Hijacker's Money-Ain't-No-Thing Build

General discussion forum about the 240sx, and a great place to introduce yourself to the board!
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Hijacker
Posts: 15759
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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A nice stock pile of new parts came in to round out the suspension arms.

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-GKTech Super Lock FLCAs. I liked the idea that they're one piece with the TC rod. They'll increase the track width about 9mm on each side.

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-I also picked up some adjustable tie rod ends for bump steer correction as well as a rear lock out kit for the factory camber/toe adjusters.

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-I took a bit of a jump on these. I hadn't found anyone running GKTech's V2 RLCA, but I liked that they didn't include a rod end as the ball joint, which was a huge plus for me. The inner pick ups looked like they were at a funky angle, and as I'll show in the pictures below, they kind of are, but they're not in binding.

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-Even at such an extreme angle, they aren't binding, so they still move freely.

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- The spacers are designed for an S13 subframe. There are included washers to shim them out for an S14. I didn't have them in for this mockup picture.

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-The welds look pretty good, and the coating looks pretty tough.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with these. The last piece of the suspension puzzle will be new coilovers.


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2_Liter_Turbo
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Car: _________________
'96 S14 Coupe: SR20VET
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'11 V36 Sedan: VQ25HR
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Location: DFW, Texas
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I'll be honest, I sold every last GKTech part I bought (except 1) because I was not very happy with them, and I practically bought the whole catalog. Hope you have better luck with yours, lol.

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Hijacker
Posts: 15759
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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So far, I'm not too upset with these. The craftsmanship is fine, but I will admit the paint is a bit flimsy. But, I'm not too worried about that as I can always have the arms powdercoated when I start getting a ton of other parts coated.

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-To get the arms dialed in, I measured point to point. From the center of the ball joint to the rear pick up was 12.25" and the center of the ball joint to the front pick up was 14.0". I then installed the factory RLCA in with all my SPL arms that were already dialed in.

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-With all the arms installed in place, I adjusted the rod end pick ups to install the arm. Then I double checked with my measurements, and was within 1/16".

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-The setup has fluid articulation all the way to the limits. This pleases me.

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-I don't have the dust boots installed, but here's the spacer for the balljoint and knuckle.

Now, the one thing I was a bit concerned about at first was the extreme angle the rod ends were installed. Since GKTech uses QA1 bearings and rod ends, I checked with them, and their tech papers do allow the rod ends to misalign to where they are currently.

http://www.qa1.net/tech/documents/Angle ... gnment.pdf

So that makes me feel better at least.

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Yeah but that's still weird that they are at such a funky angle...

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Hijacker
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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I brought the diff home today. The shop I use does a good job, and this was no different. There was a bit of surface rust inside from sitting for a day or two with no oil, but I sprayed some penetrating oil in it and then wiped it down with some 10w.

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-The whole rear setup is taking shape now. The diff cover is on back order, but should hopefully be here by the time I get the diff put back together. Hopefully, the Voodoo13 offset bushings will be ready by the end of the month.

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Hijacker
Posts: 15759
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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So I ran into a small snag at Nissan ordering the bearings. Hopefully, I can help others out with this by posting the information.

Nissan no longer has any stock of the input side pinion bearing, p/n 38140-V7000. They still have stock on the pinion head side bearing, p/n 38120-06P10.

Since I had the bearing races already pressed out, I decided to see what manufacturer part number was listed on them, and the factory bearings are shown below.

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-This is the NSK bearing used for the input side of the pinion shaft: NSK 32306 AN

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-This is the Koyo bearing used for the pinion head side of the pinion shaft: Koyo TR0708-1-N

Both bearings are available through www.123bearing.com, and I checked the dimensions listed on their sales page. They match up to the dimensions of the bearings I pulled from the carrier.

Timken also sells their version of the Koyo bearing, and the measurements listed are the same as well, but the way I see it, the factory bearings last pretty much the life of the differential, so ordering the same parts should ensure the bearings will last for as long as I own the car.

