Land Speed 240SX Build Thread

[hybrid DET]

Hi everyone,

Since I've been "lurking" on this forum since '04, I figured it was time I actually create my first thread. I'm currently building an S13 hatch with the goals of joining the Bonneville 200 mph club and breaking the SCTA blown gas coupe (BGC) "G" class record.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-fv7q2m8/0/M/IMG0186-M.jpg

I first went to Bonneville a few years back in my SR20DET powered 1988 Sentra to join the USFRA 130 and 150 mph clubs. After battling the weather for two years I was finally able to get the job done.

http://image.modified.com/f/18237366+w750+st0/sccp_0807_02_z+1988_nissan_sentra_b12+side_view.jp g http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-KBjx28W/0/M/IMG1457-2-M.jpg

Here's a you tube clip below of my 159 MPH run. Skip ahead in the video. Unfortunately, I didn't have any video editing software back then.

B12 Sentra at 159 MPH - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sTapiyw-E)

Ever since, I've been wanting to go back to conquer the 200 mph club but this time in my S13 hatch. I couldn't bring myself to tear apart my street driven S13 so I ended up buying another hatch.

Update 4/24/12:

For those of you wanting to read more in depth on the project click here (http://www.motoiq.com/projects/nissan/project_nissan_240sx_land_speed_racer.aspx) for some detailed articles. Thanks!

[hybrid DET]

We started out by gutting out the interior

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-3ZBxQz9/0/M/IMG4529-M.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-cT8F33v/0/M/IMG4557-M.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-v4DKTcC/0/M/IMG4722-M.jpg
Once the interior was stripped out we used dry ice to remove the sound deadening.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-9rmcGL2/0/M/IMG4782-M.jpg
Heat on other areas...

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-w59SWMk/0/L/IMG4605-L.jpg
Then used a wire wheel to remove all the left over crap.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-gTBswxQ/0/M/IMG5899-M.jpghttp://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-ffv9Hvd/0/M/IMG4581-M.jpg

We used a grinder and a spot weld drill to remove random brackets in the interior.

More to come...

[ixfxi]

can i have your interior if there are still parts leftover?

i could use all that, thanks

[s-cargo]

sweet b12!! what motor trans do you plan on using in the s13??

[10psitx]

great project, please keep us updated on your progress...
We are also planning a few projects for this year. namely a texas mile s14 coupe and a rwd conversion on an Infiniti g20 to help showcase our fabrication skills, as we are currently putting a shop together. Good luck with your build, looks to be off to a good start.

[conrad_s13.5]

motoiq watermarks,...means this will probably be amazing

[ixfxi]

motoiq watermarks,...means this will probably be amazing

motoiq = mike kojimas grubby hands are all over this


btw, kinda shocked that they used a torch to remove that deadening. thats a kinda roundabout way of doing it, imo.

[nomoremk2]

Very cool to see something different being done with the 240. I'll be watching this.

[hybrid DET]

m


btw, kinda shocked that they used a torch to remove that deadening. thats a kinda roundabout way of doing it, imo.

The sound deadening in some areas can't be removed by the dry ice method. Instead, we had to use a torch, melt, and scrape it off in those areas.

...and sorry, the interior is already gone.

[hybrid DET]

sweet b12!! what motor trans do you plan on using in the s13??

Thanks for the compliment on the B12. Its been in my family since it was new and I've been building it since about '93. It was featured in SCC a while back... I'm sure its floating around the net somewhere.

I'll be using a SR20DET at the factory 2.0L displacement since that is the ceiling for the SCTA "G" engine class. The transmission I'm going to use is still in the air, but I do have a 3.133 FD that'll help get me across the 200 mph mark.

[TheRealSy90]

Looking forward to updates.

A putty knife and rubber mallet would have got the fender tar off with a quickness. Did my whole car that way in a hour, way better than dry ice but more labor intensive haha.

[s13 @ fullboost]

what motor and trans set up did you have in mind?

[Crondy]

wtfiwantupdates

[hybrid DET]

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-kg66qSV/0/M/IMG0956-M.jpg

Removing the glass preparing for the cage fab...

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-KkWVVTv/0/M/IMG0999-M.jpg

Off to Pierce Motorsports (http://www.piercemotorsports.com/) in Torrance for the cage.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-k97nCRn/0/M/IMG0980-M.jpg

Main hoop, diagnol, and a pillar bars in place.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-5w3kJZ6/1/M/JEF8703-M.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-n9PKBh9/1/M/JEF8699-M.jpg

A-pillar gusseting

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-4XkHwLR/1/M/JEF8698-M.jpg

B-Pillar gusseting

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-8wGZQTP/1/M/JEF8730-M.jpg

[89JDM240sx]

Good stuff looking good so far!

[KravingAKouki]

wow that would be so fun to compete in man, goodluck with the build man. always wanted a hatch to build for something crazy. i think i found my goal haha nice build man

[RunninWild]

Rad! Do you plan on having it ready this year?

[hybrid DET]

Rad! Do you plan on having it ready this year?

I hope to have it done in time to run a few shake down runs at El Mirage and secure the necessary licensing. Then, Speed Week in August!

[sil80d]

Was the b12 at jccs a few years back?

[Imarvin240]

nice looking cage, excited to see this done!

[hybrid DET]

Was the b12 at jccs a few years back?

yes sir. its been there a couple times.

