my new RB project!

[l0nestar]

Sweet dude! Keep us updated!

[CDub7]

whats up nico im new here i got a stock 89 240 hatch with s2 rb25det. . . first thing first i bought the car from maryland and tried to drive it back to pennsylvania and blew 2 stock radiators and had to tow it half way home. . .i figured they werent big enough so i got a 2 core aluminum radiator and a nismo thermostat and a new radiator cap hopefully that helps me out and dont screw anything up. . . i need some help in deciding to get an apexi afc neo or the power fc any suggestions? it really needs to be tuned it sucks when its cold until it warms up sometimes it stalls or just doesnt start at all. . . its pretty much stock engine besides mentioned and fmic 3" downpipe to dual n1's im looking to do more upgrading such as a better turbo maybe water/meth injection upgrade fuel system and what not i just want to keep up with my friends turbo mr2, 10sec integra, stock rb26dett r33 and camaro ss and wanna screw around with some of these evo's and sti's around here thanks guys

[CDub7]

o yeah i forgot to ask if i could use the stock tach and speedo form the 240 for the rb swap i mean they are hook ed up but reading wrong since its a 6 not a 4 in there now. . .i just wanna try to get this up and running right for some shows / drifting / d!ck around any help is greatlu appreciated

[maryjane]

looks great! ive used megasquirt on two of my other cars, how do you like it?

[240cp]

whats up nico im new here i got a stock 89 240 hatch with s2 rb25det. . . first thing first i bought the car from maryland and tried to drive it back to pennsylvania and blew 2 stock radiators and had to tow it half way home. . .i figured they werent big enough so i got a 2 core aluminum radiator and a nismo thermostat and a new radiator cap hopefully that helps me out and dont screw anything up. . . i need some help in deciding to get an apexi afc neo or the power fc any suggestions? it really needs to be tuned it sucks when its cold until it warms up sometimes it stalls or just doesnt start at all. . . its pretty much stock engine besides mentioned and fmic 3" downpipe to dual n1's im looking to do more upgrading such as a better turbo maybe water/meth injection upgrade fuel system and what not i just want to keep up with my friends turbo mr2, 10sec integra, stock rb26dett r33 and camaro ss and wanna screw around with some of these evo's and sti's around here thanks guys

Can we say

[kevwa]

CDub7 i think you need to use the search feature.......................

[kevwa]

so far i have no complaints with the megasquirt. im no pro with it yet but im confident with it and i have learned more that you can imagine so far with using it.

[kevwa]

here is my latest update on the project....

One thing that I hated with the S10 is that the frame is lower than the body ... so since I had the Isuzu completely apart I decided I might as well body drop it 2.5" so the body about even with the frame. I currently have the cab and front clip dropped, so this past weekend I was getting the motor to fit which was more of a challenge than in the S10 because all of my clearances got smaller with the body drop. The welder I have at my parents wont weld 1/4" steel so I could only tack weld the motor mounts and then I had to bring them to work to weld them. I had the driver side mount tacked together and welded it today and then installed it tonight and got the passenger mount tacked together. So I should have the mounts complete this weekend so then I will be able to start welding the floor of the truck back together. Anyway here are some pics of the motor going in....



















I was only able to lower the motor about 1.5" which with the wheels turned all the way to the right only gives me about 1/8" clearance between the oil pan drain plug and the steering rack - With the 2.5" body drop the cam cover does not quite clear the hood so it looks like I will be making a cowl induction hood. I will get some more pics up soon.

[DJButton]

Not gonna lie, first thought, "this guy is insane" then out loud, "thats so amazing, I love it!"

[kevwa]

thanks!

IDK how many of you have followed this build but back when I first started the swap in the S10 I had thought about mounting the radiator in the bed so i could have the intercooler raised up between the headlights - however i opted not to do that before. Anyway - my latest issue is that the intercooler would sit 2.5" lower to the ground now with the body drop so i am def putting the intercooler between the headlights and the radiator is actually going to be mounted in the bed.

my only concern with this setup is if the extra lengths of water lines to run the radiator in the bed would be too much more for the stock water pump. Any thoughts or input on this?

[Carl H]

there are pics on the interwebz with a old 720 pickup with an rb26 in it, they did just that relocated the radiator to the bed and i gotta say it looks bad a**.just make sure you duct it and proly gotta run a scoop to make it work well.

