fixing stupid?..challenge accepted

[crash n' burn]

so with getting my coupe running, i realized i love to have a "work in progress" more than i enjoy driving a car that really needed nothing else. along with that, my tastes have changed and i really wanted to try something different. i've had 5 s13s, a B13, and an M30. loved every single one of them. swore up and down i'd never own an s14.

yeah..like that was going to happen. wife sees me sulking around since i have nothing to play with anymore and comes out of left field saying if i find a good deal to go for it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0676_zps21dc9591.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0679_BURST001_zpsff580a3f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0682_BURST001_zps198382b5.jpg

traded my SR motorset out of my coupe and some cash for a clean title, true 98' 5spd with 147k on it. cool right? wrong..really cool.

-little the corner lights worked, that was it; wiring was horrendous.
-bumper was held on by 1 ziptie at each fender.
-coils were never installed correctly, so they're junk.
-pass. tie rod was bent from curbing the car, along with a slight bend in the tension rod bracket. not to mention someone ghetto-fabbed some spacers for the tension rods?!?!
-hood flew up and broke the windshield, dented the roof..at least that had been replaced.
-header was loose, downpipe had one bolt threaded kinda tight, the other was just sort of there.
-jerry rigged shifter trim with a switch that goes nowhere and screws to hold the shifter boot in place
-its fucking plastidipped and had zero prep done prior to it, over spray everywhere
-signal stalk just kind of flops and kicks the hi-beams on when i hit bumps
-backyard tint thats bubbling and overlapped

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0697_zps849c664a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0705_BURST001_zps5e38fd44.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0709_zpsf3938309.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0753_BURST001_zps8f54cf12.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0780_BURST002_zpse07f42aa.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0754_BURST002_zps83100650.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0756_BURST003_zps6a8e1052.jpg

this is about the time were i'm sitting in my thinking chair looking at this car going what in the fuck was this guy thinking. then i look at the a/c system and realize the a/c fan was gone. but wait, i found it. i shit you not, its on the radiator, underneath the fan shroud.

so after an afternoon worth of adventure, i hop on the interwebz and start blowing my load on parts.

-new bushings where i'll need them
-new ball joints at every corner
-adjustable links to fix this shitty alignment
-short throw
-new center console trim
-jdm front bumper, rear bumper and grill
-HIDs since i couldn't even put stock bulbs in there
-new CF oem style hood
-led bulbs for the interior

super pumped the wife told me she didn't care since i was using the money from the last project.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0777_zpsa88f610d.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/DSC02674_zpsdbed3c71.jpg

changed everything out and took it out for the night, and apart from blown coils..it feels pretty tight, motor is incredibly strong, clutch feels like it was just put in. for a home alignment, drives straight as an arrow. one wheel wonder :[

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0852_BURST001_zps10200661.jpg

thats it for now. i'm just waiting on parts and trying to make my mind up on wheels/coils. traded my FMIC piping to my friend for a set of z-brakes, 17/16 MC, and an extra rear pair for a hydro setup later down the road. 5-lugs are on the way, rotors are on the way, still waiting on the hood and bumpers before i start doing body work. thank god the interior is mint except for the dash having a crack.

[s13rhdhatch]

Good stuff bro.

[BossHogg]

Im not much for s14's either. But its nice to see you are trying to save the car and appreciate it.

[crash n' burn]

i'm trying to; i'm just really glad this is one of the few s14's i've ever seen that had mint door panels. its pretty comfortable, and i thought my coupe was really nicely laid out, but i'm getting used to it.

its grown on me even though i still want to punch myself in the dick every time i see that hood. BUT!! that should be here some time thursday and so will the coilovers so i won't feel like its falling apart on every bump i hit; which, in Louisiana, is every 6 inches.

[singlecamslam]

I hate fixing other peoples retardedness. Have fun, punch the previous retard.

[KoukiMonsta]

Good luck

I thought my car had some dumb shit from previous owner...fuckin A

Keep it up

[jr_ss]

So what is worse? What that guy was thinking throwing shit together or the guy that buys it knowing there was shit wrong with it?

Either way, glad to see things are being sorted out. Curious where this one ends up. Hopefully, not in a ditch from a garage alignment. Goodluck sir!

[crash n' burn]

uhh, say again? i mean, how much are you expecting from a car the looks the way it looks and in a trade for a bolt on SR20? understandably, i knew what i was getting into for the most part. in certain areas i'm surprised in a good way; other areas i just got to redo everything for it being done wrong the first time or like the coilovers, i knew i was going to replace them regardless.

for me, its all about execution. took me 4 years to get my last chassis close to the way i wanted it; that and a lot of other shit thats too long and no one really cares. bottom line, no regrets with what i'm working with. trying to be ballin' on a budget over here.

[crash n' burn]

New hood and setup the ride height on the coils after running it 4x4 status for a week to break in the dampeners. Still dialing in the spring preload and dampener settings. Boy can I not wait till my bumper comes in. Looking at 18x9.5f/18x10.5r though for wheels but still debating 17's

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/EMOtionsoverrun/98%20kouki/IMAG0932_BURST002_zpsf81ab47a.jpg

[AsleepAltima]

sub'd. i love projects like this. have fun!

[crash n' burn]

Door didn't want to shut when I got to work. I locked it and unlocked it with the key, then shut it. Now my door is stuck closed. The latch doednt want to open when I unlock it. I get a little buzzing noise as well. Both interior and exterior handles don't work, neither does the key. I have the door panel loose and pulled up enough to get a look at the rods; those are good. Everything is moving freely. But it's just like, the lat h didn't fully release or close. Haven't yet tried some WD-40 and giving the door a good bump beside the latch yet.


Really not excited about the thought of cutting the door off the car