crunchy_g

Hi My name is Gabe. I'm from Atlanta. Here's a little info as I start this build thread. I'm an Audi technician by trade. (8yrs) I've been in love with the S-chasis since high school. In 2009 I drove a buddies 89 2JZ-swapped 240. From then on I was Hooked & knew I had to build one myself. So in 2009 I purchased a 93 240 rolling shell for $300. My goal was to make it a weekend/drag strip car. I'm not rich so I bought parts as I got the money. I did ALL the work myself after hours at work.(except exhaust pipe welding). The car has now been running for about a year. I've taken it to the drag strip multiple times & to two dyno days. The building starts in Feb 2010 w/ the purchase of a 1JZGTE from a 91-93 Supra...





This is the first day the engine arrived at my job. (March 2010. Audi A4 Convertible in background) The engine importers seperated the engine & tranny b/c I need a front sump oil pan. This engine came with a mid sump oil pan. Just so happened at the time another guy needed a mid sump pan for his SC300. So they swapped pans. Win win for each of us!

& this is my S13. Rolling shell. Got it for $300! Body is decent shape. No rust. Got the Carfax thru my job. Basically it spent most of its life in Florida. Some time in early 2000's it made it to Georgia. Bought it from a guy who had a 2J in it. But moved on to a S14. It sat behind my job for like 2 years as I collected parts....

My 1st goal was to get the car running with basic power upgrades. So I purchased a turbo Y-pipe & downpipe..

Enjuku Racing had a sale on there Isis 3" straight back exhaust so I scooped it up

First order of business tho is to get the engine on a stand. I wanted to do basic maintenance items. Replace timing belt, water pump, tensioner, spark plugs. Remove oil pan, Inspect Crank, Rods, pistons. Reseal Oil Pan. Just check overall condition of motor...

New parts for motor...
Driftmotion.com was big help in getting factory parts for this swap..Let the tear down begin!!

Timing belt, tensioner off. Replacing water pump, front crankshaft seal..
This is water/coolant jacket after removing water pump. The motor had sat for a while..I knew coolant Flushes were in my future.
Notice the difference in the 1JZ & 1.5JZ water pump coolant pipes. I didn't. Needless to say I wasted about 1hr trying to make the longer one fit...
Removed & cleaned up oil pan upper & lower section

The Inside of the block looked surprisingly good. No oil sludge. The motor had a denso oil filter on it. I think whoever had it in Japan took care of the motor.
Finally got the stock y-pipe exhaust manifold off! That was a pain. It was tough with the motor outside of the car. I can only imagine the hard work with it in the car!!

Comparison of stock Y-pipe manifold to aftermarket Y-pipe manifold. Let them turbos BREATHE!!

I also decide to remove the turbo compressor housing intakes to check the wheels for shaft play, excessive oil, & compressor blades. Well I found NO PLAY at all & everything looked visually ok! Looks like I got a good motor!

I had to modify the bottom right exhaust stud to make the new y-pipe fit

Y-pipe on the motor. Test fitting

The motor off the stand reassembled. Ready to go in the car

crunchy_g

Test fitting the Y-pipe on engine.

Nov. 2010....As much as we I love to go fast, stopping is of the upmost importance as well. So I purchased Infiniti Q45 Rotors & Powerstop Brake Pads. I read article on Zilvia as well as other 240 forums & decided on these brakes.


1J/2J's are notorious for overheating on stock radiators so I upgraded the radiator & got 2 10' electric cooling fans.

In November 2010 the front mount intercooler arrived w/ 3" intercooler piping & T-bolt clamps



In Feb. 2011 I purchased my 1st home & furniture so the car went on the back burner for about 6-8months. The engine sat on the stand next to my work bay.
Sept. 2011...I replaced the rear main seal/rear crankshaft seal

Also when the engine importer was swapping the mid to front sump oil pans the transmission had to be removed. It was then found out the transmission had an upgraded Exedy Pressure Plate/Clutch/Flywheel Assembly!


