Captain's Build Thread (56k? how cute)

[urcaptnspeaking]

oh you know it. The kit is pricey but comes with everything and takes away a lot of headaches is $3500 for the new K member, frame supports,manifolds,differential,drive shaft and Im not sure what else.

I was also going to go with the T5 transmission, but I keep reading it wont hold up to the torque of an ls1, and mine will be getting a cam. So t56 it is. I also didnt think Id be needing that extra gear, cuz in like a T/a you cruis at around 2k doing 80.

[tramp_drift240]

wednesday?

what kind of rust stuff should i get. like. some of that spray can stuff? or what.

[White Comet]

yeah the t5 is weak. its not worth it unless you already have a t5 and plan on using it to drive gently until you get a t56

[urcaptnspeaking]

Well I mean. Its like 1200 or so for a t56 might as well just go for it and not waste time and money.

Tramp: yeah the spray stuff is fine.

[White Comet]

true, but before you get into it, it'll be like 1200 for the trans maybe but theres also the cost of clutch and flywheel, appropriate bellhousing (if it doesnt come with it) starter, and some kind of crossmember for mounting.

in my brother's setup he paid like $750 for a zoom clutch and clutmasters flywheel and like $100ish on a custom made crossmember to bolt the t56 up to the camaro

[urcaptnspeaking]

The kit comes with the cross member, and I will get a transmission out of a Trans am or Camaro with the bellhousing so that wont be an issue. The kit makes it to where literally its just a matter of squeezing it in there and bolting it in. Very thorough. Race concepts is who makes the kit.

Check it out:

http://www.racingconcepts.net/product.html

[White Comet]

wow, that is thorough. i didnt see the clutch and flywheel mentioned but from the description it sounds like it would be included. thats pricey though, my brother def spent less on his but then again he has more room to work with and he went chevy to chevy not into a mazda. this'll be 1 hell of a beast, but from what ive heard you can forget cornering with an ls up front

[urcaptnspeaking]

I havent thought about clutch and flywheel much as I wont be putting much more than stock power down. Just cammed. The clutch should hold that, But I will look into them. Also Ive read on 3 different cars that It maintains its 50/50 weight distribution. THe motor assembled is less than a KA which probly is around the same as the Miatas motor. Ive read one site that said it was 53/47. either way they all said it was virtually unnoticeable.

"The chassis and drivetrain pair together as if it were meant to be from the factory. The Miata throttle cable falls into place in the LS1 throttle body and the T56 shifter pops in the center of the factory shifter location. The converted car makes for a balanced (able to obtain 50/50 with suspension tweaking), lightweight (neighborhood of 2400lbs.), and extremely sporty car (300rwhp,300rwtq). Plus, no one expects it!" -Racing Concepts

I think I read somewhere on there with no suspension mods is when it was 53/47

[White Comet]

thats not bad if thats true but i find it hard to believe without proof that a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder, 1.6 liter 4 cylinder and 5.7 liter 8 cylinder are all the about the same weight. the ls is obviously a light motor for what it is, but nowhere near as light as the other 2 engines mentioned

[tramp_drift240]

for realz.

and the miata's motor has got to weigh less than a ka. im not positive, but im fairly sure they arent primarily composed of heavy a** iron.

should i get the spray that sprays on clear, and turns into black primer? or just the rust tough stuff that supposedly stops it.

[urcaptnspeaking]

after doing some research a fully dressed LS1 with t56 weighs around 575lbs. The motor itself is around 450 lbs

[White Comet]

should i get the spray that sprays on clear, and turns into black primer? or just the rust tough stuff that supposedly stops it.

sed both, first the stuff that turns to primer, then rust tuff

[tramp_drift240]

why both?

[White Comet]

because i had both laying around. well, i went and bought the primer stuff and then noticed my dad had the rust stuff stuff in teh garage already. if youre jsut gonig to use 1 though, go with rust tough

[urcaptnspeaking]

and when it stops raining it would be nice too. so we could fix it.

[tramp_drift240]

true that.

its still raining

i seriously want to know how yesterday was so damn nice outside, and now its....this.

[urcaptnspeaking]

true man. I hate it.

[S13s30ztt]

Ok gents I said thered be an update so here it is, better late then never... Tell your girlfriend that eh... get it <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... badboy.gif" BORDER="0">

Id like to think my hatch was worst case scenario (I could be wrong) but it was bad..ya dig? the point of this and me not buying a new one is to show it can be done with just a few things/time. Its not for every one but it will keep your car "original" so to speak. I am by no means a body work guru nor do I claim to be with that in mind, here we go!

I made a point to use tools common to most every one. No welders or air tools here. So even you,yes you, can do it too <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... iggrin.gif" BORDER="0">

Step 1

[Weapon ("The Tooth")



Cut out weak metal like so



Step 2

Weapon ("Patches")



Make a nice place for the Bondo to rest its sleepy head

Like So..



And So..



Weapon ("Cover Girl")



Cover over the holes and fiberglass with a nice layer

Like So..



