Looking for a new daily driver

[cerro]

Hey folks, just joined to say hello and look around. I've been thinking of trading in my BMW 330D Sport for an S14a. I already have an R33 GTS4 Skyline (currently doing an RB26 engine swap) that will be used for blasting around the country side but I was thinking of getting an S14a for the daily commute and for the wife to use. It might also see some use on a drift track, but I'm not going to mention that to the wife! It's not that I don't like the 330D, it's very civilized, great fuel economy and has plenty of power, especially when you stick in sport mode and put your foot down! But it is a diesel and being a BMW parts are rarely cheap. Plus they don't seem too friendly when it comes to DIY maintenance. Hopefully I can part-ex it.

What's the S14 like as a daily? Reasonable maintenance costs? Comfortable ride? MPG, if you're not booting it everywhere - I've heard 30ish? I've been looking at S bodies as they seem easy to work on and I can use the same toolset for the Skyline and the S14. Admittedly I am pretty rubbish when it comes to mechanics but an S14 seems like an easier place to start than the Skyline. I'll probably be looking for something fairly stock, as the wife does not like the hard ride of my Skyline on coilovers. Although I realise the cars being the age they are, finding one that is stock is pretty rare. What do stock-ish S14s go for these days? £3-4k for an SR20DET manual (or auto converted) in decent nick?

What are the things to look out for on S14s? Any areas prone to rusting? Gearboxes reliable?

[Jonny Wilkinson]

The closer they are to standard the better daily they make IMO.

You should be able to get a decent standard manual 14a for 4K although they are appreciating rather than losing value at the moment.

30 mpg is perfectly possible on a standard or Stage 1 car as long as you're not booting it everywhere.

Again, the drivetrain should be fine unless the car is tuned and slammed with silly wide wheels and/or has been clutch-kicked to death.

People will disagree with me but, personally, I'd look for an original manual and certainly wouldn't pay more for an auto that's been converted.

Finally, the way prices are going ATM, you could get lucky and find that a nice, barely-modified 14a will return you a profit when you sell it, if you can resist the temptation to turn it into a car your wife won't drive

[cerro]

I've arranged to go see an S14a this weekend (this one), looks completely unmolested - still has the original white wheels on it.

I know to check for the main things like any kind of smoke, especially on boost and the basic stuff like electrics and general road noises. But where are the main areas to check for rust? Arches and sills? Bootlid? Also, what are the general repair prices for that sort of thing on an S14 - so if I find any minor issues I know roughly how much it will cost to fix and how much to try and get knocked off.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Those wheels do look standard but I think you'll find they are silver not white. Its a shit photo.

It doesn't bode well that he couldn't be arsed to wash it for the photos though.

Check for rust around the turret tops and the area around the bottom of the radiator, the scuttle (in front of the windscreen) and the whole painted area really as well as underneath.

If the paint is bubbling anywhere, you are probably best to walk away as, at 3500, he's never going to take the drop you'd need to pay for the rust-removal. It will be much more extensive than you think. Sills, turret tops and floor pan can be done at a reasonable price but, really, if its got more than a sniff of rust you're probably better waiting for another one.

Looks like it might scrub up though. Worth a look, I'd say if its less than 100 miles away.

[cerro]

Awesome, that's exactly what I needed. Thanks

I thought the wheels were the same as the ones I got on the Skyline when I first bought it - they are an ugly white, steel wheel. A silver wheel would be at least a little easier on the eye. But you're right, the fact the car hasn't been washed for the photos is usually bad, often hides scratches and dents. I know someone was out to view it this week and didn't take it. I'm not too optimistic, I'll just have to give it a good look over.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Take a bucket and ask him if you can clean it for him

He gets a clean car, you get to closely inspect allof the bodywork

[cerro]

Ha, I already asked if he had anything to let me look under it... all he has is the jack from the boot, so I am tempted to take my own jack and axle stands I could imagine the look on his face if I turned up with a detailing kit too

