Restoring 89 S13 Coupe (please stop quoting pictures - Mods)

[EDacIouSX]

holy shit that engine bay paint job is so baller

[fcf sil80]

WOW!!! very nice cant wait to see it all finished.

[Adam Kresse2]

Nice work dude!
Super clean work, can't wait to see more!

I too bought a "Fitted" carpet for my car (I hated the brown interior, plus I picked up the carpet brand new for 75$) so I feel your pain on the non-fitment. Yours looks a lot better than mine, which spray adhesive did you use?

[jon_mr2]

wow... i never seen anyone else on this site with a thread that says please stop quoting pictures!

anyways, thanks for all the nice comments guys...

sooo... i decided to take apart the hubs again and spray all the suspension arms, spindles, brackets, etc. black. and i put a clear coat on the subframes.







also, figured i would do the ball joints... boots were ripped and joints were a little dry, so i got some moog ones





also purchased my master ball joint set for work, so tested it out. works great.












somehow i misplaced the rear subframe nuts... been looking for em this morning, but no luck. will try again after lunch.

also, i noticed the front cover possibly wasnt cleaned well, so the paint is kinda cracking off... only on the upper portion though, so thats weird.

[whitenoise808]

Originally Posted by jon_mr2

Quoted pictures BALEETED!

Awesome work man! Lovin the subframe and engine compartment. I think the next 240 I get I will have to work over like this. Keep up the awesome work! I should have mine running today. Still gotta get it legal and all though. Let me know if you need parts eh?

Shootz!

3 days pinked for ignorance of moderation's directions.

[urmyhero4now]

sweet build. what are you painting everything with?

[BRAIN_Z33]

Originally Posted by whitenoise808

Awesome work man! Lovin the subframe and engine compartment. I think the next 240 I get I will have to work over like this. Keep up the awesome work! I should have mine running today. Still gotta get it legal and all though. Let me know if you need parts eh?

Shootz!

After he just finish saying, "wow... i never seen anyone else on this site with a thread that says please stop quoting pictures!"

you quote the pics.

[jon_mr2]

Originally Posted by BRAIN_Z33

After he just finish saying, "wow... i never seen anyone else on this site with a thread that says please stop quoting pictures!"

you quote the pics.

rofl. i cant believe he did that too...

finally seeing some progress. getting the car back together.









waiting for pbm suspension arms... end of april should be here (hopefully)

need to cut and reweld front tension rod brace... it was too close to the swaybar but no problem, cut it off and reweld.

this underbody of the car is going to be multi-colored like a rainbow almost.

[timtiminy]

Hey, just curious what ball joints did you use to replace the rear lower control arm ball joints... there has been some debate as to which ones will actually work. I have heard that the B13 ball joints work just thought you could clear up the water on that since you obviously replaced them on yours. Thanks!

[661s13]

bad ass build man...I didnt even know you could get frame rails. i just pick up a coupe and it has some frame rail damage. that got me feeling good about my buy. haha Kepp up the awesome work man

[mrmephistopheles]

Originally Posted by BRAIN_Z33

After he just finish saying, "wow... i never seen anyone else on this site with a thread that says please stop quoting pictures!"

you quote the pics.

...and now he's pinked for 3 days for it.

[jon_mr2]

Originally Posted by timtiminy

Hey, just curious what ball joints did you use to replace the rear lower control arm ball joints... there has been some debate as to which ones will actually work. I have heard that the B13 ball joints work just thought you could clear up the water on that since you obviously replaced them on yours. Thanks!

yeah. i looked around and noticed most people get the moog k9449 ball joints. so to answer your question, yes, the b13 front ball joints do fit in the rear of the S13... but it is a very tight fit.

i wish i was home right now, i would be working on the car right now

[derek_s13]

been following this build since the start.


just wanted to leave my support.

can't wait to see it completed.

super-motivated guy

[Phlip]

Originally Posted by jon_mr2

wow... i never seen anyone else on this site with a thread that says please stop quoting pictures!

Nothing to take personal, just that you have a LOT of pictures, posting several at a time and it is a MAJOR eyesore when someone quotes 25 pictures to say "ZOMG, you're my hero!!!!11!!!!1!!!" or something equally useless.
Don't get me wrong, I love your build, but other members made this necessary to keep your thread readable.

[clark]

whoa whoa whoa.

i love the build so far and i've been following it ever since you started.


but you have the rear subframe out, and you're keeping the stock rubber bushings!???? and using collars???

dude you have only three options, i honestly don't want to see you go through all of this nice detailed work and leave thsoe shitty rubber stock bushings in place.

nismo replacements - kinda costly
full aluminum replacements from SPL - basically same as nismo replacements
energy suspension S14 rear subframe bushings, not those dumb inserts that come with the master kit.

just this weekend i dropped my rear subframe completely, removed my old poopy rubber bushings with some effort and used these bad boys.

