A Build in the Mitten State...

[SolaraOnBronze]

I have an OEM fan shroud on order from NissanParts.cc, just waiting on it to cross the pond.

As far as the new look being better or worse- it all comes down to personal preference. I liked the old look a lot, but I'm confident that I will like the new look even more. Honestly, I had the Xenon lip on for about 6 months, and I think I had to completely reattach it at least once a month. The mounting points are kind of tricky, unless you want to fill it up with screws. It will be nice to not have to worry about that anymore and have everything fit like it came from the factory.

I know the crowd will be split on which was better, but that's just the way it goes.

[truckmtr240]

Where do I get split turn signals like yours in your sig?

[Hooked on 240]

Where do I get split turn signals like yours in your sig?

There JDM chuki turn signals

Build looks awsome man. I really am afraid to ask the estimate of all your parts.
Modified by Hooked on 240 at 1:47 PM 2/17/2010

[SolaraOnBronze]

^ Nah, Canadian DTRLs are the fog lights that replace the lower bumper grills. The turn signals I have (or had I should say) are the JDM chuki turn signals. They pop up for sale a lot on the forums and ebay.

[Hooked on 240]

^ Nah, Canadian DTRLs are the fog lights that replace the lower bumper grills. The turn signals I have (or had I should say) are the JDM chuki turn signals. They pop up for sale a lot on the forums and ebay.

fixed.

I was looking at another thread and forgot to look back at your car :facepalm

[SolaraOnBronze]

No worries, I figured you knew the right answer.

Not a ton to report at the moment. Finally taking the head in tomorrow to be checked out. I think I will order my PSM downpipe tomorrow now that they have all of the materials on hand. Motor assembly should begin next week.

In the mean time, I picked up this sticker. The local 240 guys like to give me crap for not being into drifting...

[SolaraOnBronze]

Well, I got two of the 17" Works sold and ordered two 18x9.5 +12s for the rear. Work USA was out of them in every color, but they should be coming in on the March container from Japan. As soon as they show up, I will have those painted with the repaired 17x9 +17 fronts so that they all match. Still leaning towards silver, but not sure yet. I also ordered tires on Thursday: Dunlops- 225/45/18 R, 215/45/17 F. Bring on the hate.

I dropped my head off at Ann Arbor Auto Machine on Thursday to be decked and have everything checked out/cleaned up. That should hopefully be back in a day or two and I can start reassembling the motor.

As for parts, my GReddy oil pan and Defi 80mm tach should be here any day now. I had NissanParts.cc order me a pair of Tomei Poncams and a Tomei coil pack cover, but I'm not sure when those will be in. As soon as I source a stock gauge cluster to gut and order my fuel level/speedometer gauges, I plan to send it all out to Toby (a.k.a. Broadfield) to build me the shell for my custom cluster. Here is a mockup of what the finished setup will probably look like:



It should all start falling into place soon. I'll update when the parts show up and engine reassembly begins later this week!

[240lookis]

I also ordered tires on Thursday: Dunlops- 225/45/18 R, 215/45/17 F. Bring on the hate.

why the hell are you going with 225/45? why not 225/40?

225/45/18 has a circumference 6.78% larger than stock while 225/40/18 is only 3.47% larger. not to mention 225/40/18 is much closer in circumference to your front tires, 215/45/17.

why 225/45? this is not a matter of opinion, just a stupid decision.i am sorry for all the negative energy, since i like this thread in general, but man, that is a dumbass tire choice.

[SolaraOnBronze]

You may be correct, and I am considering what you have to say. However, I don't like to rely on those tire calculator websites when stretch is involved. Please keep in mind that the rear tire is going to be stretched over a 9.5" wide wheel and the front will be stretched over a 9" wide wheel. While this may not make a HUGE difference, there will be a difference in circumference. a 225/45 on a 9.5 will have a smaller overall diameter than a 225/45 on a 9, but I'm sure you know this.

I will do some more research and reevaluate my choice. I chose those sizes based on what I was planning to run with 17s all around, which was 225/45/17 R and 215/45/17 front. You're probably right, though- maybe the sidewall should drop to a 40 series out back with the larger wheel in the rear. I've never really been one to be obsessed with the numbers that those tire calculators spit out.

For example, it said that my previous tire sizing was all within about .2% of stock diameter. However, my speedometer was off by 6-7mph last summer. This has to do with the tires being put on a wheel that is wider than they are intended for. Since all tires stretch differently, there really isn't a way to use these calculators accurately in this situation.

I think a 40 is probably a better choice out back though, despite you calling me a dumbass. The decision to run an 18 only came to life a couple of days ago, so I should have done some more research. Luckily, the wheels won't be here and ready for tires for at least a month, so I have plenty of time to change the tire size I ordered. Thanks for the input!

[SolaraOnBronze]

This car is rocking a 18x9.5 with 225/45/18 all around... it actually looks great to me. I think I'll probably stick with that. It's nice to have a little bit more sidewall in Michigan anyway.

[Bumnah]

After all this, the CF hatch would've worked really well. As well as the CF hood.

[ZX88]

if it was painted. raw cf is gay s***.

[240lookis]

ya i think that actually looks pretty good with 225/45 all around. and i understand that you want more sidewall for more ground clearance and comfort. however, when you have such a big difference in overall cirumference in the front and back, it looks all messed up and raked.

if kalypso pops into this thread, i believe he has a tire size/stretch calculator that keeps in mind the width of the rim the tire is being mounted on.