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2_Liter_Turbo
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Nice info! I need to rebuild my diff as well. You have a whole part number list compiled by chance?

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Hijacker
Posts: 15759
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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I can get you one. I'm not doing the side bearings. They're in good shape and probably worth more hassle than just leaving well enough alone.

But I have big news!

My Dorkidori replica ABS Silvia Ks Aero Bumper came in! I'm jumping with joy! I've been after a Ks aero bumper for so long it hurts. And after Dorkidori started making quality reps molded from originals, I knew what I had to do. My only regret was I didn't pull the trigger on one of these bumpers earlier.

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-The factory mounting holes made it through the molding process. I love this. It makes it a lot easier to drill the holes when you have a good dimple to line up on.

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-So, I'm curious if the 2 stud bracket for the 240SX nose will work here. The one I'm talking about is the two stud that goes down through the fender into the top of the pop up bumper. If not, I can always take a new bracket and trim it down.

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-I've always preferred the line of the aero bumper and how it falls off the nose of the bumper over the curve back look of the Qs and Ks bumpers.

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-And vents!

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-Factory mounts again!

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So, my initial thoughts on the bumper. The plastic is thick. Thicker than what I remember Nissan using for their OE pulls. There's not much in the way of warpage, so install will be pretty straight forward. I talked with the owner of Dorkidori after I had ordered the bumper, and he mentioned there would be places it needs to be shaved down to fit, so I'll detail that when the time comes. Overall, this is one quality bumper and I stand by what I've said for years. This is the next best thing to building a time machine and going back to the 90s and ordering one fresh from Japan.

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I also picked up a set of Dorkidori's Silvia Ks aero side skirt reps as well. These are fiberglass, but the finish is pretty damned good on them. The gelcoat is smooth with nearly no bubbles or blemishes. The passenger side skirt is a bit warped in the middle, but that won't be an issue once the skirts are fitted and held in with the proper hardware.

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I went ahead and tossed the skirts on the car to see how they lined up. The passenger one has the slight warp in it, so I could only get a picture of each end fitting firmly. The driver side one was perfect in the way it fit. There's no hardware holding these bad boys on, just pure unadulterated JDM love.

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But wait! There's more! A couple years ago, I picked up Dorkidori's Ks Aero valences as well. I never installed them, so they've been on the shelf this whole time. Now I have the whole JDM aero package!

And last but not least, I've had one of these sitting around for years thanks to Pyr0niak.

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This is one of the lower brackets for the Ks aero sideskirts. I need 6, but with this old and crusty gem, I can make a bunch. I also have the dimensions for the upper bracket, so I'll have to make some of those in due time.

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2_Liter_Turbo
Posts: 2980
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That's awesome man! The Aero is the only way to go for the silvia front. Looks soo good!

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Are you going to CNC brackets based on that crusty old stamped gem?

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Hijacker
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Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
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I might look into having some professionally made, or I might just make them by hand. The top piece is much thinner, and I only have images with measurements. I would love to find a shop that could laser cut it from aluminum sheet.

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m tr4nch
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Location: Eatontown, NJ

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wow good progress man, looking great so far! the subframe and diff housing came out really clean. i need to post some updates in my thread one of these days too.
that aero will look nice on there. i wouldn't mind a few of those side skirt brackets either ;) lol. i have access to aluminum sheet, brake, and bandsaw, but no laser cutter.

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Hijacker
Posts: 15759
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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Thanks Matt! You're build has been such a huge inspiration for this project. I just hope I do half as awesome of a job as you've done.

I've got one last update for the time being until I get some parts in for the differential.

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-I think we can all guess what's in here :D

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-OEM style CF hood! I've man handled a couple of Seibon's products in the past and they always do a great job. This one is so pretty!

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-It's almost a shame that I plan on painting the topside of this. While I love the look of the CF weave, I don't want to advertise that it's a CH hood.

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-It's not that old either. Made three months ago.

