The Japanese have a theory, ichirei shikon, which describes the existence of four independent souls that comprise a single spirit. The four souls, representing the turbulent, the tranquil, the favorable, and the wondrous, are unique, but complementary of one another within the spirit. While looking over Eddie’s 2JZ-powered, 240SX, I started thinking about the unique aspects of his car and how they are symbolic of the souls of the ichirei shikon. Eddie purchased this 240SX 5 years ago, intrigued by them after attending the first D1GP in the US, but didn’t delve too deep into it until the past year. Long a fan of the other Nissan lineups, from Z cars to Skylines, Eddie wanted to build something with unlimited potential, and having seen many amazing 240s over the years, he knew it was the perfect choice.
The first soul of Eddie’s car that stands out is the nigi-mitama, which represents the everyday, harmonious side of the spirit. With the 240 at rest, the clean lines of the Extreme Dimensions V-Speed body kit can be fully appreciated. An aggressive Seibon carbon fiber DV-style bonnet, painted in custom, fading black to match the similarly painted trunk, hints at the fury residing beneath it. The 3-piece, forged Nutek wheels, all silver except the front driver-side, which is black, are works of art in their own, and the 5-spoke design perfectly compliments the lines of the body. The 18×9.5 fronts and 18×11 rears are wrapped in Vredestein 235/40 and 275/35 tires and nestle perfectly under the pulled front and custom, all-metal flared rear fenders thanks to Function & Form Type 2.5 coilovers. Helping the F & F coilovers keep the car under control are strut bars, sway bars, and under braces from Tanabe, and control arms, tension rods, and end rods courtesy of Circuit Sports. Eddie added set of clear side marker lights and headlight covers, also from Circuit Sports, which truly sparkle next to the jet black paint.
Moving to the interior of his car, the saki-mitama begins to reveal itself. The saki-mitama is the favorable, or happy soul, and anyone sitting in Eddie’s 240 can’t help but love the interior. The first thing you’ll notice, and one of Eddie’s favorite mods, is the red stitched, ultrasuede 2 tone dash and door panels. The head liner, kick panels and rear speaker panels have also been given the ultrasuede treatment, and many of interior panels and the gauge pod have been spiffed with carbon fiber by FX Autodesign. AEM digital boost, air/fuel, water temp, and oil pressure gauges, and an Apexi turbo timer are on board to help Eddie monitor engine performance. While driving, Eddie is held in place by a OMP WRC seat and OMP harness. His passenger accompanies him in an OMP Design 2 seat and OMP harness, and both seats are bolted to the car with OMP brackets and sliders. The steering wheel is a OMP Corsica 330, held in place by an NRG 2.5 carbon fiber quick release mated to an NRG short hub, and a full complement of Pioneer car audio, including an AVH-P1400 double-din DVD touch screen head unit, component speakers, amplifier, subwoofer, ensure that the tunes keep up the performance theme of the car.
Once Eddie fires his car up, the ara-mitama, the violent and furious soul, becomes apparent. The attention to detail on the FX Autodesign 2JZ swap, residing in a custom, gold painted engine bay, give the motor a show car look, matching the beauty of the engine to the power. FX Autodesign completely rebuilt, rebalanced, and overbored the 2J, and replaced the crank with a new one. CP forged pistons, BC stage 2 cams, retainer kits, and valve springs, Gates Racing timing belt, and HKS cam gears were used in the rebuild, as well as ARP head studs and bearings. An AEM dry flow induction filter and Greddy intake manifold handle air quality duties, an FX Autodesign ceramic coated turbo manifold houses the Turbonetics GTK 650 ball bearing turbo, and ceramic coated custom intercooler piping runs to the Mishimoto intercooler. Mishimoto has also provided the black dual pass race radiator and 12″ and 16″ slim electric fans, and exhaust is handled through an Apexi GT Spec system. The blow off valve, 45mm wastegate, and fuel pressure regulator are units from Turbosmart, and Bosch 800cc injectors, Sard fuel rails, and FuelLab filter keep the engine’s thirst quenched. Megasquirt EMS keeps the various systems on track and running in peak form.
