VQ35DE swapped competition setup silvia build

[JRPS13]

well that sounds good to me haha! id love to hear some sound clips

[redtopsdrop]

what were your fitment issues with the vqswap kit?

[BlackDragon328]

I have them in detail in other posts on this thread and i know they are explain better there so you should try to find those but here is an overview.

the crossmember came without any holes for bolts....we had to drill them, and the steel wasnt exactly thin so it was hard to drill through, even with good tools.

the header on driver side had to be totally redone because the grooves where in the wrong place to clear the steering linkage. (that was a pain to redo)

I think there was one other minor thing. the header was the biggest, oh they also took their time shipping the radiator lines, which i received a month and a half after the kit.

[BlackDragon328]

I have them in detail in other posts on this thread and i know they are explain better there so you should try to find those but here is an overview.

the crossmember came without any holes for bolts....we had to drill them, and the steel wasnt exactly thin so it was hard to drill through, even with good tools.

the header on driver side had to be totally redone because the grooves where in the wrong place to clear the steering linkage. (that was a pain to redo)

I think there was one other minor thing. the header was the biggest, oh they also took their time shipping the radiator lines, which i received a month and a half after the kit.

again, look up, on the first page, i give a huge description of all of that in more detail (i think) so that should help you.

Im not saying you shouldnt buy from them, as I keep mentioning, they were really helpful with answering questions when i called with problems, and they are overall nice people. I think they might be just a little busy sometimes so small mistakes slip through unnoticed.....maybe not tho, thats my theory.

[sunnys14]

You could have used a KA radiator so you wouldnt have to use that ugly crossover pipe for the upper radiator hose...

[BlackDragon328]

sunny, ur correct. and i should have. I made a mistake when i bought the radiator, I thought the lines where crossed. but i actually made new lines for the radiator, that one in the pics was more of a mock up.I took some copper piping and brazed some fittings onto to fit.....im doing a really bad job explaining, but ill get some pics of that up cuz i'd recommend it to anyone who does an SR swap with ka radiator, or any other cross type setup like that.

btw a small update on the engine, I messed up on the fuel pump, bought one for a carbed engine (that was dumb), so i traded that one out for an EFI fuel pump which is now in.....the car should have started on thursday, I wasnt there due to having to study for a midterm (so lame) and i never got a chance to call my mechanic, so ill know tomorro morning (monday) if it works.

a small pre-review for the megans seats, I sat in them for a while, while messing with a gauge on the interior of my car.they are fairly comfortable as far as racing seats go, the padding is decent, and most of it is removable, so they can be placed to fit your style of driving (or sitting in a racing seat anywayz).A downside to them (for me) is that they are really small, even smaller then i am. to give you someone to compare to I weigh around 185 pounds and i am 5'10, im not tiny but i dont consider myself to be fat either....my friend weighs probably about 160 and is....i think about 5'9 and he says he loves them. I find them just a little tight for me, but not overly bothersome. I think they would be good seats for a female racer or a lightly build male racer.anywayz, ill write up a full review when ive driven in them both track and street for about 2 or 3 weeks.

other then that we are starting the stand alone hydraulic brake system, and ill have pics of that up when its done too.

CJ

[RCA]

hmm...well as I said, as soon as I get money I will be getting bigger brakes. there are plenty of 4 lug big brake kits tho, i have no desire or need to go 5 lug. I really dont see how I could get the kit cheaper then 3K but thats for the full kit, front and rear.

http://arizonazcar.com/240sxbrakes.html

Just say:What year What patternWhat colorand4/6POT

He will hook you up. I have them on my car. Sick stopping power. I got 6pot fronts and 4 pot rears with brake bias valve and line locks for 2.3k

One of my best things I did for my S14

[E34erick]

SO when are you going to make a video of the product and it speeding past the camera?

[BlackDragon328]

Rcarbita:

really nice looking big brake kit for $800ish dollars. cant beat that. I know i dont need the six pot, the four will do fine. Imma try to invest in these real quick

E34erick:

we got the car to crank and to....backfire? pretty badly, but its not starting yet. Its sparking, and its getting fuel, I think some part of the timing is still off tho.... we're working on it. as soon as I have it running ill get a sounds clip and ill have a vid at the end of my first track day (altho it'll probably suck cuz getting used to that power is going to be weird....)

[92240hatch]

nice swap... i like the spoiler it orignal never woulda thought an evo spoiler would go decent with a 240.. and I like the rims.. they arent as bad as people make them out to be... keep up the great work... you doing great! and the exhaust is also looking pretty sick.. cant wait to see the finished product..

