# R34 GTT to GTR conversion, which body shop??



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Right fellas can anyone tell me which body shop in the uk is capable of fitting a GTR body kit conversion to an R34 GTT....you see Ive seen a mint example that I'm trying to finalise however the project is only half complete and want to price up how much it will cost to Finnish it all?

Ive been told previously that only an experiences body shop should be considered? So any info would be much appreciated.

Many thanks


----------



## Fuggles (Jul 3, 2001)

Do you mean fitting, or supplying and fitting and spraying/finishing? Do you have the kit? A lot of them aren't good fits if they are replicas and a genuine GTR front end wont go straight on it will need some work. The rear arches are a major headache as well


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

right mate lets say im starting from scratch....i know that Jap salon do a very good fitting kit, but my problem is finding someone who could efficiantly/confidently fit it paint it, consisting of a full respray??

cheers

Sat


----------



## jim-lm (Mar 15, 2005)

I would say gaz from Jap Salon would be more than up to the task, I have seen some of his cars and the work is top notch, I got a carbon bonnet off him for my LM and he was a brilliant guy to talk to and know...


----------



## Fuggles (Jul 3, 2001)

Japsalon would be my choice. There is a spray shop out the back of Gary's so have a chat with them and get and price as well as look at some of their work


----------



## turbob12 (Nov 3, 2002)

Wasn't there a thread on SO.com where he'd bought the kit from Japsalon and ended up having to cut the top intake in the front bumper and extend it and even then it wasn't a good fit against the bonnet. I think the guy was happy enough though.

I bought the JDL kit and it's a good fit but the bonnet was useless, on the standard GTT motor it sat on the throttle body and traction control unit and I had to remove the strut brace or the bonnet would sit about 2" high at the front (that's not a typo, I do mean about 50mm), it took months to get them to agree to take it back after trying every option. I would buy the rest of the kit from them again though as they have been straight up and easy to deal with, just a bit slow.

This is a pic of the bonnet with the standard strut brace fitted, it's sitting on the strut brace. JDL said that they had sold 14 other kits and not encountered this problem. I have my own views on that.









This is a pic of the JDL bumper sitting roughly in place, I was trimming it at the intercooler pipes, more of a cut out at the drivers side due to the Plazmaman inlet manifold to intercooler pipework (you can see the difference in the pic above), the bumper isn't screwed to the wing at the drivers side hence it looking a bit low there. 










I've had no problems fitting the front bumper, front wings and rear bumper myself never having done this before and have probably over engineered it by making various metal brackets to make sure any stress when tightening screws is moved away from the fibreglass.

I had a kit for my GTST from Japsalon and found Gary to be a nice bloke and easy to deal with, the body shop said the kit was a nightmare to fit though. I say Gary's thread (also on SO.com) about his build of his GTT-GTR conversion and thought the lines between the panels didn't look right. I've got no agenda or axes to grind, just letting you know my experiences.

Can't help you on the body shop as you not really in the same neck of the woods as me.


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Turbob12 many thanks dude I totally appreciate your time and effort you put into get that info written up 

I will check out what SO.com says then matey but have also e
emailed Gaz for some info, il see what he says and take it from there!!

But with regards to being in the same neck of the woods mate I'd happily travel where I needed to in order to achieve quality, but am sure that there will be a body shop near by who could do the job??

To be fair after reading your little bit above has got me thinkin I might try and do what I can my self?? Were the wings bolt on and bolt off mate, did they need any adjusting? Ive heard of somthing called wing runners but have no idea what that is? With regards to the front bumper, what tool did you use to shave the unwanted bits? Also was the problem area just by the Intercooler piping? So do you gave any ideas how you going to fit the rear fenders? And if you wouldn't mind could you pm me what you think this will have cost you by the time it's painted and complete?

And if you do know of a decent body shop matey plse feel free to tell me?

Thanks again for every ones input


----------



## turbob12 (Nov 3, 2002)

The wings are easy to change, there's only a few bolts that hold them on. I fitted the wings and lined them up with my standard bonnet. I didn't need to do any height adjustment. I had to weld extra plates onto the bonnet hinges and move the bonnet catch up when I fitted the standard GTR bonnet.

