Congratulations on winning April 2014 MOTM Chris! How does it feel
to be our exclusive Member of the Month and having your name up in lights?
I
must say it is an honour! I never expected that I would have the privilege to
become the NPOC MOTM but I must say I am thrilled to bits about it. It has
certainly put a nice smile on my face.
We’d love to find out about you the person. Please tell us about
yourself and what you get up to, away from the NPOC.
I
am currently at Edinburgh Napier University doing Computer Systems &
Networks. I am in the third year which and nearly finished, then by next May I
should have my Honors in IT. It’s one of the things I had wished I had done
back when I was younger but hey ho, better late than never.
I
was made redundant in 2008 from Samsung doing technical support, before that I
was in several other similar type jobs. I took the decision then to go back and
get an education on something that I have known for a long time. Back in 2002 -
2003 I was an IT technician which I got the job on experience, unfortunately
most companies need bits of paper. I was so sick of being in dead end jobs, so
I took the plunge and thought “time to get a career”.
I
have been with my fiancée Fiona for 9 ½ years. I have known her for 15 years,
but we were kids. She knows I always fancied her! I am very happy with her and
she gives me good motivation. She is a pain in the backside sometimes but I
would never change her for the world.
I
have 2 dogs, Leo who we rescued from the cat and dog home in 2005. He is a
Collie / Labrador cross, 9 years old and a complete idiot. He is very loyal and
his prat of a personality always makes us smile. The other dog is Jess, a full
bred Border Collie who we got when she was a puppy. She’s the first dog I have
ever known to be obsessed with the TV (no joke). She is a sweet little thing
and loves her cuddles and is now 5 years old. I also have a tropical aquarium
which I have many Guppies (thanks to Fiona who makes me save every bloody baby
they have) and a few Mollies, Tetras and a Gibbicep the size of a trout.
Generally
in the summer time I like to work on mine and Fiona’s cars. Fiona’s more than
anything lately LOL. Building cars from a heap is something I love doing as I
look back on it and think “I did a good job”. I am also into computers and
stuff, the inside of my house drives Fiona off her nut. I have network cables
in all rooms routed through the loft and stuff. It’s a complicated setup!
I
love to go out for long runs in the car also. Even better when I have a decent
car to drive. I find it pretty relaxing.
I
also love spending time with Fiona, we have some random conversations sometimes
and I enjoy sitting watching movies on the TV and occasionally play the
PlayStation when I get a bit of time.
Oh,
and I am also a Top Gear fan in case you had not guessed. I also love watching
my Formula 1 at the weekends but generally I do lead a very simple life.
I know it’s been a while now but can you remember how you found
the NPOC forums and are we any good? Would you happily recommend the club to
other Nissan Primera owners?
I
think I looked on Google for some information on modifying my first Nissan Primera.
I sort of joined and stayed. I think the relaxing forum and people on it just
made me start becoming an active member. The amount of stuff about Primera’s at
the time kept me very interested.
The
car and club is always recommended by me. I have not yet found another club which
is as helpful or as friendly as NPOC, so I would definitely recommend NPOC for
any Nissan Primera owner.
Your join date from your profile shows May 2003! Which means you
were carried over from a previous version of the NPOC Forums and regardless,
you’ve completed well over 10 years of NPOC Membership now, good innings sir!
What keeps you coming back and signing in every day here?
As
I said the friendly atmosphere on the forums and respectful members makes me
come back every time. I have had many Primera’s and everyone has always been as
enthusiastic about them as myself. As the years have gone by I have had better
and better projects come along. They are not limited to a Primera but others
also. I love the fact that people are intrigued to what I do next.
With
all the help from all the members throughout the years, I always feel I owe
NPOC a lot. I try and do this in the angle of knowledge I have gained. When I
first got in to Primera’s, I never had the first clue about changing a spark
plug (funny story about that later which I still laugh at). Through the years
of seeing other Primera projects, it has just sort of forced me to become good
at something and I have learned so much from NPOC. I am just glad I have
learned a lot about these cars now, that I can give back and help people who
need it. I must admit I never thought 10 years ago I could strip down and rebuild
a Nissan engine but here I am.
