[STAGE 2: 1JZ VVTi Swap - S13 240sx Convertible] - Los Angeles, CA

[MEFISTO]

Alright, after a few months i finish the Stage 2 - Engine Swap
so here are the pictures from the whole journey


If you didnt saw previous stage..check link below

Link: * [S13 240sx Convertible - Stage 1: Restoration] (body/suspension/engine)
Link: * [S13 240sx Convertible - Stage 2: More Power] (engine swap)
Link: * [S13 240sx Convertible - Stage 3: New Look]


This is the transformation you gonna see in this thread





- UPDATED SPECS -

1JZ VVTi (stock harness)
R154 Transmission
Kakimoto Racing Hyper Full Mega N1
Odyssey Fab Turbo elbow/downpipe
D-MAX D1 Spec Coilovers
350z Seats
Ichiba 5-lug conversion (front/rear)
Q45 Brakes (Drilled, Slotted and Vented Rotors)
DMAX smoked Tail Lights
OEM 180sx Sideskirts
Sneakers:
front Sumitomo 245/40/R18
rear Bridgestone 255/40/R18
.... And more




Alright, this is my 1992 Nissan 240sx Convertible (some of you may know this car from prev owner)
i bought it on February 2016 and start to get her beauty back
This is my first time working on a car, (i was focusing on restoring old school BMX bikes) so

everything here was new to learn.

Believe it or not all this is on a budget, from tools to engine parts
trying to spent LESS possible without compromising quality



DO IT YOURSELF...to save money and LEARN
in the process (and that's priceless)
Google and YouTube will be your best friends from now on
if you notice i post too many part prices is because i want you to see that you dont have to be rich to

do all this.
This is not about being cheap... is about to being Smart




STAY UPDATE !! like and subscribe :P
Youtube channel:

https://www.YouTube.com/FollowJulian
Instagram: iFollowJulian

.

[MEFISTO]

Just bought some more horses!



Picking up!



New Engine.. 1JZ VVTi (JZX100)
2.5L Turbo 280hp stock



some parts of the Puzzle here





forget about horse power.... Cat Power FTW



New Fuel pump, Deatsch Werks DW200



R154 transmission (Toyota Supra)
needs JZ bellhousing and shifter extension for S13



already have my Christmas R154 Snowman!



checking gears



R154 are really heavy duty transmissions



Yep, im a sick motherfuc*er



Aluminum parts on car are intended to be light and cooler
if you paint them u are taking that property off.
But.. i paint this anyway











Removing all the things i wont be using it



im a newbie on this so i better LABEL EVERYTHING !!





i have to remove the A/C
i will put it back in some near future



downpipe Out!







Valve covers out!





it came with an US waterpump from Japan, but unbranded, so i better change the front/back complete for an OEM



Here is when the Freak starts making beautiful parts again.





If you do a really really good masking..you dont have to take all apart (see the tape inside housing?)



Another part that must NOT be painted..oh well





Removing tape











Intake manifold is out!



This small oil filter sometimes gets dirty, better take a look while u can







The injectors had the seals/insulators worn
and they have an specific shape that fits,
luckily i found new seals and o-rings (Viton made) u can get them here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/282325188402





Aluminum gets dirty very easy..the only best way to get the original look is sandblasting it...so lets go







After sandblasting!

[MEFISTO]

Here is a good example of why u should sandblast aluminum parts.
50/50




Before



After













After having the aluminum clean, is better to tape so dust/dirty hands doesn't fuck your work



had valve check and groomet missing
1JZ VVTi ISC Valve Check Part# 25748-88400
Grummet Part# 90210-25001



Done



And taped



New Viton seals for the Injectors!













And all together finally!





Stock R154 housing needs to be extended to fit 240sx shifter hole in place. So i found this place in Florida who does that and better pricing than here in CA





Here is what they did... very nice



and i order the Downpipe for the turbo also from them



Fully open, not restricted = More power



Another part to get sandblasted



tape ALL so u have to work less to clean later





and.. here is it





Everywhere i look i found new pieces to clean...



i found that gasket where pretty good..for now i will use them, i will get new ones in the future



Valve covers back together



and more taking apart











Before



After



All back together





Needed some studs for the O2 sensor..



i went ACE Hardware and found some (short)



Because i wanted a clean engine bay look, i cut the water neck so i can use a straight hose to Radiator







Because my harbor freight welder is not THAT PRO (maybe my pocket is not that pro) to weld Aluminum, i have to get someone to weld this like that



Found someone...and done!



and then of course.. Sandblasting !
lmao

[MEFISTO]

