SevPP and my Exa

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:20 am

Name: Glen
Location: Benalla- Mansfield, Vic
Year/ Model: '83
Colour: Gold
Period of ownership: 5 or 6 years

Performance: 1.48 at Winton

Engine Mods: normal N12 Exa mods- see below

Interior Mods: to be stripped very soon

Exterior Mods: Couple of dints, bog falling out.

Wheels: stock, Globes, TRX rims and a set of 5 spoke 15s.

Other:

Future Plans: see below

Pics: see below

EDIT: I'm an idiot and rushed into this post without seeing the template. sorry ...

Hey all.

Some may know of me from Nissanexa.com and Ausrotary.com. I'm a rotar head through and through owning a s1 RX7 track car (in the build) and a s4 RX7 play around car.

Anyway I also have a very soft spot for N12's. I've owned an ET and still own an Exa. My brother has owned two Exas also (one crashed into and written off) the other recently de regoed. All 4 N12s are still on the farm where I live. Two are running. I bought my Exa from a guy named Pierre in the Thomastown area. He had a nightmare run with it and the people working on it from what he told me.

I've done countless laps at Winton over the last 15 odd years living relatively close by. I've driven many different cars from full race cars to soft underpowered road cars on the track and I get as much enjoyment in the N12s as any of the others. I drove both the ET and the Exa at Winton. The Et lapping 1.51 stock apart from King springs and exhaust. The Exa lapped a 1.48 with substatially more mods.

So my Exa has the basic "N12" mods.
t25, 3 inch dump, 2.5 inch exhaust, shortened inlet, front mount rx7 intercooler (former fc topmount), vl tb, home made bleed valve set to 11psi. King springs, 1st gen Soarer adjustable rear shocks. The intercooler piping was made out of an old trampoline....Maybe this will ring a bell to some?

I'm currently doing the EVO brake upgrade. The calipers are sitting next to me as I tyoe this. Disks should be here today as it is now. Also I'll be fitting a water injection kit I made up for the 12a turbo motor i had in my S1 RX7, to the Exa and running a few pounds extra boost. To give an idea of how good WI is, I ran 19psi non intercooled on the hi comp 12a block without an issue.

My next event will be a Tampered Motorsport track day incorporating the "Lemon Cup" $1500 challenge which my Exa easily fits into. Purchase price and total expediture (negating rego) are well within cost!

So heres a few pics

Some from the 6 hour in 2007 iirc... Tampered Motorsport team.

Cheers, Glen.

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:22 am

Playing with the Group C kit off my s1.

The Avons

I'll be running either A048's or full slicks next time out. Hopefully go quicker than the 1.48.

Post by **Ash** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:31 am

welcome to the N12turbo forum dude. it's good to see someone fairly local into the old N12 turbos.

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:33 am

The big letdown with the car is the front shocks and slow heavy steering. Monroe rubbish. I'm hoping to do a full coilover front end soon. No off the shelf stuff, well not for the Exa but using fc RX7 struts. Easy to redrill bottom and top holes and the actual legth of the strut/damper isn't that different. And they're easy to find in all sorts of configurations. Spring rates and damping will need some playing with but no matter what they cant be worse than standard!

As for the steering..... Anyone that has driven an N12 on the track (or windy road) hard will know how slow and heavy the steering is. Add sticky larger tyres and its worse again. Anyone got a power steering rack, pump, and brackets they want to sell me??? Haha!
Depending on how far I go with this car (being an extreme budget build from here on...as it always has) I intend to look at some cars in wreckers and see what racks may be usable. Between myself and a mfew mates we can just about get anything sorted out so its just a matter of time and practicality.

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:42 am

Ash wrote:welcome to the N12turbo forum dude. it's good to see someone fairly local into the old N12 turbos.

Thanks man. I've been into the N12s since '99 when I first got my ET. It was silver with a blue bonnet, offset scoop on the left. I worked at IBM back in those days and it was my daily driver. Lived in Wang then to and Milawa for a bit also.

Post by **Ash** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 2:03 am

so you have been around the area for a fair while then. i lived and went to school in Benalla a few years back. i have been into the n12 thing since 2004 and have not once been out to Winton in one. hopefully when i get my ET going again i can see you out on the track

EXAMADNESS · Post by **EXAMADNESS** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:29 am

Welcome

Callumgw · Post by **Callumgw** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:15 am

Hey welcome aboard, nice to see another racer of these in VIC.

Darren's getting his ET to the 6 hour this year, My Exa's up for an engine rebuild.
Theres a few posts on improving the suspension without going to coil overs...but if you can figure an adjustable coil set up for the rear there'd be a few people interested.

Read up on the brake mods,

C

PS. theres a fair bit of this in the articles section and some in the general discussion bits.

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:25 am

Ash. I have a feeling I may possibly have met you. If not I think you're mates with a few people I know. Sure I've seen your name on FB. Small world haha!

Callumgw. Yeah I've been registered on here for awhile just never got around to posting.. This is where I saw the evo/magna brake upgrade among other things. Gonna cost me sub $200 so I'm pretty stoked. Love the tech writeups. Really good.

Cheers, Glen

Callumgw · Post by **Callumgw** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:32 am

Cool!,
no more FF tyres though after that brake upgrade, 15 inch minimum.

C

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 10:58 am

Haha yeah I'm happy to move away from the 13s. I've got a set of 15in Yokohama A048s and may have a set of 15in Dunlop slicks that a mate can't use anymore. Looking forward to hitting the track in it again soon!

Post by **Ash** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 2:01 pm

SevPP wrote:Ash. I have a feeling I may possibly have met you. If not I think you're mates with a few people I know. Sure I've seen your name on FB. Small world haha!

if you see me on there (Ashley G Shearer) just add me dude.

i know a few people down B-Town.

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:20 pm

Woohoo! Disks arrived today! Can get started properly on the conversion now.

TurboZ.Dude · Post by **TurboZ.Dude** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 5:28 pm

Welcome to the club mate!

Nice to see more track racing people at this forum.

SevPP wrote:The big letdown with the car is the front shocks and slow heavy steering.

As for the steering..... Anyone that has driven an N12 on the track (or windy road) hard will know how slow and heavy the steering is. Add sticky larger tyres and its worse again.

Couldn't agree more with you there. Definitely needs a steering servo. Haven't ever been on a track yet though.

Jan

SevPP · Post by **SevPP** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:09 am

The steering is bad. The weight is one thing, but the slow ratios are the worst. Where I need 1/4 of a turn in the Mazda, I need over 1/2 a turn in the Exa. Going through the "cleavage" at Winton means I have to have a second grab at the wheel. Very annoying and hard work and certainly not optimal.

Got the hub setup in the lathe yesterday. Had to goto work but should have one side done today. Won't get much done this weekend. Going away to Hazelwood pondage with the jetski! (Standup ski- sitdowns are for lazy people ;p)