Nissan Pulsar GTi Sedan 1991
Everyone knows we soon tire of the limited factory performance most JDM cars offer anyway, and with little cash left over post purchase you are left frustrated and wanting more power.
Why not buy a slightly cheaper car, and modify it yourself? Complete with its custom ear-bashing audio install and angry SR20DET under the lid, this Pulsar quite comfortably kicks the asses of many a fancied name.
And it does so while the owners of such cars are pathetically wading about in a swamp of debt, waiting for Baycorp to come bashing the front door down during dinnertime, which probably consists of a bowl of Two Minute Noodles anyway.
Different Strokes
Twenty three-year-old heavy transport electrician Michael Pearcey has chosen to take the second path, and done it with outstanding results. Some of you may have seen this pearl white Pulsar sedan grumbling its way along the motorway, but what you wouldn’t have seen is the 260kW SR20DET under the bonnet.
Think about this for a minute: 260kW, very light car, front-wheel-drive with minimal power train losses, etc, etc… you get the drift. Probably the best illustration of this car’s ability is an impressively high trap speed of around 180kph at the Meremere strip.
You see, Mike isn’t the type of guy who conforms to standard car trends. He likes to get his results from a different pathway. Taking a standard GTi Pulsar sedan and making it into the clean, professionally modified machine it now is is not a cheap process, and Mike is the first to admit this, but the results clearly speak for themselves.
Hyperventilate
The engine conversion duties were taken care of by Prestige Motorsport in Manukau, where the meek and mild 1800cc Nissan was replaced with the rather perkier SR20DET commonly found in the likes of GTiRs and 200SXs.
The engine was totally stripped down and then filled back up with a set of slightly oversized forged Nissan pistons to handle the boost, while the already strong standard conrods and crank continued with their duties.
The head received a thorough scrub out, with a healthy dose of porting and polishing thrown in to introduce as much clean air as possible in to the head. Standard camshafts look after the inlet and exhaust duties, as they were found to be sufficient for the power being made at the flywheel.
Already home to quad throttle bodies, the SR engine’s intake system has had a rather large working over. A clean-as-you-iike custom aluminium cold airbox houses a K&N Pod, which draws air through the standard AFM into the polished three-inch aluminium piping, also custom designed for this application.
Big dollar Samcosport hosing holds it all together, which of course is a must for both looks and reliability. Peer elsewhere in this bay and you’ll find the same polished piping from the turbo to the intercooler and from the intercooler to the plenum. Couple this with braided hoses for the catch-can, cooling and oil lines and you have a very shiny engine indeed. Just in case your vehicle hasn’t been outshone, the rocker cover and plenum chamber have also been wiped over with the make-it-shiny wand.
Whistle While U Work
Happily whistling away on the end of the standard manifold is a nice fat Garrett GT30, running a modest yet effective 12psi. WorkshopX performed its magic on this turbo. A hybrid conversion was deemed the most suitable option for the Pulsar, as that meant decent performance without a compromise on good reliability.
Race Radiators supplied the chubby 600×300x75mm bar and plate intercooler which sits rather obtrusively behind the custom WorkshopX front bumper. A Turbosmart Type 3 blow-off valve takes care of venting duties, just to make sure the turbo doesn’t have to cope with any compressor surge, which we all know is not desirable.
Sweet As
While the standard GTi fuel system might have just been adequate for an engine demanding this much fuel, Mike decided to install a fuel pressure regulator and upgrade the fuel lines just to be on the safe side, although the standard pump does still reside in the tank. Standard GTiR 440cc/minute injectors feed the mill in time to the spark delivered by the 8mm Taylor ignition leads.
Despite the current backlash against loud exhausts, Mike’s car still bellows its angry note out through a full three-inch system, which runs a straight-through stainless RPS muffler. Turboed SR20s have always had a sweet mellow note to them, and this one’s certainly no exception to the rule. Most would think the standard gearbox and drivetrain would have well and truly thrown the towel in by now, but not so.
This Pulsar’s still running the same old box o’ cogs and diff/driveshafts as it did when it rolled off the assembly line all those years ago as an 1800 GTi. The reason for this probably lies in the fact that the wheels undoubtedly spend most of their time desperately trying to grab the road when the car’s under boost.
