The Hikari Project Demo Car Part 1 / 3
The Hikari Nissan Skyline
Finally, we’ve got round to starting a write up on our very own pride and joy.
This is the honest story of our R33 Skyline not restored, not ruined, just lived with.
This is how skyline ownership really looks. It isn't so pretty.
So get comfy, settle down with a brew and enjoy the story.
How We Found Our Skyline
I wasn’t ready for a demo car when this one came flying onto my phone and suddenly into my life... I’d just left my job and was still trying to figure out my finances while looking into my new venture THE HIKARI PROJECT. It was a terrifying time, full of uncertainty and rethinking every decision. This skyline is the only car I didn't enjoy buying as all the excitement was sucked out of it with financial second guessing. Of course the car was only 25 minutes away. ( would of made my life and choice easier if it was 12 hour)
At the time, buying a car like this made absolutely no sense. It wasn’t sensible, it wasn’t planned, and it definitely wasn’t convenient. But something about it stuck. I kept going back to the advert, telling myself I was just looking. I knew I was going to need a demo car but honestly I was expecting that car to be a 370z NOT A SKYLINE!
With common sense put a side and a mindset that told me this is an investment not a car I set up the viewing and arrived to see this.
The owner of the Skyline was an old school gentleman in his seventies looking to leave the UK. he was the second UK owner of the car. The first owner being a traffic police officer who owned it over 10 years in the late 90s early 2000s.
The car was dusty and hadn’t been cleaned up for me at all, which was actually a really good sign. It told me straight away that this was an honest car and not "tarted up" for the sale, what you saw was what you were getting.
When I asked about rust, the gent walked over to the barn where the car had been stored for all of its ownership, picked up a screwdriver and handed it to me. He said, “Get underneath it and see if you can stick that through anywhere.” That moment told me everything I needed to know about both the car and the man selling it. I loved that. After a little bit of chat he started it up and it sounded like it had just come out the Nissan factory ticking over perfectly on 55,000 miles. The car was left running for the rest of the viewing. As you can see the car was completely stock apart from the addition of a blow off valve that the previous owner stated helped with the turbo lag.
The engine bay was looking tired but all original and untouched even down the factory air intake! I would have a guess that these bolts may have been OEM by the looks of it!
I'd seen everything I could see and I wanted that car... and yet still with a heavy financial thought in my mind I told the owner I had things to sort out before I could make a decision so with doubt in my heart I returned home. The next day after many hours of thoughts and conversations I decided that I would ring the owner with a cash offer for the car.
Anyone who knows the Skyline market knows how crazy prices have become. With that in mind, I decided to offer £1,500 less than the asking price. I knew that when the owner bought the car, it would have cost nowhere near what they’re selling for today. This way, the owner could be happy knowing they’d enjoyed the car properly and still made a healthy profit, and I’d be happy knowing I’d saved a bit of money to put straight back into the car. Within 30 minutes I had the reply. Come and fetch her...
HE CALLED MY BLUFF I DIDNT KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!?
That being said I called my buddy and like a flash he was there to take me to fetch her.
(Oh and she came with 12 months MOT)
She was officially Hikari Owned
Now What's First!?
It was time to get to work a full Hikari service was exactly what the doctor ordered. With it being stored in a barn for so long we wasnt confident with what ever fluids was in the car so this was a very needed step. The best of the best RB25 Care package can be purchased below.
Next, it was time for a full in depth clean.
I know how easy it is to overlook things on a car when you’ve owned it for a long time, and while the previous owner clearly loved it, it was obvious the car had been in the same hands for many years. So it was time to give her the full attention she deserved.
The interior was stripped back and cleaned properly not just a quick vacuum. Every space was gone over with the hoover, and plastics were removed so we could get to the grime that had quietly built up over the years. The kind of dirt you don’t see until you take things apart. Nothing glamorous, but all part of understanding the car and starting this journey the right way.
So there may have been a dog...? Or Potentially a polar bear!
Getting where you cant see!
After MANY HOURS she was the first step closer towards a clean skyline.
Now it was time to give the headlights some attention. Nothing ages a car more than cloudy lenses, and these hadn’t been able to see properly for years. They got the full works a multi-stage wet sand, followed by a proper polish and finished with a UV protection sealant.
Time To Do The Sensible Thing
What should have come next was probably some sensible maintenance.
A compression test, maybe. A proper look underneath. You know… the responsible stuff. Nah.
That front bumper had to come off. And once it was coming off, the grille was coming with it too. At that point, any sensible plan had already left the building. The car looked neat, and clean but if I’m honest, it still looked like my grandads old saloon rather than the legendary Skyline it was supposed to be.
It wasn’t wrong.
It just wasn’t right either...
Sometimes you don’t start with what you should do.
You start with what you can’t ignore.
Front End Plans For The Demo Car
The OEM bumper is stepping aside not forgotten. In its place, a genuine rare BOMEX front bumper from Japan, something I’ve yet to see on another UK Skyline.
Finished with a full carbon grille and GT-R bonnet extension lip, colour-matched properly we thought the carbon complimented the KH2 grey so well and to stand out some more the red R emblem to finish off the front. First though, this bumper needs real work.
Here is 1/3 damage locations on the bumper before and after our repair and finally primed and sanded ready for the paint shop!
While the bumper was away at the paint shop, it was the perfect time to get the carbon grille and GTR bonnet lip secured.
I can’t explain the feeling of seeing your vision slowly come together. That grandpa style front end looked like it was de-aging back into the young, aggressive stud it once was.
So you ready to see the new bumper and grilles all in play here she is.
And then the big issue revealed itself. Head on, it was perfect aggressive, sharp, exactly how I’d pictured it. But the moment you stepped even slightly off centre, the illusion cracked, and all the little the old roots started to show again... at this point I realised a skyline demo car was a posh term for a money pit. damn.
Those Size 15 Shoes Look A Little Tight... Fancy Some 18s?
So we came across a set of 18s that finally had the style I’d been searching for.
They’re not the forever shoes those are still out there but they’re a much better stand-in than what the car was wearing before. The kind that lets you step back and see the direction clearly.
So we fired up the trusty combo and went to fetch them.
Wheels off gave me the excuse to clean the brakes down and check everything properly.
Finished it off with red callipers a small touch, but it adds just the right amount of contrast behind the wheels.
So Hows She Looking From That Side Angle?
The Summary
So where do we stand? We’ve fettled the car, serviced her so she’s healthy, painted panels, replaced panels added carbon, and achieved clear lenses and restored breaks. But make no mistake this is only the tiny tip of the iceberg.
A spoiler for the next update…
No a literal spoiler.
£1,200 worth of carbon!!!