Started needed some refresh





Turbo heat cover needed some love also







All parts needed for this Swap, mostly i got from eBay ... yes i bought all at eBay and save, all OEM Toyota/Lexus sealed boxes and HALF price
(if you are ignorant don't read that)

(missing Driveshaft and Rad fans in photo)



1JZ VVTi Turbo elbow (OdysseyFab)



Pilot bearing, throwout bearing and clutch aligment tool



Aisin Toyota OEM Pressure plate
Sometimes is better to keep it OEM
(when money is short)



Toyota Oem Clutch



Toyota Oem Flywheel



Trans didn't came with Shifter, i found OEM one on eBay.
Shifter housing extension and shift linkage made
and Marlin Crawler Urethane Shifter Bushing + Nylon Shifter Marlin Crawler Socket



R154 to 1JZ Bellhousing



NTN Timing Belt tensioner



ARP Flywheel bolts



1JZ/2JZ vvti US Water Pump
US Pulley Part# 16371-46020



Aisin Clutch Slave cylinder



Toyota Oil Filter



Mishimoto thermostat 68c



Timken
R154 Transmission Intput Shaft Seal
R154 Transmission Output Shaft Seal





HKS (really?) Air Filter





1JZ VVTi Timing Belt tensioner idler
Toyota Part# 13505-46070



Timing + Serpentine Belts



Stinger Distributor Block (Battery Relocation)
Fuse Holder + 250Amp Fuse



Facebook used Intercooler




eBay Special, Universal 2.5'' inch intercooler piping 12pcs



Made in California



and found a Dual Flex-a-Lite Fans




Putting pressure plate and bearing together



Old vs New



All Done!





i got these mounts included with engine deal
He told me they are from Suspicious Garage
they look soooo clumsy that i go ahead and did a lot of welding on them
(Update: to fit engine in the right place i had to make new holes/sliders on these mounts)



















Block needed some refresh!

[IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/biENyXw77bor3HAjdwKQMxoCleCRDbyShZN42l1S-vOjlEHe0vJu-vVAGvLOXUOlrnYUcRHQEEqFykRLTlLvbMbNqS6PsjYSSUwnDVe EVnNbP8ATsZN-tHhb-W0AqvonJsVSM3zT6UT18Z5nbj3ITRX3H4vdkf_MrfEJkBAlIBz XB70qMwXS7NMW1Kkx5QRK_QGrx-g4AaxLM3tGy95l_Fv9Fc7LTZxSm2PXMXipxiNMlB7JdziXutaX Q_dsnwX4PC_bBV8PShjSrG1PSiwh-Hg74RxTK8QNDTXkMdogCeqDUTgvaTyk1IR7gVBmm4CFsBJOeif gT7aJGIX6d7_NX7Du9nHUmGxqhpEGBQtZv9Pua1KVB8Rs1Te1c oNPMy5eUMw83yXRiQ-lsmU_Bcd6tkTH9O0dzDmM7NE_oMLmhOXOu8DeYZL1GDhzQhQj6 k3nf8-CAn1nWnAc7Osl_OQ7pgJJUS5met-s-ph-yI31Al5CM7QmUIattBlOD158FCWjr9OtHQ4OFMcOQ7EtQmYbOH nSw1Jb5CFAMv5Kp1hn-kW7X3hOyjsJi9viB_l-ER7QJfLVoPKU8EUKXX8xpYpSXQN6_iA7XsipB8ldi4oiigHVl1 BknMrK=w1212-h909-no

[MEFISTO]

Now the fun starts!
must put this puzzle all back together!



Looking good..





LOOKING REALLY GOODDDDDD!



and now the day has come.. KA24DE will be OUT!







without this guy none of this would have been possible that fast. THANKS Steven!



extracting her soul



















i was waiting this momment to tuck this wire harness



the only problem is that Verts came with these Arms right in the place u have to cut





i manage to cut and make it work, hoping wheel not rub later



Done





About engine bay.. Take all what dont need OUT





Cleaning



remove all



Masking



R154 need some clearance in trans tunnel





u need some help to make it



Starter side + upper side hammering





Cover holes that you dont use to make bay cleaner
i used JB Weld Metal putty, and then sand it



i used JB metal putty



i tape (actually hold with finger) and apply putty



After dry



masking hood to paint!





Base color



Ready to paint base color



White as a base color.. which color will be ?




R154 + 1JZ VVTi about to get married







R154 + 1JZ VVTi finally together
#r154 #1jzvvti #1jz



Yup, engine bay is going PINK....because California bro!

