service along with rocker cover gaskets replaced. Found a few odd japanese bits, most worrying a turkey baster! Then off for VRT which was grand luckily as the chaser had come off the VRT website.
I decided the spoiler wasn't going to last any longer for me so took it off and got the holes filled and painted and also got the front splitter repaired and resprayed while it was there.
Next on the list was taking out the headunit and putting in my old sony that ive had for 10 years now but love to have it. Its the old sony blackface flip screen unit. The gearknob was broken and gear gaiter tatty so changed them out for bride gaiter and a dildo gearknob that was in the shed:
Old:
Now:
Had a mini meet with another chaser and r34 skyline when the drivers side corner lamp decided it didnt like being on the car anymore and it departed on the motorway shortly after the rolling shot. You can see its about to come out:
Replacement options were original orange from toyota which was ordered but seen smoked lenses on RHDjapan which looked nice so ordered them.
The Vienna's I want to get polished to take them back to perfect so picked up some XXRs to keep it rolling while thats happening. I'm going to wait till after japfest as left it too late to get it done beforehand. Tried them on to see what they were like. For such a large car, wheel sizes are quite limiting. It takes very little to fill the arches. Currently running 234/40/18 on rear:
Finally for now, got the car through NCT without even an advisary fail which I was delighted with. I have plenty of ideas in mind for what I want to do such as gauges in slot below radio, deep corn steering wheel, Kaber Performance arms, etc but powerwise I'm happy with what it has at the minute.
Spec:
97 JZX100 1jzGTE Toyota Chaser
Factory manual R154 gearbox
Upgraded twin plate ORC clutch
LSD
Upgraded ECU
Sard sports cat, stainless cat back exhaust
Alloy radiator
Front mount intercooler
Greddy oil cooler
Greddy coilovers
SSR Vienna Courage 18"
Greddy pod gauge with Blitz boost gauge
Vented wings
Vented fibreglass bonnet
Amuse grille
Full lip kit
Strut braces front and rear