Feature: The Once Over - Juiceboxforyou

I’m certain quite a lot of people know this car by now, maybe in its former blue attire, or maybe from a recent video which we put together for Juicebox called “The Night Life”, either way this is the first time we have done a re feature of a car. We decided that the car deserved a second chance to be talked about on the website, and at this time probably wont understand.

and will have to include the 180sx or RPS13. The PS13 variant, which ran in production for roughly five years and it, left a much bigger impact on the car world than anyone would have ever expected. They come in all forms and styles, from a drift slag to a show queen, to a subtle monster, each example which usually brining something exciting to drool over. It’s hard to make one look bad just like an 86.  When Dayo purchased this car it was right around the time we featured it in blue, it ticked all the right boxes in today’s car styling trends and had a presence which already could easily rival many other S-bodies around the country.

How this car ended up being red is because of what the new owner does for a living and what he loves to do. The fact that he takes cars apart and repairs and paints them for a living means he is probably about 100 times more aware of little imperfections then let’s say someone who doesn’t. How this feature really begins is with the death of the original engine Sr20, which decided to say good bye in style. Just owning the car for a short amount of time it was now dead. So with the engine out it was time to hunt for a new heart and luckily enough not to close from where he lived was an engine from a very famous Irish drift car. I’m sure there are quite a lot of you out there who are familiar with the driving skills of Johnny P over the years and his gold 180sx on Meisters, a car that both looked the part and when like hell.

This engine came loaded with HKS pulleys and Camshafts, had a new displacement of 2100cc and was fitted with a set of Puter rods with Wiseco Pistons. The help of a Fidanza Flywheel and Stage 3 F1 racing clutch would help to keep things nice and lively. I knew Putting the engine straight back in and driving it wasn’t going to be an option, because Dayo makes a living painting, he decided to freshen up the engine bay with a nice shade of gold over the standard and now very dead white paint. The Cam cover was treated to a coat of light purple along with the intercooler piping. A strut brace was fitted and polished and it also received purple loving. A Cusco oil catch tank was fitted and everything was polished and fitted back into the bay.

With the car in the shed Dayo started throwing around ideas for paint, to repaint the cracked body of the car or leave it alone? That was a question which was  on the brain when looking at the s13, one of the wings was starting to get worse day by day and like we have mentioned previously, many people who work on cars both rebuilding them and spraying them are probably not the biggest fans of the “just cable tying it and everything will be ok” look which many others enjoy. So I was told the car would be painted red, a new colour from Toyota which would really work on the S-body, I was honestly a little worried as I knew this would turn into another project and the sole purpose of this car was to drive it whilst a few major projects were being built instead. What started as trying to fix the wing became a full scale rebuild. Dayo decided to fix all the little things which were starting to get on his nerves. The Origin bumpers skirts and wings came off.

Everything would be repaired. The back Over fenders were re fitted and were fiberglass matted all the way to the back of the quarter panel to help them from re-cracking, which is very common with a wide arch kit. So many things were on the car that not many other people would care to fix or maybe even notice, I have to say I admire the work that has been put into this rebuild. There are so many subtle things that have been fixed that many people would consider fussy, but that’s why I’ve always enjoyed the owners take on a car, the little things that people would consider fussy all add up to a finished project. Things like how the back boot lid sits flush or how the bumpers meet the body, everything was taken off repaired and put back on properly, this is what a career in fixing cars can do to you.

The car already had a great look to it and instead of completely revamping the car he felt he could add to its already impressive presence. The deep Red paint was the finishing touch on the outside, covering all the imperfections which have been repaired the car looked like something that belonged in a show. The back D- max s13 lights were smoked, the rubbers all freshened up and the car completely flattened and polished to a perfect finish. The front headlights and corner lamps were given a shade of darkness too and the front end was fitted with a custom front diffuser and canard setup to give the Streamline Origin front a more aggressive look.

Feeling very “do it yourself” after building an aesthetic Diffuser and Canard set-up Dayo decided to have a go at fabricating a custom shotgun exhaust. For a custom Job this is more than impressive looking. The Home built setup came out superb and really adds to the back end of the car.

The inside of the car was the next thing that needed attention. As this car was a daily driver, the stripped out interior can suddenly become a burden for everyday usage. A set of back seats and back quarter cards were sourced and fitted along with a set of relatively immaculate front seats from an s15.  This gave the feeling of a creature comfort interior but the car had more than enough power to still do its thing on the street if need be. Suddenly the Silvia could be four deep going sideways with 2 magical people up front and 2 in the back eating popcorn and enjoying a soda as the madness begun.

Underneath the car was stripped and everything was tightened and put back together as the car had a few issues handling wise, every problem that was on the car was weeded out and what was once an awesome drift slag suddenly became an awesome classy non rattling daily street slider. The car was fitted with new pads and discs and the wheels received a new set of spacers and tires ready to be burned off. I personally loved this car the other way, but I love it just as much this way too. The s13 is going to become a classic Japanese car someday and it’s great to see an owner with that type of vision and affection for cars putting insane hours into small things people won’t even acknowledge. It’s great to see this car change through hands with each owner building on it, making it better.

Just like the AE86 the PS13 belongs in the Drift hall of fame due to its already classic styling and stance, the Ganador Mirros, the Origin kit and over fenders, carbon bonnet, boot and roof spoiler. It’s one of the modern day hot rods that In twenty or thirty years’ time will surely have a bigger cult status then it already does today easily rivalling the likes of the muscle era from the 70s or the hot rods from the 30’s and 50’s. What was to become a once over on the car became a restoration of a good take on one of Japans most iconic coupes of the modern age. Even though the car is much shinier now, with a fresh paint job and every imperfection wiped from the car, S13’s were made to be driven and if you take a look at the video we made a few weeks back you’ll know this car is driven hard and pushed just like it should be. Cars like this will be the hot rods of our generation. You can count on it.