Winter beater drifto build

**Brendan** · 10-30-2009, 11:58 PM

I guess this is the section for this? GTS engine at least

I'm just going to copy-paste my posts from another forum, forgot to post this up here until now.

10-21-2009:
Some of you know my beater, some of you don't. I bought it earlier in the year as a DD. It's a '90 240sx coupe, fully loaded LE model SOHC automatic, completely stock... kind of rusty car but I had it cert & e'd, on the road and plated for $700 so I can't complain.

Now I've been screwing with it non-stop because I don't like it and want to make it better. So far I have:
-Welded the frame rails back together
-Patched a couple holes in the floor
-S14 black leather seats
-5 speed swap
-DOHC engine swap with 2 exhaust cams (bigger than the stock intake cam), header and intake
-Built a 2.5" exhaust with a Flowmaster 40 series under the car... sounds very different than a usual can style exhaust everyone else does.
-Tien type NR suspension
-91+ 7 spoke wheels
-OEM side skirts and front lip

Just picked up an RB25DET (2.5L turbo 6 cylinder from a Skyline) motorset today for the 240, it's stock other than a GReddy BOV. List of things to do:
-Weld engine/tranny mounts for the RB
-Modify/combine the KA and RB wiring harnesses so it works.
-Already have a custom built drive shaft for the swap that I got a while ago
-Fabricate a downpipe
-Install Walbro 255 fuel pump
-Fabricate FMIC piping and mount FMIC
-Install Apexi SAFC and multichecker, getting those tomorrow
-Remove all power steering and de-power my power steering rack (remove the seals inside)
-Remove all A/C lines, compressor, condenser, etc.
-Boost controller
-Steal the boost gauge and wideband out of the GTR since it's parked for the winter now
-get my winter tires tires mounted on my gold meshie wheels and throw them on the car
I think that's it.

Car when I got it.

Car from a few weeks ago... doesn't have the skirts or lip on in this picture.

New motor:

Screw these pesky things (AC & PS)...

**Brendan** · 10-30-2009, 11:59 PM

10-22-2009:
So I ended up falling asleep last night instead of doing the harness, so I'm doing it right now.

Starting to strip the loom:

Stripped unnecessary parts and traced all the necessary wires, just need to splice in the S13 stuff now. Yes, I am eating Halloween candy and Doritos while I make the harness.

Might wait until next week to put the motor in now because I need a car on Saturday.

**Brendan** · 10-31-2009, 12:01 AM

10-23-2009:
The motor I picked up ended up being bad. It would turn past 4 cylinders then stop dead, then I could turn it backwards 4 cylinders and it would stop dead... my best guess is a bent rod hitting the cylinder wall but I'm not sure nor do I care.

It was from Japan Direct in Mississauga, IMO they're the best importer around the GTA. I have bought so many motors from them without a problem that I don't even bother to check them out before I take them home, just unlucky on this one.

Took it back and they exchanged it no problem, no hassles or anything. They just turned it over by hand until it stopped and agreed that it was bad and let me choose one of the other 5 they had in stock, checked it out and loaded it up. They even let me take the intake tube and motor mounts from the original one because the ones on the new motor were damaged.

Plus the new one came with a ballin' aluminum oil cap. JDM tyte.

And that kids, is why you pay the few hundred more to not have to deal with Tiger.

Motor swap starts Tuesday now.

**Brendan** · 10-31-2009, 12:02 AM

10-27-2009:
Well, motor is out of the 240, welded a couple little patches, have a couple more to do tomorrow yet before the motor goes in... then weld up the engine mounts and I'll be laughing.

Going to cut the throttle body off the side of the plenum and weld it to the front so piping the FMIC is easier, the TB over the top of the motor is ridiculous, I don't know why they did that.

Also, valve covers are sweet green, should look awesome in the black engine bay. Now pictures!

I am cooler than the Fonz.

**Brendan** · 10-31-2009, 12:03 AM

10-28-2009:
Todays progress:
Assembled engine bay
Put in wiring harness and ECU
Mounted intercooler
Re-assembled engine
Blocked off ridiculous side mount throttle body and cut the hole for TB relocation
Sat the engine in the car
Fabricated the transmission cross member, started the engine mount brackets.
Walbro 255 fuel pump installed
One piece drive shaft installed
Made and installed the lower harness (starter, alternator, tranny sensors, etc.

The motor should fire if I plug the wiring harness in and put a battery in. It'll be running tomorrow.

Pictures from today:

**Brendan** · 10-31-2009, 12:05 AM

10-29-2009
Today's update:

Mounts finished
Hot side IC piping finished
Intake finished
Intake Manifold modifications finished and all installed
All wiring and plumbing except a couple vacuum lines and the MAF sensor is finished
Old ass JDM oil is changed out

To do tomorrow:
Cold side IC piping
MAF wiring
Couple vacuum leaks to tie up
Tranny fluid
Install shifter
Fill the cooling system
Put the bumper back on
BURNOUTS

And it runs! Just started it for the first time before leaving the shop tonight. Started First try, no BS... pretty happy with that. Runs pretty good considering there is no MAF sensor wiring and some vacuum leaks... and that the motor hasn't been run since it was in Japan.

The video is of the second time starting up.

**Brendan** · 10-31-2009, 12:06 AM

10-30-2009:
Started Tuesday morning, I drove the car there at about 10AM and began tearing it down... showed up at 9AM the next 3 days and worked til about 2-3AM each day except today, I was done around 9PM. I am going to sleep forever tonight, I am unbelievably exhausted.

And done.

Few issues to work out, but I'm driving it now.

-coolant leak, some old crusty hose that I didn't notice before putting the motor in, it isn't gushing so I'm putting it off until sometime next week, it's in a gross spot.
-motor is against the firewall, I actually meant to do this for it to be as far back as possible to reduce the effect of the increased front weight. I neglected to clearance the firewall so I'll take a BFH to it whenever I do the clutch... it's stock so I'm sure it won't be long before I murder it.
-speedo reads low, about half what it should. This is expected with the swap, I just have to figure out how to calibrate my speedo, I know you can.
-tach reads high, it's a 4cylinder tach on a 6 cylinder so that's expected, I can either recalibrate it or swap in a tach from a skyline cluster, it just screws in after taking the cluster apart.
-couldn't find a flange for either of the BOVs I have kicking around so I'm just compressor surging all to hell right now, it's pretty sweet.

Other than that I couldn't be happier, runs and drives awesome... lots of power, sounds amazing and probably gets better gas mileage than the hurtin' KA that was in before... it ran like a big bag of smashed assholes.

Anyway, pictures!

Clearances are pretty tight, just the way I wanted:

Please excuse the ugliness of my tranny cross member, if you look up "function over form" in the dictionary I think they're going to add a picture of this thing in.

Had to trim a bit of the hood bracing to clear the stupid throttle cable bracket I made, I worked SO hard to make the TB fit under the stock hood bracing then couldn't find any way to make the bracket fit, most annoying.

The car sits kind of low with the new motor.

All done, ready to drive home.