project 400sx

[dougal200]

Hi guys,

I know this may be in the wrong section but im not quite a member yet so i hope this can stay here for a while untill i organise myself.

I know there are a few starting projects similar to this but i hope it will have a different twist.

The story begins about 6 months ago when i bought this car for spares for my daily driver (indigo stage 1 s14)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00884.jpg

i hope this works ok as this is my first image post

Anyway, i bought this car off someone on the forum for the sum of £150 via ebay. It was missing all of the front pannels, had no wheels, no interior (except dash and a few other bits) oh and no engine or transmission.

Apart from that everything else was there generaly.

After swaping subframes etc for a rebuild on my daily drive i now have to decide what to do with it. Cant scrap it as its too good (for age) and its the best colour-Pearl white

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00042.jpg

As it arrived

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00043.jpg

The very nice nismo badge (its staying) and not so nice spoiler

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00044.jpg

Spoiler gone

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00082.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00083.jpg

Collecting slime.


Anyway- the idea now is to do a full underbody restore inspired by petrol followed by an s14a front end and JDM rear/sideskirts.

once the body is up to spec ill be doing an engine bay smooth and a wire tuck.

while doing this i should be collecting up the interesting parts- 1uz-FE (lexus v8) and bmw 6 speed box and making a megasquirt ecu. hence the 400sx (i hope this is not already taken)

Interior will stay stock ish and ride will still be comfy.

[BigD]

sounds like a fun project :thumbs: cant remember if its been done or not though, as im sure someone has done a lexus v8 convo on here :confused:

or maybe it was just talks of it.

[xborninthefight]

SteveDunn is doing a 1uz-FE S13 but i havnt seen it on a S14 here. And that engine would be sweet, put some nice throttle bodies should sound mean.:mad::nod:

[dougal200]

after a few wet weekends and when i have time i have managed to collect some bits together

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00080.jpg

Enkei RP-01 i belive. Quite a bargin at £50 for the set off a random ebay bid. i was pleased to find them in reasonable condition the fronts being 17" x 9 et 38 and rears 10" et 30ish. I will strip these down, sort out the odd curb mark and then repaint in white 2k. or should i keep them black/blue?

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00084.jpg

Picked up some 14A wings off ebay/here total cost around £20 inc p and p for the both - some rust/dents but ill sort that.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00087.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00085.jpg

Also gave the car a good wash followed by a good clay bar to remove the huge amount of crud dug into the paint. Generaly very good paint no dents in doors etc only problems are a bit surface rust around one of the spoiler holes but this will get welded and some rust on arches as below:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00081.jpg



Plans for the next week or so are to start to prep some of the parts that i have removed-horns, bonnet catch, filler cap etc. it sounds a bit strange to be doing these randon parts but the car is at my parents house (1 hour drive away) so im gathering up bits i fancy sorting and doing them at home.

i have stripped 1 of the wings now and rust treated it with hamerite rust killer gel wich works the same as the stuff petrol is using but available to me localy.

The project will gather more momentum once it is over at my place but as i have just dug the foundation for the garage i will be in this may take some time.

ill post up some pics tomorrow of the derusting process.

Pete

[fudi]

black blue wheels not white :(

[base-1]

Definitely keep the wheels black/blue

Sounds like a great project, wasn't someone putting a 1UZ into a black s14 on here though? Even so, who cares, it's still a V8 200 :cool:

[SteveDunn]

Yeah I'm doing it to an S13. It's taken a year so far and is ALOT more hassle than you initially expect.

[xborninthefight]

This is what it should sound like:mad::smitten::smitten::mad:
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ba8sT2BQ4uc&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ba8sT2BQ4uc&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[dougal200]

SteveDunn is doing a 1uz-FE S13 but i havnt seen it on a S14 here. And that engine would be sweet, put some nice throttle bodies should sound mean.


