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

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

Post

What 2liter said. Track wodth is also increased by 10mm. Did SCCA change the rules? Offset bushings used to kick a car to prepared.


User avatar
2_Liter_Turbo
Posts: 2980
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2004 10:41 am
Car: _________________
'96 S14 Coupe: SR20VET
'90 R32 TH1 GTR: RB26DETT
'92 S13 Fastback: SR20DET
'11 V36 Sedan: VQ25HR
'06 GMT800 2500HD: LBZ Duramax
Location: DFW, Texas
Contact:

Post

Last time I dealt with SCCA an S14 subframe would bump me out of SM in my S13 Coupe into XP (X mod was not the correct terminology, lol).

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

Post

the irony of the subframe rule is that it's based on the bushings if you can get the subframe in with non offset bushings or relocating pickups, you're golden. Which I always felt was a violation of the spirit of the rule. Maybe things have changed in the past decade, though /shrug

User avatar
2_Liter_Turbo
Posts: 2980
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2004 10:41 am
Car: _________________
'96 S14 Coupe: SR20VET
'90 R32 TH1 GTR: RB26DETT
'92 S13 Fastback: SR20DET
'11 V36 Sedan: VQ25HR
'06 GMT800 2500HD: LBZ Duramax
Location: DFW, Texas
Contact:

Post

Yeah, I know people who have done just that, lol. SCCA rules suck. I like NASA way more!

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

Post

I woulda done the stretched bushing method....but I wanted to powdercoat that subframe too much. I'll be fine in X-mod or XP or whatever class it is now. By the time I'm done with the car, I have a feeling the subframe will be the least of my class placement worries.

So, I don't know what I was thinking the other day. When I got the Greddy cover, it looked like the breather required a threaded breather valve. So I found that the Xterra and Frontier's front differential has a breather check valve like the S13 but with a threaded base. So I ordered that from the dealer and when I got home I realized the cover requires a pressed in breather. Doh! Might explain why I found no information on what people did for the breather since they just pop their old one out of the old cover and toss it in.

My S13 one is pretty gunkified, so in the same vain of putting as much new shiny s*** as possible, I ordered a new S13 breather valve as well as new fill/drain plugs. My new pinion pre-load adjustment washers came in, so hopefully I'll be able to set my pre-load this weekend and get the differential set up to check backlash if all goes according to plan.

Ruff Ryder 6
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2006 5:23 am
Car: 1990 240sx coupe, 1990 N/A 300zx
Contact:

Post

Hijacker wrote:After 10 years of searching, money and availability finally lined up and I am the proud new owner of an S15 HLSD.

Image
-The previous owner had purchased the diff and output shafts and tossed them into an S13 non-ABS pumpkin.
Looks like a good build you have going here. I need to re-examine my S15 HLSD output shafts. I don't have ABS but I need to use the rings on the axle for traction control, and possibly boost by gear. I don't think mine had the rings though. I did contemplate installing ABS, but I'd need an ABS car to strip of everything to get it to work properly. Hard to come by.

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

Post

I don't see the need to add ABS to an older S-chassis.

What motor are you swapping in that has traction control?

I need to finish putting my S15 diff back together. I've just haven't had time to get out to the garage and finish getting the pinion preload set. The last few weeks have been about getting the car ready for Carlisle.

User avatar
PapaSmurf2k3
Site Admin
Posts: 23998
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 3:20 pm
Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
Location: Merrimack, NH

Post

Hijacker wrote: The last few weeks have been about getting the car ready for Carlisle.
Good.
I'm gonna sit in it... naked.

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

Post

Then I better make it extra clean for you.

Ruff Ryder 6
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2006 5:23 am
Car: 1990 240sx coupe, 1990 N/A 300zx
Contact:

Post

Hijacker wrote:I don't see the need to add ABS to an older S-chassis.

What motor are you swapping in that has traction control?

I need to finish putting my S15 diff back together. I've just haven't had time to get out to the garage and finish getting the pinion preload set. The last few weeks have been about getting the car ready for Carlisle.

I'm running a KA-T on MS3Pro. Mainly looking to run traction control because I can. If it doesn't work out well I don't mind scrapping the whole thing.

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

Post

I updated all of my pictures after photo bucket decided to start charging for hosting services.

Not much to report on right now. Just hording a few things. I need to finish getting the differential back together. It was pushed off to the side so I could rebuild a T25 to get the S13 up to Carlisle, fix some exhaust leaks, and then work on my wife's Dodge.

In the meantime, our very own m tr4nch fabbed up some side skirt brackets. I had sent him my one spare under bracket so he could recreate a set for both of us. He was also cool enough to cut out some upper brackets based on measurements I was able to find.

