If you were to do it over again....(s13 Sr)

[mikefc]

Alright,I have an SR in my possession and I wanna know stuff that you guys wish you would have done properly the first time,ect.
This is gonna be my daily/track car so I need it to be as a reliable as possible.
And with winter being here I have all winter to get shit I need for the motor.
Some plans are RAS,oversized waterpump pulley,change all turbo gaskets ect while motor is out,downpipe with flexpipe on it and other shit I dont feel like typing.
Oil cooler?
Aftermarket exhaust mani? they look awesome but worth it?
I want real deal info,not just speculations.

[Touge_drifter]

Engine management that gets rid of the maf sensor, Tomei turbo manifold, sard 850cc injectors, rocker arm stoppers, metal headgasket, arp head studs, GT2876 turbo (.86a/r)
Spec stage 3+ clutch and 3inch exhaust. others are huge FMIC and Aluminum radiator, samco hose and lower thermostat! I'd do all that. At 12psi youll have 360whp and at 23psi looking at 442whp

[chiboy002]

rebuild kit? might as well do it since you're already doing work, i guess

[doomviillain]

it depends on your budget

[nismoman]

Put in braided stainless oil and coolant lines for the turbo. You'll be glad you did when you have to pull it with the engine in the car.

[whiterps13]

Im guessing that Mike doesnt really need 350 horsepower at the moment.

I think the point of this thread is to find easily replaceable, cost effective mods to make the car more reliable. Obviously advice on upgrading the motor heavily isnt what he intended to gain out of this thread. Right?

Have you replaced the clutch?

[mikefc]

^^Exactly.
Just bolt on shit or whatever.
350hp no thanks haha.
I do have a ACT 6puck sprung already.

[hardest240owner]

yeah definitely do an s14 sr waterneck and stainless braided turbo lines

[idamaster]

Good clutch for the future, SS lines,Aluminum Rad., RAS, t28 or gt28 and manifold, Metal HG and Studs along with turbo outlet and exhaust...

[mikefc]

This is the info I want!
Keep it coming guys

[ManoNegra]

front and rear main seals
new water pump and thermo
s14 sr oil pick up
good wiring job

[Red Dragon3]

Water pump (important), oil pump (important), timing chain (important), thermostat (important), coolant lines under the manifold (important), ss turbo lines, ras, replace all gaskets, engine mounts, oil filter relocation and cooler, power steering tank and lines, clutch, flywheel, spark plugs, apr head studs (oem are torque to yeild), fuel filter, fuel pump, down pipe, turbo outlet pipe, aluminum coolant tank, rubber fuel lines, radiator, rad hoses, intercooler and intercooler piping, air filter and replace any other rubber hoses and stock hose clamps cause it will save you the hassle and head ache. And a nice wire tuck!

[mikefc]

What gaskets would you suggest?
Also aftermarket oil pan?
I read that the more capacity/cooling for an SR the better
Once I get it running I plan on having a buddy do a nice wire tuck on it.

[chiboy002]

What gaskets would you suggest?
Also aftermarket oil pan?
I read that the more capacity/cooling for an SR the better
Once I get it running I plan on having a buddy do a nice wire tuck on it.
dont confuse a wire tuck with a wire job.

Do painless or something, or just buy a ton of wire and fix what's needed. OEM wiring sucks, its also really thin shitty looking wires, so im sure resistance is a lot for what it is.

I'd go around fixing old plugs, cleaning grounds, insulating everything, cleaning up the excess wires. I plan on doing it on my ka, not fun

[doomviillain]

id say replace the oil pump, water pump, front and rear main seals, OEM gaskets, belts, for some sort of reliability.

as far as bolt ons, cams, headers to fully 3" exhaust, FMIC, boost controller, koyo rad.

[mikefc]

FRSport has those whole engine gasket dealios.
Would yall suggest the OEM or Cometic verison?

[DJPimpFlex]

Tubs while the motor is out. Coolant lines behind the motor. Those are the MAIN things that I wish I did while the motor was out.

[KOUKIboy]

It all depends on two thing; 1.) whats your budget, and 2.) what size turbo are you running, if your running the stock T25 turbo, you just need some bolts ons such as Intercooler, Radiator, Exhaust, and maybe upgrade your water pump just in case and also the MAF to a Z32 better air flow....And also paint your engine bay a pimp ass color while your engine is out lol I wish I woulda done it......