I will use two sets of somthing similar to these


http://ngvi.ebay.co.uk/vi?ngvi&backtoid=3&ppsp=0&li=0&pdp=0&sspagename=WDVW&dsr=1&item=230239921517&backto=http%3A%2F%2Fmotors.search.ebay.co.uk%2Fthr ottle-bodies_Motorcycle-Parts-Accessories_W0QQfromZR34QQsacatZ14780&pass=vk5qN664zO7wDa7jlpdLsQUoDPk%3D


I understand that the bottom ends are good for around 8k rpm, with a nice set of cams and some head work + custom exhaust i would hope for around 320 bhp with low down torque no RB could match. Then there is the twin turbo option

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRU2lDCSfBU

1000 bhp!!!! i might aim for about half that

[BigD]

This is what it should sound like:mad::smitten::smitten::mad:
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ba8sT2BQ4uc&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ba8sT2BQ4uc&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

oh yes :eek:


s13 was close lol.

keep the wheels black and blue :nod:

[xborninthefight]

Even just listening to the standard sound of the engine that Steve put on his thread is :smitten:

[dougal200]

here is a quick pic of how i would like the back to look including the twin pipes but def not the bling wheels

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/image121.jpg

What do you think?

[Bahnstormer]

Looks nice, but I agree, the wheels look cack IMO.

[base-1]

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=275875

Ninjasx was doing a 1UZ S14 :)

[BigD]

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=275875

Ninjasx was doing a 1UZ S14 :)

thats the one i thought it was, shame he gave up, but atleast the engine will live in an sx :)

[JulesS14200]

here is a quick pic of how i would like the back to look including the twin pipes but def not the bling wheels

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/image121.jpg

What do you think?

looks pony, dont copy that look :cry:

[Paul_S13]

It's taken a year so far and is ALOT more hassle than you initially expect.

:nod:

[dougal200]

im not affraid of a bit of hastle and time investment. ive been working my other project for the last five years.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN0124.jpg

Redesigned locost running 20xe with T28 and ITBs-every part i could, i have made from scratch :smash:

[TheChin]

That's amazing :nod::notworthy

[ferretca18]

nice! im liking this thread:)

any more pics/ info on the locost?

[dougal200]

Ive got loads of pics about somewhere.

A bit more info for you-

The chassis is fabricated from scratch based on the general dimensions from the original locost plans. ive enhanced the triangulation using an fea package.

The rear suspension is a de-dion tube modified from a volvo 340 using a rose jointed satchel linkage and a Sierra LSD Std XR4 rear discs + GaZ dampers.

Up front i have totally redesigned the locost suspension. i made up wishbones based on a simulation program i wrote within Pro/e, opperating eliptical cross section pushrods and alloy rockers with protec coilovers. Std mk2 escort steering rack. brake wise i have 300mm discs running on custom alloy bells i made to work with nissan sunny bearings fitted to selfmade box section uprights. Calipers are Porche/Brembo 4 pots.

Bodywork (half completed) is hand formed alloy sheet and custom made carbon bits.

interior is very basic with a carbon dash merging into a carbon centre tunnel. (still making the buck for this.) Minimal dials will work with a carputer displaying the mega squirt displays on a touch screen in the dash.

Engine wise i have a 20xe which i have to put some low comp pistons in (to arround 9:1) but will remain quite std except for rod bolts and maybe rods.
i have adapted a set of R1 throttle bodies which will breath through a carbon air box and transit intercooler. The turbo (t28) sits on an adapeted sr20 manifold and exhausts through a 3" single box on the side. Should put out around 300bhp

Transmission at the moment is a std 2.0 carlton gearbox but this might die and be upgraded by an omega box.

ill try to pop some pics up tonight.

Pete

[dougal200]

Bit of an update.

Here are a few of the bits i have been able to get on with
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/ImportedPhotos00007.jpg
Took the filler cap off cleaned it up a bit and replaced the bolts with stainless allen heads. Still some work to do as i need to remove the plated filler surround and spray that up.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/ImportedPhotos00006.jpg

put the newly aquired seats in. look to be in good nick just need a bit of a clean.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/ImportedPhotos00005.jpg

still needs bits like vent surround etc

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/ImportedPhotos00004.jpg

The steering wheel seems to be doing its part for medical reasearch. Nevermind its going to be replaced with this:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/ImportedPhotos00008.jpg


I might get a chance to carry on stripping the engine bay

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/ImportedPhotos00003.jpg

currently ready to start taking off all those factory brackets etc ready to seam weld and fill up all the bolt holes and ic pipe holes. i think ill also ditch the abs unit for better brake control, weight reduction and a less cluttered bay.

im aiming for something like this (not sure about the turbo just yet though.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSC00014-sml.jpg.


im now a full member so i can start threads in the projects area how do i move may thread?