The same doesn’t apply to the clutch, though, as it has been replaced with a Kevlar/ceramic combination, which has held up well thus far. But there was some difficulty in fitting the plate inside the bell housing, as the lining was slightly too wide to simply slot in to place, necessitating a bit of angle grinder work to make it fit.
Flesh for Fantasy
Rather than keep the Nissan at its factory off road-style ride height, Mike fitted up an assortment of KYB dampers and King springs just to keep it all tied together, and hanging off the end of the standard brake set-up there are unique BSA ‘Spatter Chrome’ alloys, a la Enkei G-Zero.
They do actually suit the car well when viewed in the flesh, although I must admit I had my doubts about their style before I saw them in person. Possibly the reason they do work is the smooth addition of the WorkshopX front bumper installed by Prestige Motorsport, which suits the car extremely well.
There are no oversized out-of-place add-ons here, everyone, just a well designed aggressive front, and the same goes for the Australian imported rear bumper set-up which incorporates mesh plates and an alloy paint protector for the exhaust heat (which Mike added himself).
Done and Dusted
Once you’ve found your way into the bright red Racetech front bucket, grab the Momo Tornado wheel, select first gear with the Momo Phantom gear knob and feel free to amuse yourself by cranking up the top quality sound system. Just reach over and turn on the Alpine head unit, and be prepared to blow yourself and other unsuspecting customers away with obscene amounts of bass and excellent clarity.
While the two JL Audio 15-inch subs and Rockford Fosgate six-by-nines are pounding away in the custom enclosure courtesy of the Rockford Fosgate amps, the components are doing their thing in the front compartment. This system is loud, no doubt about it, but the key is having a healthy concept of what sounds good and what sounds crap.
Good is when you can hear all levels of the music being played. Crap is when you can hear bass and nothing else (unless you’re in an SPL comp). This system falls into the first category. Another addition to the inside of the Pulsar is the custom designed rear tray set-up, complete with glowing red Rockford Fosgate logos shining through checkerplate cut-outs, and a totally removed back seat to allow the fitment of the subs in the right direction.
Future plans under Mike’s ownership include installation of a full Gizzmo computer set-up, a replacement AFM to handle more incoming air, and a new set of big brakes, possibly six-pot beasties. All in ail the car has been modified sensibly and effectively, and is not only capable of dusting off plenty of would-bes, but also of providing tunes by the plenty and looking good while doing it all.
1991 Nissan Pulsar GTi Sedan
Engine: Nissan SR20DET (GTiR conversion) oversized forged Nissan pistons, full port and polish, standard cams, conrods and crank. WorkshopX Hybrid GT30 Garrett turbo (12psi), Race Radiators 600×300x75mm custom intercooler and aluminium plumbing, Custom aluminium cold air box with K&N filter, Samcosport hoses, Turbosmart Type 3 blow-off valve, fuel pressure regulator, upgraded fuel lines, Taylor 8mm ignition leads, braided cooling lines, oil catch can, full three-inch exhaust with RPS straight through stainless muffler, polished plumbing, heat shield, plenum and rocker cover
Driveline: Standard GTi FWD gearbox, Kevlar/ceramic combination clutch, standard differential and driveshafts
Suspension: KYB dampers, Kings lowered springs Brakes: Standard callipers/rotors, Bendix pads
Wheels/Tyres: 17×7-inch BSA Spatterchrome design alloys shod with 205/40/17 tyres
Exterior: Custom WorkshopX front bumper, imported rear bumper, standard side skirts, tints, Prestige Motorsport decals, Racepro mesh in front bumper
Interior: Racetech seats, genuine checkerplate mats, Momo Tornado steering wheel, Momo Phantom gear knob, fire extinguisher, AutoMeter boost gauge, custom rear seat install with vinyl-covered tray housing Rockford Fosgate illuminated checkerplate cut-outs
ICE: Alpine CDA7892e CD deck, Rockford Fosgate 500A2 and 400A4 amplifiers, 1 Farad digital capacitor, 2x JL Audio 15W6 subwoofers, Rockford Fosgate Fanatic FNQ 6.5-inch components, Rockford Fosgate crossovers, Rockford Fosgate 6×9-inch rear speakers
Performance: Est. 200kW @ wheels at 12psi, 0-400m in 14.1 seconds @ 180kph
Thanks: Peter at Prestige Motosports, Justin at WorkshopX, Gary at JPC.
Source: Performance Car