What was your Mistake or Learning experience?

[na12uto]

Let's hear your mistakes or Learning curves

Let me tell you about the time I welded my diff and didn't realize it needed fluid. Blown diff on freeway, no bueno.
Or the time I was installing some fenders but it was too late and thought ziptied fenders were fine. They caught air and cracked at the top

[lunchmeat]

My mistake? Bought a 20 yr old 240 thinking I'd use it to commute to work. Been nothing but ass pain, so I parked it and it's old ass car problems.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[na12uto]

My mistake? Bought a 20 yr old 240 thinking I'd use it to commute to work. Been nothing but ass pain, so I parked it and it's old ass car problems.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

Sounds like my friends Facebook feeds who still try to daily theirs

[Malik]

bad wiring harnesses are a pain.

[JrDarknes]

4 years ago I bought some wheels. Was so excited to put them on I forgot to tighten my lug nuts and one of the wheels came off while driving.

I double check my lugs nuts even if I didn't even take them off now haha.

[jedi03]

tried starting girlfriends car with no crank sensor...car backfired after overfueling for a while...engine bay was on fire till I found the only fire retardant I had at the time...milk...to put it out...now have fire extinguisher and water!

[TheRealSy90]

Gutted my first 240 I got in 2008 at 17, probably the second day I had it. Threw every interior piece in the dumpster because I thought it was going to be a racecar. It had probably perfect interior.

Removing AC components from the engine bay when doing an sr20 swap instead of keeping functional heat and AC.

Both happened the same day...

[Almighty So]

^ ouch!

I made the mistake of being too anxious when I was younger. I was always comparing my car to other people’s rides. I had a semi clean zenki but I wanted an s13, a kouki, a Toyota.. I wanted to experience it all right away lol. Bounced around between a handful of different chassis just trying to find the “right one”.
Kind of a waste of time and money lol. But very happy with the chassis I have now.

[da_crew10]

My biggest mistake was doing drugs for the first time 10 years ago, now I am hooked!

[DustinSixOh9]

Downloading grainy 90s Japanese drift videos on kazaa in 2002ish, can blame that for this never ending rabbit hole of drift cars and poor financial choices that are still happening today.

[R3b]

I feel like I did the opposite of everyone. Got mine a 19 and was my first car. Knew from the get go I wanted to take care of it. After having it for a few months and seeing unreliable it was I got stubborn and decided to basically restore the car.

I fucked up thinking 25 year old car would get me point A-B with 0 issues.....

BUT now after nearly three years of owning it plus an undisclosed amount of money...... Its reliable as ever, drive it everyday to work/school, has AC, built ka on e85, have type x aero, have my blitz techno speeds z2 wheels coming next week. After tearing it down last year to build it the only thing to go on the car was plastic circle thing on the fuel unit not getting 12v to the wire and recently my turbo took a shit but its always given me issues. Other than that, starts up every day no problem.

Only learning curve I had was to budget my money for parts and I should of bought a "proper" daily so this could be on the side but hey not many people can say they daily there first car let alone a 25 year old nissan. Rather have my POS than a stock 86, subbie, lexus etc and its nice knowing I built it all myself with my dad as extra set of hands. Mechanics is easy, just need to do a bit of reading.

[crash n' burn]

Trying to do too much at one time.

College budget didn't exactly fund a full build from a shell and it took me 4yrs to finish it. I drove it like a dozen times before I parted it out :facepalm:

[pacotaco345]

but hey not many people can say they daily there first car let alone a 25 year old nissan.

I mean, the majority of the population uses their car as a daily driver, first car or not lol... We just ruin ours.

The worst thing I ever did was rip out the stock KA and put an SR in it, I've gone through 5 motors in the past 3 years now

[Almighty So]

I have a feeling new people are going to be directed to this thread at some point lol.
The hindsight advice thread/what not to do thread.

Oh the things I wish I knew back then.

[encludemeout]

Thinking I could swap an RB and it would be cheap and headache free.

It was a nightmare. I enjoyed the KA 1000x more.

[Zenki_559]

Decided to slam and drift my s14. Had a reasonably nice 98 civic hatchback, got the itch for something different, sold for $5k and picked up an absolutely flawless zenki. Full SE package with every factory option, except for an lsd. Flawless exterior with brand new paint and interior was good enough (semi cracked leather, swapped out with SE confetti later). Went from super clean dailyable s14 to slammed, fucked fenders, cracked bumper, rubbed fender harness, doesnt pass CA smog, blew 2 head gaskets, and dented QPs. Ended up going full kit and widebody, moved to TX and sold it withing 2 months because i hated what i had done to it.