The clutch disk itself, looked quite worn once I inspected it visually...But pressure plate fingers, straps, & throw out bearing were ok


Not sure of the exact specs I went online & searched what kind of Exedy setup I purchased. I found this was an $1100 Kit Rated to hold 400ft-lb of Tq. More Tq than I would need to hold on initial build up. I tried to find just the clutch disk ONLY online to replace it. No success. I only found the entire kit. SMH...So I figured I'd start off with this setup.

So I bolted up the clutch/flywheel/pressure plate assembly & installed the engine to the transmission.


Sept 2011...Car in the air & ready for powertrain installation...

Test fitting the transmission crossmember


Next was the rear differential. I went to a local pull-a-part & pulled the diff out of a 97 Infiniti Q45(produced 7/96). This diff has the five bolt axle flanges. At the same pull-a-part I pulled the axles from a 93 Infiniti J30. (produced 4/93) Those axles had 5 bolt flanges to fit the Q45 diff. I referenced Napa parts website & found out the 93240sx & 93J30 wheel hubs & axle spline count were the same! So the J30 axles would slide into the factory 4 lug hub! I did however have to swap out the diff rear end covers from 2 bolt Q45 to 240 4 bolt cover.

2bolt rear end Cover & Diff from Q45

4 bolt rear end cover I got from a Zilvia member..

Swapping covers & checking out the ring & pinion gear teeth. Diff looked good. Fluid was suprisingly clean for salvage yard car

4 bolt cover installed



Now the moment of truth....Getting the engine in the bay...


After about 30 mins of wrestling/test fitting I got it in!!!

Some may ask..Why didnt you pressure wash the engine bay & paint the car etc. One word: TIME. Doing this build was during two life changing moments in my life. Buying my 1st home & getting married. If you been there you know what I mean...

Some room to work on the front side of the motor..Shout to driftmotion.com for light weight pulley kit


Under shot. I removed the light weight crank & installed the OEM crank. I read to many issues about the alternator being under driven & not charging battery.

crunchy_g

Oct. 2011
Side by side comparison of the Factory 6 bolt axles & J30 5 bolt flanges...

Loosening stock suspension to remove the stock cx axles & install Q45 Diff.

Diff installed


Diff & 5 bolt axle flanges installed

Exhaust system laid out. ISIS 3" straight cat back. Later on it would be modified at local exhaust shop.

My thought process was to run a test pipe or cat depending on emissions/county tag qualification

I Installed a new clutch Master Cylinder

Installed new slave cylinder....As well as a new clutch line Courtesy of Chase Bays!!


Test fitting radiator & looking to see how I would modify upper coolant neck..

Lower radiator hose test fit


Installed my Walbro 255Lph Fuel Pump to stock assembly...

Installed the Chase Bays Power Steering pressure line from reservoir to rack. Noted small gap from fitting to pump. (later On I added a washer to assembly to make sure P/s pump didnt leak

New P/s pressure hose installed

Next it was on to the ignition system...I read a blog about heat shrinking the coil insulation boots to keep moisture/condensation out. So thats what I did. We had shrink wrap in the shop supply so I used that...


The finished product...

Of course I also replaced the spark plugs with NGK plugs

Replacing spark plugs. Cleaning out/inspecting valley of cylinder head

When I purchased the motor set the ECU had "Real Racing" on it. I ask the engine importer if that meant the top speed limiter or rev limiter had been removed. He stated that could be OR maybe a chip was added to the board. Either way I wanted to crack the ECU open to have a look for myself. Let me just Say this. THIS ECU turned out to be the Biggest headache in this whole build process!


On initial visual inspection everything "looked" ok


I did notice one chip had been repaired/soldered to the board & capacitor leg had come apart. I figured maybe this was some aftermarket attempt to remove the internal governor or change ignition timing/fuel settings. Man was I wrong!

This faulty ECU ended up being the 2month HEADACHE of a lifetime. When I finally got the car ready to crank/run the engine had Long crank, rough idle, & at times No start issues. I swapped out the Map sensor, ignition coils, adjusted TPS, ohmed out wires, did voltage drop test all in attempt to figure out why the engine wouldnt run. Finally after two months I talked to a Toyota tech buddy of mine who had done a 2J swap. He had a known good used 1J ECU. Long story short..after plugging in his test unit the engine fired RIGHT up & RAN fine. Problem solved. I was seriously close to scrapping the project but I'm glad I hung in there cuz it turned out well in the long run. One things for sure I learned a LOT about the 1J!



