90' 240sx project

[Gus240]

I have owned this s13 240sx for quite a while but finally want to clean and mod it up. But i have no idea where to start. Swap engine? Suspension? Exhaust? Intake? I want to make this old run down piece of coal a shiny diamond. Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Thanks.

[BoostSlideWayz]

Suspension always is a big factor. I think the ka is a perfectly capable motor, but some people just like Sr's. really depends on your budget.

[Gus240]

Well it is going to be a work in progress. I dont want to drop 50k into it but im ok with putting a bit to make it good.

[ROOSEY]

i feel like it depends on you, your style, wether its gunna be a dialy or track lover, drag or drift, depends on what your going for. suspension always helps. and i agree the ka is a perfectly good motor, i do however perfer sr's if your gunna turbo a ka just buy a sr its alot easier in my opinion.

[Gus240]

i think it will be a fun car for the weekend. id love to drift but i know nothing of it. car has about 140k miles on it btw. dont know if that changed the need for a new one. turbo would be awesome.. but i think that will come with time. i just want a kick ass awesome performance car. and need a place to start and a plan.

[JustCallMePirate]

A good reliable engine would be a start, such high miles, the engine will start breaking apart little by little, not saying go sr, but a low mileage dohc that you can find cheap would be nice, then checking your car make sure you change everything that seems to need some work, and good suspension is always a good start aswell :D
Just make sure you have fun with it and enjoy it.

[ChicagoS14]

First start off by addressing the major issues.

- Fix suspension
- Fix / upgrade brakes
- Address other immediate issues: tuneup, battery, any major problems with car.

Then move on to the areas that you feel will be needed for whatever you want to use your car for, example: track use ( suspension ), drag use ( engine ) etc.

Once you have a rough idea of what you wanna do with the car itself then start by taking steps towards that goal. If you do not know what you hope to accomplish then you will be stuck doing a bunch of stuff that will either A) cost you a whole lot and not do much for you or B) will not work together too well.

Usually I would save the engine / power aspect for last. If you create a solid chassis that fun to drive and very good just about any power plant will allow you to do what you want to it. The car itself is light enough and handles well enough that you can drop almost any engine with so much as 250 - 300 hp and the car becomes a beast.

If you do not address any major areas before getting that power it will usually be an unsafe and generally unpleasant ride.

Soooo much info so little time...

[Gus240]

Thanks guys all info is helpful. I think one step i need to do is go to some car shows and get some ideas. Right now i think im leaning towards drift though.

[ROOSEY]

once you get the car maybe drive it for a little and do some local autocrosses. i thought i was gunna be into more drifting when i first got into the car obsession but autocrosses are hella fun!!! so im building my car over this winter for autocrossing. just do what you like. just whatever you do dont cheap out on parts theres alot of shady companies out there thatll take your money for what seems to be a good deal but they break and suck later down the road. deffinitly fix the problems and issues with the car first. then look into the motor aspect. if you have a low miles ka(which is hard to find these days) then id deff go for it. then do minor bolt ons and suspension. good luck with everything

[Gus240]

If i was to be going with daily driver / drifter on the weekends type car what are the major changed i would need compared to just track, or drag, or that type of thing. I just wanna know what ill need to research and look for.
Oh and i want a nice sounding exhaust, anyone have suggestions?

[DoobieS13]

make ur own intake and exhaust or get isis dual gt exhaust. cheap and loud. megan racing street coils, weld diff, steering wheel, seat, and/or shift knob if u want and go to town broski...and if u can afford some 16's w/ slight offset...yea. you can get all this under way under $3k and you can drift all day errday!

[ROOSEY]

^agreed deffinitly get some coils. megans are nice my friends all have them and love them and there not as expensive either. nice wheels are always a plus and a seat deffinitly helps. i hated my stock seat i was whiping all over smacking my head off the window it sucks lol. bought a sparco nonreclinable seat and that thing hugged me in.

[Gus240]

What kind of wheels should i be looking at? I tried searching and there is so much differences and stuff.... ha

[Rabboni]

Well if I were to start a build from the bottom, the first thing I would do is to get a good suspension setup. Start with arms, then buy some drivable coilovers at first. Next I would upgrade from 4 lug to 5, and at the same time upgrade the brakes too. After that I would concentrate on engine stuff. I think the ka is a perfectly capable motorset with cams and a few boltons, but most people here would disagree. Finally, you should finish off with appearance things like paint, and bodykits and flashy wheels. After all that you will have a really nice looking, and fun to drive car. By the way, most of this stuff could have been found with a simple search.

[90white240]

Where ever you want to atleast thats what I did.

[Sileighty_85]

Wow, as if this doesn't get covered 10 times a week.

"Hey guys i got a 240sx, whats should i do to it??"

Think for yourself. look through ppls build threads, do what you want to do to it.

[ThatGuy]

Go out and buy an imagination. Then maybe you can think for yourself.

:lockd: