Homegrown Garage's 240SX Build

[homegrowngarage]

https://i.imgur.com/Ov8MsJyl.jpg

Update 11/9/2018: We are alive, and we still have the car. The build is not nearing the end and some fun stuff will be happening over the next couple months.
Update 6/29/2016: The build is nearing the end! The quality of our work is consistently improving so stick with us through these 4 pages!!



Our story begins with two brothers in October of 2013, when after selling our previous car, a 1990 VW Golf, began the hunt for a new project. A few posts on the local Facebook groups and literally a week later we are standing behind a shop in north Philly staring at what we would discover to be a huge POS that needed a lot more work than we thought.
Thus begins the build of Homegrown Garage's 240sx.


So we looked it over for like 5 minutes, and in the spur of the moment bought it for way more than we should have. Drift tax hit us hard. 1990 S13 hatch, hadn’t moved since 2007, single cam that had nothing connected, piles of shit in the back seats, and literally a gallon ziplock bag of assorted bolts.
http://i.imgur.com/cwCZ5Lph.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/tC6jgHWh.jpg


Here’s what it looked like when the flatbed dropped it off a few days later.
http://i.imgur.com/6QHxD0wh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/RIXt8Mnh.jpg


December 25, 2013. The long winter break begins. We put in 8am-1am days for a solid 10 days straight while off from school. A lot of work is about to begin
http://i.imgur.com/dPtvSXah.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/IKV2Y6fh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TBpsoDkh.jpg


In the garage. Up until this point we’ve only done minor things like picking up a set of wheels and cleaning it.
http://i.imgur.com/3eG6luVh.jpg


This is the kind of crap we had to deal with - shoddy wiring, crimps and cut wires under the dash, and the entire engine bay harness was cut for some reason?
http://i.imgur.com/vGiOLHvh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YzaVY7dh.jpg


Single slammer, no idea if it runs, but it’s gotta go!
http://i.imgur.com/aeHqXCqh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/za1WUmWh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gEzxpG8h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/X8cWcs2h.jpg


Fancy ACE hardware bolts!
http://i.imgur.com/e951iulh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rOLOiUqh.jpg


At this point the interior is getting stripped so we can begin repairing the rust in the floor and trunk. I began hacking away at the sound deadening with a putty knife, totally unaware of the dry ice method on the internet. I really wish I knew beforehand
http://i.imgur.com/2d4UMuVh.jpg


Couple holes in the spare tire well. Previous dirtbag owner covered the rust with hvac tape and spray painted it white so we wouldn’t see the holes.
http://i.imgur.com/SBvmH0Rh.jpg


Out she comes! Hopefully an sr20 will replace it.
http://i.imgur.com/76utqvIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/giEJp9Qh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9I5906gh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/S9nWP9Wh.jpg


Now the teardown of the front begins.
http://i.imgur.com/DMuhR47h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BVQ0jeVh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9gYCn06h.jpg


Nice collection of parts.
http://i.imgur.com/YHfK9EUh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/zbsGzBxh.jpg


This is what we were dealing with. When we bought the car, we were unaware of the rusting problems with 240s, nor had we ever thought it would be this bad. Frame rail was totally shot, battery tray gone—which the previous owner covered over with bondo and spray painted it white in another attempt to hide the damage from us… weak :fawk2:
http://i.imgur.com/UC2rCsHh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uFFcaD1h.jpg


Passenger side not as bad, frame rail was intact for the most part.
http://i.imgur.com/thg4a0rh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/bS80Cq7h.jpg


And so the cutting begins…. We have bigger plans than just a simple restore.
http://i.imgur.com/K8zTkZ0h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/80jbQCyh.jpg

[rangerjavi]

Anything else?

[homegrowngarage]

Next batch of pictures showing more of the tear down and removal of rust from the car.

http://i.imgur.com/61XuSVIh.jpg

True excitement
http://i.imgur.com/8Umr8f7h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/G0Fm24Ch.jpg

Interior is stripped.
http://i.imgur.com/HRH8xBjh.jpg

Trailer fender to be used for the tubs. Also picked up a tank of gas for the mig welder.
http://i.imgur.com/9n0eu7Th.jpg

Most of the rot is cut out of the floor.
http://i.imgur.com/ZD300Avh.jpg

Raintray and firewall rust.
http://i.imgur.com/Wz8o5zCh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0pZc20Lh.jpg

Passenger footwell
http://i.imgur.com/OhotX1vh.jpg

Dat framerail
http://i.imgur.com/Gysvf4Ph.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TXDZ4ITh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/sPXhxiKh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rIjm3Sih.jpg

Passenger side wheel well, rust cut out
http://i.imgur.com/uXynCbDh.jpg

Grinding away, we did hours and hours of this
http://i.imgur.com/X1vNzIth.jpg

Selfie
http://i.imgur.com/th3vyEeh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vLd2Qtfh.jpg

First time we have ever welded, pretty rough but you gotta start somewhere
http://i.imgur.com/EdsEPX4h.jpg

Rear subframe is out for a full cleaning and new paint, as well as some bushings.
http://i.imgur.com/xvjRCp3h.jpg

Same with the front.
http://i.imgur.com/blUABjZh.jpg

Degreasing time
http://i.imgur.com/DbmLpzQh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/XdufLJAh.jpg

Close up of the grimey power steering rack
http://i.imgur.com/ELhvzyeh.jpg

Washing the other toys while we’re at it
http://i.imgur.com/wZ8n8qKh.jpg

Burning out the old subframe bushings
http://i.imgur.com/rTmZybMh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/79abT2fh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Lu1h8EXh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2jTXGZSh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9y1IWtmh.jpg

[DILLONDILLONDILLON!]

Great start guys looking forward to this. what are your plans for this build??

[Mr.Doback]

any relation to homegrown in VA?

Good luck on the resto, looks like it will keep you busy.

[homegrowngarage]

Part 3 of the build
Cleaned up the axles and gave them a fresh coat of paint
http://i.imgur.com/Mm5Cx1sh.jpg

Same with the diff. Will be cracking that open later to weld it up
http://i.imgur.com/CO6ERtEh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/X2BgKtqh.jpg

Cleaned up the rack and went with black and gold lines, looks tits!
http://i.imgur.com/49XcbKDh.jpg

Finally some cool parts have arrived. Toe rod bushings.
http://i.imgur.com/SZZ1ulfh.jpg

Also picked up a set of solid aluminum rear subframe bushings and urethane power steering rack bushings, and a solid aluminum steering rod bushing thingy
http://i.imgur.com/pzUBW59h.jpg

Also pictured is out Xcessive Manufacturing frame rail replacement. This thing is solid and well built, definitely recommend if you’re looking for a replacement rail.
http://i.imgur.com/L4D95Dyh.jpg

Old bushings knocked out.
http://i.imgur.com/JkZxFuQh.jpg

New ones pressed in.
http://i.imgur.com/njt8yHIh.jpg

Hubs and the subframe getting a coat of paint.
http://i.imgur.com/ZEpz3nYh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L1aYEOVh.jpg

All our crap laid out in the garage.
http://i.imgur.com/uh80qX1h.jpg

My brother’s Audi A4 B5 in next to the 240
http://i.imgur.com/eUq5qPNh.jpg

All the control arms and bits with a fresh coat of paint.
http://i.imgur.com/jplSTiPh.jpg

Assembled!
http://i.imgur.com/4fc5u7Eh.jpg

Also picked up some strut bars and stainless steel brake lines.
http://i.imgur.com/6tgGmbYh.jpg

I can just feel the car shaking now…
http://i.imgur.com/Y7SQsp0h.jpg

Rear subframe installed.
http://i.imgur.com/2XzBHaxh.jpg

[moostang09]

Nice work so far gents. I look forward to the future progress! Keep up the good work.

[homegrowngarage]

Next set of pictures is here!