Anyway back to build...I wanted to clean up the factory harness. So I removed the old tape/loom & wrapped & insulated the wiring.

Taped up harness..

Insulation over harness

I routed the engine harness through this hole in the passenger compartment & insulated it with a grommet.

I tried to make harness look as OEM as possible...

The ECU sat at the bottom right front floorboard away from heat & vibration.

Back to the exhaust for a minute...In this pic you can see the downpipe hitting the tunnel crossmember...SO a modification was needed


At this point I decided to tackle the wiring to get the car power & to get the engine to crank & fuel pump to run. So to the wiring diagrams I went!!


The Fuse & Relay box wiring was a MESS! The previous owner used this car as the guinea pig on how to do this swap. I spent a lot of time cleaning up the wiring & verify wires & pin outs on the wiring diagram.


I kept it simple with the ignition switch/starter circuit. Just added a relay & ran wire to starter exciter wire & Batt. power to starter.


This engine/body harness connector ended up being extremely important. I basically wiring it to provide injectors & coils with Batt. Power. & wired it for ECU to have 15 & 30 power.


I'm not gonna do a wire for wire explanation. Its really not that hard. Just obtain wiring diagrams & a volt meter & you can figure it out.

More crazy fuse/relay box wiring. I cleaned it up. But there is still more work to do.

Then I tried my hand at making my own fuel line. Purchased some -6AN & -8AN fuel line & AN fittings from Summit Racing. Here is pic of my 1st attempt. Took about 20 mins to make it....


I also purchased battery cable & relocated the battery to the trunk. Replaced fuel lines w/ AN fittings & braided hose & ran it along the underbody of the car Opposite of the stock fuel lines to keep the lines away from Heat.




March 2012
I got a driveshaft made. It has a toyota yoke to fit the R154 transmission. & a Nissan/Infiniti Flange to bolt to the Q45 Diff. Here is a side by side of the stock Q45 half drive shaft & the one I had made.



Here is an underbody shot of the driveshaft installed. Measured multiple times before getting it made & it fit like a Glove!



This was an interesting fact. While reading a blog I found out the Audi A6 2.8 serpentine belt was the exact fit for the 1J motor w/ no A/c compressor. I made the long walk to my parts department to get the belt. The 1st AUDI part on my swap.

Then I decided to get the interior cleaned up b/c I was getting closer to get the car street worthy. I had our detail guy do for me. It did a great job.

Before



After




Not new. But remember this car is to be a wknd/drag strip car.
I'll stop for now. But i have a lot more pics/build to come.

BiG MiKE86

Awesome thread! Great progress

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stroked_jz

I would strongly recommend getting rid of that crank pulley. You will want the harmonic balancer. Just saying...

Hatemy7

good work man

crunchy_g

Yeh I stated earlier under the crank pulley photo...
"I removed the light weight crank & installed the OEM crank. I read to many issues about the alternator being under driven & not charging battery"
But thanks for the suggestion

stroked_jz

Not only that but i have read that it can also cause crank walk which nobody wants. If your going to upgrade, go with the ATI super damper.

xoxide

Nice! What lower radiator hose did you use? Ive been trying to figure out what hose I nee to run...

Sky80

Nice work! Always good to see a 240 brought back to life and properly fixed

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'98 Kouki Build in Progress
'10 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT

Slippin'eight-nine

Great build! Only thing that makes me scratch my head is why u would plug in an unproven ECU?? You're so lucky that the motor didnt go BOOM! It seems obvious to me all those problems were because of it. Anyways everything else looks good!

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Project cars: "Fail to plan, plan to fail"

supersayianjim

good shit. but iam wondering why didn't you just buy a ready made harness or send out your cores to get merged and focus your time on other things?? and I wish you would had gone single before installing the engine. those turbos will go boom soon enough.

