Hey everyone. im bored at work so i figured id check in here since i spend so much time looking around.

My name is Marcus and i picked up a '93 Vert a couple of weeks ago for $550. Non-running with the stock automatic. Had the rear windo cut out of it, and sat for about a year or so like that under a car cover. Luckily the cover did well and a modest amount of water was in there.

The track that runs water around the car down the wheel wells has some rust damage and the rear seat bracket has surface rust on it. the trunk is rust free, but there is also some on the windshield frame at the top. it's not terrible but it's enough for me to make it a priority to have fixed. It did come with the metal bar that goes there as well which im happy about. The top has been replaced before and the car came with a whole rear window replacement.

So far, i pulled the old engine out and am getting ready to put another ka24de in with a 5 speed. Got held up by a stubborn engine mount nut though but after pulling the sub-frame and taking a grinder to it..... lets just say i won that battle. I pulled the carpet out because one of the previous owners messed it up and it smelled a little bit.

Future plans....

Im already swapping the manual in. Going to probably fix the rust and clean her up really nice. Then onto suspension work. Sway bars, strut bars, etc. pretty much anything i can do to make it more solid. Im thinking about a cage that will fit with the top up depending on my route decision with it. This is gonna be my DD for a long time but i still want to be able to have fun. Coils after all that for some super slammage. Then aggressive offset wheels.

After all that ill be ready to go KA-T if i haven't already.

Sorry about the novel. Ill post pictures as soon as i get a chance when im home.

Congrats, although it sounds like you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Thanks for keeping her out of the junk yard. Look forward to see pics and your progress.

Register, search and ask away. Welcome.

cmkelly wrote:Congrats, although it sounds like you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Thanks for keeping her out of the junk yard. Look forward to see pics and your progress.

Register, search and ask away. Welcome.

thank you. Im a firm believer that a project is never done until its sold. And i got that bug a while ago.

But ill definitely get some pictures up soon. Hopefully i can get the car back together and possibly running this weekend.

okay, just an update. been trying to get things packed to move while working 2 jobs so i haven't had much time for this but i've been making time this week.

so far i've,
relocated battery. it's a little ghetto but i just want to be able to drive it to the new house.
pulled the halfshaft/driveshaft. have the manual in the trunk ATM.
had to cut the driver side mount off the subframe. that was fun.
i also got the 5spd pedals in, clutch master, lines and slave in (im so glad the previous owner drilled those holes before i got it.)


hopefully i can move the harness to the new motor and get it installed tonight. if i do that fast enough i can get it wired in. right after that i just need to mount the downpipe, driveshaft, accessories, belts, etc.

getting really excited.

So, i got the motor in and wiring done for the most part. But the car wont start.

i added a couple of grounds on the engine just to be sure i didn't miss any. i may try to make another ground for the battery. it cranks and cranks so it can be terrible.

getting spark and fuel to the rail. im gonna pull the rail and make sure the injectors are firing though. and im gonna double check the ignition timing. ii bought the motor after it was pulled from a runing 95 s14 so im sure the mechanical timing is right.

would the coolant temp sensor keep the car from even trying to start?

im real bummed it didn't even try though. hopefully i can get a reaction after all this today. if not then im at a loss for what to do next.

Most non-starts are due to an issue with timing or fuel.

I know this is probably gonna be a dumb question, but you did use the engine harness from the 95, right? The S13 harness leaves out a few components for the S14 ignition assemblies. Primarily the integrated coil on the distributor.

well i used the harness that came in the vert. but im using an s13, exernal coil dizzy. i wasn't sure about what grounds there were so i hooked up what i found and added on really big one on the exhaust side just to be sure. im just trying to get this thing moving to my new house this weekend.

when i get home today, im gonna pull the rail and make sure the injectors are firing, double check the ground for the battery (cause its in the back now)
sodder the ground wire for the injectors cause im dumb and cut it,
and swap dizzy's to see if the CAS is good.\

ill check back in.

so i have another update. motor is in with the 5speed. runs and drives. drove it to it's new home where it has the protection of a garage until she's ready for DD. not sure what fixed my issue but i swapped the fuel pump for a known good one, swapped distributors, swapped ignition coils, and smacked the injector cover things with the handle of a ratchet a couple times.