Looking back i was young, dumb and essentially chalked it up to a learning experience, as i learned to tear apart KA's, some minor welding skills, dialing suspension set ups, and the like. Now that i have a career, house, and a wife, i recently picked up a s13 coupe to restore and use as nice weekend and track car.

[majgoldfish]

Getting rid of my first 240sx, a 1995 OBD1 Zenki SE. I used it as a daily driver and was great, started feeling like the engine was on its way out the door at 240,000 miles~ and got rid of it.

Saw it for sale multiple times later with the same ka and lots more miles, with various exterior mods done to it.

I am currently in the process of rebuilding another 1995 zenki, have poured quite a bit of money into it so far, and I still haven't been able to start it :) Sat for 3 years and was abused and neglected.

Hope to have it on the road in a few months, worst case.

[Bushido]

i threw away my wheel well splash guards instead of modifying them when i rolled my fenders

[anthony_240]

I remember when I picked up my first s13. Suspension was first on mods, and big brake upgrade, went q45. I built it to run the canyons. Then came the “I need more power” since it was a single cam, I picked up a black top SR. Being a little idiot I remember getting countless parts off eBay for the swap, but that wasn’t the worst part, I had done the wiring for the harness myself, and overlooked the last wire, I was supposed to splice two wires into one, I believe for the spark, and when it all came together I got a crank no start. I didn’t know anything about diagnosing at the time, so it went to a few shops, and eventually ended up getting hydro-locked. RIP


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Reece]

^ ouch!

I made the mistake of being too anxious when I was younger. I was always comparing my car to other people’s rides. I had a semi clean zenki but I wanted an s13, a kouki, a Toyota.. I wanted to experience it all right away lol. Bounced around between a handful of different chassis just trying to find the “right one”.
Kind of a waste of time and money lol. But very happy with the chassis I have now.

LITERALLY came here to say this exact same thing about myself lmao

Real talk though. Biggest mistake was trading my first S13 for an FC because I thought I needed an FC for some reason. S13 had a super strong SR, Vertex aero, Stance coils, SSRs, etc etc really nice car. FC was bone stock but rust free and minty. Spent a fuckton of money on FC parts, drove it once, and it blew up. RIP

[simmode1]

Don't buy one of these cars if you don't have a reliable space to work on it and the resources to do so. Ensure that you are able to do the work yourself so you don't have to put so much faith in shops to complete your vision or even keep your shit running.

[anti tyler]

I think my WORST mistake was when I was younger, buying a 5 bolt turbo downpipe that had a popcorn weld on it.

It cracked off at the flange while going 95mph testing somethings. Luckily I had the hood off, so it didn't melt my brake master and catch fire.

[lunchmeat]

Selling my damn near bone stock, stick shift, cobalt green 97 and using what little I got for it as a down payment for my truck, nine years ago. Had that car for 9 years then had be be all adult and shit. Should have just kept it.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[smoked240]

Don't buy one of these cars if you don't have a reliable space to work on it and the resources to do so. Ensure that you are able to do the work yourself so you don't have to put so much faith in shops to complete your vision or even keep your shit running.

I've owned my s13 for 9 years and have only worked indoors on it 5 times. I've never owned a garage. When I swapped my Rb, back in 2009 I built a lean-to onto my shed because it was in the middle of winter.

What I learned from then? Don't cut corners, Save your money to buy a quality part.

[danshaz]

bought the car with the attitude that i already knew every possible thing there is to know.

when i dropped the rear subframe i ended up stripping the threads on the chassis studs when i put it back on. im guessing it was a combo of the impact gun to take it off and new hardware on the old stretched out studs. so i just hammered the new nuts on and hoped to god i never had to drop the subframe again.

[OutlawLui]

Buying my 1st 240sx 6 years ago :/

It's and Addiction .


*Damn... it was actually like 8 years now haha

[hatch4life]

welding next to a rag soaked in wax and grease remover laying on the rad support

spoiler alert, it went up in flames pretty fast and ruined new paint, but harness was fine :2f2f:

[brndck]

I wired an electric fan backwards once, in a rush to make it to ASB.
car kept getting hot no matter what I did, had to come in every other lap and spray it off with the hose, then I realized the fan was spraying water BACK at me.

OOOOOPS.

[dizzariot]

I've had friends talk shit on how selective I am when it comes to buying cars...but I've never had a problem daily driving and S13 in the US. Fucc tha h8rs.

...but when I got to Japan I fucked up. Found a Midnight Purple Type X for sale in Osaka. I was so excited by the price and how quickly I had come across one that I bought it without traveling to Osaka to see it in person. My thought process was something along the lines of:

Oh man I'm in Japan and dealerships are obviously all good sellers. Way better than America.

