Proving a point, S-Chassis cars can be built cool on a budget. TheFro's Daily S14

[thefro526]

So, I don't have an E46 anymore so I needed a new daily. I went back and forth between older cars and newer cars and I finally settled on an S14 for the time being.

When I was looking for S14's, I decide that I wanted to put together a car on a reasonable budget, so I picked out $7,000 as my number - including the cost of the car. My number one priority was making something that was one color, tasteful and cool.

Here's how I bought it, base model S14, converted to 5-speed, 5-lug, sitting on stance coils with Z32 brakes.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/img_13281.jpg?w=608&h=454

First purchase was a set of LED kouki tails... not sure why I bought them but they're kind of cool.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img_13461.jpg?w=608&h=454

Then I bought some skirts and rear valances off of a friend of a friend.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img_1394.jpg?w=608&h=454

Found a Navan Bumper on eBay and scooped it up. Shipped from Japan, only took like a week to get here.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/img_1408.jpg?w=608&h=454

Another shot of the front, I think I took it to compare the headlights pre and post polish.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_1468.jpg?w=608&h=454

Bought some Rota Grids and mocked them up on the car. Super Sketch.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/hella-flush.jpg?w=608&h=454

Car on the ground after mounting some 225/40/18 Falken 452's to the Grids.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_1525.jpg?w=608&h=454

Got the car out of the driveway for the first time... Only took 10 minutes.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/photo-1.jpg?w=640

POS S13 and the S14.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_1578.jpg?w=608&h=454

Bought a clean black hood off of a friend at some point, also tinted the corners amber.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_1594.jpg?w=608&h=454

Then I took the car apart for paint.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_1611.jpg?w=608&h=454

Creeped by the paint shop one day, saw my car sitting out front.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53934155/IMG_1660.JPG

Got the car home and dyed the front and rear seats black. (not sure why picture is upside down, long hair, don't care.)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53934155/IMG_1676.JPG

Put the interior back together.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53934155/IMG_1685.JPG

Put the car back together and attempted to align it to be somewhat straight. At this point I cleaned up some of the inner fender stuff and leveled out the car. Also installed RUCA's and replaced a worn tie rod end.

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/img_1688.jpg

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/img_1689.jpg

Second day on the road, stopped by the mall to buy some pants and sweaters.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53934155/IMG_1709.JPG

Rico at 215 Motoring hooked me up with some tint. 35% all around, awesome job.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/53934155/IMG_1710.JPG

Then I washed it and drove it to the FDR meet. (images are hosted on FB, might not be visible to some)

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/9041_2472912640038_1022769877_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/403595_4797769068439_1644282910_n.jpg

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/546978_10151058127077693_862744541_n1.jpg

The last two were taken by a guy named Mike Young at a meet. Pictures came out awesome.

Car still needs some work, little maintenance stuff, an alignment, some spacers, etc, but for right now I'm having a blast driving it.

All in all, I think I'm somewhere in the $7500-$8000 total in the car. If I didn't buy things like floor mats, tail lights, suspension arms, etc, I'd have met my budget goal of $7,000 no problem.

I'd like to think that this is proof that some of you guys out there working entry level jobs and already own S-Chassis can make your car into something reasonably cool with $3000-$4000 into the car... Which really isn't much at all.

[Captain Falcon]

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading about your build! Nice, clean and unique car. Props to you for practically staying on budget, my budget constantly changes as I want more and more lol

[Fries]

Good stuff man! I'm literally going for the same look body-wise.

Too many people get caught up in the "race car" bs. You don't need to strip your interior and do weird mods that take away from creature comforts for a bitchin s-chassis. Good example of a fun and great looking car.

[racso_dor]

good job mate !

[thefro526]

Thanks guys, this car is probably the one I feel most connected to of all I've owned or turned wrenches on, and it's definitely been an excellent ongoing learning experience. There's this part of me that wants to continue to attempt to make it perfect, which is where I've been going since this thread was originally written - as shown above, the car looked the part and drove better than most S-Chassis on the road, but it definitely wasn't 'right' by any means. In the state it was in, it could have been driven for a good while without too much issue, but I felt compelled to chase every little thing that I came across until it didn't bother me anymore.

Ill throw together an update post soon, I think I've put just around 12k-13k miles on the car since it was painted and put on the road, and a lot of interesting stuff has happened.

