A Build in the Mitten State...

[truckmtr240]

What happens to the old wheels?

[zach-Ka]

Thanks! I'll update again monday with pics of the new wheels!

I'm excited to see that...

[SolaraOnBronze]

What happens to the old wheels?

I sold them to another guy on Nico.

[SolaraOnBronze]

My new wheels, Rota Torques:









Pretty much the same specs, 17x9 +17 all around. They all have some curb rash, which is proving to be sufficiently annoying. I think I'm going to have them refinished, but will probably keep them pretty much the same color- I'll decide for sure when I see them on the car tonight. Blue Work lugs and the Emotion decals are on the way, for extra emotion.

Also, I just got word that my front end isn't leaving Japan until the 20th. It was supposed to BE HERE a week before then... bummer. More waiting!

[mRodiek]

lol Rotas. Too bad you sold the Xenon lip, I would have paid double

[Ramonesfreak2010]

Got me with the Rotas. When I read it I said "wtf?" in my head. lol

[Nacho_240]

lol Rotas. Too bad you sold the Xenon lip, I would have paid double

Check your email.

SolaraonbronzeI like the Cr Kai's but the gramlights were better. Sorry man.

[240lookis]

cr kai are better.especially since you can switch up to the 18x9.5 +12 for the rear if you desire.not sure if the gramlights offer 18x9.5...

[SolaraOnBronze]

Not a problem, everyone will have different opinions on which were better. I haven't really seen these on the car at all yet either, which will make a big difference. I am considering going with a 18x9.5 +12 out back, maybe if I can get 2 of these sold for a good price...

[ZX88]

type x emo club

this car will be supa sick.

[SolaraOnBronze]

I can't wait to see yours with those on it, I love that finish. I really hope to have a 17/18 stagger by spring.

In other news, I think I am going to ditch the roof spoiler...

[mRodiek]

cr kai are better.especially since you can switch up to the 18x9.5 +12 for the rear if you desire.not sure if the gramlights offer 18x9.5...

I still like the gramlights better.

Even though Id rather have your Hanabis

[SolaraOnBronze]

Well, my cousin and I made some progress yesterday...





Borat Approved...



SPEC clutch, looked to be in super good shape...



Empty! What a mess...



And here are my other christmas goodies:







HKS Acuator, Work CR Kai Decals and blue aluminum lug nuts, Peak Performance Street transmission mount, and Cusco engine mounts. I'm going to work on cleaning/tearing the bay apart more and cleaning up the motor tomorrow, so I'll post some more pics if I make decent progress. I'm also going to drop off the two wheels with curb rash/ very slight bends to a wheel shop to have them repaired, then I am going to have all 4 of them painted.

I've never really pulled/dropped a motor in before, so that was pretty cool. I'm sure it will be a lot more of a pain going back in, haha. Updates should be coming along at least weekly now!

[SolaraOnBronze]

2 Wheels are in the shop being repaired, should be out tomorrow or Wednesday. My D Max floor mats will be here today after waiting since July, canceling my order last week, and ordering them from another vendor. FINALLY!

I am going to order some parts this week... I think I will replace the water pump while the motor is out, and do a Nismo thermostat as well. The 180 front end was supposed to leave Japan in mid-December, so I sent an email on the status of that as well. I bought an AEM Wideband, but just filed a paypal claim after waiting a month for that. Sigh... I hate scammers.

I'm hoping to finish cleaning up the motor this week and start bolting some of the goodies on. I am still trying to decide if I want to stick with the Tomei turbo elbow/GReddy downpipe combo I have now, or pony up for a PBM Cobra downpipe. I like the one piece design, flex pipe section, and bung for a wideband sensor... so we'll see.

Wheels will be going in for paint next week I hope- any suggestions for color? I am thinking about just sticking with the gloss gray/silver they are now...

I also got onto the Speed Hunters deal, which was not really a major accomplishment, but still felt pretty cool.

http://speedhunters.com/archiv....aspx
Modified by SolaraOnBronze at 6:35 AM 1/5/2010

[mRodiek]

I think I will replace the water while the motor is out]

That might be a good idea, to replace the water

IMO you should paint the wheels something crazy like pink or highlighter green. But you should decide the color of the car before the wheels.

[hbpignosePA]

is that you with the borat pose?

somehow i didnt think you would look that goofy



i kiddd

i liked the grams better as well

[SolaraOnBronze]

Hmmm... I guess I will replace the water pump AND the water. As for a crazy wheel color, I think I am past that stage in life. Actually, I was never really into the easter egg wheel color thing- I think some cars pull it off, but it just isn't for me.

And yes, I am that goofy looking fellow. Can't say I'm looking my best while working on the car, haha.