Wrong. Car was more of a 'project' then it should have been. I ended up trading a newer, turbo car for my NA Q's two-tone. I guess it worked out in the end.

Oh and I had a coupe when I left for boot. It was the ugly champagne color but it was an SE with HUD, sunroof, and brown interior. Should have never sold it :/

[dallaschristman]

Worst mistake I've made with my car? Buying a single cam to swap in my dual cam car. No compression test, no checking to see if it was running. Just bought it and figured it out. HUGE fuck up.

[3NDLESS]

Buying coilovers and somewhat lowering my car thats on 15s... 3 finger gap between ground and lowest part (pignose lip). My highschool used to have no speed bumps and now they do.. I look like a fucking idiot going through speed bumps.

[R3b]

I mean, the majority of the population uses their car as a daily driver, first car or not lol... We just ruin ours.


Well as far as car enthusiast go I hardly ever see someone daily there car. Its either a track car/weekend toy or some teen who like me thinking they can drive it every day but after replacing broken parts/waiting for funds its sits more than anything. Its like someone driving an oldschool beetle or even a e30 everyday. I think there is some merit in today having an older car run like it got off the showroom or in some cases better than original design.

[feito]

S-chassis related? Lets see:
Making a pretty nasty gash on one of my perfectly new tires while driving my lowered s14 to the alignment shop without rolling the fenders first.
Putting a crack on my then crackless dashboard while moving some parts in my garage.
Wasting money on a few stock harnesses before giving up and buying a WS one.
Other car related stuff includes:
Buying a pretty decent 280z with minimum rust, taking the project too far to a rotisserie point, giving up and selling it.
Too many projects at a time.
In life? No to think about my future and start saving from a younger age...

[simmode1]

I've owned my s13 for 9 years and have only worked indoors on it 5 times. I've never owned a garage. When I swapped my Rb, back in 2009 I built a lean-to onto my shed because it was in the middle of winter.

What I learned from then? Don't cut corners, Save your money to buy a quality part.
My comment was really more in reference to apartment renters... You know, those places that will fine you for working on a car or having it sit too long on their property.

[CamryOnBronze]

Oh man, too many to list over the last decade of messing with my S13. At this point I regret basically anything I did to the car that cannot be easily reversed- anything that requires cutting, welding, etc. I wish I never shaved the engine bay or pulled the rear quarters, but those are things I have learned to live with.

My biggest regret with my car is not quitting while I was ahead. I made a lot of changes to the car in 2012 that ultimately made me hate driving it and lose interest. Having my first daughter seemed like a good excuse to sell it and get a more family-oriented project car (an Evo VIII,) but I think I really just wanted a new project. I ended up buying my S13 shell back two years later and doing it all over again- now THAT is stupid, lol.

I'm thankful to have the car back now, but if I had just stopped where I was with it in 2011 I would be in much better shape financially now. I enjoy the build process too much and just can't leave anything well enough alone, but I've been making progress with that flaw over the last couple years.

[eagleeyes221]

I have a bad habit of spending money before thinking of a better solution to my problem. Before doing anything to any project vehicle is to go in with a plan with plenty of notes and you can never do enough research on how a swap can be done. My advice to anyone reading is enjoy the car more and get it to a running condition and leaving it there for a longer period of time before any upgrades. It really keeps your interest peaked longer in the project instead of staring at your car on jack stands

[tuzzio]

my biggest mistake was buying a 240.

[Malik]

My comment was really more in reference to apartment renters... You know, those places that will fine you for working on a car or having it sit too long on their property.

I had this problem when I was renting... it was terrible my landlord and my neighbors wouldn't cut me a break at all.

[SimpleSexy180]

Let's hear your mistakes or Learning curves

Let me tell you about the time I welded my diff and didn't realize it needed fluid. Blown diff on freeway, no bueno.
Or the time I was installing some fenders but it was too late and thought ziptied fenders were fine. They caught air and cracked at the top

How I didn't look to buy any fluid. The other day I still don't use a car for welded diffs.

[simmode1]

I had this problem when I was renting... it was terrible my landlord and my neighbors wouldn't cut me a break at all.
Word. That spelled the demise of my first and favorite S13 hatch:wtc:

[EFITTZY]

In hindsight I did a lot of stupid things in my younger days with my first s13... We're all young dumb and broke at some point right? (still broke, still young, and still dumb btw)

Bought a 91' pos hatch when I was 17. PO was king of DIW. Clapped suspension, slammed on its nuts, and covered in hoonibro stickers :picardfp:

So being a stupid broke boy who wanted a cool car I decided to get some rep chuki side skirts, and try my hand at the illusive "Home Depot" front lip.

