Chris Milan reveals one of the WILDEST S14S to date,
built in a garage with hopes and dreams
Realistically, Chris had no idea what he
was doing. He was always good with his hands and had a good imagination, but he
had zero experience when it came to building a full-on project from start to
finish. What you see here came as a result of a whole lot of trial and error.
As he tells us, "I bought a MIG welder, angle grinder, and just started
cutting into the car while I collected information through a popular S-chassis
web forum. One of the first mods that I did was the right-hand drive
conversion.
Once
I completed that, it gave me confidence to do everything else, so I fabricated
my own rollcage, widened the wheel wells by tubbing them, and tubed the front
end for better structural rigidity.
Once I completed that, it gave me
confidence to do everything else, so I fabricated my own rollcage, widened the
wheel wells by tubbing them, and tubed the front end for better structural rigidity.
I really just kept going and did as much as I could to challenge myself. It
wasn't easy. I went through so many different variations of mods until I was
eventually satisfied, then I would move onto something else and repeat the
process. Something as simple as a fuse panel, I made nine times just so it was
as close to perfect as I envisioned it!"
After six months of intense fab work, Chris
sold his Evo to free up some money for the engine swap. The chassis was just a
rolling shell without a motor when he acquired it, so he had freedom to go with
any engine his heart desired. An SR20DET or even RB26 was a possibility, but he
chose the affordable but potent Toyota 1JZ-GTE swap. The 1JZ was the 2.5-liter
version of the venerable 2JZ-GTE and was capable of producing good, reliable
power. Providing it with some added kick was a turbo kit from CXRacing.
A
right-hand drive S14 with a boosted Toyota engine already sounds cool, but it
just continued to get crazier from there. Inside the cockpit was a fully retrofitted
dashboard and center console from an S15 Silvia.
A right-hand drive S14 with a boosted
Toyota engine already sounds cool, but it just continued to get crazier from
there. Inside the cockpit was a fully retrofitted dashboard and center console
from an S15 Silvia. The dashboard looks as if it came that way from the
factory, other than the added aftermarket gauges and custom switch panel. The
interior also featured a white Cusco rollcage, Sparco EVO seats replacing the
tattered OEM pieces, while a Grip Royal steering wheel superseded the bulky
factory wheel. Clearly, the most extreme of alterations to this S14 is the
exterior. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese, Chris realized his love for
extreme ride height and aggressive "oni-kyan" or "demon camber."
He went through a couple of different wheel setups before he purchased a pair
of BN Sports front fenders and super-wide Chargespeed rear blister fenders.
Realizing there wasn't a set of off-the-shelf wheels that would fit this
otherwise uncommon fender combo, Milan opted to build his own. He contacted the
wheel specialists at 5ONE who were able to take apart a set of old OZ
Superleggeras and mate the faces with new forged barrels. By doing so, he was
able to use a traditional wheel and re-create them to his exact one-of-a-kind
specifications. The result is something otherworldly with the fronts being
18x11 inches and the rears 12-inches deep!
You'd think this S14 was on air suspension
judging by how low it sits, but the vehicle is indeed at this static ride
height courtesy of Japanese R.Y.O RII coil overs. Amazing how the M-Sport front
bumper and BN Sports rear survive the rigors of everyday driving as they float
just millimeters above the pavement.
You'd
think this S14 was on air suspension judging by how low it sits, but the
vehicle is indeed at this static ride height courtesy of Japanese R.Y.O RII
coil overs.
Hate it or love it, you have to appreciate
the fact that this wild machination came to be inside of a tiny one-car garage.
One man was able to teach himself how to create a very exceptional car with
just the ideas in his head and some basic hand tools. If the end goal was to be
different, then mission accomplished. There simply isn't anything else like
Chris' S14 around, and there aren't many enthusiasts who are hard-core enough
to go to these extremes.