The garbage interior is finally all stripped and ready to be bedlined.
http://i.imgur.com/veBiFgFh.jpg

Floor is completely cut up and ready for new patches
http://i.imgur.com/Wi0NJ70h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/NZMoCSbh.jpg

Sitting pretty
http://i.imgur.com/JtSWQQWh.jpg

Small patches in the trunk area. Grinded them down and will seam seal over it before painting.
http://i.imgur.com/beoguUeh.jpg

Sealed.
http://i.imgur.com/tbxHHK5h.jpg

The only thing that keeps us in the garage during the winter. Keeps us nice and toasty
http://i.imgur.com/tiIHkCNh.jpg

More cutting on the patches.
http://i.imgur.com/FfKilnSh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8yrLMqKh.jpg

Painted the floor with Rusteolem Bedliner
http://i.imgur.com/6reFRzrh.jpg

Test fitting the bucket seats.
http://i.imgur.com/JDtvP7Dh.jpg

VTEC JUST KICKED IN YOO!
http://i.imgur.com/Gtd26U0h.jpg

Starting to come back together
http://i.imgur.com/pD5Pys5h.jpg

Just installed those mad tight hydraulics…. Actually lifting the car up so we can address the frame rail and other rust areas. Probably not the safest method but it works
http://i.imgur.com/3OScV6Zh.jpg

Taking a break
http://i.imgur.com/GQGmghBh.jpg

Little gap in the pictures here, but here we are in the middle of fabbing up the tubs. The trailer fender was cut in half and each piece was attached to the strut tower. Our goal is to have the extra room in the wheel well, and also make the tub look good(not a bag of dicks)
http://i.imgur.com/d2P9xV4h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ct9BnCkh.jpg

Welds are starting to get better
http://i.imgur.com/UDhbjMNh.jpg

Left side tacked in
http://i.imgur.com/ESD7zSKh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TMjBSWbh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KxwDYCkh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6nSaAEph.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7CZTSglh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ceTOmDch.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZoFd5pGh.jpg

Tubs….
http://i.imgur.com/Pu4twluh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KQzbwpIh.jpg

Oops..
http://i.imgur.com/BwK9t9fh.jpg

More to come in the next post!

[homegrowngarage]

We finally picked up some second hand coilovers, tanabe sustech pros. Time to get rid of the massive wheel gap.

http://i.imgur.com/2nsZ3Wsh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pxw9nEYh.jpg

Front still sits really high due to having no engine.

http://i.imgur.com/FNhf0rVh.jpg

Used some aircraft remover and a power washer to strip the paint off of the front bumper to get it ready for when we paint it.

http://i.imgur.com/KStLIF7h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Started to sand down the rear hatch. We then primed it with a rattle can for the time being.

http://i.imgur.com/Uiz8NYRh.jpg

Beginning the body work on the tubs. Don't worry most of the that filler was sanded off on the side of the tubs. It was a thin layer haha.

http://i.imgur.com/uJmCHgRh.jpg

In pieces like a usual 240sx.

http://i.imgur.com/PrW3Qmuh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

We laid down a layer of fiberglass filler as a base and then laid a thin layer of rage gold body filler on top to smooth it out.

http://i.imgur.com/SY9CKtJh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/zDPgzEoh.jpg

Hours and hours of sanding later it was starting to shape up.

http://i.imgur.com/GQjOU1Kh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

In the process of sanding

http://i.imgur.com/zM7LKNch.jpg

More sanding

http://i.imgur.com/qHNG22lh.jpg

Made a dumb rising sun on the hood as a joke. And more sanding.
We'll be painting over rising sun once we actually paint the car.

http://i.imgur.com/dq4JA44h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Laying down some of the finishing touches, but still needs some more work before it actually gets painted.

http://i.imgur.com/CQRNQCAh.jpg

Then we went ahead and bought a ka24de engine and trans to stick just so we could get it driving. Our first intentions were to get an sr but reality set in and we just didn't have that kind of money to throw into the car right before starting college

http://i.imgur.com/Vf0Crxlh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4U9v1fCh.jpg

Time to get rid of all that stupid looking blue spray paint. :facepalm:

[homegrowngarage]

More bay work.

http://i.imgur.com/HMDl5twh.jpg

Cleaning up some pieces

http://i.imgur.com/2GHQKihh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BpifAfNh.jpg

Seized piston from one of the rear calipers. Took a lot of pb blaster vice grips and an air compressor but we got that sucker out. We then replaced it with a new piston of of rockauto

http://i.imgur.com/GEh4mOQh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

We ended up painting the valve cover and the pulleys a more subtle black instead of keeping the ugly blue the previous owner painted before.

And now was it was time for the engine to go into the car.

http://i.imgur.com/CPKNQ1Qh.jpg

And in it went. Here it was with out the wiring harness in the bay. This is the look we're going for when we do a full wire tuck.

http://i.imgur.com/M1QQVAZh.jpg

The tubs also shaped up pretty nicely

Oh look it's now a ka-t :rofl:

http://i.imgur.com/RXra6vXh.jpg

Just kidding, that's just someone holding a td04 turbo we had laying around.

[homegrowngarage]

We put everything back in put never got it running. Typical.

http://i.imgur.com/hduDBzgh.jpg

Ah the way a 240sx should be. Three different colors.

http://i.imgur.com/cXwLPxoh.jpg

[Hoonigan19]

Good Job man, Keep em coming!

[homegrowngarage]

Good Job man, Keep em coming!

Thanks man! We're working hard to have it running and driving by spring!

[homegrowngarage]

This is Jordan getting ready to begin the tucked harness

http://i.imgur.com/RGSgcTch.jpg

You can see his progression to frustration...

http://i.imgur.com/kd764iph.jpg

....

http://i.imgur.com/fnwtuO8h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Here are some of the materials he had while wiring. Full wiring diagrams of the car and pin outs for the ecu and a label maker for labeling each wire.

http://i.imgur.com/qAXgnBoh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/O1KyrT8h.jpg

And a trusty note book to write down and label connectors that were depinned.

http://i.imgur.com/LNgRTr6h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/E0szNdZh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Separating the mess has begun!

http://i.imgur.com/rsCOnIQh.jpg

The label maker made things a millions times easier and really helped with keeping everything organized.

http://i.imgur.com/ovEpjiih.jpg

Some more shots of organizing, labeling and deleting wires

http://i.imgur.com/ahaqwiih.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

More mess..

http://i.imgur.com/Cz3lboYh.jpg

All labeled up

http://i.imgur.com/9308wWih.jpg

Wiring is frustrating... can't you tell. :wiggle:


http://i.imgur.com/sD7JynHh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Here's Brennan with his japanese headbands that one of the guys got him for chirstmas.

Just day dreaming about drifting

http://i.imgur.com/AanqwmPh.jpg

Living life dangerously

http://i.imgur.com/2bA5KK4h.jpg

:wavey:

http://i.imgur.com/vEgE0Ikh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

All the essentials for doing a tucked harness
wire- check
wiring diagrams- check
label maker- check
Japanese headband to keep the sweat out of your eyes when intently deciding whether or not to cut the red wire - check

http://i.imgur.com/sY4CuM8h.jpg

Got the car in the garage and began doing some mocking up


http://i.imgur.com/jTnHV9mh.jpg

Jordan working on the harness

http://i.imgur.com/hvOcdg0h.jpg

Extending the wires for the headlights/motor/side markers

http://i.imgur.com/CIkPQCdh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/cypP3qmh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Some artsy shots during the wiring process

http://i.imgur.com/F6i57ibh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vth7UEjh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ymWu9vfh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

http://i.imgur.com/tySg9Mfh.jpg

Our buddy RJ came over to help create the glove box delete/mounting area for the custom fuse box and relay holder

http://i.imgur.com/fF7LUVGh.jpg

Mocking it up with cardboard before cutting out the metal

http://i.imgur.com/KJh21Yuh.jpg

Trying to figure out where to mount the box and relay holder

http://i.imgur.com/CzKz9vnh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

http://i.imgur.com/K6GCU1Ah.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LQnB8I4h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Fuse box all labeled up

http://i.imgur.com/6b5zNUAh.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/K3GC3IVh.jpg

Mock up of the glove box delete

http://i.imgur.com/W3N2SgIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/J2SSlZ4h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Mounting the hardware to the fuse box so it can be attached to the glove box delete

http://i.imgur.com/1D9SnR7h.jpg

Got the E-fans attached to the radiator

http://i.imgur.com/o4jWYFRh.jpg.