[SolaraOnBronze]

Ah, that would be cool. And yeah, I get what you're saying- makes sense. We shall see...

I wouldn't have been able to run the kouki wing with a cf hatch... couldn't bring myself to drill into it, haha. Plus selling it all paid for my turbo, so that was legit I suppose.

[240lookis]

here is the link to the tire/offset/stretch calculator. might be helpful.http://www.tyrestretch.com/fil...h.xls

[ZX88]

oooohh llaa llaa thats a nice calculator you got there.

[SolaraOnBronze]

Very nice indeed. Thanks for the link!

[Bumnah]

You're doing the Type X Spoiler too? Man. I love the look of wingless hatches. Plus, I've never been too big of a fan of the Type X wing. Reminds me too much of the modified cars in the late 90s.

[SolaraOnBronze]

Yeah, I am going to give it a shot. I was never a big fan, but it has grown on me a lot. I think with the right stance and the full package it looks pretty cool. 90s for sure though, I can't argue that!

[SolaraOnBronze]

My 80mm Defi Tach and GReddy oil pan showed up today.

[SolaraOnBronze]

I didn't make quite as much progress as I hoped today, but I got some stuff done:

- Got the head back from the machine shop on Friday.- Cleaned the surface of the block.- Installed oil pump.- Installed water pump.- Installed NISMO thermostat.- Installed S14 oil pickup/gasket.- Installed timing chain/guides.

A friend is going to take the upper oil pan in to hot tank/clean it and then we can install the upper/GReddy oil pans. After that, we will drop the head back on with the Tomei Poncams and the intake manifold/turbo setup. The motor should be all back together really soon!

Pics:

[B-Radx240x]

Wow mad props for everything you have done. I thoroughly enjoy reading this thread and like what you have done and the route you are going. Keep up the wicked work. Definitely subscribed!

P.S. Now when I see a part pic with no kitty I start to wonder . . . " Where did kitty go?" Haha

[Touge_Drifter]

You should get a S14 upper coolant neck for that. Also I would look into a oil filter relocation kit. is that power fc a D-jetro or do you still have to use the maf sensor? are you redoing the pistons/conrods and rings or just redoing the head? glad you are finally adding some power to it!

http://www.frsport.com/Genuine....html
Modified by Touge_Drifter at 6:44 AM 3/1/2010

[SolaraOnBronze]

^ I had a filter relocation, but sold it. I only have one oil related gauge now and the sensor is in my pan, so I didn't have a need for it. It was nice for changing the oil with the stock intake manifold, but now the filter is much easier to get to with the GReddy manifold, so I didn't really see a use for it anymore. That, and the fact that the bay looks a lot cleaner without it.

I can't believe how much FR Sport gouges the prices on their OEM SR parts. It's pretty crazy, really.

I'm not touching any of the internals/block. Basically all I am doing is maintenance related stuff and the PonCams. The valves all seal and the head is in great shape, so I'm not going to touch anything else internal related. I'll be lucky to make 300whp, so I didn't feel any of that stuff was really necessary. No desire to go any faster in a street car personally.

[mRodiek]

I dont order from FRSport any more Im not really a big fan of them anymore, not even because of their prices, you should check out Togue Factory.

I dont think you really need the AFR AND EGT gauges because esentially they have similar functions, and mounting the AFR on the dash is gonna get annoying with that lil light goin all the time. I would forget EGT and replace it with AFR.

And your forgetting water temp & oil temp! ha these are just my suggestions, but PROPS for goin to Broadfield because he is the man.

[SolaraOnBronze]

I actually have a Defi water temp gauge. The only one of the 7 they offer that I don't have is oil temp. I do agree that EGT and AFR have similar functions though, and have considered only running the wideband. I had one mounted on the steering column of my Solara and the lights never really bothered me:



As nice as it would be to sell the EGT gauge and pick up an oil temp gauge, these gauges have been discontinued for quite some time, which makes things tricky. It took me forever to find the tach.

I love FR Sport, don't get me wrong- I just won't buy OEM Nissan parts from them anymore if I can help it. I have found that NissanParts.cc gets some of the things they sell for 1/2 the price, sometimes even cheaper.

[Touge_Drifter]

I haven't seen you or your car since the eyes on design show. I am looking forward to meeting back up with you on june 5th at the nissan meet Some friends want to see your car!

[discoballer]

just found this thread. car looks awesome! keep up the good work

[SolaraOnBronze]

^ Thanks. The car looks terrible right now...

I know it looks pretty bad right now, but bear with me. I mocked everything up with zip ties and tape for the heck of it last night. Ignore the wheels and tires- they're just some rollers I borrowed to move the car around and trailer it to paint later this month, since the Work wheels for the rear won't be here for a while still.

RPS13 Panel, center valence, spoiler (only the panel is actually installed):







Ganador super aero mirrors:



Complete OEM kouki front end





Kouki side skirts:









Yay vinyl! haha



Dropped my floor mats into my messy/torn up interior:



I'm ur privacy cover:



Keepin' ur privacy.



I didn't know ganador mirrors have a spring-loaded folding feature. Kind of cool...



So yeah... looks hit right now, but it should look pretty awesome in a month or two. Back to engine reassembly...

[hbpignosePA]

i dont care for the wing or mirrors....

maybe once its all one color it will look alright