A Poor Man's Dream S13 (VQ, big angle, etc)
 

So I have a very long build thread in the premium section and on a few other sites that includes all my car history and whatnot, but I figured I'd keep it short and sweet in this section of Zilvia and just show you what I'm working on now.

I purchased this car a couple years ago with the intention of saving it from a lifetime of hackdom at the hands of the "car guys" up here in Michigan. Also, a rust free shell is very hard to come by, and this was one of the cleanest (underneath) I'd seen. So I bought this for $700.

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I cannot tell you how botched the R33 conversion was, or how much of the wiring had been hacked up, etc, etc, etc. The more I got into this thing the more I realized it was going to need a total restoration.

So I started pulling it all apart. I'll save you from having to look at all the pictures of the deconstruction process and get straight to the good stuff.

I started working at a shop called Strictly Import Motorsports, where they convinced me that this car needed a RWD 4G63 swap. The plan was to stick a stock block DSM engine in with a twin-scoll HX35 setup and call it a day. Let's just say things got a little off track.

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And I ended up with a forged 2.3liter stroker that I still needed a LOT of money to get in the car and running the way I wanted it.

So unfortunately, I have abandoned that route.

In comes this:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps6a09fa53.jpg

And this:

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So I finally got the thing torn down and was ready to start the build up. So another shopping spree was in order:

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Powdercoated:

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And I bought a set of old Kei-office coils to get started on.

Extended my LCA's 25mm (need to redo).

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So then I did this:

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Scuffed the entire interior and painted it with white epoxy (messy stuff).

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psc85fb773.jpg

So here's how it sits right now.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps47dbd27e.jpg

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A lot more to come, very soon.

Too bad you didn't stick with the 4g route. I know of SIM, good guys. I have bought many a part from them for the Talon.

I'd like to eventually have a 4g63 powered 240 myself.

A bajillion dollars on drivetrain stuff and you bought XXR's and old ass Kei Office coils?

Yo sig and yo purchases don't line up y0

Haha a man's gotta eat. XXR's aren't knock offs, and the Kei-offices are stand in's until I can buy some FEAL's.

My buddy does powdercoating, so we threw a coat over the matte black, we'll see if it sticks long term...

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Those are replica Weds TC105N.

Back to your thread.

A 10 spoke vs. a split 5? If you say so lol...

Awesome build, was looking forward to your compound 4g63

I'm sorry, but it's a pretty horrible replica if it is, nothing like Rota's direct copies.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps0dd455e8.jpg

http://www.sillbeer.com/images/wheel...t-tc105n-1.jpg

that front end threw me off so bad i thought you were working on an s14... i had to scroll back up to the top to look again and see it was a hatch... lmao seems to be going well slowly but surely... my hatch is just sitting in my driveway till i get more moola
-__-

who cares if hes using XXR's. he had a insane TT set on a 4G63 that most all of Zilvia wouldn't have even tried.

Poormans180SX, please continue on with your thread, I'm loving what youve done so far and would really like to see how it progresses to the finished product.

watchin dis mang

Haha yeah it was pretty horrible.

Thanks for the kind words man!

Cool thanks!

Yeah man, I'd still like to do it for kicks and gigs someday.

Today I cleaned up the VQ:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps3c180954.jpg

Made Swiss cheese out of these cheapo mounts I got second hand:

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Installed an old ForcedFab steering column bushing I've had since like 2007, and Joe powdercoated my intake manifold, so we installed it.

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im going to have to send u a bolt kit!

I'm down for that! :kiss:

maaan cant wait to see the vq sitting in the bay.. whoooo!!!:coold:

Sweet thread man. Would have been super interesting and sick with that 4G63 but I'm equally excited for the VQ. Nice!

dammnn you shouldve stuck with the 4g63 tt! it wouldve been awesome. VQ is cool tho.

Thanks man, me too!

Yeah, I was really excited for the compound setup, but with the way I like to do things, it was just wayyyy too expensive to complete. I'd still like to do it someday, we shall see.

Put some of my under dash and whatnot back in today. Gutted the AC box so I can still have a blower. Just waiting on some flywheel and bellhousing bolts to come in and I can the VQ in the bay!

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Got this Grade 10.9 bellhousing/starter bolt kit from Godrifttoday. So nice to have new hardware to work with, and everything was perfect length!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps1c0ed342.jpg

Bolted it up and slid it in and out a few times, only to find I needed to take the exhaust manifold off haha. So we wrapped it around the intake and finally got it in!

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What are you planning for your steering/knuckles/roll center correction? Sweet build, needs some long tubes and straight pipes on that VQ. Only way to go

Cody Reeser had mentioned your car to me a few times. Keep up the progress!

Yes, I will probably make a set of longtubes at some point :)

I'll be ordering this within the next few weeks:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps529f091b.jpg

Right on man, are you Levi with the red S14? If so your KA is still going strong in my old coupe!

Why did you ditch the old plans? That set up looked insane!

Yep, that's me. Good to hear, my swap is nearing completion ready to drive this beast.

