# The B11 ice racer goes rallying



## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

Yes,

After losing interest in this good old race car for the past few years, I've taken the old girl out for some fun once again this weekend. I went to the Rally NY rallycross event down in Monticello, NY. I spent a couple days getting the mighty B11 ready for this off road competition. I needed proper ground clearance, so I removed the low hanging Pacesetter header and installed a ported E16i shorty exhaust manifold. I finished it off by fabricating a 2" mandrel bent system behind that. Those that remember earlier theads about this car know it has Stanza wagon [M10] front struts and springs in it. I also built a tubular skid plate setup to protect the oil pan and transaxle from damage. Lastly, I installed a set of 4.47 to 1 final drive gears from Nismo. 

The car is an animal in the gravel. Handles like a dream with the Addco rear swaybar to help the car rotate in a corner. I surprised myself as well as every other 2WD car at this event. I had them all covered by three full seconds a run. Heck, I outran half of the 4WD cars at this event too. 










Who said B11's won't run?


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

that is so fucking rad! if you got some stiffer shocks (AGX's with settings 1 click stiffer than stock) i bet that would rock ass!


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## WoLfFaNgZ (Nov 8, 2004)

thats frakin cool, did u get that off the ground on a jump?


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

WoLfFaNgZ said:


> thats frakin cool, did u get that off the ground on a jump?


 No, but I'm looking for a place to try it.  

Hey, I'd like to put some items I removed from this car back where they belong. Even though this car's an '86, I kind of like the '84 front end a bit better. Does anyone have any '84 B11 Sentra headlight buckets? An '84 B11 was the last year that had the sealed beam rectangular headlights. Years ago, I saved an entire '84 front end assy, including the grill and headlight doors, with parking lamps, but I need the metal headlight buckets [brackets?] with the adjusters to screw the sealed beam bulbs into. The front end looks like this: 










I know it's a longshot, but I figured I'd ask. I sold my last two B11 headlights to BeEleven a few months ago. Figured I'd never need them. :balls:


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## pau5496 (Jul 28, 2005)

*headlights*

hey I got two 84 headlight buckets in good condition.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

pau5496 said:


> hey I got two 84 headlight buckets in good condition.


 Thanks pau,

I actually thought no one on the boards would have any so I called the dealer today. I ordered both sides and will pick them up on Monday. I hope they looked up the right parts because they only quoted me $10 each. Sounds too good to be true. If they aren't right, I'll send you a pm.

Thanks,
Mike


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

blownb310 said:


> Thanks pau,
> 
> I actually thought no one on the boards would have any so I called the dealer today. I ordered both sides and will pick them up on Monday. I hope they looked up the right parts because they only quoted me $10 each. Sounds too good to be true. If they aren't right, I'll send you a pm.
> 
> ...


 No surprise, the parts that came in weren't even close. I still need these two parts:









Pau5496, 

I've sent you a PM.

Thanks,
Mike


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

Well, I got it done. I have converted my '86 B11 to an '84 with it's old school headlamps and one year only front grill setup. The car is almost ready for the next rallycross. I will mount a second aluminum racing seat and an extra 5 way seat belt harness this week, as well as add some additional roll bar tubing for the passenger's side impact protection. 

One thing I don't have to worry about is having another rallyist show up with the same car. I've never seen another B11 at any race I've ever been too. It's nice to be unique.  










Now, I've got to do something about that hideos looking blue roll bar padding. What was I thinking?


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## Biscuit (Mar 5, 2005)

Man that looks cool. I wish I had a B11 to race and do all kinds of crazy stuff in. Have you tried a jump yet?


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

Thanks Biscuit,

You're the second person to ask.  

You've almost got to orchestrate a picture like that. I feel the car is tough enough to do it though. In addition to the full cage, it's got a steel tubular engine and trans underbelly protection cage on it. There are no aftmkt rally suspensions for the B11, so I devised my own. I scoured the junkyards looking for compatible struts from a heavier Nissan vehicle. It needed to have the same outer spring diameter as the stock B11 springs [so i could keep the B11 upper strut mounts]. I found exactly what I was looking for on the much heavier FWD M10 Stanza wagon. All I needed to do was make a shim to adapt them the the B11 spindles. I cut a little over a coil off of the springs to get the desired ride height. It worked out beautifully, much more dampening and plenty of travel. Cheap too. I'm using adjustable Koni shocks in the rear with stock springs, custom urethane rear control arm bushings, and an Addco rear sway bar. I'm very happy with the handling on ice and dirt. 