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-One of the things I always like about Seibon is that they put in metal latches. Even still, I plan on getting some locking aero hood pins.

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Hijacker
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Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
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A few more little things trickled in recently. I'm still waiting on my pinion bearings, though. So the diff is still stalled on going back together. Which is okay since I'm still waiting on Greddy to restock their diff covers so Enjuku can ship me one.

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-I was amazed this was still available through the dealers.

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-The old one held on for 25 years, but it was time to retire it. Especially after one of the rockers broke.

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-The entire time I've owned this car, I've never had the lettering on this switch. So it's kind of odd, and kind of cool to see the labels.

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-I also decided to pick up new Silvia headlight brackets.

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-Not sure if it's really noticeable, but the old brackets have seen better days. I'm fairly certain they were crushed and bent back into shape at some point.

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-I wasn't able to get the pinion bearing off on my own. The pinion bent my bearing separator when I put it in my press, so I ended up taking it to a transmission shop. He had it off so quick he didn't even charge me. LOL

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-New oil seals.

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-To press the new bearing races in when they finally get here, I made some press drifts out of some 1/4" steel I had lying around.

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-I also made up a handle out of some 3/16" steel bar to hold the pinion flange for torquing the whole setup.

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-And lastly, I cleaned up the pinion flange and sprayed it black.

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Damn, those headlight brackets you have really don't look that bad in the pictures. No more crusty than I'm used to seeing.

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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It doesn't come across in the images, but they've been banged up before. New ones are cheap, and more importantly, completely straight.

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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It's been a slow month for sure. I've had multiple parts sit on backorder, or have ran into issues with finding stock to order. My main gripe is that my Greddy differential cover has been on backorder since February and the ETA is "possibly mid-April or early May" The cover isn't something I need yesterday, but once I finish rebuilding the diff assembly, I'd like to get some oil in it, and that's kind of hard to do without a cover.

I also started hunting for replacement insignia for when it comes time to have the car repainted. Nissan USA and Nissan Japan are out of the rear "Nissan" emblem. I think I may have a lead on a Japanese site that has stock. If they end up dry, I'll have to look into custom cut labels. I'm already going to have to do that for the "Limited Edition" label. If I do find someone with stock of these, I'll buy a couple to have some back stock just in case.

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-First order from Japan that came in this week: A silver SILVIA badge to replace the platinum one I have. This will match the factory Nissan emblem better, and it'll show up better on the blue I'm planning.

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-My second order from Japan are some Nismo ring gear bolts. These are the M12 with 13mm shoulder to mate the S13 ring gear to the S15 HLSD properly.

A few weeks ago, my bearings came in for the pinion shaft. I pressed the new one onto the pinion and seated the races.

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I'm waiting on some preload shims to come in right now, and then I'll finish reassembling the diff.

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slagithor
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Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:18 pm
Car: 1991 240sx
Location: Johnson City, TN 37601

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Your diff is looking stunning.

My shell came with a differential that had been welded and has since seized. This has inspired me to see if the housing can be used and if its worth cleaning. Thank you!

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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You're welcome :D Unless something exploded inside the case, it should be reusable.

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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My Voodoo13 offset bushings FINALLY came in.

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-I like these a lot better than the GKTech ones. Having the adjustment will be nice.

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So I tossed them in the deep freeze and went out to my storage unit where I've been keeping my extra floor boards. The frame still has the mounting studs. So a friend of mine helped me lay the shell down and I was able to hammer the bushings in place. Once they were started, I used my old trusty press to finish the job.

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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-UPS left this big box on my doorstep today!

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-And it had my new gas tank in it! I was having trouble finding someone who would clean and seal my current tank, and I got a pretty good deal on this one. So I figured I'd go ahead and move on it and toss it in my loft storage until it's time to finalize the build.