When Eddie hits the gas, the car accelerates like the proverbial bat out of hell, and the wondrous soul of the his car is revealed. Throwing the car into gear via an NRG shift knob, the full might of the 2JZ is sent to the ACT Xtreme 6 puck clutch, and then through a custom FX Autodesign driveshaft, and the car moves away at a blistering pace. When it’s time to reel the car in, a Wilwood big front brake kit and Skyline R32 rear brake conversion are up to the task, and the car screeches to a halt nearly as fast as it took off.
Having modified cars for over 10 years, from basic wheel/tire upgrades to boosting motors, Eddie wanted to build a car that does it all. Paying attention to the various aspects of the car, he has transformed an ordinary 240SX into a true all-around performer, one with unique, individual qualities that could each stand alone, but together complement each other seamlessly. A true case of ichirei shikon: four souls, one spirit.
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[toggle_item title=”Wheels/tires/Suspension” active=”true”]Nutek Forged Wheels – Street Performance Series 625 Step-lip, forged
3pc wheels 18×9.5 / 18×11 FX Autodesign
Vredestein tires – 235/40/18 front and 275/35/18 rear
Circuit Sport – full control arms, tension rods, end rods, oil catch can, clear corner light and headlight lens
Function & Form – Coilover Type 2.5 32 ways adjustable
Wilwood – front big brake kit
Nissan Skyline R32 – rear brake conversion[/toggle_item]
[toggle_item title=”Exterior” active=”false”]Extreme Dimension – V-Speed complete body kit
Pulled stock front fenders
Custom flare rear quarters (no fiber glass)
Seibon Carbon – hood DV Style, OEM Style trunk both with custom fading paint job
Aerocatch hood lock
Circuitsport – clear lens for headlight
Jet Black paint[/toggle_item]
[toggle_item title=”Interior” active=”false”]FX Autodesign – Custom carbon fiber interior panels, bezels and gauge pod
AEM Electronic – digital boost, digital air/fuel, digital water temp, digital oil pres
Ultrasuede – black suede roof liner, rear speaker panel, door panels, kicker panels
OMP Racing – 1) WRC XL bucket seat, 1) Design 2 seat, 1) CORSICA 330 steering wheels, 1) 4M Harnesses Red, seat mounting brackets and sliders
NRG Innovations – Quick Release Gen 2.5 Carbon Fiber, Short Hub, Carbon Fiber Shift knob
Pioneer – AVH-P1400 2Din DVD touch screen unit, Component speakers, Amplifier, Subwoofer
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[toggle_item title=”Engine” active=”false”]Supra 2JZ engine complete swap, complete rebuilt, rebalance, oversize bore with new crank
FX Autodesign – Custom Intercooler piping, intake manifold, turbo manifold finish all with ceramic coating
FX Autodesign – Custom driveshaft, custom turbo manifold
FX Autodesign – Custom gold engine bay, Jet black body paint
Super Tuning Performance – custom exhaust fabrication
Seibon Carbon – carbon fiber hood DV-Style and OEM trunk with custom paint
CP Piston – Forged piston 87mm
BC – stage 2 cams, retainer kits, valve springs
HKS – cam gears
ARP – head stud kit, bearings
Turbonetics – GTK 650 ball bearing
Turbosmart – BOV, Fuel Pressure Regulator and 45mm wastegate
Mishimoto Universal Intercooler R-Line, Black Mishimoto Universal Dual Pass Race Radiator
Mishimoto Slim Electric Fan 12″
Mishimoto Slim Electric Fan 16″
ACT – xtreme 6 puck clutch kit
Gate Racing – timing belt
Bosch – 800cc injectors
Greddy – intake manifold
Sard – fuel rail
Megasquirt III – EMS
FuelLab – fuel filter
Apexi – GT Spec exhaust system, Turbo Timer Tanabe – strut bars, sway bars, under braces
AEM Induction – Dryflow system
Optima battery – D35 Yellow top[/toggle_item]
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