Hey!
Finally decided to post a build thread up here! Apologies for the changes in past-present tense, i'm piecing this thread together from the last couple of months worth of posts elsewhere.
I'm originally from the UK but I recently emigrated to the US for work, I needed a car and I've always wanted an S14
Anyway, after passing my driving test over here, I searched craigslist high and low for weeks until I found an S14 that was perfect for what I wanted. It was a 95 zenki, which whilst I wasn't a huge fan of the Zenki front-end, was a huge plus as it it's emissions exempt here in NC, which makes the Sr20 swap a possibility. Furthermore it had a rebuilt SR20 and rebuilt transmission that had been installed by the current owner, a mechanic for a Nissan dealership. The owner was cool enough to send me some photos across of the rebuild, aswell as some background info on the Car's history. I did a Carfax report (the US version of a HPI check) and found that the car had been serviced by Nissan for it's entire life, never had an accident (the US reports are super comprehensive) and had always been serviced regularly.
The original KA24 had been long gone by the time the previous owner got the car, and unfortunately the SR that was in it when he first had the car self detonated due to running too much boost. This had prompted him to get a new engine. The shell itself had 225k miles on it (I know) but the engine only had 4k miles, so essentially it had been ran in and was like new. I don't have the spec's to hand (I'll post them tomorrow) but it had had alot of work done on it, I mean, everything mechanically was new. The SR is running 7.5psi of boost, it has all the supporting mods required to push for 300hp minus the Z32 MAF and 550cc Injectors. Exactly what I was looking for.
The Spec:
S14 SR20DET running 7psi
5 speed rebuilt tranny, MT90
redline
New Nismo Motor and tranny mounts
New Stage 1 ACT clutch & flywheel
New CP Pistons and rings
Stock Rods
New bearings
New crank thrust bearing
New rear main seal
New front timing cover
ARP rod bolt kit
New NGK plugs
New OEM water pump
New thermostat
New Cosworth headgasket
New power steering rack
New walbro 255 lph fuel pump
New lower control arms and ball joints
New Isis electric cooling fans
New aluminum 1 piece driveshaft
New valve cover gasket
New spark plug well gasket
New turbine outlet gasket
Garret A/R 60 M24 turbo
Rocker arm stoppers
5 lug swap
VLSD, new gear oil
B&M short throw, Nismo shift knob
CX Racing FMIC
Greddy BOV
Godspeed aluminum radiator
Megan Racing 3" downpipe
Dummy Nissan cat
Full 3" cat back
Blitz full turbo timer
New AEM UEGO wideband 02
Autometer boost gauge
Autometer Oil pressure gauge
Ksport 32 way adjustable coilovers with separate height and preload adjustments
Godspeed front tension, rear traction, camber, and toe rods
New inner and outer tie rods, front and rear rotors and pads
new rear speakers ( Pioneer)
new driver side window regulator
am/fm/cd/aux input head unit
fully functioning power windows, locks and mirrors.
battery relocated to trunk.
Anyway, long story short, I went through the painful process of getting the forms signed, the title notorized and the money across to the owner, and boom! The car was mine. I wish I could say that I jumped in it and drove the 200 miles home..but I didn't. See, when you're in the US and you're starting from scratch, you can't use your UK license card or a temporary US license to register a Car. As a result I had to rent a Uhaul truck to trailer the car home (makes sense..huh?) which ended up being an ordeal in itself but that's a different story.
So, once I got back to my place, I unloaded the car, and there she sat until my license turned up..that week was agony..driving a shitty Chevvy rental car until I could take the car to get it registered. That's where the real pain started...the car was registered..but now it needed to be inspected.
I took the car to the nearest state inspector on my temporary plate which expired in 2 days. They promptly failed my visual inspection based on my tints and the lack of an EGR valve...which sucked. To make things worse, in NC, once you fail, you're put into a system that forces you to return to the same garage for your re-test. So, I had 2 stressful days to fix the issue, in order to make good on the failure and get the car on the road. This involved having the tints removed ($100) and having a local specialist salvage an EGR from a KA engine, in order to connect it up like so:
I can't stress how stressful getting this fixed against the clock was..if it wasn't for my colleague and fellow 240 owner ferrying me around to get it sorted and calling in some favours..it probably wouldn't have come off. His is the white 240 in the back:
So yeah..the car is legal, on the road, registered and paid for. I can't tell you guys how happy I am with it.
Time to start fixing it up!
The issues I have found so far:
Carpet is super shabby - Will be replaced with a fitted Red carpet.
Clutch is low (I have bought new master and slave cylinders)
Belts sequel like CRAZY (these should be arriving on monday)
Oil is still semi-synth from the run-in, so I'll be doing a change to fully synthetic this coming week.
Wheels and tyres are fubar. The tyres are sooo shitty that getting traction in a straight line is a challenge. I've now ordered replacements.
The Bonnet is dented and looks shit in black.
The short shifter throw is wayyy too short
The steering wheel is grim
The door-skins are shabby, the driver's side one has a hole
The seats are grim, will be replaced with red Acura RSX (DC5) Recaro's
There's no cigarette lighter - I've got a replacement, I just need to wire it in
Fan's are currently connected to a switch in the cabin, I'm scared i'm going to forget to turn these on, so I think I'll pick up a clutch-fan asap.
I think there are some electrical issues, the wiring is a little funky in places, I will be tidying that up asap. The battery died on me last week, it was brand new which confuses me. Potentially I'll need a new Alternator if the circuits check out.
Headlights are yellowed..badly - I've picked up some clear lens', I'll be fixing those asap.
Climate controls don't work correctly
So yeah..lot's to do before I even think about mods. The main concern for me was the tyres, they're downright dangerous atm, and causing the car to under-steer like crazy. I pulled the trigger and decided to get some new wheels and tyres right away.
Myself and a friend spitballed with some photoshop ideas for wheel setups:
I have always loved Grids (I also had them on my Civic) so I ordered some 18x9.5 Rota Grid's in Gunmetal Grey, with Goodyear F1's in 225/40(F) and 245/40 (R). I'll be rolling the arches when they turn up, hopefully they fit!
Anyway, enough of my rambling. More soon!