Having drifted my WRX Wagon and my Prodrive, I am now seeking a more suitable drift machine, something RWD and a little tail happy.

I love the look of the more retro drift cars, such as the AE86 and the 180SX. Securing a half decent machine isn’t expensive, but it will usually come with high mileage. So I guess the first thing to do will be to check compression and give it a damn good servicing, perhaps adding performance plugs and leads. It will be a turbo so I’ll change for a CAI filter if it doesn’t already have one.

Next up will be the brakes. If they are looking worst for wear, I’ll change them all round and go for a durable pad such as Yellow Stuff. Because the handbrake will be used to initiate a drift, extra attention needs to be given to the rear pads (maybe go for a harder pad?).

Now I should have an MOT worthy Nissan 180SX to throw around. But first I will need to add a strut brace to keep the chassis a little stiffer, and if my budget allows, I’ll invest in a set of coilovers, otherwise just a set of stiffer and lower springs – cutting springs seems arduous and not worth the effort.

As this will be a toy and not my daily driver, I’ll literally tear everything out and replace the seats with two bucket seats and an extended drift handbrake lever.

The 180SX comes with an LSD (Limited Slip Differential), so that saves wielding the diff.

By this point, I should be ready to get sideways and hone my skills to link a few slides together.

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