LS3 Build Thread - S13 Hatch - Hate the V8!

[Pstl_pete]

I bought the valences brand new so they came with all the brackets and what not. They still didnt fit like I want them to. Im over it, there's a smidgen of a gap but Im not going to complain about it.

Crimson- If you want to come by to see the paint job you are more than welcome to.

My other ARP wheel studs finally got here so I threw the subframe onto the car and installed the rear KW coilovers.





Also got my works bell hub parts and Momo steering wheel.



Simple, clean, understated design. Love it.


I know a lot of people omit installing a horn when they're doing a steering wheel install but its really not difficult at all and Honda has an OEM tab (Honda part number 35259-SH3-A02) that works amazingly well for aftermarket wheel installs.



Finding the horn wire is fairly simple too, just search for the 12v source in the plug that goes to the steering wheel. It will be the only one with a 12v signal, I dont remember the wire color but I believe it was blue/white.


Bolting on the rest of the Works Bell parts, I will say as with most legit parts Im very impressed with the quality and fitment. I have an NRG hub and QR on my integra and the Works Bell is by far a much nicer and snugger fitting part. You get what you pay for.





The wheel looks good, too bad the rest of the interior is all ripped up still!



I also REALLY want to buy these wheels now. Too bad they cost a fortune though! I think they would look sick on the car, black Nismo wheels YES PLEASE!

[drftwerks]

your acura integra looks cool, what kind of cool stuff is on it?

[CamryOnBronze]

Rear suspension looks awesome... I am jealous of how clean the underside of that car is!

[blueshark123]

Damn i tought i was the only person running a titanium ball knob with a ls1. I hate you lol jk. Did u have them get the right thread pattern for you i got mine from rndfactory which i know supplied aspec? I also have the same drift knob.

Oh and how much that honda tab cost. I was going to go to the hobby shop and buy a strip off brass metal and run the same setup like that but the honda tab looks easier to do

oh and you should get this to match my setup http://ballerbolts.com/burnt-titaniu...eel-bolts.html

[WISH ONE]

Wow, awesome build. Great work!

[310R]

Did kw coils come with camber plates on them?I was told they come without them.I am interested in running them on my s13.Also where did you get them at?

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by 310R

Did kw coils come with camber plates on them?I was told they come without them.I am interested in running them on my s13.Also where did you get them at?

Some models do, some don't. They're available from a variety of suspension manufacturers, but I know Tein has them packaged separately for sure.

[Fred Allen Burge]

I think I saw this project in a magazine at B&N this weekend, am I crazy??

[xSoCalxRiderx125]

Originally Posted by JDM RPS13 RHD

where did you git those tailllights? ive been looking on craiglist all day and coudlnt find them are they jdm? can you tell me how much they cost?

Originally Posted by CamryOnBronze

Those are the stock tail lights on the JDM RPS13 RHD edition.

....lol

[tricky_ab]

Originally Posted by Fred Allen Burge

I think I saw this project in a magazine at B&N this weekend, am I crazy??

Not really...I think he works for Modified...

[rb25crazy]

is this car going to get carb'd and bar'd since you are throwing in an erod ls3??? i'd like to know more about that since i live in cali toooo !

[drftwerks]

so acura integra.

[Pstl_pete]

Originally Posted by drftwerks

your acura integra looks cool, what kind of cool stuff is on it?

The Integra has a K20 swap with bolt ons, roll bar, Recaro buckets and a MFactory clutch type diff with a shorter final drive. I love driving it on the track and abusing more powerful cars with it. The teg is about a second slower than my Evo X (2-minute flat time) at Buttonwillow raceway with half the power.

The KW's are the Club Sport edition which is why they have the upper mounts. They can be purchased anywhere really, you just have to ask for them. The reason why they dont come with them on most of the suspensions KW offers is because it has something to do with TUV approval in Germany and the longevity of solid spherical upper mounts.

That Honda Brass Horn tab cost like 5-10 bucks online.

Yes, if you buy the latest issue of Modified Mag (July) you can follow this build in more detail.

As for the CARB deal, I am going to try and pass it but from what Ive been told its going to be very difficult since you are required to use the stock LS3 headers and by the looks of it there's no way they will clear.

[bikrman2]

I'm in NY so I don't know much about carb rules etc but what if you used a set of carb approved headers?

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by Pstl_pete

As for the CARB deal, I am going to try and pass it but from what Ive been told its going to be very difficult since you are required to use the stock LS3 headers and by the looks of it there's no way they will clear.

The real problem is the new requirement that you pass something like 8 of the 11 OBD tests, whereas before you only had to pass like 4. You used to have to pass 4 or 5 I believe? Anyway, the only way you can get that many systems to pass is by using the Chevy fuel tank/sensors, which obviously doesn't work.

The common advice now is to check with the ref to see what they think. Some are cool passing a car that meets the 'previous' requirements.

[bikrman2]

Originally Posted by GSXRJJordan

The real problem is the new requirement that you pass something like 8 of the 11 OBD tests, whereas before you only had to pass like 4. You used to have to pass 4 or 5 I believe? Anyway, the only way you can get that many systems to pass is by using the Chevy fuel tank/sensors, which obviously doesn't work.

