PlusONETEN build

[donandal]

This is the build thread for a project dreamed up by my oldest son, Allen
I had spent the previous four years building from scratch, a custom two seat aluminum body roadster with a Subaru 2.5 five speed all wheel drive. He got the build bug. He wanted to do an engine swap into a 240SX. We decided to try to find one. After about a year, he located this rust-free original paint coupe in Miami, Fla. We made a road trip all-nighter from Miami about two years ago in February, 2009. While he was searching for the car, he decided on the vq35 engine swap. We went to work locating a donor car for the swap. I found this 2008 350Z on an insurance auction website about 3 months later, in Salem, Mass. My wife and I made the round trip in a day, hauling it back on a rented car hauler trailer, to my shop in Lakewood, N.Y.
After we got it home and looked at it, we decided it had so many things that would work in the 240SX coupe, that we would do a lot more swapping. It has been about two years now and the swapping is done. We ended up using the 350Z engine, tranny (six speed), clutch master cylinder, steering column, entire dash, rear diff and entire wiring harness and emissions system.
We started by stripping the S13 down to the sheet metal, cataloging all the parts as they came off. Then we started rough fitting components just by eye, to see how things lined up. First was the engine fitting; it was pretty tight, but it fit, we decide early on to remove the top cross-member above the radiator and fabricate bolt flanges to make it easy to get it in and out. The engine mount cross-member needed to be modified by cutting, lowering and re-welding to use the original Z engine mounts. We also fabricated a new tranny mount, and reworked the rear diff sub frame to use the Z limited slip with 95-98 five bolt hubs and custom axles from the Drive Shaft shop. They also supplied a custom driveshaft. We looked at the dash and gauges and, thought about the options, and decided to use the entire dash and wiring harness. We used the 240 gas tank and modified it with a second riser and flange to accept the two sending unit harness. We also used all emissions systems. The dash was just a little too wide to fit but we just cut it short and fabricated. The exhaust didn’t fit but with a little chopping and welding it just clears the firewall. We also kept all of the heat/air controls and slipped them into the dash.
Allen wanted to get 265’s under all four corners, and we soon determined we would need to fab our own strut cartridges and coilovers, and rear coilovers as well. Some research on the web, and my son had the info on what struts, springs, shocks, and wheels and tires would work. We made our own camber plates and strut braces as well. There have been a lot of other little things along the way. One thing that we did come to realize was just how many things were compatible from these two cars built 16 years apart. The wiring harness chassis ground points lined up, the bolt pattern and screws on the sending unit were exactly the same, the steering column splines, the axle splines, just a lot of things worked out nice.
We are finishing up the interior now and will probably drive it for a year or so then get it painted. We already painted the engine compartment Millennium Jade, the color he chose. He has plans for a body kit and some other mods later, but we’ll see.
Now I’ll try and post some pics with explanations
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0194.jpg
this is the day we brought it home
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0344.jpg
we worked over the winter and pulled everything off
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0392.jpg
not much left of the Z
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0362.jpg
the donor car , a 2008 350Z
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0744.jpg
the cross mount was modified, slots are where engine mounts go, here it is primed with brush on enamel
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0402.jpg
we also fabricated a new tranny mount using original chassis points
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0568.jpg
the headers were shortened to clear the firewall
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0586.jpg
I fabricated this coupler so we could use stock cat converters http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/350zheadermod.jpg
here it is installed on engine, I added extra heat shields on firewall because it's pretty tight
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0463.jpg
this shows the stock shifter support, and our shortened steel one
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0523.jpg
the shifter sits a little farther back
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0452.jpg
this is the rework of rear subframe to house Z limited slip diff
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0440.jpg
we reused the z rubber mount and added a brace that will also carry exhaust hanger, as shown above. These two
show the bottom side as we worked on it
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0466.jpg
since we are using all of the Z wiring we decided to keep both sending units in the tank
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0474.jpg
one is also the fuel pump unit, here fitting it to spare tire area, it will be soldered and then sealed
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0483.jpg
closing off the spare tire area, this top will be bolted together in case of service access, no room for spare,
but we can use it for tools and storage
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0557.jpg
we bought a radiator from Griffen, and built our own shroud from .060 aluminum, used 350Z fans
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0648.jpg
we also built a radiator overflow tank
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0657.jpg
making our cold air intakes
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/IMG_0700.jpg
this will be capped off on top, air draws from front, we used dry type cone filters, the box is sealed around
the tube with foam rubber to allow engine shake, air can only enter tube thru filter end,even if foam wears out
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/fronttire007.jpg
Allen wanted to get 265/40/17s on all four corners, to get enough clearance we fabricated our own strut
housings with about 1 inch more offset at the lower ears
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/finishedspringperch004.jpg
we also made our own threaded coilover converions
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/strutbrace002.jpg
we ended up with about 3/8 " tire clearance
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/rearspringcollar001.jpg
we used koni shocks and struts, the rears are an eclipse model,with adjustment at the top, same as the front
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/newstrutpieces002.jpg
our camber plates, stainless steel with 5/8 spherical bearing and a 1 and 15/16" thrust bearing. with our custom
spring top hat , we tucked the spring in above the tire
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/enginereinstalled001.jpg
no room for the battery
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/finishedspringperch001.jpg
here you can see the strut tower braces.....
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/batterybox008.jpg
so it went in the trunk in this sealed and vented stainless battery box we made. the vent goes out the cabin vent
panel in the rear wheel well area of the trunk
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/trunkshield007.jpg
the other side of the trunk, this protects the stereo amp and radio/phone/antennae components
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/skidplate002.jpg
we needed to protect that low sitting aluminum oil pan
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/paintedstutsandwiper006.jpg
so we built this skid plate, the mesh is painted stainless steel
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/centerconsole020.jpg
some work on the interior, I am building the center console
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/finishedconsole009.jpg
fitting it to the Z dash
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/carpetinstalled012.jpg
after I covered it in black vinyl
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20build/headlinerinstalled004.jpg
here is the headliner, I recovered it with headliner material that had a foam backing, that is the Z mirror

This just about brings it up to date...the carpet is in and I am installing the seat belts...two side panels of the
dash need to be fabricated and covered in vinyl...package tray needs to be covered...I'll post more pics shortly
I have hundreds of photos so if something strikes your interest and you want more details on something,
let me know
Thanks

[dued]

Bravo young chap. Bravo.

[Wheelchair]

this is insane! there have been cool build threads on zilvia... but i really like this one.

Good work!

[Coz@Czp]

Good shit!!!!

[bejota180sx]

great build! it's good to see more real builds going on zilvia!

[Wake]

Um may I be the first to say............


HOLY SHIT BATMAN!!!!
Welcome to zilvia, we need more like this.

[R33E8]

My friend who bought some stuff from you (I think a ka and some other stuff) was telling me about this..

wow..

[slomar91]

This is amazing.

[donandal]

My friend who bought some stuff from you (I think a ka and some other stuff) was telling me about this..

wow..
Hey
how is he doing on that project?
Those three kids who came to get the engine
were great kids....funny to see them stuff it into the back
of that mini van....there wasn't any room left to sit and they had
a long drive home, I think the day before father's day a year ago

[deolio]

wow this is an awesome build.

looks like it won't be able to go very low though due to how low the engine/tranny sit :-/

[Backintoans13]

Sick build!! Crazy workmanship :cool:

[donandal]

I've got a few pics here of the car on wheels
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/frontfendersrolled008.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/frontfendersrolled010.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/frontfendersrolled009.jpg
we rolled the fenders and lowered it to allow the tires to just miss the inner fenders by about an 1/8 " at full bump coil bind and this is how it looks
there is about 3.5 inches from the skid plate to the ground
the rears aren't rolled yet in this picture

[Phate]

Wow looks awesome. A lot of good fab going on here.

[sickstatus]

Very sick build thread.

[str84dapokie]

only on zilvia would someone be sad a car cant go low when it was built like this smh....

i saw this car in person and this swap is scary clean...
it just looks great... cant wait to hear what it sounds like...
but that f**king garage is... AMAZING!!!! if only it wasnt a 6 hour drive :(


Heh Don we had to lay that KA to rest but the trans lives on. lol

[str84dapokie]

..... and that roadster of yours is sick!!!!!

[drftwerks]

pics of roadster.

please.