[hybrid DET]

Started working on the suspension bits. Ended up installing some KW variant 3 bodied coilovers with the KW's competition internals. Pretty trick set up.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-DwQbRSh/0/L/IMG2338-L.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-f4TfcXD/0/L/IMG2697-L.jpg

You can read more on it here (http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles/id/2463/project-land-speed-racer-240sx-kw-suspension.aspx).

Next up, some SPL Pro Suspension goodness.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-3wwCPDC/0/L/IMG2363-L.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-fTVdZwb/0/L/IMG2470-L.jpg

[hybrid DET]

I havent really updated this thread in awhile and just realized that I never put up pictures of the finished cage. Enjoy!

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-VkgqppC/0/L/IMG1188-L.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-r8jzvsb/0/L/IMG2296-L.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-9dQ3vCc/0/L/IMG1198-L.jpg

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-n2SQF9T/0/L/IMG1212-L.jpg

Here's (http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles/id/2350/project-land-speed-racer-240sx-chassis-prep-and-roll-cage-fabrication.aspx)a link to the article on the cage build.

[WanganNastyMachine]

Subscribing! Awesome build this far. What did you use to coat your wheel wells? I reallyl like the way it came out.

Mike

[pacotaco345]

Wow.. this car has better suspension than most that actually go around corners. Cool build!

[hybrid DET]

Subscribing! Awesome build this far. What did you use to coat your wheel wells? I reallyl like the way it came out.

Mike

We used POR-15 to coat the wheel wells hoping that it would give a bit more corrosion resistance against the salt of Bonneville. The silver is UV sensitive so if its in an area that sees a lot of sun, you definitely need to top coat it. We'll see how it holds up in the wheel well when we race at El mirage. It will have to withstand being pelted by a lot of rocks and other debris.

[WanganNastyMachine]

We used POR-15 to coat the wheel wells hoping that it would give a bit more corrosion resistance against the salt of Bonneville. The silver is UV sensitive so if its in an area that sees a lot of sun, you definitely need to top coat it. We'll see how it holds up in the wheel well when we race at El mirage. It will have to withstand being pelted by a lot of rocks and other debris.

I figured it was a corrosion protection coating considering what the car is being built for.

Amazing work on the chassis thus far, I'll be staying tuned. Best of luck to you sir!

[Flicktitty]

pretty cool stuff thus far. Best of luck with it.

What power plant?

[hybrid DET]

Wow.. this car has better suspension than most that actually go around corners. Cool build!


Yeah, it's actually a bit overkill for a land speed car. Since my wife and I use to race with NASA, I wanted to build the car so it could be used for road racing after I get these Bonneville thing out of my system.

[hybrid DET]

pretty cool stuff thus far. Best of luck with it.

What power plant?

We are currently running a 2.0L SR20DET for one engine class and then building a 92 MM stroker SR20DET (2,162 cc) on the side for the next class up.

[OBEEWON]

That cage is pants party.

So trick bro.

[Matej]

Do the salt flats cause cars to rust, or is it not bad since I assume it is very dry there? I have always wondered. It seems that driving on that much salt a 240SX would rust to death before reaching the finish line. :)

[hybrid DET]

The salt is super tough on cars. After two days of running on the salt, I thoroughly rinsed and cleaned my Sentra. Even then, oxidation began to occur on the under carriage and also parts like the axles and even the ECU body! Every once in awhile I find a chuck of salt on the garage floor which fell out of some crevice of the bumper. I think after running Bonneville, I am going to have tear down the entire S13 and clean it even more thoroughly.

[ixfxi]

i vividly recall seeing a car at the nissan museum at nissan HQ that was a salt flat car, there was salt in every crevice... and the car had been cleaned. i would say, imagine it like when you put something in a blast cabinet for cleaning.... that shit gets adhered on a microscopic level

[D.Adams]

You sir are awesome. I have always wanted to build a 240 land speed car. Cane wait to see how this car turns out.

The cage looks good like the tie in th did the the rear frame.

Subscribed

[hybrid DET]

i vividly recall seeing a car at the nissan museum at nissan HQ that was a salt flat car, there was salt in every crevice... and the car had been cleaned. i would say, imagine it like when you put something in a blast cabinet for cleaning.... that shit gets adhered on a microscopic level

Yeah, I've seen that car too. It was an Infiniti Q45 I believe. It was a shame to see it there sitting on four flat front runners and salt jammed in every crevice still. I tried to get that car when Nissan picked up and moved to Tennessee, but they decided to take it with them along with the rest of the historic cars. Hell, it was worth a shot.

[hybrid DET]

Almost done with the suspension portion of the build.

http://photos.motoiq.com/photos/i-dn3ZpNm/0/O/i-dn3ZpNm.jpg

SPL Pro Suspension Goodies!

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-gjkGTbQ/0/L/IMG2371-L.jpg

mmm, no more factory toe adjustment!
http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-QShGSjw/0/L/end-link-L.jpg

SPL RUCAs

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-GZM9S8T/0/L/IMG2449-L.jpg

Added some Energy Suspension bushings to what ever was not replaced with SPL's spherical bearings.

http://photos.motoiq.com/MotoIQ/Project-Cars/LSR-S13/i-z2ZpRLC/0/L/rear-hub-L.jpg

New article on that here (http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles/id/2542/project-240sx-land-speed-racer-spl-pro-suspension-bits-and-more.aspx)

Got to finish up the suspension and work on the brakes next. I'm Running out of time before speed week!