S13.5 conversion details

[vshourt]

I think this is my first post on this website, so I'll give a little background. I own a 1990 300ZX NA, which is a very fun little car. Unfortunately, I became obsessed with upgrading soon after I bought the car. Sadly, I feel that the non-turbo is a dead end when it comes to upgrading, in terms of the "bang-for-the-buck" factor alone. After determining that the 300ZX TT is too heavy (and expensive) for my tastes, I decided to look into 240sx/silvias. I feel that they are closer to the original Z's than the 300s are anyway. This brings me to my current problem...I think that the 180sx front ends on usdm 240sxs are hideous. It just seems so uninspiring...plus I hate flip lights. The obvious solution is a front end conversion. After some consideration, I am leaning towards a sil-eighty conversion. Now I know that an s13 silvia front end conversion is the simplest (100% bolt on, right? Correct me if I'm wrong here...), but I really like the way that the s15 front end complements the curves of the 180sx rear end. Which brings me to the point of this post...can anyone detail the s15 conversion requirements and expenses, either in a post or through a website. Through my research, I estimate a cost of around $3000 (without paint). Is this realistic? Thanks for you help,
Van

PS- I'll try not to make my posts this long in the future :doh:

[zenkiDori]

first, just to be a dick about technicalities. with an S15 front end it's not going to be an S13.5. that would mean you are putting an S14 front on. and that's a gay name that magazines made up anyways, the whole x.5 thing. it'll be a strawberry face sileighty or ichigo dan sileighty. or just a sileighty.

second: http://www.jspec.com/s15conversion.html

be aware that you will not be able to use any aftermarket hoods or fenders. so you'd have to have a hood custom made if you wanted a drop vent or anything like that(or if you like, VIS racing sells some rather ricey conversion hoods). also, if you ever crash, the lights are expensive to replace.

my advice, is learn to drive on the tracks or go to drift days with the normal US front end on. you are going to crash eventually anyways. it's inevitable, everyone does. even tsuchiya. so before you embark on a project that is so time and money consuming, learn to drive and drift well, and then see if it is worth it to you afterwads.

this is what i had planned to do when i first got into 240s, but after some reasearch, i felt that it was not worth the hassle and expense.

good luck with your project and driving!

[vshourt]

Thanks for the info. So, if the 13.5 is some thing those magazines made up, what about those other names? Like 1580, etc? I just want to avoid being like those guys out there getting all of their tech info from tf&tf crap. I understand that the conversion is difficult, but looks are important to me. After owning my Z, I want to go for something that looks seamless and streamlined. The hood thing shouldn't be to much of a problem...I'm not into that ricey vented crap everywhere. Silvias aren't ugly like hondas...no need to hide their shape with millions of excess, functionless vents.

[FRpilot]

you need a custom s15 hood? i think there is a way to use aftermarket s15 hoods. doesn't jspec site give some alternatives.

[zenkiDori]

the S15 is wider than the S13, so the hood will not fit. i have not yet seen a conversion kit that makes this possible, only S15 front bumpers.

1580 is another made up term. anyone i have spoken to who is from japan, and all the japanese websites i visit(use babelfish combined with my LIMITED knowledge of japanese) just call them sileighties. if you want to get specific, ichigo dan etc. etc.

west yokohama is the maker of the kit predominatly used in japan. some people make thier own fenders, i think signal does. takakaira sells that kit.

this was my dream a few years ago, but after much research decided it's not worth it. besides, i'm moving to japan in a few years anyway and hope to buy a real S15. but if you have the money and resources to deal with repairs after crashes and such, go right ahead.

if you are not going to actually use the car for drift or racing, i suggest you go buy another car. cars like this are meant to be driven, not just shown off and looked at. so if you are after it for the show like most people, please, go buy another car, but if the car will actually see some use and get sideways, go for it and best of luck to you.

p.s. i do not recommend buying anything from VIS, i have seen several examples of thier products, and look like some guy made it in his basement with little experience.

[SilviaDriver]

who said s13s need a custom hood to make it fit? the only thing u need to do is get the latch relocated. u dont need no customed s13 to s15 hood. thats BS. either u get ur latch relocated a bit..or get s15 hood latches.

so..zenkiDori...ur telling me..every person with a s15 conversion on their s13 used a SPECIAL hood? thats juss stupid. any info to back it up? that they need a special hood?

also my vis hood doesnt look like its made in somebody's basement

[elevator]

The major difference between the S15 front and the S13 front (fitment-wise) is the back portion of the front fenders. The leading edge of the S15 doors is at a different angle.