[donandal]

only on zilvia would someone be sad a car cant go low when it was built like this smh....

i saw this car in person and this swap is scary clean...
it just looks great... cant wait to hear what it sounds like...
but that f**king garage is... AMAZING!!!! if only it wasnt a 6 hour drive :(


Heh Don we had to lay that KA to rest but the trans lives on. lol
I hope it wasn't a bad engine we sold you... I'd be happy to send your money back... let me know

[herbieS13]

this build looks like such an epic win it disgusts me...subscribed

[donandal]

pics of roadster.

please.
ok I'll post the build here

[Drft_S14]

Wow .. the Fabrications are awesome!!!! the Fan shroud and the suspension are my fave ! good job sir!

[str84dapokie]

I hope it wasn't a bad engine we sold you... I'd be happy to send your money back... let me know

def wasnt a bad engine my lil cus who came with me out there had some fun with it before he sold his s13 shell... car sold engine gone...
the trans is what i wanted but the price was to good to not get both from you...

his build is going good i'll send you the pics of that..

my build is just a pile of parts now but soon to come together

[donandal]

the subie is posted in chat now

[Phlip]

the subie is posted in chat now

I had to move it to off-topic.

Also, you could make a killing selling those consoles

[donandal]

def wasnt a bad engine my lil cus who came with me out there had some fun with it before he sold his s13 shell... car sold engine gone...
the trans is what i wanted but the price was to good to not get both from you...

his build is going good i'll send you the pics of that..

my build is just a pile of parts now but soon to come together
good to here it wasn't a bad engine...
hope all is well with you and your cousin and friends
you are allways welcome to stop in if you are up this way
I'll be looking for the pics

[treken2t87]

Top notch build. Very great attention to detail here.

Also kudos for offering a refund on a transaction over a year ago :bigok:

[donandal]

I had to move it to off-topic.

Also, you could make a killing selling those consoles
sorry ...and thanks for moving it
that console has probably a weeks work in it
I couldn't build it and sell it for a profit...oh well

[Phlip]

sorry ...and thanks for moving it
that console has probably a weeks work in it
I couldn't build it and sell it for a profit...oh well

No problem, I would have sent a lesser thread to the graveyard, so thank YOU.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do professionally, like for a living?

[tricky_ab]

This is great work so far!

[Okinawandrifter87]

I am thoroughly impressed which I dont say too often here on Zilvia with alot of build threads.

[donandal]

No problem, I would have sent a lesser thread to the graveyard, so thank YOU.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do professionally, like for a living?

I don't mind at all
I am a captain on the B737 for Continental Airlines
I've been flying there since 1985.
but I had a job as a kid in high school sweeping floors at
a tool and die shop... worked my way up there doing lathe
and milling work to pay for my flying. I really fell in love with
that kind of work...doing stuff with my hands.
I decided if I could ever afford a shop that's what I'd do for
fun.

[holemilk00]

Extremely nice work, I'm on the verge of speechless. My dad was a ford display fabricator his entire life and I can't get him to do anything for my cars. Your son is a VERY lucky man and I hope hes doing everything he can to learn some of your skills.

I can't wait to see how this ends.

[Chamb-O]

wow really cool metal work man

[Wake]

I was thinking the same thing while looking at the other thread.

I wish my dad even gave a fuck about cars at all. I hope your sons know how lucky they are.

[holemilk00]

I was thinking the same thing while looking at the other thread.

I wish my dad even gave a fuck about cars at all. I hope your sons know how lucky they are.Haha, I mean I lucked up because I have all the really nice tools to use, but this is awesome that they are doing this together, and from the pics it looks like his son is involved fully so that's even better. Its good to see for sure. And I WANT one of those consoles haha.

[Magical Trevor]

I am thoroughly impressed which I dont say too often here on Zilvia with alot of hack jobs that call them build threads.

Fixed...


Great work, love the custom console!

[zooopreme]

Both your boxster build and this build are real sick. Good work, can't wait to see more!

[donandal]

Extremely nice work, I'm on the verge of speechless. My dad was a ford display fabricator his entire life and I can't get him to do anything for my cars. Your son is a VERY lucky man and I hope hes doing everything he can to learn some of your skills.

I can't wait to see how this ends.
My oldest son is a computer programmer,and the 240SX is his project.
He's done all of the research for his car and he has learned fabricating
skills and done both tig and mig welding on this project. The fan shroud
was his first go at tig, and he did great after a little practice.
My youngest is graduating next week with a dual degree in mechanical
and aerospace engineering.
They both like anything fast on land, snow or water. The younger son
is going to help me run the suspension design for the next car and help
build and design that one. They are both great kids and I'm the lucky one
to have them as my boys!

[240sohc]

such craftsmanship on display. envious and inspired.

[PerilousActs]

Speechless. I don't think I've seen sheetmetal work like that on this site for...years, if at all. Hands down one of the cleanest vq swaps into an s-chassis. It took me 4 years to get my dad to teach me to weld, so props on actually doing stuff with your son that you guys enjoy. I wish I had half your skills.

I want that center console as well. 0.0

Edit: Yay for another programmer into cars!

[stephens14sr]

holy hell.

[KrazyS13]

Wow, amazing work! Both you and your sons projects are turning out great! That console blew my mind!

Subscribed!

[Nick_04K]

This is honestly amazing! I don't even know where to start..... There is so much custom work on this thing. Thank you for posting and sharing this!

Now i'm off to see the other said builds.

[s14tan]

Sick!!!!!!!!!

[Riq]

By far top 3 best builds I have ever come across, you sir have a great talent. Keep up the great work, can't wait to see what comes next.

[brndck]

Gorgeous project, fantastic attention to detail, exactly
The kind of thing that inspires me!!!

[xBtony]

oh my, totally epic build. the quality of work is outstanding. bravo to you man seriously. Cant want to see whats next.

[Darth & Vader]

This is too sick! Its like my 350z and 240 had a baby! Keep up the good work and update us with tons of pics.

[Persona]

Amazing build. Please keep us updated on this!

[bb4_96]

I'm jealous. 2nd 240 build I have ever seen to make me actually jealous. I am seething with envy, that's how I would describe it.

Congrats to you sir on a fantastic job. And it isn't even finished... to my knowledge.

[Highway Riding]

Some real talent in this tread.... Please keep it up. The guys on My350z would love this build. GL

[DA KAOS]

props for the 350sx, every thing is just thought of and your fab work is awesome.

[ayuaddict]

This is amazing, huge props to you gentlemen.

The S13 looks awesome, i see that you chose Z1 star specs - great street tires. Of course the rest of the build is nothing short of breathtaking and you fly planes? Awesome, awesome and some more awesome.

[nathanong87]

love the fab work!

[KansaiDrifter]

Awesome job guys. Perfect fun car, I think you'll love how the vq and the s chassis work together, it's a great balance in my opinion. Can't wait to see more!

[Imarvin240]

i have to say, its amazing with how much actual custom fabrication work you guys are doing on this car. everything is coming out very clean and actually looks really good. really impressed and i will definitly be watching this thread! keep up the great work guys.

[Broadfield]

Gets my thumbs up! Really makes me wish I had a metal shop.

[soreballz]

Hoooo-lee crap. You, sir, are good at what you do.

[donut-2]

good shit cant wait to see more

[tqstarburst]

Good god,awesome build thread. Can't wait for the finish product.

[homeslicej2]

Wow, just wow. I'm loving the amount of actual fabrication going on in this build. Great job on the build thus far.

[JDMJNKY]

The raw talent in here is suffocating. Awesome build.

[donandal]

Here’s an update on the build….
These are .042” thick aluminum inner fenders. They tuck behind the lip of the fender and eliminate the need for the factory fender braces as well. The compound curves were made with the English wheel. The factory plastic liners rubbed the tires.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/fenderroll005.jpg
more inner fenders
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/fenderroll006.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenders019.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenders-roller-arborbrake002.jpg

We also did the conversion to three point belts with winders. This bracket is stainless steel polished smooth where the belt rubs. Behind the pillar is a steel plate with nuts welded in place. The notch was made for the seat belt to run thru.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedseatbeltinstall004.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedseatbeltinstall008.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedseatbeltinstall001.jpg

Making the wiring adapt to the wipers looked more difficult than making an adaptor plate and using the 350Z wiper motor. The actuator arm had to be modified with a new arm and socket ball from the SX, and a rubber gasket/pad against the firewall, but it wasn’t too difficult. It also was a little smaller and fits well.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/paintedstutsandwiper009.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/paintedstutsandwiper010.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/paintedstutsandwiper014.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/trunkshield014-1.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/trunkshield011-1.jpg

More to follow…..

[CamryOnBronze]

Awesome build- keep it up!

[holemilk00]

aaaahhh I'm doing the same thing for finder liners as you did, I didn't bother with the top pieces and the compound angle/curves because I would still rub regardless of how tight I made it. You beat me to it. haha really nice work on them though, I never thought to make the bottom front section two piece.

