92 vert ka24de resto+upgrade questions

[Erock92vert]

Just started a lil basic tearing down, i have actually been a driver of the vehicle which belonged to my family for a number of years, it suffered some abuse at the hands of my sister mostly, anyway; im aware of the minor issues and abuse that will cause me any grief.. for the most part... the car has recently gone into a overheating fit, its leaking oil from the head gasket and leaves transmission spots everywhere i park it. so im up against a head gasket, possibly a thermostat and its lookin like the rear main needs to be redone, so i figure im just gonna go thru and tune it back up, i am not a mechanic, but i am not stupid, ive got basic tools and the internet, and a few really awesome friends for this kinda project, parts stores and used parts dealers, anyway--been doing basic removal stuff with simple tools i got layin around, im draining the radiator and pulling the shroud out for some room and disconnect the harness-rad.fan connector to find my (blue) im thinking -neg- wire was raped and ravaged at some point in time, but the themostat was changed by someone prolly 2 years ago? idk, so could a simple frayed fan wire cause me to overheat? -and also i wanna know what the best bolt on upgrades i can pull off another vehicle are, ive heard 300zx fuel rails+injectors? same with brakes? do you have to pull the subframe to do a 5 lug conversion, if so whats the best ones to part out? anyone know any details on the dual halo headlight kits? and isnt there a clear 300zx headlight conversion or is that a myth?-im a nissan newb all help is greatly appreciated ive already got the FSM's and Spec manual from another thread, great links!

[audtatious]

Welcome to NICO, I'm sure you will get some peeps popping in here soon.

[cmkelly]

Welcome to NICO, register your vert and post pictures as soon as you can. Even if it's trashed it'll be nice to see the progress you'll make along the way.

Most of your questions will be answered in the FAQ section. So dive in and let us knnow if we can help.

[Erock92vert]

wow the vert in your sig is immaculate, i think im going to stick with the ka24de, after a lil research on the swap pros n cons, im feelin better about restoring whats in it than buying an sr20, im gonna load pics and write up the stuff that gives me any sort of grief to make it easier for anyone else hopin to pull more out of their ka24, ill be doin some basic mods to try and get as much out of the natural aspiration as i can while i save for the turbo kit.pix tommorrow!

[cmkelly]

Thanks! There are a lot of great examples of verts on here - stock, slightly modded and full out conversions.

The KA/KA-T/SR debate is well represented here on NICO. When the economy rebounds I'm going to look at the KA-T option too. But for now it's the little things like CAI, upgraded exhaust, etc.

Can't wait to see your pics and watch the progress.

[Erock92vert]

ive got limited auto experience, but im a quick learner, and from what i can already see im thinkin the hardest part is gonna be interior pieces, can i pick your brain for some options?! (Panels/inserts and dash is f***ed, i can upholster the seats np but where do i find those panels man?!)

[cmkelly]

Panel inserts are also like diamonds here. All the 240s panels were poorly made and have warpped, come undone, cloth torn. Some came with leather (like mine) that seems to have help up better.





There are some threads on here that cover that:zerothread?id=479426

zerothread?id=56696

zerothread?id=300209

[Erock92vert]

yeah i definitely have cloth warpage, was gonna do pics today, but its pretty nasty outside, had to cover the car

[Erock92vert]

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

ripped rad. fan wire http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

busted the left side of my brake booster hose http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/...n.jpg

lotsa head gasket leakage 8*( http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

overall progress http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

stubborn a** fuel rail soft hose http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

moar head gasket leakage >_< http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

P.I.T.A. intake manifold bolt right between the two runners nearest the firewall http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

a well fed oil leaking problem due to headgasket http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

rear main SEEMS to be in ok condition, hasnt had any transmission fluid in it for a while either, going to reseal everything on the motor including this, not doing the 5 speed swap just yet, waitin on some much needed fundage http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/...n.jpg

car needs to be moved to another location, so i havent done anything with my brakes/power steering/ac

any feedback on the intake manifold bolt much appreciated, i might simply just not have the tool i need but its difficult to get to with that (EGR component?) in the way?
Modified by Erock92vert at 3:20 PM 3/4/2010

[Erock92vert]

borrowed some gear wrenches from a friend, made a coat hangar handle extension made gettin the close quarters intake manifold bolt a snap!-nother nice day today, getting more stuff out of the way (power steering pump, ac compressor and alternator) no PV Blaster on hand, so i shot em with some WD, let em soak up real nice till i get some, theyre realllllly rusty and definitely not moving with channel locks! taking some pics before i cover it up (3-4 hours)

[Erock92vert]

abused the sunshiny nice day, got the intake manifold, alternator, power steering, header bolts, lower wiring harness, water pump off and out the way. http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/h...n.jpg

-towards the end of the day i added some water and charged the old dead battery, dropped the top and removed all the seats-

next move- ac compressor, loosen engine mounts+transmission bolts.. almost ready to pull! i will be doing my own upholstery, going to do an all black interior, seats+panels+floor (not sure about leather or cloth seats yet) but all in due time!

[Erock92vert]

friend let me borrow jack stands and creeper, got my ac compressor out the way and starter off the transmission, reading up on the 5 speed swap apparently a friend has one layin around in his yard...pix tommorrow if its not raining!