Now over the last 10+
years, we’ve seen you in a few different Nissans but before we get into the
history of that lot, tell us about life before finding Nissan. Were there any
other marques of cars and how did you get on with them?
Not
really much to tell as I was a young lad. I kind of always liked Nissans throughout
my childhood. My dad owned a Nissan Stanza and for some reason I always have a
special attachment to it. I think the Stanza is rare now but I am still on the
lookout for one at the right price. I have a lot of fond childhood memories of
being in this car, even when my dad crashed it a bit LOL!
The
first official car I had was a Renault 5. When I got it, the strut broke and it
was rubbing on the tyres. I remember going behind the old lorry yard near me and
hooning around, it as an awesome place for handbrake turns, sadly though double
clutching abuse shattered the gearbox LOL. I was actually given more for it in scrap
value, then I paid to buy it. WIN!
After
that it was onto my first Nissan Primera.
So bringing us into the Nissan era (happy days!!) But sticking
with the cars you have owned, which you no longer own.. Give us a list and any
specs you can remember please matey, oh and hopefully you have some photos
stashed away too?
Here
we go then, in order!
1993
P10 Nissan Primera 1.6 LX – I purchased this car for the same price I got for
scrap value from the Renault 5, £150 it was. The engine was a non starter and
in fact my mate Andy had purchased it first. He was 15 years old and his mum
had kittens and then I offered him the price he bought it for. We got it
started and that was that. The first thing we done because I was a stupid, daft
wee lad, took it down behind the old lorry yard. I rallied the shit out of that
thing and it refused to give up. I then invested in the car and fixed it all
up. The body looked bad but mechanically was it was great. I then just fell for
it and it made me find NPOC. I still remember my RipSpeed gear knob, floor
covers and Belmont hub caps. Me and my mate changed the clutch in it but
something was never right with it. I finally retired this P10 due to a sub
frame problem. The irony is, it would be a 5 minute fix for me these days.
1999
P11-144 Nissan Primera 1.8 S – Another car I miss! I purchased this on finance.
It did unfortunately get me in to a lot of debt. I had a lot of fun in this car
though. Many early fond memories of meeting Fiona with it! I never had any
modifications done to it. I sort of learned a little basic maintenance with
this one. I got rid of it as I had a few mishaps in it. It was still a good car
but needed a lot of work doing to it.
1994
Nissan Primera P10 2.0 eGT – My first smell of the SR20 engine! I purchased
this car for £100. The engine did not sound the healthiest when I got it. The
same night I purchased it and about 2 hours later, the engine was so shot it
lost a lot of power and seized on me. This was due to bad servicing by the old guy
I bought it from. I purchased a new engine for it from a local scrap yard and
with help from NPOC and also my Brother in Law, I successfully swapped the
engines over. This is really where it all took off, as I knew that because I
achieved this I could achieve doing my own repairs. Unfortunately the head
gasket blew on it about 4 months later, so I stripped off the head to do the
head gasket and at this time, I broke the bloody chain guides DOH!. So I looked
for a donor Primera.
1993
Nissan Primera 2.0 eGT – I won this car on eBay for just £67! It was a high mileage
Primera sitting at 201k miles but did have good service history. I picked it up
from just outside Chelmsford. It was barely legal but enough to drive it home.
I remember about halfway home I put the foot down a bit and the temperature
needle rocketed. I decided it was in better condition than my other eGT so I
put this one on the road and took all the good parts off my old eGT. New MOT and
boom. It lasted 2 months until I blew the engine up attempting to race an MR2.
The oil pump had destroyed itself which lead to the engine seizing. I planned on
getting it a new engine when I sort of found the VVL engine. I thought I would
save up but unfortunately it was a bad time with debt. I scrapped her
unfortunately.
1997
Nissan Primera P11 1.6 GX – Probably the first car which made me fall in love
with the P11. I had purchased it from a mate cheap but the kingpin bearing was
shot, this was put on the road because I killed the engine in my eGT. It was a
nice comfy car to drive but 5 months later I started having a problem with it.
Turns out the Gasket had blown on this too! I attempted to do the head gasket
on it but sadly I made a mess of it and made a school boy error by not marking
which sprocket was Intake or Exhaust. When I fitted everything back I made a
guess. I did get it started though but you could hear a lot of piston to valve
contact. I gave up with it and purchased a Proton Persona and this P11 got
scrapped.