To trim the front bumper I used a Dremmel with a flexible extension, you can see it lying in front of the car in the second picture. The only bits that I had to trim were for the intercooler pipework. I bolted the splitter to the bottom of the bumper, I didn't want to bond it on incase it gets damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced.

I've had the rear fenders held into place to see how they sit but need to trim the rear wheel arches to be able to fit them properly, the body shop will do that though and I don't want them screwed to the car as that just increases the risk of rust so they will bond them on. With the wheels I have I'm going to need 50mm wheel spacers on the back and 20mm on the front.

there's not a huge choice of body shops near me, I'm going to use a small local one, I haven't seen any cars that he's painted so I'm taking a bit of a chance I suppose, the good thing is that he's in the same small town as me so I can pop in regularly to see how things are going.

I've not been keeping an eye on the body price, I can't remember how much I paid for the JDL kit, I'd need to look back & check because I bartered with them and got a discount then got a refund for the bonnet.

I'm just getting the car painted the same colour (can't afford to change the colour) so that helps to keep the costs down.

I'm not a member on SO.com but Minter is a member on here and he did a thread on the conversion that he did on his GTT just looked for a link R34 GTT-R Project Number two  - Skyline Owners Forum

Here's another one My R34 Project - Page 2 - Skyline Owners Forum

I hope they help.


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Cheers mate, yeah it was minters R34 i was gonna buy....gutted that the finances dident work out :-(

However will still read up and learn about the process of how its all done, so when i do have the finances i can sort my self out!!

Minters example looks the dogs......fairplay to him!!

Cheers again


----------



## Steveline (Oct 6, 2010)

Still got my GTR Alloy bonnet for sale, original Nissan so perfect fit every time!  pm me if your interested £350ish!


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Cheers Steve but dont think my budget will stretch that far but will let you know if it does...cheers


----------



## Steveline (Oct 6, 2010)

Thought that was pretty cheap tbh, can you really get a fibreglass bonnet cheaper than that, which will open and close?! Good luck. Think I would just save up my pennies until I could afford a real GTR.


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Its about making it fit, end of the day like you say its not meant to be on there, but i suppose working around that maybe a good challenge......mmm or not  

To be fair with all the money id have to spend to do this right, it might well be a good idea to just go for the real thing? ive seen a couple now going for about £21k, which isnt bad??

Cheers


----------



## turbob12 (Nov 3, 2002)

Steveline said:


> Thought that was pretty cheap tbh, can you really get a fibreglass bonnet cheaper than that, which will open and close?! Good luck. Think I would just save up my pennies until I could afford a real GTR.


£350 is pretty cheap for the bonnet and I would advise getting an original bonnet rather than a fibreglass one. The alloy bonnet on my car is actually lighter than the vented (Nismo style) fibreglass bonnet that was supplied with my bodykit.

I'm not sure how you meant your comment about affording a real GTR so I'll assume you didn't mean to cause offence. My GTT will be badged front & rear as a GTT, I'm not trying to pretend that my car is a GTR, I just think it'll look better with the kit as I think the front of the GTT is pretty weak looking the way the bonnet curves over the front onto the bumper.

I could have saved my pennies for another year and bought a real GTR but buying the GTT means I've had cash over the last year to do other things.


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Thinks i might have to see what i can sort out then for that bonnet?? see i was told you could get one from around £200-250....maybe i was told wrong or misunderstood??

But yeah turbob12 i can see what your saying, for me its all about the look mate not too fussed about the speed!! i love my R32 GTR for how mean and angry she looks and il never sell her, yes could i could sell and add some savings and get an R34 GTR but end of the day if i can get a R34 GTT and make it look like a mother bitch then thats cool with me...but just need to guage realistically how much its gonna cost me in total?? 

Was looking at the EAST BEAR kits!! have emailed newera, lets see what they say?