S13.5.......WTF is THAT? Everybody has a different name for stuff. I have never heard of an S13.5 until recently some rookie used it at club240.com. :rolleyes:

[zenkiDori]

Originally posted by SilviaDriver
who said s13s need a custom hood to make it fit? the only thing u need to do is get the latch relocated. u dont need no customed s13 to s15 hood. thats BS. either u get ur latch relocated a bit..or get s15 hood latches.

so..zenkiDori...ur telling me..every person with a s15 conversion on their s13 used a SPECIAL hood? thats juss stupid. any info to back it up? that they need a special hood?

also my vis hood doesnt look like its made in somebody's basement

the hood will come with the conversion kit. i e-mailed and called almost every suplier of kits, even the west yokohama kit, and got the same answer. no hood made to fit on the real S15 will fit. you can have a body shop make a different hood based on your hood that came with the kit, or some places make different style hoods. this is another reason i decided not to do this.

the only work from VIS i have seen is thier carbon fiber hoods. in every hood i saw there was a lot of fibers shifting, a few snags, etc. and they aren't that sturdy from the look of it either. one guy can't leave his hood up for long because it'll bend too much and not close. this is what i base my opinion of VIS on, that and they make mainly ricer kits.

[Dousan_PG]

sil80=s13 silva face on s13 fastback (180sx) body
1580=s15 face on s13 (180sx) fastback body
s14.5=s15 face on s14
s1345=s13 silvia face on s14 body with s15 taillights
s1480=s14 face on s13 fastback (180sx) body
onevia=180sx front (popups) on silvia (s13 or s14 or s15) body

i dont know what a skyline front on s13 would be.....

[Maeda]

a sky-80 perhaps....

most likely a i-have-much-too-much-money-and-i-should-donate-some-to-those-in-need-like-maeda-on-zilva.net...

in SCC they call RB powered 240s sil-lines :rolls eyes:

thats also why im not renewing my subscription this year...

[zenkiDori]

Originally posted by dousan36
sil80=s13 silva face on s13 fastback (180sx) body
1580=s15 face on s13 (180sx) fastback body
s14.5=s15 face on s14
s1345=s13 silvia face on s14 body with s15 taillights
s1480=s14 face on s13 fastback (180sx) body
onevia=180sx front (popups) on silvia (s13 or s14 or s15) body

i dont know what a skyline front on s13 would be.....

sileighty = any silvia front on 180SX.

[DuffMan]

Theres a really good thread about this in the FAQ section from a long time ago.

[vshourt]

I didn't know that this was such a debated subject. Oh well, if I get a 240, I guess I probably won't do an s15 conversion simply because of repair costs and the hassle of sourcing parts. I know all about those with my Z... but what's the point of having a toy if you don't play with it :)? Playing is expensive though (I'm on my third front fascia). I guess an s13 silvia conversion will stand out enough. And once again, s13 conversions ARE bolt on, right?
-Van

[Rogue]

zenkiDori <-------------- :bs:

dont listen to anything he says.. most of his post was "as it says above"

[elevator]

Originally posted by zenkiDori
sileighty = any silvia front on 180SX.
Agreed...all those other "titles" are really just some arbitrary lingo that somebody just came up with in their free time.

[zenkiDori]

Originally posted by Rogue
zenkiDori <-------------- :bs:

dont listen to anything he says.. most of his post was "as it says above"
so prove me wrong. this is a tech talk section, not **** talk section. so unless you have any actual technical knowledge to share, don't post. if you can find any information good enough to prove west yokohama, jspec.com, autoimaging.com, takakaira.com, and many japanese tuners/clubs wrong, i'll gladly conceed the argument.

[Bhova35]

you guys know that extreme dimensions make a complete kit with a carbon fiber hood for the s13 for 2000 plus shipping

[Bhova35]

I know for a fact they make a carbon fiber hood for s13 conversion last week was hot import nights and there was like 3 s13s with conversions and they all had carbon fiber hoods

[Rogue]

here is on post (http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB9&Number=364557&Forum=All_Forums&Words=strawberry%20face&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=363200&Search=true#Post364557)

need more?