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crunchy_g

Thanks for the props man!
Yes. I definitely dont want crank walk. I did the neutral safety switch bypass so pressing in the clutch/crank walk would be less likely to occur on start ups. I'll look into the ATI damper. Thanks for the heads up.
I went to Napa & got a lower radiator hose for a 90 Supra Turbo. It fit like it was from the factory. About 10 months later it started to leak. So 3 wks ago I replaced it with Obx hose designed for 87-92 Supra lower radiator.
Your right! I was lucky motor didnt go BOOm! When disassembling the motor & inspecting the turbo's & crank, rods, etc everything was in good shape. Even the engine importer thought the ECU was in good shape. So I "assumed" ECU was too. Also its harder to find 1J parts compared to 2J since the motor never came to the U.S. So I had to use what I had. The ECU that came with the motor.
Good question. It all boils down to I wanted to do the work myself. I'm a auto technician by trade. So call it pride or whatever But I wanted to learn for myself. Not to pay for somebody else to do it for me. Trust me If I had the money to go Single turbo. I would have! LoL But I bought my 1st house & got married during this build. So funds went to more important things. I've ran the stock turbos for a full track season (max 13psi) & have had NO problems. This winter I am saving to go Single 66mm turbo, 850cc injectors, & AEM standalone.

crunchy_g

MARCH 2012-With the powertrain in the car the next step was to install fluids. I ordered rear diff, manual trans. fluid, & LSD additive from Summit Racing

I also ordered a Fuse Panel Circuit Kit, Adjustable Cooling Fan Kit, Relays & Fuses from Summit Racing

Verified that my 1J came with yellow top 380cc injectors


JUNE 2012-I installed both electric cooling fans on the front side of the radiator to save room to work on the front of the motor. (Something like what BMW does)


Cooling fans installed & mocking up brackets for intercooler.


I modified upper radiator neck to fit the radiator I purchased. Basically cut off the 45 degree bend so I could install hose for upper radiator connection.
I installed a KA engine temp sensor but later removed it & used the Toyota ECT sensor. I ran that wire to stock cluster.


Then I started playing around with intercooler mock up ideas...


The intercooler installed.

Bottom shot of intercooler bracket I modified. Sounds hood..But I went to Lowe's & got some 2" thick brackets. Cut & drilled them to fit intercooler/core support.


For the top intercooler mounting brackets I purchased some 45 degree brackets. Then cut & drilled holes to fit core support & intercooler.


Quick test fit with bumper on. I had to remove bumper support to fit intercooler. I could have cut & modified it. But i figured that would hurt its rigidity. So I just removed it... I also purchased a turn signal light housing


Then it was onto installing/mocking up intercooler piping


This pipe to throttle valve was too long. So I had to cut & modify it so the 45 degree bend hose would fit.


This is the setup once completed. I posted the pic on FB & all my cars friends Went CRAZY!! LoL


JULY 2012-At this point the car would start & move under its own power. But with the starter being Old & how many times it cranked it in the "troubleshooting" phase. It took a crap. So I replaced it with one from Advance Auto.
Pic of new starter installed


Also the clutch pedal was extremely high! I knew I wouldn't make it down the drag strip Let Alone the street If i Didn't replace the clutch. Sad part was I searched online & could not find the Exedy clutch disk only. The entire kit was $1200. Low on funds I figured I'd try a ACT clutch I found on driftmotion.com for $153. So I naively ordered it & Pulled the transmission one night after work...


So I install my "steal of a deal" ACT 6 puck clutch disk Only to find...the outside diameter won't fit the Exedy Pressure plate...




Now Common sense should have told me to STOP right there! But its 8pm. & I've got the trans. pulled. "This Clutch is gonna work" is my thought. SmH
Long story short...I modified the pressure plate slightly to make the clutch disk fit. It did...I installed the trans. that night. But the clutch pedal wasn't right. So I went home frustrated & came up with another "Genius" plan. "How about I use a stock R154 clutch disk? Its only $26 at Napa!"

So I pulled the transmission again (by now I can have it out in like 45mins-1hr) & installed a stock R154 clutch.


You can see where I modified the pressure plate. Nothing that hurts the pressure plate operation/integrity. I installed the assembly....