----------



## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

gillsl500,

As you know my GTR is in a bodyshop I found local (to me and you) having the rear arches cut away, rebuilt and sealed, then 400R arches fitted.
I am a fussy bugger with my cars so if I am honest a bloody nightmare to work for... this bodyshop was quite new but I had to go there to LPG convert a vehicle he was working on.
I spoke to the owner and explained the work I wanted doing and he was a decent lad to talk to, anyway I explained I will be a nightmare to deal with when it comes to my car and set out some ground rules (no one leans on my car, nothing gets leaned on my car, I drive the car in...he works on it and then I drive it out, it does not get parked outside at all etc etc) and rather than telling me to p*** off  he agreed and I booked it in.
First lot of work he did took longer than agreed but in fairness the car went on the ramp and I drove it out when finished....and very impressive work aswell as I got him to completely cut out the whole sill sections and replace them.
This time around the job once again is taking a lot longer than was planned and although I am unhappy with the time taken...I will let you know what the quality of the work is like...although no doubt you will see it for yourself at some point.

Edward.


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Hey Edward nice to hear some one is as fussy as me mate  lol!! Yeah thanks for that fella, im just getting my info together before i actually plunge in the world of the R34 (conversion)....

But yes mate i will try and arrange somthing for that meet within in the next couple of months as a few of the lads have their cars in work shops....will keep you posted mate!!

Cheers 

Sat


----------



## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi Sat,

No problem, a meet will be good if I ever get my car back.
After 10 weeks (8 weeks of him doing nothing to it) I finally stated my car had to be back with me within a few days of the end of April, the tax runs out this month and the MOT lapsed while it was in the bodyshop, I stated I needed a day or 2 before the end of this month to get the car back and MOT'd so I could get the tax renewed.
All arranged for me to collect it this evening and got a text saying car will not be ready, got to primer it again as found a few marks! 

The main issues for me here are-
1) Let down at the last second! (he also did this when I had my sills rebuilt)
2) Text message! (what's wrong with using a phone?)
3) No apology!! (manners cost nothing but go along way! if you are letting someone down, have the decency to apologise for doing so)

Based on this I would say unless this blokes work turns out to be really high quality then unfortunately right now I cannot recommend this bodyshop.
I will however let you know how things go when I collect on Saturday.

Edward.


----------



## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi,

Just thought I would update you with news on the bodyshop...I will try not to rant and moan but cannot guarantee it 

Collected the car on Saturday (had to wait a few hours as it still was not ready) fell out with the owner due to his attitude and lack of attention to detail..so the short version is I cannot recommend this bodyshop.

Long version-

Both original doors had a very slight amount of orange colouring at the bottom of the door inside where the seam sealer is so I decided to fit 2 new ones, bought 2 brand new doors from a member on this forum and agreed to fit the doors in the bodyshop so that even though the new ones were white, if the colour didn't match he could spray them to match the car.
I arranged a time to fit them and when I arrived he shop was closed, by the time he turned up I only had time left that day to fit one door so I changed the worse of the 2.
There was a difference in colour shade so he assured me he would first 'Mop' the door and if the colour didn't come back (the doors have slightly yellowed) then he would paint the doors at the same time as the quarter panels.
When I went to collect the car the new door stood out like a sore thumb as he hadn't painted it, when I told him I was unhappy with the look of the car he said "I ran out of time" it was my reaction to this that caused us to ermm..fall out 
My car has in the past been jacked up on the sills so had the usual crushed sill issue, this had caused the driver side wing to slightly protrude at the bottom, once again a very minor issue but being a fussy old git I asked him if he could pull the sill back down and this would allow the wing to sit flush with the door, he agreed to do this for me.
When I collected the car he said he hadn't pulled the sill down but I could see the wing had now been pushed in but now it sat too far in, over the weekend I stripped the car down and completely sealed the underneath in Por-15, only when I removed the front sideskirt did I notice that he has hit the bottom of the wing with something, dented it out of shape and whilst (I imagine) swinging the tool used to bend the wing, he has hit the bottom of the door on the corner and bent it in, brand new door that now is curled in at the front corner....also he has made an attampt to wet and dry the paint on the door and gone too far so there is a patch at the bottom of the door that is so thin I can see the metal through it!

