What is the main goal of Slayer or the NW3S Race Team?
Slayer started out as a social project among friends that have the same interest in the twin-turbo 3000GT. As it happens, many of us are also very well-versed on the 3000GT and have had them a long time and/or worked on them extensively. None of us wanted to totally gut our own personal 3000 though so we said; lets’ get a VR4 and totally rebuild it from the ground up!
So the goal became a dedicated race car. One for the drag strip. But not solely for ¼ mile times. Nor just for dyno numbers. But a car that addressed all of those aspects respectably. Slayer was borne from multiple goals and priorities along with a philosophy of doing everything high quality.
It progressed slowly the first few months and we changed up a lot of things in the first year. Our budget got larger and we decided on show-car quality body and paint work. So now we had three priorities: Speed, Horsepower/Torque, Show Car.
We’re happy with the results and feel we pulled it off. Although we are never finished and continue to improve our system and stay on top of current technology advancements. Heck, we’ve got a second 3S with brand new pearl paint parked next to slayer just waiting for a race build!
Unlike most other 1,000+ HP 3000GTs we are not a shop. We do not advertise to sell our parts or make money from our car promotion activities. We do this on our off-time because we like it. We are good friends and enjoy the achievements as a group. Our main goals are: have a good time, keep the car running well, continue to chase faster track times, increase the horsepower (and improve handling this much), win at the car shows. Did I mention have a good time?
Why did it cost so much to build?
We ask ourselves that sometimes too. Yes Slayer cost in excess of $150,000 (as of the beginning of 2011 it has exceeded that number). This is true. And none of that is our labor or work costs. That is 90% parts and 10% outside shop work. NW3S Racing has always run the entire project on a budgeted spreadsheet in Excel. So with that we are always very close in our figures and the costs are well thought out in advance.
You can’t compare Slayer to just a 3000GT that has been “mod’d”. The car was stripped bare and redone from the ground up. Many things are not visible or evident but a project like this takes everything into account. The costs rise very quickly as a result. Ever thought of an overall rebuild and the areas that need addressing? Such as:
Fuel, suspension, steering, rear end changes, wheels, brakes, electrical, charging, lighting, transmission, shafts, engine, turbo, engine management, paint/body, cooling, system monitoring, safety equipment, the list goes on.
Also, each of the aforementioned items can be broken down in further detail to sub sections. In short – it is a different process than adding on things to an existing car over time or making some changes to one or two areas of the entire car. We could spend an entire section on just fuel, or drivetrain, or, well you get the idea.
Those that have built a high horsepower car or similar level of design and performance know what this means.
In both cost, time, and even the many levels of ‘work’ that goes un-noticed.
What adds further to the cost beyond some other 3000GT builds is two-fold:
- Many other project cars have a singular goal in mind. Ex: Just the ¼ mile, or just dyno, or something that is important to the owner.
SLAYER meets more than one project goal to a high degree. We built to be serious on the drag race track. We also have a completely redesigned cockpit and control systems. In addition to the power and race aspects the car is show quality exterior, body, and workmanship. The paintjob alone exceeds $15,000 hand-crafted paint job and custom airbrushing. Not many builders going for ¼ mile times also put in 5-figures for custom body work and paint.
So yes, for the money there are faster cars. There are higher end show cars. There are bigger dyno cars. This will always be true no matter who you are. NW3S Racing addressed all of those aspects and did not scrimp on our track performance, dyno performance, nor our show quality body work.
- Materials used in Slayer are the best possible. Example in just the electrical systems:
All utilize solder/heatshrink connections and are considered mission critical. This means that every electrical connection doesn’t cost your typical 15¢ connector but instead is over $1 each. We also use only the very best SXL wire that has extra insulation and high temperature ratings. Every inch of our wire loom is the high quality ‘non-combustible’ and high-heat loom rather than the cheap plastic stuff. Add in that we had our switches custom made in Italy and you quickly get the idea of how much extra effort and upper quality has gone into the car.