I wish there were more Nissan people into rallying.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Beating WRX's is FUN!*

The RPI Rallycross event went silky smooth. Believe it or not, my old B11 Sentra finished first in the Modified 2WD class, and third *overall*! 










There were only two cars [of the huge list of late model turbocharged AWD iron there] that I ran quicker than my 19 year old B11.  One was an WRX STi and the other a well driven Saab!  Not bad for an E16 huh? :thumbup: 










Results sheet: 










What your seeing as the final number in this chart is the adding together of all five timed runs. The driver with the lowest number of accumulated seconds is the winner.


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Congrats!! :thumbup:


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## mille-16i (Jun 16, 2004)

what are your engine mods? its good to see a B11 kicking wrx ass goes to show what well spent money and good driving can get you.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

mille-16i said:


> what are your engine mods?


 Thanks for asking. There's a whole write up about it on post #30 of *THIS* thread. 




mille-16i said:


> Its good to see a B11 kicking wrx ass goes to show what well spent money and good driving can get you.


Thanks for the compliment. I couldn't have said it better. It's always more fun being the underdog. 

Here's an older pic of the engine. Nowadays, I have an ITG air filter assy on it and the header has been removed for maximum undercarriage to ground clearance.










It used to be in the original thread but the picture host I was using at the time stopped hosting pics for free and now I can't edit the posts to put the pics back.


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## sesr20 (Oct 30, 2003)

Kick ass.. My Dad always said "the car runs the race, but the driver wins it"


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## mille-16i (Jun 16, 2004)

nice thats alot of work into a "boat anchor" any dyno specs would be interesting to see how much a well built E could make. My hats off to you for all that most would have swapped to a turbo or twincam.


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Hey Blown310, sorry I couldn't make it. I was tired after a long week of school, plus it would have been a long drive (I would have had to get up at 4-5am just to make it there on time) :thumbdwn: My driver's side splashguard has also been trashed, and I didn't want rocks and whatnot being thrown into my engine bay. Sounds like you had some serious there though! Congrats on placing 3rd, Nissan represent! Hehe


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## CMA (Sep 7, 2005)

congraltution blownb310

old car have high chance rate to win... unless a new car has lastest technology and very expensive goodies.

try to drive a swift mk1 (1985-1987) with g13b you will be suprise like your sentra.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

CMA said:


> congraltution blownb310
> 
> old cars have a high chance rate to win... unless a new car has latest technology and very expensive goodies.
> 
> try to drive a swift mk1 (1985-1987) with g13b you will be suprise like your sentra.


 Thanks CMA,

I know what you mean, those Suzuki Swift GTi's were really good ice race and rally cars too. I know people who have them.

BTW, the result spreadsheet earlier in this thread is no longer visible and I can't edit to fix it.  

So here it is again hosted by a different server:


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

More pics from this weekend's adventure in Vermont. :thumbup: 

The event was held at the Addison Fairgrounds in Middlebury.

Thanks go out to the New England Region SCCA Rallycross series. 



















More pics *HERE*, courtesy of Bret Wilber - www.RALLYGRAFIX.com.


Thanks Brett!


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Roll bar padding is not blue
Looks better :thumbup:


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## WoLfFaNgZ (Nov 8, 2004)

>



wow how fast were you going in that one


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

velardejose said:


> Roll bar padding is not blue
> Looks better :thumbup:


 You noticed that huh?











WoLfFaNgZ said:


> wow how fast were you going in that one


Thanks guys,

I would guess around 40 mph. I was left foot braking going into this corner. It helps rotate the rear of the car around nicely. The Silverstone Rally tires are awesome. Snow tires work well too, but sometimes the soft sidewalls allow the beads to pop off of the rim in a hard corner. No such problem with the reinforced sidewalls on a rally tire.