[BlackDragon328]

thnx 92240hatch

soo, all we have left is the flywheel to fix i guess. the idiots who sold me it gave me an altima flywheel so obviously the timing on the VQ is wrong.....so imma put the stock flywheel back in for now, too bad cuz the fidenza flywheels r nice. but ill get one in later.

it started on thursday, the timing was really off tho so it was backfiring badly, and it died shortly afterwards....we didnt try to restart it cuz thats not healthy for the engine but we started looking into the ECU and tuning it a little so it will run well enough to go down to G-dimensions in LA which is where the real tune will be.

then we will start on the hydraulic brake kit.

cj

[bwahahahaha]

Can't wait to hear this thing finally running, its been such a loooong time coming. Oh, and by the way CJ, I'm actually 130lbs and 5' 8", haha. So as far as the megan seats go, I think they are some of the most comfortable things I have ever sat in (and Ive sat and driven in Sparco, Corbeau, Bride, etc). But then again, I'm a pretty small dude.

[BlackDragon328]

small update, Im in switzerland right now but i got the car running. the only problem, it had some rod knock. it was the rod bearings, so I dropped it off at my mechanics who is going to put in new bearings and a new oil pump.

Ill have a sound clip in 2 weeks when i get home, and a little later a couple clips of Drift days and mountainz.

I drove it btw....with the rod knock, so at low RPMs.....it was sooooo sick, and had the most torque I've ever felt. good stuff

peace

CJ

[BlackDragon328]

so i know I havnt posted in aaaages, so this is the scoop so far, its pretty simple.

I have little money left.....that simple, I want to make the engine into one of three things, a twin turbo engine, a supercharged engine or a 4.1L high rev high rev high compression engine.

so I think imma end up twin turbo, or supercharged cuz imma rebuild it to spec, then put it in, and later TT or SC it...... the 4.1L BC kit is just too expensive, even with the lowered price after talking to Brian.

so thats that, I've got a job working 48 hours to 60 hours a week, so hopefully ill have it started within a month.

to all who kno my miata, its now turbo with Ksport RR coilovers, and a Borla exhaust.....its one of the reasons my VQ isnt done quite yet...I cant stand keeping a car stock

[Soravia]

Why don't you get the car running perfect BEFORE you even think about the twin turbo?

Which I don't isn't going to fit in very well in your S13.

Anyway, good luck with the swap and don't blow any motor.

The sad part of your swap is that you had to buy a cross-member, still modify it yourself AND Mod the hood to fit the engine in, which also sits really far to the front.

You got to see the mod Broner made.

[BlackDragon328]

ha ha ur right, I shouldnt really think of the TT yet but i cant help thinking....im not gonno look into it seriously till later tho, and no the TT will not fit in well, but thats what cutting and welding is for.

I didnt modify the cross member btw, i bought it modified for it, so that was one headache I didnt have to deal with.

the hood was a pain, and since its a track car I got a spare hood too, and imma have to modify that one as well. its all good tho, im enjoying it just thinking of when itll be done.

who is broner? imma look him up on nico, i take it ur talking about another 350sx. well see.

so yea...no more updates, im working on all the small things, wiring for the gauges, the tachom, wrapping the fuel lines, headers, brake lines, working on a heat shield for the master and slave cyls.....all that small stuff not really worth mentioning, and in the meantime im still working 48-60H a week.....and ive got 6 months to finish this baby anywayz cuz i got my license suspended again (4th time....).

ha ha, so thats life....if anyone is doing this swap round ventura or SB btw I'd love to hang out. Im moving to berkeley in like a month...so for anyone in SB lets hang out before, or anyone round SF hit me up in sept.

once the car is done and im in berkeley (and my license is back) imma hit thunderhill every two weeks for the drift events there btw.

peace

[MastaYu]

cant wait to see it running

[speedykurt]

I have to say you do really clean work

[cc4usmc]

This thread is full of fail, this build is horrible.

[RagingPanda]

This thread is full of fail, this build is horrible.

I hope you have a really good reason for stating that or were just kidding. If not, sir, I would like to inform you that you're 100% douchebucket

[bman49]

Wow dude first off +1 on the build. Then another +1 on the build because I was looking into the swap thinking with the kit it was easy as pie. You sir just probably saved me 1-2 years of my life that would be wasted on a car that I wouldn't have the skill, time, or money for. Thanks for the info dude!

[cc4usmc]

I hope you have a really good reason for stating that or were just kidding. If not, sir, I would like to inform you that you're 100% douchebucket

Oh trust me, I wasn't kidding. It's a well known fact that NICO members have questionable taste. Just check his fs thread on another forum.

[White Comet]

Oh trust me, I wasn't kidding. It's a well known fact that NICO members have questionable taste. Just check his fs thread on another forum.

well aren't you a nico member? are your tastes questionable then? i'm not a fan of the wheels or wing but what else is "fail" or "horrible"

[BlackDragon328]

ha ha ha, ur an *** cc4usmc

I agree though, my original price was too high, my current one may still be too high....isnt that what forums are for though...to find out what others think

oh...fyi for all who said something about the wheels....I AGREE!! bad bad bad choice on my part.

on the other hand...why does everyone hate my wing <--- serious question.