[conrad_s13.5]

this shits amazing!

[MillS14]

Tight work, and great build quality man!

[PoorMans180SX]

Your work quality is pretty sweet, but I am very confused as to why you are doing some of the things you are.

Why use a 350Z gas tank? That's pretty pointless.

350Z wiper motor? Even more so.

Why are you keeping all of the 350Z wiring in general? You're working wayyyy too hard.

Also, why are you looking to keep soooo much suspension travel in the front? Are you running really low spring rates?

[JDMJNKY]

This build should go down in history....a proven testament to what you can do! Very methodically built and I'm infatuated with it. :thumbup:

[dutchsx]

awesome! one of the most creative things i have ever seen!

[Starfire97]

amazing, want to be my dad for a few months? save me a ton of money on a swap, and i'll actually walk away with some fabrication skills :D

[donandal]

Your work quality is pretty sweet, but I am very confused as to why you are doing some of the things you are.

Why use a 350Z gas tank? That's pretty pointless.

350Z wiper motor? Even more so.

Why are you keeping all of the 350Z wiring in general? You're working wayyyy too hard.

Also, why are you looking to keep soooo much suspension travel in the front? Are you running really low spring rates?

We didn't use the 350Z gas tank.....we used the 350Z fuel pump and fuel qty pickups in a 240SX tank that we modified with an additional riser. Both a sending unit and pump that just plugged right in, and will be easy to service from the trunk

350Z wiper motor... well, that's the one that works with the stalk on the column with the least hassle, plus it's new.

Keeping the 350Z wiring...we kept everything 350Z wiring so we could use all of the gauges,the speedometer,all of the emissions,all of the A/C controls and heater climate controls,all of the headlite and steering column swithes and controls, etc.
but mostly, unless you are an EXPERT at wiring, getting rid of the NATS,wiring up the body control module and ECU, and getting it to run seemed like a LOT more work to us. We wanted a reliable, emmisions legal street legal car. It started up and ran perfect first try. Our research indicated a lot of potential problems getting a VQ35HR to start and run.I guess that's why.

The suspension travel is a little less than four inches TOTAL.... we are running 6"/ 400 lbs up front, because that's the SOFTEST rate we could find from Eibach. We can always go stiffer. That leaves about 2 inches from static to coilbind at our ride height....to my way of thinking that's not very much at all...and that's why it won't be slammed any lower either. At full bump we will have just over an inch of clearance at the skid plate from the pavement.

As far as working Wayyyy too hard... isn't that the point?
otherwise......just go out and buy it!

[RussellM]

As far as woking Wayyyy too hard... isn't that the point?
otherwise......just go out and buy it!

THIS!

Im glued to this thread. I have stopped checking cnn and espn updates and I now come here. Thanks! :)

[newslidz]

love this build and everything about it.. and the fact that your going so far outside of what people on zilvia do is even better.. sure you use some of the same parts these guys do but your methods are far greater.. Even if they dont approve atleast you know your not gonna see another anywhere close to this pop up like some of these cars... I absolutely see your points behind keeping so much of the 350z stuff when its all plug in play.

[PoorMans180SX]

Whatever floats your boat I guess. Your part of New York must be different than the one that I stayed in, we didn't need so much emssions stuff, it was safetly inspection pass or fail.

Nats and all that garbage can be eliminated with a simple ECU flash.

[secondtonone317]

OUTSTANDING WORK.....very clean

[stephens14sr]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/cirkumstance/The-suspense-is-killing-me.jpg

[yomisiu]

wow great build!

[donandal]

aaaahhh I'm doing the same thing for finder liners as you did, I didn't bother with the top pieces and the compound angle/curves because I would still rub regardless of how tight I made it. You beat me to it. haha really nice work on them though, I never thought to make the bottom front section two piece.
Those top pieces probably don't do a lot anyway, we just wanted to close it all up, then we'll spray it all with undercoating or bedliner. We made the bottom front from two pieces in case Allen wants a different front or lip, then we can just modify that one flat piece and it's easy to take off.

[bb4_96]

I like the way nothing is really half assed on this car. I think that's what makes it different. The goal was reliability with the swap, and proper time and energy is being exerted for such. I didn't read everyone elses posts yet but I'm waiting for zilvia to chime in with:

-Doesn't the VQ seem like a waste when an LSX can be had for a fraction of the cost?
-Why do all that hard work when you could just cobble together a sketchy drift car?
-You know you could have gotten some XXR's for less.

[nomoremk2]

This should be stickied and set as the standard for what a build thread should contain. It's as though you really put a 350z inside a 240sx, I love it. I'm glad you guys kept all the OEM z wiring you could and didn't just hack a harness together like most of these. Not sure if you covered this yet or not but what are the plans aesthetically?

[donandal]

This should be stickied and set as the standard for what a build thread should contain. It's as though you really put a 350z inside a 240sx, I love it. I'm glad you guys kept all the OEM z wiring you could and didn't just hack a harness together like most of these. Not sure if you covered this yet or not but what are the plans aesthetically?
No I guess we didn't really cover the final plans for the look yet. Allen had some thoughts early on about some mild body enhancements, but hasn't settled on anything yet ( that He's told me anyway ). He did chose a color.
It's Nissan Millenium Jade. The engine bay is allready painted that color.
We'll probably drive it for a year or so, before it's painted.
Thanks

[donandal]

This should be stickied and set as the standard for what a build thread should contain. It's as though you really put a 350z inside a 240sx, I love it. I'm glad you guys kept all the OEM z wiring you could and didn't just hack a harness together like most of these. Not sure if you covered this yet or not but what are the plans aesthetically?
No I guess we didn't really cover the final plans for the look yet. Allen had some thoughts early on about some mild body enhancements, but hasn't settled on anything yet ( that He's told me anyway ). He did chose a color.
It's Nissan Millenium Jade. The engine bay is allready painted that color.
We'll probably drive it for a year or so, before it's painted.
Thanks

[donandal]

hey that's funny... a double post...
actually we lost power during a thunderstorm and it got sent
twice...haha

[HS13KLS]

That metal work is sick!! Nice work!

[mrchomponthis]

I never post on build threads, but I just had to say I envy your craftsmanship.

[donandal]

Ok,
Here is the next update… this is the interior progress.
The dash from the Z was disassembled and the two bigger pieces of the dash were loosely mocked up over the 240SX steering column and old steel dash support.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0376.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0382.jpg
It looked like everything would fit with a little trimming. We could use a “cut” line in the dash at each side and would end up with a clean look…perhaps. The steel sub-frame for the dash was mocked up and it looked good as well. At the proper distance for the steering column used from the Z, there would be a gap at the front of the panel at the windshield, but the curves looked natural and we could fabricate an aluminum filler strip and cover it with black vinyl. We will also fabricate two end fillers that transition to the door panels for a clean look.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0381.jpg
Next we looked at all of the dash components for air and heat and checked their fit also. It was very tight but would work with some modification. The heater core was located more near the middle. The A/C would work also if we added some clearance and modified the air intake plenum.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0735.jpg http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0736.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0737.jpg
We made these collars to fit the firewall and allow the heater hoses to pass thru. They are recessed to allow more clearance between the engine and firewall.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0550.jpg
This is what they look like installed. The big hole next to this collar was added for one of the main harnesses from the Z that goes to the gas pedal and steering column.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0719.jpg
The other holes that weren’t needed were welded up.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0718.jpg
The steering column was also moved toward the frame rail to give extra clearance at the starter. This collar and bearing piece was made, and uses the original studs in the firewall.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0548.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0547.jpg http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0545.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0720.jpg
Everything fit pretty well, so we fabricated the 350Z steel dash support into the 240. The center support lined right up with the tunnel as well. Once the steel support was in, everything else just snapped into place. http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0516.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0521.jpg
The inside primed… the flanged grey bracket will hold the front of the dash and trim strip
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/002.jpg
Primed with epoxy
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/alspaintjob003.jpg
These brackets are gusseted at both ends. When it’s all bolted up and bolted to the tunnel it’s quite sturdy.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0522.jpg
The center fit nicely. We built a custom lower dash panel that transitions to the center console and everything fits…. more of that later.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0524.jpg
The dash support is in and stuff is going back into place. There are a lot of wires!
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/alscarshell007.jpg
Here’s Allen, checking out the steering wheel position.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/IMG_0527.jpg
The 240 center console didn’t line up with the new Z dash, so we built a center console from .060 aluminum. The three hole A/C control cluster bracket is made from .080 aluminum.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/finishedconsole004.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/finishedconsole007.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/finishedconsole002.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/coveredcenterconsole009.jpg
The hardware from both the Z and 240 were used.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/coveredcenterconsole009.jpg
The grey pieces have been black wrinkle powder coated. The trim ring and shifter boot are from the Z . http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/coveredcenterconsole008.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/consolepowdercoated014.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/carpetinstalled008.jpg
This panel had the airbag. We made a plate to cover the big hole where it was,and skimmed it with bondo and recovered it in black vinyl

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/paxdash019.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/carpetinstalled008.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/consolepowdercoated014.jpg

That’s about it for the front part of the interior.
More to come ….