Energy Suspension Subframe Pineapple Bushing : S13/14 89-98 240SX



they are on es's website as only for the S14. HOWEVER, i have proof that youc an do it on an S13. you have to just leave the outer metal shell. with a little heat, you can get the rubber to unbind to the outer metal shell and basically peel/pick them out. then wiht a wire wheel you can just grind out the rest of the rubber and viola, these puppies slide in nice and snug wtih some grease.

it's a COMPLETELY different car, no more flopping around in the rear AND my rubber bushings weren't even that bad.

seriously, PM me for more details i will give you everything you need to know.

it is a very cheap route and VERY affective, it feels like a new car.

you've done such a great job so far, please don't leave those bushings in.

you have NO EXCUSE to not do this lol...

BTW about how much did that entire set of ball joints run you? where did you get em? i really need to do all of mine.

[CamryOnBronze]

Awesome build, I will be doing all of the subframe and rear suspension work you just went through this weekend. Nice work on painting everything too, makes a huge difference. I really need a balljoint kit like that, I was just trying to figure out how I am going to do that last night :lol: great progress, keep it up!

[clark]

Originally Posted by CamryOnBronze

Awesome build, I will be doing all of the subframe and rear suspension work you just went through this weekend. Nice work on painting everything too, makes a huge difference. I really need a balljoint kit like that, I was just trying to figure out how I am going to do that last night :lol: great progress, keep it up!

hey CamryOnBronze,

FYI autozone rents a similar press for free, but they don't include some of the smaller "socket sized" sleeves like Jon_mr2 used to press the bushing. but if you have large impact grade sockets, they'll get the job done.

[Future240]

nice job so far, looking forward to more

[GREXS14]

I dont think any build thread has ever made me want to work on my car as much as yours does thank you and keep up the great work.

[jon_mr2]

Originally Posted by PHLIP

Nothing to take personal, just that you have a LOT of pictures, posting several at a time and it is a MAJOR eyesore when someone quotes 25 pictures to say "ZOMG, you're my hero!!!!11!!!!1!!!" or something equally useless.
Don't get me wrong, I love your build, but other members made this necessary to keep your thread readable.

yeah, i do know what you mean. i understand it takes up unnecesary space on this forum and is also annoying to see pics over and over again, post after post. but thank you and everyone else keeping this thread alive.

Originally Posted by clark

whoa whoa whoa.

i love the build so far and i've been following it ever since you started.


but you have the rear subframe out, and you're keeping the stock rubber bushings!???? and using collars???

dude you have only three options, i honestly don't want to see you go through all of this nice detailed work and leave thsoe shitty rubber stock bushings in place.

nismo replacements - kinda costly
full aluminum replacements from SPL - basically same as nismo replacements
energy suspension S14 rear subframe bushings, not those dumb inserts that come with the master kit.

just this weekend i dropped my rear subframe completely, removed my old poopy rubber bushings with some effort and used these bad boys.

Energy Suspension Subframe Pineapple Bushing : S13/14 89-98 240SX

they are on es's website as only for the S14. HOWEVER, i have proof that youc an do it on an S13. you have to just leave the outer metal shell. with a little heat, you can get the rubber to unbind to the outer metal shell and basically peel/pick them out. then wiht a wire wheel you can just grind out the rest of the rubber and viola, these puppies slide in nice and snug wtih some grease.

it's a COMPLETELY different car, no more flopping around in the rear AND my rubber bushings weren't even that bad.

seriously, PM me for more details i will give you everything you need to know.

it is a very cheap route and VERY affective, it feels like a new car.

you've done such a great job so far, please don't leave those bushings in.

you have NO EXCUSE to not do this lol...

BTW about how much did that entire set of ball joints run you? where did you get em? i really need to do all of mine.

aww man... where were you like a week ago! lol... damn, i just put back in the rear subframe... dont really feel like pulling it back out as of right now. trying to get the car finished so it can be driveable again. i heard the collars are alright, not great but better for now. plus the old bushings didnt look bad, but definitely if i have the rear subframe off again i will change them out, sorry for my lame excuse.

as for the ball joints, ordered them online at rockauto.com. cost me about $140ish for the front and rears.

Originally Posted by clark

hey CamryOnBronze,

FYI autozone rents a similar press for free, but they don't include some of the smaller "socket sized" sleeves like Jon_mr2 used to press the bushing. but if you have large impact grade sockets, they'll get the job done.

hey camryonbronze, i would say go rent a set as well. i just got one because i need it for work. and sockets or even pipes work as well to act as sleeves/adapters.

and ive seen your thread in the premie build section, looks like its coming along great. you got some nice parts for your car.