Toyota has you install the clutch/pressure plate in the bellhousing first. Then bolt up the transmission & clutch assembly to flywheel. Different from other manufacturers. I eventually got good at it since I pulled it soo many times. LOL

Once the stock clutch was installed the clutch pedal still wasn't right. My problem was the stock clutch disk & the ACT clutch disk were too thick for Exedy setup. So my slave cylinder was extended too far & not releasing the throw out bearing. Here is a pic


I know some may wonder..why didnt you just buy the $1200 kit? Cuz I'm not rich. Others may wonder. Why even include this in your build thread? It makes you look dumb. Well they're right it does. But it also shows I wasnt afraid to LEARN, trial by error, at times. I'm not afraid to admit I made mistakes during the build but in the end I can say.."I built that by myself & I know everything about it"

AUGUST 2012-Enough on the rant. One day driving to work I see this truck that says "Clutch Man. Clutch rebuild & repair" So I give them call. Give them the part number to my Exedy Clutch Kit and LOW & BEHOLD they can get the clutch disk seperately for like $270. So I can finally get the clutch disk designed for this kit! Here is the clutch. I was excited to not have to buy the $1200 kit from Exedy!



I wondered about the clutch disk material when I 1st inspected the old clutch. But after seeing the new disk I realized Exedy didnt provide them with much material. I guess to keep weight down/less centrifugal mass. Engine revs up faster & clutch holds up to 5,500rpm clutch drops. Needless to say I pulled the trans. again & installed it.

So Now the clutch issue is solved. But sporadically at idle the engine would misfire. I pinpointed the cause to a faulty ignition coil. I ended up replacing all Six Coils.




I also purchased a Toyota 16pin to 17-pin DLC to talk to stock ECU to pull fault codes



I purchased a Blitz SSQV blow off valve Since the stock one was missing when I purchased the motor. The previous owner had an aftermarket one but did not leave it with the motor.



Here is a shot of the installation. Mid-progress


I picked up a stock 1JZ ECU that had the capacitors replaced(known failure of 1J ECU's) from a local guy. Here I inspect the ECU & repairs to circuit board.




OCTOBER 2012
The next step in the build process is to get my gauges running. Tachometer & speedmoter specifically. I want to use the factory cluster So I purchase Dakota Digital Tach & Speedo adapters from Summit Racing. SGI-5 & SGI-8. Here is some pics of the tach/cluster install.


Check out tach. Its operational. Proud moment for me in the build! & it worked on the 1st try!


So at this point in the build I'm engaged & my wedding is in Nov.2012. The car can move under its own power. My gauges work. Next step is tires, Rims, & Suspension.

crunchy_g

So its the month before my wedding. As a wedding gift three of my best friends decide to purchase coil overs for me! (great friends I know right?) They know I wanted coilovers & to get the car to the drag strip but I had my wedding as Top priority. So they came thru for me at a great time! Here is before & after shots...
4WD MODE


New CX Racing Coilovers! Shout out to Good Friends Daniel, Yannick & Obed!!

Comparison of stock front to CX Racing front...


Comparison of Rear....


Pic of the fronts installed...


Pic of the rear installed...


Here is an after shot. Now of course I have to adjust the ride height. It was late so I snapped a few pics real quick...




Now I KNOW I'm gonna get BLASTED & FLAMED for chopping up the front bumper. Let me say 1st. I AM NOT A BODY/collision repair man. LoL I KNOW I hacked this bumper up. I blame it on being at work late one night with a cutoff wheel, fatigue, & an idea of showing off the intercooler.(not saying it was a good idea) Plus I measured once & cut once. Bad idea! LoL The goal was just to show off the core. Not the end tanks, etc. Long story short...I will be replacing the front bumper & trying again to modify it. Since I have this look now..I cant tell you how Many HEADS it turns tho!!

I noticed my fuel gauge was inop, when before after I installed the fuel pump it work. I removed it to find the float had fell of the sending unit.



My wedding comes Nov.2012 & we go on our honeymoon. I settle in to married life & the car goes on the back burner. But Project 1J80SX is never forgotten! 4 months later...