[Quail]

You're a true craftsman. Amazing build.

[Wheelchair]

wow..so impressive... great attention to detail!

[Lees_Garage]

I'm speechless, subscribed!

[herbieS13]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/cirkumstance/The-suspense-is-killing-me.jpg

this always makes me laugh

[Persona]

I think you should put black vinyl around the three A/C controls instead of that wrinkle powder coating.

Just looks out of place with how OEM and clean everything else is!

Keep it up!

[donandal]

I think you should put black vinyl around the three A/C controls instead of that wrinkle powder coating.

Just looks out of place with how OEM and clean everything else is!

Keep it up!

We thought about that also. That piece is almost impossible to cover without
wrinkles in the vinyl. We may also paint it silver same as the trim ring around
the shifter. That trim ring is just painted with a rattle can Krylon and clear and it came out pretty good. The black wrinkle powder coat actually looks better in person. When it's photographed it looks a lot more sparkly than it really is. We may have to experiment.....but you're right.
Thanks

[Quail]

If vinyl isn't an option, I think the silver could definitely work, although the trim piece is wider than the shifter surround, so may look a bit odd.

[donandal]

If vinyl isn't an option, I think the silver could definitely work, although the trim piece is wider than the shifter surround, so may look a bit odd.

I agree
you have a good eye for this stuff!

[sc400rada]

All I can say is wow this guy has some skills. And his boys are very lucky to have him.

[azndan2]

amazing... I admire your hard work.

[donandal]

If vinyl isn't an option, I think the silver could definitely work, although the trim piece is wider than the shifter surround, so may look a bit odd.

Hey
I got a pic of the center piece without flash
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/240SX%20interior/finishedinnerfenders018.jpg
.
looks a lot more natural than those other pics with flash.
Still, thinking about vinyl again. It's an easy piece to get at.
I think it needs "more than just paint" because it will see a lot
of wear and finger prints

[daryl337]

Am I the only one who is looking at the GARAGE in a loving and lustful fashion?


I see all sorts of goodies/equipment in that garage that I wish I had.

[donandal]

Here is the latest update,
I realized on the last update of the fender liners that there wasn’t much info, and the pics didn’t really show very well what was what. The inner fender liners were made from .042 thick aluminum. It’s pretty light and easy to work. In order to get them in, they needed to be made in pieces.
The rear pieces have aluminum threaded bungs welded to the back of the panel and the screws are stainless steel. We also made these two bottom pieces (one on each side of car) out of thicker .062 aluminum because it is right where the stones will hit.
the rubber hose is the A/C drain line (350Z)
the black rubber at the top is the wiring harness grommett
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenders004.jpg
This is one of the upper pieces. It was formed on the English wheel
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenderenglishwheel010.jpg
They start out looking pretty bad after I beat them on the sand bag
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenderenglishwheel011.jpg
But just a few minutes later they look more like this
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenderenglishwheel018.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenderenglishwheel016.jpg
This piece is a little different side to side, because the wiring harness goes thru the passenger side.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/innerfenders-roller-arborbrake002.jpg
This is the passenger side front… the extra bump is lined up with a cutout in the body tin…just behind the windshield washer reservoir and allows a
little more air to the air filter box
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/fenderroll012.jpg
These are some pictures after they were installed
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedinnerfenders007.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedinnerfenders008.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedinnerfenders009.jpg
this is the driver side... the wiring harness now goes thru
the passenger side....sothis covers the hole..there is also a
metal plate covering the hole behind here as well
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedinnerfenders010.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/finishedinnerfenders011.jpg

We are going to spray this all with undercoat or truck bed liner eventually.

[plusONETEN]

I swear, those tires look fatter in person.


The suspension setup was inspired by veilside180sx's housings, and i was reading through the koni yellows and GC thread on here...

I wanted some fat-ass tires. This means that i cant slam the car, but with then engine sitting so low, i couldn't slam it anyways. If you really felt like slamming a car on 265s, you could drop it about 2 inches from where we have it, but then you'd have no travel left.

the wheels are +38 offset.... most people with s13s use +18 or something, so that means that i have 2 cm less tire sticking out than most people with 265's... which is why the fenders are rolled+pulled rather than +30/+50 overfenders or something... clearance on the inside is tight, but while most peoples tires sit next to the coils, ours sit below them (saw this on McCoys car and thought it was a sweet idea) which is why we can use 265s on a +38 and not have the tire hitting the coil.



the engine sits low to clear the hood, as well as to lower the CG. Yes, lowering the whole car would lower the CG but it would also wack out the suspensions camber curve and make my tires and hood not fit...
I have a feeling that the vq35hr might be a little taller than the vq35de overall, because from what i read on the net, fitting a vq35de didnt seem quite as hard as this, but def. close. i think the HR has longer connecting rods... not sure though... maybe someone else can confirm.
we had to lower the steering rack 2 inches and we actually shifted the entire engine a few CM towards the passenger side... the steering racks' pinion housing was trying to occupy the same area of 3d space where the starter was, hence moving the engine away from it.
IMO this is pretty awesome anyways, since our exhaust runs down the driver side, making it heavier, and then there's the driver...but even with the engine slightly to the passenger side, the drivers side is still probably heaver... so we stuck the battery on the passenger side (in the trunk). You may notice the modified steeting linkage - that enables it to clear the exahaust...

lowering the rack 2 inches messes with the steering geometry... so we needed to space the outer tie rod ends down to get rid of the bumpsteer... i could talk about that shit for ages, but, in the end, we ended up dialing the bumpsteer down to almost nothing (had a 3ft straight edge on the wheel and jacked it up through its travel to get a rough idea, barely moved)
this of course only tells us about the bumpsteer when the wheel is near the center, but since we actually are usually at a low steering angle while driving anyways, its the most important.... this car shouldnt wander on the ol' pavement cracks and expansion joints.

also, we quickened up the steering ratio by moving the tie rod end fowards (closer to the pivot point aka. lower ball joint) and cut down the akermann just a bit by moving it outward... wierd thing about strut suspension is that when you lower the outer tie rod end, you increase akermann... (atleast with a strut setup like ours... which i made a crude 3d model of to toy with... i didnt dimension the whole thing, i was really just looking for the general behaviors... figure we'd have to tweak it on the car regardless)

actually to be 100% sure, id have to have plugged in completely correct dimensions... which i didnt do... but IMO from what i've seen, 240sx's have too much akermann to begin with. i figured that those 2 observations were good enough to bet on...

you would think that you could just move the outer tie rod end down 2 inshes and the rack down 2 inches, and all would be the same, but this doesnt work... because when the steering is turned, the 2 inch down extension is no longer facing directly down due to the caster angle/kingpin inclination...

see what i mean - same wheel positions require different steering rack positions (regular rack vs. lowered rack):
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/thefireslave/extreme_drop.jpg



the wierd thing was that after going down/forward/out, we ended up with the tie rod just hitting the wheel near full lock... so we had use a curved bit on the end of our tie rod... kinda question mark shape, if that makes sense... for those of you that have seen the 350z tie rod end, they actually did the same thing.

actually, im not sure, but our turning radius is probably slightly different than a normal s13 - because our knuckles give us faster steering, we get the full steering angle of a standard s13 a bit before our rack runs out of gears - but we dont have any tire room to allow for an increased steering angle, so we steering-stopped it back to stockish... if i ever wanted skinnier ties up front, i could just tweak the steering-stop and get some drifty angle stuff up front. but i like my 265s. but that would also mean skinner rims with a lower offset because id have to remove all that tire from the inside, or else the tie rod would just hit anyways...

[donandal]

Now if he could only teach his dad something about
computers!
Right Al ?

[Wake]

LOL
That should shut some people up.
I mean assuming they actually take the time to read all that. Either way its cool to get an explanation for moving the rack i was wondering about some of the things you covered. Good info!

[tr4c3]

Awesome stuff. Subscribing!

[96Turbo]

tasty, tasty fab work

what other cars have you built? this obviously isn't your first time...

