Whereas most people start from the engine and work their way down, Dominic dove straight into the prep work for the chassis first, most of which is custom and the hardest part of the build. Parts like the Zeal Function X coilovers (with custom valving) and brake upgrades were pulled from inventory and installed first-cake. It was then sent out for rollcage fabrication to Henry Schelley, a driver for Schelley Racing and Federal Tires in this year's Formula D series, where a Super Lap-legal cage was placed in. The next problem: a GT wing from C-West needed a custom brace made to fit on the underside of the trunk for extra support because of the wing's size. "Since this wing is universal, the mounting posts are in the middle and makes it incredibly unstable due to the flex of the trunk lid," says Dominic. "Gary Castillo at Design Craft made a brace that not only kept it stable, but actually helped in creating downforce and not just a place we hang dry clothes on." Later, when the car was moved to the body shop to install the widebody, the rear fenders weren't cut, forcing Dominic to "cut through massive amounts of bondo to reach the metal," he says. "That was fun." Wheel sizing was also problematic. The 18x9.5 wheels that were originally chosen for the front rubbed a lot regardless of tire size, but switching to 17x9 and a 245-series tire solved that. "Figuring out the S15 was a challenge at times because my friends only knew S13s or S14s," he continues. "I worried if certain parts would fit or not, but this really forced me to learn more about the car than originally intended."
Despite the minor setbacks, the fun kicked in once the engine work took over. With guidance from Neptune Speed's Yajima-san, Dominic took the SR20DET's cylinder head apart so that he could rebuild it with a Step 3 head package from HKS, which includes cams, dual inner/outer valvesprings, retainers, rocker arm stoppers, solid lifters and valve seals. Upon reassembly, a metal head gasket from HKS was sandwiched in between the block and head and a quick-spooling GT-RS ball bearing turbo took over the factory T28. Some other key performance add-ons include more HKS goods, like a Type-S intercooler, 740cc injectors and air intake. Then, the master tuners from HKS USA-Jon Kuroyama and Katsu Hibio-took possession of the S15 and began tuning the F-CON Vpro on HKS' dyno where the two were able to make 335 hp and 334 lb-ft on a stock bottom end. We'd love to see this number go up in the future, but with a GT-RS setup, these figures are about right and actually very quick.
After tuning was completed, Dominic quickly installed a new OS Giken clutch and 1.5-way Super Lock LSD in preparation for his first race, a Super Lap Battle qualifying event (catch the coverage in next month's issue). He made further enhancements to the suspension by piecing in Moonface tension rods and Peak Performance rear camber arms and toe arms. Lightweight AME Circlar Spec-R wheels are the track wheels of choice while ADVAN Neova tires provide the grip needed to perform. Bride seats cradle the driver and passenger with comfort, but Dominic gets all the good toys, like a Personal steering wheel mounted to a Works Bell flip-up Rapfix steering hub, a Moonface shift knob and BF gauges from Defi to keep him up to date on all engine operations while going full speed ahead. "I have an Alpine head unit, too," he laughs, "but there's no way in hell you'll hear the stereo over the car."