Hoffman5982's Super Awesome Driveway Swap- Finally Running

[Michaelmoore]

Where at in Pensacola are you moving to?

[Hoffman5982]

We built a house in Pace. I don't know if/when Ill be moving there. Right now Im staying in our old house alone til we sell it, and as most of you can imagine with me being 19 this is my first taste of freedom, and I want it to last as long as possible

[lucky03602]

amen to that hoffman!

[J14cm7]

nice build man just read most of it.

[Hoffman5982]

Tiny update:

After reading a thread about some $30 short shifter on ebay and how it worked really well, I bought one. I've never really wanted one, as I don't really mind the stock shifter, but for 30 bucks, if I dont like it then I can throw the old one on and not feel like I wasted a ton of money.
I ordered this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-89-9 ... 1381wt_939

So I paid $27. Received it in the mail a few days later. The install wasn't easy, or maybe I did it wrong. Anyways, Once I got it installed, I took it for a spin, and I was pretty impressed. Theres a little noise as I start from a stand still, but its not really loud. It's a good bit shorter than stock. Now when I'm accelerating hard I can shift quite a bit faster and smoother. Definitely worth it. In the future I'll pick up a real B&M, but this will be perfect for the time being.

Also, thanks to another thread on this forum, I fixed the cold start issue. It was just the starter signal from the ecu. nothing major

[ray666]

hey man I live in pace!! you gotta let me see the car.

[Hoffman5982]

Awesome! Are there a lot of meets down there? I dont know when the next time I'll be down is, but it should be soon

[PyR0NiAk]

Hoff, go to courtesy nissan's website. They carry the bushing that goes on the end of the stock shifter. The cheap one they put on the ebay shifter is what's rattling. Change it out for a new stock bushing and it'll be quiet.

[Hoffman5982]

The one on the very tip? I changed it out with the one from the stock shifter. Just heated it up and popped it off. Its not a rattling, just in first gear theres a hum I guess you could say. Its not bad or annoying

[J14cm7]

Short shifters are bad for your synchos. Most likely that is what you are hearing. Any short shifter no matter how expensive or cheap is bad for your transmission. I had a cheap ebay one and it made noise like yours and then found a deal on a B&M and the noise went away. I guess B&Ms are jsut designed better

[ray666]

usually every sat. night at bayfront downtown pensacola then moves to tgif's by the mall. the turn outs are so so. the import scene is on the decline in the area with a few of the import shops closing, which is sad. they also have test and tune fri. nights at emerald coast dragway.

[Hoffman5982]

Well considering the import scene around here consists of nothing,that'll be a step up. Ill have to make it out to one of the meets when im down there

[amolao]

Hoff, X-mas...
how is the car doing?? did you ever get the harness...???

[Hoffman5982]

No. Still waiting for even a simple reply from WS. I have someone picking up my motor in the next couple of days so Ill be able to buy the harness then. I have the car running a lot smoother than it was. It still leaks oil but not really bad. I haven't had time to do much work on the car. Here's a few recent picture from when I repaired my lip. It was in pretty rough shape.


A little fiberglass



Add some bondo



And paint


And the final product: ( I also fixed the sagging bumper)





With me working retail during christmas, I've had no free time. My computer gave out on me again so I decided it was time to build an i7 machine, so thats preoccupied me also. Within the next few weeks Ill be ordering the harness, finishing the revised gauge holder, replacing my brake pads as they are squeeling, replacing my alternator with a quest 110 amp alt and Codyace brackets, and at some point Ill be pulling the head to replace that oil leak.

If any of you troll the z forums, you might have seen my friends thread. He just joined the nissan world with his z32. The car is clean, just needs a new transmission.The guy wanted 5500 but with the transmission going out on a test drive my friend got it for 2500. Here's a pic of it.



Ill try to have some more interesting updates soon. Work should be slowing down just a little. Im going to try and get that j30 vlsd installed this week


Also, quick poll. My friends keep telling me it'll look like poo, but the thought keeps growing on me. I want to sell my wheels and buy white TE37's with a nice offset. I've always had a thing for white wheels for some reason, and I think it'll go together pretty well with the red. Lower it a little more in the front to get a good stance going. What do ya'll think?

[GrilledCheese33]

Whats up Hoff, nice progress on the car, the lip looks good. Thats also a deal on the Z32, looks clean! Is it a TT? And I think white TE's would look awesome on your car imo.

[zo0d]

First and foremost, sweet build Hoffman! She's coming along nicely.

As for a red S14 on white TE's?

