My 180SX is finally here!

[Axlerod]

Hopefully now I won't just be posting about how to fix my broken-*** CA in my other car Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read my whole post!

As some of you know, I purchased it back in February, and have been waiting all summer. It finally arrived in Scarborough (suburb of Toronto) on the 6th of this month.

Here she is in Japan:



I arrived at the yard, and it was very dirty, with caked on grime and lots of dirt on the floormats, which someone had kindly placed on the front seats.

I got there right as the office was closing, so I had to get it off the lot quickly - so I checked what I could and we set off to the closest gas station. It blew lots of black smoke along the way, and had too little gas in it to register on the meter. The car felt a little loose and when we got there, there was smoke (steam) pouring from under the hood! We quickly discovered that there was a rather large coolant leak and that I woudn't be driving her home. I called CAA (our version of the AAA), and luckily I got a friendly driver who was also a car guy, so he took extra care and drove it all the way up to Orillia, Ontario, about 100km away.

The next day we started to diagnose the problems and give her a well deserved bath. Here she is at her first car wash in North America where we sprayed her down and shampooed the engine:



Next came the 4 stage Mother's clean/scratch&swirl/sealer/wax process, and she started looking a whole lot better. Unfortunately as with a lot of JDM vehicles, there is paint damage on the roof and the hood. The rest of the panels came out a lot better! I though I would have to repaint the whole car, but I can hold off for now. It's yet to be detailed to remove the leftover wax where I don't want it. We didn't bother with the hatch since it's being replaced.



Here is the not yet cleaned interior. I'll update this pic in a few days when we finish it.



A nice addition were these Enkei Racing Peaks wheels. They're real two piece, reverse bead, very light and 16x7F and 16x8 rear with almost new Falken Azenis. It's a shame I won't keep them, since I like my Rewinds a little better. That means they're for sale!



And finally here is the culprit responsible for the coolant leak. How the inspector in Japan missed this I will never know:



There are still a few problems to go over, but overall the car is really clean and doesn't look to be abused at all. With a little work, even the fender liners will come out looking like new plastic!

[oldschoolimport]

sweet pick up. what does it run to import something like that?

[float_6969]

Damn Kanuks....

[Axlerod]

sweet pick up. what does it run to import something like that?

They start to be worthwhile at around 7-8K CAD. Before that, they're usually really beat up and neglected, or they're used drift cars.

[teddy]

That car is looking really good so far. Seems like you've got the good ole rusty hatch, but everything else I see looks great. Don't forget to do some of the other general maintenance to the engine and it should be running like a champ.

[KA-Te]

Nice! Awesome pick-up! Well worth the wait, I'd say!

Do you recommend the Mother's 4 step for black cars? I need something good for a wash/wax.

[naed240sx]

Hey, my old wheels! I used to have those. They were imported form japan on a silvia, and the guy sold em to me.

[Axlerod]

That car is looking really good so far. Seems like you've got the good ole rusty hatch, but everything else I see looks great. Don't forget to do some of the other general maintenance to the engine and it should be running like a champ.

Yep, I already have a new hatch on the way, that's why it's not been detailed. That's the only rust on the entire car.

The engine is being thoroughly cleaned and new fluids swapped... I won't be leaving anything out, don't worry

[Axlerod]

Hey, my old wheels! I used to have those. They were imported form japan on a silvia, and the guy sold em to me.

Yep, I spoke to that guy after I first bought the car to see what width the wheels would be and what they were like. I haven't heard of another set kicking around yet. Apparently you can buy them in GT4 though!

[Axlerod]

Nice! Awesome pick-up! Well worth the wait, I'd say!

Do you recommend the Mother's 4 step for black cars? I need something good for a wash/wax.

Well you can see the results. I don't think the stuff is really dependant on colour... but this stuff worked very well. I much prefer the caranuba paste wax to the liquid though.

[Ekinchheng]

Are you willing to sell your JDM front license plate??