[donandal]

tasty, tasty fab work

what other cars have you built? this obviously isn't your first time...

my other car is here
http://zilvia.net/f/off-topic-chat/384025-its-subaru.html

the subie is my first try at a car

this 240SX is my first with my son Allen
He's obviously the smart one....haha

[Starfire97]

my other car is here
http://zilvia.net/f/off-topic-chat/384025-its-subaru.html

the subie is my first try at a car

this 240SX is my first with my son Allen
He's obviously the smart one....haha

so your first try at a car was... building an entirely new one? :eek2:

if your kids inherited any of that, they'll be master fabricators forever. just asking, what background do you have in fabrication/engineering?

[donandal]

I got a job in high school sweeping floors at a tool and die shop.
Worked my way up to running lathes and miling machines.
I was learning to fly. Quit machine work back in 1982 but
allways loved it, and knew I'd get back to it if I could.
I am now a Captain on the B737 for Continental airlines.
I don't have any other experience in fab work.
But I did stay at a Holiday Inn.....haha
Actually learned all of the English wheel and aluminum fab from videos
Same with welding...that and a lot of practice and mistakes.
I am hoping that with what I learn from these projects, that my next
project will be really sweet, and more refined.

[Shadowhunter]

Love it and hope to see more of it.

[Starfire97]

wow, amazing how you applied that knowledge of machine work directly to building cars. eventually i'd like to own all of these tools and learn how to use them, gotta get that degree first!

[Backintoans13]

One of the sickest builds on any forum....awesome work!!! Cant wait till its done

[FaLKoN240]

I never would believe ANYONE could/would be able to build a car THIS clean and do it ALL the way with the interior and everything.

It's great.

I'm so sick of seeing half ass "race cars" with some sort of motor swap with a painless wiring kit, and they think they're the shit. Your attention to detail and the extra mile you go to make everything OEM is incredible.

I hope one day I can do something like this.

[97240TB]

Where the hell are all these great build threads coming from! Jesus, The fab work is phenomenal. Really good to see stuff like this on here, Personally I'm not a fan of the Z dash in the 240. but that's my opinion and I completely understand your reasoning for doing it.

As kansai said before you guys will love the balance and power, First few weeks driving my car after finishing I was shocked how flat and sudden turn in felt. The power is completely usable all over the RPM range to boot.

You should get on your son about showing you how to use solidworks and some other computer programs. Ha ha It's the least he could do for you!

Goodluck with the rest of the build guys!

[herbieS13]

man im glad your decided to post your builds on zilvia instead of nico or one of those other forums

[PoorMans180SX]

man im glad your decided to post your builds on zilvia instead of nico or one of those other forums

HAH, this has been on Nico for a while now.

[Onyx5spdSportx]

nice work!

[donandal]

HAH, this has been on Nico for a while now.
Ha so true...
you crack me up ... in a good way
Allen's the one who knows all this internet stuff.
He said this is the forum he used for a lot of his research
so I put it up here too.
Certainly way more interest and feedback here!

[Wake]

nico doesnt beleive in using a forum as a forum.

Although they have a lot of technical info, they arent very organized and they get all of our rejects.
Not saying im not a member there also but you will definitely get more props for your work here.

[conrad_s13.5]

u guys should make your own body kit pieces

[donandal]

Well, it's another rainy day in western N.Y., so here's another
update. We had an old cracked and dry rotted washer fluid tank,
and decided to make a new one from .042 aluminum.

the tank is a little skinnier but also a little longer side to side
this gave us a little more room to move the fender liners forward
we used the original 240SX brackets

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/strutsandwasherfluidtank016.jpg

this is the 350Z pump... we welded some thicker stock to the .042
where the brackets and motor and float sensor attach

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/strutsandwasherfluidtank014.jpg

we also used the 240SX filler neck...
the small aluminum box with the switch next to it holds
the relays for the headlites and retract motors. The switch
interupts all power to the headlite motors if ever necessary

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/strutsandwasherfluidtank013.jpg

this is the float switch from the Z

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/strutsandwasherfluidtank010.jpg

we sealed the tank with gas tank sealer... z harness for the
motor and float were long enough and just plug in ..

more to follow...

[HPKMotorsports3]

your work is amazing!!!

[speedfreak90]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The_Doctor]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiG9b5-cgRY/TbXlhSJWUpI/AAAAAAAACEE/DBbqXNKISmg/s400/mother-of-god-super-troopers.jpg

This is the best 240 build thread I have ever seen. I look forward to your updates and hopefully take some ideas to my build.

[zurud]

Awesome job

[Om1kron]

interesting.

[A18]

This build is absolutely amazing. The attention to detail is just phenomenal. Good job!

[pandaroo]

i like it, i love it, i want some more of it!

[silviamayne]

wow, this is amazing!

[240sx .25mile]

what videos did you learn to weld from?

great build by the way!

[donandal]

what videos did you learn to weld from?

great build by the way!

My welders, mig and tig are both Miller.
they have a basic video library.
also some videos like this..
Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info (http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/)
the English wheel kit I bought also came with videos

Thanks

[Corbic]

Holly crap - insane.

[Sterlz]

wow this is amazing, i'm dumbfounded. you guys should be on that HD theater channel

[d-man478]

I read the whole first post and all the comments about how amazing the build is, but i cant see the pictures. :( it says exceeded bandwith. ahhhhh. im sad.

[SLiDe_WaYz]

Judging from the comments this is a amazing build ! but I'm frustrated that all the photo's are telling me bandwidth exceeded so i cant enjoy the awesomeness everyone else is seeing and getting.

[sr20sean]

yea pics dont work =[

[benarovi]

^^this reading comments seems as a insane build but WTF FIX UR PHOTOBUCKET ACCOUNT!!!!! shits killin me i need to see this

[donandal]

sorry guys
I'm on the road now in Portland Oregon,
just got to the hotel
I'll try to get the pics fixed
EDIT
well it should be fixed ...
don't know how long til it will show the pics...
but the account is good to go
again...sorry
and thanks

[donandal]

Ok
Finished up the latches for the battery box…
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/tensionnbracefinished017.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/tensionnbracefinished019.jpg
We also built these braces for the front tension rod brackets.
Allen thought this should be one of the first upgrades we should do
on the suspension. We will be upgrading both the front and rear
arms and links with custom pieces to tighten everything up.
if any one notices, the knurled knob on the botttom
of the strut drains the oil that surrounds the cartridge, and
also breaks the vacuum lock to get them back out for service
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/tensionnbracefinished002.jpg
These are made from 6061 aluminum. We added a tab to the skid plate
at the cross tube to tie it all together.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/tensionnbracefinished003.jpg
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/tensionnbracefinished013.jpg
The large aluminum washers have a .080 shoulder turned on them
that fit tight to the stamped holes diameter and lock the brace in place.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/tensionnbracefinished007.jpg
Allen likes the aluminum look of these pieces, so we’ll just clean
and polish these up a bit.
wish I was a better photographer
more to follow.....

[Wongger]

Wow, this is unreal. Keep it up!!

['97 S14 SE Turbo]

With all the machine tools you have, you should just build this for the S13 so you don't worry about ground clearance.

Just need to custom build the air cups like these, and source the rest of the stuff locally in the US. Just need a 2 gal. air tank, lines, and a compressor. The electronics for the roberuta kit is actually too simple, and only use one solenoid, and a latch-on timer for letting the system run for 5 minutes at a time before de-energizing. There are other parts of the Roberuta system that I wouldn't copy. They used a water trap incorrectly in their exotic car setup, and that latch-on timer is an off-the-shelf industrial equipment piece, not really suitable for automotive use.

??????????????????????? (http://www.roberuta.com/index.html)

[C-unit]

anychance you want to finish my vq swap for me...lol

[GSXRJJordan]

interesting.

Wayne I think you tried to tell me about this build last week, but I hadn't seen it.

Interesting choices made here. Most of the cars I'm involved with are competition cars, and the 'constants'/build priorities are certainly different, with the goal very visible. I haven't seen a goal posted here (besides father/son building, which is awesome), so it's hard to weigh in on the merits of different strategies - which is any engineer's favorite hobby :)

The fabrication looks very good... those fender liners blew my mind, especially when I saw that they all interlock with each other! The center console is also a work of art, and assuming the fan shroud tubes don't deform over time the shroud looks great as well. Little things like the battery box and your solid tension rod braces are incredibly time consuming, but are very nice touches.

Your suspension choices made some interesting problems for you, and as nice as your 3d model is for showing general behavior (as it should be used), I still think you're going to run into some issues. 2" of usable stroke at your current ride height is not horrible, and a 400lb spring isn't horribly soft, but I think you're going to be on the bumpstops/seeing coil bind even on smooth surfaces. There are many more 'correct' ways to get more mechanical grip up front before you give up stroke and canister packaging... which leads me to the question of why run a square setup at all, and at this point, why stop at 265's in back? This is where a goal or class rules/etc helps prioritize.