[mikefc]

Just a stock t25 redtop.
I plan on having HKS wastegate actuator running around 10-12 psi.
Obviously I know all of the basic shit like FMIC exhaust blah blah
Thanks so far lads

[DJPimpFlex]

^^ Highmount, not Front mount.

[nismoman]

Thoroughly clean or replace that aggravating IACV! Hard to get to later

[japslapsilvia]

re- ring the motor, hone the bores, replace bearings, (main and rod) new thrust washers, get a rebuild gasket set (FR sports has them). metal h/g arp head studs, oil pan, revised tensioner, blacktop oil pick up (or mod the red top one). new timing chain kit (frsports also has it) front and rear main seal, pilot bushing, new clutch depending on HP/turbo. Braided SS lines,s-14 water neck.

basically go to FR sport and get to shopping LOL!

this will essentionally give u a fresh motor.

[JonGu]

west covina nissan has good prices on OEM parts. either replace the oil pump or rebuild it for much cheaper.

[chiboy002]

i'd say cometic for things like head gasket, OEM for everything else

But OEM does hold up to like 15 psi or something, iirc

[SR20Driftking4lyf]

Wiring Wiring Wiring!!!! Pick through the harness for the bare minimum, or buy one! And....+1 on coolant lines behind the motor as well.

[idamaster]

i'd say cometic for things like head gasket, OEM for everything else

But OEM does hold up to like 15 psi or something, iirc
Ive got a cosworth 1.5mm HG and I havent had any problems with it. Stock sr20 can handle a lot of power. A thicker HG will just give you a little more room to boost more.

[chiboy002]

Ive got a cosworth 1.5mm HG and I havent had any problems with it. Stock sr20 can handle a lot of power. A thicker HG will just give you a little more room to boost more.

Cosworth is top notch from what i've read

Also, i read that OEM Head gasket is good for like 450hp... if so i think that's more than enough for you mike, unless you're shooting for something crazy lol

[KaminaSan]

Everyone is telling you bulllllllshit.

On EVERY SINGLE SR, the most important thing you can and should ever do for your engine before you put it in. REPLACE YOUR ROD AND MAIN BEARINGS and POLISH YOUR CRANK

Then you can worry about the other shit that people are talking about. Look in the tech section, or online, you will see strings of "SPUN MY ROD BEARING" "There goes bearing number 3" "My engine is knocking".

SRs kill rod bearings, especially number three. It doesn't matter if you have low oil or not, you WILL kill your bearings, so you might as well put in fresh ones, so you don't have to pull your entire engine in a couple months.

[nismoman]

im calling bullshit. I say the reason people spin the rod bearings is one of two things. Not priming the engine with oil before cranking it the first time, since alot of these engines have been sitting for a long time. Also early redtops have a bad oil pickup design that allows a slightly dented oil pan to starve the engine of oil. engines dont just spin bearings for no reason. Also people assume that the engines are in good condition when they buy them. So though i agree that inspecting the bearings is not a bas idea, saying that the bearings WILL SPIN is nonsense.

SO basically putting in new bearings while the engine is out is a great idea for the assurance of reliability. Just the reason you use for doing it is flawed.

BTW my SR ran flawlessly for 5 years daily driven, until I blew a turbo.

[srstan]

yeah definitely do an s14 sr waterneck and stainless braided turbo lines

That is a MUST! Change all gaskets, water pump, thermo, plugs, etc.

[JohnnyDrfiter22]

what is the purpose of a S14 waterneck?

[flossyrobinson]

the purpose of s14 waterneck that is the turbo coolant line hooks up there, making it easier to remove/install when needed. and easier is better right?

i would also look at midmount intercooler instead of front mount i hate how low mine sits... im always worried about it when pulling into parking lot. If you can afford to get a new wiring harness(around $200) do it! it will eliminate alot of guess work when troubleshooting if things dont go as expected.

Get an oil pressure gauge and make sure you prime the engine before you run it, should help you to not spin bearings

[Def]

No need for an S14 waterneck, just drill and tap your S13 one and put an NPT to AN fitting in it.