Long story short I got flamed for it here on zilvia...

Times goes on and you get wiser. Sold that hoopty to help fund my first proper project car (95' s14 zenki with a red top sr20 swap.)

Best advice is to read as many build threads as you can to see how things should be done... oh and stop half assing things :nono:

[Zenki_559]

How I didn't look to buy any fluid. The other day I still don't use a car for welded diffs.

umm.... what?

[slider2828]

Not replacing all the heater hoses under the manifold. Ended up costing me an engine on the track.

Not buying saving and buying an FD RX7 instead....

[Juucso]

Going all out before I've driven it fairly stock.

[Bnr32gtr]

Owning 3 of these $ Pits. My thoughts were That way one is always ready jam horrible idea but I can't seem to part with any of them it's crazy

[joshg51]

Not pulling a screw out of my tire and plugging it right away. came out while driving on the freeway and shredded my inner sidewall which led to me almost spinning out and denting the shit out of my quarter panel. Tire was brand new too.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5715/20860685223_354fb36555_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xMosWB)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/xMosWB) by joshg51 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/), on Flickr

Also going overfenders is wack, i wish i just paid a body shop to finish my quarter panels.

[CrimsonRockett]

Keep it simple.

Spend money on quality parts.

Tackle one project at a time. When you start taking on 3-4 project cars at once, you'll have 3-4 incomplete cars versus one fully built one.

I do not regret going over the top on my current build because these would be things that would definitely bother me down the line.

I would obviously rather be driving my cars versus just having them sit around for years at a time for the sake of a tear down / rebuild, but reaching personal goals is also very fulfilling.

[green_bullet]

Bought a project 240. O_o .

(It's currently my daily, so not to bad of a mistake... But still taking my money )

[Malik]

Best advice is to read as many build threads as you can to see how things should be done...

this is really the main lesson though.

[k00laid83]

For me it was having multiple projects on a college budget. I had a ef civic 4dr that I learned on. Then I picked up my s13 and was building it for 7 years. Then trying to do both cars and have the funds for both was not smart. So, I sold my civic to my little brother, and fully committed to the s13.

My biggest regret with my s13 was buying cheap parts from ebay just to get the car on the road. They've lasted me a while but now I'm at the point where I'll never buy ebay / knock-off. I'm buying nothing but quality parts.

[enkei2k]

my mistake - going for the exterior stuff first instead of internals...

had authentic Volks rims, Sparco seats, Silvia grill, aftermarket HU and loads of stuff that made my car stand out obnoxiously in a 'steal me' sort of way... all with a stock KA engine.

All that pretty stuff gets stolen and had to start from scratch.

Now keeping outside car stock looking on the outside while focusing on the engine and suspension parts.

[Kingtal0n]

not using mostly stock engines when you want reliable daily






is often a costly mistake

[Beanzo]

car blew alternator fuse, tracked down 75 amp fuse, blew it again, got another fuse and alternator, swapped them both, blew it again, come to find out there was some exposed wire from my harness grounding on my chassis :picardfp:

[Future240]

I rushed and bought a bad chassis. The engine was junk and threw a rod in a week. A while later I jack it up and find out the drive side rail is pushed in (looked like someone jacked it up wrong). All of the struts were blown because the jackass prior owner put lowering springs on the stock struts.


When the KA blew I rushed on that too. My pops found a rebuilt ka for $1,000 and I said pull the trigger. A few days later on 240atlanta (rip) a fully built KA goes for sale for the same price.


I didn't set my coils right and blew one.


Life happened, I went through stuff and neglected my car, ended up with a bum engine, with compression dead in two cylinders.


Now she sits in pieces in my basement while I slowly resurrect her.


If I could do it all over, I would have found a better chassis. Saved all the money I spent on KA's and had a shop swap in a notchtop SR, then I would have done suspension mods then exterior.

[Highway Riding]

Selling any and all of my toys in order:

My 350z
My Sr20 S14 Zenki
MY 2JZgte sc300

Now I am looking for a new toy. Either another S14 a FDRX7 or effin merican Challenger SRT8 manual! Point being think it over before you sell your rides. Take your time and think it through!

[romo180]

Purchased my first s13 in 2012 from the original owner..super clean stock car...decided to make it a “track car”. within a year it was fully gutted and engine removed. ended up selling the shell for 500 because my attention had moved to my Jeep.

