Aga's Bougatsa RS13

[aga]

So! time for my own build thread. I'm Greek, and obviously in Greece. The tax system here changes every week, 3 years ago 2 liter cars were tax free, then they changed it to being so expensive, everyone is selling their evos and s2k's for half the price than they had 2 years ago. Which makes a 1800cc car, splendid.

I've been into cars 12 years now, converted and modified 2 starlet turbos, very fast and reliable cars, learned to tune ecu's on them, build carbon and fiberglass, and generally everything about cars.

this was my glanza and my GT. (1300cc's 287hp and 190hp)





anyway on to the s13. after i sold my first starlet (the black one) i put the 2nd one on sale. in the meantime i found this:



200sx... normally these are ca18det, but the guy had an s14 blacktop sr which was just rebuilt, forged with cp pistons, eagle rods etc and claimed zero km's. the car hadn't moved in 2 years, and he said, some parts missing. a turbo being one of them.

one problem. it was 550kms away. So, i take my mate along who is an awesome electrician and all around master mechanic, a gt2860rs from his sierra cosworth which was in pieces for paint anyway, and we fly over!




so we get there on saturday morning with tools and a turbo to make things work...best case scenario we drive it back. but nobody wants to drive 550kms in an unknown car, so i decided to load it on a train. but we gotta make sure it works first. I had sent over some local friends to check out the car and they said it looked ok. well, it did, the parts that were there. a lot of shit was missing. anyway we had come prepared and installed the turbo, and made a complete intercooler piping set out of scrap!





after adjusting the CAS, the car finally started, but was running stupid rich and misfiring. we'll sort that out in athens, we said. the car had a z32 maf and mine's ecu. i dont know if those two play along, but we'll never know. we loaded the car into a truck, and took it to the railway station.




loading it on the ramp was a PITA
i'm on the night train ,ready to go

and about 7 hours later, athens!



and after spitting and banging for about 2km, waking up everyone in the way, arrived at my mate's shop.


So, the car wouldnt work properly. I had to make it work fast, cause a guy offered to buy my starlet GT , at the end of the month. i had 3 weeks to make the sx work or i would be without a car.

start of build:


i was sure the maf was not cooperating with the ecu. but going back to a standard maf sucks , so i ordered a power fc. While waiting for it to arrive, we tackled more easy problems. I removed the tiny intercooler it had and put it up for sale



and bought some parts. some good, some knockoff.


installed the intercooler and made a whole new plumping system








the power fc came, and it wouldnt even get power. we double checked that we had the right ecu, so we decided to open up the wiring loom.











it was a MESS. cables not going anywhere. cables short circuiting. things not connected. maf wrong cas wrong everything wrong. this thing was built by chimpanzees in a dark cave using only hammers.

anyway we rebuilt the loom, and the thing fired up correctly for the first time. then, something wierd. The power fc would not store changes. After a bit of internet searching i found out that the eccs relay gives time to the ecu after the ignition has turned off, to store the data. this relay was missing or we couldnt find it, so my friend made a hack with a somethingy i dont remember, and gave 1 second delay to the relay, so the ecu has time to burn data. sweet.

3 weeks of work, cleaning up and redoing things the monkeys had destroyed, the car is ready to hit the road. No blow off valve, so the car keeps dying when letting off the throttle ,but it will be done too.



so, easter came and i had to take a trip, so i thought i'd check my transmission and diff oil.

thats how much there was in the gearbox:


after going for a trip, and looking at constant 89-90C water temp, i decided time for a coolant system upgrade.

driftworks radiator (couldnt find koyo in europe)

and samco hoses


time to give my mate back his 2860rs, bought an 2871r 0.64 ....nice power, but i loved the response of the 2860, you could easily drift in 2nd in the streets just by caressing the throttle. but power wise, 0.6 bar in the 2871 is like 1 bar in the 2860....

converted my old sard R2D2 blow off valve to recirculating...


got some goodies:


my mate george turned my brace into nismo kinda


Also changed the gearbox, cause mine was grinding gears too much, added a nismo cluch cylinder, a nismo fork pivot, and a cluch braided hose. My steering rack was leaking on all 3 ends so i sent it off to be serviced, and installed new bushings while at it.

and got some brembos, off a renault megane f1, they are a bit bigger than the evo's


also i removed the ABS, and installed a willwood brake valve

got a type x wing which i prepped and painted in my balcony...


then, time for some nice sounds. I already had an amp and sub, but my speakers were fried. so i decided to go for some focals. i found a set cheap, and the guy wanted 60 euros to install them... right, sure.

so off i go:
remove the old ones, to take measurements.