1996
Nissan Primera P11 2.0 GX – I had a few other cars in between this one and my
last P11. I purchased this one from up the north of Scotland because I really
wanted another Primera despite my bad luck. I took a test drive and instantly
fell in love with it. This car gave me a good year of motoring but the exhaust
had blown and there was a hole which developed in the floor from corrosion. I
planned on getting it fixed but I then saw a Primera GT for sale. This car got
scrapped. It did have a strong engine in it, when it was scrapped though.
1998
Nissan Primera P11 2.0 GT – My first GT! I had purchased this on eBay for around
£700 and drove to Wakefield for it. The look of the car was just awesome and I
instantly loved it. I remember on the way home just past Newcastle every turn I
made, the oil light kept flickering, I still recall the fear in my head. It got
me home, I parked her up and the first thing I did was an oil change. There was
very little oil in the engine which I drained. Anyways the next day was a drive
to work and I remember thinking that my old GX felt quicker. The next weekend I
spent a whole day working on it. I changed the old dirty components from my GX
to my GT. The next morning I drove to work and it was just pure power and
smoothness. Unfortunately my happiness was short lived as I snapped the bloody
drive shaft. It was towed home by Fiona in her Fiesta. I then used the shaft
from my GX, fitted it to the GT and was back on the road and had minimal issues
with the GT from then on. As the suspension components were tired, I replaced
pretty much everything. Front and back shocks, wishbones, the whole shebang. It
was a very loyal car. Unfortunately because I was made redundant, I could not
afford the best TLC for it. It still got me many years happy motoring, In fact
it has travelled from Scotland to the south and back a few times. But then unfortunately
I was stupid and got myself banned. Fiona took to driving it but rust started
attacking the car, the front rad support rusted very badly, as did other parts
underneath. I broke the car and saved the good components. I got that car at
162k miles, I broke her with the engine still running spot on at 220k miles. In
fact the block is in my garage ready for a rebuild.
1999
Nissan Primera P11 2.0 GTLE – I purchased a previous members old car which I had
planned on making a daily. Unfortunately hidden problems made me break it but
the car was full of goodies. It was primarily purchased for the SR20VE engine
it had. It was then broken and thankfully scrapped.
Have you got a favorite out of the “previously owned” list above
and why?
My
first P11 GT (1998). The first car I actually thoroughly enjoyed and had an
attachment to. Despite the high mileage, I did so much in that car that made me
smile. I do miss it and must admit I would love to just have 1 more drive in
it. It was the car that really made me learn a lot of the mechanicals about
Primera’s and in fact other Nissans also. It never really let me down and
always got me home (except when I snapped a drive shaft or 2 LOL).
What got you into a Nissan Primera to start with, was it on the
list of cars to own back in the day, or a chance encounter?
As
I mentioned before, I had purchased one from a mate. If his mum never went ape
shit at him for getting it, then I probably would never have bought it. It was
a chance encounter.
So setting the Flux Capacitor to April 2014.. Tell us about the
current fleet you maintain please, what’s your daily (and do include Fiona’s
rides here), what’s being done up / worked on and any other projects you’re
taking on to?
These
days I have a nice decent fleet of cars. I will start off with Fiona’s motors.
1997
Autech Pulsar Serie VZR N1
This
was found by change on Gumtree by Fiona. She was looking for a decent N15 Almera
shell because her old GTi had rust issues, despite having a respray done. We
purchased this with a knackered engine but because it was an N1, it was like
Christmas and birthdays all rolled into one. We got it home on a low loader so
I could start work on it. I have turned a shed into one hell of a machine!
