lexan windows on a s14? polish the aluminum on the BLOCK?

[sac]

hey.. i have been thinking. i am building a s14 (notchtop) sr20det.
going with a pretty agressive cam. debating going 2.2l.. but havent decided. i am trying to get all the parts ordered, here.. then start the process. i know the sr is the common swap. but i am looking for a LIGHT car.

my questions are these..

anyone buy the lexan windows kit from percys Hp?
how durable is the lexan? looks good.. but how does it hold up to harsh conditions..(rain/snow/winds/duststorms.. etc?)

also anyone try polishing the aluminum on the block itself? Motorcycle guys do it all the time.. anyone do it in a car?
i am not talking about internal components. i am talking about the exterior block. (some people powdercoat them)
i think a fully polished block and head would look sick as fuck! but i have never seen it done. I dont think it would affect the performance of the motor being everything would be clean. And if i clear coat it wouldnt it then retain heat as well?

also.. anyone ever have custom radiator hose made that goes from the water outlet all the way up to the radiator.. kinda so instead of rubber/silicone/ss hose.. aluminum.. with maybe like 3 or less inches of actual hose. i know there is downsides to a complete aluminum hose radiator that bolts directly to the water outlet flange.. but what bout ALMOST a solid aluminum hose?

lets hear imput please.
No bad rep.. i am just toying with some ideas here.
if ya think i am a idiot.. just tell me..

[SlideWell]

youre an idiot
lexan is for race cars. simply put. if you got the cash, go for it.

[2fast240]

my questions are these..

Q:anyone buy the lexan windows kit from percys Hp?
how durable is the lexan? looks good.. but how does it hold up to harsh conditions..(rain/snow/winds/duststorms.. etc?)

A: Race cars only.

Q: also anyone try polishing the aluminum on the block itself? Motorcycle guys do it all the time.. anyone do it in a car?
i am not talking about internal components. i am talking about the exterior block. (some people powdercoat them)
i think a fully polished block and head would look sick as fuck! but i have never seen it done. I dont think it would affect the performance of the motor being everything would be clean. And if i clear coat it wouldnt it then retain heat as well?

A: Not worth the time if you drive the car, will dirty instantly. Would look nasty if it was just a show car.

Q: also.. anyone ever have custom radiator hose made that goes from the water outlet all the way up to the radiator.. kinda so instead of rubber/silicone/ss hose.. aluminum.. with maybe like 3 or less inches of actual hose. i know there is downsides to a complete aluminum hose radiator that bolts directly to the water outlet flange.. but what bout ALMOST a solid aluminum hose?

A: Not needed and not safe, the engine flexs under load and needs the rubber/silicone hose to let the engine flex. Dont do it.

lets hear imput please.
No bad rep.. i am just toying with some ideas here.
if ya think i am a idiot.. just tell me..[/QUOTE]


No bad rep for you, atleast you asked before doing some stupid stuff but props for thinking of it. The block would be cool but not for daily driving.

[slider2828]

Lexan = super strong, super light, but flimsy. I dunno about if the s14 have window rails all around the window, but on the s13 the doors don't have it all around, so it won't work for side windows but front rear and all aroud is kewl... Its strong, but I can't say super scratch resistant. We have some on our drag cars, got some scratchs, but dunno if you can buff it out.

Polishing the block will take you years cause there are so many cracks and notices, it would be impossible nearly. + you get metal dust or stuff any where inside your block, you are done for especially electrical metal particles.

Engine gets hot, clear cloat won't hold...

Welding aluminum is very hard and you can't promise that you aren't going to take out your radiator. Why have more stuff in your car than needed....

Good try but don't bother....

[slider2828]

O forgot Lexan is not DOT approved, so dun bother....

[sac]

well.. this project.. i pretty much am going to just quit it all right now. blow it all up.. anybody want to sell me some c4.. and some primercord? haha. i am a idiot.

fo real tho.. i aint really carin bout how much stuff costs when it drops considerable weight. My stock s14(us) i want as light as possible. (which is why i am going sr20 instead of 13bre-T,ls2-T/t56, or the nasty nissan rb26deT([considered the awd. debated on it. really thought bout it.])

[2fast240]

Ls2 weighs the same as the ka. Almost double the power of the sr. Look into that more.

[sac]

Originally Posted by 2fast240

my questions are these..
A: Race cars only.

A: Not needed and not safe, the engine flexs under load and needs the rubber/silicone hose to let the engine flex. Dont do it.

The block would be cool but not for daily driving.

It wouldnt need to be DOT approved just BEN FRANKLIN approved.
hell i will have a sr20 in a obd2 car. thats not legal in itself.
FRANKLIN GET ALOT OF STUFF STREET LEGAL!!


on the full aluminum rad hoses.. put the rubber in the middle.
kinda like people use the flex hoses in the exhaust. that way when the motor shifts in the car it has the room.
I have thought this one through. i think it would work.
CAN YA THINK OF ANY MORE DOWNFALLS ON THE HOSES?

[sac]

Originally Posted by 2fast240

Ls2 weighs the same as the ka. Almost double the power of the sr. Look into that more.

ya. but costs 4 times what a sr20 does. and the sr20 weighs considerably less than the ls2. sure the deep rumble makes me wanna fill my seat full of sticky warm stuff.. but i got other v8s i drive.
i am going for low weight. thats the goal.