[Jo_Galezo]

Whenever buying parts or anything second hand, make sure you ask for as many pictures as you can of every thing that you think can be messed up & don’t buy something because you are excited finally found it. I’ve gotten ripped off because i was blind to my own hype[emoji854]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bnr32gtr]

Getting married, dumb as fuck

[sr vegas 240]

Trading my daily (wrx) for a project car (s13) now I have 2 kids and no backseat. Best mistake of my life never getting rid of her.

[shaggyjake]

If i could start over with my LS swap i could have done it for 1/3 of the price. I've done almost everything twice now.

I wish i would have started with seat time. Done more track events, then slowly upgrade supsension, brakes, etc. I've spent like 30k on a car that looks like it's not even worth 5 bucks. Again, i could build the same car now for 12-13k and i probably wouldn't hate myself every time i go to the garage.

[Tempo]

I know this thread is old and got bumped, but oh well...

My biggest mistake was over complicating my build at the beginning on a budget. Seeing everyone on the forums with all the cool parts, conversions, kits and engine swaps, after sourcing all these things... I am now trying to keep the car simple and fun, but now with a stockpile of parts I might not use... Lol.

I don't regret buying quality stuff, it all lasted and even though people I knew were getting further on knock off / rep parts, I knew it wouldn't last... In some cases, cars got destroyed over cheap parts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KA24DESOneThree]

I regret putting so much money into the car when I could have put it into a house.

Actually, I don't. I had more fun building, driving, drifting and tracking my 240 from 2004-2012 than I did with any of my other cars. I still love the way they look and the JDM shit as much as I did when I wanted to build a Doriten/Option cover car back in '04/05. I miss my Nissan friends who all grew up and grew out of it. I can't wait to get my S13 back on track.

I regret no part of my 240 life. Learning experience: droop travel is important if the car still has roll. Mistake: being the first guy (afaik) to run SPL LCAs and AZCar (that dude's website still sucks) front big brakes- the two don't play nice without machine work and left my car locked-up at my place of work for two days while I figured ish out.

[Highway Riding]

I regret selling my 04 Z33. Was effin mint and just under powered. Also regret thinking my daily 335 wouldn't be a money pit!

[unicoder]

Mine was always assuming any problem was the worst case scenario. My first turbo car was a 98 eclipse gst - i thought i blew the engine and ripped it all out just to find i was a bad driver and broke the trans, but hey the engine was already apart in my garage

[rellik27]

My mistake was busting a mission trying to find out why my car died on the highway in the middle of the night. Had to get towed home. Next day went crazy looking for what the problem could be. I changed the fuel pump fuse and got the car to run but pure black smoke was coming out. I was thinking the worst for my RB25. just when I thought it was over it hit me and found a stupid coupler was blown. After fixing that car was running perfect again. Man the relief was great and I felt very stupid for not checking that first. Lol wasted money on a tow and bought another maf thinking that was the problem.

[Future240]

Another regret I have is not swapping my car earlier. SR20's are $1,200-$1,500 more than they used to be.

[jared420sx]

My whole 240sx carrer was a learning expierence / diw.
Just check out some of my old threads haha

[Corbic]

No Replacements for Displacement. Spent way to much time dicking around with an SR20. RB25DET with bolt ons and a tune is a billion times better.


Fuck race cars. I did every single “must have” mod to my 240sx and it’s just rode rough, harsh and loud. My buddies 100% stock S13 with a tuned RB and Kazaa was a way more fun car to drive.

[SlmdCpe]

No Replacements for Displacement. Spent way to much time dicking around with an SR20. RB25DET with bolt ons and a tune is a billion times better.


Fuck race cars. I did every single “must have” mod to my 240sx and it’s just rode rough, harsh and loud. My buddies 100% stock S13 with a tuned RB and Kazaa was a way more fun car to drive.

Truth, though I didnt make the same mistake. I had my SR at a conservative HP & boost. Still blew. Fuck building it again and spending 7-10k to make 400whp the right way. LS > :keke:

And you just might be getting old is all.

[Wild buff-evo]

Not a 240, but my Evo 9

Just finished replacing the timing belt. Started the car and started to back out of the garage when I noticed that I had no power steering and the car was struggling to stay on. Thought it was my shitty old mini Odyssey PC battery going out or something. Car kept stalling at lights as I drove down the street and I was WTF.
Pulled over, looked underneath the car........ I had left the screwdriver in the tensioner pulley which was preventing it from tensioning the serpentine belt which runs the power steering pump, alternator, water pump, etc... *Facepalm* (Car never overheated). Fixed the problem in a nearby parking lot, car has been running like a beast ever since. lmao.