But! This is your DD, correct?

White wheels get dirty FAST, you'd have to clean them every few days. IMO i'd save my money and concentrate in other aspects of the car; besides those track wheels looks pretty sweet.

[s13sickboi]

this build has come a long way since i last checked on it! very clean hoffman! keep it that way

[deadmongoose]

Awesome build man. Way to hang in there through the trials and tribulations and come out on top. I'm getting a 94 Vert this Saturday and am reading everything I can to try to figure out what route I want to take. Detailed reports like yours are really beneficial, thank you.

[amolao]

Also, quick poll. My friends keep telling me it'll look like poo, but the thought keeps growing on me. I want to sell my wheels and buy white TE37's with a nice offset. I've always had a thing for white wheels for some reason, and I think it'll go together pretty well with the red. Lower it a little more in the front to get a good stance going. What do ya'll think?

Doo iiittt!!!!

PS. also nice 300Z and awesome deal.

[Hoffman5982]

Thanks everyone. The fact that any of you enjoy even the slightest bit makes me feel great. Im about to have some money rolling in so Ill be able to do a few things to the car.

zo0d- You make a very good point about them getting dirty. Add in the fact that my Axxis Metal Master brake pads put out a good bit more brake dust, it'll take a lot to keep them clean. BUT, TE37's are not cheap. When I spend a lot of money on something I take care of it. Im pretty sure if I forked out that much for wheels I'd be doing my damnedest to keep them clean. Only time will tell I guess. The wheels would come after I paint my car though, so it'll be some time. Maybe around summer.

deadmongoose- that's thee best thing you can do. I've never done anything major with engines until this swap. For the past year I've been reading everything I could about the swap so that I was(or thought I was) completely prepared for it. When I was thrown the curveball of having it not start I went back and read more on common problems and tried everything I could find til I got it working. If/when you do a swap, pay very close attention to the little things. When I pinched my headgasket I thought that since it didn't completely break it would be fine. If I had know then what I know now I would have overnighted a new headgasket. It was a great learning experience for me. When I get out of college and competely rebuild the car I will be much more prepared.

Amolao- It was a really good deal. The engine was recently pulled to fix all the oil leaks. Im guessing they replaced a bunch of gaskets. The brakes were completely re-done not too long ago and it has brand new tires. It was repainted at some point, but according to the guy they forgot to mix something into the paint for the front bumper which is why the paint is chipped so bad. The car starts up great. It has a few minor electrical problems with the stereo, but we'll find that. He's excited. He's been driving around a jetta for the past 2 years, which isn't a bad car but it's really only fun if you do stuff to them or if you have the turbo model

[zer0faith]

i like. te37's would look outstanding on your ride. will be keeping an eye on this build!

[vlad_rally]

Although you post only rubbish comments at my post, i'd like to congratulate you for the car, and for your work !
btw, i diden't have enough time to read all of your posts, how many hp are you pulling now ? and what are your plans for the future with the engine, we helped built a similar engine for a car in the romanian drift championchip. wich pulls about 430 bhp

[Hoffman5982]

Lol I was just busting your balls. I don't know what kind of numbers its making as I haven't taken it to the dyno. I doubt Im pushing 300 or more though. I didn't do any real aftermarket upgrades or anything

[ray666]

hey dude, are u in pace now?

[Hoffman5982]

No Im staying here with a friend through the summer. But Im going to set my availability at work to give me my two days off every week together so that I can drive down and spend the night.

Sort of an update, just sold my engine. Guy came over with two friends and the four of us man handled it into the back of their truck. Its kind of sad seeing it go, but atleast someone will be able to use it

[vlad_rally]

Yeah...but...what engine are you planing to use now ? or are you talking about another engine, beside the one in your car now...

[Hoffman5982]

lol no I meant I sold the ka

[ray666]

oh i was about to say...wow

[arabdrifter]

hey hoff, so far ive read your entire build/thread..... ..deff sick man. iv got the same motor set up which is a blacktop s14 sr20det w/gt 28 dual bb turbo in my s13 hatch. also i recommend the bronze xxr 962's..here are some pics for ya









rim spec :
F- 18x7.5 +34 offset
R- 18x9.5 +12 offset(forget exact offset)....no spacers needed

[Hoffman5982]

^^ Looks clean man. Simply cleaning an engine bay while the motor is out does wonders for the swap as far as aesthetics.

I just ordered a nissan quest alternator and Cody Ace brackets. Im also prepping the vlsd as we speak and should have it installed tomorrow