[NoPistons!]

Little bit of taste and patience goes a long way. Beautiful car. Love the corners

[FaLKoN240]

I kinda liked it more when it was multi color...

Any of those colors it was would've been better than the final one.

Nonetheless clean build, on a budget, no less!

[OBEEWON]

Love this car so much. Even better in person.

[ixfxi]

obee
how did you get a s14 body kit for your e46?

[supersayianjim]

how much did your paint job cost?? and is it a stage 2??

[SuperLame]

Cool build. How is the seat dye holding up?

[SupaDoopa]

I heard people dying their seats and the color getting all over them when it gets humid out. Hopefully they doesn't happen or that would absolutely suck. Also, if you went OEM pearl white, I feel like it would do the car a lot more justice but pretty dope none the less. I bet the paint was the most expensive part.

[OBEEWON]

obee
how did you get a s14 body kit for your e46?

hahahaha. crap we should do pictures together.

[nastymilk]

Are you going to plan an engine swap of some sort? Or are you going to keep rocking the KA for the foreseeable future? Awesome build btw, I LOVE that color.:bigok:

[Mikester]

Are the door jambs, under the trunk, hood & engine bay the same new color as the car?

Rims are SICK!

[Got Insulin?]

I kinda liked it more when it was multi color...

Any of those colors it was would've been better than the final one.

Nonetheless clean build, on a budget, no less!

Unfortunately, the car's color is sort of an oddball and it does not photograph well. It's a good deal more subdued and greenish in person.

[510-SR20DET]

Can you list the price of everything including the car? I am having doubts. the decent paint alone would be 2000-3000. JDM tail lights and that navan bumper aint cheap either.

[Big Zee]

^ if you look for deals its possible. also he hasn't said how long its taken him so I doubt its a week long or 2 week build which would cost a lot more as parts become a premium.

I like the color I see, you sir did a great job on this S14.
creature compforts are where its at, my next big mod will be puting in a AC system with a DCC so it looks modern and will have cold air haha

[thefro526]

Little bit of taste and patience goes a long way. Beautiful car. Love the corners

Thanks dude, the corners are now clear, there are new pictures below.

I kinda liked it more when it was multi color...

Any of those colors it was would've been better than the final one.

Nonetheless clean build, on a budget, no less!

The color is a love it or hate it thing - half the time, I hate the color, especially when it's really sunny. Any way, thanks for the kind words.

Love this car so much. Even better in person.

<3

obee
how did you get a s14 body kit for your e46?

Laughed my ass off at this.

how much did your paint job cost?? and is it a stage 2??

Paint alone was $800, including the additional fees for the door jams, trunk jam and that stuff - which IIRC, was an extra 250-300. There was also $800 in body work done, primarily on the doors and quarters.

Cool build. How is the seat dye holding up?

~15-16k later, the dye isn't that bad. The driver's seat is starting to 'grey' a bit, but the passenger seat and rear seats are pretty solid. I haven't seen any transfer to clothing yet. In a perfect world there's probably some finishing product to use that will 'seal' the dye and make it stay it's color longer, but I'm not sure what that would be. If you're dailying a car and the seats are dyed, I'd imagine you'd need to re-dye them every 6 months or so to keep them fresh.

I heard people dying their seats and the color getting all over them when it gets humid out. Hopefully they doesn't happen or that would absolutely suck. Also, if you went OEM pearl white, I feel like it would do the car a lot more justice but pretty dope none the less. I bet the paint was the most expensive part.

Paint actually wasn't the most expensive part, lol. If you include paint and body work, then yes. But otherwise, not paint alone. Also, I haven't gotten any color transfer from the seat yet, or at least none that I've noticed. I'd imagine it'd be most likely to happen while the paint is fresh and the weather is warm, but in my case, I dyed the seats in the fall, and they didn't see +80 deg weather for a good 6 months after that.

hahahaha. crap we should do pictures together.

Yes.

Are the door jambs, under the trunk, hood & engine bay the same new color as the car?

Rims are SICK!

The door jambs, visible surfaces of the trunk, and a Handful of other 'missed spots' are teal like the car. The underside of the hood is still black, and I painted some of the engine bay black, but some is still red. It'll be tackled eventually, but the hood is popped so rarely that I couldn't care less.