Here’s
the specs:
Major Works:
Full
Body Restoration
Full
Engine Rebuild
Full
Electrical System Repair
Full
Suspension Overhaul
Engine:
SR16VE
N1 Cylinder Head
N1
Intake Manifold
N1
Camshafts
CS
Adjustable Cam Gears
SR20DE
4CW Crank Shaft
Eagle
H-Beam Rods
Modified
N1 Pistons
Piston
Cam Coated for Extra Heat Resistance and Extraction
G
Spec Crank / Water Pump / PAS Pulleys
ARP
Rod Bolts
SR16VE
Block
Modified
SR20DE Distributor
ACL
Race Main Bearings
ACL
Rod Bearings – 5 Hole Version
SR20DET
Oil Squirters
Stock
Composite VE Head Gasket
SSautochrome
VE Header
2.5”
FreeFlow CAS Catback
HRC
Performance 255LPH Fuel Pump
S14
Fuel Filter
NKG
BKR7EIX-11 Iridium Spark Plugs
Magnecor
KV85 HT Leads
eBay
Cone Filter
Dynamically
Balanced Crank / Rods / Pistons / Flywheel / Pulley
Drive Train:
SR16VE
N1 Short Ratio Gearbox
Nismo
Mechanical LSD
Black
Diamond Stage 2 Clutch
Hydraulic
Clutch System
Fidanza
Flywheel
Engine Management:
Almera
GTi ECU – Modified
Nistune
Type 4 Board
Greddy
MSS
AEM
Wideband
AEM
Oil Pressure Gauge
Almera
GTi Modified Wiring Loom
Suspension:
BC
Coilovers – Rebuilt
BC
Spring Powdercoated Red
Superpro
Polyurethane Suspension Bushes
Almera
GTi Front & Read Strut Brace
Falken
ZE 912 Tyres
Braking:
Blueprint
Front and Rear Brake Disks
EBC
Redstuff Front Pads
Stock
Rear Pads
Rear
Calipers Reconditioned
Cosmetics:
Fully
Body Overhaul
Rear
Arches Replaced
Front
Wings Replaced with Indicator Holes Removed
Sills
Replaced
Boot
Door Replaced
Almera
GTi Doors Fitted
VZR
Front Grille
Almera
GTi Headlights
Bulge
Indicators
N1
Genuine Spoiler
Almera
Ph2 GTi Front and Rear Splitter
Almera
Ph2 GTi Side Skirts
Team
Dynamics Pro Race Alloys Refurbed Black
Interior:
Autech
Pulsar GTi Full Interior – Not Fitted yet
Primera
P12 Gear Knob
AEM
Oil and Wideband Gauges
Almera
GTi Centre Console
ICE:
Sony
Xplod DAB CD / MP3 Player
Vibe
Black Air 6x9 Rear Speakers
Vibe
Black Air Front Speakers
Fli
Amp
2x
Fusion 12” Subs
To Be Done:
Deatchwerks
370cc Injectors – Ordered and on way
Custom
Intake – Will be made by CAS Shotts
Replacement
Steering Rack – Part waiting to be fitted
Harley
Davidson V-Rod Shims
Remap
– Will be done by ProTuner
Nissan Primera P11 144 1.8
This
car is Fiona’s Daily. Her first Primera, she loves it. The car is serviced
often and has had some repair work and components replaced such as the MAF. The
car has very light modifications.
Exterior:
HID
8000k Kit
Primera
Sport + 16” Alloy Wheels
Interior:
Primera
Sport+ Interior
Sunglasses
Holder
Exhaust:
2.0
Custom Cat Back
Engine:
NKG
Iridium 6 Spark Plugs
Suspension:
Primera
GT Front & Rear Suspension
Primera
GT Front Strut Brace
Nissan Almera N16 1.5
This
is my current daily driver at the moment. Unfortunately she will be retired at
the end of the year. I purchased this car from member “Jason K” when the
gearbox had broken. I remember driving it home with a knackered gear box, I
nursed it back though. I managed to source a new gearbox for it and then fitted
this myself. Fiona had a minor mishap a few years ago and wanted to scrap it
when I got disqualified for driving. I took the car and it sat in the garage
for 2 years. I planned on VE’ing this but unfortunately the body underneath is
rusty hence its retirement on its next MOT. It has some light modifications.
