Started work on my s13 again.

[kornmanz]

It's been a while since I posted about my car so I wanted to do a full "build" thread that can kind of catch you up to today.

So I've never posted my build thread on here so I'll post what I've been doing on it from the beginning.

Modlist:

Greddy titanium valve springs
crower titanium valve set
crower 272 cam set
phase 2 motorsports rocker arm stoppers
acid treated head
multi angle valve job
ported and polished ports
ARP head bolts and studs
HKS 1.04mm multilayer metal head gasket
brian crower bronze valve guides
OEM valve seals (new)
OEM timing chain tension-er (new)
5 Ziegen Oil cap

Nismo rod bearings
NIsmo main bearings
Nismo thrust bearings
Eagle h-beam rods
OEM pistons (new)
OEM rings (new)
OEM oil pan (new)
Oil Catch Can
ARP rod bolts
Greddy aluminum pulley set
greddy oil filter sandwitch plate

Aeromotive tsunami fuel pump
aeromotive 100 micron inline fuel filter
aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
aeromitve fuel pressure gauge
greddy fuel pressure fittings
BGRG custom high pressure fuel lines with 6AN fittings
Apexi SAFC 2
Z32 Mass air flow sensor

Nismo thermostat
Samco braided radiator hoses
greddy radiator cap
koyo polished aluminum radiator
12" electric fan

Phase 2 motorsports aluminum coolant tank
B-road carbon fiber air diversion plate
AEM air filter

ISIS 3871 T28
Greddy turbo timer
Agency Power boost controller
ISIS Turbo Lines
HKS equal length exhuast manifold
JDM lab aluminum intercooler
JDM lab intercooler piping
Blitz BOV
Blitz BOV fitting
Apexi Downpipe
Apexi dual N1 Exhaust system

Z32TT dual piston front calipers
2 Z32TT brembo rotors
2 240sx brembo rotors (rear)
2 phase 2 motorpsorts steel braided brake lines
4 tokiko performance shocks
4 tein s performance springs
FR and RR began racing strut tower braces

Nismo transmission
Unknown clutch but it doesnt feel stock
short shifter
1pc steel driveshaft (driveshaftshop.com)
Kaaz 2 way differential
New racing seats
detachable steering wheel
rolled rear fenders
Origin Lab Skirts and rear bumper
Extreme dimensions front bumper
Sportmax wheels
s14 seatbelts
prosport gauges (boost, oil temp, oil pressure)
power steering


This was when I picked her up. (after a huge story of a guy in KY named Dino Crnk or some s*** like that screwing me over for a 240 that had A LOT of problems. Its been an uphill battle for sure.)



I then decided to start doing the sanding down for a flat black spray can paint job.


Started to run out of black paint so I got creative with the design.



This was how the engine looked the day I bought it. I was happy but the car had a laundry list of problems that I have addressed over the past 4 years.




This was the interior at the date of purchase.




The original Origin Lab front bumper was made of cheap fiberglass that broke on the drive from KY to NM. This was the damage the day after I got home.



I continued more on the hood.



Going down the side of the car



To the back of the car (I realize we should have just taken out the tail lights.)










Sorry for those bad quality pics, at this time cell phone cameras were not that good haha.

I continued to do more painting. I didnt like the car being multiple colors and even to this day I have yet to afford a paint job.





The day after I finished my paint job it so happened to rain and I took advantage of it to do wet sanding and then snapped these pics.










I then cleaned up this carbon fiber piece in the engine bay.


Did an oil change and topped the fluids off. I was gonna go cruising it for the first time since buying it.



At this point in time I barely got the car back on the road after a horrendous road trip from Kentucky. As I left KY the turbo fell off the manifold on the highway and I was towed to Tennessee. There I was charged 400 dollars to repair the turbo. I got back on the road (with open downpipe and no exhaust blowing fumes into the car. I was baked most of the drive from exhaust fumes.) It then broke down close to home in TX. I had no idea what the problem was and decided to get towed. My dad ended up driving from NM into TX to tow the car home. I spent the night in a bucket racing seat outside of an IHop. Overall the trip cost me over 1,000 dollars and serious headache.

I ended up getting the car repaired (the ignition wiring had a tear in it) and the pic I posted last was right before she drove for a while.

During the initial driving I found out the owner put an awesome ebay knockoff seat in which broke.




And this was the totally not matching anything passenger seat.



S14 rear seats









Here I was trying to figure out the wack a** seat belts the previous owner installed.

