"Street/Drift/Circuit" 180JZ Build

[240sx_sr20det]

Less talking, more pictures, I know.

Long time member, back for another build. Went to Japan, this past November, and it completely changed my views on how I want to build my cars; simple.

Here's a video from Touge Course at Ebisu Circuit;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKDNRNocq9A

Came back from Japan, booked the next trip in April, and then went on a hunt for a 180SX shell. Took a while, but stumbled on one in NYC. My only requirements were; no rust, caged, no tubular front end etc.

Found one! Tossed back some Real Gold and headed to NYC.



It was a good starting point, but a few things had to go. The kit was sold instantly, as well as the Seibon hood. The hunt began for Type X aero.



Fast forward a week or so, and I stripped down the front end, thoroughly cleaned the bay, quick scratch sand, and primed it. Then I had to decide what color to go.



In between paint and primer, I sourced a set of Bride Zeta II's. One happened to be a little more special than the other.



My father came down for the weekend, and helped me setup a temporary paint booth. Having multiple projects going on at once, I didn't want to risk getting overspray on anything else. This took no time, and highly recommend it.

The more and more I searched, and it came down to one color. Toyota Tacoma Silver Streak Mica. One base coat down.

This was my first time spraying anything, and I researched a lot about gun/compressor/regulator setup. If you need any help, just PM me, it's easier than you think!



Two/three coats down.



And time for some clear! I love the depth of this color.

[240sx_sr20det]

Started to reassemble the front end. Originally I was going to use extended lowers, and JIC Tension rods, but I ended up ditching that setup and ordering a kit from TechnoToyTuning. As this car is going to see the Circuit, as well as some Drifting days, I didn't want to go with a PBM kit and have 90mm extension on each side, and be forced to run 55mm fender.

The TTT Kit will arrive in two weeks.

https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/s...rods-s13-240sx





Wheel choices were the toughest part for me. I originally hunted and found some Origin Lab DNA-02 wheels, but ended up stumbling on a set of Work XT7's. Finally, I decided that it had to be TE37's, lol.



Not so sure that I'll keep the 4" blast pipes. Not really a fan of the look. Still on the hunt for something on Yahoo Japan.



And this is how it currently sits.




I pulled the interior apart, pulled out the Faction Motorsports harness, and sent it back Justin to have some revisions done. I want the car to function as OEM as possible.

Right now, I'm in the process of installing the driver-side suspension, so I can drop the front end down, and get the rear in the air to pull the subframe and start cleaning everything up. Will probably get to that tonight or tomorrow.

Still waiting on my R154 to be finished - it's off at TMZ Performance, in MI, being built by my friend, Tim. He's going through the entire trans and adding Marlin Crawler parts where necessary.

Other than that, the car will be stripped and prepped for exterior paint. I'm excited to get to this part of the journey.

[240sx_sr20det]

So, since I left Japan, the bug has bit me hard. I stumbled on this local 180SX Type X for sale, and jumped on it as soon as I could. Same night I saw it, I messaged the seller, went and met him, and took the car home.

It's a '96 180SX Type X. It's completely stock, except for a cat-back, and a set of Model 6's. It's crazy how nice a bone-stock S-Chassis is. Everything works, and it feels so complete.

The first pic;



I took it out for a cruise, to run some errands, and I am obsessed with this car.



The only thing that bothers me, is that it's missing the center valence, so I'll need to source a new OEM one.







You can see the sun spots, on the hood, that need to be taken care of. Got a quote from my friend at Cove Customs, in MA, to paint the; hood, roof, bumper, and blend it all, as well as a full exterior detail for $600. So I think I'll move forward with that. He did an excellent job, on a Miata, in the past for me.





All tucked away;

[Sonic Motor]

Wow that thing is clean... great cars man.

[TheRealSy90]

Loving it so far, that 180sx is great. Is it a legal import being a 96?

[240sx_sr20det]

Originally Posted by Sonic Motor

Wow that thing is clean... great cars man.

Thanks man. I've ordered from your site a million times!

Originally Posted by TheRealSy90

Loving it so far, that 180sx is great. Is it a legal import being a 96?

Thank you, sir!

I bought it from an importer in Rhode Island - Blacked Out Motorsports - and went and registered it yesterday. I gave them the actual VIN and had no issues titling it as a 180SX. Even insured it as a 180. They had some seriously awesome cars there, and he sells about 40-50 R33 GTR's a year, in the states, with no issues thus far. Give Dave a shout if you're looking for a car.

[TheRealSy90]

That's awesome. Being a 96 it would still have to be a "grey market" car though since it's not older than 25 years? Hopefully you don't have issues later on!

[240sx_sr20det]

Originally Posted by TheRealSy90

That's awesome. Being a 96 it would still have to be a "grey market" car though since it's not older than 25 years? Hopefully you don't have issues later on!

I don't want to go huge into it here, as I'd like to keep this thread on track, but I'll PM you exactly what I was told. It made me feel safe enough to buy the car with no worries.

[MaxfromVA]

Hey man, nice color choice on the original 180sx , looks amazing. Good Luck, i'll be watching.

[240sx_sr20det]

Originally Posted by MaxfromVA

Hey man, nice color choice on the original 180sx , looks amazing. Good Luck, i'll be watching.

Appreciate it, man!

-----------------------------------

Didn't get nearly as much done as I would've liked today. It was 65* out, so I took full advantage of it and went cruising in the 180.