Engine:
eBay
Cone Filter
Motrio
2 Prong Spark Plugs
AAS
2.25” Cat back
Suspension / Brakes:
H&R
Lowering Spring
Primera
GT Front Brakes
ICE:
Pioneer
DAB Head Unit
Sony
Xplod 12” Sub
Edge
6x9 Rear Speakers
Fusion
Amp
Some
Random Amp
Exterior:
Colour
Coded Bump Strips
Primera
P11-144 Active Alloy Wheels
Nissan Primera P11 GTSE –
Mystic
My
new project, which was purchased last month. The car is currently in a sorry
state but I plan on getting some health back into her over the summer and so I
can use this instead of the N16 Almera. I have removed some of the
modifications which were on it, such as the RipSpeed head unit and Wizard of
NOS kit. Still a lot more to do!
Post
summer modifications will be:
SR20VE
Engine
SR16VE
Cams
H-Dev
Mapped Almera GTi ECU
Custom
Intake
Toyosports
Header
333cc
Injectors
Half
Leather Interior
OZ
Racing 17” Alloys
Not
really much more I can add at the moment till I start working on it. But the
future plan is:
Custom
VE Build
SR16VE
N1 Head
SR20VE
Block
Custom
Pistons
H-Beam
Rods
8CW
Crank
Link
G4Plus Extreme Stand Alone ECU
8x
270cc Injectors
BMW
M3 Throttle Bodies
9000
RPM Limit
CAS
2.5” Catback
ICE
with Satnav – Fitted to the Monitor in back
R34
Front Brakes
And
much much more…
Above
is the bare minimum which I plan on doing but do keep an eye on my project thread
here on NPOC, for its progress. All I know is I have a lot of work to do to it.
At some point I will have a full Mystic respray done too. I plan on having it
looking like new.
One of the things I’ve noticed about you over the last decade, is
your Nissan skill set and knowledge has massively increased. Now I know you’re
a member of many Nissan based forums (whore! Hahaha!), but has the available
internet based knowledge, been beneficial in how you now tackle cars?
I
first got in to cars with my mate about 2001 ish. Before then I was never
really bothered. I started just doing little odd jobs and then at some point I
was confident enough to change an air filter.
I
have always been curious about things since I was young enough to walk. I took
my mums video player apart (which was hired) back in around 1988, I was around
3 at the time and surprisingly I never broke any components LOL. The hire
company guy saw the funny side and still fixed it for my mum but mum started to
hide the tools from then on. She always said I should have been called Miles
(as in Miles and the screwdriver – probably way old for some young pups to
remember this). Anyways with my curiosity, it just makes me do a lot of
research and learn new stuff. I then always put in to practice what I have
slightly learned on the internet.
When
I started my relationship with Fiona, I didn’t speak to my friends as much at
the time. My mate is a mechanic and he used to do all the major work but since
we sort of never seen each other much, I had to stand on my own two feet. Any
issues first port of call was the NPOC forums, else it was other forums. After
a few failed repairs it became time I wanted a VE. Now I had done engine swaps
in the past and it worked but I was always curious about it. At that time there
was no specific VE owners clubs out there. I thought good idea for me to make
one. After a couple of months, I met Wezz from Middlesbrough who had done a
rebuild and swap, then afterwards a fellow scot named Garry who has a stunning
Lucino. The curiosity just grew on from there and so I was tackling harder and
harder jobs.
Fiona
bought a Black N15 GTi that I spent a weekend working on. I stripped down the
brakes and revealed bad repair jobs in the past. Good car when I had finished
but there was a lot of corrosion and the car didn’t last too long sadly. She
then bought a Blue GTi but due to issues with engine coolant and it fried the
engine so at this point I suggested a VE engine as a sort of joke but she said
yes! So I started looking at importing an engine when all of a sudden the P11
GT with an SR20VE came up for sale. I did my first successful DE to VE
Conversion in that GTi (with the engine from the P11 GT). This proved to be a
very successful conversion all because of research and taking the time to think
about it. Fiona then saw the now Current N1 VZR as she was looking for a decent
shell (the blue GTi was getting rusty). I got it stripped and stored the parts.
Slowly we got all new parts and with all the stuff I had read and got involved
with and old engines to tinker with, I took on my first successful “ground up” engine
build. If I put my mind to something I make it happen. I mean I don’t really
remember how I have learned everything I know but it damn sure comes in handy. Plus
being Scottish I hate to pay for things so why pay a garage to fit stuff when I
can do that for free!
As
for other clubs, I am only ever on 2 clubs nowadays. NPOC as the club is
awesome and NeoVVLOC as it is owned by me.
