Congratulations
on winning May 2012 COTM Leigh! One of our longest serving NPOC members and
with a rather special Nissan Primera P10 eZX with added boost too! How does it
feel bagging this exclusive award and the awesome COTM trophy as well?
About bloody time, LOL. No I have to
admit I was rather chuffed and surprised. I know that I had made several
comments in the past, at different levels of intoxication of when I would bag
this coveted award and now I have, it’s very much appreciated. Thanks.
Before we talk
cars, modifications and mechanics, we’d love to find out about you the owner. Please
tell us about yourself and what you get up to, away from the NPOC.
Well obviously my name is Leigh and I
am 41 years young! I am an electrician by trade and run an electrical
contracting business, alongside my brother and father. I live in the suburbs of
Greater London with my partner Laura and 18 week old son Ned. Outside of NPOC I
work, work, work and chase about after my boy. Before life changed so
drastically I was a bit of a party animal!
You’re an Elite Member
here (our highest level of paying membership), are you getting value for money
with that? And please sell us the reason, why everyone should become Elite.
Value for money of course. The club
discounts, although I am not around to fully benefit, are great.
I think becoming an Elite Member shows
your dedication to the club and the brand. It is a small price to pay to show
appreciation, to all the hard work that goes into it all.
Now strictly
speaking, this is not your first COTM win!.. A few of us will remember that
several years back, after you made a comment to myself about not having won Car
Of The Month, you did actually receive an unofficial feature.. But the “C” In
COTM was actually substituted for something else LOL. Which award / feature
makes you feel better?
I was on holiday in Portugal when I
received “lady bits” of the month. I had had a couple of beers and was sitting
in a busy internet area of a very plush reception. I just started laughing out
loud reading it! I took it all on the chin and as intended.
I would probably say that this award
is the greater achievement but I would love to read the other one again!
Next year
will see you complete 10 years of paying membership at the NPOC (respect!),
what has kept you here all this time and will we ever get rid of you?
My true love of the P10 I guess. I
have also befriended some like minded people and this can only be good!
Get rid of me?.... Never. My P10’s
will be with me for life, as will this club. You will be attending my funeral,
hopefully in the very far future!
Last month we featured “Sluffer” as
the COTM winner and he’s reasonably well known as a P10 General amongst the
ranks of the club but in terms of who is the real P10 Daddy… We’d all happily
salute you!! If I’m honest, I’ve lost track of how many Nissan Primera P10’s
you may currently own (in one state or another), as well as how many you may
have previously owned! So tell us, how many have you ever owned in total and
what’s the state of play with the ones you still own?
Well thank you. I will happily lead my
legions of the P10 faithful into battle.
Not as many as you may think. I have
had a total of 8 eZX’s or Phase 1 eGT’s. I can not confirm or deny exact
numbers owned at the moment but for the record I would say 2 LOL! The vehicle
that you see here which is ever evolving and of course the rarer than rocking
horse shit eZX T4.
Painful
question I know… But you started the uber rare P10 4X4 eZX project in June 2008
(nearly 4 years ago).. Will she ever be completed?
Believe it or not but she came off the
road in 2005. I went into it a bit green. I removed the engine, bought a Pulsar
unit and a few bits and bobs and became a bit unstuck! I soon realized it was
going to be a bit more complicated.
Sourcing parts is difficult and when
you do they cost the earth. I have had to source many parts from New Zealand.
2008 I tried again.. It all started
very well but things started to slip and the rest is history as they say.
I would say state of play is 75%
complete. I have a very capable, trustworthy and close by chap who wants to
finish it. I pretty much have everything I need to complete, except the time
and money! She will appear, I promise you all but when would be a complete
guess!
What keeps
you with the Nissan Primera brand (and specifically the P10)? It must be so
tempting to just buy a modern boosted Jap bitch and stick one on your brothers
Evo?
I just love the P10 eZX and Phase 1
eGT. It is a great old motor and with a bit of tuning can surprise people. The
older they get the more I love them. Being a retro car fan, I just count the
days until they are full blown retro metal.
Don’t tempt me on the modern car, I
have on several occasions nearly bit that bullet! Did you know that is was my
tubby P10 that gave his 350Z a spanking on the way back from the RR day in
2010, that made him sell it and buy his Evo.
If I ever do buy that newer car, it
will certainly NOT replace my beloved!
Your turbo’d
P10 was last rolling road dyno’d at 246.9 BHP and it was noted that the
fuelling was not spot on.. If all was well, what would the true figure be at?
The fuelling was horrific and it was
leaning out so badly the run was aborted, as we were heading for detonation.
As per a recent thread I posted on the
forums, I have now sorted this issue and look forward to a dyno run, to confirm
what I think she should have hit.
By my calculation using the data
available (hehe).. I have come up with this approximate figure. The run was
aborted at 5500 RPM @ 246.9 BHP. Peak power on previous runs was hit at 6800
RPM. Power gains between 5500 – 6800 RPM have been around the 35 BHP mark, so
246.9 RPM + 35 = 281.9 BHP. But in all honesty I would expect and be happy with
280 BHP.
On to the modifications,
now would be a great time to tell us all about your Nissan Primera P10 eGT
Turbo! So please list your full spec and all modifications, inside and out:
Pulsar SR20DET
Manual boost controller set at 1.1 BAR
Bailey dump valve
Super Dooper cone filter
Full SS Powerflow exhaust
Front mounted standard intercooler
Oil catch can
Magnecor 8mm HT leads
High flow RB25 fuel filter
Walbro 255HF fuel pump
P11 GT calipers
P11 3G grooved discs
EBC Greenstuff pads
Black Diamond braided brake lines
P11 GT gearbox and Quaife LSD (not
fitted in time for this feature!)