:picardfp:





So I continued to drive it and have a blast until something new crippled the beast and I had to park it until I could figure out what was wrong with it. I have never been a mechanic until owning this car. Upon owning this car I learned how to be a mechanic. By the end of this build I learned so much and it has made me love this car to death.



I started to try to figure out what was wrong with my car and why it was running so poorly. At the time I was the only 240 in town with an SR20 and shops I called only knew muscle not import cars. So I was stuck figuring it out myself or overpaying for bad service in Albuquerque.

I decided to figure it out myself.



Scoped out the turbo.


Then after checking out the turbo I found the culprit that made my car run s***.



Ah but that was only kidding myself. There was something very noisy in the turbo area. I decided to investigate further and upon my unbolting of everything I found a very unsatisfying looking fix that the people in Memphis did for me for 400 dollars.

[kornmanz]

I then noticed I had a power steering pump and wanted to see if I could hook it up. I mounted it just for fun and had my mechanic grandfather take a look at my system. Turned out I couldnt have power steering due to cut pressure lines that ruined the steering rack. I replaced that and now have power steering currently though. It cost me a lot of money and I had to have a shop do that for me.



However, at this time in the car's history there was still no power steering and would not be any power steering for another year to come.

While fixing the newfound turbo to manifold linkage problem I found gaps in my exhaust.



Found some missing bolts. Yipee.




Ordered some new headlights (which still have yet to go in the car lol)



I still have to address this issue before I do my headlights. I'll get around to it.





Decided to call it a day.




The next day I find a yummy turbo gasket.



Oh man I got so excited at this point.












Now it was time to fix that linkage.





Now I was working to get it back in.


Parts started to get back in and it started to resemble itself again.


Here's a friend of mine tightening up a bolt.












It was a little ghetto rigged but it was functioning and was mine.



Then under the intake manifold side I kept getting coolant busting out and leaking all over the floor. I had to investigate.







So then after this I had it driving again for about 5 months and discontinued posting about it.

Then what happened when I learned how to drift? I blew out the driveshaft and differential real bad.

:picardfp:

Back to work.

It sat for so long after the diff and driveshaft broke it was looking old.



Also, don't mind that damage to my rear bumper. Drifting in the mountain passes is a learning experience.



Hello Kaaz.















And those of you with a good eye may have noticed this sitting on top of the toolbox getting cleaned.

[kornmanz]

Busted out the grinder to get that old gasket goop off.

















In this picture I was informed I had the washers in wrong. I ended up going back in and fixing them.













I then had to re investigate that leaking problem from the intake mani.



Decided to take the hood off.





I started to get real confused with the tubing.




Decided to replace the starter while I was down there.





Driveshaft came in.




She then started but ran very poorly.

My gauges were not even working.


The previous owner had made the car into a rats nest of wires. It was disheartening. I again hated the previous owner with passion.

:picardfp::mephfawk:





At this point in time wiring was way out of my ability. I'm not a mechanic, I was a kid who bought a car and learned how to work on it.

I sent it off to a shop to get the idling fixed, the wiring fixed, the windows tinted, new seats installed, rolled fenders, and most importantly power steering which required a whole new steering rack and lines.

This was the day I got her back on the road. I was all smiles, and significantly poorer.









My car was running fine and I was having a blast for 6 months. I decided to not invest in my car and invest into my music.






So I drove her for a while at 15lbs of boost on the stock turbo and I started spitting flames from a bad exhaust bearing. That wasn't so bad until I started hearing shaft play. I immediately parked the car and discontinued driving it.

Here's where we come in today, March 2012. I ordered an ISIS 3871 replacement turbo and am thrilled so far putting it in.



Here's the new front end I ordered.





Lets hope I can actually finish this car.

So I removed the old turbo, took me all damn day there were so many stubborn bolts even penetrating oil didnt help.



This thing is much larger than stock.



And it's built surprisingly well.

[kornmanz]

This is where I'm at right now. I'm waiting for some new turbo lines to come in and I'm going to start doing body work in the mean time. I'll be posting updates.






Oh yeah and these are my new seats.

[PEZi]

Sweet updates, man!!!

[alms24sebring]

wow bro, nice thread. I feel your pain. The guy that I bought my 240 from is first on my hitlist. That car was soooo f***ed up when I bought it. And then I bought my civic, whole nother story. I also hate him... It sucks when you spend thousands of extra dollars on fixing it just to get it running back to normal again. But, it looks like its coming together well with less headaches and heartaches. Hope everything comes together for you.

btw you can probly sell the old turbo for some extra cash.