[randyjordan]

i regret getting into 240's

LOL

[[email protected]]

My entire life has been a learning curve lol

but seriously I would say i regret selling my S13, that thing was a pile of shit but it was reliable and fun. that RB20 would never quit, miss shifted once instead of slamming 4th i grabbed 2nd and that was easily 9000 RPM before it spit out the gear lol. car still drove me home and drove hard for a year before i sold it.

[Corbic]

Truth, though I didnt make the same mistake. I had my SR at a conservative HP & boost. Still blew. Fuck building it again and spending 7-10k to make 400whp the right way. LS > :keke:

Exactly. Buy an SR20 for $3k, Spend $10k replacing every inch of it. I've come to the conclusion they are suck-balls engines. Once you start thinking about doing a CD009 Swap, might as well do a N/A 2JZ, 4G63, K24, J32, 5.3 etc.

I like the idea of using inexpensive engine that can take 400-500whp of boost, pop it, replace it with another for $200-$300. I like PoorMans180SX's idea of using a VG33E.

https://i.imgur.com/a9Ar60Uh.jpg
http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=643065&page=12


And you just might be getting old is all.
Naw, just more experienced and wise. There really is a balance to a fun street car.

[kyral]

broke the plastic crown on the alternator. that was the end of that alternator

over torque'd trans cross member bolts and stripped them

stripped a ka idler sprocket bolt because nissans toque spec is insane for the amount of threads the stock bolt threads into

threw out my stock exhaust

installed a trans without fully inspecting it. locked up before the car came off jack stands

[oldman_KA_T]

probably something every 240 owner has done... sold a clean stock unmolested 240 for a profit so that they could buy a modded 240 that turned out to be a corner-cut, hack-job, pos once you start to wrench on it. literally the worst feeling ever knowing you fked up.

if you have a stock unmolested 240, do not ever sell it. they are worth the premium, and you will regret it forever.

[slider2828]

LOL! I recently found a cd009 for like $400 and then the mazworx kit for liek 1500.... not bad for a bullet proof swap......

Agreed SR's not the best, but the power to weight on s13 is just right....

Exactly. Buy an SR20 for $3k, Spend $10k replacing every inch of it. I've come to the conclusion they are suck-balls engines. Once you start thinking about doing a CD009 Swap, might as well do a N/A 2JZ, 4G63, K24, J32, 5.3 etc.

I like the idea of using inexpensive engine that can take 400-500whp of boost, pop it, replace it with another for $200-$300. I like PoorMans180SX's idea of using a VG33E.

https://i.imgur.com/a9Ar60Uh.jpg
http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=643065&page=12



Naw, just more experienced and wise. There really is a balance to a fun street car.

[Kingtal0n]

No Replacements for Displacement. Spent way to much time dicking around with an SR20. LS engine with turbo allows affordable engines to make 500+


Fuck street cars using unnecessary race car equipment. I did every single “handling” mod to my 240sx and it’s just rode rough, harsh and loud. My buddies 99% stock S14 with a Automatic LS and Q45 vlsd was a way more fun car to drive.

fixed :D

whos next I'm here all week

[TheRealSy90]

I just LAUGH OUT LOUD when people say their "built" sr20 blew up, and then they blame the sr20 for being a bad engine. Sorry, but your engine was just built bad. I daily drove and drifted my first sr20 for 8 years and sold it still running healthily. And that was after importing it from Japan with undocumented miles.

[oldman_KA_T]

I just LAUGH OUT LOUD when people say their "built" sr20 blew up, and then they blame the sr20 for being a bad engine. Sorry, but your engine was just built bad. I daily drove and drifted my first sr20 for 8 years and sold it still running healthily. And that was after importing it from Japan with undocumented miles.

that is because in the sr community, "built" means cranking up the boost on a gt2871r without so much as even replacing a valve cover gasket when it is fresh off the boat from jdm land. every other sr car you see listed for sale isn't running. people have a budget of like $3k and instead of building their stock ka and adding a turbo, they buy some busted sr swap that lies about having 50,000 miles and probably got pegged off the limiter at ebisu before it was pulled due to being on it's last lag. lmfao. exactly why i don't hang out with the sr crowd

[TheRealSy90]

Okay but now you're assuming that every sr20 fan does that. Those are the irresponsible owners that blow them up and blame it on the engine. Don't assume that every single sr20 fan is an ignorant fool and call it "the sr community"... Sorry you base who you hang out with off of a couple people.

There are still people out there that care about them, know how to maintain them and keep them happy. And we don't blame the engine for blowing up when it's improperly assembled by some random machine shop or friend.

[oldman_KA_T]

Okay but now you're assuming that every sr20 fan does that. Those are the irresponsible owners that blow them up and blame it on the engine.