1cm thick MDF,


my trusty dremel


and ready.




i grinded a bit off the back of the door panel...



and gave the mdf a coat of primer so they wont suck moisture

threw the wing on, and went for summer vacations!




for those wondering what bougatsa means, its a kind of pastry with creme. long story!

so, current spec:
engine:
s14 sr20det
carillo pistons
eagle rods
cometic head gasket
arp studs
garrett 2871r
nismo 740cc injectors
driftworks radiator
gktech fan
coolant swirl pot

transmission:
s14 gearbox
nismo coppermix clutch
nismo clutch cylinder
nismo fork pivot
braided clutch line

brakes:
brembo 4pots
braided lines
willwood brake valve
removed abs

electronics:
Apexi powerFC with commander and FC datalogit
AEM wideband
GReddy profec e01

suspension:
driftworks caster arms
super pro steering rack bushings
custom power brace
driftworks subframe bushings
energy suspension bushings all around
hardrace swaybar drop links front & rear

exterior
type X wing
type X rear bumper and taillights (not fitted yet)
fiberglass vented bonnet made by me (work in progress)

[2stepGoesPowPow]

Nice build so far! im greek also and visit family a lot i wish i had a 240 to play with in greece! you live in athens?

[aga]

yeah, Athens. they are 200's here, and half of them still have the ole ca18det...

[brndck]

Very cool build! Nice toyotas too!

[aga]

Originally Posted by brndck

Very cool build! Nice toyotas too!

thanks. the build has a long way to go yet... the toyotas had a real lot of personal work...the on the black glanza i had made the mold of almost all the bodykit and remade it in carbon...bonnet, rear wing, sideskirts, front and rear lip, eyelids, air diverter, the air filter to turbo pipe...





the GT, i copied the genuine TOM's bodykit, and made the rear wing in carbon, and the front bumper in carbon and kevlar (which my boss proceeded to smash with a nissan terrano) , plus the bonnet. also i learned to tune ecu's on them...

S13 update: i'm building a bonnet. Istalling a hood vent (dmax style) and making a mold of it. target : 5-6kg total weight.

also i sourced a dashboard, so i'll be making some gauge pods.

[PoorMans180SX]

Man, looks like this thing has come a long way since you've owned it, and you're off to a solid start! Looking forward to more progress.

[ixfxi]

you should have taken your car to the "garbounis bros" on the right

thats the problem with buying project cars... the previous owner is always a malaka

[aga]

Originally Posted by ixfxi

you should have taken your car to the "garbounis bros" on the right

thats the problem with buying project cars... the previous owner is always a malaka

I should have popped up the headlights like this picture too

[Reece]

Awesome build! Awesome Starlets too, I wish we got those Starlets in the states...

[aga]

there are a few people that have imported some, just for the rarity of it...i've seen a girl with a black GT , in california i think.

update:
general fix ups...connected the reverse switch on the gearbox, connected the check engine light.

my hot-cold air switch wire is kinked ...where could i find a used or new one?

coming soon: how to make gauge pods and a fiberglass vented hood.

[aga]

update on the build:

finally got new front tires: Falken...something. didnt bother to remember.

full bushing set from energy suspension, to be fitted, hardrace droplinks, some heat resistant hose covers, and aerocatch fasteners for the hood i'm bulding:

here we go:

i traced the vent on my hood, and started cutting



removed the skin then cut the ribs a bit bigger so the vent will be fitted from beneath


scrap!


necessary adjustments and measurements




i used a polyurethane glue called black mamba (ironically, i later found out it comes in white too...white mamba? ) which has spectacular strength


splot


i didnt get many photos after that cause my hands were a mess!


from underneath...


in the end we drilled and screwed a number of screws around the vent, to keep it properly seated until the glue does it's work. then the screws will be cut and sanded , and the whole thing will be puttied over. after the hood has been properly prepared, it will be molded in fiberglass, and the original sold cheaply...


to be continued... coilovers, bushes, fiberglassing, dash out, repairs, horror, agony!

