Nissan Skyline R33 GTST Build: Bob Morgan's 668BHP Midnight 44 Masterpiece

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Bob Morgan

Nissan Skyline R33 GTST

Instagram: @midnight44club

A Journey from Wales to Devon

I'm Bob Morgan, and I live in sunny Devon, near Exeter, after moving from Wales to live with my wife. This Nissan Skyline R33 GTST build has been eleven years in the making, and if you'd told me at the start how far it would go, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

A Journey from Wales to Devon

My dad got me into the car scene early. He fostered my love for cars by watching Formula One and touring cars on TV with me, and taking me to car shows with his classic Mini. My dream car has always been a Skyline, ever since I played Gran Turismo on the original PlayStation as a kid. That dream sat there quietly for years before it ever became real.

The Early Days

My first car was a classic 1986 Mini, which I modified straight away. After that I got a Proton Satria, which I absolutely loved, right up until a motorway accident wrote it off. I bounced back with another Proton, and that one ended up featured in several magazines after I went to town on it with extensive modifications, including a supercharger and nitrous. It was the second fastest in the UK at one point. Not bad for a car most people wouldn't look twice at.

The Dream Car: Nissan Skyline R33 GTST

My current pride and joy, and the source of many headaches if I'm honest, is my dream car, a Nissan Skyline R33 GTST. I picked it up for £2,069 back in 2011. It had a few mods already, running a standard turbo and a stage 1 tune, nothing like what's under the skin now. Over the past 11 years, I've modified it extensively, piece by piece, until it barely resembles the car I bought.

The dyno tells the story better than I can. The last reading came back at 668bhp and 744nm at 1.8 bar, and on the strip I've managed a 12.2-second quarter mile at 121mph at Santa Pod Raceway, with an easy launch so I don't stress the car too much. Funnily enough, the push to go further started after I got beaten on the drag strip by a 70-year-old lady driving a Rover 75. The video's on YouTube if you want proof. We're still friends, and we joke about it to this day.

Nissan Skyline R33 GTST Spec List

Engine

The engine is where most of the past decade has gone. It's built around an RB26DETT longnose crankshaft with Manley conrods and oversized CP pistons at 87mm, topped with an RB25DET head running a 1.6mm Cosworth head gasket. The whole thing has been fully balanced, and the block is fed by a modified Holset HX35/40 turbocharger with a bigger billet comp wheel, controlled through a Link G4+ ECU system.

• Billet RB26 cam covers with billet spark plug cover and billet front timing belt cover, all anodized in blue with a redesigned breather setup
• Carbon fibre cooling panel
• AN-10 GReddy oil cooler kit
• GReddy intake plenum
• Turbosmart 1200 FPR
• Torques fuel filter
• HEL AN-8 Teflon braided feed fuel line
• HEL AN-6 Teflon braided fuel return line
• HKS earthing/grounding kit
• Japspeed alloy radiator
• Carbon fibre strut brace
• GTech cooling fan
• 90mm throttle body
• Samco silicone hoses
• Brake stopper
• 3-inch inlet/outlet aluminium intercooler with custom-made pipework
• K&N air filter
• Bosch 1000cc top feed fuel injectors
• Billet fuel rail
• Holset HX35/40 modified turbocharger with bigger billet comp wheel
• HKS stainless steel power steering reservoir
• Aftermarket screen wash reservoir
• Aluminium AN-10 oil catch tank
• AN-10 stainless breather pipes
• RB26DETT longnose crankshaft
• RB26DETT Manley conrods
• RB26DETT oversized CP pistons, 87mm
• RB25DET head with 1.6mm Cosworth head gasket
• Uprated intake and exhaust Supertech valve stem seals
• ACL race bearings, big end and mains
• R35 GTR coil pack conversion kit with PRP stalks
• HEL braided turbo oil lines
• N1 oil pump
• N1 water pump
• Engine fully balanced
• Tomei poncams
• Tomei oil restrictor
• Link G4+ ECU system
• NZ wiring CAS trigger kit
• Engine torque damper
• Twin Turbosmart Comp-Gate 40mm wastegates with screamer pipes exiting at the side skirt
• Hybrid performance steam pipe exhaust manifold
• HKS dump valve
• Walbro F90000274 (455LPH) fuel pump with direct feed separate relay wiring
• Custom 3-inch turbo-back exhaust system with 5-inch exit
• ORC 559 twin-plate clutch
• MRL stainless steel braided clutch line reservoir to slave cylinder
• Supra exhaust manifold studs
• URAS direct billet gear shifter

Brakes, Suspension and Wheels

Handling and stopping power got just as much attention as the engine. The car runs BC Racing adjustable suspension, set to medium/soft on the rear and medium on the front, paired with a Driftworks HICAS eliminator kit to sharpen up the rear steer. Behind the wheels sits a mix of Ferodo and Brembo hardware, including Brembo rear grooved discs, so the car can actually shed the speed it builds.