The tie rod pickup hook is a nice way to get around the wheel and keep bump steer in check, but I think a full sweep (left and right toe angles through the steering range at droop, static, and coilbind) would be needed to put the issue to rest. We run into the rack location issue with V8 swaps in lots of chassis, and once you start moving pickups (especially with a strut suspension) some weird things happen.

Your choice to keep all the Z33 wiring/electronics was certainly an interesting one. If you're swayed by the Z's creature comforts I suppose that makes sense, but as far as the engine's concerned a reflash is far easier (and not expensive). I've done quite a few Z33 race cars and removing the factory wiring saves 60lbs or so while greatly increasing reliability/simplicity/serviceability, which is what my guys are looking for.

With a project with this extensive a reach, you're going to get a lot of questions, from the uninformed to the in-depth ~ you guys have been great sports in the Subaru thread and I hope my comments don't come off as closed-minded.

[irax]

This is probably one of the best builds ever.
It is great to see the VQ swap community expand and the wealth of knowledge just based on pictures alone is fucking amazing! It's also interesting to see a 50 state emissions build at that. Do you have any more pictures from the gas tank modifications? Also how much would you charge for that radiator shroud setup?

[racepar1]

I must say that you guys did sooooooo much work that was totally not necessary. I also must say that I can appreciate every single part and piece that you touched, AMAZING work man. It's pretty clear that everything is well thought out. Keep it up, don't listen to anyone. I'm confident that you're going to do the right thing for your project on your own...

[donandal]

To all of the people who have taken the time to read
and or post comments on this build....

All I can say is THANK YOU....

I'm not sure Allen really wanted me to post this build
thread, but I'm glad we did. I have really enjoyed it.
I know that the build is different from a lot of the other
cars, and a lot of that is because Allen wanted it his way.

It has been a learning experience for both of us.
I am not an engineer, and I am not really good
with electronics either, so I really appreciate the
thoughtful comments and critiques we recieved from
guys with a lot more experience than us.


We have made a few mistakes, and I expect a few more
changes, but it's been our mistakes and choices, and it's
been fun bringing Allen's ideas to fruition.


Thanks

[drift freaq]

To all of the people who have taken the time to read
and or post comments on this build....

All I can say is THANK YOU....

I'm not sure Allen really wanted me to post this build
thread, but I'm glad we did. I have really enjoyed it.
I know that the build is different from a lot of the other
cars, and a lot of that is because Allen wanted it his way.

It has been a learning experience for both of us.
I am not an engineer, and I am not really good
with electronics either, so I really appreciate the
thoughtful comments and critiques we recieved from
guys with a lot more experience than us.


We have made a few mistakes, and I expect a few more
changes, but it's been our mistakes and choices, and it's
been fun bringing Allen's ideas to fruition.


Thanks

Well all I can do, is praise you for the fact that you guys did it and did it so well is pretty awesome.

Like Racepar1 said ignore other peoples comments as to why. You guys decided to do it this way because you wanted to. A+ for for sticking to that and they quality with which you pulled it off.

I myself gave up on the concept of a install kit, because of lack of interest overall. Its nice to see some interest here.

My project has been on hold for some time now. After the economy went down a lot of other things became more important to me than car modifications. I hope to get back to it soon. For the sake of finishing it.

Congrats again to you guys for an absolutely jaw dropping awesome build done for your own reasons and not for the sake of others. This is currently the way I look at car modifications these days.
Ignore what others do or think do it for yourself.

[ILoveMyRHS13]

We also built these braces for the front tension rod brackets.
Allen thought this should be one of the first upgrades we should do
on the suspension. We will be upgrading both the front and rear
arms and links with custom pieces to tighten everything up.
if any one notices, the knurled knob on the botttom
of the strut drains the oil that surrounds the cartridge, and
also breaks the vacuum lock to get them back out for service
If you ever decide to sell these, let me know. I'd love to have a set. :COOL:

[plusONETEN]

Wayne I think you tried to tell me about this build last week, but I hadn't seen it.

Interesting choices made here. Most of the cars I'm involved with are competition cars, and the 'constants'/build priorities are certainly different, with the goal very visible. I haven't seen a goal posted here (besides father/son building, which is awesome), so it's hard to weigh in on the merits of different strategies - which is any engineer's favorite hobby :)

The fabrication looks very good... those fender liners blew my mind, especially when I saw that they all interlock with each other! The center console is also a work of art, and assuming the fan shroud tubes don't deform over time the shroud looks great as well. Little things like the battery box and your solid tension rod braces are incredibly time consuming, but are very nice touches.

Your suspension choices made some interesting problems for you, and as nice as your 3d model is for showing general behavior (as it should be used), I still think you're going to run into some issues. 2" of usable stroke at your current ride height is not horrible, and a 400lb spring isn't horribly soft, but I think you're going to be on the bumpstops/seeing coil bind even on smooth surfaces. There are many more 'correct' ways to get more mechanical grip up front before you give up stroke and canister packaging... which leads me to the question of why run a square setup at all, and at this point, why stop at 265's in back? This is where a goal or class rules/etc helps prioritize.

The tie rod pickup hook is a nice way to get around the wheel and keep bump steer in check, but I think a full sweep (left and right toe angles through the steering range at droop, static, and coilbind) would be needed to put the issue to rest. We run into the rack location issue with V8 swaps in lots of chassis, and once you start moving pickups (especially with a strut suspension) some weird things happen.

Your choice to keep all the Z33 wiring/electronics was certainly an interesting one. If you're swayed by the Z's creature comforts I suppose that makes sense, but as far as the engine's concerned a reflash is far easier (and not expensive). I've done quite a few Z33 race cars and removing the factory wiring saves 60lbs or so while greatly increasing reliability/simplicity/serviceability, which is what my guys are looking for.

With a project with this extensive a reach, you're going to get a lot of questions, from the uninformed to the in-depth ~ you guys have been great sports in the Subaru thread and I hope my comments don't come off as closed-minded.



Its not really intended for a specific class... didn't want to limit potential modifications by some rulebook. Lots of the stuff we did 'the hard way' was for driveability reasons. Also, using standard 350z parts or 240sx parts... either way, replacement parts will be available, but 240sx parts are becoming more rare. Things like chassis parts will last forever, though. I intend on driving this car cross country a few times so stock-like z reliability sounds pretty good to me.

As for the tires, 265s were the goal for the front. the square setup is intended to save me money on tire rotations, but leave the option for more tire in the back if i add more power later on. The rear fenders are going to be rolled + pulled so there will be good fitment of the 265s... but, theres a lot of space on the inside still. Its definately possible that i will get 2 more RPF1s for the back at some point, and add more tire on the inside. Im not sure, but it might be possible to fit something like a 315/35-17 in the back without too much modification... (or perhaps something like a 295... would have to look at sizes to find the best choice) regardless, the modification wouldnt interfere with the exterior paint, so i could do it at any time...


Things like spring rates and anti-roll bars will be tweaked as needed. Also, if i run into travel issues, ill just get stiffer springs. Its not the worst thing to hit the bump stops here and there, as long as your not hitting them so frequently that grip suffers. 400 was on the soft side on what i figured would be good.... but, if 400 turns out to be stiff enough, then i will at least be using my travel. If i bought a 550lb front (which was on the stiff end of what i was thinking) and i didnt take full advantage of all the travel, i might not notice... but if im using a 400lb and i hit the bumpstops, i definitely will notice. Springs arent that expensive and its a good way to tune the cars balance regardless...


Currently, in the front, we have less negative camber than possible, because of the square setup. If there were fatter tires out back, i would probably add more negative camber up front. With our current setup, we can get zero camber, up to a few degrees of negative and not worry about clearance.

[Lees_Garage]

Updates?????

[donandal]

We are finishing up a lot of loose ends...
painting headlite buckets, finishing dash,
finishing rear package tray, and trunk carpet
etc. ,but not a lot to show just yet...
thanks for the continued interest

[olim]

great build!!! i love the center console and the skid plate/guard. i want one of those skid plates on my car, these nj roads suck. great work cant wait to see more.

[K_style]

my other car is here
http://zilvia.net/f/off-topic-chat/384025-its-subaru.html

the subie is my first try at a car

this 240SX is my first with my son Allen
He's obviously the smart one....haha

I knew I've seen this kind of work somewhere !!!!

It's an awesome build... any plan for seats ?

[travisty_]

Looking forward to seeing more of this, attention to detail is fantastic. Good things are happening here.

