[SR-Z] My SR20DET Z32 Build.
 

Wassup Zilvia! Recently finished up my S13 build and decided to move on to another chassis and go all out.

A little over a month ago I traded my trusty Lexus GS300 daily driver for this beautiful 93 Z32. Massive come up considering the Z was completely stock with right under 90k original miles super clean in and out. It was cleaner than my old Z32 and S13 which solidified my ideas of using it as my new base for a build.

The Z32 suffers from having a heavy, sluggist V6 under the hood. In N/A form, these cars are complete turds. I plan to fix that and lighten the car up at the same time by swapping an SR20 into it. I've always wanted to do this swap and I actually have a car worthy of it, so lets get this rolling!

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Threw my old FN's on it and really liked the combo, FN's look great on just about anything though. The monster truck height bothered me quite a bit, but I drove it as is for a bit.

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Found a local who was selling a set of Powertrix Road/Track coilovers, unfortunately they had 7k/5k springs on them, but it suited daily driving well so I decided to leave them alone and slap them in. Car looked 10x better with a moderate drop.

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At this point I had pretty much decide on dropping an SR20DET into the car. Getting rid of the VG was at the top of my to do list, but I wasn't going to rush anything. The swap was going to be done once and done right, I didn't want to be tearing it back apart once it was put together if I didn't have to. Lets get this started!

Glad to also see people giving the Z32 a chance. It has it's quirks but it's a good looking chassis that with enough work and planning could be a viable chassis!

Nice!


What swap kit will you be using with this?? THis is something I have considered considering how cheap clean 300ZXs have become!

I've heard it makes the chassis incredibly nimble and lively. I love how the car handles now, but you can definitely tell there is a lot of weight up front. I'm going to do everything right the first time so I can enjoy the car, I don't like the idea of cutting corners and worrying about having to replace things down the road.

I got into modifying cars with a Z32, I loved the car, but the VG eventually drove me away. I won't let that happen again and hopefully be able to build a car that is fast, nimble and dependable.

There is a guy who can makes these beautiful billet aluminum motor mount adapters that let you just drop the motor in. the drivetrain will remain the same other than the motor though, these cars don't suffer from issues S13's have snapping axles or killing transmissions.

I've done this swap a few times already, the car def handles much better i want to say it feels much like an FD with this swap. I'm actually using an S14SR20 with a CD0009 trans on my car. Link to my build thread 2JZ VVTI Z32 Build Thread if you have any questions I'll be more than happy to help since i've been down this rodeo a few times.

If the adapters I'm thinking about are the ones you are talking about that you bolt the motor mount on to the cross member then bolt on that adapter to the motor mount bracket and drop it in I would highly recommend making your own mount brackets. That person's mount kit changes the leverage point on the mounts and pretty much compromises the entire mount structure on the long run. (unless you use solid alloy mounts), he got pretty butthurt at me and blocked me from his FB and the "Light weight" Z32 page after i denied using his mounts and posted pictures of my progress.

I managed to run a 1:57.5xxx at AutoClub speed way with the factory engine, head & turbo only upgrade was STi injectors & GTR MAF (with dyno tuning on 91) your car is going to be an absolute riot with the GT3076R I can't wait to see what your cars finished product will be.

I've following your build for quite some time! A friend and I were talking a few years back about swaps and the SR really got me excited, but I was younger and dumb so I couldn't really make it happen ahaha.

I never though about those adapters screwing with how the mounts are suppose to work, but I see what you mean. They distribute the weight all wrong and will probably end up killing the mounts really quick. Only issue with making my own mounts is I don't have the right tools to make them.

I will definitely be shooting you a PM, I would love to ask you some questions!

Very cool good stuff to see

Somebody needs to go ahead & drop a swap kit for this. Seriously my favorite combo right now. Would also love to see a crazy KA-T Z32.

Yeah they essentially change the leverage point to where the engine is prying the mounts appart every time you get on throttle rather than putting weight on them. What seems like a good idea becomes really bad if you have some common sense. The quality of the machine and welds looks good though.

I am all about making a production run to help these guys but not enough commitment to make it happen. atleast not something I would be willing to put my name on.

Thanks! Stay tuned for much much more!