Unfortunately, the car's color is sort of an oddball and it does not photograph well. It's a good deal more subdued and greenish in person.

Truth.

Can you list the price of everything including the car? I am having doubts. the decent paint alone would be 2000-3000. JDM tail lights and that navan bumper aint cheap either.

The car was purchased for 3,500 dollars and had the following mods:

5-lug conversion
Stance coil overs
R33 Front brakes
HKS Hi-Power Exhaust

I then added:
Wheels/Tires for $1000
Paint/Bodywork at $1600
Navan Aero at $1000
New-er hood at $150
Tune Up at $100 or so.
Interior refresh was like $50 in paint
Tint was $150?
LED Tails were $150 because they had the cracked center section

And that's about it up to where the car was first put on the road. Do the math, I'm right around 7-8k without accounting for anything on the car that was sold or reused on my other car. Since then the total has gone up, because I'm ADD/OCD with cars, but yeah.

^ if you look for deals its possible. also he hasn't said how long its taken him so I doubt its a week long or 2 week build which would cost a lot more as parts become a premium.

I like the color I see, you sir did a great job on this S14.
creature compforts are where its at, my next big mod will be puting in a AC system with a DCC so it looks modern and will have cold air haha

The car was built over 5 months, starting in May of 2012 to October of 2012, at least to the point that this thread was made. Most of the stuff I got was 'not perfect' which saved me some money, tbh. The AC is cold, but I do want to get a DCC eventually.

Anyway, more recent pictures:

Late October 2012:

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/dsc_0001-2.jpg?w=608&h=404

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/dsc_0018-2.jpg?w=608&h=404

December-ish of 2012:

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/dsc_0096.jpg?w=640&h=425

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/dsc_0094.jpg?w=640&h=425

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/dsc_0087.jpg?w=640&h=425

June-ish of this year:

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/dsc_0444-copy.jpg?w=677

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/dsc_0456-copy.jpg?w=677

http://thefro526.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/dsc_0427-copy.jpg?w=677

So yeah, I should really update this with all of what's happened since the original post, I daily-ed the car for much of the winter which was an adventure... Lol.

[mechanicalmoron]

You paid 8k for more weight, rotas, and no more power.

Epic build.

[inuyasha3466]

Still looks nice and clean!

[revat619]

You paid 8k for more weight, rotas, and no more power.

Epic build.

You clearly aren't paying attention. It's a daily. Who needs massive weight savings and tons of power for a daily? :rolleyes:

Not a fan of rotas or the color, but i know what you were going for and you executed it quite well. Props!

[sleepyS14se]

You paid 8k for more weight, rotas, and no more power.

Epic build.



yep, did you not read that he built this to be a "driver's car" "a daily driver" ETC..

man this is one comfy lookin CLEAN ASS S14. PROPS TO OP for being original, keeping it clean, and not following bandwagon bs.

btw, i am keeping my s14 ka24de for good daily usage, they seem to be good engines for daily use so i cannot blame him for keeping the ka

[mechanicalmoron]

You clearly aren't paying attention. It's a daily. Who needs massive weight savings and tons of power for a daily? :rolleyes:

Not a fan of rotas or the color, but i know what you were going for and you executed it quite well. Props!

I read it just fine.

Who said that daily's have to be slow?

Daily or not, it's my contention that most of the money spent on a car should make it better. His mods, with a stock engine, make it WORSE.


It DOES look good, but it could be just as (moreso, without rotas) mechanically sound, and preform much better, for the same price.

[jr_ss]

I read it just fine.

Who said that daily's have to be slow?

Daily or not, it's my contention that most of the money spent on a car should make it better. His mods, with a stock engine, make it WORSE.


It DOES look good, but it could be just as (moreso, without rotas) mechanically sound, and preform much better, for the same price.

Who said it had to be fast? And who gives a shit what you think? It's his car, his money and he can do whatever he chooses to do with it. When you start funding his build, you can voice your opinion on what he is or isn't doing wrong. Until then, shut the fuck up.

[mechanicalmoron]

Who said it had to be fast? And who gives a shit what you think? It's his car, his money and he can do whatever he chooses to do with it. When you start funding his build, you can voice your opinion on what he is or isn't doing wrong. Until then, shut the fuck up.