There are still people out there that care about them, know how to maintain them and keep them happy. And we don't blame the engine for blowing up when it's improperly assembled by some random machine shop or friend.

i'm just busting balls, but you know darn well its the mass majority of sr owners. they got to have that jdm sht when they could have a reliable 300whp ka for the same price.

[Corbic]

that is because in the sr community, "built" means cranking up the boost on a gt2871r without so much as even replacing a valve cover gasket when it is fresh off the boat from jdm land. every other sr car you see listed for sale isn't running. people have a budget of like $3k and instead of building their stock ka and adding a turbo, they buy some busted sr swap that lies about having 50,000 miles and probably got pegged off the limiter at ebisu before it was pulled due to being on it's last lag. lmfao. exactly why i don't hang out with the sr crowd

But then anyone that knows engines also knows they are just an inferior design.

The engine is nowhere near as strong as a 4G63 or as efficient as a K20/24.

Perspective of what makes a good engine has also shifted. Spending $5-10k for a 200-400whp 4-banger is ludicrous today. And dropping $10k is damn near what it's going to cost to "properly" build a SR20.

Engine Set - $3k
Machine Work - $600
Rods - $400
Pistons - $500
Bearings + Gaskets - $500
Oil Pan - $150
Intake - $500
Exhaust $700
Turbo - $700
Injectors $1000
Fuel Rail + Reg - $300
Cams - $500
Oil pump, 300ZX MAF, Tuning Device, et al +1,000
Clutch - $500
ARP Headstuds - $300
Headgasket - $200


Still got a junk transmission - so CD009, RB25, R154, T56 = +$1,500


Well that's $12,350 right there, and that doesn't even have a FMIC, Fuel Pump, Engine Mounts, Drive Shaft, LSD etc.

Fuck, buy a used C5 Z06 and be done with it. :picardfp:

[JrDarknes]

My entire life has been a learning curve lol

but seriously I would say i regret selling my S13, that thing was a pile of shit but it was reliable and fun. that RB20 would never quit, miss shifted once instead of slamming 4th i grabbed 2nd and that was easily 9000 RPM before it spit out the gear lol. car still drove me home and drove hard for a year before i sold it.

Truth man Truth. Love mine. I don't care what people say, I prefer it far over the SR20 and the sound is just lovely. Cant wait to go home and drive it now haha.

Yea another mistake I made was not doing maintenance when my engine arrived from new jersey. Timing belt was close to being shredded, Waterpump was in horrible condition, belts looked like they could of tore any second. I just dropped the damn thing in there haha. Did all of the maintenance in the car but its not bad. I actually like working on it over the KA. Just wish I did it when the engine was out.

[oldman_KA_T]

But then anyone that knows engines also knows they are just an inferior design.

The engine is nowhere near as strong as a 4G63 or as efficient as a K20/24.

Perspective of what makes a good engine has also shifted. Spending $5-10k for a 200-400whp 4-banger is ludicrous today. And dropping $10k is damn near what it's going to cost to "properly" build a SR20.

Engine Set - $3k
Machine Work - $600
Rods - $400
Pistons - $500
Bearings + Gaskets - $500
Oil Pan - $150
Intake - $500
Exhaust $700
Turbo - $700
Injectors $1000
Fuel Rail + Reg - $300
Cams - $500
Oil pump, 300ZX MAF, Tuning Device, et al +1,000
Clutch - $500
ARP Headstuds - $300
Headgasket - $200


Still got a junk transmission - so CD009, RB25, R154, T56 = +$1,500


Well that's $12,350 right there, and that doesn't even have a FMIC, Fuel Pump, Engine Mounts, Drive Shaft, LSD etc.

Fuck, buy a used C5 Z06 and be done with it. :picardfp:

I was going to say that it is nothing special in terms of engineering but knew i would get flamed. the only benefit is that it is a direct swap, but that is negated when you consider the money needed to beef it up to a reliable spec. at $10k you might as well go ls.

[TheRealSy90]

Again, I daily drove my unknown mileage imported redtop sr20 for 8 years at anywhere from stock to 300whp. I NEVER opened that engine up aside from installing cams after the first 2 years, and regular oil changes.
You don't need to build an sr20 to have a reliable 400hp engine. If you DO then your tuner is garbage and relies on those aftermarket internals to withstand his too-aggressive tune.

[Kingtal0n]

Again, I daily drove my unknown mileage imported redtop sr20 for 8 years at anywhere from stock to 300whp. I NEVER opened that engine up aside from installing cams after the first 2 years, and regular oil changes.
You don't need to build an sr20 to have a reliable 400hp engine. If you DO then your tuner is garbage and relies on those aftermarket internals to withstand his too-aggressive tune.