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## Crazy-Mart (Jul 14, 2002)

thats pretty impressive Blown ! wich i could do some events like that ... maybe next year ill start lapping...


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## Biscuit (Mar 5, 2005)

Once I get some new shocks/struts and some taller springs im gonna start competing. Or I can try to find some taller tires for my SE-R rims....


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## BeEleven (Jan 22, 2003)

Im really impressed (as usual) with your work mike. You're definitely the most bad-ass B11 builder around here. How much did that roll cage cost you? Im thinking about having one made like that for my seats and harnesses and I was trying to price it ahead of time.


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## tom (Jan 8, 2003)

cool stuff. congrads! think, this is really unique.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

*European Rallycross!*

Hey everyone,

Ever see a B11 outrunning VR6 Golfs and chasing VTEC Hondas before? :thumbup: 

Check out these pics of my B11 race car slinging the dirt at a wheel to wheel [european style] rallycross a few weeks ago. 



















I have been running my B11 race car in rallycross events over the last few months. I found that the stock parking brake is not very good at locking the rear wheels at speed for flying handbrake turns. So I hand built this hydraulic system to replace the factory unit and the old crusty cables. This idea is not original. It is pretty much standard issue in a performance rally car. 










I built it out of a Datsun 210 clutch master cylinder [5/8" bore]. It is plumbed into the car by splicing it into the rear brake lines. I removed the plastic fluid reservior and drilled and tapped the inlet port to 1/8" pipe thread to accept the front portion of the [feed] brake line I cut at mid car. The outlet [pressure] side of the clutch master goes back into the other side of the original rear brake lines back to the rear wheels. For the box, I cut and welded together two Datsun steel wheel chocks [that came in the trunk of all Datsuns for use when changing to the spare], and the chrome handle is from the seat post of a parts bicylcle I had in my shed. I got the rubber grip from an old scooter my son no longer uses. 

As I mentioned above, the system is plumbed inline with the stock rear brake lines and does not effect how the stock system works at all. When you need to lock the rear wheels quickly and easily to negotiate a tight hairpin turn, you simply yank the lever and let it go again. This sends pressure to the rear wheels only. What's nice is that there's no way to accidently have it stay locked on when you release it [like you could if you forgot to hold the button in with the stock ratcheting system on the original hand brake lever]. Sure beats the old rusty cables that hardly worked in the summer and froze in the winter.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

WoLfFaNgZ said:


> thats frakin cool, did u get that off the ground on a jump?


 Well well, 

It looks like I finally did! *And man was it FUN!*


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Congrats man!
Nice to see a classic nissan racing
Your engine has the same config as before?
Jose


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

velardejose said:


> Congrats man!
> Nice to see a classic nissan racing
> Your engine has the same config as before?
> Jose


Thanks Jose,

Yes, other than the pistons being cast A15 pistons, it's still about 13 to 1 compression and the rest of the engine is the same. I'm looking forward to soon underdriving the alternator and water pump 33% too. 

Mike


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

Lookin Good Mike!

If my b12 ever stops being my daily driver, That is what I would like to do with it.


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

I was at it again this weekend for the last A.M.E.C. Euro-Rallycross event of 2006. The little B11 came out on top of the "Super Saloon" class, which includes all non- turbocharged cars. Close in second place was a black VR6 Golf. His 2.8 was no match for my E16.  










This was the course:










Brown signifies dirt and gray is tarmac.

More pics from the event showing all cars *HERE*.


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Congrats man!
Seems there are more trophies coming 
:thumbup:


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

velardejose said:


> Congrats man!


Thanks Jose 



velardejose said:


> Seems there are more trophies coming
> :thumbup:


....and more *go fast* E16 parts too.


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## macakin (Nov 6, 2003)

> Handles like a dream with the Addco rear swaybar to help the car rotate in a corner.