Yep, everyone needs to kiss his ass, on his slow jelly-belly lookin' thing.

....nah.

[poundit]

He said his set number was 7k, even though he spent 8, to make a clean daily. Yeah he prolly could have spent some of that money on performance stuff but not everyone cares about that. As long as he is happy with the money he spent there it shouldnt matter if its fast or not. but then again this is zilvia.

great looking car btw

[mechanicalmoron]

He said his set number was 7k, even though he spent 8, to make a clean daily. Yeah he prolly could have spent some of that money on performance stuff but not everyone cares about that. As long as he is happy with the money he spent there it shouldnt matter if its fast or not. but then again this is zilvia.

great looking car btw

I do see both sides of it, and it did turn out nicely.

I just also think that's a lot of money to spend on just looks.

[jr_ss]

Yep, everyone needs to kiss his ass, on his slow jelly-belly lookin' thing.

....nah.

Just because no one agrees with you, doesn't make it "kissing his ass". It's not about how you would do things. Fro chose to do it this way and it works. Am I a fan of his wheel choice or color? No, but is it executed well, yes. Open your eyes man, there is more than one way to skin a cat. This place has enough assholes.

[wattupbaii]

i dont know how this is on a budet. 8 grand for a 240 is a lot of money

[bc.]

On a budget doesn't mean cheap, it just means you are trying to stay around a price point you set for your build. He set his budget for $7K, a reasonable amount, and ended up at $8k, which is not too far over.

[Mikester]

I read it just fine.

His mods, with a stock engine, make it WORSE.


How so? He did the MOST IMPORTANT THINGS you can possibly do- suspension, tires & brakes; which is PERFECT for a daily driven car with potential for more power later on (or not). You seem awful hung up on 'go'... when in actuality, there is nothing more terrifying than a car with big power; but no means to control or STOP effectively.


I just also think that's a lot of money to spend on just looks.

See above- Looks was only part of the equation.

i dont know how this is on a budet. 8 grand for a 240 is a lot of money

Go buy a 240 and do the very same things thins guy did- Let us all know the final tally. BTW, he paid $3500 for the 240; which is peanuts by today's standard.

On a budget doesn't mean cheap, it just means you are trying to stay around a price point you set for your build. He set his budget for $7K, a reasonable amount, and ended up at $8k, which is not too far over.

^^Not too far over? Jesus Brad... If I set a 7G budget and ended up at 8, I'd feel like the king of the world haha... This guy did GREAT!

Fro obviously has a LOT of discipline; and his build definitely shows it! Props~

My original budget was $5G when I got the 180...

[jorge1190]

I read it just fine.

Who said that daily's have to be slow?

Daily or not, it's my contention that most of the money spent on a car should make it better. His mods, with a stock engine, make it WORSE.


It DOES look good, but it could be just as (moreso, without rotas) mechanically sound, and preform much better, for the same price.

Try to build a good running, reliable, fast 240 for what he spend and you will end up with nothing. Power costs a lot more money than people think.

PS: I am assuming you have not built anything that makes actual power.

Good job on the build Fro. The styling of the car is very similar to mine, Navan, simple wheels, but mine is pearl white and not as low.

[silviaks2nr]

Diggin it besides the color. I hope you don't have paint peeling issues around the door handles and washer nozzles though.

[Rich260z]

Lol I keep a running talley of everything I put into my s13, budget was $6k for a running dd and it was good....for about a year and a half. This past summer I've dropped another $6k into mods.

This guy is doing great

[DNAmotoring]

Looking good, keep it up!

[thefro526]

Was going to multi-quote a bunch of posts, but I'm lazy and on my iPad.

To the dude who was trying to bash on my car for having a stock motor, please continue to assert your flawed opinion as I find it entertaining. This car is the car I drive EVERY day, and has been driven around 15/16k miles since last October. Reliability is key, which is why I didn't swap the car - or go KA-T. I also have a 1JZ S13, so I don't need two 'fast cars'.

As far as the budget is concerned, I was trying to demonstrate how easy it is to make an S-Chassis not look like a compete POS without spending a tonne of money. Most of the dudes on here have THOUSANDS into their motor and the car still looks like a bag of dicks. Drop 2k-3k on paint and a kit, and the car will look decent. Also, FWIW, this car was built over a span of like 5 months, but had it been done over 2 or 3 years, just about anyone could afford to do this even on minimum wage.

