The Lemon

This blog is for the Nissan N16 Sentra but I'm really inspired to write about me Bro Jack's build which IMHO is arguably the most impressive in Bolehland. The Lemon is a yellow (what other colour would you expect a lemon to be? :) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7. Most people with lotsa moolah have no problems slapping on expensive aftermarket trick parts but the Lemon's build is an exercise in custom engineering more than a year in the making. It's a classic BST (Blood, Sweat and Tears) story. I can still remember carrying it's forged Wiseco pistons and Golden Eagle conrods back home from the US earlier on in the year. The results however are more than worth it. Picture below of the Lemon's engine bay.

All parts were sourced for and specced by Jack and he isn't even an engineer in profession. Some aspect of the build which really impressed me include:

Most people know how to use Earl's non-asbestos flame guard insulation but just look at the picture above how it is so nicely terminated with heatshrink. I am in awe!

Titanium fasteners everywhere. And I mean everywhere including even vband clamps. Below is one such order. This is one of many many orders. Mad is an understatement!

Where titanium fasteners are not suitable one will find ARP 12-point chromoly equivalents. Here's one such example of the turbo manifold. Others are on the flywheel, etc. I learned of ARP exhaust manifold studs from Jack. Jack even bought the tools for such fasteners.



Every fluid line that can be converted to AN with stainless braided hose have been done so and some more. Even the vacuum lines on the brake vacuum booster mind you. Forged AN fittings are used despite costing more for better clearance and routing. Oil catch tank is custom fabricated.

Custom stainless steel water lines compared to the mild steel stocker. Mind you once everything is assembled back one will never see this beautiful part unless you know where to look .



No sweat upgrading one's oil filler cap but look at the implementation on the Lemon. It's all in the details. PCV has been replaced by a forged AN fitting.

This is just for the engine build. I won't go into any further detail on the wiring, chassis, suspension, transmission build, all which are equally impressive. Even the aero! Hope you are as inspired as I am.

Ultimate Pedals Accelerator Pedal Pad

My accelerator or "gas" pedal pad from Ultimate Pedals finally arrived. If you can recall I only "upgraded" my brake and clutch pedal pads with original Nissan aluminium faced equivalents from a Z33. I could not upgrade the accelerator pedal pad and the reason is listed in my previous post.

Takes bout 2 weeks to custom manufacture upon placement of order. I choosed the shiny (brushed) smooth without grip inserts option. You can refer to the other options here. Service was first class and Robert from Ultimate Pedals answered my every email. Cost is quite prohibitive with shipping involved and probably equivalent or more than all three (clutch, brake and accelerator) universal pedal pads from the likes of Sparco.

Picture below of the installation instructions and accelerator pedal pad still in its bubble wrapping.

Pedal pad unwrapped. Material used is 6061-T6 aluminium with anti-slip surface finish. Self taping stainless steel screws are provided but I would have preferred some proper countersunk bolts and nylock nuts. Yes, you will have to drill your accelerator pedal. Quality is excellent with curvature and contour exactly matching the stock one piece accelerator pad. This is what custom is all about vs the one size and shape fits all universal pedal pads abound in the local market.

Need to arrange for delivery to Toby @ GT Auto for installation. I have also decided to replace the screws with some titanium countersunk bolts and nuts :) Pictures to follow post install.

Paint Job

The last time the Shark got painted was exactly two years ago. Since then the usual dings, chips and road rash from pebbles, etc have started to accumulate on the bumper, Impul front grille and front of the bonnet so I decided to send the Shark in for its long pushed out beautification job. Picture below of the work in progress.

Sans grille.

Stone chips fixed and awaiting paint job. The Shark is daydreaming that it can one day be as fast as the Porsche 911 in the background.

I'm also starting to think about more aero work. The functional type though a bit of bling won't kill so longs as its not overdone :) Might replace the Mine's Multi Select Carbon Rear Wing with something better. Maybe an APR GTC-200? What do you think?

This means my Mine's rear wing will be for sale. Anybody interested?  Asking for one third its original price.

More Yummy Yummy! - Continued

OK I'm spilling the beans. These are cams for my QG18DE from Kelford Cams. Cams are a regrind profile and are to extend my engine's power band on boost which tails off a bit too soon for Toby's liking. I had my stock cams sent to Kelford in New Zealand together with other engine build and powerband details and a couple weeks later these came back. Two pictures below.

Lift and duration details. Cam profile is suitable for stock valve springs. Idle quality will be like stock. Cost is approximately $650 USD depending on the exchange rate plus your stock cams. Cost does not include shipment.

More details to follow once Toby is back. Bro is currently Down Under for WTAC amongst other things :) Here are a couple piccies to wet your appetite. Sorry no race queens or promo girls. All pixs courtesy of Toby.

Detailed WTAC event coverage including more upskirt pics can be found over @ MotoIQ. As I type this Nemo has just won WTAC with an unbelievable 1:25.0200 which if I remember correctly is more than 3.5 secs faster than the record posted last year by the legendary Cyber Evo.

More Yummy Yummy!

Toby just sent me this picture.

Hint Number One: What comes in pairs and is meant for the QG18?
Hint Number Two: Could be the only pair in the world
Hint Number Three: Sorry Bro. It ain't a pair of seat rails :)

More details coming up. Please be patient as slow and steady development work is required.