Image
-The upper brackets are cut long. They'll need to be formed to the rockers and then drilled/riveted to the side skirts when the time comes to install. m tr4nch and I both agree some rubber padding on the underside by the rivet will be necessary to prevent having the paint rubbed off the rocker panels.

Image
-I don't think I've ever posted these. A few years back, m tr4nch had talked about making a mold for the line clips since finding a pristine set is akin to striking gold these days. When I asked him how that project was going, he said he abandoned the idea in favor of machined aluminum holders. He ended up selling me a set back then. The new skirt brackets reminded me to go find these and snap a picture.

User avatar
PapaSmurf2k3
Site Admin
Posts: 23998
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 3:20 pm
Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
Location: Merrimack, NH

Post

Nifty!

User avatar
m tr4nch
Posts: 1308
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:57 pm
Car: RS13, Z31, P11
Location: Eatontown, NJ

Post

sweeeet :dblthumb: you'll probably get around to using those skirt brackets way before me haha

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

Post

Another year, another slow roll out of updates.

Not much to really report. The parts are collecting dust, but I was able to order my rear wheels. I ended up going with SSR SP4-R wheels in 17x10.5 with a +18 offset.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

I've never had a set of big boy wheels before, so these were a pretty awesome treat. The valve stem has to be set so far back that it requires a specific stem to stick out to the edge of the wheel disc.

Image

They're super light for their size, which makes me happy. I think they may be lighter than my Enkeis. I plan on putting some 275/40 tires on these. That size will keep the OD of the tire of about 25.5", which is around an inch larger than the factory 24.6". I'll have to have the speedo calibrated when I get to that point. It'll be a while before I can order the fronts, but I plan on 17x9.0. I haven't decided which disk I want to go with to set the offset. I'll probably end up with the +24. I plan on running 255/40 for the front, which puts the OD at 25.0".

These guys weren't cheap, but they'll be worth it in the end IMO. If you ever buy a set of these, they're made to order.

Now that I have the rear wheels, I can pick up a set of tires and maybe start disassembling the rear suspension this fall and mocking the new stuff on the car so I can see how much body work will need to be done to stuff these in the rear.

TheElement911
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 11:29 am
Car: S13 Silvia K's, SR20DET, black (for now)

Post

Hijacker wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 12:55 pm

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.

Image
-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.

Image
-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.
Greetings. A++ build!
I've been looking for this silver badge without success 😭. Please, where did you ordered it?

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

Post

I got it from an eBay vendor named trust.kikaku. I just checked their store, and they no longer have one. This stuff is just getting harder to find, unfortunately.

teck240sx
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:15 pm
Car: S13 Coupe

Post

Awesome build man, and as far as the SCCA goes your subframe is the least of your worries just having the SR20 swap put it in XP, you're only allowed to swap in engines that came in the chassis in this country. At least that's what I was told when I wanted to run my NA SR swapped s13 in Solo.

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

Post

teck240sx wrote:
Wed Apr 10, 2019 11:59 am
Awesome build man, and as far as the SCCA goes your subframe is the least of your worries just having the SR20 swap put it in XP, you're only allowed to swap in engines that came in the chassis in this country. At least that's what I was told when I wanted to run my NA SR swapped s13 in Solo.
I ran in Street Mod for years with my old SR. But that was over 10 years ago. Times change. I have a feeling it has more to do with who's running your particular region.

teck240sx
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:15 pm
Car: S13 Coupe

Post

Oh for sure now they have to deal with classing all these newly legal imports, I know a few guys have brought out R32's but not sure how they have been classed. I'm fine with running XP because I just enjoy the events in general.

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

Post

Another year, another bonus check, another slew of parts!

Last year, I bought the front wheels. Matching SSR SP4-R, but 17x9.0 instead of 17x10

Image

Image

Image

The plan is still to wrap these with 255 wide tires up front and 275 wide in the rear.

But the big fun time stuff is happening this year. Motor work.

I ended up purchasing a Garrett GTX 2867r Gen II turbo with an 0.86 A/R turbine. It'll be here sometime in April. In the meantime, I ordered all of the main components for the motor.

From Mazworx, I ordered their CP Piston/Manley H-Beam rod combo with Calico coated ACL Race Bearings. Those are currently in transit.

I also ordered a metric but tonne of Tomei stuff.

Image

Image

Image

Tomei Type A springs. I had considered going with Solid Pivots, but in the end I decided for what I was after, it would be a lot of work for negligible gains. The turbo I chose runs out of steam over 7000 RPM due to the T25 style turbine housing, so the primary benefit of solid lifters was made moot. Then I'd be introducing the need to reshim the head every so many miles. The GTi-R uses solid pivots from factory and recommends a service interval of every 12,000 miles.