MARCH 2013-So I'm from the South. Where Drag racing/Muscle Cars & Nascar reside. So I really want some diamond racing wheels. But find these rims on Summit for a great price.(By now you can tell in this build I go to Summit Racing & Ebay for ALOT of my parts.) So I order the wheels & they arrive...


I liked the look of the wheels (DEEP DISH. similar to diamond racing wheels) BUT there is a lil thing called "offset" I calculated wrong.. SMH







I recieved other goodies from Summit tho. 3" Hi-Flow Cat, Batt. Box(track required) & -12 AN Braided hose for my oil catch kit.




APRIL 2013-So I returned the wheels to Summit. After doing Proper research I jumped on Ebay with correct offset, rim width, & hub dimensions in hand. & Found a set of XXR's I really liked for a good price. So I ordered them & eagerly awaited there arrival!


I wanted to run a 8" wide rim to fit a 275mm tire. (275/50/15) To put as much rubber to ground without modifying the rear fenders. So I test fitted the Rims 1st.





They Fit well. So I mounted the tires. 275/50/15 Nitto Nt555R's in the rear.




A couple of on the car in the air shots


Now I personally LOVE the "raked" Muscle car/big FAT rear tire Look. & that is what inspired this look. All the guys at work gave me good compliments on tire/wheel selection.



Now Of course I had to adjust the ride height. But Here i just snapped a few quick shots of the after pics. Finally got rid of those ugly stock Rims!!





Now I know the body of the car isnt all pretty & there are some lights missing. But remember...this is a Drag Race/Weekend Car. I dont care too much about the outside appearance. I just want it to GO FAST! With that said...I did tighten up the front bumper from sagging/fitment & replaced the right front side marker light. This car came as a rolling shell. So many exterior parts I didn't have from the beginning.

So now I had proper rollers on the car. The last step before getting the car road/track capable was to finish the exhaust. So I took it to my local guy. He did the exhaust on my GTI a few years earlier so I knew he'd do Great Work for a Good Price.




One thing I forgot to mention. Up until I got to the exhaust shop the engine would pull to 4K like a Raped Ape! But then hit fuel cut. I mean complete power loss. Every time at 14psi. Fuel Cut! If I feathered throttle to not make turbos boost to 14lbs I could go to 7K. The root cause...An open downpipe. Once I got to the exhaust shop & had the rest of the piping done the engine pulled clean to 7K no hiccups, no cut outs! I cant Explain the joy I felt on the 1st highway 2nd gear Pull to redline I Had. I instally feel back in Love with the car & realized the 3yrs on/off building it was SOO well worth it! All the late nights, multiple transmission removals, engine misfires, no starts, Faulty ECU, wiring diagram evaluations, wrong wheel purchases was All Worth IT!! Message to Zilvia members. If you got a project. Don't let it die. Take a break. But get back to it. It will mean more in the end.

Enough of that mushy stuff...a few shots of the car road ready...




So where is the 1st two places I go?? To the dyno & to the Drag Strip!!
(4/14/2013) Here to the wheels the car put down 279hp/277tq.


(4/20/13) I took it to another dyno day across town & it put down 276hp/274tq.


These number were put down at 11lbs with basic power upgrades. (Intake, exhaust, front mount intercooler, stock ECU, stock turbos.) So there is plenty potential for more power.

I went to Import Showdown May 2013. My best pass of the day...


My 60ft sucked & R/T wasnt that hot but I'm still learning the car. At this point one could consider this build thread Done. (I say that So Moderators know this isn't a incomplete build thread) But I have a few more pics & updates to bring you guys up to date with the cars current progress. I'll upload more soon!

juvi22003

Nice job, paint job anytime soon?

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95 240SX S14 / 14 Lexus IS250/ IG / Twitter: juvi22003

Salvarath

Hey, if you're looking to clean up the interior use the Duplicolor vinyl and fabric dye. I used gloss black and matte black on most of my interior and it looks really good, the picture doesn't do justice. The interior was blue and gray before I did this. Good luck with the build!

d_nice

damn nice job man. looking good

JAWWWDEN

have you had any overheating issues yet 10" fans dont seem nealy enough to keep it cool