Kourtney's Got Cancer Build Thread; HELP Needed!

[mindovaanything]

I put a bunch of time into making this thread and I really need help/advice so hopefully you guys take some time to answer my questions. Opinions on my overall setup/plan also appreciated.

I picked up a hardly running but very complete 90 hatch last Sept. for $600 and the original plan was just to fix the trans freshen up the motor a little bit and just have a fun cheap beater car to slide around in on the weekends.


Well instead I learned a very valuable lesson in how not to remove an engine when my SOHC smashed into the pavement.


Since then I have been been researching, finding deals and stacking up parts. (Thanks to all the forum members who sold me stuff) Now it's time to get back to work and get this thing running ASAP. This is a budget build and I don't have a specific power goal, just want it to be boosted and running properly.

This is my first build so for me its an experiment, a time to make my mistakes and figure things out before I try with more expensive platforms and parts. I also don't need this car for transportation. I plan to do everything myself aside from welding and machine work. I want to just learn a lot in the building process and have some fun when it's done. Using this thread to keep me organized, get advice and track the build. All the pics can be found here: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/ ... /Kourtney/

The chassis is very rusty but my dad's friend is welding up the major rust areas for me and I figure I can always swap stuff over to another shell later.


strut tower and frame rail after welding and rattle can bedliner, still have a lot more to do.

So I have a lot of questions about some of the parts I already have because I got a bunch of parts together as part of a really cheap deal, so they are in unknown condition and I want to make sure they are in good working condition before installing them:

I got my DOHC motor, turbo, manifold, ecu, downpipe, fpr, ps lines, ps reservoir, S14 seats, e-fans, intercooler, bov, piping and wastegate all for $450. The guy I bought it from said it was all fine and working when he crashed the car but it was running very rich and then sat for a few months. Based on all the overspray and rtv instead of gaskets everywhere etc it seems like some decent parts were all slapped together in a very ghetto way with lots of shortcuts and ugly welds for the setup. It didn't come with a trans, alternator or starter but luckily I kept those from my sohc. However my clutch release lever and the associated bearings, clips etc. accidentally got put in the trash pile


Engine:
KA24DE isn't bolted in and has just been resting in the bay since like OCT.



-Suggestions for machine shop in the NYC area?
-How can I tell if my motor is S13 or S14?

Fuel & Air:
-How can I tell if this OBX racing FPR is in working condition and worth installing?

S13 DOHC 5spd ECU & Harness
SR 370CC injectors
SAFC II
Z32 MAF with pigtail

Turbo:
Garrett T3/T4E 60trim, 63ar part# 466159-5004



It has a little shaft play and is generally dirty, it is also missing one of the bolts on the compressor side. I don't think it's in too bad shape overall so I'm planning to rebuild it myself.
-Which is the right rebuild kit to get?
-Can anyone suggest a specific place or e-bay vendor to get the rebuild kit from?
-Should I also replace the oil inlet and outlets?

World's FUGLIEST Top mount Manifold & V-Band Downpipe:

Hard to see how bad it is from the pics, but the tubes aren't even properly aligned on the flange and all the welds are gross. These things are hideous but I'm planning to smooth out the ports and welds with a dremel as best I can and then heat wrap them.

-What's the best way to transition from my 3 bolt DP to my 2 bolt cat?

-How can I tell if this o2 sensor is good or should I just replace it?


Wastegate:
Turbosmart Ultra-Gate 35

-How can I tell if this is in good condition or not?
-How can I clean it up?

Intercooler
Precision Turbo Engine 18 x 6.5 x 3.5 Core

This thing had two layers of hideous spray paint on it the I have been removing, a few bent fins but otherwise seems good and is pretty clean inside.
2.5 inch piping with what Iooks like a knock off HKS SSQV

-How can I make sure the BOV is working?

Suspension:
KYB GR2
Eibach Springs
Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit
New tie rod ends
New Sway bar bolts
New Rack & Pinion Boots

Drivetrain:
SOHC Trans
Welded diff
White Bunny Clutch setup
-Since I still have my SOHC harness and Cluster can I use that lower harness and speed sensor so my tach will work?

Monitoring
Greddy Temp Gauge

-How can I tell if this temp sensor is good?

-How do I wire it up to the gauge?

Autometer Oil Press Gauge
Autometer Boost Gauge

-Which sensors are most important? How can I inspect them to see if they need replacing?


Parts I definitely need to get:
suggestions on where to get them would be appreciated, or if you have them for sale LMK
Engine rebuild kit(most likely e-bay complete kit, but if internals are reusable then I will get OEM timing kit and gasket kit plus Cometic head gasket)
ARP Head Studs
ARP Main Studs
Walbro 255
Intake Pipe
Silicone Couplers for IC piping
Oil Lines
Oil Pressure Sensor
Oil Filter
Turbo to Manifold Studs
Turbo to Manifold Gasket
V-band Clamp
Wastegate gaskets
Exhaust gaskets
S14 Seat belts
Battery Relocation parts
Clutch release lever parts
Gas pedal
Driver power window switch
Fluids
PCV
Plugs & Wires
Distributor Cap & Rotor
Belts
MBC
Turbo Timer
Lots of misc. clamps, bolts, screws and hoses
Tuning
-Suggestions for tuner near NYC?