Now why didn't I get titanium retainers? Simple. The factory tool steel retainers are sturdier than the titanium retainers and won't wear out nearly as fast. Since I'm not planning on spinning the motor greater than factory redline, the advantage of the slight mass reduction of the titanium doesn't really come into play. Also, titanium isn't nearly as durable as steel in this application meaning the titanium retainers would wear out quicker. So I felt the benefits didn't outweigh the costs.

Since I had decided on keeping the HLAs, that meant I could choose my cams.

Image

Image

Tomei Procam 260° 12mm lift. I really had my heart set on these, and almost couldn't get them. It turns out, Tomei US no longer carries the variety of Procam they used to. The only Procam is a 272 high lift designed for solid lifters. The only other cam Tomei US offers is a 258 Poncam with an 11.5mm lift. All of the stateside vendors I spoke with can no longer get the old style Procams. Thankfully, RHD Japan can still order the older SKU. You just gotta pay a bit more and do international shipping.

Image

I do want to find the moron who generated this notice and beat him with a broken camshaft.

Image

Image

I ordered a gasket set (not pictured) from The Nissan Race Shop (formerly The Nismo Shop I think?) and also got some ARP head studs from Summit.

Image

It's been a decade since I built a motor, but I will always swear by this stuff. Best engine assembly lube I ever used.

Before I ordered the pistons from Mazworxs, I tore the block down just to inspect the cylinder walls. This motor was M I N T

Image

Image

The head was clean and had minimal oil staining

Image

Image

All of the cylinder walls were in fantastic shape. No sense in showing too many pictures, since they all look the same.

But this motor was treated like a well mannered lady before me. Even the valve cover had never been removed (it still had Nissan factory grey sealant on the half moons). Now she's gonna get a fat bottom end and breath a whoooooole lot better on the top.

Since the cylinders looked so good, I decided not to bore out the walls and ordered a set of 86mm CP Pistons. I'll order a Cosworth head gasket after the head and deck are checked in case I need to upsize to a 1.8mm gasket.

I was also feeling spry and ordered a few things I've been meaning to get for a while.

Image

GKTech overflow tank. Mine is like most other S13 owners: s***

Image

Image

Image

And then on a whim, I checked ebay and managed to score a perfect set of Acura TSX projectors from an '06 model. Doing this swap has been on my to do list ever since I put the Silvia front on the car.

Image

To take advantage of the projectors, I ordered a Morimoto D2H conversion kit with 5500K bulbs. The TSX uses D2S bulbs natively, so this D2H kit will work nicely. I'll do this upgrade sooner rather than later.

The plan is to have the motor worked on over the course of this year, and then next year, have the car's paint and body done. Once the paint is done, then I can actually put all of these parts I've been hoarding for years onto the car.

Over this next year, I'll be purchasing a set of 1000cc injectors, a radium top feed fuel rail, and a Nismotronic engine management to round out the rest of the motor stuff.

User avatar
PapaSmurf2k3
Site Admin
Posts: 23998
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 3:20 pm
Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
Location: Merrimack, NH

Post

What's taking so long on the turbo? You said sometime in April? Dayum.

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

Post

Blame Torry. Lol.

User avatar
IanS
Posts: 10090
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:07 pm
Car: 2002 Subaru WRX, 2010 Subaru Forester XT, 2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe.
Location: Esko, MN
Contact:

Post

Hijacker wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 5:06 pm
Blame Torry. Lol.
Or maybe you've been too busy working on some old Ford work truck. :gapteeth:

User avatar
PapaSmurf2k3
Site Admin
Posts: 23998
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 3:20 pm
Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
Location: Merrimack, NH

Post

^BURN!

User avatar
PalmerWMD
Posts: 18383
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 3:14 pm
Car: 2004 350Z

Post

Great stuff! :shifter:
How did I miss it?

Subscribing

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

Post

IanS wrote:
Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:58 pm
Hijacker wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 5:06 pm
Blame Torry. Lol.
Or maybe you've been too busy working on some old Ford work truck. :gapteeth:
Not my fault that truck is stupid simple, and kind of fun to work on :biggrin:

So, I realized I hadn't like updated the thread with the slew of new s*** I bought at the beginning of the pandemic. I had a bunch of junk get delayed and then arrive sometime in early spring.

I went ahead and ordered pistons, rods, and bearings from Mazworx, and my turbo arrived from AMS Performance.

Image
-I went with standard bore since the cylinders don't need any machining. I ordered CP Pistons, Manley H-Beams, and Calico coated ACL bearings.