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In addition we built to full NHRA specifications where applicable. Example? OK. Things like SFI Compliant rollbar padding at $20+/3’ is a lot more than the cheap $5 foam used in many other builds. Items like that and to SFI or other higher standards means the cost will rise dramatically (as high as 10x more). Same with operating costs (like regular safety equipment replacements, etc) – this level of attention and specification compliance will add up.
So yes, while it sounds like a lot it is like many projects that take years; Things add up. Sometimes it is the small tasks that add up in a hurry both in time and cost. But our philosophy in rebuilding the majority of Slayer’s systems is to do it right the first time, take no shortcuts, only the best. When designing something that goes these types of speeds and power the safety concerns alone add to the need to “do things professional quality” only.
In fact, here’s an xls spreadsheet example using some rough numbers and you’ll see how just some sections adds up fast.
We do not shop around on eBay or make cost the decision-making factor. All items are quoted as new or built to our custom specs. Prices do change and while some items are less today others would be more. So it all works out to a fairly accurate depiction of the costs involved in redoing an entire 3000GT race car. This sample is meant as an example and not a stringent guide or rule.
SAMPLE XLSX SHEET
(if you have problems viewing the Excel sheet let us know and we can send you a link to the Excel formatted page. This link uses Excel 2007 format. Just send the admin here an email asking )
Also what some builder’s budgets reflect (or not) is changes to original concept, design alterations, etc. This can sometimes leave you with parts you acquired but now are planning differently. Our example xls does not reflect that but it is a consideration for sure. To minimize this type of expense it is best to layout the project best you can and stick to it. There will of course always be something that comes up or you did not plan for but with an eye for detail and research you can keep these costs down.
Why the name Slayer?
It is based upon a medieval "dragon slayer" concept which matches the intricate details of the hand airbrushed artwork.
Some things on a drag race car evolve over time and this paint job is no exception. Where we started and where we ended are very far apart in many ways. Once the decision was made to do some custom airbrushing the project started with a basic theme. We settled on the theme being: medieval. From there were many drafts of dragons, knights, armor, swords, fire-breathing, and so forth. Eventually evolving from medieval to a more detailed concept: dragon SLAYER.
Once the concept was settled the 3000GT went to the artist (Jonathan at GraphFX) for rendering as he envisioned it. True artists need some latitude!
The theme style and how it is displayed on the car is very hard to see online in photos. In person the details related to this theme are much easier to see. This is also true of the rich nature of the Kandy specialty paint.
The car has a dragon on the hood which is clawing its way up and through the hood of the car. The fire is coming from the dragon and blowing back around the car. The specialty paint changes the viewpoint and details as angles change on the dragon itself.
Many of the art lines on the car are the blades of a knights rusty sword. And some of the lettering is clawed / scratched into the paint by the dragon. The name on the side is hammered metal just like a knight's armor.
So thats the origination of the paint theme and the name. Makes more sense now eh?
What does "NW3S" stand for?
The NW stands for the Northwest. As in: NW USA (Washington). The 3S is used by many enthusiasts to mean "3000GT / Stealth". So it is basically the NorthWest 3000GT/Stealth. Just like the members car club (also on the same server and internet system) Which is the oldest active forum and longest operating forum for 3S's in the NW United States and Canada.
Why don’t you _______?
Or “I’d do it this way” type emails, replies to questions, or otherwise unsolicited “advice” are usually ignored. (online forums are the worst). We have our own specific goals, budget, and way of doing things. It isn’t that we feel your advice or “suggestions” are wrong. They might be fine for YOU. But our goals, thought process, and priorities are not identical to yours.
Chances are we may have already thought of your idea or suggestion and chose the route we wanted based upon many factors. Many of these factors go unnoticed by casual ‘suggestions’ but suffice to say that we usually do things a certain way for very good reasons. Even if it’s just personal preference. We’ve been doing this for years and the research goes in-depth before making expensive or critical decisions on whatever task is the topic.