[RickyS13.]

This is soooooooooooo AMAZIIIIIIING :) I really look forward to seeing the dash all lit up and functional. Did you build hot rods/classic cars before this?? lol.

[Prime]

This thread got me to post a compliment.

That's amazing in and of itself.

The quality of the work, the attention to detail, and the obvious love of the process has absolutely blown me away. Both of you, father and son, are amazing. I'm envious of the whole situation, frankly.

Keep up the good work guys. I have nothing but respect and admiration for it.

[260sexways]

I'm ready to hear this car run already, the work is purely amazing in this build.

Wouldn't mind you working on my 240 sometime after seeing the end results of yours, keep up the good work.

[s14unimog]

Although I am more the minimalistic, and only if it NEEDS to be there kind of 240 enthusiast, I'm floored by your build thread. I seriously envy your metal working skills; there is just nothing cooler than aluminum sheet metal parts. Okay there is, but it really adds some killer touches.

mad props to you sir, please keep us posted!

[srstan]

updates???

[plusONETEN]

Thought you guys might wanna check this out.

VIDEO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ohvUDLEYD4)


there's a bad bearing in the tranny... not sure if its the main bearing or the throwout bearing.... hence there's a little bit of gear noise... didn't know about it until now because this is the first chance we've had to drive it more than a few hundred feet...

i wish i had time to get some better clips... i actually drove it quite a bit, but unfortunately i only had the camera for about 5 minutes on the last day... so i had my GF shoot some video and i cut out the boring parts where i drive slow and try to avoid the police haha.




love that HR engine noise though, fuck yea.

[irax]

all giggles I like it!

ohvUDLEYD4

[zooopreme]

nice, two thumbs up, seeing a Z steering wheel in a s13 is awesome. Sounds great too.

[drift freaq]

very cool indeed thanks for the vid looked badass. Loved your girlfriend giggling . LOL

[irax]

nice, two thumbs up, seeing a Z steering wheel in a s13 is awesome. Sounds great too.

notice the full z dash?

[zooopreme]

notice the full z dash?

Haha, yes, I caught that early on in the thread.

[TwItCh]

This is a amazing build.

Subscribed as well this is good stuff.

[donandal]

I was wondering when Allen was going to post a video
first time I saw it too.....
Had to pull the engine and tranny to find the tranny noise.
Turns out the front main bearing was bad.
We used the factory service manual and it
made it a pretty easy job.
We'll try to get pictures of it all, and post them up
later. It will all be put back together soon.

We didn't have any other surprises, and the car is really nice
and fast. No problems not having VDC, or anti skid except the
lights on the dash. Engine runs sweet.
Steering was pretty stable and tracked true, also had a pretty
tight turning radius and quick ratio.
Suspension seems to be stiff enough and it has a pretty
nice ride. The stock brakes have got to go though! Already have some
ideas for them.

Rather than post up a lot of little crap, we'll combine it into
another series for the thread.
We've got some improvements in just about every area....
brakes,suspension, hood, interior etc.

Thanks

[h11m1vn]

Awesome build, definitely on my list of best build threads EVER! ... can't wait for updates!

[sex14]

moar pics!! quality craftsmanship like no other. i wished i had a quarter of your guy's metal bending skills.

[EJ8 944]

This is a truely impressive build, no details are being over looked.

[irritatedmax]

Just read all six pages - awesome build and I look forward to more updates!

When I started reading the first post and saw it was the dad posting, I was like "oh no, a tribute post to his son" and was kind of worried and bummed. Whew! I'm glad it turned out the way it did! Father-son builds are the best!

[jdm2191]

Subscribed :) Wish i knew how to fabricate....

[bigs]

Couldn't help but smile after reading this thread. Amazing.

[lucky_brett]

So how is the car coming along?

[Trap Star]

Well played sir...Well played.

[sexcii-zenki]

wow i just noticed this and wow!!! im loving the build from inside & out... I was thinking of making myself a skid plate just like that but the strut bar u have is great post up more pix of it...did u fab it up urself? or is it a Z & 240 mock up? amazing keep up the great work!!!

[project_silvia]

dammm awesome build bro and props on all the custom work it looks sick

[donandal]

OK, it's winter now in western New York, so we have a little time to catch up.
We are going to post up some improvements we've made to the car.
We wanted to try to improve the front tension rod setup for the 240SX.
The factory setup was worn out, and the energy suspension urethane
just feels too bound up when it moves thru it’s travel.
We could have purchased an aftermarket setup, but we wanted to have the
precision of a spherical joint combined with a urethane bushing to eliminate some
vibration and harshness. The pictures will show the pieces we made. The total weight
is just a little less than the solid factory tension rod. The spherical joint end is a little
heavier, and the end that bolts to the lower arm is a little lighter.
This end will be welded into the 1” DOM tubing. The matching slot gives more weld surface.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodpieces008.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodpieces016.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodpieces017.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodpieces013.jpg

These ends were welded up with the gussets, and then bored to fit the bearing and the snap ring.
Then the gusset end was drilled and tapped for a ¾ -16 thread.
The urethane bushing is left over from the 240SX energy suspension kit and is sleeved with
an aluminum bushing to fit the ID of the bearing. Inside is a stainless sleeve that fits the factory
tension rod bolt and mounting position.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodpieces004.jpg

½ “ grade 8 bolts fit the factory LCA holes.
The threaded rod is ¾-16 stainless, with nuts to lock the pieces. The arms were adjusted to length and
painted.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodpieces014.jpg

Here it is tacked and test fit.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodsinstalled003.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/front%20tension%20rods/tensionrodsinstalled005.jpg

The arm swings easily now with no binding or slop…..
On to the next project….

[donandal]

This is the update for the brakes for the S13.
We wanted to get brakes that are affordable and easy to service with OEM parts. We tried a lot of searching for ideas and tried some aluminum four piston Nissan and Infiniti calipers for the front, and although they fit the bolt patterns or would fit with adapter brackets, they wouldn’t clear the spokes of the wheels. (We have RPF1 17 x 9.5 with 38mm offset). The 350Z stock front calipers are two-piston with 320mm (approx. 12.6”) diameter rotors. These just clear the spokes……

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/caliperstrailerhitch002.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/caliperstrailerhitch004.jpg

The bolt pattern and rotor diameter are a direct bolt on (if you drill out the s13 mounting holes to the larger bolt size) so we settled for these for now. Rather than drill out the holes, we made these double threaded stepped studs.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion048.jpg

We wanted to get some more braking in the rear as well so we searched data for rear swaps. A lot of people use the z32 type swaps, but we wanted to keep the stock parking brake setup. We found that with some modification that a 2008 Mazda RX8 rear caliper could be used with the 350Z rear rotor. (307.7mm dia. Approx. 12.1”) It has a larger piston (single 43mm, same as 350Z ) diameter that should balance well with the 350Z two piston( 45mm ) fronts and a new 1 and 1/16” brake master cylinder (Z32 with the third port corrected with the internal inverted flare installed already from Z1 motorsports) This caliper uses a “similar” parking brake mechanism that pulls thru the piston like the s13. Some modifications and fabricating are required.

240sx stock rear caliper

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion022.jpg

’08 Mazda RX8 rear caliper

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion023.jpg

The shields need to be trimmed for the bigger rotors….

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion011.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion005.jpg

This is a comparison of the stock 240 rotor vs the 350Z we will be using.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion001.jpg

These holes need to be slotted slightly (3/16”) toward the center of the axle to keep the pads from overhanging the rotors. ( it over hangs this much before slotting the holes )

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion002.jpg

The raised “boss” also was milled off .060” to give more clearance where the caliper bracket passes near the inner rotor face. (it had only .022” without milling it off) This will better center the caliper in the neutral position over the rotor thickness.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion007.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion006.jpg

These custom washers will keep the caliper in the right position in the slotted holes until the bolts are tightened…..

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/lastbrakeparts003.jpg

This bracket from the 240sx caliper…….

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion020.jpg

…….will bolt right on to the RX8 caliper. This allows us to use the stock parking brake cables.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion031.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion019.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion018.jpg

The 240sx spring is used also…..good thing it is stainless steel….no rust!

Neither bracket which holds the parking brake cable can be used.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion024.jpg

We fabricated this one to hold the cable.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion043.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion039.jpg
The Z rotor is 2 mm thinner than a stock RX8 rotor so we also added a stainless steel pad shim to bring it back to proper thickness. This might not be necessary, but will ensure that the caliper piston won’t extend too far if the pads wear to the limit.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone002.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone022.jpg

The banjo fitting is the same…..