The only issue with making a kit for this is the extra effort that goes into dropping this motor into a Z32. Its not like all the JZ's, RB's and LS's into Schassis vehicles, the Z is a bit more limited on space. The stock motor is rear sump instead of front sump so crossmember modification is required and most people who swap Z's keep the original transmission which means the kit would more than likely need to be much much more than just a set of mounts.

I totally agree with you about there not being enough people out there right now who want this swap. Most Z32 owners love the VG because you can do breather mods and make 500rwhp and 500rwtq on a stock motor with stock turbos. The DETT swap is cheap and easy where as swapping an SR in right now is tedious.

I hope my swap will make more want to do it. I received mostly positive feedback on a local based Z32 Facebook page recently, other than a few hating on the SR in general. Most Z owners see an SR as just a little 4 cyl that isn't worth a damn. Making them see past that is going to take a lot of work, but I hope my car will be an eye opener for Z guys who don't want to go the DETT route.

Back at it again with a legit build

Shout out to Future240 for cleaning this thread up, back to business!

Suspension has and will always be my first priority when it comes to building a car, if you're driving a car with 25 year old rubber bushings all around you're looking for trouble. Front upper control arms are necessary for going low, only good option is Powertrix and they are insanely nice parts. Shout out to Charles over at Powertrix for hooking me up with the latest version of the adjuster collars for them. Great adjuster design, threw some anti-seize on them to make sure they stay easy to adjust.

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My S13 got the full Voodoo13 catalog and was great, but I decided to go with GKTech this time around. GKTech has a much better adjuster and their parts are very reasonably priced, win win. Tension rods are on the car at the moment, but I have basically every other arm waiting to be installed along with solid subframe and diff bushings. Fun fact, the Z32 shares most suspension components with the S13.

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My front rotors were cracked and worn to shit, the only reasonable and responsible thing to to was to buy a BBK. Decided to support a local, Arizona ZCar, and grabbed his front 4 pot Wilwood, 13in 2pc rotor kit. Super nice overall, fit and finish is great and the setup is significantly lighter than iron Z calipers/1pc rotors. Also threw some Stoptech rear slotted rotors, Stoptech sport pads and Centric braided lines out back. Fantastic combo overall, huge improvement over what was on the car...

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This is the last picture of the car before the VG was torn out, makes me sad looking at it, but here is to the next stage of this old hag.

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The SR adventure begins

I was able to pickup an SR locally that was completely built with some great parts for next to nothing, invoices I was given with the motor showed over $10k in parts/work that were put into it. It was disgusting, caked in atf from a power steering blowout, but that can be cleaned up. Outline of what the motor had in it/done to it:

Ported/Polished S13 SR20DET head
BC Valve Springs/Retainers
BC272 Cams
Cometic Head Gasket
ARP Head Studs
ARP Main Studs
CP 8.5:1 Pistons
Eagle Rods
ACL Bearings
Balanced Rotating Assembly

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Sadly when something is cheap, its usually too goo to be true. Motor was sold to me as "drop in ready" but I had to tear into it. Found some wonderful things inside... First was this sick nasty modified oil pickup, who ever drilled these holes should be smacked, such a stupid fucking idea... Also, who needs to replace gaskets when you can just CAKE everything in red RTV, blows my mind...

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Got further in and man was I glad I tore it down. Cylinder walls had some scoring, nothing crazy deep, but not what you want to see. Rod bearing and journal #1 looked like shit, probably thanks to that sick oil pickup mod. Hopefully the crank can be saved. No bearings were spun which is great, but it does need a full refresh before its drop in ready.

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Sucks the motor needs work, but that cool. I'd rather have a fresh motor to beat on anyway. No worries, picked up a ton of cool shit to bolt to it once its back together! No shortcuts will be taken with this build, nothing but quality parts will be installed on this engine. ATi Super Damper was at the top of my "to buy list", local guy had one brand new for cheap along with a new crank bolt and other little goodies, couldn't pass it up.

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Anyone that knows SR's knows that ARP's standard headstud offering sucks, it simply doesn't thread far enough into the block and makes it super easy to rip the threads out. I opted to pick up some Mazworx headstuds for added security all around. Picture below shows how much extra thread you get on the Mazworx studs vs the ARP kit. Also, WHY THE HELL IS THERE ARP LUBE ON THE THREADS THAT GO INTO THE BLOCK :down:

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Turbo setup is something I was really worried about, I want response and have a power goal around 400whp. Lucky me found a sweet deal on a Trust TD05H-18G locally and I picked it up. The turbo needed a rebuild and while I was in there I decided it was a good time to upgrade to a billet 20G wheel.