[scottymizt]

can always do your ic and radaitor like mine





figure id add this one too to show how i did it, this one is with the old 2.2l but it's still the same


Modified by scottymizt at 4:08 PM 7/22/2009

[kevwa]

i was planning on mounting it in the center of the bed close to the front of the bed, it will be at about a 45 degree angle with the top of the radiator tipped towards the front of the bed. Then I will have a scoop that will direct air from under the truck and up through the radiator. I also want to keep my toneau cover so i figured i would also have ducting after the radiator to direct the air back through the floor of the bed just to get the air out of the bed.

scottymizt - i would mount it like yours but i dont have enough room - intercooler is too big

[scottymizt]

that ic is really cheap i got it from ebay think i paid like 60 bucks for it and it works great. So far the highest i have seen the intake air temps was about 100 degrees give or take a little. How big is your ic? I can measure mine if you want

[kevwa]

idk the exact measurements - something close to 3x11x28 is the core then my end tanks make it 41" long i think which puts the end tanks in the headlights if i mount it where yours is. I have to have it inside the radiator support in order for it to clear the headlights.

[kevwa]

this is how she fits... well this is in the S10 before the RB motor went in but it will be the same in the new truck...

[scottymizt]

yea thats a bit bigger than mine lol after i posted i went back and looked at the pics closer. Mine do hit my headlights too but with rubber 90's the headlights still go in. It will be sweet to see the rad in the back tho ppl be like wtf where is the rad?

[kevwa]

Here the latest update - my progress is not happening as fast as I would like but thats the way custom work goes i guess - and im only working on it on weekends since it is at my parents house. anyway I got the motor mounts installed - They went alot smoother then in the other truck since i had a better idea of what i was doing. I wasnt satisfied with the mounts I had originally made since they were just pieced together - especially the passenger side mount - this time around I made them more symmetrical on both sides - I think it makes the swap look that much cleaner and presentable - they are not 100% done b/c I still need to add a few gussets to them for strength but I was more concerned with getting the final fitment of the motor so I could figure out how everything else will fit, then I will go back through everything and button it up.







these pictures dont show it but with the body drop my factory brake booster is too close to the manifold which does not leave room for the downpipe. I took the booster off and the downpipe dose clear the fire wall. The stock booster is almost 11" in diameter so I found a 7" diameter booster which appears will work with the downpipe - I will find out as soon as I order it.

Once I had the motor mounted I needed to get the floor welded back together. however, it was such a mess that i decided I would get rid of the factory floor and make my own. It has taken me longer than I wanted but I have the frame just about complete for the new floor. I still need to cut some more of the back section of the cab out so the drive shaft will fit. here is how she stands as of this afternoon...

[Carl H]

this is definately one of the crazier build threads i've seen and my hat is off to you for some of the fab work you've done.

[Kalypso]

this is build unbelievable

[kevwa]

thanks for the responses guys!

[kevwa]

After another long weekend the floor is finally coming together!











Still have to make a couple of pieces for the front and button up a few spots but I only bought 2 sheets of metal so I went as far as I could with the first sheet this weekend and hopefully I will have the driver side floor at the same point as these pictures next weekend.

[Kalypso]

lord... have mercy

[Carl H]

patience, you has it.

[zmannz]

Looking badass, I wish I lived near you so I could watch and learn your welding. I needs mig welder.....

[nissan_superwrench]

i just started an rb25 swap in my 92 hardbody, can you sent me some pics so i can get an idea of fit issues i will have. [email protected] Robert

[67 411]

anyone know if there is a place that has the best prices on these engines?

[kevwa]

idk what the fitment issues will be in a hardbody - you can look at the pictures from the beginning of this post for how the motor fit prior to doing the bodydrop - but i have no idea on measurements for your engine bay compared to mine so i dont think it will be much help - my advice is to get the RB on an engine lift and start putting it in and see what has to be modified to get it to fit - you will be able to put the RB in the hardbody it just depends on how much time you want to spend doing fab work

[gmac708]

Looking really good! Nice job Kevin

[nissan_superwrench]

sorry i meant to reply to the guy with the hardbody project. i didnt want to sound like a tard. i like what you have done, awesome job.