Build Thread: VQ35 S13; wrecked, and returning with boost!

[FattyMcBaggins]

Hey guys, I started working on this ages ago, but I'm finally getting it back into full swing. I painted it a few years back, but blew the motor. So, in order to prep it for a VQ35 swap, I ripped out the motor and suspension last week. A buddy and I spent the past week stripping down and prepping the engine bay for paint so it looks as good under the hood as it does on top of it. I'll be cleaning down and upgrading suspension for the rest of the week, killing time until some parts come in. Next week she gets a J30 diff, aluminum subframe bushings, and a slew of nice parts for the rear end. I'll have plenty of updates in the coming weeks, so hopefully you all enjoy!

When I bought her:




After blocking it for awhile


First coat of primer




Trimming out all of the inside edges of panels and such



In the paint booth:




After everything dried:




Painting the engine bay:


My buddy Arty mixin' up some paint :


After the 2nd base coat; one more and then it's clear time


After Clear

[pauliedrft]

I like the blue is the engine b ay the same as the rest of the car ??? nice work .

[zach-Ka]

Very nice, it is looking really good. Are you keeping it a NA vq?

[laxands13]

sexy blue keep us updated.. you getting coils or springs/struts?

[safin]

blue engine + black valve cover FTW

[FattyMcBaggins]

Thanks guys. Yeah, the engine bay is the same color as the rest of the car. I'm so glad to finally be done with paint and body stuff!And, I already have KYB/Tien S Techs, so I will be leaving that alone for a little while. Once it runs and I've worked out the kinks with the motor, I'm going to go back and get KTS coils from SPL. Right now I'm just installing energy suspension stuff and the Isis suspension arm package.

[FattyMcBaggins]

Small update: Just started putting things back into the engine bay after the paint. Took each piece, one by one, cleaned it/repainted it, then put it on. The brake booster had some rust on it. Put the front suspension back in also, but all of those pictures are on my buddies camera. I will post them soon. I got 2 on my phone though.

[Kataki_]

that 240 looks so clean....im jealous of th oh so perfect paint and subscribed keep the pics rolling

[xX RB Xx]

Awesome! Keep up it going,

[youngmoney]

im jealous of your fresh a** body. your car looks good too

[FattyMcBaggins]

Update:Hey guys. Finished putting the front suspension in today. I've got KYB AGX/Tien STechs all around, though they will be swapped in a few weeks when my KTS coils come in. I bought the Isis suspension arm package from Enjuku, so I got the tension rods installed. I'm still waiting on front ball joints for the LCA's and my Wilwood big brake kit. Also dropped the rear suspension and then tore it apart. Started scrubbing down the subframe and wirebrushing bolts and such. I'm waiting for SPL aluminum subframe bushings, whiteline F/R sway bars and a j30 diff. I'm going out of town for a week, but when I get home I will have those parts waiting for me and will have another update. Also, I took some pictures of the interior stuff we started on. Laid down a roll and a half of B-Quiet sound deadening. I still have to finish the spare tire well, but it's got some rust I need to destroy first. I'm going to finish out the roll I'm using now, and maybe order one more to lay down. I'm determined for the car to not be outrageously loud when I'm in it. Also have brand new carpet ready to cut and lay down, along with a rubber/foam insulator layer to go down underneath it. Here's some more pics of the progress.

[ki_JDM_ds]

What is the black NISSAN box under you drivers seat?

[Caveit77777]

What is the black NISSAN box under you drivers seat?

I want to say the factory amp but I don't have an s13. Feel free to correct me anyone.

[ki_JDM_ds]

in the S13's ive owned the amps are in the doors... It could be something for audio though all s13's are different in one way or another.

[FattyMcBaggins]

It's been awhile since I've been on here, but I just finally got my motor in. '04 Vq35 from a G35, with 40k on it. Gonna start cleaning it up and doing basic maintenance on it now while it's out of the car. Take some parts off and get them ready for paint so I don't tarnish the look of the engine bay. I'll post some pics up of the motor in a few days. Motor also came with one anodized pulley, an AAM Oil pan spacer, and a Fluidampr crank pulley. I work on a cruise ship, and I'm just working on the motor when I'm in port (twice a week). But, I should be putting it into the car in April. Pics and more updates will follow!

Oh! And the black box is part of the security system. Previous owner had it installed at a dealership I guess, because it's a Nissan box, but the wiring under the dash makes it pretty obvious that it didn't come from the factory that way.

[S13AL]

Can't wait to see pics of this clean hatch.

[FattyMcBaggins]

Here are some pics of the motor. These are from before I picked it up, I've cleaned up alot on it, and will update again on Monday.





And the wiring I will being dealing with soon

[truckmtr240]

nice

[breadbox]

OOH, I like where this is going.

[FlipCoupe]

wow really nice work-

Seeing builds start like this makes me want to pull out my motor and redo my engine bay

[Cbus240]

great work so far man, absolutely lovin that paint!

[elchoccolatte]

Nice!!!

[420sxWETDREAMS]

Nice paint kid it looks nice, love the bay!

[FattyMcBaggins]

Spent a little bit of time cleaning up the front cover. Every bit of the engine will be getting scrubbed down, one screw at a time. It's starting to clean up quite well though!

[nightsauce]

looking good man. How much did that vq set you back btw?

[FattyMcBaggins]

Hey man, the whole vq set me back about 3500, after delivery and everything. I was just glad to find one that the owner had seen run before it was pulled, and it had ALL of the wiring and such that would be needed, including the matching ECU and the E.Gas pedal.
I dropped off the intake manifold, front timing covers, and every mounting bracket on the frontside of the engine at a powdercoater just the the other day. Should be getting those pieces back on Friday. I went with a metallic gold/bronze color. Should look nice against the blue of the engine bay. I also dropped off the wiring harness and ECU at McKinney so they can get it all set up for me. While I was there I purchased their mounting kit and commissioned them to make me a set of their tubular exhaust manifolds.
Ive also just ordered every silicone hose that z1 Motorsports makes for the vq, hoping to clean up the engine look as much as possible. I got a RareJDM harness cover and I'm debating on whether I should leave it polished or have it powder coated to match the rest of the engine pieces. Any opinions?

[FattyMcBaggins]

Just got parts back from powder coating! Can't wait to get them all back on the engine....it's gonna look tits!

[Midwest_240sx]

Sick bro. Love the paint. Wut are your plans for the motors?

[darens13]

i love that blue, gonna keep an eye on this one. nice work man!

[FattyMcBaggins]

Thanks for the compliments guys, Im really loving the "it's all coming together" feeling! I'm going to keep the motor pretty much stock for the next year or so. Get really cozy with the new power, and then decide whether I want to go supercharged or turbo. I'm spending quite a lot of cash on the McKinney tubular headers, and supercharging would allow me to keep it, so I'm leaning towards a vortech....we will see though. Other than exhaust, intake, Motordyne lower manifold and spacer, it will be pretty much stock for a good while. Gonna focus on suspension and interior for awhile afterwards.
By the way, I installed all of the powder coated parts today, and the engine looks BADASS now! I'll put some pictures up at the end of the week.