[dougal200]

A bit of an update no pics sorry but ill try to add some tonight.


ive had the bonnet catch, a few brackets and the horns sitting in verious rust treatments over the last week so ive be able to finish them off with a quick sand blast and some zink primer. looking better now.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1205.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1206.jpg

i was also able to progress some repairs to the n/s front wing and glue/weld one of the headlights back together.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1204.jpg
I have made one good headlight out of two broken units on the N/S but still have to source a donor drivers side to fix up the few broken bits on the light ive got. once repaired the inner silver bits will be sprayed black and reassembled. i have the time and usually the skills to sort out little bits like this to save a bit of cash. i know they are not perfect but they do get hidden and the funds are needed elsewhere for the time being.

The main progress has been in the engine bay where ive managed to strip out all the brackets, clips and parts. The abs will go, as will all the air con bits. photos to follow this weekend

as the engine wont be the Sr all holes etc will be welded up and smothed over, all wires will be tucked away and the fuse box and battery will be relocated.

i found some rust in the seams but that will be sorted with a patch,rust treatment and seam welding and filler.


My main problem is how to remove the fuse box from the enginebay, does it come apart so you can pass it through the hole in the inner wing and the bulkhead?

ps can anyone help moving this to the projects section?

[dougal200]

another quick update

at the weekend i brought the wiper motor and the brake servo/mastercylinder home to sort out.

ive not done much more than strip the master cylinder from the servo but i have been busy on the wiper.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1208.jpg

one rusty motor

<a href="http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/?action=view&current=DSCN1209.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1209.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

bad corosion on the alloy casting

<a href="http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/?action=view&current=DSCN1210.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1210.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

gears/ electrics striped out

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1212.jpg
motor casing after stripping/rust dip (still needs a bit longer)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1213.jpg
alloy housing- i left this over night in a bucket with a dishwasher tablet seems to have cleaned it well but seems to have corroded again (due to the salts?) does anyone have any better ideas or should i blast it then laquer. polishing might be tricky due to the complex bits.


The big question is what colour should i paint the motor housing and servo (maybe cam covers). they will be the only real standout parts in the bay as every other bracket etc will be gone. the engine bay will be pearl white as the rest of the car and i will carry this theme through to the suspension arms ets.

so far my thoughts are:

Black- very std looking but classy
Imperial blue- i love this colour
pearl white- will either look fantastic or awfull-not sure


your thoughts please

[dougal200]

over the weekend i have managed to get a few bits done

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1223.jpg

wiper casting after shotblasting and a quick coat of paint, it just needs laquer to finish it off.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1226.jpg

Motor housing after shot blasting and painting in zink primer. It will need a good rub down ready for some 2k. i think the bits like this will end up ford imperial blue.

The exciting news this week is that i have now ordered my engine. it should arrive some time next week complete with manifolds, starter and the auto bell housing. I hope this will allow me to do a bit of a trial fit and adjust any of the engine bay area before i start to smooth it out.

speaking of engine bays i have now removed everything from it. the hardest bit is the two looms. the drivers side has to be posted back through the wing and then through the bulkhead near the internal fusebox-a complete pain.
the near side is a little easyer but requires the removal of the heater box and air con inside the car.

ill post up a few pics once they have been emailed to me by a friend who took them

[Zoidman]

Here's some more info about the red 400sx s13 with Lexus engine you posted earlier:

Pics:
http://efmotor.no/bilder.html

Specs:
http://efmotor.no/prosjekt.html

Your project looks good by the way! :thumbs:

[dougal200]

Thanks for the links and comment


427rwhp and its so well put together, i hope mine ends up somwhere near this, it will take a long time though.