Would you happen to have any pics of that rear swaybar? Thanks


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

macakin said:


> Would you happen to have any pics of that rear swaybar? Thanks


No pics at the moment. It was made by Addco. I bought it [actually 2 of them] from Nissan Motorsport in '95. The fit is perfect, although the mounting to the frame is done with end link bushings. I didn't like that so I welded some flat plates to the frame and it's been perfect ever since. 

By the way, I have an extra one now that the white '86 wagon has gone to the crusher. You didn't think I'd leave that Nismo bar on it did you? PM me if you are interested in it. I still have the original Addco instructions for it, but the plates to mount it you'll have to make yourself. Those were still welded to the car when I junked it. They are simple 1/4" flat plates about 2" x 4" with two holes drilled into them.

Mike


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## macakin (Nov 6, 2003)

interested on the bar PM'd you


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## sportcoupe(turbo) (May 25, 2007)

hey does eny one still have the m15(turbo) cast head lying around thnx


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

Well I had the old girl out in the dirt once again last weekend. I set the quickest time for the 2WD rallycross class, and outran most of the AWD cars too. Granted, most of the cars there were street cars, but hey I started with a car that only had 69 h.p. It takes a lot of work to make a B11 competitive. 



















It seems like I only use the car once or twice a year any more. It sits in a rented garage for the other 364 days a year. But it is still *a lot* of fun to drive fast in the dirt!


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

I guess it's been a while since I updated this thread eh? The old B11 is still running strong. I have been competing once a month in a rallycross series put on by the Poughkeepsie Sports Car Club. I am currently tied for first place in the points for the modified 2WD class with an '86 Honda Civic that is modified pretty much like my Sentra. The September event is in two weeks and there is one more in October for the season. I hope I can stay on top. I'll keep you all informed. Off to the races......


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Hi
Its been a long time
My turbocharged e16 saw lots of punishment (fun to drive and a real booby trap) but now my work leaves me almost no time left, and all I want is a confortable ride home
Or am I just old?
I disassemlbed it a couple months ago and left it stock, with stock height springs and shocks
Stock diam exhaust tubing and muffler
I am already looking for an automatic transmission and power steering...
Keep your b11 running :thmbup:


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

velardejose said:


> Hi
> Its been a long time
> My turbocharged e16 saw lots of punishment (fun to drive and a real booby trap) but now my work leaves me almost no time left, and all I want is a confortable ride home
> Or am I just old?
> ...


Good to hear from you Jose. 

We're all getting older and I'm glad you've stuck with your B11 all along as a daily driver. Here in northern New York, the winter road salt rusts the cars out quickly, so they don't last as long as they do in Peru. So I don't see B11's on the road much around here any more. It's funny that we use these cars for high performance, as they were designed for economy. But we enjoy the challenge.

Everyone here might be surprised to hear that I've taken on a new automotive hobby as of last year. It's the opposite of high performance, it's ecomodding. In other words, modifying my car for absolute best fuel economy, instead of outright performance. No not my B11, [that will always be a race car] but I have a Datsun B210 that I "hypermile" with. In fact I recently entered a fuel mileage contest and was able to obtain 77.04 mpg. Hard to beleive? Take a look on my 1200 forums thread *HERE*.

So I understand you returning your B11 back to stock. Nothing wrong with that!

Mike


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## jonathon (Aug 26, 2009)

badass  I still see B11's around here.. but that's because they don't use salt on the roads, thankfully. The only thing we have to worry about is the green fungus that likes to grow on parked cars 

A friend and I keep kicking around the idea of a b12 or b13 based rally car with an SR20DE. Best part about these little imports is it's all cheap.. I'm a fullsize Chevy 4x4 guy and while there's lots out there.. it's not "cheap".


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Hi
I am running 34 psi front and 31 psi back
That tells something about my hypermiling tendencies 
Jose


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## TOOQIKK (Jul 11, 2009)

my n13 pulsar(been converted to awd with sentra rear subframe and diff and had an aviner motor but am building a gti-r motor for it) was an ice racing car up in michigan before i got! love the "classics" they are so much fun to work on and have alot of character


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

The old B11 is still running strong and taking home first place trophies. Yesterday was the Poughkeepsie Sports Car Club's monthly Rallycross series event. I went into the event tied for first place in points for the Modified 2WD class [M-2]. I came out the leader of the class at the end of the day. I set the quickest time of the day [just barely - over an AWD Impreza in another class] and won the M-2 division. All with a car I built 15 year ago! 