You’ve specifically become
a bit of legend in all things VVL and you run a very successful club / forums
dedicated to this. Is it your intention to stuff a VVL lump in every Nissan you
will own LOL?
Yes!
I am very greedy with VE’s. I have 2 of the rare N1 heads, one in the VZR and
the other to be built for my new GTSE.
2
standard VE heads, one from the old Primera / GTi engine and the other
purchased as part of a full engine setup. One will be used for a DE / VE Hybrid
for an N16 in the future. The other head will be built onto a DE block for
Fiona’s P11-144 when the QG starts playing up (or in a few years time).
So
yeah there will be 4 Different Nissans with 4 VE’s.
An
N1 Nissan Primera has never been done, so I will be the first!
So lots of NA power knocking around in your rides or “to be” knocking
around in your rides, why have you never considered boost and are you a turbo
hater?
I
am not a turbo hater. In fact, I was planning on a VE N1 Turbo until I got
banned. It’s also down to cost as I plan on buying a house in a few years, so I
decided for reliability and cost I will stick with N/A at the moment. I’m
looking at around 250 BHP estimated for my NA build anyways, so that will still
be pretty impressive.
Do you think we’d all be running SR20VE engines, if the engine was
easier to source (I know I would LOL)?
I
would hope people would consider it. VE engines have gotten a bad reputation by
people because they could never get it right. But when you do get it right, you
are hooked. Pushing an SR20VE Stock to 8500 and hearing the scream just gives
an adrenaline buzz - Best upgrade by far. It beats all your cam upgrades and
stuff. A correctly mapped VE engine gives better MPG than a DE engine too!
VET? You know we need one around the place!!?
Never
say never! As I said, I had planned on it but it’s not cheap to do. A VET would
easy hit around 500 BHP mark but the problem is with gearboxes, drive shafts,
and so on. Cost is not worth it for me at the moment but never say never!
Time for the quick fire question round!
What makes you smile?
Jeremy
Clarkson – He cracks me up!
What makes you sad?
Cruelty
to Animals
Tell us something we don't know about you..
I
have a fascination of Primates
Your favourite colour?
Black
Your lucky number?
3:16
– Back when I liked WWF
What will it say on your gravestone?
Nothing,
I plan on being cremated
Your favorite drink (any)?
Coffee,
a lot of coffee
Your sub £10K second hand dream car would be?
Nissan
Navara in black
Your sub £30K second hand dream car would be?
Nissan
Skyline R34 GTR V-Spec in Blue or Black
If you could steal the keys to someone else’s car (on NPOC) for 1
day, which car would you steal and why?
Come
on Shaun, that Pink Primera of yours. I would love to see what peoples reactions
would be, when they see me driving a Pink car! Shaun's Pink Beast pictured below!
You’ve shown up at a few North East regional club meets and
anything held in Scotland but 10+ years of membership and you’ve sadly never
made it to one of our bigger national meets, further down South. When are we
gonna get you out for Japfest / JAE or even Ace Cafe?
I
have set a challenge this year to have the Mystic healthy for the Ace Café Meet
in December. I do plan on coming to a few big events in the next few years once
I have finished University and have a few extra bob in my pocket, I‘ll be there.
Tell everyone who has never come out and joined us at a Club Meet,
why they should..
The
first Meet I attended was a Scottish Meet and it was such a laugh. I met some
of the nicest people anyone could ever meet. We also shared a memorable moment
with “the Nesbit’s” teaching a Rottweiler how to swim in a lake LOL. The meet
showed it was not all about the cars but meeting new people. I was always made
to feel welcome. The same applied when I went to my first North East Meet, I
was even in an Almera!
So over 10 years of NPOC membership Chris, is there a defining
club memory in that lot somewhere?
I
think the first Scottish Meet was a memorable event with the NPOC. I had an
amazing time.
Most of us know you have just come back from a driving ban and
whilst we’re not here to judge (we all speed regardless of who wants to look in
the mirror and deny it!) Personally I was a regular 3 figure motorway driver
years back, until I got caught.. Has the ban slowed you down and made you look
differently at how you drive?
Definitely!
