I figure it is about time for me to start a build thread on my project since quite a few people have asked and now that school has started up again I’ve had some time. So here it is: !
I started with a 1993 240sx.
KA was blowing white smoke, figured the head gasket was gone. Pulled the engine apart thene nded up scrapping it. Sourced a new engine.
VG time! I knew it was a hard swap to do, but that just made it more interesting for me.
I wasn’t happy with the amount of rust in the front end of the car, so I cut it off. Time for Tubs and tube front end.
With the front end missing it was pretty simple to get the VG into the car. Just some subframe mods for engine mounts and it fit pretty good. Only complication was the drivers side turbo rubbing on the steering column. Easy fix.
Next to tackle was the wiring.
Then cooling.
With the front end missing I decided to up my game on the rebuild. I got my self a tube bender.
I started with a rad support made of square 1" tube but shortly after constructing it I was dissapointed in my self and knew some thing much better could be done. So like any person with common sense… I hacked off the strut towers.
The plan was to box in the original upper strut tower rails and run tubes from there to new tubular towers.
I cut my strut towers with an angle grinder and a pencil grinder. It took for ever but came out decent. I integrated camber adjustment into the tower directly.
New towers all tig’d up.
In the mean time I figured I’d lighten the car up by pulling some layers out of it since the cage will pretty much hold the car together. Every thing I removed was done with a spot weld remover. Spent waaaay too much time drilling welds out.
I hacked all the vibration weights off the subframe at the same time.
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I eventually got to the point to where I had found so much rust on the car I fugred I should just source a new shell. Then I thought, why not build my own chassis and drop a shell over top. So to AutoCad I went.
After a few days and alot of planning I had my frame layout.
I cut and welded my rails from 2"x3" tubing.
Then I welded them up parallel and mounted the front subframe.
I went with a center x brace with a driveshaft loop. In designing the new frame I was able to move the engine backwards almost a foot and a half backwards. I moved the passenger compartment backward as well and brought the rear end forward towards the front by a few inches. I moved the front driveline up by 4 inches as well and spaced the rear end out 6 inches per side and the front by 4.5 inches per side. As of now with the z32 transmission and s13 diff, the driveshaft is under 3 feet long.
I started bending some tube.
And at the same time I split the shell off the original s13 body.
I pulled my VG apart to get a build going on it and picked up 2 sr’s as well just for the hell of it.
Mmm, dry sump
With the engine put aside for the time being I went ahead and figured out my suspension set up.
I got the first corner on the car and made pretty good progress from there.
Soon the front end was rolling.
A fresh coat of paint to stop surface rust and things were looking good.
Got the main hoop in next.
Then the halo and first A pillar.
And that is how it sits now. More updates to come!