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion014.jpg

And the stock flex lines could be used but we opted for new braided stainless.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakelines004.jpg

We also added a proportioning valve and installed it next to the master cylinder.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/proportioningvalveinstalled001.jpg

Here are some pictures of the components

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone003.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone006.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone011.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone014.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/brakejobnearlydone016.jpg

While it was apart, we also replaced the rear lower ball joints with new ’89 nissan sentra FRONT lower ball joints (moog K9633). Thanks to previous write-ups on this, it was a simple job. The moog ball joint has a grease fitting that sticks out the bottom a little bit, so the plastic shield piece that protects the lower control arm needs to be trimmed just slightly to clear.

Here are some shots after painting the calipers black and installed on the car…..

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/paintedbrakes004.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/paintedbrakes016.jpg

Thanks for reading…..

[donandal]

The front fender extensions that tie into the bumper were rotten so they got replaced as well. We started with the old pieces as a pattern.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidefrontfenderpieces001.jpg

We made a set of rollers for the English wheel and formed these blanks from 3003 H14 .060” aluminum.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/trimmedendpiecesphase4006.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidefrontfenderpieces004.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidefrontfenderpieces003.jpg

We formed a small flange on the top edge, and rolled a flange into the front edge to follow the contour of the bumper edge.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/frontfenderpieces3rdphase006.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/frontfenderpieces3rdphase007.jpg

The bottom was bent back to form the lower lip where it bolts to the fender. Also these threaded bungs were welded to the back side where studs will pass thru to fasten to the fenders. The studs were leftovers from somewhere on the teardown of the Z. The stock pieces wrap down under the fender a little more than we liked, so we made ours sit a little wider at the bottom. They cover a little more of the tire in the front this way. ( approx. ½” ) This is the original.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidefrontfenderpieces007.jpg

The rear edge was trimmed to follow the arch of the wheel well, and a flange was welded to the end to extend into the wheel well. Two bolts will go thru the factory holes, and the fabrication is done. Just a little fill primer and sanding and they are finished

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/trimmedendpiecesphase4003.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidepiecesfinished003.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidepiecesfinished005.jpg

We have about 20 hours fabricating these two pieces.

We have some more stuff to post that will be up in a month or so.....

Thanks for reading.......

[zspeedrft]

wowzers....

[tryangle]

Yeah this is amazing, loving all the little pieces that just keep adding to making this a oneoff project.

[chetacheese]

From what ive seen so far, I am sure the rest of us can agree that you dont even need a 240 shell. Build your own.

[conrad_s13.5]

fuck dog......u guys got skillz
hope to see alot more from u this winter!

[s14unimog]

Damn... Keep going please

[str84dapokie]

2012 and i'm still loving this build.. might have to make another trip out there and check out the progress

[WheelWhore]

beautiful craftsmanship.

keep up the fantastic work!

[driftsucky]

this build is full of titty sprinkles. I absolute LOVE the custom work that went into making this as awesome as it is. KUDOS.

[DreamN]

What a great build. Just read all 7 pages worth. Truly amazing work.

I wish I had a fraction of your skill. If I ever tackle the VQHR swap I'll definitely be talking to you about that modified gas tank.

[Kingbaby]

goodness...

[tapdeznutz]

is it me or do those front 350z calipers look like q45s?

[donandal]

Hey everyone,
thanks for the comments...
Al's here next week for another group of days so
maybe we'll make some more serious progress.
We've got a few projects lined up

The gas tank was soldered kinda "old school" way with big
old copper "irons" heated on a burner with acid
and flux and all that. My Uncle actually gets the credit
for teaching me that. He was a sheet metal guy after
the Korean war and had the expertise and the old irons.

It's actually pretty easy to do, but it does put off some fumes!

[bb4_96]

is it me or do those front 350z calipers look like q45s?

I think they are the non-track calipers. They aren't all aluminum, only the track/sport.

[jdm2191]

you guys are awesome!

[mutz22]

is it me or do those front 350z calipers look like q45s?

You can use 350z with std. brakes pads on 94-96 q45 calipers. They are slightly shorter but fit.

350z-http://images.whisystems.com/smartpages/partinfo_resize/CEC/10x08150.jpg

94 Q45-http://images.whisystems.com/smartpages/partinfo_resize/CEC/10X05870.jpg

[zomgsohc]

Amazing build. Amazing. You have great fabrication skills, and I have to admit, I'm quite jealous of your garage as well. The car is amazing. The detail work is great.

I would also like to see more pictures of the Mazda brake setup. I love brakes!

[koukimuncher]

good stuff broski nice fabrication job

[GrimDrifter]

I also have these same 350z calipers sitting around, i was wondering how i would get them to fit. Did you make studs from the original bolts, or a blank rod? Are you going to use the 350 BMC? I was regretting not buying an HR motor for my swap but it looks more complicated to swap in. Very cool work man. Great ingenuity.

[donandal]

I also have these same 350z calipers sitting around, i was wondering how i would get them to fit. Did you make studs from the original bolts, or a blank rod? Are you going to use the 350 BMC? I was regretting not buying an HR motor for my swap but it looks more complicated to swap in. Very cool work man. Great ingenuity.

The studs have two different thread diameters and pitch. one end matches the 350Z caliper bracket threads (bigger diameter), and the other matches the smaller 240SX threads.
Having the smaller diameter thread allowed us to use the caliper bracket without drilling out the mounting holes on the spindle. We threaded them on our lathe.


http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/rx8rearbrakeconversion053.jpg


We didn't use the 350Z BMC or the S13 BMC. We went with the bigger diameter 1 and 1/16th Z32 BMC.(the 350Z was 1 and 1/16th also) It should more closely balance with the bigger piston sizes front and rear, and was a simple bolt-on. We also added a proportioning valve to fine tune the balance.

[GrimDrifter]

yes i realize why you had to do it. I will try something similar by converting the regular bolt into a dual size stud as you did. luckily my roommate runs a machine shop! thanks for the info.

[Bambi]

So uh... it's going to be 2013 here in a little bit and uh... what happened with this thread?
:(

[stamps31757]

if you ever decide to make these again let me know i'm willing to buy a set.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidepiecesfinished003.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidepiecesfinished005.jpg

[ayorenz]

if you ever decide to make these again let me know i'm willing to buy a set.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidepiecesfinished003.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/sidepiecesfinished005.jpg

same here!

[Nickys13]

awesome job!... Dare ya to replicate the oem bumpers and use metal.

[donandal]

now that's a dare...

Actually, we've been driving the car in the summer but put it up for the winter in my shop.

Allen has been busy restoring a boat in Florida so we haven't done a lot more on the car that is finished to show yet.

I also got a little distracted with a new project so we're both pretty busy now.


http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/homebuilt1/53chevy1007_zpsea049678.jpg



The truck is a 53 Chevy that is getting a 5" stretch to the cab, corvette front end, LS engine and auto tranny, air conditioning,etc.

I have been keeping up with the photos of the stuff we have been
doing on the 240SX and we will update the when there is some good stuff to see

thanks

[TheRealSy90]

Any way you could fix the pictures through this thread?

[irax]

I didn't know there was a work around to the photobucket issue

[1on1]

Noobs :D

In case you did not see this thread posted when PB being a girl:

http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=648507

I had to click get image twice to retrieve the photos.

[TheRealSy90]

You really resurrected a 4 year old thread because you don't understand that Photobucket is going out of business and ruining all the forums ? :picardfp::picardfp::picardfp:
You understand that photobucket is demanding $400 a year for hosting right ?
You wanna pay for his 1 year subscription ?



It's really not that big of a deal dude. Could just host them somewhere else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Phlip]

Any way you could fix the pictures through this thread?

User has not logged in for over 8 months. I will leave this open on the PRAYER that he comes back and fixes this to show some of these chuckleheads what a build thread should look like.
And because I am in a less-bad-than-usual mood, I will move it to the builds section that didn't exist when he made it.

[TheRealSy90]

User has not logged in for over 8 months. I will leave this open on the PRAYER that he comes back and fixes this to show some of these chuckleheads what a build thread should look like.

And because I am in a less-bad-than-usual mood, I will move it to the builds section that didn't exist when he made it.


Good guy Phlip.

I didn't check but, I wonder if we could get the image sources from his posts, find the images, re host them and edit them back into his original posts? If he doesnt come back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Initial Drift]

If you do the photobucket fix found here: http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=649244
you can view the images still. I am sure it would be possible to DL the images and rehost them, but I would imagine the editing of the posts would have to be handled by an admin.

[afishysilvia]

This build is absolute great! the fab work is impressive!! Plus father/son combo...Respect.