Image

Image

Image

My previous motor build was with Mahle pistons. I REALLY liked the Mahle pistons, but they never fixed the one issue they had: being designed for the FWD SR20, which lacks piston oil squirters. And I didn't want to have to go through the hassle of reclocking oil squirters. The Carillos are nice, and I've used them in the past on customer motor builds.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Manley is a name I've seen all over, but never had the opportunity to use their product. I've read some good things about them, and I enjoyed the candor their support staff used when I started asking technical questions.

Image

I've used ACL bearings in plenty of builds, and they're a good bearing. I've never used calico coatings before, but it didn't take much research to know it'd be a no brainer to opt for the application. The coating is a friction reduction coating that should help with the lifetime of the bearing as well as reducing internal friction of the rotating bits.

Image

Image

Image

Image

I ended up going with a Garrett GTX-2867R Gen II turbo with an 0.86 A/R turbine. Big thanks to our own EZCheese for helping me get this ordered from his company, AMS Performance.

The last thing I've been after was a lightweight 250mm flywheel. JWT makes them for RWD SRs, but there's a huge caveat to that now. JWT no longer keeps stock on single mass flywheels for S13 and S14 SRs. At the time, they had stock on dual mass units only. I inquired to a few vendors that could order these flywheels, and JWT would make the single mass unit, but only with a minimum order of about 10 if I remember correctly. So that was a no-go as far as I was concerned.

Now you may be wondering why I wanted a flywheel that could accept a 250mm clutch. The answer is simple, streetability. The stock SR20DET clutch is 240mm, and at the torque and HP ranges I'm looking at, I'd be looking at fancy dual disc units or units that would remind me never to skip leg day again. The VQ for G35s and Z33s use 250mm clutches. By going up to this size, I can get a more streetable clutch that can hold modest amounts of power.

Thankfully, I found a guy local that was selling a Competition Clutch 250mm setup. I could care less for the clutch and pressure plate, but the flywheel is a chromoly unit and weighs in around 19 lbs. Not as light as a Fidanza (which are becoming harder to find these days), but I think it'll fit nicely with my setup. I'm looking at going with South Bend Clutch and getting a Stage 3 Daily for a Z33.

Image
-Flywheel is in good shape with no signs of being over heated.

Image
-The clutch disc doesn't really have signs of abuse either, but it's still getting replaced with a better unit.

I still need to order a head gasket, but I'm holding off until after the machine shop to see if the decks are straight on the block and head. I don't think much machine work will be required on that end, and regardless of the machining, I'll be going with Cosworth again. I used them on my last build, and was very happy with their product.

User avatar
PapaSmurf2k3
Site Admin
Posts: 23998
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 3:20 pm
Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
Location: Merrimack, NH

Post

Solid update.

User avatar
NukeKS14
Posts: 310
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 2:50 pm
Car: 1995 240SX SE - KA24DE-T
AC Cobra Mk IV Rep.
2020 Civic Si

Post

Good call on the bearings. I had Calico coat my ACL main/Clevite rod bearings and it was money well spent. Props for shopping through Mazworx too. Can't say enough good things about their shop in my experience with their KAVG trans kit.

Sidenote, I think that the SLIGHTLY heavier flywheel will help that turbo spool a little better down-low. I'm running a Competition white bunny setup for a KA. I realize you snagged a used unit but that's a HUGE blessing in disguise; The pilot bushing they include in their kit is garbage. Koyo throwout bearing and SKF pilot bushing all the way. Happy to see some of us are still at it this winter. :woot:

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

Post

NukeKS14 wrote:
Wed Dec 16, 2020 7:20 pm
Sidenote, I think that the SLIGHTLY heavier flywheel will help that turbo spool a little better down-low. I'm running a Competition white bunny setup for a KA. I realize you snagged a used unit but that's a HUGE blessing in disguise; The pilot bushing they include in their kit is garbage. Koyo throwout bearing and SKF pilot bushing all the way. Happy to see some of us are still at it this winter. :woot:
I was thinking of just going with OE since Nissan has never let me down on TO bearings or pilot bushings. Any benefit to going Koyo or SKF?

User avatar
NukeKS14
Posts: 310
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 2:50 pm
Car: 1995 240SX SE - KA24DE-T
AC Cobra Mk IV Rep.
2020 Civic Si

Post

From my experience, koyo, timken, skf, oem are all solid choices. Availability and maybe price? I find all those options to be on a level playing field as far as quality goes. Koyo actually makes a lot of the OEM branded bearings for Nissan. Timken I think does too.


Return to “240sx General Discussion”