As far as the mods are concerned, since this thread was made, I've done the following:

-Stance tension rods
-Nismo 2-way
-OEM window visors
-Custom Grip Royal Steering Wheel
-Front LCA Bushings and Ball Joints
-Poly steering rack bushings
-Poly subframe bushings
-Pads and Rotors all around
-Refinished wheel wells and rad support
-Rear sway bar from an SE S14
-LED cluster, HVAC and misc interior lights
-Clear corners and turn signals
-Carpet dyed black (was a PITA)
-Sound deadening applied to passenger cabin and trunk
-Tanabe Tension Rod Brace
-Dmax floor mats (uninstalled)
-Swift Spings 8k/6k (uninstalled)

And probably a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting.

At the end of the day, this is a street car. It's made to be a compromise between comfort, performance and aesthetics. Yes, it's slow, but as long as the road has a corner or two in it, you'll never know. Between the suspension and the two way, the car is also halfway decent and going sideways, it's not like On/Off switch easy like it would be with a car that made about 50-100hp, but it's still fun as hell.

Any who, to those of you that complimented thanks, it's cool to see my car appreciated and stuff. To those of you that hate, please continue.

Oh and PS, for those of you hating on the 'budget'/'cheap' aspect of this build, look at my blog (link in the signature) and you'll see why I didn't feel like spending more money than I have to. (S13 with 1JZ swap, full SUSP (no rubber anywhere), $1200-$1500 in AN fittings, etc - I refuse to total the cost of this car but its gone well over the $12k mark....)

[Mikester]

^^Surprised you elected to run a 2-way on a street-driven car. Could not even imagine the 'fun' of trying to keep it straight in the winter lol!

[snow hawk]

Haters gonna hate, Potaters gonna potate. :blah::snoop:

Beautiful car man! That color looks awesome! It might have been answered earlier, and I apologize if it has, but where did you get your car sprayed? I gotta get a new spray on my coupe when I get back to the states. Much love for a new england 240! Hopefully I'll get to see this car when I come back.

[thefro526]

^^Surprised you elected to run a 2-way on a street-driven car. Could not even imagine the 'fun' of trying to keep it straight in the winter lol!

To be completely honest, this is the story of the 2-way:

Decided that I needed some sort of LSD if I was going to be driving the car everyday, especially because it likes to pick up a rear tire on the right incline and I'd gotten stuck because of it once or twice in the first few weeks of driving.

Initially, I planned on running a VLSD, so I bought a shim from the local Nissan Dealership and went over to Elite JDM in Philly to buy a Diff. Get over there, bro with Nick and Papa for a bit, then Nick and I walk into the back to grab a diff. Turns out that he didn't have any Non-LSD 6 Bolt Triangle LSD's sitting out, so we pulled one out of a subframe. To check, we did the whole 'Spin the flanges' thing, and it was locked - Cool Stuff.

Get it home, open the cover, and it's a Nismo 2-Way. (I think - or it's a 1.5, but I don't think so, judging by the cam and how it works)

But yeah, I DD-ed a welded Diff in my S13 for the first year or so that I had a driver's license. It was kind of a baptism by fire on how to not drive like a noodle in adverse conditions, to be honest. Anyway, driving the S14 with a 2-Way is a tonne better than that welded was, as long as I'm gentle with the throttle, it rarely catches me off guard, but the first rainy day or two were sketchy. In the snow it's a complete blast though, especially with snow tires - as long as I'm not going anywhere that requires driving over 40mph or so.

Haters gonna hate, Potaters gonna potate. :blah::snoop:

Beautiful car man! That color looks awesome! It might have been answered earlier, and I apologize if it has, but where did you get your car sprayed? I gotta get a new spray on my coupe when I get back to the states. Much love for a new england 240! Hopefully I'll get to see this car when I come back.

Car was painted at a Maaco - and it's a single stage job, which is why it cost so little. (relative term) Some people confuse the car for having a 'base/clear' job, but if you look closely, it's obviously a single stage. I took the car to Maaco without any weather seals, interior door trim, bumper, lights, side skirts, etc and that saved me a solid $250 or so. Job isn't the best, but it's one color.