[LA_phantom_240]

Originally Posted by sac

ya. but costs 4 times what a sr20 does. and the sr20 weighs considerably less than the ls2. sure the deep rumble makes me wanna fill my seat full of sticky warm stuff.. but i got other v8s i drive.
i am going for low weight. thats the goal.

Want low weight? Get a CRX. Want potential? Stick with a 240.

[S14DB]

Lexan Scratches very easily. Can't run a defrost on it. It's for sunny weather only.

[burnsauto]

lexan...let me know how things go when you're head fly's through it at a low speed crash. if you're dumb enough to put lexan into a street car, you're dumb enough to not wear a seat belt. ( you said to tell you if you were an idiot.)

as far as the polishing goes, its doable. I run my own polishing service. the front cover/oil pump and head can be done...it'd be sort of a pain in the as...but doable. the waterpump i wouldnt touch though, just because if you messed with the shaft enough..you could potentially shorten the life of the pump. I'd go with a high temp clear coat that cures with heat. you can either put them in a dedicated oven and bake the parts, or put them on and run the engine for awhile, i'd heard either way can work.

the radiator hose idea can be done as well. just have a silicone hose somewhere in between the engine and the radiator. RB and supra guys do this sort of thing all the time. as a premeditated measure, switch to stiffer or solid engine mounts. sr's move alot under/off load, and you dont want to break any welds or kink any lines because of the engine flexing.

-Jared

[projectRDM]

You're an idiot. Further more I think you're a troll because your typing skills aren't any better than a 4yr old. But I'll play along.

Like everyone else said, Lexan scratches easily. Plus it's hard as hell to heat/shape to curves without deforming it, so *if* you get the rear window shaped right you'll be looking through a pair of binoculars in reverse. Good look with that. Plus a good whack from any object will break the seal and send it flying loose. That's why buildings quit using Lexan for windows because they're so easy to break into. One good kick and the whole pane pops right out.

Polishing the block, if you have the time, go to it. I actually know someone who did the same thing with a dremel and $300 worth of attachments while his car was sitting awaiting paintwork. It's still sitting, the engine on a stand untouched for over two years, the block and head are shiny as hell but pitted to fuck and back. You'll burn the midnight hours for months only to have it show every fingerprint, oil drip, or other imperfection.

[OBEEWON]

Lexan is booty. Its flimsy, good luck shutting your doors with it, it pops out the seals. My friend did it and I laugh at him in his face and behind his back.

[McRussellPants]

Anyone Questioning Polished blocks coolness is a total faggot and needs to go stare at a stock wiring harness and jerk off or something.


that would be the most corn mod ever. and take like 5 weeks to do.

[kognition]

I bought a lexan kit from Percy's. Its a grand for the full kit. And like everyone here states, it is for race cars only. It scratches easy and the only way to drop weight is to go 3/16's on the windshield. Which makes it flimsy. But the main reason i use it is so i don't get a broken windshield if i go off track and screw up my race weekend. Other than that it is a waste for a street car.
I have alot better ways you can drop weight than with windows believe me.

[sac]

Originally Posted by LA_phantom_240

Want low weight? Get a CRX. Want potential? Stick with a 240.

ya i want potential. ya i want rwd.. i aint for that ass draggin bullshit. the first car i bought was fwd. it was gay. i got rid of it as soon as i could. then bought rwd. a s14.

Originally Posted by burnsauto

lexan...let me know how things go when you're head fly's through it at a low speed crash. if you're dumb enough to put lexan into a street car, you're dumb enough to not wear a seat belt. ( you said to tell you if you were an idiot.)

the radiator hose idea can be done as well. just have a silicone hose somewhere in between the engine and the radiator. RB and supra guys do this sort of thing all the time. as a premeditated measure, switch to stiffer or solid engine mounts. sr's move alot under/off load, and you dont want to break any welds or kink any lines because of the engine flexing.

-Jared

haha.. well i am a idiot i know that. I am dumb enough to buy 4 point harness seat belts with a fully scca approved custom roll cage. I like the feel of 4 point harness (so i wear it all the time) and there is no point in 6 8 10 point harness on a street car.

thanks for your input on the radiator hoses man. I have solid SS mouts and Nismo mounts for the engine/trans currently. I know the sr flex lots. and thats why i got the mounts/made them.

i appreciate you response though Jared.

Originally Posted by projectRDM

You're an idiot. Further more I think you're a troll because your typing skills aren't any better than a 4yr old. But I'll play along.

You'll burn the midnight hours for months only to have it show every fingerprint, oil drip, or other imperfection.

You can go ahead and think i am a troll. I could not care less about what you think about me. Dont take this personal. I just dont care what anybody thinks about me. Doesnt affect me. Whats the difference if i type like a four year old or not? My ideas are still getting across, and i am getting some responces. This isnt school, or my job. I could care less if you give me a D- or a F for my typing skills.

Ya i kinda thought that after i posted that. I have decided NOT to do the polish job on the block as i have had other cool air brush/powdercoat ideas to do with all of the aluminum on the engine/accessories.

Thanks for your input. I am going to get back under my bridge and wait for the billygoats gruff now.

[onepuff]

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=283826&page=70

This guy polished and cleaned up just about every single part of his s14. Amazing work.

[sac]

cool.. i have decided.. admin, or mod. can we lock this now. i think i have got enough info..

[vvtisupra]

Lexan eventually fogs up and gets scratces and cracks easily.