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Aces Loaded
Nissan 240SX Silvia
For those of us old enough to remember seeing the movie "Top Gun" on the big screen, it changed our lives forever. It reminded us that we should never again pay to see a Tom Cruise movie. For others, like Todd Griesch, it inspired him to want to become a Navy fighter pilot. However, as Todd already stood a substantial 6'2 coming out of high school, he soon realized that the cockpit of an aircraft might not be the most comfortable place for him to call an "office".
But Todd soon figured out other ways to fly. "I was always into old school muscle cars growing up" said Todd. "But when drifting started to break in the US, I wanted to build a drift car." So after doing his home work, he went out and bought a beat down S-14 from some unsuspecting high school kid and went to work on it.
He started with some suspension work and eventually worked his way up to a full engine swap. The car currently puts down around 300 whp which is enough to get it to slide just the way he wants. But that's not the real story here. One quick glance at this Silvia and you can't help do a double take and end up staring at it more intently. From the right vantage point, it looks like something straight out of a WWII documentary. "Because I wanted to be a Navy pilot, I have always been drawn to old military planes. The B-17 is my favorite." Todd explained.
Now a professional air brush artist with his own shop, Todd had no problem handling this amazing paint job himself and his efforts don't go unnoticed. "It took me about 40 hours of work and turned out pretty good I think. Everywhere I go, people from all walks of life stop me and talk to me about the car. Even WWII vets have approached me and commented on the authenticity of its aesthetics." Todd used old combat style insignias on the car but modified them to include things that were significant in his life. For example, the image of the girl painted on the side of the car is a replication of his wife and the numbers which normally would represent an airplanes identification represent the date of their anniversary.
"Last year at the NOPI event in Denver, I won "Best Nissan" even though I was up against some stiff competition." That fact is not really surprising as this car stands out in any crowd. "I'm going to put a roll cage in it so that I can enter more drifting competitions as well as a new motor that I can get the horsepower up to around 375." he mentioned when I asked him about the future of his car. So unless Todd slams this S-14 into a track barrier during some spazzed out drift, it seems that the sky's the limit for him and his Silvia.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine
Notch back sr20det
Greddy front mount
Megan turbo manifold
down pipe
test pipe
custom cat back
Turbo XS bov
Boost controler
Exterior
B-Magic body kit
30mm wide body quarters
18 Enkei wheels
Airplane latches and clips
45hrs of custom paint
Interior
Bride seats
Impact 5 point harness
Custom seatbelt bar
Custom wood steering wheel
Suspension
Tein coilovers
SPC caster camber and toe arms
Nismo lsd and stut tower bar
Shout Outs
SPC Performance (www.spcperformance.com)
Aces Loaded (www.myspace.com/acesloadedllc)
Pro Automotive Finishes
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