[Hoonigan19]

nice! mooooar

[homegrowngarage]

UPDATE: This was fixed on page 4

So last year we bought a welder and just sort of, went at it. And quite frankly some of the welds were pretty shitty. So we went back and decided to cut out the crap welds and do it the right way. We bought the right size wire and new tips to accommodate said wire, got some lube for the welding hose so the wire would stop getting stuck, and bought 16 gauge metal instead of 22 gauge so we could actually weld it with out it blowing out.

http://i.imgur.com/hrKvJEch.jpg

Some patches behind the DS strut tower.

http://i.imgur.com/DiiLcK9h.jpg

Funny thing about that big hole in the center. I had to cut so much out from the previous failed attempt at welding and everything being shitty that when I welded new metal in I forgot to take the brake booster fitment into account. I realized when I was about 75% done. :facepalm: So I cut a hole to accommodate the brake booster and will be boxing that section in soon.

http://i.imgur.com/dEvkzA8h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Not the prettiest but getting better.

Update: We fixed this! Its on page 4.

http://i.imgur.com/gy9tv9eh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

We also went ahead and decided to make our own power brace.

Mocking up the pipe

http://i.imgur.com/Q4lwwsmh.jpg

Cut and tacked in

http://i.imgur.com/OyhpPGuh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/wuz8CJqh.jpg

Took it off the car and welding the seams

http://i.imgur.com/IaZYRZ4h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/COy7VP9h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Next we got some 16g metal and made reinforcements on the bottom.

http://i.imgur.com/2U1fN8Ph.jpg

Mocked up

http://i.imgur.com/p0HMpiNh.jpg

Everything welded up

http://i.imgur.com/sBTatBrh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7iNwHVsh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

http://i.imgur.com/z3A2bAMh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jaPAhzth.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

And now we are fully up to date on the build thread.
Much more needs to get done, but we hooked the harness up to the battery and all the interior lights work, the key cranks the starter, fuel pump primes and headlight motors and lights work and rear tails work as well. It seems everything works except the front side markers. Not bad for the first time doing a wire tuck.

http://i.imgur.com/YPDJcxUh.jpg

More updates coming soon so stay tuned!

[10psitx]

In the begining my thoughts were...here goes another "typical drift build" but so far the work you guys are doing is great! The workmanship will get better during the process and Kudos to you guys for starting a project and following through....looking good guys!

[Super_OK_S13]

I am going to follow this build! nice job so far guys!! you guys aren't to far from me =)

[homegrowngarage]

In the beginning my thoughts were...here goes another "typical drift build" but so far the work you guys are doing is great! The workmanship will get better during the process and Kudos to you guys for starting a project and following through....looking good guys!

Thanks! We really appreciate the kind words. We still have a lot more planned for the car.


I am going to follow this build! nice job so far guys!! you guys aren't to far from me =)

Thank you! And were are you from? :wavey:

[Super_OK_S13]

Harrisburg, if you are going to motorama at the farmshow feb 21/22 or carlisle performance and style 3 Days in july, look for me. =)

[05subysti]

I enjoy builds like these, where the owner(s) get better as they progress. And your work shows that.

Did you guys have a pin tool when doing the wiring, and whats planned next?

[homegrowngarage]

I enjoy builds like these, where the owner(s) get better as they progress. And your work shows that.

Did you guys have a pin tool when doing the wiring, and whats planned next?


We used a small screw driver for eye glasses, it worked pretty well.

The next step is going to be getting everything semi-mocked up and see if we can get the motor running with the harness and trouble shooting that.

This spring we plan on sanding the whole car down and painting it, fixing what's left of the rust and anything like that. Then get rid of the ebay seats and get a real seat, put on the grip royal wheel and quick release, and get some new wheels and other odds and ends.

Then far future will be focusing on rear control arm upgrades and brake upgrades and possibly a turbo, but that will be a long time from now.

[homegrowngarage]

Finished the patches on the drivers side floor

http://i.imgur.com/E44xCFGh.jpg

Working on redoing the passenger side floor patches. I cleaned out the frame rail the best I could and then coated the inside of the it with por-15 to prevent any more rust from forming.

http://i.imgur.com/wtAgQCJh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Close up of the patching process.

http://i.imgur.com/AqdSxubh.jpg

I also coated the back side of the frame rail patch in por-15 so it wouldn't rust.

Here is the patches all done. Much better than our first attempt last year.

http://i.imgur.com/iJt6IOIh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

We then coated both wheel wells with por-15 and any other section that was bare metal. We got the glossy finish por-15 and it looks awesome.

http://i.imgur.com/EEFx3Vlh.jpg

Then we coated the entire floor interior. We actually ran out before we got to the back drivers side section. So we'll have to order another pint. :wavey:

[homegrowngarage]

Just the car sitting in the garage. I can't wait to finally drive it.

http://i.imgur.com/u2E5MN1h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VlHKKr2h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

So we laid the harness in again, and started putting everything some what back together.

http://i.imgur.com/NzKxsZ3h.jpg

Dash, steering column, center console and seats all went back in.

http://i.imgur.com/3Wdnrxvh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

We then began wiring up the head lights and such.

http://i.imgur.com/ovTfgJGh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xtdYjz6h.jpg

For now we have the harness zip tied up under the fender.
In the spring when we tear the car apart to paint it all the wires will be nylon wrapped and tucked much better so you won't be able to see them.

http://i.imgur.com/9mrjhZxh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Minus those stray wires on the left (that were later tucked), these are all the wires in the engine bay.
The fuse/relay boxes were relocated to the glove box. A lot of unneeded wires were deleted and now only the wires for the rad fans, headlights, headlight motors and the side markers are the only wires coming into the bay.
In the spring we're going to get started on the actual engine harness.

http://i.imgur.com/jUyECpth.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/44i1Ngxh.jpg

Putting on the headers.

http://i.imgur.com/EU4azaVh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Filling up the rad with coolant and distilled water. (Don't worry the coolant went in first I just didn't get a picture of it.).

http://i.imgur.com/83hP11Fh.jpg

Made some radiator brackets. I don't like how they're not perfectly straight, I'm going to try and figure out how to make them look nicer. But for now they'll do.

http://i.imgur.com/P7vkWuNh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Also filled up the trans with some redline MT-90.

http://i.imgur.com/APgoktBh.jpg

Picked up a test pipe since the car had no cat to begin with, $26 and shipped in two days, gotta love ebay.

http://i.imgur.com/DX5566fh.jpg

Nism0, lol

http://i.imgur.com/aXU9yMuh.jpg

Coated the custom power brace in POR-15

http://i.imgur.com/kAJIBBhh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L7No0K0h.jpg

And success! We got the motor running! It's hasn't moved yet but this is definitely a milestone for us. This is the first time in over a year the car has had any type of running motor in it since we've owned it and I don't think it has run for 5 or so years before we bought it.
The wiring all works except for the wipers but that shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. Now I just want to say, when we bought the car the main section of the engine harness was pretty much cut in half. In addition to that this is our first time really working on a 240sx and our first time doing a tucked harness. My brother, Jordan, was able to wire the whole harness, delete some wires, extend others and put it in and everything works except the wipers. I'm definitely proud of him.
We'll post up videos of the first start soon!
:wavey:
-Brennan

[MEFISTO]

Subscribeddd

[homegrowngarage]

Well not much has been going on since both of us have been away at school, along with all the snow and bitter cold.
Here's a picture of the s13 currently.

http://i.imgur.com/ZLPanyVh.jpg

We have big plans for this spring and hopefully we'll be driving this thing soon!
:wavey:

-Brennan

[Hoonigan19]

nice! keep em coming

[homegrowngarage]

Here is a quick video I took when we first got it timed properly. You can see some flames pop out of the egr hole and o2 sensor holes since they are open, hence sounding like poo.

240SX First Start (http://youtu.be/qv3hOoPgwOU)

Spring break for us is 2 weeks away so more progress and updates will follow. We have been investing in equipment to start filming and produce decent footage so some cool new stuff will be coming up.