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This means I'm staying bottom mount so I needed a manifold, local company, Future Fabrication, was having a "Black Friday" sale so I ordered a stock location manifold setup for a Tial MV-S. Insanely nice manifold that uses a Hypertune collector, this thing is a work of art and will help me reach my goals.

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And to kind of round things off, thanks to Juan, AKA Bardabe on here, I got a full OE gasket kit, new transmission seals/gaskets and some Tomei 260 Procams. The 272's in the motor are much to aggressive for what I want, the Tomei's should be perfect.

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Adapting the SR to the factory 5 speed is super easy, just a simple adapter plate and some machine work. Local shop bent me over on the cost of the machine work, but did a great job so I can't complain to much.

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Keeping driveability is huge for this project so I did not want to run a heavy clutch in the car. I decided on an OS Giken TS2BD. Clutch is used, but has been rebuilt and is ready to go. Super excited to see how this feels, probably one of my favorite parts going on the motor.

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Fuel will be delivered by some ID1050X injectors, the car will be running on the E54 blend we have available at the pump here in Arizona. Also got an off brand fuel rail with the injectors, not sure if I'll run it or get a radium rail.

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Choosing an intercooler was also something I had trouble with, stumbled on this brand new Blitz kit for cheap on YAJ and had to have it. I have always loved the aesthetic of the Blitz logo and you can't go wrong with anything made by Blitz. The piping will need to be hacked, but that cool.

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Since I am not looking for a ton of power, Nistune should do the trick for an ECU setup. Got this S15 SR ECU with a Nistune board installed in it for a steal and since its an S15 ECU it means I get all of the cool features Nistune offers like boost control and flex fuel support.

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For now the car sits awaiting its heat transplant, hopefully I'll make some more progress before the end of the year.

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Progress! Yessssss

Anything special need to be done to run that S15 nistune on the s13 engine? Man I wish I had a chance to drive my car with the new TS2BD, that was like my favorite part that I had bought and then I stupidly parted the car out :(

That exhaust manifold is beautiful, love the build

Slight Re-Pinning
Wire in EBCS Solenoid Connector
use S15 Coolant Temp Sensor

So excited for the clutch setup, paired with the Z32 trans its going to be amazing. As for wiring up the S15 ECU for the S13 SR, not much needs to change other than a few connectors here and there along with the stuff bardabe mentioned. Since its a newer ECU having boost control built in along with some other advantages of the S15 ECU will be really nice.

You may have parted out a sweet build, but that vert is pretty sick :naughty:

Thanks man!

Had a friend give me a hand with reassembling the transmission yesterday, ended up forgetting some really important washers so it has to come back apart, but I'm happy to see a complete transmission again. Really happy with the GKTech transmission mount, it looks super beefy.

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Got to work on the car for a few hours today. Didn't get much done, but I pulled most of the shit out of the bay and it looks so much better already. Next step is to relocate the fuse box under the drivers side headlight and try to tuck the rest of the wiring down on the frame rails.

Before:

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After:

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Pretty crazy how much shit is still in there when I look at everything I tore out, filled up a wheel barrow completely and had a pile of AC stuff that I am going to sell.

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Took the chance to test fit my intercooler while I was out there today. Fits so snug between the frame rails, would like to have it upside down and let the piping to follow the original intake piping holes, but without some cutting and wedging I don't think its going to be possible. Happy with where it sits overall, piping and bottom of the intercooler will be protected by the tow hooks and the core support which is really nice. Gotta love how meaty it looks with the fascia off too :naughty:

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Left it at this for the day, headed back out next weekend to clean it up and get started on the suspension.

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I also gave my buddy an S13 shell I had, he is super excited for the project and I'm helping him with it while I work on the Z. It was left outside with no windows for over a year so it needs some love, we're going to put a N/A SR in it for him to learn how to drift and since I gave it to him I'll be able to drive it around from time to time too. I'll probably be posting random updates about this project here too.

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Ooooh I’m in for NA SR updates lol. Wanting to do the same with my coupe shell.