Haha it was going to be insane! But I still needed wastegates, a bov, intercooler, piping, couplers, injectors, engine management, etc, etc. it just was too expensive and I need to get on track and actually drive. I've always believed in suspension before power anyway :)

I'm glad the bolts fit !

Same here!

I put my cheapo intake on today, along with my exhaust manifolds. Also installed my 350Z throttle pedal and got my clutch pedal in the mail, but forgot to take pictures of those...

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps3fed242e.jpg

Looking good! That 4g63 setup looked wild! That would have been interesting to see. Makes me miss my Evo lol.

This looks good, real good.

Nice to see your build finally here! What made you decide on the TDP kit instead i.e Wisefab or Driftworks? Is it the adjustability?

Thanks guys! The feedback is always appreciated :)

Yes, that and the easy addition of an anti-roll bar, and that it's all billet aluminum.

I like that you still have the camber plates to adjust in front, so you can mess with camber/caster more.

I also plan on doing the occasional track day, which I'll probably install anti-roll bars for, so having the hole already there is nice.

I do plan on getting the Wisefab rear kit though, that thing is beautiful, and makes a lot of sense to me. I really like the way Illyuk's car looks when it drifts now.

Just started a new job, so I haven't had much time to work on the car unfortunately. Started on the wiring today though.

Mock up:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pscf6fa2d1.jpg

Different routing and marking how things need to be shortened.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps42139eb0.jpg

It's hard to capture how much flake is in the intake manifold.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psba93c94c.jpg

I see more big things coming. Good Luck!

The old setup was super crazy and awesome from a build standpoint, but I see this VQ setup being no headaches and fun fun fun!

im digging it.

on a side note is zilvia allowing unfinished builds to be posted up now? ive seen like 3 so far that are still in the process.

Thanks man! There are big things coming in the mail...

Thanks man, that's definitely the goal!

Yessir, that's what the build section is for. There are only a few in here that are actually complete.

Yeah but the rules, and I didnt know this myself seeing as it is a bit unique, is that your not supposed to post up a build unless your finished. I posted mine up having skimmed through the rules.

Your swap is coming together nicely.

Went from this:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pscf9c3e05.jpg

to this:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps5e2d7671.jpg

awesome job on the wiring! ive always wanted to throw a vq in my s14. still saving up the mullah though haha

i see the beers helped a little with the wiring ^_^ ..nice build

Thanks guys. I'll probably throw the harness in after work and see if everything reaches :wiggle:

Can't wait for Friday! Until then I'm looking around for seats.

Man that 4G compound set-up was nasty! What option were you going with for motor mounts?

any updates so far ?

They were custom mounts I made.

Yessir. I got my seat in. Procar Drifter (cheesy name), It's nice and stiff and wide enough for me. Padding seems comfy so far and the vinyl has a nice texture to it. Plus it was dirt cheap. It'll do for now.

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Got some of the fittings in for my cooling system.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps34a64d7f.jpg

I also got my shifter, Wilwood superlite w/350z rotor brackets in, as well as some hardware and my fuel return fitting.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps00f29d4f.jpg

There have been a few delays with my TDP kit, all of which have been understandable and have been communicated promptly. The owners father died :(, and then the CNC machine broke when machining my S13 spindles (they normally come with S14/15 sized ones). So the kit is supposed to ship out tomorrow via 2-day air, so I'll have it Friday at the latest.

More pics of the fat cat. Looks like mine.

looking good Andy! Can't wait to see this thing finished

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Thanks man!

Yess yesss yessss.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psa2fa999f.jpg

Nice! You will have some nice steering angle.

So much fancy. I couldn't find a price for that kit on their site, is it cra cra?

Thanks man, yeah they advertise up to 67 degrees.

Yeah kind of. It's something like $2440 shipped two day air from Ireland. It fluctuates depending on how much your bank wants to screw you with the exchange rate :eek3d:

The adjust-ability and massive roll center correction got me ;)

Good lord there's a fire! Yea that set up is super geek..Love it.

Cats love angle.

Wow! Those are some nice pieces :eek3:

Haha yeah, it's hard to find fault with this kit. Anything you want your car to do this setup can do.

My ECU just got back from Z1 yesterday with the NATS removed, and my Stance subframe risers are coming in tomorrow.

Some wiring and fuel lines and this thing should fire up!

More billet aluminum to add to the stockpile.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psa345ef66.jpg

Damn those are some nice shiney suspension pieces! Too rich for my blood. Everything looks good, lets get it on the car already...

What Transmission were you going to use with the 4g63 swap? The one from the Mighty Max?

I was going to use a Bill's Auto Fab bellhousing and T56 trans from a LT1 Camaro.

your thread title is very misleading. LOL!

looks promising so far!

Nah it's right on point. He's poor because he's building his dream S13... Especially with those fancy arms.

This is pretty much what it comes down to.

Hopefully I can get some serious work done this weekend.

We sure wouldn't mind seeing that lovely front suspension installed :p

Your wish is my command :wavey:

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Holy shit! That is fucking awesome man!