I requested that as the 400r arches were being fitted, I wanted the rear arch lip removing and the inner and outer wings welded and sealed completely and then coated so that behind the 400r arches there could not be any rust that develops only to appear years later from behind the 400r arches, whilst coating the inner arches in por 15 I found a section a few inches long behind the 400r arch that had no coating at all on it, so had I not have been giving the car a good sealing underneath, a 3 inch patch of bare metal would have been rusting away behind the new arches completely unnoticed.

I had the front suspension strut tops completely cut out and rebuilt using a very thick quailty metal, I was assured that the new metal would be treated before being welded into place, and the 2 metals would be fully seam welded from below so seal the tops, after checking this work the seam weld under the front strut doesn't run all the way but actually there is a 10mm gap, looking into this 10mm gap I can see completely bare metal, so this little gap in the weld would allow water being thrown from the wheel to get into the hole and sit in this cavity rotting away the new metal.

I have now dealt with most of the issues myself and now believe I have a car that is 99% rust free and more importantly well protected from future rust but as much as the finish of the external work is very good, unfortunately the little bits of attention to detail were all enough to ruin what would have otherwise been a good job.....and the little matter of a now damaged brand new door.

I wont post the details of the bodyshop here as it is a fairly small shop so very unlikely to be used by anyone on here and in fairness I think he has genuinely tried to do a good job, just not quite been up to it, however as you are local I will gladly give you the details when we meet up in the future.

Edward.

Here is a picture of the car taken as soon as I got it home (ignore the sideskirts as I had been waiting 3 months after purchasing them to decide whether I like them or not and this was the first chance I had to put one on the car)
However look at the colour of the door and I think you will agree...this should have been painted!


----------



## DM613 (May 5, 2011)

hi,do you know me?I think you must have never know me,I am new here,you will be familiar with me in the future,please remmember me,I am dmjy510,a special name and it is easy to keep it in mind.


----------



## MobileLPG (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi,



DM613 said:


> hi,do you know me?


I would say from the manner of your email that I must do, but you tell me?



DM613 said:


> I think you must have never know me,


Well this we are still trying to establish, as seen above.



DM613 said:


> I am new here,


Welcome.



DM613 said:


> you will be familiar with me in the future,


Okay, I'll assume this is the beginning of many strange conversations between us then.



DM613 said:


> please remmember me,I am dmjy510


No problem, although you appear to actually be DM613, I cannot promise to remember you as I am a busy man but hey...if I say i'll try will that be enough?



DM613 said:


> I am dmjy510,a special name and it is easy to keep it in mind.


Funnily enough those are the numbers from my Skyline's registration plate so should be easy enough.

Anyway nice chatting with you...sorry what was your name again (wild stab in the dark here but it's not Stuart by any chance is it?)


----------



## DM613 (May 5, 2011)

well,thank u very much ,i am glad to be ur friend,but i don't have that account u emntioned,i only have facebook account.


----------



## Steveline (Oct 6, 2010)

WTF?!?!?!...... Spam?!!!... Maybe you would be better off on the other side, there's a growing number of strange Skyline owners over there!!!


----------



## gillsl500 (Jun 20, 2005)

Hey Edd, cheers for getting back to me mate!

To be fair mate if you aint going to be fussy then your never going to exceptional at or in anything, so fair play to you mate!! If your handing over good money you must expect/demand quality...so I'm with you on that note fella!!

Yeah dude checked the pics and there is definatley a mismatch in the colour, but having said that your 33 looks mint mate ...

Went to a skyline meet in Dudley the Monday just gone, they have it every first monday of the month, next time I go il give you a shout?

P.s if you ever need a hand doing work on your car mate feel free to give me a shout?...My technical knowledge is near zero but anything to do with skylines interests the crap outta me  

Cheers Sat


----------