on the way i was notified by this beauty that she needs a new axle on the driver side and the alternator wasn't charging. gonna be fixing my wiring of the lower harness over time and finishing the 5 speed wiring too. still have no dash in and my instrument cluster doesnt work now. the only thing that does is the fuel gauge and my batter light. Oh, and the actual back lights. No a/c controls either. just lights. i pulled the "magic white box" but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. just freshened up the solder joints to see what happens.

also must have an air bubble in the coolant lines somewhere because im getting steam from the radiator cap. it's defintely steam not compression. compression numbers were 165,165,170,165. the whole motor is emmaculately clean too so im pretty sure it's just a clog or air pocket. gonna pick up an aluminum 3 row radiator and put that in as well as get that situation handled soon.

thanks for reading. new update soon.

Another update.

Got the cluster working. The (meter) fuse was bad.

Had the alt tested on a bench. Came up good. The battery light is not coming on but the alt doesn't seem to be charging. Already ran a ground and power wire. Nada. Need to bring the DMM home.

The coolant temp gauge doesn't work either. CTS was swapped out for a known good one and the ECU reads 55. Being an s14 kade, do I have to swap out the temp "sender" next to the CTS? Does the sender go bad? Not having a tenmp gauge makes it hard to trouble shoot the coolant issue in having.

On that note, still getting that white bubbling at the rad cap opeing. Think it might be a residue or something in the system. Still shooting fluid from the overflow line. I know its the bad cap letting it out but I want to be sure before I spend any money. Cash is REAL tight right now.

I'm gojng to do a leakdown and coolant pressure and CO test soon. It all pans out ill spend some money and finish this thing up.

But right now its bedtime

So, did work this morning. Swapped the sender sensor on the manifold. Got the coolant gauge working. Idles normal and the gauge doesn't go above the second small line. That's with one 12" fan and a stock single row rad.

The alt seems to be working. I'm gonna blame that issue on connections to the battery.

Gonna check it later today.

bored at work and have interwebz. heres a few pics.

right before the engine installation:


after we moved to the new house:








gonna paint the trunk as soon as im ready for the road. still have a few bugs to work out though.

New wheels now. A.R.E. Ultramesh. 16x8 +10.

Figured out the alt issue. The small wire on the plug. Wasn't providing 12v to start the alt charging process.

Still have to finish the 5 speed wiring. Need to figure out which plug is which. I think the speed sensor was messed up because the only wires plugged into the trans are all the way at the back. That, and find out which one is the rev lights.

Then I can start putting the interior back together.

ok so i have an update after a few months.

Got everything ready to go and it sprouted what i thought was a rod knock.

sold some stuff,
pulled the motor,
found all the flywheel bolts loose,
checked the rods and they were ok. some play but they were even and tight.
fixed the one bad wheel,
ditched the clutch damper box and am about to pick up a steel braided line to replace the rubber line.

should have coils ordered soon,
waiting on a couple of things before i can start her again but they're on the way.
still need to get the rear window put in and still need to wire the speed sensor and reverse lights though.

im really shooting for having her on the road by next month.

Timing chain maybe? There's a torsioner or chain guide or something that makes a rattle in the engine bay. Love the shiny shark nose!

thanks. it was definitely the the flywheel though. all six bolts were less than finger tight and the cover under the flywheel was scratched up.

Locktite. Always use it on flywheel bolts.

yeah, live and learn. i was definitely in a rush when throwing the motor in. had to move the car and i dont have a way to tow it.

so, got everything together, filled her up with fluids and turned her over a couple times with the fuel pump off and no spark just to get the oil flowing. sounded good. plugged it in and she started right up without an issue. Took her for a drive a little bit ago and she ran pretty good. Almost died just once though. kinda bogged a little but came right back. still have a lot of work to do. hopefully ill be able to start driving her next weekend.

also picked up coils. Got some Ksports for crazy cheap in good shape. still need to do a better driveway alignment though.
threw in a steel braided clutch line too.

started driving her yesterday. running without a hood, fenders or front bumper right now. Turns some heads though.

had to pull apart my rearview mirror though. keeps falling off. damn FL heat.

up to date piktars....








still have a lot of work to do.