And So



Dont forget to sand that now

Another coat and sand again kiddies





Dont forget her curves she is a valupcious lady after all. Work it down til its just right and matches her body



After all that work put on her temporary make up so she can look presentable when showing her off







And there you have it fixed hatch boys

Ok I just used basic 80-120 grit and an orbital sander. Theres a trick to using an orbital on body work...so dont just hack away...go with the curves keeping it moving along the shape of the body.

It only took me like 3 hours total work time with some diddling between...so not too bad. <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... iggrin.gif" BORDER="0">

And Yes I know its not perfect I ran out of light and I promised an update so I went ahead and got that far and put the pics up. Thats only the first coat of primer, which we all know is the "revealing" coat and shows all the things you forgot to do. So when I get it all worked out Ill put more pics up tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

*shudders at the hackjob* wow effective but damn ....I would have cut square holes around not those big ovals as for the bonda and foberglass fill patchjob its gonna hold moisture and the edges of the metal around the patch are gonna rust....how quickly depends on your climate just a lil heads up ...but good job anyways

way i was taught by my autobody teacher was make the hole square use a airtool(i dun remember the name of it) to make a small bend on the edge of the hole make a patch out of sheet metal 16 gauge to 20 gauge will work thn weld using a alternating bead pattern till the patch is fully welded grind down then primer and paint..........for those of you who are say welders are expensive i bought a mig for 90 bucks from a swapmeet and i have a tig that i bought for 150

Ok gents I said thered be an update so here it is, better late then never... Tell your girlfriend that eh... get it <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... badboy.gif" BORDER="0">

Id like to think my hatch was worst case scenario (I could be wrong) but it was bad..ya dig? the point of this and me not buying a new one is to show it can be done with just a few things/time. Its not for every one but it will keep your car "original" so to speak. I am by no means a body work guru nor do I claim to be with that in mind, here we go!

I made a point to use tools common to most every one. No welders or air tools here. So even you,yes you, can do it too <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... iggrin.gif" BORDER="0">

Step 1

[Weapon ("The Tooth")



Cut out weak metal like so



Step 2

Weapon ("Patches")



Make a nice place for the Bondo to rest its sleepy head

Like So..



And So..



Weapon ("Cover Girl")



Cover over the holes and fiberglass with a nice layer

Like So..



And So



Dont forget to sand that now

Another coat and sand again kiddies





Dont forget her curves she is a valupcious lady after all. Work it down til its just right and matches her body



After all that work put on her temporary make up so she can look presentable when showing her off







And there you have it fixed hatch boys

Ok I just used basic 80-120 grit and an orbital sander. Theres a trick to using an orbital on body work...so dont just hack away...go with the curves keeping it moving along the shape of the body.

It only took me like 3 hours total work time with some diddling between...so not too bad. <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... iggrin.gif" BORDER="0">

And Yes I know its not perfect I ran out of light and I promised an update so I went ahead and got that far and put the pics up. Thats only the first coat of primer, which we all know is the "revealing" coat and shows all the things you forgot to do. So when I get it all worked out Ill put more pics up tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

one word man OUCH lol not the way i would have done it but least u got the job done

[nightsauce]

1. You quoted all the damn pictures :|2. i guess i can say zombie thread....but i wanna know if there have been any updates now that its alive again

[mRodiek]

1. You quoted all the damn pictures :|2. i guess i can say zombie thread....but i wanna know if there have been any updates now that its alive again

[PooPooButter323]

i would have sold you a wingless hatch in perfect condition for less than all that body filler and fiberglass cost haha

[S13s30ztt]

eh sorry lol kinda new to this forum dun know how to quote only one thing here but yeah most of the bodywork he did i would have done a more permanant fix of using sheeetmetal and a tig welder which i have on hand (bought tig welder for 90 bucks at a swap meet its worth every penny

[urcaptnspeaking]

it only cost me at the time like 20 bucks . So by all means I would have bought it if you would have sold it to me shipped for that.

And The car has been sold for almost a year now... I was certain I put that in this thread. Getting married and so on leaves little room for toys that need so much work. I haven't even been on this site for.. a few months. I will be back though : ) and with a new project now that things are getting settled down.

IF you read the thread you will understand that I by no means claim this to be the best method. Hell to be honest I just did it to see if I could do it and make it look right, make it function, and to see if i was up to that kind of extensive work. Oh and btw the hatch is still holding up..per new owners words

[urcaptnspeaking]

I understand this is a dead thread and I've not shown my face on this forum in years. But, I wanted to update you all on what is new. After I sold this car, the LS1, and everything I had to (partly) fund my wedding, I got the itch to have a new project, but lacked the resources to have one. I have since grown up a lot (two kids), put myself through school, and have gotten to a place in my life where such a thing is possible. I have been on the search for another 240 for the last few years, but the "scene" has driven prices up and quality down. So, my search recently took a turn away from the Nissan crowd and towards the direction of my new project:






So here it is: 1992 BMW 325is, 5 speed. I think BMW is a natural progression for previous 240 owners (of course this is all subject to taste preferences)--it was for me. It has high miles, interior needs lots of love, and it is underpowered, but I really like it. I understand that this is a Nico not Bimmerforums, but I wanted to share with those people who are still around back when I was active. I may not post my progress on here, but this car should be done come Summer. Hope all is well!