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View Full Version : My SR Swap faisco (50% done)


Jim96SC2
03-18-2003, 05:01 PM
So this is my spring break and what to do. Get that engine finally in my car would help, so I get to work ASAP. (sorry no pics yet)

I had already removes the A/C units, radiator, and the little ancillary things, but the main wiring harness was still on, the PS lines, and the clutch line. I have the motor mounts on the SR already (for future reference).

So Monday I spend 3 hours running to 2 auto parts stores, and 1 junkyard. I spend about 150 for new PS lines for a DOHC, oil, oil filter, tranny lube, speedy dry, and belts. BUT this is only after getting the wrong belts for the SR from Autozone (they said try it if not bring back), argueing with the owner of a local parts store about heat range for plyugs (never got them in the end), and scrounging around looking for a Tocoma sun visor with the junkyard guy before he took me to the S13!

Well I finally get home and get to work under the hood. By now my two friends have arrived and one is on the way. we start getting the motor undone from it's resting place. Ensue cursing fits. Damned metric!

1) Well we undo the PS lines, the fuel lines, joke about barbequeing with the charcoal canister.
2) Eat a pizza.
3) Curse more.
4) Talk about girls.
5) Attach to winch.
6) Relize we need to undo the shifter.
7) Pull out the whole middle section.
8) Curse as we realize we could have left it in.
9) Unbolt the tranny.
10) Cheer! Begin winching process.
11) Winching not working.
12) Undo the main wiring harness.
13) Laugh and winch again.
14) Winch again doesn't work.
15) Ask if the slave cylinder is unbolted.
16) Unbolt slave cylinder.
17) Winch. HOORAY!
18) Wonder why the front wheels are lifting as we winch.
19) Use crowbar to free the KA from the radiator support then jump back as the engine jumps up about a foot and the car slams down.
20) Put KA into garage leaving a wet trail because we didn't get all the tranny fluid out.

Tuesdays fun (NOT):
1) Return belts
2) Try and get heater core out.
3) 2 hours later....
4) Finish ripping heater core, AC stuff, venting, dash, cluster, ECU, wiring out of the cockpit.
5) Notice half a dozen cuts on each hand.
6) Clean engine bay.
7) Paint engine bay
8) Undercoat drivers frame rail. Gag on smell.
EDIT 9) Try and remove motor mounts.... STUCK
EDIT 10) Get propane torch, impact gun, and burn them off using 180 PSI pressure to the gun.


All in all it's been fun. I know that rebuilding my interior is gonna be a B!TCH so I'm gonna put it off for a bit. I just need to put in the SR20 tommorow, wire it all up and get going!

PARAD0X
03-18-2003, 05:04 PM
sweet. when do you expect to have the swap finished? and please get pics when you can. i love watching swaps take place

Jim96SC2
03-18-2003, 05:12 PM
Hopefully it'll be 90% done tommorow. All I would need to do thursday is rewire some plugs.

Yoshi
03-18-2003, 07:24 PM
Woo Woo!
Congrats man!
I like the play-by-play commentary :) Keep it up!

Jim96SC2
03-19-2003, 09:09 AM
Thanks kindly. Pics should be up next week if everything goes well!

RBS14
03-19-2003, 09:16 AM
I'm surprised there wern't more cursing sessions

there will be for me.

timmybgood
03-20-2003, 02:04 PM
love hearin about swaps since i'll be doin one in the not too distant future, what engine and chassis are you doin? S13 redtop into S13 chassis?

Jim96SC2
03-20-2003, 05:24 PM
Yeah SR20DET red top into 1990 S13 fastback. I'm ****ed. I found some rusty ass paneling that I now need to replace and my trunk had 2 cups of water in it. It was sitting all winter but only 2 cups of water was in the turnk area. GOOD OR BAD?

timmybgood
03-20-2003, 09:47 PM
haha i'm gonna assume that 2cups of water is bad, either the alignment of the hatch is off or the seal is failing somewhere just due to age. take out all the junk you've thrown back there, all carpeting etc and have someone hose down the rear while you look around for where its coming in, good luck!

AceInHole
03-20-2003, 10:00 PM
heh... when swapping engines there are so many things wrong with your car that you pick up along the way.... i never knew there were sand dunes in an S14 engine bay before this week :p

good luck with the swap! i just finished most of my KA swap.... and that in itself was a bitch to deal with.... (i guess i do things the hard way though).

thx247
03-21-2003, 03:40 AM
Whats the deal with motor mounts...I took mine off my KA with hand tools. Was I just lucky or something?

AceInHole
03-21-2003, 08:57 AM
Originally posted by thx247
Whats the deal with motor mounts...I took mine off my KA with hand tools. Was I just lucky or something?

Same on my 95, just hand tools to get the mounts off. His car is a lot older though.... so the bolts might have seized in place over time.

N1ceDrgn
03-21-2003, 05:54 PM
Sounds like your making good progress. Good luck with finishing it. It sounds like things are going good. Make sure to ditch the KA motor mounts though. They are too soft. Try to find some aftermarket mounts. Nismo work good but there are stiffer ones out there. When it comes to the wiring, Heavy Throttle has some good info. Also, with the wiring, you can get away with simply re-pinning the connectors. I went and hard wired everything and got away from the connectors. Not a bad thing but it will be a hassle if I ever change from a CA.