Follow us on Instagram to keep updated with the build as well as our other members cars! @homegrowngarage

-Jordan

[homegrowngarage]

So it's been a little while since the last update.
A few weeks ago we got the car to move under it's own power! It was pretty exciting seeing as we haven't even driven the car since before we bought it back last year. We got the braided clutch line on, swapped out the leaky rear caliper and bled the entire braking system and got everything some what situated.
The car does look like a bag of dicks but that is the next step of the process.

Here is a video of the first time the car actually moved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=303l7urc_io

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

SS braided clutch line

http://i.imgur.com/sQkjlk0h.jpg

Some artsy shots of Jordan doing work.

http://i.imgur.com/6F6HB9bh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5rsehsgh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

I also picked up some Isis rear toe rods. How could I pass up on them for $30!

http://i.imgur.com/rmfqT9yh.jpg

[TurboTiger]

Glad to see another 240 is being brought back from the dead. Good work guys!

[homegrowngarage]

It's been awhile since we've really updated this build with whats been going on, but much more will be posted in the coming weeks!

First off, I'll start by saying that throughout this build we have been taking pictures with high resolution DSLRs, but due to some technical difficulties with imgur we have been posting potato quality 600x400 pixel photos. But that has been all cleared up and now we've got high def photos getting beamed straight to your eyeballs!
http://anaandjelic.typepad.com/.a/6a00e5544e925988340120a8a8010a970b-450wi

I've also taken the liberty of updating all the old photos to high resolution as well, so feel free to page through them again and see some sweet sweet HD.

Next up, went to the junk yard and found this beauty. Automatic but had good everything except the front end obviously. Even had a working gas flap latch, which I snagged.
http://i.imgur.com/HjjY7QCh.jpg

Also got a coolant overflow and power steering reservoir from an Altima, both of which are simpler and more compact than the oem 240 ones. I'm gonna try and tuck them out of the way behind the headlights.
http://i.imgur.com/RnJ13A5h.jpg?1

More is to come next week!

-Jordan

[chanchoflores]

that z31 tho!!

[bataangpinoy]

I like this.

great job guys.

[homegrowngarage]

Work has resumed! The semester ended on May 9th and since then we have been making solid progress on the car. Hopefully soon we can get the whole car sanded down and try our hand at painting.

I started by finishing up the tubs in the bay and welded in side pieces to get rid of the large holes.

http://i.imgur.com/LMd1tJGh.jpg

I ended up cutting a piece of 16 gauge metal out and then bending it to connect to the tub.

Update: This was dumb too, we fixed this on page 4!

http://i.imgur.com/daEzPQLh.jpg

Then I welded it all up. POR-15 with be laid down on outside section and then the inside will be painted.

http://i.imgur.com/WQeiPybh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7oZMnPuh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eJFbm6bh.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

We also picked up so circuit sports solid motor mounts. Picked them up for $60 and they are basically brand new. :wiggle:

http://i.imgur.com/iDlgUtKh.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

We picked up an ammo case to use as our battery box. It was the perfect size for our little battery except the fact that the battery was just slightly too tall. I decided to just extend the box a little to accommodate the battery. And it gave me an excuse to practice welding.

http://i.imgur.com/P9WJlSEh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ybKUjsgh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AvWl4u4h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TMOX7Q4h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JsFoQiMh.jpg

It now fits the battery perfectly. We're going to drill holes for the positive and negative wires to run through and drill a little hole and hook up a tube to vent the battery outside the car.


-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

Then we installed our isis rear toe arms.

http://i.imgur.com/2ef2fK3h.jpg

Stock vs isis

http://i.imgur.com/P3avq7ch.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

I started body work on the worst part of the car a few days ago. It looks like there was a dent and some point and someone decided it was a bright idea to take a screw driver or something and try to bang it out. This section of the car has been bothering me since we first got the car and it was so rewarding to finally start fixing it.

This is how it looked at first.

http://i.imgur.com/IqMHrGSh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vO8vZBDh.jpg

I did a lot of banging with a hammer to pound out the dents and try to sort of make it all even. and then I sanded it down to try and isolate the high and low spots. I got it all sort of even. Not perfect, but close enough to were I wouldn't have to be putting down thick layers of body filler.

http://i.imgur.com/4e27tDVh.jpg

First coat of body filler down. I'm using rage gold by ever coat. I really like the stuff and it sands down really well.

http://i.imgur.com/uUY1itwh.jpg

Sanded down. I did this three times and then sprayed some primer down to see where I was at.

http://i.imgur.com/VCXmgqDh.jpg

Rattle can primer down.

http://i.imgur.com/OAALDBkh.jpg

It's shaping up but still has minor imperfections and needs more sanding.
Over all I'm happy with the progress and I can't wait to start on the whole car.

http://i.imgur.com/HhhSXqJh.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

I trimmed the intake tube down so that it would sit closer into the bay. Now it looks like the whole motor is just one unit with the tubs on either side.

http://i.imgur.com/hikmka9h.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

Installed an emergency kill switch. Because, you know, race car.

http://i.imgur.com/zu0Qc2Nh.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

Now it was time to repair the fenders. The bottoms of bother fenders were completely rusted to shit. I measured them and then welded new metal on the bottom. It turned out way better than I expected and you can't even see the new metal when looking at it from the side.

Cancer

http://i.imgur.com/c63NRyCh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gYhVbQwh.jpg

Measured out some metal

http://i.imgur.com/r8vobnwh.jpg

Clamped up

http://i.imgur.com/854FaZYh.jpg

Welded on

http://i.imgur.com/kF7pEosh.jpg

-Brennan

[homegrowngarage]

Just got a braided power steering high pressure line in the mail today.

http://i.imgur.com/x4zNcB4h.jpg

-Brennan

[hanzbrady]

Looking good guys!!

[homegrowngarage]

Looking good guys!!

Thanks man!

[homegrowngarage]

I'm working on the car almost everday after work and and free days when I have off, so progress is slowly happening.

I made a bracket for the pod filter/maf. I'm going to revise it a little this is just to get a general idea. It's pretty strong and I just used some aluminum rod.

http://i.imgur.com/FVSZwe6h.jpg

On a completely unrelated not, my main car got an award at a local car show for best static. Woohoo!

http://i.imgur.com/OwzDwe5h.jpg

I also mounted the battery box to the body of the car. It just barely fit due to the gas tank but the box it pretty sturdy and sure isn't going any where now.

http://i.imgur.com/KEczYWwh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

The front still sits really high. I thought maybe the struts on the coilovers are seized or something is wrong. So I took them off and the struts are perfectly fine. They weren't blown, seized, leaking or anything, they were perfectly fine. I also took one of the collars out to lower it another .25 inch.

http://i.imgur.com/qoSRUzMh.jpg

But it still sits really high. I noticed the springs say Pro 210 japan.
I looked them up and they are an race spring sold by tanabe for their coilovers.
I'm guessing the spring rates are too high and are pushing the front up, or the springs are just expanded from sitting for over a year. Half of which was when it didn't have a motor in it. Once the car is drivable I'll drive around and see if anything changes. If not I'm thinking about getting swift springs.

http://i.imgur.com/lzEHH26h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

I then began to work on the roof. I went back and rewelded the washer sprayer because I know the first time I welded it it wasn't very good.

Before.
http://i.imgur.com/Yr6sxTih.jpg

Cut out and made a metal disc to weld in.
http://i.imgur.com/97DMvt1h.jpg

Set in and ready to weld. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the actual weld. But this time it had full penetration and was a single solid bead.

http://i.imgur.com/WbnFIc7h.jpg

Skimmed lightly with body filler

http://i.imgur.com/S0qQYeQh.jpg

Sanded down

http://i.imgur.com/AeIPbj8h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Put some por-15 underneath the weld to prevent any rusting

http://i.imgur.com/o7AX75Dh.jpg

[PRO-STAR]

looking good keep up the good work

[Ratpack_Chad]

I really dig this build thread, keep it up dudes

[homegrowngarage]

looking good keep up the good work


I really dig this build thread, keep it up dudes

Thanks guys. We really appreciate all the kind words!