JDM sunroof wind deflector
JDM tango indicators
Morette twin headlights (and yes I luv
them!)
Micra K12 fog lights
Volk Racing AV2 split rims and Falken
rubber
Momo steering wheel
Nismo gearknob
Boost, oil temp and pressure, water
temp “worry” dials
Uprated stereo and speakers which is
too loud for a man of my years, when rolling down the high street listening to
Sean Paul… LOL
What’s the
most enjoyable change you’ve made so far?
Upping the boost to 1.1 BAR.
If I gave you
£500 right now and told you it had to be spent on the car, what would you buy?
I would have a bit of body shop time.
I am always going to be more go than show but the rust bugs are moving onwards
and upwards!
If money was
no object and you could do anything you wanted to the P10, what would the
ultimate Nissan Primera P10 be?
I could not possibly list all the
things I would do to my Primeras but let’s say I won the Lottery, I would not
blink at throwing £100K or more at them. Totally stripped, blasted and seam
welded. Full rebuild with as many new parts as I could get my hands on. Both
VVL turbo (VET), built by say Jun, bespoke running gear by Quaife, man I could
go on and on but I am sure you have got my drift!
Who does most
of the mechanical work on your cars, yourself or a trusted garage?
I would call myself a Haynes 3
spanner mechanic. I will take on as much as I can but the bigger jobs go to a
couple of trusted mechanic friends.
Which is the
better (and be honest now!) bodyshape for the P10, hatch or saloon and why?
Mmmmmmmmmn, let’s see! Would the fact
I have had 6 hatches and 2 saloons (officially) give you a clue? In all but the
P10, I prefer the saloon. Let’s not get me wrong, I love both shapes and the
saloon has a stronger following I feel, by the association to the touring cars.
For my eye the hatch is just a bit sweeter and to boot, I have only ever had
two arse out moments, both in saloons!
Time for
the quick fire question round!
How
long have you been an NPOC Member? Forever. What makes you smile?
My son.
What makes you sad?
Too much to list here!
Tell us something we don't know about
you..
My first car was a Hillman Avenger 1300
Super when I was 15 and yes I did!
Your favourite colour?
Don’t have one.
Your lucky number?
13.
What will it say on your gravestone?
SHIT.
Your favourite drink (any)?
On one lager, off one coffee.
If you could steal the keys to someone else’s
car (on NPOC) for 1 day, which car would you steal and why?
This may
surprise you but it would be “ragt20”s Mystic. The only 11 I would consider
owning, although I would prefer a saloon.
Why? Just
because I love it.
Now we’ve
already established, you’re a foundation stone of NPOC (having been here for so
many years now!)... But your post count for nearly 10 years is on the low
side.. I know you visit the forums pretty much every day, so I am interested in
why you don’t post a lot?
To be honest it’s just not my thing. I
like to read topics and posts and chip in, if I can be of some genuine help, or
to stick a quip in when the opportunity arises LOL.
You’ve been
to many club meets within your time here.. What’s been your favourite ever club
meet, “of all time” so far and why?
JAE has been fun over the years and I
like the Rolling Road days. I would say JAE events, which one or why is beyond
my ability to remember because as you know, I do like to enjoy myself!
Now I’m
pretty sure I wasn’t drunk or stoned but I swear you rocked up to JAE one year
in a P11 144! What was that all about LOL?
My P10’s were out of action and that
was a car I chose for my father, when he asked me to find him a new car. It has
been great and is now a company car. Man I had to rock up in a Primera, no!?!?!
Out of all
the Nissan Primera P10’s you have either previously owned or currently own, do
you have a favourite?
I love K844 SKK. She has been with me,
leaving once on an extended holiday since 2001. We have had our ups and downs
but we have had fun doing it. My T4 is my comforter and they will both be with
me forever.
My biggest regret was selling my grey
eGT to fund the T4. That was one solid low mileage motor with just 34K on the
clock and one previous owner. It now resides with “sprint”s father. First dibs
fella!
NPOC for life
(regardless of what car you own and drive) or leg it when you change car?
I’ll never change cars, so the rest
goes unsaid!
Tell Carlos Ghosn why he needs to bring back the Nissan Primera
brand:
He shouldn’t. Nissan Primeras (up to
2001) have had their moment in a different time and place and that would be
where I would like to keep them.
Many thanks
for telling us all about yourself and the Nissan Primera P10 eZX Turbo, she’s
an awesome club car and you’re an alright geeza too! Congratulations once again
for winning Car Of The Month for May 2012 Leigh! Please end this feature, in
your own words and feel free to thank anyone who’s made this one possible.
Thanks again!
Big respect to the P10 crew. “Sluffer”
for being a kindred spirit and a funking nice chap.
To anyone who has ever helped me out
with a bit of needed info or a part. Especially “Japsniper” and the time and
effort he put into the LSD Group Buy.
To the Old Skool.. It has been an
interesting journey.
And finally to anyone who has made the
effort to get to know me.. Once you get the bolshiness, like it says, I am an
alright geezer!
Congratulations once again to Leigh! May 2012 COTM - leighzx
|