[MEFISTO]

Best way to 'tape' is with metalic foil, it shapes perfect and easy to remove













Ready to go IN !!























Fuc*ing engine mounts...not only were welded as shit, also out of square, i had to make new slots and work on fitment



engine is IN now..for 1 day





Transmission wont shift so i had to took it out and fix that, it was out of sync and then i manage to lock it on reverse, damn





After found i made the mistake removing bearing before taking housing off...i fix it
moved shaft back again to neutral and locking with ball.



Inspection covers for R154 are expensive AS... so i made my own



and they came out pretty cool



fitment is great



and painted looks better



look oem (from 5mts far)



Alright, all fixed and getting ready to put engine back again









Making wiring slim to fit behind block









Removing paper tape cover





Kakimoto 1JZ pipe for S13













i have to work on making an extension now





Fuel lines are not Heat friendly

[MEFISTO]

because fuel line are not heat friendly..i took the cat heat shield from stock KA ..cut and make some shield for the other side



way better




Battery Relocation... beta test




Fuse box + 250A fuse





Battery Relocation... Final



Gauges are here!
Cheap and Good !!



8awg from fuse box to power block





4awg black wire from Starter to power block



stock KA24 fuel lines can be bent by hand



Making Fuel lines routing







Done, way better than having rubber hoses lines around the block



making a heat shield for the fuel lines next to the downpipe
My Harbor Freight welder melt that plate, so i had to make that patch and weld it like that





Painted High heat paint





Testing Fitment.... Good!



Next: Themal tape EVERYTHING













Finally draining the oil



There is no enough room to place my dual fans without cutting everything...



i added the rubber to make it seal better as a pusher on front



so i went Pusher side (i ordered pusher blades)
The air flow power on these is impressssssive







now i have plenty of room











More seal and less vibration





Mounting the Intercooler





Testing..



Piping





Hole from intercooler (ex battery place)



now intercooler fitment





and this is how shifter sits



i need 3 new gauges so i have to make my own plate



measurements

[MEFISTO]

testing



done




So..because i have to solder many wires at the harness, i wanted to make it better so i went to the Junkyard and got many wires in different colors AND.. a lot of factory Plugs so i can make it easier to remove ECU/Harness in the future



my Work station



Lunch at work station lol



My wire harness came pretty hack







i will use this plug (one of them) to join harness with ECU



something like that



starting looking gooood





and voila!



Finished



Super finished!



Last step... get downpipe with exhaust together










and... F I N I S H E D

[MEFISTO]

here is a video of the car revving, running, pulling!





.

[Ken1222]

This. Is. Awesome. Video/sound clip soon?

[CrimsonRockett]

Polished intake pipes, radiator, and pink bay aside, I'm actually impressed at how factory this looks in your car.

[ATLspeed]

I miss my 2j/Vert now ::sad panda face::

**Just move your fuel hard line to the driver side

[tb13]

Very nice, love that a vert is getting some real love!

[jaysgottaredtop]

Super clean, nicely done.

On that last pic, why does the engine look like it's in crooked? The rear of the engine looks centered on the firewall, but the front of the engine appears to be pointed towards to passenger side. Or maybe it's a weird optical illusion from the camera angle.

[crash n' burn]

Originally Posted by jaysgottaredtop

Super clean, nicely done.

On that last pic, why does the engine look like it's in crooked? The rear of the engine looks centered on the firewall, but the front of the engine appears to be pointed towards to passenger side. Or maybe it's a weird optical illusion from the camera angle.

Shifter also looks offset towards the driver's side; I believe you're right

[d_nice]

looks good man keep it up.

[MEFISTO]

VIDEO IS UP !!
more videos comminggggggggggg

Thank you all for the comments

Originally Posted by CrimsonRockett

Polished intake pipes, radiator, and pink bay aside, I'm actually impressed at how factory this looks in your car.

even with the pink looks pretty oem lol

Originally Posted by ATLspeed

**Just move your fuel hard line to the driver side

45 days i did the swap with my friend, full detail
I did not feel like doing it so i made the shield plates
300z came from factory with lines next to the exhaust manifold, covered by just with a shield
Maybe in the future i will..is way better i know, but too much work as i dont like using just rubber lines

Originally Posted by jaysgottaredtop

Super clean, nicely done.

On that last pic, why does the engine look like it's in crooked? The rear of the engine looks centered on the firewall, but the front of the engine appears to be pointed towards to passenger side. Or maybe it's a weird optical illusion from the camera angle.

yes! because the fuc*ing engine mounts brackets, i got them with the swap deal
then i found out they were weld out of square..
and it was worst, just i made new slots so i can get engine sitting properly

[MEFISTO]

Some mechanical update !!