[Tooley-s15]

Looking good guys!

[homegrowngarage]

I've been trying to get a lot done lately. I've been spending any free moment after work and any day off on the car. I can't describe how badly I want to drive this thing.

I grinded all the rust off the side sections of the frame on both sides.

http://i.imgur.com/SsVyXweh.jpg

I picked this up from the local autozone and am putting this on any bare metal surface after I have grinded it down.

Update: This shit sucks, it literally makes it rust even faster. Don't buy it, you'll thanks us.

http://i.imgur.com/QXJzal2h.jpg

"Rust converter painted on. The brush on kind works way better than the rattle can type.
This stuff actually works pretty well and I wish I would have picked this up sooner. Like a year and a half sooner. :facepalm:"
This is a complete fucking lie do not buy this stuff, it just makes it rust.

http://i.imgur.com/3hDi54sh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Then painted on the por-15.

http://i.imgur.com/nFaU2YYh.jpg

I love this stuff. Its really shiny and looks awesome and is super durable. I've used the "bedliner" in a can and that shit sucks compared to this stuff. I would highly recommend por-15 for any undercarriage painting or bed lining.

I also grinded down the rust near the windshield and laid down some rust converter on that as well. Now I should take the windshield out and fix all the rust the right way and then replace it but that's time and money I don't have right now. In the future maybe I'll get that done, but for right now it's not a top priority.

http://i.imgur.com/tbGMHlNh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3ZCN1L1h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0JgrRW4h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

The other day I had to make a tough decision. I noticed two cracks on either side of the tubs where I laid down the body filler. Now when I did all this body filler work I wasn't really aware of how much I should be laying down. I laid down way to much body filler, and I knew once the motor was in and it was being driven on a regular basis it would crack in no time. So I had one choice and that was to basically start all over. I got some air craft remover and the angle grinder and took off all the body filler. I honestly forgot how much I actually laid down, but it was a lot :facepalm:. I was kind of bummed because I pretty much did all that work for no reason. Countless hours of sanding for nothing. But that's what this build is all about, it's about learning. And even if I have to do things three times over to get it right then that's what I'll do. That being said. It's time to start work on tubs version 2!

How they looked before.
http://i.imgur.com/BtLChQyh.jpg

Cut out the shittiest sections

http://i.imgur.com/v0GKoVCh.jpg

Aircraft remover is some nasty shit. At first I thought latex gloves would be fine. Barely got a few drops on my gloves and I could feel it starting to agitate my skin under the gloves. I ended up using dishwashing gloves and was super careful.
http://i.imgur.com/qi8cSBnh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Taking it all off

http://i.imgur.com/zk3CJ4sh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CJOY5RNh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PPCdaUzh.jpg

Cut out this whole sections because it was a cluster fuck of poor welds and seam sealer.

http://i.imgur.com/gNifj8bh.jpg

Grinding it down.

http://i.imgur.com/PBfsFi3h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LAEn9Bkh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fFDqPCwh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vKED5S0h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

I actually left part of the strut tower in the first time around because I was worried about the structure and becuase I didn't know what I was doing.

http://i.imgur.com/cX4qo0Xh.jpg

Cut that shit out! Now they're actually tubs

http://i.imgur.com/FtjGlPah.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Welds are getting much better. :wavey:

http://i.imgur.com/KtXmBKth.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

I originally had this overlapping, which was a big mistake. There was a little rust forming under it so I'm happy I decided to redo everything.

http://i.imgur.com/OTSGqnqh.jpg

I'm becoming a ninja with the angle grinder now.

http://i.imgur.com/Kep68iqh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8ySF5uNh.jpg

I'm rewelding all the seams with a solid bead instead of spot welds.

http://i.imgur.com/D4RhVQrh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

http://i.imgur.com/AQ6CSCph.jpg

I spent 10 hours working on this on sunday and every day after work trying to get this all done.

http://i.imgur.com/ejSaLL2h.jpg

I actually cut out the seam where the side of the tub meets the strut tower and welded in a whole new patch because the metal was way to thin and just blowing through every time I tried to weld it.

http://i.imgur.com/LUWwuNSh.jpg

I welded all the inside seams as well.

http://i.imgur.com/VJtVBgvh.jpg

Passenger side done! Well almost
:wiggle:

http://i.imgur.com/vzsUYelh.jpg

[ZenkiDeven19]

Update?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[futures14drift]

awesome thread pretty good fab work too for learning all on your own, i did the same thing just learned as i went on im 17 now. keep it up in for the update too!!

[wanna240]

Amazing build!

[relaxamigo]

Hey man, just wanted to say that I really like this build. It's nothing crazy or over the top but I see a lot of myself right now with what you guys are doing. I'm virtually in the same boat as you guys (minus tubs) but I'm almost done with my first complete build.

I'm seeing almost all of the issues that I ran into with my bay in yours and it makes me nervous just re-living it again! As you've learned, the best lesson I learned while I was building my hatch was to do everything correctly the first time. If you got better at a skill, re-do past mistakes to avoid problems in the future.

You guys look like you're having fun, keep working hard and I'll be checking in on your progress!

[homegrowngarage]

awesome thread pretty good fab work too for learning all on your own, i did the same thing just learned as i went on im 17 now. keep it up in for the update too!!

Amazing build!

Hey man, just wanted to say that I really like this build. It's nothing crazy or over the top but I see a lot of myself right now with what you guys are doing. I'm virtually in the same boat as you guys (minus tubs) but I'm almost done with my first complete build.

I'm seeing almost all of the issues that I ran into with my bay in yours and it makes me nervous just re-living it again! As you've learned, the best lesson I learned while I was building my hatch was to do everything correctly the first time. If you got better at a skill, re-do past mistakes to avoid problems in the future.

You guys look like you're having fun, keep working hard and I'll be checking in on your progress!

Thank you for all the kind words guys! Obviously with any build there are problems and setbacks, and we try our best to do the highest quality work possible. Even if it takes longer or costs more lol.

We are wrapping up work for the summer at this point, with fall semester approaching way faster than we'd like, so our progress will be posted shortly! Its not finished as we would have hoped, but we made some changes that both myself and my brother agree were worth the extra time to go back and redo properly.




In the mean time, we attended Friday Nigh Drift Party in Englishtown, NJ back in June and I finally got around to making an edit, so check out some sweet tire slaying.

http://i.imgur.com/yKIOUuJl.jpg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fi0sMyWzj8)

-Jordan

[homegrowngarage]

I haven't updated this in a while. Mostly because not a whole lot of progress has been made. Just a lot of grinding and redoing things over again, but it's getting there. It will be worth it in the end. I also started school at the end of August, so not a whole will be happening over winter. We're hoping to finally get this thing painted next spring and get it on the road!

Here is the progress made since the last post on here.

Took the tail lights out and cleaned up all the goo. We got some shiny new half and half tails but I don't have a picture of them at the moment.

http://i.imgur.com/U6TZSLDh.jpg

Started on the roof. Ground down all the rust spots and started laying filler. I'm really contemplating just getting a new windshield put in because there was a bunch of rust in the seams. But I'll see how I feel about doing it in the spring.

http://i.imgur.com/pH6sfBrh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1rvEHdKh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Put some rust neutralizer on the bay. It sort of works, but if you let it sit for more than a day it starts to show some surface rust. I ended up just not using it anymore and ground down the whole bay to bare metal put some primer on it.

http://i.imgur.com/JCRtK4eh.jpg

Started laying down some filler on the rest of the body.

http://i.imgur.com/w61dcS9h.jpg

Primed the roof.

http://i.imgur.com/D7CVlOkh.jpg

[Drifting Kalamari]

Looking great!