• BC Racing adjustable suspension, medium/soft rear, medium front
• Driftworks HICAS eliminator kit
• Front and rear strut braces
• Ferodo DS2000 rear brake pads
• Brembo rear grooved brake discs
• Electronic line lock system
• 30mm hub-centric wheel spacers on the rear
• 15mm hub-centric wheel spacers on the front
• Ksport 356mm floating front brake discs
• Yellow Stuff front brake pads
• 18" x 9.5 ET30 custom powder-coated Rota GTR alloy wheels
• Vibra Technics gearbox mount

Interior and Exterior

Inside and out, the car wears its GT-R influence proudly. R32 GTR front seats sit behind a snap-off OMP steering wheel, and the dash carries genuine GTR clock clusters alongside an Auto Meter monster rev counter with shift light. Outside, the car's finished in a custom silver with 3-stage blue pearl, and the GTR-derived panels do a lot of the visual heavy lifting.

• R32 GTR front seats
• GTR Middlehurst floor mats
• Sunroof delete welded panel
• GTR clock clusters
• Top Secret gear knob
• Top Secret gear and handbrake covers
• Auto Meter monster rev counter with shift light
• Auto Meter turbo timer
• Snap-off OMP steering wheel
• Sony rear speakers with Kicker front speakers
• Cusco dash dodger roll cage with door bars
• Custom silver paint with 3-stage blue pearl
• GTR carbon fibre grille
• GTR Top Secret front bumper
• GTR Do-Luck rear bumper
• Blue air horn
• LED smoked indicators on the bumper
• GReddy side skirts
• Nismo smoked side indicators
• GTR original front wings
• Ganador carbon fibre edition mirrors
• APR carbon fibre big wing
• GTR Top Secret bonnet with aero catches
• Fibreglass flush-fit boot lid
• Light-up rear Skyline panel
• Fog light removed and installed in the offside rear tail light
• GTR rear over fenders
• GTR fuel flap
• Hornet Maxx 1 alarm system

Miscellaneous

• Motul 10w60 8100 engine oil
• Motul Gear 300 75w90 oil in the diff and gearbox
• Motul 5.1 brake fluid
• K&N oil filter
• NGK spark plugs BCPR8ES, gapped to 0.63mm
• Toyo R888R 265/35/18 tyres

The Build Team

Most of the work has been done by me, but the engine build was handled by DJR Performance. Parts came from Auto-Extreme, JDM Garage, and Conceptua Tuning, and the amazing tune on the ECU was done by Grant at GB Enterprises. The custom paint job was Carl's work at Pristine Finish. A big thank you goes to Sean Franklin and his family. Sean, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago, was always there when I needed help and extra parts, and this build wouldn't look the way it does without him.

562BHP R33 GTST — Bob Morgan’s Skyline Masterpiece

Performance and Future Goals

I've gone through several stages of tuning to get here, and the car's more than capable, it's really just down to me to pilot her properly. The plan now is a low 11-second pass at Santa Pod next time out, which would be a serious step on from the 12.2 I've already banked.

Midnight 44 Club

I'm also the owner of Midnight 44 Club. We're on Facebook and Instagram at @midnight44club, and you can find us on YouTube as Midnight 44 Club too. We attend plenty of shows and have picked up several trophies as a club, and for my car individually.

Thanks for reading my story. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, and I hope to see some of you at car shows soon.

If a decade of chasing horsepower on an R33 sounds familiar, it's worth seeing how other owners have taken the same platform down very different roads. Jeff Gerrard's R33 GTS25T-M build is a fortified RB25DET converted to full GT-R trim, built against the backdrop of California's brutal import regulations. Richard Davis's R33 GTST shows a more measured, street-focused approach on the same chassis, while Dan Schonert and Simon's R33 GTST takes things in a completely different direction with a 2JZ swap under the bonnet.

For more owner stories like this one, grab a copy of Stance Auto Magazine from our Amazon store.