Someone answer me this one cuz I dont understand. Personally, I think it fits really nicely on the square back of the coupe, it accents the body lines already in place and I would be willing to hazard a guess that it helps aerodynamically (at speed I will never reach with this car)I know this is personal taste but I am wondering....is the hate only because I put a mitsu wing on a Nissan....cuz thats shallow. if not, someone tell me why they dont like it in a THOUGHTFUL way please.

I also want to add as a general comment about the car that, as is obvious from the pictures, ITS NOT A SHOW CAR! I care only very mildly about its appearance and what i really wanted was a good track car with a solid engine and setup.

here are some new pics, the car is very dusty as its been sitting for a long time. There are the pics that CC4usmc was refering to:

Rear of the 350sx

This is the trunk, with the fuel cell in its custom enclosure

The front of the car, The hood doesnt look great....it needs to be sanded and painted, but I havent cared to do that as of yet as in my opinion a track car doesnt need to look perfect

The interior seen from the driver side with the roll cage sitting in front view

The dashboard/another pic of the interior

I am not ashamed of this car at all, I built it almost all myself from the ground up. its not a professional car, nor can i build one on my budget but I dont personally think it turned out all that bad, and I thought it over and decided that I will indeed NOT part it out as I stated in my FS thread, if I cant sell it I will find a way to keep it and finish it.
Modified by BlackDragon328 at 6:13 PM 1/9/2009

[White Comet]

as far as the wing goes, i personally just think its looks over the top. if it didn't sit as high it might look good. imo its just too aggressive for the rest of the car. the rest of the aero doesn't look aggressive enough for the wing, just my opinion though

[BlackDragon328]

hu.....answer appreciated White Comet, and an interesting answer too cuz that was really not an answer i would ever have expected to get.

I have a second part to the question actually, for all who wish to chat, tell me why you dont like the wing (or why you like it) AND what wing you WOULD have placed on this car...or lack of any wing.

[White Comet]

yeah thats just me, maybe others dislike it for other reasons. i really like the stock se wing but i think your car woudl look great with a wangan wing.

the more i look at it though, i think it could pull off a type x wing. it woudl still look aggressive but not as over the top

[BlackDragon328]

I realized I never said anything more about the megan racing seats.

They are A-W-E-S-O-M-E. I actually decided to place them in my miata, as they are a better fit for track racing/autocrossing.

I drove 2 autocrosses with them, one of them with bwahahahaha (Trevor) on a small cone made autocross course. That was an insane course, it was a porsche event and even porsches where having trouble getting through. Result, we both managed to beat up on a Carrera GT (solely because the track was too small for it and the driver was....average) and we also took out a myriad of porsches and other vehicles including an STI, a supercharged miata and ford GT.Th seats where PERFECT for that event as it was corner after corner after corner, all of them tight and I cant believe anyone made it through those without racing seats of some sort. The Megans held me in perfectly (with a harness) holding me both at my waist/butt and at my shoulders.

Now on the other hand, I had to daily drive it and...I personally like a really harsh feel to a car but I have to admit, I drove 2.5 hours to lancaster to race streets of willow for the second autocross, and it was tiring. the ride is also on track coilovers...but the seats have little to no padding and held me in so perfectly that i had no way to adjust myself into a more relaxed position. I got out of the car and felt stiff as hell. took me two tries to get out.

Then the second autocross on streets of willow, again with the porsche club. Well....the outcome of that one was kind of depressing.... I got PWNED! by all manner of porsche GT2s, GT3s, 911T and also a lambo murcielago. I did end up taking out a porsche boxter.....small bit of consolation that my miata took out ANY form of a porsche.And again there, the seats performed admirably, I LOOOOOVE the feeling of them on the track, there was no rocking motion that usually makes someone grip the wheel for support. I was set in them and not moving, and actually after the 25mins of continuous warm up laps....I again had trouble getting out, both due to the low car and the way the seat sucks you into it.

BOTTOM LINE

Megan is NOT a crap company, as many believe. I have now driven in megan carbon seats, and on megan track coilovers (240sx SR20) and they both performed incredibly well.I will say that anyone 180ish pounds and under between 5'5 and 6'0 would fit well in theses seats. and FYI, they are racing seats, no they are not comfortable, no they are not fun to be in for long periods of time on the road. they are track seats meant for track drivers in track cars

advertisement for HOPUPRACING.COM: one of the coolest sites on the net. Megan racing buckets for a good price in red or black and FREE SHIPPING!hope i didnt violate any rules by advertising them but I have to give them props, I have bought so much from them and have called them several times and they know what they are doing.

yes....shipping seats is expensive...free shipping is a gift from...whomever u believe or dont believe in

okay, so i totally thread jacked myself...but I know someone wanted a review of those seats so here it is.

now back to our regular program......my lack of progress on my silvia

[cc4usmc]

well aren't you a nico member? are your tastes questionable then?

I've got 63 posts now in 3 years.. does that tell you anything?

[White Comet]

apparently you think you're better then the rest of the member on nico?