[cerro]

Checked the car out today and it is immaculate. Turns out he had a complete respray done a few years ago because he had scratches on the roof and a little on the side. It sat in an underground garage for a few years while he was out of the country and he inherited another car so this one has done about 3000 miles in the last 3 years. There's one small dent on the n/s front wing and some paint work on the bumper has been scratched but it's completely rust free, even the underside has nothing more than a few specks of surface rust - bit of sandpaper and an underseal should sort it. Exhaust is looking a little tired but I'd probably want to replace that with a 3" system eventually anyway. Is the clutch usually pretty stiff and springy on these cars?

I put a deposit down straight away and should collect it this week - he wants it gone before he starts crying about it. Once I've given it a proper clean I'll get some pictures up

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Regular clutch is usually light and smooth. It might need the clutch fluid replacing or it could be the lever arm pivot has snapped (a fairly common problem). The pivot itself only costs around 8 quid but replacing it requires the gearbox to be removed. That is a simple enough job and can be done with the engine in but takes a couple of hours to get off and on.

Did it drive alright ? Was the clutch engaging smoothly ?

[cerro]

Yeah clutch was smooth coming out, it was squeeking and springy (but not heavy) when depressed though. I mentioned it to him, I thought it might be a paddle clutch at first but it was easy coming off the peddle and letting the clutch out so I guessed that's how they were... Clutch and brake fluids were last done in 2013 I think, the garage that was looking after it wrote on parts of the engine bay which fluids (and how much) were changed and when. Quite handy I thought! The foot rest next to the clutch peddle was also loose, at first I thought there was a 4th peddle or some kind of spring, it was wierd. Can that just be screwed back in?

Car drove fine both in traffic and on the open road. Had no problems letting it roll on the bite point in traffic and changes were easy on the road.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Sometimes 200s get a problem with the pedal box. It gets rusty and cracks and that can lead to the symptoms you describe. Its pretty easy to source another one from a breakers or the breakers section on this forum.

To check you just need a torch and to get your head down into the driver's footwell and look up. It may just need a good clean and a bit of lubrication on the spring that returns the pedal to the up position.

[cerro]

Picked up the car last night and drove it the 100 miles home - no problems and even the clutch felt more like I would expect (it might have been because I drove my auto BMW to see it). It needs a good clean inside, the outside isn't too bad but I've not had a chance to give it a proper detail yet.

S14a_off by CJ_Walker, on Flickr

S14a_near by CJ_Walker, on Flickr


Really feel like I should swap those wheels for something better, I could probably stuff a small child inside those wheel arches (not that I would )

So the next question is - where are the basic tuning/upgrade guides as the one in the FAQ for S14s is "temp unavailable"?

[sideways14a]

http://www.h-dev.co.uk/product_info....roducts_id=173


Start you off.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Picked up the car last night and drove it the 100 miles home - no problems and even the clutch felt more like I would expect (it might have been because I drove my auto BMW to see it). It needs a good clean inside, the outside isn't too bad but I've not had a chance to give it a proper detail yet.

So the next question is - where are the basic tuning/upgrade guides as the one in the FAQ for S14s is "temp unavailable"?

You seem to have got yourself a nice tidy little daily. Why spoil it ?

I do understand the boyish enthusiasm that comes with new ownership but :-

We are just coming into the killing season (best you learn how to keep it pointing forwards with 190 bhp before ramping up to 250+)
You haven't found out what is wrong with the car yet (bound to be something on any car that old)
You haven't been around the website long enough to know what to buy and from whom (a fool and his money are soon parted)

Why don't you just drive it for a couple of weeks, clean it inside and out (you'll be surprised at what you will find), read up as much as you can on available mods and learn as much as you can about who provides quality parts and who provides chinese ebay tut.

Then work out how much money you have to spend, learn all about the value of mods (a performance part that new costs £200 usually has a s/h value of £100 and increases the value of your car by £0) and put a coherent set of mods together.