As Ihave read and as I have seen , all that is required to use a s15 hood is the fabrication of new brackets for the hood. The hood also can be used in conjunction with the s15 core/radiator support. thanks and good-by. lol.

[zenkiDori]

i don't understand how that is supposed to prove anything. i'll trust shop owners and tuners before i ever trust some desktop drifter.

[Rogue]

Originally posted by zenkiDori
desktop drifter.

Thanks, didn't know i drifted.

Anyway, what I was also saying is that I know of two people who did it the same way as I stated before.

Im not saying that there are not kits that can you can buy for the conversion, but there are way to use stock parts that will look as good or evern better, with parts than can be replaced. =)

BTW, never drifted before. :p

[zenkiDori]

Originally posted by Rogue
Thanks, didn't know i drifted.
...
BTW, never drifted before. :p

desktop drifter denotes internet poser. like you spend more time being a jackass on internet forums than you do seriously driving or tuning.

[Rogue]

ouch.. thats mean... this is my last reply... anyway i think if you take a look at my 600 post on FA it would be quite different. or you can ask the many people on the board that I know, of I am a jackass. lol, i dont mean to get you all fired up about the BS comment. sorry if i hurt you. have a great day.

desktop drifter denotes internet poser - yeah sure, i have a real job and only find fun in replying to you. anyways man I'm sorry, lets be friends now! ok no more mean replies. :bow:

[ruf]

Originally posted by zenkiDori
desktop drifter denotes internet poser. like you spend more time being a jackass on internet forums than you do seriously driving or tuning. Wow. You're really into definitions. Call it what you want. People know what you mean. And it all looks like crap anyways.

[Rogue]

hi ruf

[zenkiDori]

the thing that ****ed me off was how you went about disagreeing with me. that's fine if you disagree, but there's no reason to act like an *** about it. i'm very sure you could MAKE stock S15 panels and hood fit on damn near any car out there, but it requires quite a bit of modification. so you can't just bolt a hood or the fenders right on.

next time instead of calling BS and telling people to never listen to anything i have to say, why not approach it like, "well, from what i have seen ..." or something like that. don't just come out of the blue, call BS and give no reason or facts to back it up.

i'm not going to keep haiting on you for one thing, so like you said, let's be friends.

[Rogue]

Originally posted by zenkiDori
the thing that ****ed me off was how you went about disagreeing with me. that's fine if you disagree, but there's no reason to act like an *** about it. i'm very sure you could MAKE stock S15 panels and hood fit on damn near any car out there, but it requires quite a bit of modification. so you can't just bolt a hood or the fenders right on.

next time instead of calling BS and telling people to never listen to anything i have to say, why not approach it like, "well, from what i have seen ..." or something like that. don't just come out of the blue, call BS and give no reason or facts to back it up.

i'm not going to keep haiting on you for one thing, so like you said, let's be friends.

yes it was highly inappropriate of me, accept my apology!!

[zenkiDori]

heheh, ACCEPTED!!! YOU ACCEPT MINE!!!
lol, i can hardly believe i said all that ish, i've been under lots of stress lately, heheh.

James: if you look at the origins of the sileighty, you'll find that it's roots are firmly planted in racing and drifting. i am a huge fan of the sileighty, and silvias and any nissan that can be used as a great performance car. my S14 is far more than just a car to me, i think that people who think cars are just cars cannot truly appreciate them, and i wonder why i see these people building cars. i think it's a terrible waste of a good car if someone were to only make one for show. that, to me, is more suited to the honda crowd. so rather than see a good car go to waste, i'd suggest getting a different car. i could never give the owner of such a show car any respect. of course, this is all my opinion.

and yes, i AM moving to japan, after i finish college. believe me or not, i don't really care. i was just trying to illustrate that since i have such an opportunity, i'd rather just go buy a real S15.

[vshourt]

Well, just to clear up my intentions, I never really considered drifting on a track. I mean, I like to break out the rear end of my Z around corners and all, but I really can't afford the maintenance costs of putting a car through a lot of abuse. I generally treat my car well. Not to say I baby it, but I try to avoid breaking stuff. What I take real pleasure in is modifying to make it my car, not just the car I own. Know what I mean? I tend to do this to lots of things I own. Anyway, I like both mechanical and visual modifications. Sure, I'd have fun with a 240 if I decide to buy one, but I doubt I will be crashing it. Oh well, famous last words...