[Dattebayo]

So how many KMs are on the motor?

I hope its not time for a re-ringing yet...

[BACARDI_DWB]

i notice the first thing you did was that battery! good choice

[Axlerod]

Are you willing to sell your JDM front license plate??

Sorry dude, they don't let them out of Japan with those one them, no matter how much you try to convince them to

[Axlerod]

So how many KMs are on the motor?

I hope its not time for a re-ringing yet...

It's actually got really high mileage (126k km) but it runs really well and it used ot be automatic - it doesn't look to be beaten on. I have yet to do the compression test, the interior is still not done.

[Axlerod]

i notice the first thing you did was that battery! good choice

I may have to go back to the JDM one when I do my front mount next week. I don't wanna relocate the battery until next season.

[davidricardo86]

Congratulations on the car! Looks really clean (after the wash). How many miles?

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Hey man nice ride you got there. It mustve been uber hard for you to wait all summer for her...take good care of her.

[sip]

Looks like i have a twin. although mine looks cleaner nice to see some other JDM S13's. You went through J-spec, how were they to deal with?I went with importconcern.caso far so good, it was scheduled to land in Vancouver today, i can't wait.

[adrianfromthecastle]

looks good man... yeah, i see a lil rust there in the left part of the hatch

[nocwage]

Yay congrats Axle!

Cracked coolant hose you say??Don't remind me...

[BMAR240SX]

I am speechless that car is hot

[FutureDRFTer]

sip- you do know that this is an example picture that a shop over in japan has on their website.....i called them about it

good luck tho (it should look similar to it)

[sip]

"sip- you do know that this is an example picture that a shop over in japan has on their website.....i called them about it

good luck tho (it should look similar to it)"

I'm not sure i understand what you are saying:

that mine is a sample photo and not my actual car, or that his is a sample photo and not his actual car. Either way i would have to disagree with you.
Modified by sip at 3:31 PM 9/16/2006

[ragenasian]

HA 126,000 kms! That is considered low for the age of the car over here in Germany. My odometer was reading 196,000 on the original motor before a tree hit me The new car was reading 206,000 before a rod decided to go through the side of the block and punch three holes in the oil pan (why I got it for free ).

Anyways nice car!!!!!

[Axlerod]

Thanks guys!

And yeah Max, that line is a Japan only part, so I had to scavenge it from my CA until the other one arrives.

sip, the only not clean part on my car is the hatch, which is being replaced. Your car looks pretty good in that pic, but there's a lot even the 100 picture inspection package I got can hide. I made sure to not get an auction vehicle, which is pretty much all Importconcern deals with, since it's pretty much hit mor miss with them just as it is here.

J-Spec was an okay importer. They were helpful, but didn't seem to have too much pull with the shipping companies and weren't very willing to make compromises.

[sip]

Here are some more pics, if you wanted to take a look. I bought mine from auction and i think its a hit, but i guess i will only know for sure when it gets here.

http://www.importconcern.ca/stock/100280/

What did you need to do for the Out of Province inspection? Where did you go? What was the whole process like?

[Logan76]

How much for the wheels?

[Axlerod]

Here are some more pics, if you wanted to take a look. I bought mine from auction and i think its a hit, but i guess i will only know for sure when it gets here.

http://www.importconcern.ca/stock/100280/

What did you need to do for the Out of Province inspection? Where did you go? What was the whole process like?

That looks pretty clean, it's nice to get it all stock. It looks like it could really be 48K, too. Your hatch is rotten just like mine, I can tell from the pics! Mine came with a few goodies that I'll make a couple grand back by selling.

In Ontario the process is simple. You just need a normal e-test and safety just like any other car. Bring your paperwork to the MTO and you're set.

Logan As for the wheels, I'm looking for $800CAD w/ tires (90%), plus shipping.
Modified by Axlerod at 7:34 PM 9/18/2006

[Logan76]

Wanna trade them for some brand new corbeau racing seats?