Words & Photos by Zach Taiji
Back in March, we did a feature on a street-styled S14 Silvia, and appended to the end of it was a teaser of the owner’s track car, a flat black pro-am S13. So here we are, call it part deux if you will.
I wanted to give an introduction about the owner, Tyler Grimsley, a bit since I didn’t so much in the other feature. He comes from the backwoods of Port Angeles, WA. “I’ve been into cars ever since I was a kid, my dad drag races and I used to go with him when I was younger. I saw drifting on tv one day and knew it was something I had to try. There isn’t a huge scene up where I live in Port Angeles, but the few guys who do actually do it are very passionate and hardcore.” Tyler’s dad owns a local automotive shop called Strait Alignment, so he was destined to do something with cars. If you’re ever in the quaint town of Port Angeles for some suspension related work, I recommend you check them out. They do some great work at great prices.
“I started drifting when I was 13 in a 1980 Toyota corolla in a huge field behind my house, when I turned 16 I got my first s13 and I have had 6 since then. I drove in my first drift event when I was 17 at South Sound Speedway in Tenino, WA.” Since then, Tyler has done many events all over Washington, which I will mention in a bit.
But first I want to introduce the car that you see above. It’s a 1989 Nissan 240sx, and you’d be surprised to know that this beast has taken quite a beating in its previous life. “I’ve owned this car for around 2 years, this car actually came to be after I wrecked my first drift car at Evergreen Speedway. My old coupe shell was ruined, so I bought this one off a buddy for like 200 bucks and swapped all of my parts over. Wrecking my first car really sucked, but in the end this car is a much better platform.”
The drivetrain is a KA series engine with a Turbonetics t3/t4 .63a/r turbo to give it more than enough power through the corners, and pushes 395whp and 370wtq (click here for dyno sheet). Other goodies like an ACT 6 puck clutch, built internals, and 740cc injectors give it a performance boost. “We haven’t had any major issues with this car, the biggest thing was getting the new shell prepped for the parts we had to put in it. In its previous life this car had a pretty major engine fire so the whole bay was nasty.”
On the exterior, you’ll notice the flat black paint and Origin Aggressive aero kit. There are also various sponsor decals that he reps, including one from his family’s shop, Strait Alignment, and an ASD Motorsports decal which is one of his recent big sponsors. A bozo exhaust finishes the rear of the car.
Suspension-wise, it sits on 17×8 +27 and 17×9 +17 MB Weapons wrapped in 235/40 Falken tires. Falken is one of Tyler’s major sponsors, be sure to check them out! KTS coilovers give it a functional stance. “This car wasn’t really inspired by anyone, I just took things I saw and made them fit my application. I wanted to be different so I did a KA-T, but in the end the whole direction was to make the most competitive drift car we could.”
The interior is something I really enjoyed looking at, the first thing I noticed was the welded Position 1 FD legal roll cage and custom TYGR Racing cut-out (his team). Buddy Club seats bolster Tyler into the car when drifting and RJS harnesses keep the driver safe.
“This year, I plan to run all of the Evergreen Drift Pro-Am series, XDC round 6 at PGP and every open drift day I can make it out to. My main goals are to represent my partners well and to eventually earn a Formula Drift Pro License. Coming in second place in the Evergreen Drift Grassroots Championship last year was pretty memorable because it was my first full season at Evergreen.”
“My dad and I built the whole car ourselves. Im about a 9 out 10 on this build, there are still things in the works that I’d like to change, but so far the car is doing exactly what it’s supposed to.”
Engine
KA-T
Bored .020 over
O-Ringed
Arias Pistions
Carrillo Rods
Turbonetics t3/t4 .63a/r turbo
HKS SSQV
ACT 6 puck race clutch
Z32 MAF
740cc injectors
Nistune Fuel Management
395whp, 370wtq
Exterior
Origin Aggressive aero kit
Vented hood
Bozo exhaust
Dmax 30mm rear overfenders
Wheel & Tires
17×8 + 28 A-tech weapon wheels with 25mm spacers (front)
17×9 + 17 A-tech weapon wheels with 25mm spacers (rear)
235/40/17 Falken Azenis RT615K tires (front and rear)
Suspension
KTS coilovers
PBM Knuckles
SPC suspension arms
Nismo power brace
Kaaz 2 way diff
Interior
Position 1 FD legal roll cage
Buddy club seats
NRG steering wheel and hub
RJS harnesses “













