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-I'll translate that later, but I have a feeling it's something about not removing the covers until the tank is ready to install. This also adds more evidence to my theory that the tanks we have left here in the states are extras from the S13's 94-98 run in Japan, otherwise I'd expect that note to be in English. I was certain that Nissan USA had ran out of tanks in the warehouse a year or three ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to see stock of them when I started looking.

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-I'll check with the S13 body repair manual if the tank needs undercoat.

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-This was a bit depressing to see, but given the age of the tanks and how long I can guess they've been sitting in a box on a shelf, I can't say I'm not surprised there's some minor cosmetic damage. I'll have to bend the lip back and tag it with some spray paint. There are a few places on the lip seam that look like they were bent, but I'm not sure if they were bent or if the lip was meant to be formed that way. I'll have to look at some pictures of other people's tanks and make a decision if I want to straighten the seam in those places.

I'll have to order the straps and hardware soon. I've decided that it's time to start picking up parts that I think are gonna be more and more difficult to get in the coming years and just have my old stuff reconditioned as spares as time and money permits.

I did get an email from Enjuku today. My diff cover was shipped on Friday, so I guess Greddy's ETA of mid-April was stepped up a bit. It'll be here tomorrow and I'm not complaining. I'm still waiting on Nissan to get the pinion pre-load shims I ordered.

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2_Liter_Turbo
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I probably should get a new tank as well now that you reminded me... dammit, you're costing me money!!! LMAO

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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But it's for a good cause! Didn't S14s have plastic tanks?

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2_Liter_Turbo
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Location: DFW, Texas
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Yeah, they did, so they tend to crack. Mine is good now, but I still want to get a new one, as I plain to retain the factory tank on the race car due to it's optimal location vs where I can put a fuel cell.

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Hijacker
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'94 F-150
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Definitely get a spare IMO. 'Cause in the next handful of years, we're gonna start being s*** out of luck for some parts.

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2_Liter_Turbo
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'90 R32 TH1 GTR: RB26DETT
'92 S13 Fastback: SR20DET
'11 V36 Sedan: VQ25HR
'06 GMT800 2500HD: LBZ Duramax
Location: DFW, Texas
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Exactly, lol

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Hijacker
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2003 4:57 am
Car: '92 240sx Convertible
'94 F-150
Location: Fredericksburg, VA

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-Greddy cover is here!

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-I went ahead and assembled it and tossed it on the subframe. Looks good. Something of note: The nuts used for holding the diff cover to the subframe are the same as the ones holding the S13 front strut to the knuckle. When I got my new hardware and saw the part number, i was confused, but it's the right nut!

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-The gunmetal really stands out against all the silver. I can envision myself sitting under the car staring at this. LOL

One thing I noticed is that I'll have to figure out a solution for the breather valve. The one in my S13 cover is pressed in, but the Greddy cover needs one that's screwed in. I guess the S14 breather is a screw in unit? I'm also probably gonna get new drain and fill plugs, too. The ones I have are looking rough.

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m tr4nch
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Location: Eatontown, NJ

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nice with the new tank! i also thought they were discontinued a few years back, good to see there are still a few left floating around.
and that greddy diff cover is dopeee, i'm liking how that subframe is starting to look! and yes i would recommend new drain/fill plugs while you're at it.

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slagithor
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Car: 1991 240sx
Location: Johnson City, TN 37601

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What are the benefits of the offset bushings? Apologies if its obvious.

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2_Liter_Turbo
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'90 R32 TH1 GTR: RB26DETT
'92 S13 Fastback: SR20DET
'11 V36 Sedan: VQ25HR
'06 GMT800 2500HD: LBZ Duramax
Location: DFW, Texas
Contact:

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slagithor wrote:What are the benefits of the offset bushings? Apologies if its obvious.
They allow you to bolt in an S14/S15 subframe into an S13 chassis. Great for street cars and NASA. Not allowed in SCCA (except for Xmod level). The benefit of the S14 subframe is mainly that you get better rear suspension geometry. Specifically the rear lower control arm axis was changed to improve (reduce) the anti-squat characteristics.


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