[A.D.Cromar]

A guy called Ewen Cameron is currently fitting a 4Ltr lexus v8 with a supra box in a sil80, writing for Practical performance car magazine if thats any help.

[dougal200]

i have been following the PPC build but it seems to have gone a bit quiet fer a few months. its nice to have a few other doing the same.

had a few set backs and a few bits of progress.

The engine has been delayed a bit, it turns out that the specialist breaker im getting it of has done a compression test on the engine i was due to have and its a bit low on two cylinders. he has a replacement for me but it wont be here untill next week but it has a lower milage (around 60k) and has been tested and is in good health. cant wait to get hold of it though.

on a positive note the car is now on my drive and should now get a bit more of my time.

tonight i started to strip some of the paint around the rusty areas in the engine bay. its not too bad but has rusted though on the seam in one area
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1242.jpg
ns strut tower stripped

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1243.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1244.jpg
Rust on seam

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1245.jpg
bulkhead all ok

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1246.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1247.jpg
Os mostly better but lots of bolt holes/plating to weld up, battery tray will go

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1248.jpg
rust around rad bracket mostly on bolt on bracket-i think ill get some new ones from nissan

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1249.jpg
front pannel rusting around holes and spot welds

[dougal200]

my main problem is the hole on the ns inner arch
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1251.jpg
i am not to worried about the area where it has rusted through as i will cut out the dead material and let in some new material. however surface rust continues on up the seam and i dont want to replace it all. i have some deox gel type stuff which works well but i doubt it will penitrate into the seam.

i intend to seam weld along these seams,grind off and smooth but i cirtainly dont want to leave rust in there.

What would petrol do? as i have just seen that he is tackeling the same area

[M.D.]

just out of interest, i may have missed it somewhere but why is that strut grey and the other white??

looks like your doing a great resto job and glad to see its not another going to the scrap heap in the sky

[dougal200]

bare metal mate,

thanks for the comments:thumbs:

[M.D.]

ah thought as much, top job man :)

[dougal200]

well ive been waiting a while for this but here it is
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1275.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1273.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1271.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1272.jpg

Well its very big and quite grubby

i spent about an half an hour just looking at it and thinking about where to start. There are a lot of bits on there which im sure i wont need but i am not ver familiar with the engine. im sure we will get to know each other quite well.


i also spent about 2 hours cleaning up 1 door over the weekend. you would not belive how much rubish the clay bar pulled out but it looks shiny now.
[IMG]http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1279.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1277.jpg
more to come soon

[dan mkii]

crazy but is going to be soo cool when finished door came up well thoe...

[dougal200]

bit of an update as i have not posted in a while.

My main distraction has been building my garage to do the project in:smash:

the roof will be going on this weekend so should have shelter soon and maybe even light and power soon.

the main progress over the last few weeks has been research into gearboxes clutches etc.

The most economical solution i have found (it may have to be upgraded later) is to use a W58 transmission from a N/A mk3 supra. from what i have read these boxes should take between 350 to 500 rwhp but i guess ill have to see, im sure it will cope with the v8 without a turbo but i am leaning towards fitting one from the start.

Anyway i picked one up with prop , fly wheel, clutch (the last two wont work)
for a bargin price so if it goes pop i have not lost alot.

Ill post up a pic soon but it just looks like a rwd box.

The next task is to fabricate an adapter betewwn the v8 bellhousing and the W58 transmission.

with the engine and transmission bolted together i can do a trial fit into the engine bay and see how much the sump hits the steering rack:smash:

[Muttly]

I know that engine has been fitted with a mk4 Supra box before in the US so it might be worth looking into that. The box would be pricy enough but will be strong enough and can either bolt up directly or at least with an adapter plate.

