While on the subject of one-off wonders, there's also the oil filterrelocator, oil cooler, and a Hansen Chassis oil/coolant catchtank, which is actually a very cool piece of hardware in that it separatesthe coolant from the air bypass. Since the OE SR20 MAFsensor is highly prone to maxing out after reaching higher boostlevels, a Z32 replacement was swapped in and made to fit with aTomei adapter. To fine tune the power, Yamz took the car to DynamicAutosports where Eddie Kim worked his mojo on an A'PEXiS14 Power FC, and although it hasn't reached max power figures,the SR is now capable of delivering upward of 275 horsepower,whereas before it was tuned it had clocked in at only 186 horsepower(he expects final horsepower ratings to land somewherearound 400). And since Yamz is all about adding a personal touchto his cars, he custom fabricated a firewall and various coversthroughout the engine bay out of aluminum, which really needs tobe seen up close to appreciate.
With strong ties to some of the best parts manufacturers in theworld, it came as no surprise that Yamz went to Tein for its suspensionexpertise and left it up to Philip Chase and his go-to technician,Sugano-san, for a custom valved Control Master Type FLEXcoilover setup. With additional damping control through an EDFCcontroller, the FLEX system gives a smooth ride but is stiff enoughto go straight onto a road course without much need for adjustment.Combined with other Tein accessories, such as the tensionand steering rods, this 180SX should have no problem finessingits way through a Time Attack sprint. For additional handling improvements,the well-worn factory tires and wheels were exchangedfor a set of 18x7.5 and 18x8.5 Blitz Technospeed Z1 wheels andmore grippy Falken Azenis tires, but only after converting the frontand rear hubs to 5-lug status. The undersized factory brakeswere also removed to make way for the massive Brembo Gran Turismocalipers while the rear discs were given a direct replacementwith slotted SP Performance rotors.
Blessed with the right-hand-drive configuration, the interior ofYamz's 180SX has been finished in a clean fashion with Bride Ergoreclineable seats and the factory rears, which were reupholsteredusing Bride fabric from the Toyama Group. On the dashboarda custom Bee*R gauge pod houses the Defi BL series gauges,which only faces the driver, so if you're looking to pick up one ofthese for your 240SX, it's not going to work. The carbon fiber shiftand brake covers come from Nagisa Auto while the remaining interiorpieces are a MOMO Jet steering wheel, Blitz shift knob,and Razo pedals. For the occasional jam-out to his obscure 80'sbreakdancing collection or disco house anthems, Yamz pops saidCDs into a Kenwood head unit, which then feeds the music out tothe Rockford Fosgate Punch 45 amps and speakers.
As it stands, Super Street hasn't had a cover-worthy project carthis bad ass in a long time; a car that wasn't put together with outsidehelp, but by our own staffer's hands. The long nights, the bloodspilt, and the constant bad mood swings make this 180SX worthall the headaches it gave to the most un-Japanese-like Japaneseguy. But thisthis is what you get when Yamz is on the case: nothingless than perfection.
By Wes Allison
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