Starter doesn't start when i want, so i take it apart and see whats wrong with it.. found a lot of Carbon so i clean it
(it wasn't carbon issue, added more grounds..still having the issue, it may be the key ign cylinder)






After some love.. all clean (starter works on floor every time, but sometimes fail into car, still looking for answers





Installing the sensor for the gauges (Oil pressure)
Remove the OEM sensor (next pic) and u need to put this adapter: 1/8-27 NPT Female to 1/8 28 BSP Male (silver one) and then u can screw the AutoMeter one



the one to remove:




Water temp gauge... this is the water neck with both OEM sensors, i remove the small one which is the gauge sensor and need to put the AutoMeter one in same place




Oem sensor is metric, so u need to tap the hole to get the new one
(Thank you Steven's dad!)




And this is how it looks after






All 3 mechanical gauges hoses in the same hole
(Boost - Water temp - Oil pressure)





new Upgrade! J30 VLSD Differential

for S13 u need 95/96 Infiniti J30 differential
they come 6 bolts (use your stock axles), u need to swap the stock S13 diff cover, get solid bushings (front mount only) and longer bolts (M12 x 1.25, 85mm long) and 2 washers

(info from www.ka24development.com)




Removing old bushings






Taking stock diff out




removing cover so i can use with J30 diff



Left side J30 VLSD - Right side S13 stock open diff






Getting the S13 cover into J30 diff





Adding juice!






This is the stock S13 bolt, after placing the solid mounts bolts get short, u need longer




This is the new bolt, M12 x 1.25, 85mm long, and get 2 washers for it




All done and ready to install








Going in !

[mattro]

man i love this, very well done. makes me want to go out and buy another sx.....

[MEFISTO]

Originally Posted by mattro

man i love this, very well done. makes me want to go out and buy another sx.....

Thanks !!
if right now u can have all the planets aligned (money/time/space) go for it !

[MEFISTO]

Alright... i was having Temp issues so i did A LOT of mods to fix it !!

SOLVED: Issue was.. i was using Mechanical Temp gauge and wire was kinda close to the turbo
so every time i hit the gas hard, turbo got hot and wire shows high temp reading to the gauge inside.
i changed Water temp gauge for a Electronic and done
(ay ay ay Julian...)


so all these mods next were intended to fix the FAKE temp issues


bought a new Radiator cap!
higher pressure, nothing changed but i improved quality









Went to the junkyard and got temp sensors and Volvo relays because they are the besttt


got many sensors so i can chose which one has best low/high temp switch






Setting Volvo relays + BMW coolant sensor (P/N 1378073) with 420 Flex a lite fans
Sensor kicks FAN1 when hit 91c(195f) and kick FAN2 when hit 99c(210c)




Champion radiator, i paid $110 eBay, is working awesome and has Lifetime warranty




Bought some Water hose adapter (36mm) on eBay for $5, did a bigger hole and for M14x1.5 thread (bmw sensor)




Part # 1 378 073
BMW Dual Temp 91c / 99c






Volvo relays installed




did a bigger Air Filter lower hole to get more fresh air
(yes, thats a home A/C pipe but fuc* it)






Wrapped Mechanical water temp gauge wire in heat shield tape
because it was too close to the Turbo and Downpipe so i was getting wrong numbers







Now modding Rad support to move radiators from Pushers to Pullers




Welding piece of metal underneath to keep strength




as u can see here




Bending lip




Finished






Found these Radiator brackets at Junkyard from a Volvo 240 and i really like them to use
i just need some mod to make them fit



cut some rubber parts




Volvo rad brackets are too long so i need to cut and make them short











ok... lets cut these



testing them short



welding..



Done!




both finished




now i need them to look better



primer, sand and paint next









Now lets bring the beauty back to the radiator support




Bondo ALL




After sanding a lot to get same surface level




Painting....




Done




Ready to clear coat




This clear is awesome, wish i had found this before
you can be generous and it won't run !






Testing fitment








Testing the volvo brackets




Making moves, i mean holes..



and done!

[MEFISTO]

All finished!








Since i got the engine i was looking for these part,
you from Ichiban JDM... Thank you a lot again !!
Now it breathes more air and it looks way better













Now is finished and working PERFECT finally
actually..it worked perfect always, it was that Fake issue

[MEFISTO]

Latest videos of the car











Black Cardinal brand took the car for promotion videos

[codyzsilvia]

I love this build! This is what perfection looks like!

[cole d]

Did you ever fix your starting issue?