[gregfarz78]

damn those parts look better than brand new oem...what kind of paint are you using? just rattlecan?

[jon_mr2]

so today i got one of those skullworks oil block adapters. made me excited, so i got busy and installed it. looks great and quality of it is top notch gotta go buy some an fittings/lines now! might do some fuel and p/s lines as well



and then... the paint started peeling off the upper front cover peice, so off it came again. it was the only peice i used oven cleaner on to clean it... im thinking some of the oven cleaner was still trapped between the paint, so it just peeled off after a while.





finally got around to refinishing the headliner too!



put it back in the car and put some panels back to see the contrast of the different colors... ill take better pics in day light, looks better.





there is some mold starting to grow on things

[gregfarz78]

Not a fan of the tan myself but I kinda like it with the black trim. Will the carpet be tan too? Tan carpet, black seats, tan accents that would look pretty unique

[jon_mr2]

Originally Posted by gregfarz78

Not a fan of the tan myself but I kinda like it with the black trim. Will the carpet be tan too? Tan carpet, black seats, tan accents that would look pretty unique

well, i always thought a tan/black interior w/ a small amount of polished pieces was always "sleek" i guess... just trying to find a good way to choose which parts are going to be black and what is going to be tan/beige. i wanted to do the upper portion of the interior panels tan/beige as well, but i couldnt find a good interior paint to match. but so far, the color is turning out to be alright. funny about the headliner though, when i went to the fabric store, all they had was this color, black and grey. i wanted a tan color, but i wasnt pleased; and if i were to order online, shipping would be a bitch... just for some headliner fabric. but in yellow light, the fabric looks orangey, in natural light, looks tan and actually matches well, so it actually worked out in the end. and i was thinking of aftermarket black bride seats or something, but now with everything being black in the center, i might have to change it up to apply some contrast... possibly red?!?

[timtiminy]

Thanks for clearing up the ball joint question. I have also heard that the b12 sentra front ball joints fit the s13 rears better than the b13.. i dont have first hand experience though..

[jon_mr2]

Originally Posted by timtiminy

Thanks for clearing up the ball joint question. I have also heard that the b12 sentra front ball joints fit the s13 rears better than the b13.. i dont have first hand experience though..

yeah, no problem. i was reading somewhere that the b12 ball joints do fit better too, but i just went with what most people seem to use.

and one day i was wondering how to clean up the clutch/brake/fuel lines and stuff without actually painting them... i think i got a solution for it. some heat shrink tubing would work, im going to try it tommorow, so we shall see how it turns out.

and the other night i was just checking out my photos from a couple years back when i still had my mr2 in one peice, lol. i sure do miss it, but i gotta finish this 240sx project first. makes me laugh though thinking how i could drive around in a car that looks like ass. but back then i thought it looked pretty cool, haha. one day ill build it up...










memories

so many plans i had for this... until the 240sx came into my life, lol.

[timtiminy]

are you wanting to clean the hard lines or the soft lines? i know that brake fluid will clean up the black rubber hoses really well and make um look new, just dont get it on any paint and wipe it all off really good after you use it. I am going to use shrink tube on my stainless braided lines when the time come around to it, but i am curious to see the results of your idea oh and btw I like the sw20, its one of the cars on my list of what i would like to own someday. well, pretty much all the rwd cars in initial d haha.

[jon_mr2]

Originally Posted by timtiminy

are you wanting to clean the hard lines or the soft lines? i know that brake fluid will clean up the black rubber hoses really well and make um look new, just dont get it on any paint and wipe it all off really good after you use it. I am going to use shrink tube on my stainless braided lines when the time come around to it, but i am curious to see the results of your idea oh and btw I like the sw20, its one of the cars on my list of what i would like to own someday. well, pretty much all the rwd cars in initial d haha.

i actually got ss brake lines for the soft lines. and i just wanted to clean the hard lines up a bit.

what i found that worked well to clean the lines without damaging the paint was steel wool. but... there were parts that seemed to be missing paint.

so, i tried out the shrink tubing today, turned out pretty good. nothing spectacular, but "to me" it looks better than what it was.

getting the tubing on was very difficult/time consuming... trying to get it over the fittings and around the bends. (didnt want to straighten out the lines and make them all disfigured)



turns out all the wrinkles and bends while struggling to force it on went away after shrinking it.



even did the hood prop rod... eh... looks a little funny



also got a used ac evaporator/box assembly today. i realized after i had purchased a new ac evap for the dohc setup that i didnt have the short lines in the evap box which apparently the older sohc ac evap did not have. so, now i can get that back together, wait for a little bit more carpet and things can start going back... interior wise.

[whatda]

damn this thing is looking fresh

[gregfarz78]

Heat shrink is the shit I used to work for a company that made it still have a shitload of it in my garage it will hold up just fine to engine heat too