[homegrowngarage]

Primed the tubs. We also put down por-15 on rad support. I love using that stuff, it looks awesome and is super durable.

http://i.imgur.com/ZEiwHhyh.jpg

I also re-did the sides of the tubs. The thing I made before was just dumb and looked really bad. Now it's just a flat piece that goes right up to the frame.

http://i.imgur.com/2FmOxl9h.jpg

When it was all cut out.

http://i.imgur.com/fREpLIhh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/s6Up8Bah.jpg

Close up shot. The welds turned out pretty decent for this section.

http://i.imgur.com/DpIaSomh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Painted it immediately to prevent it from rusting. I've learned my lesson.

http://i.imgur.com/TrGjs2fh.jpg

On a side note I finally picked up a decent angle grinder. We've been using a harbor freight angle grinder up until about 2 months ago. After having about 5 break in a week I got fed up with it and got this dewalt one. It may not be a snap on but it's 100x better than that harbor freight shit.

http://i.imgur.com/2yzTyafh.jpg


Tubs are finally done!

http://i.imgur.com/NCBsJ1ph.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/j4tGsWZh.jpg

I have been considering and redoing that section that I had to cut to fit the brake booster. I think it just looks stupid and haggard. I guess this winter I'll be having some fun haha.
But after that the bay should be 100% done.
I've learned so much from doing this bay and even though it can be extremely frustrating, it feels good once it's (almost) done. I just can't wait put it all back together and finally drive it.

[homegrowngarage]

The body work is shaping up pretty good. I can't wait for paint!

http://i.imgur.com/vkllJZOh.jpg

And that's it for now. This winter break we'll probably be back working on this turd and hopefully this spring we'll be able to get to painting right away!
Then actually drive it!

:wavey:

[homegrowngarage]

Itching to keep working on the 240 while I'm away at school, but soon enough will be winter break and there will be real updates.

This picture sums up the feels.
http://i.imgur.com/XDNjS3ah.jpg

Also never got around to actually taking pictures, but the wiring in the car and engine bay has been wrapped in braided nylon and heatshrink :)
Looks great, will get some pictures of it asap, but here is an example of the quality.

http://i.imgur.com/1KAVDcYh.jpg

Also hopped on some Facebook pages and eBay and snagged both a working HUD cluster with subharness as well as the projector and trim for a very good price. Cant wait to get this installed.

http://i.imgur.com/hh838Nsh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8iofLRQh.jpg

More to come.
- Jordan

[collegekid]

Do any one of you guys go to Temple? I see alot of those blue subies around, was always wondering if any of them belonged to you guys.
I ran into another forum buddy last week lol so its not far out there

[homegrowngarage]

Do any one of you guys go to Temple? I see alot of those blue subies around, was always wondering if any of them belonged to you guys.
I ran into another forum buddy last week lol so its not far out there

I actually do go to temple, but I don't have my car down here and I have a black audi. My brother Jordan has the wrx but he goes to shippensburg.

-Brennan

[collegekid]

Thats cool, Temples a good school in a shitty neighborhood.
I'm the Indian dude in the Silver Impreza Rs coupe if you ever see me

What's your major?

[Super_OK_S13]

hope to see this sometime since you are semi local. =)

[homegrowngarage]

hope to see this sometime since you are semi local. =)

Yes definitely when we get it painted and rolling we need to meet up, possibly photo shoot haha. Your build has been a major inspiration for us, plus knowing there is someone local with the same taste in 240s is pretty neat too. Hopefully we can get our s13 as clean as yours!

-Jordan

[homegrowngarage]

So we've been back home from college for over a month now, and have been hard at work to get the car done. Our initial goal was to have it done for East Coast Bash, but it just didn't happen soon enough.

We unwrapped the car, and found that the "rust neutralizer" paste we applied to the bare metal actually accelerated the formation of rust! And totally fucked up everything we grinded down last year. This meant we needed to once again grind the entire bay back down to bare metal!
http://i.imgur.com/DlGYHivh.jpg


In addition to this, you may have seen previously that we've made repairs that were honestly pretty shitty, but we tried our best. We keep trying to correct those as our skills improve, and one of those fixes was redoing the rear corner of the bay where we made a crap patch that looked awful.

Now you see it
http://i.imgur.com/7BsL4Ewh.jpg

Now you don't!
http://i.imgur.com/TJnu5E7h.jpg

New patch going in, trying to make it match the oem curve of the wheel well.
http://i.imgur.com/ud2KmS5h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hUUn2LDh.jpg


Grinding down the bay and prepping for body filler. Our goal was to use as little filler as possible, so it reduces the chances of cracking. This makes the bay look less perfect, but it's worth it over cracked paint.
http://i.imgur.com/pZUwEoyh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4DQENKoh.jpg


More grinding.

http://i.imgur.com/xygYkEnl.jpg

Had to fix a few more places. At this point I wish I just cut all of the stock metal out and made the tubs extend all the way to the firewall. Maybe next time (;

http://i.imgur.com/Ue1W1jLl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kh4TCYVl.jpg

Much better than the first time!
http://i.imgur.com/GVKPmsyl.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

New parts have arrived!! This is everyone's favorite part of building a car, aside from having a lighter wallet.

First up was something we've been eyeing from the beginning. After we realized that ebay bucket seats we a poor idea, we decided to skip right to a FIA certified fixed-back seat by Corbeau. We lucked out on free shipping from Enjuku Racing over memorial day, thanks guys!
http://i.imgur.com/1mmLzZXh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hNy4Zy4h.jpg


What better to pair the seat up to than handmade seat rails by Street Faction Engineering. Seriously these things are awesome, look great and can be easily adjusted for our side-mounted seat.
http://i.imgur.com/zHwCjPnh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7KlL1Och.jpg


Now the passenger is equally as important, so no way another s13 seat is going back in the car. We managed to grab a MINT S14 seat from a local guy for only $30! It really looks like it was never sat it, super stoked to have it in the car.
http://i.imgur.com/QGZ7cT7h.jpg


Now another issue has been what to do with seat belts. 4 point harnesses would be neat, but without a roll cage they aren't practical or safe, so we grabbed a pair of S14 Black 3-Point seat belts.
http://i.imgur.com/eBotNJXh.jpg


Another idea we had for the car was to tuck the brake lines inside the firewall and use bulkhead AN fittings to clean it all up. Well it just wasnt working out as planned, and to save the hassle we just went with Chase Bays brake line relocation kit. It looks like good quality so we'll put it to the test when the cars done.
http://i.imgur.com/cMJcNt7h.jpg


Finally after we laid a coat of primer with a Harbor Freight HVLP gun, we knew it definitely wouldn't give us the results we wanted when we painted the car. So I bought a decent 3-gun setup from Areopro which worked flawlessly.
http://i.imgur.com/dGXME1Fh.jpg


More to come. -Jordan

[homegrowngarage]

Got the intake manifold all ready for a coat of silver engine paint .

http://i.imgur.com/m8TTn21h.jpg

All the covers were taken off for a fresh coat of paint and new gaskets were put in.
We painted the engine block with black engine enamel.

http://i.imgur.com/v5RHJJTh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0itYebah.jpg

Everything on and painted!

http://i.imgur.com/Kbndc47h.jpg


Brand new gaskets for the intake manifold, water pump, thermostat housing and other bolt on pieces.

http://i.imgur.com/KYZ2vcGh.jpg


While the motor was torn apart for new gaskets, I decided to delete the pcv hoses on the back of the manifold as they were cracked and aren't really necessary if the block is venting from the valve cover..

I used a great write up from ka-t.org about removing them, which can be found here: http://www.ka-t.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27437


After removing the nipples from the manifold with a punch, you then tap the holes with 3/8" tap to thread some hex plugs into.
http://i.imgur.com/ZRPlsxWh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HeJf5pIh.jpg

Total cost was $2 and the underside is alot cleaner.

[homegrowngarage]

Another small project i've been meaning to get around to is installing the HUD display into our dash. This feature came on the higher trims than our SE so the dash needed to be cut out for it. I used a template and instructions found over on NICOclub: http://forums.nicoclub.com/converting-non-hud-dashboard-to-hud-dashboard-t562470.html I have the template if anyone wants me to upload it.