Anyone else just get happy in the pants?

Yep! Time to do some laundry. :wackit:

holy shit!!!
that setup pretty much allows you to make a u turn in the same lane

that is insane

keep it up!!

That is stupid angle... I really dig the RC correction!

Sweet lock! :p

What is the distance between center of the outer spherical bearing and center of the bearing shaft? Just to clarify the specs on their site

Thanks guys, I'm stoked on driving this thing soon.

From what I can measure, there is 70mm of correction in the hubs. I'm not sure where the 90-100mm comes from.

There are so many adjustments on this kit it's crazy. I've pulled the camber plates almost all the way back to try and keep the strut in the PCD. This caused a lot of camber. I reduced it as much as I could at the knuckle, but these Kei-office coils are so long they hit the knuckle at the bottom.
In this position, the tie rods are just a bit too long to let you run the control arms at their shortest setting. I have them at 16.5in bolt to ball joint center, but I think that's too far, as it has some toe out now for sure. I think I'll probably trim the sleeve on the tie rod a bit so I can run the LCA's shorter.

There is more angle to be had for sure, the toe out needs to be fixed and there is still some ackerman in the steering. If I zero everything out I should get a few more degrees.

oh my god! thats crazy. i want to see it in action!

sweet stuff dude. i'm working on a VQ s14... still. running into wiring problems. post up when you get into that stuff and get it started up.

That amount of angle with your little baby wheels is unbelievable. Makes me want even smaller wheels in front.

Yeah it's pretty crazy. The great thing about these lower control arms is that, at least at the current settings, there is room to spare on the inside at full lock. Crazy I know. I'm hoping that the additional 40mm of inner rim on my 8.75's won't limit me too much. I might try a 10mm slip on spacer, or even moving down to an 17x8.25in rim. With an 8.25in wheel and a 10mm slip on, I would only have 20mm more of the wheel on the inside, which I know I have room for.

The front fenders will go up and out quite a bit from where they are now, so I think I'll have outer clearance for either. We shall see!

Yea I need 40mm overs so I can run another 5mm spacer and less front camber to get more angle but I'm still not anywhere near that with full PBM stuff.

so dope man!

Pics on here do no justice, to seeing your own car with that much angle i bet!...lol

Cant wait to see it all ironed out and driving

Just found the suspension brand, do you mind me asking how much the front set up like that ran you?
Mighty fine build thread you have here sir, props!

Thanks man. Yeah it's pretty mental in person, and to think there's a bit more in it? Blows my mind really.

It was about $2400 shipped. Depends on how much your bank wants to screw you on the exchange from USD to Euros.

A lot I know, but nothing touches this as far as angle, roll center correction, and adjust-ability go. I could convert this to a purely road course set up in a day just by messing with the adjustments and drilling a hole for a sway bar.

Hopefully I can get some work done on this weekend, I'm so close to having this running and driving! Cashflow is definitely limiting me at the moment.

wow that's ridiculous angle. Let us know how it handles , etc. Curious.

Alright you got me hooked. This is pretty sweet. Some in bay pictures at full lock would be nice, to see if tubs are required. what size wheels do you have on there now?

I definitely will. I think I'll make a full review thread on the kit when I get some time on it.

I'll get everything tight and a little better adjusted this weekend and snap some pictures. The wheels are stock S14 wheels which should be 16x6.5 +40mm, and I have a 25mm spacer so +15mm.

I'll stick my 18x8.75+20's on this weekend (no tires unfortunately) and see how they fit as well.

So I got the toe a lot closer and test fitted the XXR's. they do limit my travel by about a quarter of an inch.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps6b6ffee0.jpg

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Actually mounted a fender to see what it would look like, fitment is going to be on point, maybe even too aggressive haha.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps3c2d659c.jpg

Stock S14 wheels with 30mm spacer.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps8b4f49eb.jpg

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cant see shit with photobuckets bandwidth limitations.

imgur: the simple image sharer is dope

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

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Totally worth the cash spent with the quality and r&d that went into those parts

Nice build man

How did you set up the strut bracket?

Thanks man!

Right now I have it where the strut axis is inside the PCD of the tower. As you can see this gives me quite a bit of caster. I wanted to start with it like this for two reasons. One, I wanted to see how it drove "inside the rules" and two, the rear isn't going to have much grip for a while so I don't think I'm going to be able to take advantage of the greater front grip from a big contact patch.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...72849829_n.jpg

I finally got all four wheels on. My budget SUCKS for the next few weeks, so progress is going to be slow for a bit here :(

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...68119240_n.jpg

Apparently -8* (reduced from above pic) is the least camber I can run at the moment, and my shock axis isn't quite inside the PCD of the strut tower. If I had shorter coilovers I could run less, but at the expense of more positive camber at lock. Hmmm, not sure if I'm going to say screw it and move the axis outside the PCD, or leave it like it is and wait till I get shorter coilovers....

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps421f8acd.jpg

Before:

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