I did manage to get the head light assemblies apart, cleaned, painted, and reassembled. I must say, RayBrigs lights are so nice!

Before & After:

[tricky_ab]

Looking good so far, and I'll be watching this thread. And I love that 180SX pickup my man!

[Bspilner]

Better than new! Awsome work!

[Koukiii]

Very nice cars

[240sx_sr20det]

Not much to update. My girlfriend and I went on a cruise, because how could you not in 65* weather, and got some sushi.



Later, we decided to make the trek, down to NJ, to attend the Flipzco Friday Night Meet. 3.5 hour drive, but it was well worth it, as the cars were awesome, and it was great to see some friends that we wouldn't normally see unless we were at a Clubloose drift event.

The 180 made the trip flawlessly, and I was quite surprised at the attention it received. I don't think many people have seen a bone stock 180SX Type X before - I didn't know.



[URL=http://s1123.photobucket.com/user/byebye_sti117/media/FA03DFF1-9F79-437F-8533-D9715F67AF24.jpg.html]



We went down to shoot media for DriftLifeMag, so it was a good work event too. The roads are so brutal though. At one point I thought I hit a pothole so hard that I pushed the strut tower through the hood and shattered all my teeth. Not doing that again. Fuck you NJ, and NY, and your shitty roads.

[Standard]

Very cool! Love the silver on the kouki! Oh and your sidemarker is out on the passenger side haha

[240sx_sr20det]

Originally Posted by Standard

Very cool! Love the silver on the kouki! Oh and your sidemarker is out on the passenger side haha

Thanks! I thought the same thing but they only light up with the turn signals.

[240sx_sr20det]

So, here is how the car sat two days ago;



The engine bay color is going to contrast so well with the exterior color that I'm going to be picking up in a few days.



Then it was time to pull the rear subframe off. I wanted to undercoat the underside of the car, as well as the rear wells. I also wanted to pull the diff out and verify the 2-way. This gave me an opportunity to degrease, pressure-wash, and rust-stop coat everything before painting. (Sorry for the IG Story Screen Shots).



Pulled the arms off, and sold them in an hour. These will be replaced with Driftworks arms. I also opted to go with Driftworks RLCA.



These will be replaced with PBM Solid Subframe Bushings. They were much easier to remove then expected.




And a quick coat of Rustoleum, and tomorrow I'll be tossing some paint on it. Also cleaned the diff, verified the 2-way, and will paint it tomorrow.



And this is how the car currently sit - arm-less, lol. The front LCA and Tension Rods sold, as well as the Greddy Coilovers, so I'm just waiting on my TechnoToyTuning Kit and ISC Coilovers. ISC Suspension will be partnering with me this year, for the 2018 season. Looking forward to testing their kit.

[240sx_sr20det]

This is a better update. Tim, from TMZ Performance, just finished up my R154. With a plethora of OEM Toyota, and Marlin Crawler parts, it looks - and will perform - better than ever. Xcessive supplied us with a shifter extension specifically for the S-Chassis.

Incoming pic overload.

[240sx_sr20det]

Went with a few used, but good condition parts, to save on costs where we could.





























That's all for today. Will update more tomorrow.

[240sx_sr20det]

Edited. Saved for tomorrow.

[240sx_sr20det]

Not much to update.

New shocks arrived thanks to ISC Suspension.

Painted the rear subframe - the reason I'm going so bright/light colored on everything is because I want to be able to see if something is leaking.



Fresh coat on the cleaned diff, and we're good to go.

[DJTTon]

Where did you find the 180? Forum? Local site?

[tricky_ab]

Originally Posted by DJTTon

Where did you find the 180? Forum? Local site?

Originally Posted by 240sx_sr20det

I bought it from an importer in Rhode Island - Blacked Out Motorsports - and went and registered it yesterday. I gave them the actual VIN and had no issues titling it as a 180SX. Even insured it as a 180. They had some seriously awesome cars there, and he sells about 40-50 R33 GTR's a year, in the states, with no issues thus far. Give Dave a shout if you're looking for a car.

And there ya go...

[DJTTon]

Lol I went straight to the comment box. I'm just trying to figure out how people come across cars in really good shape.

[240sx_sr20det]

Originally Posted by DJTTon

Lol I went straight to the comment box. I'm just trying to figure out how people come across cars in really good shape.

It may be for sale soon.

[snacks]

filthy_joe on instagram, right? I've been following for a while but had no idea you were from CT too. Looks good man, can't wait to see how this turns out

[240sx_sr20det]

Originally Posted by snacks

filthy_joe on instagram, right? I've been following for a while but had no idea you were from CT too. Looks good man, can't wait to see how this turns out

Yes, sir! Just moved down to the CT area to be closer to the surrounding tracks (Thompson, LimeRock, Palmer etc). Much easier commute when I have to coach.

[SupaDoopa]

New England > all.

[snacks]

Originally Posted by 240sx_sr20det

Yes, sir! Just moved down to the CT area to be closer to the surrounding tracks (Thompson, LimeRock, Palmer etc). Much easier commute when I have to coach.

Awesome man, welcome! I'll be at Thompson next weekend if you're going. I'm a bit far from the area but if you ever need a hand with the car, let me know!

[JrDarknes]

That headlight assembly looks really clean man. I'm going to have to try to attempt that. Did you get all your screws from your local hardware store or did you have to order some from nissan? I am mainly concerned about that one that sits in the middle underneath the headlight.