Mask off the area and trace the template.
http://i.imgur.com/NnUvEJ2h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6NLqFnBh.jpg

Cut into the foam/vinyl dash with a razor blade and remove the top layer.
http://i.imgur.com/E35sGNEh.jpg

Use a dremel to cut the inner section of the hole. This part goes all the way through.
http://i.imgur.com/qWKinj1h.jpg

HUD in.
http://i.imgur.com/vEjO0eKh.jpg

Cover on.
http://i.imgur.com/tn4DutUh.jpg

Dope.
http://i.imgur.com/01omKAJh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

We went to East Coast bash and regained a lot of motivation. Especially seeing the Front Street cars.

http://i.imgur.com/XD1OzJvh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Prepping for primer has begun!

http://i.imgur.com/jyqREFch.jpg

Here I am laying the first coat of primer in the bay.

http://i.imgur.com/em46UOMh.jpg

Fenders

http://i.imgur.com/LT6Ppxkh.jpg

Bumpers

http://i.imgur.com/J8STZegh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Everything all primed up. It was such a good feeling finally seeing everything one color. Now it's time to block everything down.

http://i.imgur.com/yYhDXx4h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8KoGje6h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VDIzeAyh.jpg

We set up big plastic sheets that we got from harbor freight, it worked as well as you would expect hah.

http://i.imgur.com/XlcPr6kh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

It's been awhile. Things have been busy, especially with both of us being away at college and all that. I realized I didn't even finish updating the thread to where the project sits right now. So lets get down to business.

Everything was primed and ready to go.
Here is a shot of the firewall section. I'm so glad that I went back and fixed it.

http://i.imgur.com/ON5utt8h.jpg

Then it was time for base coat!
Fenders and bumpers were all painted.

http://i.imgur.com/LaFXbwlh.jpg

And the full car.

http://i.imgur.com/Jz3mr4jh.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/9gQ0Ce3h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Then we finally laid some clear. We were learning as we went but over all it went pretty well for the first time. There were some bugs that landed in the clear that had to be wet sanded out. Some things did have to be recleared but it's all part of the process.

http://i.imgur.com/iFbBv9Jh.jpg

You can see some of the dirt nibs that were in the clear. The plan is to wet sand and cut and polish the entire car in the spring. That should take care of most of the imperfections.

http://i.imgur.com/YO7beHHh.jpg

Amazing what a change of angle can do haha.

http://i.imgur.com/piWWlVoh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

The bay turned out really nice as well. There was no better feeling than having it completely painted after all that time of struggling and and grinding and sanding.

http://i.imgur.com/3jtKLc9h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kzreyezh.jpg

Did a little mock up of the bumper and fenders.

http://i.imgur.com/mFpxn4Mh.jpg

More pictures of painting.

http://i.imgur.com/R30MgXDh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/x2wgaPuh.jpg

Got rid of the tacky rising sun.

http://i.imgur.com/QWCVjeqh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nVRxWqoh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Time to start assembling!
We coated the front subframe in por15. It's so nice and shiny.

http://i.imgur.com/01y76u1h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SbPHYurh.jpg

Did the powersteering rack as well.

http://i.imgur.com/lEqxfKRh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

New parts!
Inner and outer tie rods an power steering boots.

http://i.imgur.com/MX3i4dAh.jpg

New on the left and the old on the right.
http://i.imgur.com/IaC6d0jh.jpg

We also have polyurethane power steering rack bushings.
http://i.imgur.com/P2i8oPKh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Front subframe assembled and ready to go in with the addition of circuit sports polyurethane motor mounts.

http://i.imgur.com/cuoacdAh.jpg

Power brace getting a coat of por15.
http://i.imgur.com/noW4aluh.jpg


All bolted in, along with the custom power brace.
http://i.imgur.com/nSCXzJ1h.jpg?1

[homegrowngarage]

It looks like a car!
http://i.imgur.com/yTXZJ4hh.jpg

Time to do a final coat of por15 on the interior.

Cleaning

http://i.imgur.com/sHrfi3gh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PMk21Eyh.jpg

Coated

http://i.imgur.com/XzlD6cjh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gjYRPomh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Custom bracket for the windshield washer bottle.
The filler neck won't be on the entire time.

http://i.imgur.com/UIR7O2jh.jpg

Corbeau forza sport seat along with some street faction seat rails.

http://i.imgur.com/C2DVQg8h.jpg

NRG short hub / quick release with a white leather grip royal wheel.

http://i.imgur.com/lrxqdn7h.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Head lights all put together and painted.

http://i.imgur.com/QjZXoQWh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/G0a4Llmh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

IT'S TIME!
The motor is ready to go in.

Wiper motor and brake master cylinder put in.
http://i.imgur.com/rp7owhnh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kzjumuih.jpg

We made sure to cover the entire bay to avoid scratching it and fucking up all our hard work.

http://i.imgur.com/M8q9BZOh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

IT'S IN!

http://i.imgur.com/Bx1bDSVh.jpg

Then we hooked up our chase bays brake lines.

http://i.imgur.com/4NILtr0h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YI5bgsuh.jpg

Also picked up a new clutch master cylinder. $20 at autozone, no joke.

http://i.imgur.com/UxRdlfih.jpg

Fitted the power steering reservoir.
http://i.imgur.com/Xzoj6HUh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/T0urivsh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Hooking up the push button start and the HUD.

http://i.imgur.com/kdGvhvwh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HXMLQNih.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1BwxZtfh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

All together. Well mostly together.
http://i.imgur.com/MD9RHTJh.jpg

We forgot to paint the center piece under the lights. Oh well, we'll get to it in the spring.
http://i.imgur.com/Pem2pekh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/X0D3Qsth.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

It still has some issues but it does run and drive....and looks like a bone stock 240sx.
Now it's time to start the real build!

We plan on redoing some of the wiring and making a new switch panel for the center console and some sort of glove box delete that will include fuse blocks or something of the sorts. Then it's time to get some actual mods such as control arms, new coilovers and wheels and tires and build a new exhaust. And I need to fix the bottom of the fender and a whole lot of odds and ends.
It's been quite a journey to get to this point and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Should be good, right?
-Brennan

Homegrown Garage


http://i.imgur.com/q5UcYGAh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Q7Wb15hh.jpg

[supersayianjim]

I hate hatches BUT... thanks for that nifty idea of putting the washer fluid in the back, you are a effing genus!!!

[homegrowngarage]

I hate hatches BUT... thanks for that nifty idea of putting the washer fluid in the back, you are a effing genus!!!

It was super easy too, I just made a little bracket out of out aluminum bar.

[homegrowngarage]

Been awhile since the last update. At the end of the the summer we were still dealing with some minor issues like idling, seized calipers and other stuff. To make a long story short, I ending up taking the car around the block with no coolant in it, and as I pulled back in the driveway I popped the headgasket. :facepalm:

Now being that we were leaving for school we decided to just leave the car and fix it later in the year when we came back. But we made the shitty mistake of leaving the oil/coolant/frosty mixture in the motor..... for 9 months!

Fast-forward to May 2017 when we think we're just a quick gasket change away from driving the car and we discover this mess.
http://i.imgur.com/Pcl3q6yh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Rb8TP14h.jpg

The lobes of the camshafts were rusted from water condensing on top of them over the months, and everything was covered in thick sticky milkshake. Time to dig in and fix it.

Our friend Adam helping us out while pulling the motor back out.
http://i.imgur.com/E1ALQN1h.jpg

Cams out. Notice the rust in the head.
http://i.imgur.com/36W1YHSh.jpg

Hating life
http://i.imgur.com/pb6YTVPh.jpg

We ended up completely stripping the motor down to the bare short block and getting a case of brake cleaner and cleaning the goo off. We figured it would be worth a shot, if the motor blows then we'll just pick another one up. Since there's a lot of small nooks in the head we took it to a car wash and power-washed the hell out of it lol.