So to these type of casual comments or emails we say:
“Thanks for the idea but we have more than enough of our own!
However, go forth and put your ideas to work on your own car out in the real world. Let us know how it worked for you! We totally support you to do your own build however you want to! Good luck!”.
There’s no limit to the customizing, rebuilding, fabricating, or designing a race car. It’s what makes them all unique to the builder and their specific priorities. We aren’t out of our own new ideas either. And brakes, or fuel, or aerodynamics, or weight, or safety, or, , ,well, let’s just say that there’s enough things always on the table that we don’t ever run out of things to do, plan for, or re-think.
Why did you:
go single turbo, or
use that engine, or
replace the 6 speed with 5 speed, or
use Q16 fuel, or
insert something else related here….
Most of those type decisions were after much discussion among the group as well as financial reviews and budget abilities. Also part of the decision making process is what we currently had in the shop or available to us. Such as a single turbo setup ; if you have $10,000 worth of single turbo parts on the shop shelf it tends to enter into the decision making process. Same with already having a race-built 5 speed (we originally planned on a racing AWD automatic and still might change to that in the near future).
Some things were decided on just because we thought it best or is what we wanted to do! Simple as that. Some things have multiple choices and you’ve got to choose something. Just like fuel. There’s choices and each person and/or team makes what they feel is best for them.
There’s also some decisions that feed into other ones. Once a particular direction is followed it is sometimes very expensive to change over. More than the change is worth in performance. So when something works and is operating with other systems well it is left as is while other priorities are taken care of. We realize the options in front of us most of the time but also have LOTS of other things on the car to address already and at any given time.
While we might have some new things planned out for the future we also have to be realistic on costs and operation expenses. Plus if we are always working or improving 100% of the time then when would the car ever be at the race track. Ha!
As they say, nothing is perfect nor do we have an unlimited budget. We do fairly well though (in our opinion) and are able to meet our operating and improvement needs. So will next year see us go to a pneumatically controlled custom AWD Automatic? Or full alcohol fuel? Or an even bigger new turbo? Eh, who knows. One thing is for sure – we’ll be staying busy and in the forefront of racing the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4.
For more details and specifications on the build - click to see the BUILD MENU categories.
NOTE: If you are considering using the same brand, part, or layout as us and want to know specifically the research or other info then feel free to email for further specifics. We'll be glad to email or speak with another serious 3000GT racing enthusiast.
Can I join your Team?
Are you in the NW and have Saturdays free at least 50-75% of the time? Do you have a skill(s) that would benefit the team somehow? Or a desire to start new and learn as needed? We require minimum participation as well as task assignments. All team members also get benefits of reduced priced parts, use of shop and all tools, and free race stuff too. If interested send us an email with your information and why you want to join us. Make sure and include your location, age, experience (as a minimum please) and other details about yourself. Emails without that basics information gets deleted.
This isn’t a “job” but more of a social activity. That sums up 95% of the racers at any dragstrip. It’s for fun and social activities.
But it also involves a high degree of many specific skills as well as personal performance to a minimum of semi-professionalism.
Please Note: short emails from a cellphone won’t be answered (no kidding, we get quite a few like that). We will just delete them. You need a little more effort that that!
Will you sell the 3000GT Race Car?
For the right price sure! Unfortunately race cars cost more to build than you can sell them for. It’s just how things work. Look at it this way – most of the fun is in the build for many people. Especially mechanically minded people. So if you are serious then you can email an offer. But realize that it would have to be near a 6 figure range for it to be sold. That is approximately 50-60% of the original cost of the build plus labor and design costs factored in. If your offer isn’t near that range please don’t bother with the offer, it won’t be accepted.
But hey, if you are looking to build your own 3000GT race car we ’ve got another one ready to go most any time. Basic rolling chassis and all set to put your build into! Interested in a great deal?
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