Congratulations on winning December 2015
MOTM Nick! How does it feel to be our exclusive Member Of The Month and having
your name up in lights?
Initially I
was surprised I had received a private message off Shaun “essNchill”,
especially one with a title that seemed irrelevant to anything. Upon reading it
I was honoured and read it twice more before replying to it. I’m still
genuinely surprised and thank you for choosing me. It’s a true honour as there
are so many people worthy of the title MOTM.
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.
Well, my
name is Nick Dyson, aged 24. I live in Liskeard, Cornwall with my partner
Sammy, our lurcher Acer, and the two cats Tiggy and Totoro. Sammy also has a
Leopard Gecko, so with 2 people and 6 animals it’s never a quiet house.
I run my
own business doing Landscaping and Tree Work, I started contracting to a
company when I was 16 and went my own way 18 months ago and it’s all going
well. I was born in Birmingham and lived there until I was 13 when my parents
decided to move to sunny (or not so) Cornwall. I spent my teenage years racing
cross country and downhill mountain bikes - Unfortunately once I bought a
motorbike and passed my CBT at 17, the mountain bikes got forgotten.
I spend
quite a lot of my time now taking the dog for walks on the moor or tinkering on
random projects I have on the go (biggest one being the house which needs
rather a lot of work). I also spend time pottering in the garden or on the allotment.
The other thing I really enjoy is going off caravanning, it doesn’t have to be
a million miles away but sitting in the awning with a cold beer is something I
really do enjoy.
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?
If I recall
correctly, I think NPOC Member “Geordie” is to blame for me being here, as I
used to have a Nissan Sunny and was a member of the Nissan Sunny Owners Club
and I remember him posting links to things on here, so I clicked on them and
lingered in the background for a year or so before properly signing up. I
certainly do recommend to anybody I can to come and join in, when I sold one of
my previous Primeras I stipulated the new owner must sign up, which he did.
Your join date from your profile shows
March 2010! Which means that you have racked up over 5 years of NPOC
Membership! Massive respect and well done! What keeps you coming back and
signing in every day here?
I enjoy
reading all the threads that people put up, I think I read just about every
thread that comes up but often don’t find myself commenting unless I have
something constructive to say. The banter between people makes the forum what
it is, a lot of the members know each other personally and it makes it a friendly
atmosphere (normally LOL!)
You’re originally one of the Old Skool
AOC members, who found your way over to this side and ultimately ended up with
a Nissan Primera. How is the AOC these days and are you still posting over
there?
I was
indeed and I was converted to the dark side. I’ve just checked to see and I
haven’t been onto AOC since May 2014 when we were planning to break our N15.
Times change and I just faded away from the Almera scene, even while we still
had a N15 I found all the help I needed on NPOC, so had no reason to return.
Now thankfully, you are a die-hard
petrol head YAY! So we’ll be looking at your varied list of cars and projects
later on but your very first post here at NPOC was when you were driving an N16
Almera but wanting to fit a GT engine into it.. What happened with that
project?
Haha, it’s
quite comical because at the time I thought it was going to be a simple idea as
it had been done before. I hadn’t really thought it through properly. The Almera
came off the road and I had a new clutch and timing chain fitted but I lost the
love with it after Sammy bought an Almera with an SR20 fitted. The QG15 powered
N16 Almera was rather gutless, so it got sold to make space for the first
Primera. I saw the N16 around a few times afterwards, then finally in the local
scrapyard after a relatively small smack.
So let’s get to past cars (but please
leave the Nissan Primera’s out of this one and also your current cars / cars on
your drive).. Give us your car ownership history from the day you passed please
and I’d love you to accompany this lot with some photos if you have them?
I passed my
test in January 2009 aged 17 and proceeded to buy a whole multitude of cars.
Firstly I
bought a 1995 Fiat Punto 1.2 auto which was an atrocious car that I purchased
for £310. The only modification I did was to remove all the door cards and fit
floral curtains over the top. I used it till May when I sold it for £320 and it
got replaced with...