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:bowdown: that wiring cleanup tho

Crazy what one can do with a pair of really big dikes ahaha

Little update on some more parts rolling in for the build.

The coilovers on the car are "road/track" coilovers, but they came with some really lame spring rates. The guys over at Powertrix hooked it up with some swift springs. Decided on 8k/7k, since the car is going to have nearly 50/50 weight distribution 1k difference in rate from front to rear should be perfect for balancing the car. They also sent over the revised lower mounts for the front coils and some new dust boots to update the coils to 2017 spec.

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Finally got my wastegate, shit head I bought it from took 2 weeks to ship it, but its hear and its getting me even more hyped for this turbo setup!

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Local friend Steve, known as 2_Liter_Turbo on here, hooked me up with this authentic Greddy manifold. Should be a great pair for my ported head and its something I've always wanted for a build.

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Lastly, something else I got from 2_Liter_Turbo, I had an issue with the crank case breather on my SR being super loose. This is really common once you pull it out of the block, so he decided to do something about it and created this beautiful part. It turns your crank case breather into a sexy aluminum -10 an fitting that you can run up to the valve cover and never have to worry about a leaky, loose fitting again. Hes got a bunch of these for sale, shoot him a PM if you want one!

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Thats it until Sunday!

You really have some hookups man, should be a wicked setup

In for mounted pictures of the breather tube. I want to see what the clearances on it are going to be.

I'm also curious on the orientation of that breather tube when installed, it looks awesome though! I'm always stoked when people continue to come up with new parts for our old sr20's.

how can I be like you?

:naughty:

For sure guys, I'll post more pictures of it once my valve cover is done and I have it all hooked up. Steve is an engineer and this thing is top notch quality, I'm sure it'll hold up well and I'll never have to worry about it coming loose or leaking like the stock one.

Recklessly spend all of your money on car parts in hope that one day it will all come together into something worth a damn. :hsdance:

Small update, finally got to work on this turd again. I set out to get the suspension sorted today, but only got the front, half done. I've been super busy helping my buddy with his S13 and honestly I am fine with it because I don't even have a motor for this yet.

Anyway, I did get to install some of the goodies I bought on my front coils. New Swift 8k springs, revised dust boots/bump stops and revised lower mounts all installed and ready to rock. Also removed the collar under the pillow ball, this was suggested by Powertrix and on the Z32 its really not needed. Really excited to see how the 8k/7k spring rates work out with the SR.

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If you've ever worked on a Z32, you know the front suspension is a pain in the ass. All I wanted was to pull my LCA to install the new ball joint and bushings, but ended up ripping out the upright because its just easier that way. Guess its okay, gives me an excuse to give everything a good look over.

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The SR was also dropped off last weekend to my buddy Juan at Bardabe Performance. Its in good hands and I am super excited to get it back and get this thing on the road. Making some expensive decisions now to make sure it is super solid for anything I want to throw at it in the future.

As for the S13 I have been working on, figured I'd just put updates on it here too. Background on the car is shitty, a buddy bought it with a blown KA for a project and had his SR stolen by a local shop. He abandoned the project and it sat on some land owned by a family member of mine for about a year. Another friend started to show interest in it and it ended up being given to him.

We've got the new heart for it already, a Type X SR20DE. Decided on this because of a limited budget, but also because it gives room to grow in the future. With the loads of extra SR junk I have we will easily be able to built the motor in the future. Overall its pretty clean, we went through it and resealed everything top to bottom and cleaned up some other stuff. Its basically drop in ready now, we just need a few more bits then it will be up and running.

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The clutch on the motor ended up being completely fucked, gotta love these JDM importers that always say "45k low mileage motor" in their ads... With it being a DE, we couldn't find a clutch that would work so we opted for a full DET setup. Again trying to save some cash, a local friend came to the rescue with a Spec Stage 3 and flywheel. Obviously overkill, but it'll work.

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With the car sitting outside with no windows for a year we are in the process of ripping everything out of it. Getting rid of anything that we don't need will help lighten the car up and with a non turbo SR that means it will be slightly less gutless :ugh:

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Next weekend I hope to finish all of the suspension on the Z, I've got Saturday off so it will be easier to spend some time working on it. Hopefully the S13 will move for the first time in a few years too, can't wait to see how the car feels with it.