Also, 90% of performance parts on a car improve performance at the expensive of driveability/reliability both of which are fundamental to a usable daily.

[cerro]

Woah! I'm not planning on going mad or even doing anything on it soon - the first year will probably go without me touching it (beyond the wheels) as it keeps the insurance costs way down. I'm spending all my money on my Skyline project (GTS-4 to GTR with methanol) so installing piggyback ECUs and full scale mods aren't going to happen. This is going to be kept simple as the wife has to be comfortable driving it. I was thinking more like with the Skyline where the turbos are restricted to 0.85bar but you can just remove the restrictor and you have 1 bar of boost and no other changes are required, except for a boost gauge. Unless something breaks I'm leaving it be. Although I do want to find out all the service bits for it quickly as the MOT is due in December and part of the reason I went for the SX is because it is a good car to work on. I'm sure there will be worn bushes somewhere, might replace those with polys but certainly no rose jointed arms going in, I don't need another Skyline.

I'm just looking for information on what is possible, the common changes people make and then I can come up with my own list of mods to do. I want a good couple months just driving it completely stock, maybe take it out on a track for a day or two (castle combe is just up the road if the weather is nice) and see what I like and don't like about the car before tinkering with it.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Powerflex for bushes or get bushed adjustable arms from Apex which is handy for alignment and lowering.
Loads of midrange coilovers but go for the soft end of the range. Apex do limo coilovers which are 4/3 kg (twice as stiff as standard but soft enough to still work well on the road) but do need some space in the wheelarch to work.
GSF can get most service parts like aux belts etc.
Fuchs Supersyn 10W50 for engine oil
Comma 75W90 GL4 for gearbox and diff (don't buy GL5)
Nissan for oil filters (or make sure you get a decent aftermarket brand)
NGK Grade 7 for spark plugs
Make sure you flush all the coolant out if you are moving from Nissan green coolant to pink alloy-fit coolant.
Rebuild the brakes and fit DS2500 pads
HD Stage 1 chip with accompanying mods will up the ante performance-wise without making it peaky - fit a Walbro though as the OEM pumps are pretty weedy to begin with and after this many years will be pretty dire. GSS341 I believe for an S14.
...errmmm...

[cerro]

Cool, thanks for that. I'll check out the Apex parts in case I need them. I'll hold off on coilovers, the mere mention of them to the wife might endanger my marriage.

I actually have some Fuchs Titan 5w40 that I bought for the RB25 before I sent it for an engine swap that won't be any use when it comes back. I'm guessing 10w50 is the recommend one for the SR? I've generally stuck with Nissan for filters so that's fine. Seems like most of what is recommend is similar to the Skyline which is what I had hoped for!

On rebuilding the brakes - do you mean refurb the calipers? Where is the best place to get the kit if so? For the coolant, do people change to the pink stuff because it's cheaper? I always thought the predator blood green was quite cool

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Greens getting hard to get hold of so most moving to pink.
Caliper rebuild kits from ebay for about £25 but doesn't include pistons. Check Aaron's (LED Sandwich) build thread for a link.
I need some 5W40 for my CA if you want to get rid. Let me know quick as I was going to order some today. I'm pretty sure 5W40 is too thin for SRs but maybe ask around.
If coilovers are a no-no but your shocks are shot, Nismo S-tunes get good write-ups.

[cerro]

I checked with opie oils - 5w40 is fine for standard SR20s, 10w50 if it will see regular track use but that probably won't happen until the weather turns nice again in spring and I'll do another oil change then probably. I think the shocks were recently replaced at the rear but I'll see how it goes

[BWanderers]

If that's as rust free as you originally thought then you've sprung yourself a great buy. Well done & a belated welcome to the club.


Keep the thread updated as you go. We're always keen to see progress on an SX, if only a thorough 'gimping' up with a bit of spit 'n' polish!

R.