Other stuff I've already got:
3 inch cat and cat back
S14 Seats
Crappy Yellow Air filter and MAF adapter
Fake CF 2 Gauge pillar pod
EXEDY OEM Replacement clutch kit (using the bearing and alignment tool, then selling the rest)
New Fuel Filter (should've bought z32 but too late now)
DOHC wiring harness, (my dog chewed up the one that came with the motor)
Aftermarket N/A Header ( was thinking about setting the car up N/A first to break in the motor and diagnose any issues before boosting)

To do list:
Asses the condition of the internals and decide on route for rebuild.
EGR Removal
AIV Removal
IACV AAC Cleaning
DIY Ignition mod
DIY MBC
DIY Overboost Protector
DIY Boost Leak Detector
DIY Catch Can
DIY Grounding Kit
Clutch Damper removal
Finish fiber-glassing and filing hatch
Rust Removal
Diff Welding
Battery Tray Removal
Clean & paint: IC piping, valve cover, wastegate, exhaust,
Clean & wrap Manfold & DP
Clean wiring harness
SOHC to DOHC swap wiring
SAFC II Wiring
Stereo & Gauges Wiring
Wire E-fans & make shroud
Gut interior

I think this is a pretty complete list of everything I need to get done and making this thread is really helping me to get organized. I'll be updating with pics and progress as it comes along. Please let me know if you see anything I've forgotten or should really get done but remember this is a budget build. So far I've spent about $2k in total and I've got a budget of about $2k to get the rest of the parts and get her running.

Future Plans
Rattle can paint, wheels, a 5 lug swap, and 300zx brakes by the end of the summer.
Then maybe I'll move on to more suspension mods like aftermarket sway bars, strut bars, control arms, etc. Maybe swap to another shell, maybe get rid of the whole thing since I will never be able to drive it legally in Cali when I move next year.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any help.
If any guys in the NYC area are willing to come lend a hand with the build then food & beers are on me

[DanThaMan]

To see if your motor is s13 or s14, you can look at the ID number on the block, or look and see if it has a CPS by the bell housing, if it does, its S14 if not it's S13, also if the distributor has a built in coil, it's s14....BTW is that RTV all over your cams??? also Head studs are relatively cheap insurance, and you will for sure need the 255 pump. You can see if the BOV actuates by hooking it up to a vacuum source, whether or not it will hold boost though is a defferent story. Good luck, looks like you have a lot of cleaning to do

[mindovaanything]

Thanks I'll check for the ID number, Moved the 255 and the Head/Main studs to the definite lists

yea that's RTV it's everywhere, some of the bolts for the valve cover are missing and RTV was used for the wastegate and other places, yea I've got a lot of work to do

[mindovaanything]

So I think that my power goal is going to be approx 300rwhp with this setup.

The turbo has obviously been modified a bunch given the v-band hot side, plus the nipple, and extension on the compressor side. So not knowing exactly what trim this thing is I can't find compressor maps etc.

I really am not trying to blow up my motor after the rebuild, I'm not too power hungry and also think that I want to get used to driving it at lower power levels first. Do you think 12psi is a safe place to start for this setup? Will that already be maxing out the injectors? People always talk about maxing out their turbo's efficiency but what about running less boost? Could I start with as little as 8 or 10 psi?

[mindovaanything]

Got some things done in the past few days,
Cleaned up all the connectors on my wiring harness, added the wiring for the SAFC, N60 MAF, and did the sohc to dohc wiring.


I'm using the dohc lower harness with the sohc speed sensor and sohc transmission, not sure how that will turn out as far as my tach working goes.

I also sent my ecu to enthalpy for a tune

I went and did a bunch of shopping for tools, rattle can paint, and other supplies for the build. Got a ton of deals on stuff at harbour freight, Lowe's and super walmart.

budget building at its finest.

Thanks to Josh from 240sxtechdvds for hooking me up knowledge = power.


I'll be using my brand new hoist, torque wrench etc. and starting the tear down first thing tomorrow morning.

[badbob2121]

looks like a fun project, good luck!

[Razi]

300hp on 370cc injectors is pushing it...

I'd say 10psi is about max on 370cc injectors, but I'd keep it at 8psi to be safe.

Staying N/A after the rebuild to find out problems is a good idea.
Adding a turbo into the mix will only make trouble shooting harder.

[mindovaanything]

Thanks guys for reading my thread

Going NA after the rebuild, is no longer an option since I've already sent my ECU to enthalpy, and well I just want to be boosted :bigrin:

Enthalpy suggested 8 - 9 psi which should be good for about 270whp which should be plenty of fun. Seems like the only power limiting thing in my setup is the injectors. Which are really easy to swap out and I'll just get a reflash if/when i become more power hungry.

I also don't want to push the limits of the internals and bottom end so the next stage would probably be 440's or 550's with a goal of 350whp.

But I'll be worried about brakes, wheels tires, suspension mods and becoming a better driver before I start looking for more power.

[mindovaanything]

Got some work done in the past few days and ordered lots more parts.

I swear the only actual gasket on the entire motor was the head gasket. RTV was used everywhere else. There was no thermostat, missing random bolts, I have no idea how someone could set the timing in such a crazy way, and the oil drain was placed over one of the bolts on the pan so I had to cut it off to be able to remove the pan. So far the condition of the actual internals, the head and block look ok. If it doesn't rain today I should finish the bottom end tear down and get the head/block off to the machine shop.

[mindovaanything]

Just finished ordering a whole ton of parts. I'll update with pics as they come in.

I picked my motor back up from the Machine shop on Saturday


I gave up on polishing my valve cover and decided to just painted it black, very happy with how it turned out.


Got my intercooler cleaned up some more


Spent some time shooting the s*** with dude across the street he's got two SR'd hatches, lots of bolton mods on both, the dark blue chassis is all rusted out so he's swapping all the best parts from both onto the light blue one. I may be getting front 300zx brakes, 180sx tails, and a few other goodies before it goes to the scrap yard.