Pouring fresh oil on the bearings after brake cleaning the block. Worked surprisingly well, we got just about all of it out. We got cheap conventional oil from Walmart and planned on putting a few miles on the motor and then changing it.
http://i.imgur.com/wSKdGdph.jpg

Cleaned and ready for assembly
http://i.imgur.com/cU5MHomh.jpg

Reassembly
http://i.imgur.com/ZdmX6qlh.jpg

Also did new gaskets on the motor, and a front main seal.
http://i.imgur.com/hTjEanch.jpg

Not pictured was the frustration of stripping the threads on the idler gear sprocket for the timing chains, which resulted in $50 wasted on a helicoil kit. Also we needed new cams, and our friend had an s14 KA laying around which we picked up in exchange for a case of miller lite. (Thanks Logan!) This did mean that the new cams are now 232 degrees which is a little smaller than the s13 cams, but I can't complain. - Jordan

[homegrowngarage]

Next up on the list was the brake seizing issue. We replaced the calipers in the front, as well as the master cylinder and it was still applying pressure all the time. We later found the issue to be the brake booster pin was threaded out a little too far so it was always pushing on the brakes even when I wasn't pushing the pedal. A quick adjustment and the brakes were finally good to go!

Next issue was the clutch pedal losing pressure and not returning after depressing. That issue was the slave cylinder being bad, so we slapped another one in and that was finally fixed as well. So everything brake/clutch related on the car is now completely brand new.

Since memorial day was coming up, we decided to order the ISR catback exhaust off Enjuku Racing. A few days later when the box arrives I open it up to find this:
http://i.imgur.com/DzZdtToh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jkaopsjh.jpg
The tip was pushed in and the rest of the system had at least 5 major dents in it. Enjuku was really good about it and got a new one shipped out pretty quick, which we really appreciate. The quality of the welds and overall construction is really good as well, but the muffler canister is fucking huge, it looks pretty ridiculous honestly.

Side by side of the new system and our old $20 exhaust.
http://i.imgur.com/idfETnbh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Finally the car is together and running, and I immediately took it on it's maiden voyage 120 miles away to my friend's place for a party. To celebrate for his birthday, I was pressured into doing a tandem burnout with his fd rx-7 which was alot of fun.
http://i.imgur.com/L0wLFWfh.jpg

First burnout was a success!
http://i.imgur.com/JCNQ3y7h.jpg

Both cars lined up together. His has a single Borg-Warner turbo making 348whp. Mine is only a few hp behind that...
http://i.imgur.com/w0FlTsZh.jpg

Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I chewed through the old shitty tires we had on the car, so it was time for a new set. I check the dates on the old tires and they were 11 years old!

New rubber, decent tires on amazon that should hold us over for now.
http://i.imgur.com/zS7K4GXh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Went to the local junk yard which had an s13 hatch that was beat. Scored a carpet in pretty good condition for $5!
http://i.imgur.com/elp4oAAh.jpg

Also took a chance on some no-name eBay coilovers. They were $80 and as anyone could have probably guessed they were blown and seized to shit. Oh well, was able to sell them and get almost all our money back.
http://i.imgur.com/EreIlwch.jpg

This is how it currently sits on Tanabe Racing coils, low in the back but still too high up front.
http://i.imgur.com/TgIf4HWh.jpg

-Jordan

[homegrowngarage]

It's been awhile... We still have the car and it is still running! We've just been driving it around and working on other projects. We forgot to take pictures of a lot of the little stuff that was don, but honestly nothing major has really happened.

Over the summer we got new speakers up front. Cool I know right?

https://i.imgur.com/ZVhSfTVh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YhX88aQh.jpg

And we also got some ISR pro rear control arms and got a proper alignment.
It also got inspected for the second time and it passed with flying colors.

https://i.imgur.com/y83QTbrh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BAdaFumh.jpg

We got all the arms, I just only took pics of these two.

My friend also backed into the quarter panel with his truck.
SIIIIIIIICK

https://i.imgur.com/YqjtMlih.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

After 4 long years we finally took the s13 drifting. It was a blast and we had zero issues the whole time.

https://i.imgur.com/s3LXqgBh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/a8DvBmZh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ntY7Yheh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qzmXKoqh.jpg

[Super_OK_S13]

Glad to see/hear this car is still around and looks like fun sliding!!!

[homegrowngarage]

It's been about 2 years since I've we've updated this thread. With forums slowly dying off it's hard to remember to come back and update a random build thread that you created a couple years ago. I like the idea of build threads and going back through them to look at all the progress that has happened over the years.
Over the past two years life has kind of gotten in the way but the 240 is still here and we have been working on it when we have the chance.

https://i.imgur.com/Q0xbNlfh.jpg

In March of 2019 we moved into our first shop. It was finally nice to have a place of our own. That shop had its ups and downs. And a lot of great stories.

https://i.imgur.com/RtGRPSuh.jpg

We pulled the trigger on a 5 lug swap and some work vsxx's. They're not perfect and one of the lips is slightly bent, but for now, they'll do.
Also they're gold... yuck

https://i.imgur.com/7L3yDPph.jpg

Next up... some sick aero.
We test fitted it once and thought it looked like shit. Sold it and made more money than we paid. Sometimes we come out on top.

https://i.imgur.com/0Pu9bdDh.jpg

After finding a ton of rust in our barely used "ebay" radiator we decided to ball out a little bit and got and entire mishimoto set up. Radiator, fan shroud and fans. Super happy with this purchase.

https://i.imgur.com/DSKJ2Odh.jpg

[homegrowngarage]

Another big purchase was some front and rear bash bars from Streetfaction.
They had an independence day sale with free shipping (woohoo America!) We saved something like $300 on the total, but it took 4ish months for them to arrive. Which is fine because our 240 has been an immovable metal object for too long at this point.

https://i.imgur.com/EdFprYNh.jpg

The biggest and most time consuming reason the car has been a giant paper weight is because we decided to completely rewire the entire chassis and engine harness. A daunting task for many, but who doesn't like a challenge. My brother also incredible when it comes to wiring. We each have our skills that we bring to the table.

We're using mil-spec connectors that will be running through the firewall to create a "quick connect" system for the engine harness.

https://i.imgur.com/9v1SQqfh.jpg

Everything has been depinned and individually loomed with nylon wrap and heat shrink.

https://i.imgur.com/iwEqr2Th.jpg

A lot of wires have been deleted and everything is now rerouted to a custom panel relay/fuse panel under the dash.

https://i.imgur.com/eE4bZhCh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SP1iMeSh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Le3ReLsh.jpg

(This photos a little old so it's a bit more tidy under there now)

[homegrowngarage]

Some other cool odds and ends is that my brother got a 3D printer.

He made these little extender piece to go on the lock cylinder to make it flush with the kouki tails.

https://i.imgur.com/810MHOVh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HO27O1gh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gJCoXNLh.jpg

Oh yeah we got kouki tails. And I'm in love with them.

https://i.imgur.com/iJAWOhSh.jpg

This is the only pic I have of them lol. Trust me they're on there.

[homegrowngarage]

This coolant temp sensor has seen better days.

https://i.imgur.com/J72eSiwh.jpg

After a quick run in with some ebay aero we decided to go oem+ with a type x bumper. Super excited about this piece. Some dorki dori or even rep type x skirts and rep type x rear spats are going to complete the look.

https://i.imgur.com/XvL9GZvh.jpg

Another long over due upgrade were some new coilovers.
For the past couple years we have been rocking some ancient tanabe sustec pro coilovers that I bought second hand for $300.
We upgraded to BC's. The front still doesn't go low enough so that is something to take care of in the future.

https://i.imgur.com/oOesUZ5h.jpg

In October of 2019 we moved into a new shop that was bigger and a lot closer to where we live.
Here's some photos of the old shop. It was fun it lasted.

https://i.imgur.com/Bc7aKYnh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CAb3StQh.jpg

A lot has happened in the past couple years and among all our other projects the 240 is still getting some love. This upcoming summer the plan is to drive the car...A LOT. Next winter we have some new ideas floating around for this chassis and some new skills that'd we'd like to learn. Also the itch to buy a second 240 is growing every day...

[Jens]

Nice to see that the build never died! Going OEM+ is the best way! :D

[EFITTZY]

Make build threads great again! Glad to see y'all still pushing forward with this project

[ingmar F]

super clean build! nice to see you are still going on!

[austinth0rnt0n]

awesome work guys! love to see the forums getting some use again, keep it up!

[Thursday7]

Just read this from front to back. I'm also from Allentown, graduated from Temple (I may or may not be the person collegekid was referring to a few pages back), and attend pretty much every Evergreen event. Excited to see some proper 180 style around these parts.