soon to be 240 owner

[dredre]

i've been researching cars for a while and finally decided on sticking with the 240sx. i finally found one and am working on getting it but i have to wait till mid may. i plan on driving it stock for a while to at least get a feel for it, then swap in a rb25. i plan on upgrading the engine, drivetrain, and suspension first, but don't know where to begin. one thing i've been looking for is the hp and torque gains from stage 1/ stage 2 engine upgrades on average. and what will i need/be in my best intrest to do to the drivetrain and suspension? i also realize that at some point i'll need to mod the exhaust, intake, turbo, ect. but i figure it could wait till the next time i get deployed. also need recomendations on what brands usually work better for certain setups. i know i'll have to experiment alot myself but id like to learn as much as posible from others mistakes/sucesses. i plan on doing most the work with some of my friends. i'm a weapons maintainer on the B52:bash , so i have a general knowlege on how to use tools and follow diagrams, and when needed, improvise. overall i want a sleeper that i know can take any of the evos and subies around base, and later on take out on the track. that, and its probably the closest i'll ever get to a skyline unless i get orders to japan. Thanks for hearing me out, and any help or links to info will be greatly apriciated.

[Darius]

Start by reading...just read and read and read. Start with the stickies and just keep on going down the line. Most people will not hold your hand unless you pay them for their services, but a lot of people are more than willing to help if you have done your research first and then post a question that you can't find through the SEARCH button. It will be very unlikely that you will have a question that hasn't already been answered here in a previous post (recent or archived).

[rotorimp]

welcome to the boards--Sorry to here about the Buff thing--dont worry it won't last forever!!!LOL Are you a 3 or 4 man. Like Darius said--get some research done and things will fall into place. Hope you get your 240 soon

p.s. Don't fall off those ladders!

[dredre]

ur a weapons troop too? im a 4 man. one of the newest 4 men so i get blamed alot for things. i already got orders thats why im trying to take care of everything now. i did like yall said and learnd about stuff i didn't even think about but still cant find out about stage 1/2 RB25s. im i was suposed to sell my car yesterday and order the 240 but i have to wait till monday:knock. but i guess its worth wait knowing that the B.S. will make driving the only 240 in minot that much sweeter

[thenillaz]

I also want to do an RB25 in the future, although I say future as in thats the last of my priorities. First I would just get coilovers. I'm getting Stance, but I'm sure you will research and find a different company to go with. Then after that I'm going for a LSD. I'm going s15 helical, but depending on what kind of driving you're into you may research another brand/type of LSD. Then in one fell swoop I'm going Z brakes, 5 lug hubs, and sweet *** wheels. I feel doing all this first will make a super fun car reguardless of horsepower and tourque. Doing these things first will make you enjoy what you have and prepare you for more power. Then finally I hope to get an RB after that. I've forgoten alot when I used to browse the RB forum only and read up on every thing, but I think the RB25 SI has no VCT and the SII has VCT. I think I'm wrong though. Either way most people usually get the SII motor. I personally am going for the RB25 NEO since its got(correct me if I'm wrong) solid rockers and VVT. And in all reality I don't think the NEO is that much more expensive, plus you gotta have the VTEC(lol).

Since I figure we're in the same boat you should look at my plans. Alot of people would agree upgrading suspension first is a great idea because you get alot out of your car from it. Either way doing all the other little stuff first like brakes and what not will get your car's performanced balanced before you add more power.

[rotorimp]

Yea I was at Barksdale for 3 years--Did you pick up the 240 yet?

[Darius]

RB "series" 1 and 2 are very similar. The main differences are in the wiring/ignitor. Mechanically, they're the same depending on the production year. And to straighten you out, all RB25's have VCT on the intake cam alone.

The NEO motor is very similar from the block down, but the head has many differences and so does the wiring. The valves are longer to accomodate the solid "lifters" (no rockers) and obviously the valve springs will be different too.

[dredre]

well i went in yesterday after spending 3 hours cleaning my car. talked to my bank, they said everything was good. then talked to the guy who buys cars for the dealership, and like everyone else up here he said he'd only give me 7000. i finally go him up to 8k but id still need about another 900. and this is where it goes to hell. i start talking to the dealership (they've helped alot of airman before and ive never heard of them screwing somone) and they said they would buy it for me so i could trade in my which would make the loans easier for about the same price. only thing is they wanted to make sure my bank would loan me the money. now i've been talking to usaa for 2 weeks about this, told them everything about this car, and after all that the loan officer tells me. "yeah, u've been aproved up to 10,000 but we can only give 4-5k for this car, and after about 30 min. trying to twist it so i can get this car the answer was still no. i mean couldn't they have told me this 2 weeks ago when i gave the lady the vin number. i mean i borrowed 30 bucks for gas with my 2 ps2's as callateral to pay for gas up there, drove 30 min. to get there, and for what? the only thing now is for me to cancel my trip to baltimore and sell my PS3 and buy a cheaper one thats in austin, and save up. wich is hard when ur an A1C cause i bearly make any money as it is. damn i hate minot. well im not gonna give up i still got 5 months b4 i pcs, and im going to get this damn car. i mean when was the last time u saw a black man(half) driving while listening to linkin park. im still mad about this $h!t.

[dredre]

been looking at engines think im gonna go 25det, i cant find a good price for the neo even on ebay. found an engine, transmission, ecu, ect for 2600. also when buying a clutch or fly wheel do i get it for the car chassy (97 240sx) or the engine (r33). looking at geting the Tein Basic Damper but id like to get the drift damper, but that can wait. still looking at VVT so the neo is a maybe if i can find a good price.

[thenillaz]

I wouldn't go with teins, research NICO and you'll find out they have an outdated design and can be overpriced(for what they are). Since the motor and transmission are from a skyline you would need to get clutch and flywheel for the motor, not 240sx chassis.

[dredre]

i took ur advice and searched around an decided not to make a choice yet until i finish researching. i found another car except i'm gonna make sure the bank will finance it this time. its a sr20det s14 with 4WD. with it already configured to 4WD will that make it easier to swap in an rb26? i emailed the guy for a list of the mods and gonna get the carfax when i get back from work. still looking at clutch and flywheels, looking for a good importer website.

[rotorimp]

Are you sure about the 4wd???????????

Sorry the last 240 didn't work out.

[dredre]

thats what the seller said about it, but i haven't been able to reach him. I'm still having trouble finding a good one because of the price, (only getting 7k for my car and owe 9k). also i have to pay shipping. if i was back in TX I'd probably have it already. so far i gotta sell alot of my stuff just to aford a decent one, and cant check it out myself unless i take leave, which i doubt they'll let me. God i hate this place!!!!

[nismopwr240]

sorry dude, but i highly doubt that s14 is 4wd. The dealer is probably lying, and i would not even consider buying from a dealer that lies about stuff like that, you never know what could be wrong with that car.

[rotorimp]

Wait till this summer when gas goes to 4.00$ a gallon and avetise the crap out of the Korean gas sipper for only 8900$

I see decent s13's for under 3000$ all the time?

[dredre]

yeah, im not even gonna be able to get it or any 240 for a while. i need to fix my career and get my mind right

[rotorimp]

We have all been there! take this time to learn-read-learn-read-research. Hell when I couln't afford anything I started working pt. at Autozone

[dredre]

yeah i take leave in august, if not by then ima wait till the next deployment to get one. I'd like to get a part time job there or at a mechanic but gotta wait for them to stop putin me in load barn so damn much.