22-year-old electrician Aron Ritchie’s Nissan Silvia S15 may not be familiar SM fare to a lot of us, but there’s no denying it’s chock-full of trick gear and dedication. Let Aron fill you in on the whole story below, and then cast your vote for one of our 16 finalists!
“My name is Aron and this is my dream car, my RB26-powered Nissan Silvia S15!
I bought the car four and a half years ago when I was 17 from one of my dad’s mates, and it was completely stock. I am now 22 and have changed or touched nearly every bolt, nut and interior trim clip on the car in that time.
After the SR20 let go, I had the option of either rebuilding the engine, or building the car I have always wanted: a GT-R powered S-Chassis. I had minimal mechanical knowledge at the time and knew it would be a lengthy and expensive process. Even so, when an RB26 engine presented itself for sale, I jumped onto it.
I quickly joined every Facebook group I could, spent countless late nights on old forums trying to find as much information I could on the swap. I quickly found that a lot of people were not taking me seriously, and were just brushing me off (as I was 19 at the time) but I didn’t let that deter me. I then came across a local RB guru named Mark Williams, who taught me so much on the RB engine and cars in general. Unfortunately, Mark passed away recently, but I will never forget the skills he taught me and will forever be grateful as my car would not be running if it wasn’t for him. I did as much as I could on the swap myself, but had to offside Mark when we rebuilt my engine with forged internals.
I spent the next couple of months sorting out little gremlins which I’m sure those who have done an engine swap before are very aware of, but again this was a learning experience for me.
Once the car was finally running smoothly, I installed the air suspension, another thing I’ve always wanted to do. I also ordered my dream body kit, which I had to import from Japan. Once the body kit arrived, I took the car off the road for nearly another year to fit it and prep the body for paint. Like everything with the car, I didn’t have the money to drop it off at a shop and get it done, and I also found it more rewarding doing the work myself.
For the paint, I called on the help of my mate Jeremy Joiner, who again taught me knowledge I’ll use and remember forever. We spent just about every weekend working on the car until it was perfect, even finding/fixing flat spots and pin holes in the brand new body kit and wing. When it finally came time to paint, the car went into an inflatable booth in my shed. We got a result that I reckon is just as good – if not better – than a paint shop, I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
I love my car because of the skills, knowledge and mates I’ve gained from the whole experience, because they’re priceless. I am stoked to see so many quality YSMOTY entries that came in from across Australia, and I’m just honoured to even make the top 16, thankyou so much!”
Instagram: aron_ritchie
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