At 400rwhp I would say the bottom end of any stock sr20det is on borrowed time no matter how good the tune. That is close to what, 460bhp? Almost 500 from a stock 20 year old 2liter engine is asking for oops no matter what manufacturer.


The mistake here is trying to modify the sr20 without owning the machine shop equipment to do everything yourself and being experienced enough to do it well.

sr20/2jz is an amazing engine. They all are (the ones that matter). Opening anyone of them and doing surgery could cost 10k. If it was done right and tuned right there isn't any reason for them not to last 200,000 miles. Its just a whole lot of things need to line up that normally people don't have the tools or attention to detail to be able to achieve that kind of longevity, and it usually winds up being around 10% or less of what was possible, as evidenced by the OEM who did this, they setup a strategy refined over the last 30+ years to get better with time.

[Jamaica]

I dont understand when people compare K -series to SR. Old vs New tech. For what the Sr has done is impressive but its old technology with no factory advancements. My sr has lasted quite long time at different power levels with lots of abuse. Its still going.

[R3b]

I dont wanna say this outloud but I kinda regret staying ka.... should of used the money along with extra $$$ to go stock 2jz BUT

I kinda like my lil setup now that its finally "finished" with apretty simple cookie cutter ka built block. 2jz would of been stock with a nice 300whp, better noise but more of a headache for little stuff like AC and cluster. After this dyno day the car made 467HP/461TQ on e85 with stock ignition, intake, hard lines, plus s13 cams. Absolute blast in my car with AC and its my daily driver last year, do about 150-200 miles a week and only major issue was the fuel tanks plastic connector that bridges the 12v outside the tank to inside the tank. Gonna drop the boost down because even though spinning 225/40 is fun Im not trying have a collections of trans laying around so a nice low boost of 10-15psi for mid 300s is fine with me :)

I know only 1 SR locally that has bolt ons that is driven religiously but its an s15, i feel like SRs should stick to what they are. Little peppy low 300s bottom mount turbo drift cars that shouldnt ever be taken apart outside of headgasket and studs.

[oldman_KA_T]

I dont wanna say this outloud but I kinda regret staying ka.... should of used the money along with extra $$$ to go stock 2jz BUT

I kinda like my lil setup now that its finally "finished" with apretty simple cookie cutter ka built block. 2jz would of been stock with a nice 300whp, better noise but more of a headache for little stuff like AC and cluster. After this dyno day the car made 467HP/461TQ on e85 with stock ignition, intake, hard lines, plus s13 cams. Absolute blast in my car with AC and its my daily driver last year, do about 150-200 miles a week and only major issue was the fuel tanks plastic connector that bridges the 12v outside the tank to inside the tank. Gonna drop the boost down because even though spinning 225/40 is fun Im not trying have a collections of trans laying around so a nice low boost of 10-15psi for mid 300s is fine with me :)

I know only 1 SR locally that has bolt ons that is driven religiously but its an s15, i feel like SRs should stick to what they are. Little peppy low 300s bottom mount turbo drift cars that shouldnt ever be taken apart outside of headgasket and studs.

if you have ever seen a 2jz on the scale in person you wouldn't want one. sure handling can be sorted with suspension, but that weight will always be there. talk about boat anchor

[economix]

i regret getting into 240's

LOL

THIS. I feel like when I purchased mine in 2003 that I would have time/money (as a college student mind you) neither of which I had - or the smarts.

Now however, I have the money, however limited time as an adult and I have just some of the smarts. But 15 years later...I'm losing my interest and there's a car that doesn't want to love me back that's got $25K in parts and some services just sitting and not going anywhere (that's NOT a joke, lotta nice parts tbh, but some cheapos too, & includes $1,500 price of the car).

These things seem so simple on paper and in forum, but damn it to hell I've maybe added too many parts and cannot figure out some of my own issues. She just doesn't wanna run decent for me.

I just want her to run and look decent for me. I don't need a show car and I'm over the idea of race-car as an adult though I do SCCA my other rides and wanted to SCCA her too...

[Highway Riding]

Selling my fun cars. Always looking for another one

[TheRealSy90]

At 400rwhp I would say the bottom end of any stock sr20det is on borrowed time no matter how good the tune. That is close to what, 460bhp? Almost 500 from a stock 20 year old 2liter engine is asking for oops no matter what manufacturer..

Eh, debatable. I've seen some people get years of abuse out of them unopened.

Me personally, 300-350whp is the ideal power level to be able to just do whatever you want and not worry about the engine, especially when running a common ROM tune etc.

Is there really that much drivetrain loss even when doing common mods like 1 piece driveshaft and solid rear subframe bushings etc?