1995 Nissan
Sunny 1.4 (my intro into Nissan ownership) - I loved this car, it cost me £100
(purchased from a lady of the night) and had a years MOT. The main modification
I did was to add blue LED's all over the car and it lit up like a Christmas
tree. The reason for this cars retirement was because of water pump failure (I
didn’t attempt any mechanics by this point), so I stripped a few parts and sold
them before giving the car away.
Next was a
1995 Peugeot 205 1.1 Junior, this was a surprisingly fun little car with
nothing in the way of creature comforts, but what do you expect for £250. It
served a purpose for a few months travelling from Cornwall to visit friends in
Bristol at Uni. I sold it to a local logger for £350.
Then I got
my second Nissan, the 2001 N16 Almera, this stayed with me for a while -
sometimes on the road - sometimes not. I loved the car initially, added
16" Sport alloys, electric mirrors, colour coded anything I could, fitted
a Cupra R splitter and some underbody blue LEDs for the boy racer effect.
I bought a
1996 Vauxhall combo dog van 1.4 for £100, it only had 60k miles on it but I
never got as far as using it, instead I took all the Kenwood sound system out
and sold it on for £190.
A customer
passed away so his wife offered me his 1986 Audi 100cc for £300 so I bought it
with the intention of it being a nice comfortable classic. On the way back from
collecting it, I was foolish enough to have a spirited drive with an Alfa Romeo
which the car did not like and within a few days the engine went bang... Still
find chunks of metal in plant pots on the drive to this day.
Nissan
Almera SRi (SR20 swap) - this was technically Sammy’s car but I used to drive
it (at all opportunities). JWT S3R cams, stainless system, Eibach lowering
springs, 2 slat Grill, GTi interior, spoiler, lights etc... A great car that we
had lots of fun in. Grim got his hands on it eventually.
I replaced
this with a 1994 Volvo 850 Estate - this was a brilliant car until the crank
and cam sensors failed and it went to the scrap man.
I did
briefly own another N14 Sunny too, which I took as payment for a job but that
didn’t stay long.
(Then there
were Primeras)..
After a
couple of Primeras I bought a Subaru Forester 2.0 NA, another atrocious car
that got sold on quickly.
My final
previously owned car was an Isuzu Bighorn 3.1 TD, it had many issues, so got
sold to a garage who repaired it and sold it on.
Have you got a favourite out of the
“previously owned” list above and why?
I would say
my favourite was definitely the first Sunny, it was the first car I actually
enjoyed. I used and abused it, strapped kayaks to it - fitted curtains in the
back of it - slept in it on many occasions and if I could get it back (it has
since been scrapped) then I would.
Now let’s cover your current cars (leave
out the lovely Ginger GT please), what’s sat outside please Nick, tell us all
about them and photos too:
So
currently I am driving another Isuzu Bighorn (Trooper Import) but this time
it’s a 3.5 V6 Petrol, around the 250 BHP mark and it does shift well. It’s got
a stainless system fitted and HKS mushroom filter so it sounds good too. The
dream would be to get a supercharger kit as the engine is a stroked and forged
3.2 V6 so will apparently take the added power, but I need it to stay usable as
I use it daily for work with trailers etc...
I also have
a Mitsubishi RVR 4g63 sat here, the bottom end has a rattle so I have removed
the engine and intend to do a rebuild and get it running again, it will then
become my project car that I would like to modify and show – That is quite a
long way off though.
I also own
a Kawasaki GPZ600R which I am in the middle of playing with, the idea is to get
it up and running for the summer so that the misses can pass her test and ride
it to work to save mileage on the GT.
Now I know that you do have one P11 GT
outside your house right now and I’m pretty sure that belongs to your other
half Sammy but is maintained by ya goodself – Tell us more about this one
please and list all the goodies too:
We do
indeed, Sammy uses it to commute 50 miles a day. It’s a Ginger GT Saloon, we
got this off NPOC Member “Grim” around 18 months ago and it was a lovely drive
back from Colchester.
It’s fitted
with...