I need to consider changing my name to Captain Slow now. I am happy to sit on
the motorways at 60 MPH now. I never expected a ban to change my attitude as
much as it did on the roads. Sitting as a passenger for 2 years gave me a good
insight as to how stupid it was with the speeds I was doing. It’s all very
fresh in my mind and I think it has made me a better driver for it.
Not
only that, the inconvenience of it all was hard also. Taking public transport
which is always cold and damp in the winter, with old dears coughing on you and
waiting up to 30 minutes for a bus drove me nuts. It took 1 hour and 40 minutes
to get to University on the bus when it is just 20 minutes by car etc. The fact
I had to go through an Extended Driving Test before I could drive on my own
again, was hard and financially difficult. Car Insurance has taken a hit too.
Although
I am building fast cars, I am doing it for taking them down the drag strip or
track time and as a hobby. High and illegal speeds are best kept off the public
road, so I suggest that anyone learn from my stupid mistakes and think about it
before you reach those speeds. It’s dangerous and could potentially be fatal,
if something was to go wrong.
NPOC for life
(regardless of what car you own and drive) or leg it when you change car?
For
life! If I was ever to get another type of car I would still be happy to pay my
Club membership and stay with NPOC. I do hope to live to see the day, when Brian
finally gets Nistune sorted on his Ginger GT LOL!
Tell Carlos Ghosn why he needs to bring back the Nissan Primera
brand:
The Nissan Primera was / is the best
family hatchback in the world. He needs to tell Renault where to go and build
another Primera using the same passion as the last one. The Nissan Primera
already has the best Owners Club around.
As I have asked all of the 2014 MOTM winners so far, we all read
the debate in the December 2013 COTM about my decision to change the name of
our monthly feature to "Member Of The Month" and also change the
criteria and so on.. I do appreciate as a winner of this new feature, it’s
going to be potentially hard to speak out against the new format LOL but did I
make the right call in changing things around here? Or should I have left it as
it was?
I
think it was a good idea to implement it into NPOC. A lot of members have owned
fantastic Primeras but have sadly moved on to other cars. The good news is that
they have stayed with NPOC and still to this day, contribute to the club with their
help and knowledge – The fact that you can now win MOTM on merit, rather than
how shiny your Nissan Primera is a positive step. Unfortunately Primera’s are
starting to decline in numbers but the spirit of the club still remains.
Right then, so we’re
nearly at the end of this one Chris but you’ve been holding out about the promised
funny story with your old Renault 5! Cough and be judged haha!
When
I first changed the spark plugs on my Renault 5 GT CAMPUS, I threaded a plug
going back in, because I was stupid with cars at the time, I used Jeremy
Clarksons favourite tool - A hammer and a ratchet! It got the plug back in
though LOL!
Member Of The Month is all
about highlighting the unsung heroes around this club and also their cars,
should they be driving a Nissan Primera. You won this feature because you have
spent 10 years plus, owning and driving a variety of Nissan Primeras and other
Nissans. The help you have given our members (paying and non paying) over the
years, has been selfless and always a welcome sight - Thank you Chris, it’s
been massively appreciated and here’s to another decade of Club Life! With my
thanks out of the way, it’s over to you
Chris.. Congratulations once again for winning Member Of The Month for April
2014! Please end this feature, in your own words and feel free to thank anyone
who’s made this one possible.
First
off I need to give a massive thanks to my other half Fiona! She has allowed me
to be into all of this and even got involved with me. She has given me projects
to do for her, which have given me great satisfaction.
Ant-Dat
for all the useful information in the past. He has grilled me on a few
occasions but only because he is always right. His knowledge and explanations
as well as his tech articles, have made it possible for me to work on cars.
Garry
(97VZR on NeoVVL) for all the help and support on my projects also. With having
a VE and meeting him, I consider him a good friend now. He has also helped me
mechanically as well as technically in the past.
GTIRWezz
for his technical help also and allowing me to buy his N1 head.
Brian
(PrimeraP11GT) for having me in stitches, with some of the daft stuff he comes
up with.
Finally
a mega thanks to NPOC, for all the help and support through the years and the
support for my projects. I will be an NPOC Member and a Nissan owner for many
years to come, thanks to this club and also thank you for making me MOTM.