The common advice now is to check with the ref to see what they think. Some are cool passing a car that meets the 'previous' requirements.

If that's the case you wouldn't need the tank. you could just get the fuel tank pressure sensor and wire it in. for the refrence have the top of the s13 tank drilled and tapped for a vacuum fitting and run a hose to the sensor. you can make all of the evap crap work too. They're a pretty simple system if you get it all from a truck as it's pretty much all self contained. We have the same problem here with 1996 and newer cars. we actually have to plug the inspection computer in to the obd2 port and it checks for readiness. up to 2000 you are allowed 2 not ready and 2001 and up you are only allowed 1.

[Happy240sx]

Yes Pete...looking good.

You're going to love this thing. I love my LSx setup that I am now converting my car back to a street car just to rip it daily. haha.

[Promise Land]

Originally Posted by Pstl_pete

The wheel looks good, too bad the rest of the interior is all ripped up still!

I also REALLY want to buy these wheels now.

What is the thickness on the wheel grip (~1" +)? My Nardi is pretty small and gives my hand a cramp eventually. The MOMO looks pretty good.

How much are the NISMO wheels? Got a part number for them? I don't remember seeing them in the USDM catalog.

[Pstl_pete]

Danno - Good to hear your S14 is still alive! Im hoping to daily mine as well. If I ever get this damn motor that is. Still waiting on it!!

Originally Posted by Promise Land

What is the thickness on the wheel grip (~1" +)? My Nardi is pretty small and gives my hand a cramp eventually. The MOMO looks pretty good.

How much are the NISMO wheels? Got a part number for them? I don't remember seeing them in the USDM catalog.

I didnt measure the wheel but its over an inch for sure. Its a nice grip definitely not too thin.

The Nismo wheels are about 900-ish/wheel. Too rich for my blood.

[Acecool]

Nice build thread! If you are still having issues with the door locks. There are 2 separate wires you tap into, and you send a ground signal to it to change locks.. I could look in my s13 to see which wires I tapped into.

[mlee4984]

Nice quality build! 2 Thumbs up!!!

[joel.e.krueger]

Hey random questions about the seats, this seems like a pretty serious build, so why didn't you go for a more bucket/racing style seat? I know those are probably pretty comfy, but still.

[Pstl_pete]

The power door locks turned out to be a crossed wire on the door actuator. After depinning and swapping the wire, the locks worked perfectly.

The reasoning for the seats is I wanted a stock like look which would draw less attention to the car and I don't plan to do any track events with this car so there's no need for bucket seats that will be a pain to drive long distances in. My main intention is to build a fun reliable street worthy ride.

[Pstl_pete]

It's finally update time. I have practically finished everything I can do on this car other than installing the engine setup, which I am still waiting for.

Today I said screw it, Im tired of waiting around and not working on the car, Ill just install the LS3 that I have sitting here and then when mine arrives Ill swap them out. This way I could start test fitting some parts and see what needs to be moved or rearranged.

I yanked the LS3 off the pallet and began swapping over the necessary Sikky parts to make it fit.


The Sikky mounts are so nice! Billet cut goodness.


The Sikky oil pan allows you to retain the factory crossmember without cutting it out to make the pan fit. And its baffled inside, which is a nice touch.


I was really happy how well the pan and mounts fit. I was worried about fighting to make both pieces mount up but man the quality on these parts is great.


As you can see in the photo above I decided to try the truck manifolds out first to see if they would clear the steering shaft, but even without the motor in the bay I knew it wasn't meant to be. I had to try it anyways just to prove it to myself.


Im a one man team but surprisingly enough the motor sayed really level so I didnt have many problems mounting it up.




Yep, no clearance on the header. My only reasoning to run the stock headers is to try to make it pass through carb, but this isnt looking good.


Next I tried the other OEM headers I have, Im pretty sure they are C6 vette headers. The exit before the steering shaft but its so damn tight in there that I doubt Im going to be able to make them work either.


Thats about as much room as I have to work with. I think I can fit a flange and a 2.25' pipe in there but I ran out of time to find out today.


I didnt grab photos of the other side, it fits better (obviously) but I had to remove the ABS bracket to make room for the header.
Im going to play with the setup a bit more but it's looking like the Sikky headers will be the way to go to ensure a trouble free setup.


Back with more updates when I have some more free time.

[Broadfield]

Looking hella good homes! I can't wait for this day on my own build.

[CamryOnBronze]

Nice job PT! Looks like it came that way from the factory. Hopefully the header issues work out for you!

[CrimsonRockett]

I definitely need to stop by and check this thing out.

I'll hit you up when you have the exterior of the car put together.

[wacko2]

car looks really good

[boost infested]

Looking very good so far, I have a question for you.

With Sikky's oil pan how low does the front of the oil pan hang? pass the cross member? Any chance that you can take a picture?

thanks in advance.

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by boost infested

Looking very good so far, I have a question for you.

With Sikky's oil pan how low does the front of the oil pan hang? pass the cross member? Any chance that you can take a picture?

thanks in advance.

No it's above the crossmember on all the ones I've seen.