Black JDM
HID lights
Stainless
Manifold
Stainless
Decat
Stainless
Centre Pipe
Nismo
Calsonic Backbox
BC
Coilovers
Nissan
Rainguards
MOMO Corse
alloys
GTSE seats
Sunstrip
Twin
Subwoofers
Shark fin
aerial
Tinted Side
Repeaters
I may have
missed a few bits... The overall plan with the car is to tidy up paintwork, fix
the few niggly bits that most old cars have and then to most likely get JWT
cams and G20 rear lights to finish it off. VVL would be lovely but too much
work.
During your time at the NPOC, we’ve seen
you rocking a few Primera’s at various stages. Please tell us more about them
and list all the goodies they had and let’s see some photos, to remind us all
about them:
My first
Primera was a Ginger SRi, I loved this car!
Fitted it
with Clear JDM Lights, a Renault Espace front splitter, GT interior, GT rear
bumper and side skirts, fitted clear rear corners, lowered it massively and
fitted the wheels that I had on my Almera too it.
The SRi got
sold to a friend of NPOC Member “Janner” (and he’s also a member on here - but
can’t remember his username) and I believe it has since been scrapped as he now
has a Nissan Primera P11 144.
Then I
moved onto my first GT (also ginger) and it was awesome. I bought it with a
full stainless system and a high flow cat. It also had OZ Racing wheels and
drilled and grooved discs fitted. I swapped over the lights from my SRi and
spent a lot of time playing with it, tidying bits up. Unfortunately it failed a
MOT which on hindsight I should have done the work and repaired it but I ended
up breaking it and cutting it in half with an angle grinder with the intention
of making a trailer but this failed and it eventually got scrapped.
After a
break driving the Subaru I decided to buy the well known red W11 144 wagon
owned by previous NPOC Members, “Geordie”, “Stevie-Boy” and “Prim-n-Proper”.
I’m sure most of you know of this but here’s a brief summary, it had a Nismo
Back box (now on our GT), I fitted a stainless manifold, it had a JDM spoiler,
Rear Volvo Spats, Nissan Rain Guards, MOMO Corse alloys (now on our GT), custom
front bumper and JDM rear lights.
I sold this
car to a friend who has since signed up to NPOC but is not very active.
Most of us know you from your Nissan
Primera’s whilst you’ve been a member and thankfully we have seen you out and
about at Club Meets over the years too but 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?
After
owning the Sunny I gained an interest in them. I had no previous knowledge of
Japanese cars as my family always drove Peugeots. Then one day I went to
Helston (further into Cornwall) to meet a NPOC member to buy some parts for our
old N15, there was his black GT there and his friends ginger one. The ginger
really caught my eye - that was it, the hunt began and the SRi came up 5 miles
from home - So I bought it.
So imagine this.. Money is no object and
you can build yaself the ultimate Nissan Primera, you can do anything you want
here Nick – What would you create?
I think it
would have to be a P11 Wagon with the back removed to make a pick up, resprayed
in candy red with a VE-T engine and a 4x4 system, however I think I would need
to win the Euro Millions to make this a possibility. I can dream though...
One of the things I like about you, is
that you’re very hands on with maintenance and repairs on all the cars. What
would be the final straw, to see you and a car part company?
That
depends entirely on what car it is, some cars I have owned and felt no love for
have been sold due to very small faults. But generally tin worm is what will
put the end to a car for me, I have bought 2 welders to try and stop this being
a problem but I’m yet to learn how to use them properly.
Is there anything you’d never take on or
attempt, when it comes to car mechanics or repairs and what’s your spanner
rating from 1 - 5?
I would
attempt most things because if it’s already broken then it can’t get much
worse. I’m not the biggest fan of electrical systems but still give it a go.
Welding is something I am trying to teach myself. I would rate myself around a
3, as I don’t tend to use a garage other than to issue a mot document.
Quick Fire Question Round
What makes you smile?
Sunshine
What makes you sad?
Rain
Tell us something we don't know about
you..
I don't eat
anything remotely spicy
Your favourite colour?
Red
Your lucky number?
I don’t
really have a lucky number
What will it say on your gravestone?
