story of my s14 se [long]...but with pics on the final outcome!

[kepani]

way back in december 2004, i was handed the keys to a 1996 240sx se from a friend of mine who was leaving the country. the car originally was a total bucket. my friend unfortunately took subpar care of the car during the time he owned it. and the previous owner(s) of the car did likewise.

problems:- passenger door & rear quarter panel smashed in from previous accident- "jungle harness"- scraped up front lip- unpainted front replacement bumper- broken tachometer- mucky/dusty interior- torn shift boot- cracked center console piece (apparently easily broken during radio installs)- hideous upper windshield decal- upper timing chain guide rattle- rear brake squeal (low pad indicators)- keyed swastika on driver door - poor engine performance- coffee can cheapy muffler :embarrassed:- and so on...

i first took the car to corner3 garage (see signature ) to get a full service done: all fluids such as coolant, oil, brake, clutch, transmission, wiper, etc. were replaced. removed upper timing chain guide to alleviate noise problem. resealed/retaped the wiring harness. replaced rear brake pads and got a new air filter. and other major service items.

next for the interior and exterior, i removed the oem sunroof visor (still got it if any of you are interested ). then i found a couple se center caps (still missing one) for two wheels. next i replaced the broken plastic center console. i found a used se tachometer and replaced it - now works like a charm! did a total detail in the inside; wiped down all of the vents of the muck and dirt. vacuumed all seats and carpet.

at this point, the car still had the bashed passenger door and rear quarter panel, the unsightly "emblem" on the door, and a total pitted paintjob. but back in february, the car, while parked, was hit in the back; rear bumper and driver tail-light was smashed. luckily the lady who hit the car stuck around and i was able to collect on the damages.

so now i was at a crossroads on whether to get the damages from the last accident taken care of along with the door and the panel along with the bumper and lip fixed at the body shop. long story short, i decided to shell out a few more bucks (well not exactly "bucks" but i gotta convince myself i spent the money wisely ) to do the whole job. the door was fully reskinned, the rear quarter was pulled and smoothed out. the rear bumper was replaced along with the cracked tail-light. finally, the front bumper and lip were repaired. the car was entirely sanded and primered and painted.

so after a few weeks or so of minor tinkering and tweaking, the car runs astoundingly well. i've still got some minor things to remedy, but the car is pretty much oem stock.

things yet to take care of:- shift boot- (1) se wheel centercap- missing passenger side oem foglight insert- new clutch- oem s14 muffler

and for the pictures:*click on thumbnail for larger picture*









thanks for reading! the journey is not yet complete for this car. though it's been a long arduous process, the restoration has been fun.

kepani

p.s. - anyone notice the nico sticker?
Modified by kepani at 11:22 AM 5/20/2005

[TurboSilvia7587]

very very nice. good job on the restoration. i have a question...on the upper timing chain guide ddi it make noise constantly?

[4felix20]

wow man. that's looking good. nice job. i use to have a 96 when i lived on oahu too..

[sensibleS13driver]

Thats a pretty car, super nice paint. Hold on to it.

[GhostDriver]

Wait....so you got it for free? That's one hell of a job you did restoring it. It looks great. Congrats...you must feel a good sense of accomplishment. I know I would.

[kepani]

you can click the thumbnails for larger versions! seems like nico resizes the displayed photos?

thanks everyone. the car wasn't exactly given to me for free. i've been having a hard time contacting him to see how much he wants for it.

it's been very rewarding so far. and i've been learing a lot about these cars from this site. i don't plan on doing an sr20 swap or anything. i would just like to get it back to nissan's specs for now.

in a way, this car is more fun than a new car because you get to do research and focus in on what's wrong with the car. when you eventually find a replacement part, install it, and find out that it works, it's very gratifying.

kepani

[kepani]

very very nice. good job on the restoration. i have a question...on the upper timing chain guide ddi it make noise constantly?

if i remember right, it seemed to click and clunk mostly when the car was cold. once in a while it would come on and off regardless of it being hot or cold. but after removing it, it's no longer bothersome. nissan actually suggests removing it as it is unnecessary.

kepani

[GrilledCheese33]

lightningautocustoms.com for the shift boot. i bought mine there and i am very pleased at the quality and their pricing. check pg 2 on my cardomain to see what my boot from them looks like, and nice job on the car, by the way! congrats!

[chandler]

ill send ya a se center cap for the cost of shipping if ya want

[MAXIMUS Nismo]

so fresh and so clean clean!!! I'll post a proper response when I get back in..................

edit** Ok, back from seeing star wars.................nice movie.....................

You sir, have taken care of a car that was abused previously. And for that I thank you. As hard as S14 are to find, caring for one is an artform few understand and fewer implement.

Well done brother, well done. Spend your money wisely, and spend it well. You'll enjoy it that much more.
Modified by MAXIMUS Nismo at 1:00 AM 5/22/2005