[aga]

after sanding for 5 hours....still some sanding to do.



also got these, hey!

[e1_griego]

My two drachmas -- poly just binds up in most spots in an s13. Either stay rubber or go spherical.

The RLCA (and fixed things like diff or subframe) are about the only passable places for poly.

[aga]

hmm what do you mean binds up? starts squeaking? or has fitment issues? spherical is too much for a daily car i think... rubber, what , oem? yikes.

[e1_griego]

The bushings in the back of a 240 need to move in more than one axis. Poly doesn't.

When it binds it doesn't let the susp move around, eventually just tears the bushing up.

[aga]

that's...shit. thanks for giving me the heads up. i'll install them for now, cause mine are fucked, and i'll look for alternatives in the future.

[aga]

so, taking out the subframe i suspect that the trasmission cooler has never worked



the subframe bushes were knackered as i suspected



and i found out the hard way that the energy suspension set, does NOT include them! it onlygives you some inserts. well, too late for that. the car will be on the lift for a week it seems until new ones come over from driftworks

[Big Zee]

Great build!! just enough text and pictures to keep a blonde entertained!!!
I look forward to more updates!

[Black R]

Just go with solid subframe bushings.

Better yet, go with s14 rear subframe for better geometry.

[aga]

making a mold of the hood. i do it on the car because since i cut it its become a bit flimsy and i want it to sit straight when making the mold.



if it will JUST STOP RAINING!

[aga]

finally finished with all the bushings of the car! tomorrow going for an alignment



while my mate was installing the bushings we were molding the hood. (the guy on the left is me)





on monday we will mold the underneath.

tomorrow, dash out , heater repair!

[aga]

finished and demolded the hood, gotta do some finishing work on the molds , before i produce the first hood. didnt take any pics but i will soon.

i had ordered these, they just came at the dealership. the guy at the counter didnt even give me a kiss before f**king me!



and i got me some cookiez
and the lower panel is in the mail, i'm looking for a center garnish now.

finally the heater is fixed, and all the bushings on the car are replaced. huge difference. i have a driveshaft vibration to fix , must be the center thingy...

[sleepyS14se]

this is a awesome build thread

[aga]

mold is ready , polished and waxed.



gelcoat applied, and then fiberglass (didnt take a photo i was full of resin)



after a few days, pop out the hood from the mold!



trimmed it and put it on top of my metal hood for a photo.



my car decided to spring 3 leaks simultaneously. coolant from the hose that goes to the heater, oil from the dash light valve, and grease, from the axle boot. damn. fixed the first two so far...

[sleepyS14se]

i love threads like this....nice and basic and to the point.


Sometimes i get tired of the insane 60k$ builds...this is more my style.

Props to you mr greek man, s13 looks awesome and your molding skills are top notch.

[aga]

finally completed my hood!
welded stainless nuts on some thingies i cut with the laser at work,





and buried them in the hood reinforcement using fiberglass and polyester


then the hood was glued on using polyurethane glue

the next day i installed the aerocatch in the place of the two front bump stops, and cut the two front grilles, until i decide what to do about rainwater (don't want the coils getting wet) ...also i forgot to install windshield squirters.

[sleepyS14se]

wow...speechless...wish i had the tooling to do such things

[aga]

Υou don't need any special tools. Only a Dremel...

[aga]

maintenance time. belts, fixing leaks, axle boots, etc etc

and! vibra technics mounts



so pweety. merry xmas

[aga]

i tried to pull off the hose off the overflow nipple on the radiator neck and it came off real easily. that led me to a ton of trouble. the metal was too thin to make a new threading, welding it on didnt go well cause the welding thing cant fit to weld between the nipple and the radiator, addind epoxy didnt do anything so i had a leak.



so i bought a whole new radiator neck from carbuildersolutions in uk (awesome site) and cut mine off , welded new one



its preety beefy, cnc machined and the cap is lower pressure than the driftworks one (1bar instead of 1.3)

since i emptied the system of coolant i replaced all the radiator hoses and turbo coolant return with samco



if my friend who does all the welding is free tomorrow , we'll fabricate a stand for a coolant expansion tank, and hopefully my cooling system will be complete, i was chasing leaks all all over but it seems to be great now.