After getting rid of my previous 240, an SR-powered S14, I jumped over to an EVO X (now sold) and it was a pretty awesome car in every aspect but I missed the fun of RWD bad enough to convince myself to buy an S13 and build me a proper daily driver.
This time around though, I wanted to do something different with the motor. I thought long and hard about a 2JZ swap but ultimately chose the LS3 V8 because of the reliable power and stock driveability I can get out of it. Plus, the plan was for me to CARB it but after talking to a lot of the Hot Rod guys, Carb has yet to approve the LS3 E-rod package and running aftermarket headers is a big no no so I think that idea is gone. Ill still check the stock header clearance just to be sure but Im 99% sure it aint gonna happen.
Anyways, I picked this chassis up from Drift Freaq and was pretty happy with what I got. A clean, straight shell.
Since the paint was bad, I began tearing it down to prep it for paint.
Decided now would be a good time to roll the fenders BEFORE paint. Having an Eastwood roller handy makes this job so much easier than a baseball bat which Ive used in the past.
I pieced together a complete Kouki Type X areo kit minus the front lip which I havent been able to find yet.
This is how she looked before heading to paint.
Visited the paint shop a couple of times, Donylson Auto Concepts up in Eaglerock, CA. I was happy to see that they were actually welding up the signal marker light holes rather than using bondo.
Came back several weeks later and the car was done. Man, was I happy. Not a sign of any orange peel whatsoever!
Shits glossy!
I didn't ask for them to paint my engine bay but they did it for me anyways. Its nice and clean looking now just like the paint.
My E-ROD LS3 engine package is on back order right now but I've got the hot cam version sitting at the office which Ill be using as a temporary mock up.
Dropped a Deatschwerks 300lph fuel pump into the tank which should be adequate enough to handle the LS3's stock 430hp.
I slowly started putting some of the exterior pieces back on the car like the kouki taillights. I dont want to jump the gun and throw the rest of the aero on just to have it scratched during the swap and other work being done on the car.
Threw the car up on jack stands where it will sit until everything is installed.
Removed the rear Hicas subframe. I thought about getting a stopper bar but instead ditched the whole system for a non-hicas subframe.
Got some Circuit Sports arms for the new subframe.
Then it was off to TechnoSquare with my diff...
To drop a Quaife diff into it. Since I plan to use this car mainly for the street I opted out of a more aggressive diff and figured this would be perfect for what I need.
Howard was great, he cleaned my old housing and put a lot of time and care into installing the Quaife.
Only problem was my LSD output shafts wouldn't work in the Quaife diff. Had to source some NON LSD ones, luckily a buddy had a set lying around.
Picked up front and rear Ichiba hubs despite the warnings of the poor bearing quality. I guess Ill find out first hand how long they last. Im so short on time that even though I would have liked to go to an OE S14 setup, this would be the easier route for now. I pressed in some ARP long studs as well since Ill be running spacers.
Oh and Im hoping to retain my ABS so I pressed the ring off the old hubs and onto the new ones.
Then came the Wilwood big brake kit. Im keeping OE rear brakes for now but will eventually go to a Z32 or Evo rear brake setup.
I've been running KW coilovers with a lot of success on my other cars so I decided to give them a try on the 240. My only concern is how low they can go but I really have enjoyed the ride quality of these on my Integra and Im hoping the same compliant ride will carry over into the 240.
Ill be running a set of Enkei NT03M 18x9.5 +27 wheels all around with some Bridgestone Potenza S04 235/40R18 tires. Tested fitted them to see if they will clear the coilovers without spacers and they just barely touch.
My stock carpet had a rather ugly looking coffee stain in it so I ordered a new carpet from stockinteriors.com and thought oh this will be easy.
WRONG! You have to cut every hole in the carpet and trim it to size. This took damn near a day to do and I still have some minor trimming to finish. Not sure I would go this route again.
The stock seats were junk so I replaced them with a set of Corbeau GTS II seats which are pretty damn good. Im going to have to shave the bottom cushions out quite a bit to make them sit at stock ride height but they should work out just fine.
So that's where the car sits right now. I'm feverishly waiting for my engine to arrive, Ive got all the Sikky conversion parts ready to go so once its here, I'll be dropping that shit in STAT. Im also waiting on my rear ARP studs which have prevented my from re-installing the subframe. They should be here in 2 weeks.
More to come as I keep plugging away on this car.
UPDATE: I've put together a full how-to LS swap guide on my site: http://speed.academy/nissan-240sx-v8...how-to-part-1/ Now it's easier than ever to swap a V8 into your 240!