1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R - Transforming A Classic SE-R From Vermin House To Power House

Fiber Images also supplied a lightweight carbon hood that weighs a mere 12 lbs, saving quite a bit from the stock hood's 38 pounds. Brian grafted in a carbon hood vent from Carbon Trix to give hot air produced by our soon-to-be-installed turbo a place to vent. When trying to install the hood, it was apparent that something was seriously wrong. The hood would not fit, and under closer inspection, it was apparent the car was in a serious front-end collision and incompetently repaired. The core support was caved in and was simply and crudely bashed out and covered with Bondo to hide the damage. The front frame rails were warped and not pulled out. Brian cut off the damaged core support and front fender aprons. He then pulled the frame rails straight and tig-welded new, genuine Nissan parts in place.

We were getting quite committed; the costs of making our project safe and solid were far exceeding the value of the hulk we had gotten for free.

A Xenon urethane airdam was bonded with structural urethane adhesive and blended into a new stock bumper skin, the job coming out so clean it looked like one piece. Brian also enlarged the front grille opening of the Xenon piece and built a carbon air baffle to ensure that 100 percent of all air being taken through the front of the car was forced through the core of our oversized F-Max front-mount intercooler. Correct ducting increases an intercooler's effectiveness and none of the surface area of our IC is blocked or shrouded.

To further improve engine cooling, a Nissan Motorsports radiator was bolted in. Brian actually mounted the radiator further up in the car to allow room for our anticipated turbo system, notching and reinforcing the core support for additional clearance. There is still room for the air conditioning condenser as we do not want to give up creature comforts.

Courtesy Nissan, another performance-friendly Nissan dealer, supplied Project SE-R with another striking mod. The SE-R was updated with a set of clear-lensed projector-beam headlights, clear corners and a front grille from a late-model Mexican Tsuru.

Unlike cheesy aftermarket clear light products on the market, these are genuine Nissan parts that fit perfectly and function well. These lights throw quite a better beam than the hazed and cloudy old stock lights did. In addition, they really give the 10-year-old B13 a fresh, contemporary look. Brian painted the grille and lower light surround to match our car and installed the parts.

Finally, to complete the Sentra's fresh new look, a set of bronze-anodized Volk TE37's in 17x7.5 with a 40mm offset were installed. The TE37 is a high-tech, super-light forged wheel favored by touring car racers around the world. The wheels weighed a feathery 14 pounds each, impressive for a 17-inch wheel. Our racing experience also tells us the TE37 is an exceptionally strong wheel as I have personally banged many a set against FIA curbs and potholes on the track with no damage.

Impressed with the tire's results in our G-Force challenge earlier in the year, we selected a set of BFGoodrich G-Force KD tires. We stuffed some 205/40-17 KDs into our wheelwells. We did have to slightly roll our rear fenders to prevent a tiny bit of rubbing but it was no big deal; a few minutes and a few taps of a soft mallet did the trick.

Like the legendary Phoenix, our Junkyard Dog is coming around, arising from the ashes of its pathetic, formerly wrecked self, being reborn into something much better. The car is looking presentable once again and sporting some functional aerodynamic aids. It can move under its own power and the insides no longer smell like a cattle ranch on a hot summer day.

In our next edition, we will cover the installation and dynoing of our F-Max turbo system and explore the limits of a bone-stock SR20DE with crappy California 91-octane gas.