Everything
happens for a reason
Your favourite drink (any)?
Before 3pm
- Tea with 2 sweeteners / After 3pm - San Miguel or Carlsberg
Your sub £10K second hand dream car
would be?
Toyota
Chaser (if the cash was in my hand I would struggle to choose though)
Your sub £30K second hand dream car
would be?
R34 GTR
If you could steal the keys to someone
else’s car (on NPOC) for 1 day, which car would you steal and why?
This is a
difficult one, I have never driven a P10 so would love a go in “Sprint”s p10
4x4, but I think ultimately I would have to say “Mad Maru”s P11 GTT, as I have
driven a few P11's and it would be great to see what a turbo P11 was like.
"Mad Maru"s Turbo'd Nissan Primera P11 GT shown below:
You’ve shown up at a few club meets over
the years Nick, what’s been your favourite one to date and why?
My
favourite meet would have to be Japfest 2013 as not only was there a brilliant
atmosphere, great cars, good weather... The chance to go out on track was
amazing.
Tell everyone who has never come out and
joined us at a Club Meet, why they should..
Anybody can
sit there and type on a computer, when you get out and meet the people you have
been talking to online it changes everything. Everyone is so approachable and
have a genuine interest in the cars - what more can you ask for. You don’t know
till you’ve tried it!
We saw you and Sammy out on track at Japfest
once, have either of you done any more track events?
Unfortunately
neither of us have which is a shame really. I am very tempted to go out at
Japfest next year (in my Isuzu) which could end interestingly.
So 5 years of NPOC membership, is there
a defining club memory in that lot somewhere and why?
The most
memorable experience was my road trip to meet member “Grim”, I had never met
him before but travelled up regardless. I was in the N15, got half way up the
M5 and the car died, after calling the RAC it turned out the speedo ran the
alternator (I didn’t realise and sold the speedo). The mechanic expressed
concern to the sills on the car too which were actually held in place with duct
tape. It made for a very memorable journey.
NPOC for life (regardless of what car
you own and drive) or leg it when you change car?
I’ll be
here for life, I’ve moved away from Primeras a few times but never stopped
logging in. Plus I was here for a year or so before I even bought one.
Tell Carlos Ghosn why he needs to bring
back the Nissan Primera brand:
Nissan make
no family saloons but I would be worried if they went along the lines of the
new Pulsar (which is nothing like a Pulsar as we know it!), that they would
tarnish the Primera name. However we need a decent sized family saloon with a
good engine to rival the competitors who still make them.
Final question here and one I’ve been
asking all year so far - Most petrol heads have a nick name / pet name for
their cars. What’s yours and why and if you have names for all the fleet, do
spill!
I refuse to
name my cars, they are referred to as 'the GT', 'the RVR' and 'the Truck'... I
put naming cars along the same lines as naming your dog a human name! Which is
a big NO! NO! for me.
Member Of The Month is all about
highlighting the unsung / unknown heroes around this club and also their cars,
should they be driving a Nissan Primera. You won this feature because you’re a
5 year time served Member and regular forum whore and you’ve helped make NPOC
what it is today. You also arrived at JAE one year with many gallons of awesome
local cider and invited us all to drink it and that was a massive win! Thank
you Nick, it’s been massively appreciated and here’s to many more years of Club
Life! With my thanks out of the way, it’s over to you to see us out..
Congratulations once again for winning Member Of The Month for December 2015!
Please end this feature, in your own words and feel free to thank anyone who’s
made this one possible.
No worries
Shaun, unfortunately Sammy no longer works for a cider plant... instead a beer
brewery, (much better in my opinion)... We will try and get back to JAE soon.
I would
like to thank all the Club Owners and Moderating Staff for the effort they put
in to running the club as they do.
Personally
I would like to thank Shaun (essNchill) for this opportunity, Martin (Prim-n-Proper)
for selling me the wagon, “Grim” for the GT, Keith (Janner) for all the local
help he has given me over the years and all the members I have traded with and
those who have helped me with issues in the past.
And finally
a big thank you to everyone who has made it this far down listening to me
rambling.