FINALLY!!! D-MAX FLOOR MATS!!



kittah approved! He gets in EVERY pic I take of parts, lol...



I purchased an ACT StreetLite flywheel, pics when that arrives.

[SolaraOnBronze]

I ordered the following replacement stuff yesterday from Russell at NissanParts.cc:

OEM Water PumpOEM Oil PumpZ32 Fuel FilterS14 Oil Strainer Pickup/GasketPitwork Alternator BeltPitwork Power Steering BeltPCV ValveFlywheel Bolts

As for other engine stuff, I don't really know yet. I would love to do Tomei Poncams, Rocker arm stoppers, and other stuff in the head- head gasket, head studs, etc... but I'm not sure if I really need to and want to spend the money or not. I am also considering a timing chain replacement, but again- it depends on what kind of condition it is in and how far I want to take it. I have never really worked with the inside of an engine before, so that makes me a bit hesitant. Cams would be awesome, but it opens up a whole can of worms and additional cost. We'll see what happens...

ACT Flywheel is here:




Modified by SolaraOnBronze at 7:55 AM 1/7/2010

[SolaraOnBronze]

Kind of feels like I am talking to myself in here... lol.

I got my two wheels back from the shop yesterday, they came out really nice. All of the curb rash has been smoothed out and the dent in one of the wheels was straightened. Next I am going to get all four in for some fresh paint!

Of course, the cat decided he just had to be a part of the action, as always...







I have some other things arriving today, I'll update tomorrow.

[Bumnah]

Do the timing chain if you're doing the oil pump.Do the valve cover gasket and s*** too since you'll be doing the timing chain, but you already know that.

Do front and rear main seals as well.

The big square thing in the middle of the bell housing, do that gasket too.

I'd do freshening up like that. Cams, blah blah blah. Skip it. This is a street car, you don't need any of that stuff.

[mRodiek]

I'd do freshening up like that. Cams, blah blah blah. Skip it. This is a street car, you don't need any of that stuff.

lol QFT.

I wanted those DMAX floormats, til I saw the price

[SolaraOnBronze]

Yeah, you guys are probably right. Timing belt is a good idea if I can swing it, though.

One more quick update for today...

Hooray! OEM Goodness!



Front Cover/Seal/Oil Pump, Water pump, Pitwork belts, PCV valve, flywheel bolts, s14 oil pickup/strainer/gasket, kouki 180sx position lights, z32 fuel filter:



This was all free stuff NissanParts.cc/Russell threw in for me- w00t!



I really need to bust some ace and get the motor/bay cleaned up completely so that I can get to installing all of the crap laying around. The apartment is overflowing, haha.

[JRPS13]

love those mats!awesome car, awesome build

[Nacho_240]

cool nismo beanie. So how do I go about getting free nismo apperal? I need to order a bunch of OEM stuff soon (wiper fluid motors, kouki 180sx nissan emblem, LCA nismo bushings, hood rod grommet, etc.).

[SolaraOnBronze]

Not sure, Russell just sends me goodies every once in a while when I make an order for a couple hundred bucks. Pretty sweet!

[HoosierSX]

your cat has to approve of everything, LOL

[mRodiek]

I love the bandaid stickers, you should share

[SolaraOnBronze]

The cat seems to be my personal inspector... he seriously walks into the frame and lays down every time I take a picture of something. I gave up on trying to keep him out of the pics, so that is why he is in pretty much all of them, haha.

haha, the band aids are pretty cool... I think I will toss one on the beater where it got rear ended.

I got my D-Max exhaust last Saturday, but the wife forgot her camera at her parents' house. I'll try to post up the pics of it soon! A friend and I are planning to work on cleaning the bay and freshening the motor/trans up this weekend.

[The240seller]

sick build, looks like there lots of money put into this car. Keep us posted!Was wondering how much you payed for the car when you first got it.

[SolaraOnBronze]

I paid $5,000 for the car. A lot of people would argue that that is too much, but it is very rare to find such a clean example up here in Michigan, let alone with an SR in it already. It needed a lot of TLC, and I have pretty much replaced all of the mods the previous owner installed, but the body was clean and there was no major rust, so I had to snag it up!

After doing some reading today, it sounds like you pretty much mess up the seal of the head gasket if you replace the oil pump by removing the upper/lower oil pans (which you have to do to replace the pumps. You also need to redo the timing because the CAS needs to come out. This kind of freaks me out. We'll see what happens... I think I am either going to replace the pump/studs/head gasket or just clean it up and leave it alone. I guess there is a first time for everything!
Modified by SolaraOnBronze at 1:26 PM 1/19/2010