Does this look like fun or what?







You can see the red N12 Pulsar steering wheel I saved from my original ice racing '83 Pulsar NX. The cv joints are now clicking and it's time to change them. Having a locked diff and bouncing around under full throttle really pounds the outer joints in this type of environment. 

Mike


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## TOOQIKK (Jul 11, 2009)

mike gonna have to pick your brain about hypermiling the wagon!! as it will be my DD....


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

TOOQIKK said:


> mike gonna have to pick your brain about hypermiling the wagon!! as it will be my DD....


Cool, but what's that got to do with rallying a B11?


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## TOOQIKK (Jul 11, 2009)

blownb310 said:


> Good to hear from you Jose.
> 
> We're all getting older and I'm glad you've stuck with your B11 all along as a daily driver. Here in northern New York, the winter road salt rusts the cars out quickly, so they don't last as long as they do in Peru. So I don't see B11's on the road much around here any more. It's funny that we use these cars for high performance, as they were designed for economy. But we enjoy the challenge.
> 
> ...


should have quoted might have made more sense.....


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

blownb310 said:


> The old B11 is still running strong and taking home first place trophies. Yesterday was the Poughkeepsie Sports Car Club's monthly Rallycross series event. I went into the event tied for first place in points for the Modified 2WD class [M-2]. I came out the leader of the class at the end of the day. I set the quickest time of the day [just barely - over an AWD Impreza in another class] and won the M-2 division. All with a car I built 15 year ago!


Update: 

I finished the season and clinched the PSCC Rallycross championship last weekend.

















This is a very fitting photo, as this was the last event my '86 Sentra will compete in. After 14 years of ice racing, euro rallycross, solo rallycross, track days, etc., I have accomplished every goal I could have possibly hoped for with it. It still runs fine but the shell is a bit tired, so I have decided to retire it. A '92 SE-R will take it's place next year.

There will be a few somewhat rare B11 Nissan Motorsport parts for sale very soon. I am dismantling the car this week.

Mike


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## TOOQIKK (Jul 11, 2009)

sad to see it go...looked like it was a very fun car!


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Hi Mike
That car inspired a lot of b11 and b12 owners, have to say I am sad about that winner b11...
But I am sure there will be more trophies with your SE-R
Best regards
Jose


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## macakin (Nov 6, 2003)

wowww very sad to hear that my friend!!

I'm really interested on the sway bars but shipping would kill me...


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

velardejose said:


> Hi Mike
> That car inspired a lot of b11 and b12 owners, have to say I am sad about that winner b11...
> But I am sure there will be more trophies with your SE-R
> Best regards
> Jose


Thanks very much Jose [and everyone],

I appreciate your comments and although I'm looking forward to the SE-R next year, I will miss the little B11. It was a very tough car and rarely ever failed me. It surprised a lot of people and I had a lot of fun and success with it. Very few people bothered to race prep these early Sentras and I can't say I've ever seen another one competing over the years. 

This month's Grassroots Motorsports article, "The History Shapers" which describes their opinion as to the best 25 cars ever, talks about the B13 SE-R and sums it up well: "The Nissan Sentra can trace it's roots back to the 1982 model year, but for the most part it was totally ignored by enthisiast drivers. The 1991 SE-R changed all of that."









I'm glad I wasn't one of those enthusiasts that ignored the B11 and B12's. 

...and to think that I picked the car up for just $75 with a broken timing belt 16 years ago. What a deal! 

Mike


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## TOOQIKK (Jul 11, 2009)

you will love the se-r ...they are a blast to drive and race!


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

The car has now been dismantled and I have listed some of the obscure E-series high performance parts from it for sale in the classified section *HERE*.

There are only two things I have not listed for sale yet. The Nismo 44mm Mikuni carbs and the Nismo B11 diesel front brake kit. I may list them at a later date. 

Mike


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