[dougal200]

i did want to go down the 6 speed supra route and i have a drawing for an adapter plate its a getrag box w160 or somthing like that. however the only one ive found for sale in the UK went for around 2k:eek:

i could buy alot of other bits for that. thanks for the pointer though

[dougal200]

Well its been around 2 months since my last update

Work on the car has been slow as i have been building my garage so that i have some where to work. here is where all the hard work has gone:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1415.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1416.jpg

Anyway, first thing i managed to get done in a long while was a bit of a strip down of the engine. all looks fine as it should do for a 6ok lexus engine.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1425.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1426.jpg

i have made my mind up that i will be going turbo from the start. i have been looking at holset turbos as they seem great value for money, perhapse a hx50. This should be providing around 600rwhp and as i shall be keeping the comp ratio stock at 10:1 lag should be almost none existant. Det will be controled through good intercooling, water injection, mapping and a large turbo running lowish boost (approx 1 bar) keeping EGT's nice and low.

The main area to sort on the engine will be the exhaust manifolds and a new inlet. As you can see below the inlet manifold meets the head at a very shallow angle and is very restrictive. Good results right across the rev range have been gained by using shorter more direct runners so i will fab up a complete plenum.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1428.jpg

[Chriscooke]

This is looking interesting mate, will be keeping an eye on this one:nod: Make sure to keep us updated tho:D

[dougal200]

Further work continued today as i had a day off work

First off i stripped the rear end
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1429.jpg

The only real rust issue is around the floor pan seam. This will be delt withe when i do the underbody

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1430-1.jpg

from there i moved on to the front. i stripped most of the front down a few monthes ago. most of the seams are ok with a little rust except for the N/S strut tower. This will be seam welded
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1424.jpg

Most of the seams on the front seem to have corrosion and i wanted to treat the front cross member so i have taken a few drastic looking steps

slam panel etc removed
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1417.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1418.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1419.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1420.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1423.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1421.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1422.jpg

[dougal200]

Followed be cross member
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1435-1.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1436-1.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1437-1.jpg i can now treat the rust in these areas confident i have got it all and it will not come back

Drilling the spot welds is easy and alows the panel to be plug welded back on in exactly the same. Below shows how i removed the spot welds for the battery tray (which i will not put back)

First the spot weld must be identified. On good paint they are easy to spot as they are a sunken circle around 5mm in diameter. they are usually the first bit of a panel to start to rust. As you can see below when a lot of surface rust is present they can be a little harder to spot
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1431-1.jpg
Below shows the drilled out weld

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1432-1.jpg

I will then use a large flat head screwdriver to break and weld that is left. The panel should ping apart
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1433-1.jpg

Here you can see the battery tray removed

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1434-1.jpg

Thats it for now. Tomorrow i hope to visit the scrap yard to pick up the a battery relocation kit (ie BMW) perhapse some injectors and coilpacks.

i Will also try to clean up all the panels that i have removed

Pete

[Chriscooke]

Looking good mate, but must admit it is looking very rusty:eek: What age is the car?

[dougal200]

The car is an N plate so its got to be 95-96. to be honest most of the rust is surfce rust and is mainly in the engine bay. It looked near perfect untill i started digging at the seam sealer etc and removing all the bits. Thankfully the sills, chassis rails and floors are near mint.

My 94 s14 was alot worse i had to replace alot of material on the sills.

Where would the fun be if it were all perfect. Have no worries it will be better than when it left the factory

Thanks for the comments, its nice to know others are interested, it keeps me motivated to get out and work and to keep my thread updated.

[Chriscooke]

Thanks for the comments, its nice to know others are interested, it keeps me motivated to get out and work and to keep my thread updated.

You better:smash:

[Trial_S15]

This looks like a great project, no corners are being cut either which means the final product will be mint. Best of luck with it Dougal & keep us posted....

[Scougar]

I have to say, I reckon this is a project most others would give up on, and start looking for another shell. Given that you only paid £150 for the shell and have it down to sorting all the rust in a clean dry area, your gonna have a fab shell afterwards :) I would take teh time to make any alterations you want done now though while everything is stripped.

You have balls nan, and I'm gonna also be watching this thread with interest, cos you have the skills :) good luck.

Matthew

[dougal200]

Thanks for the kind words guys

Work has progressed today, i have mainly been working on the front cross member which i removed on friday. It seems like this area is quite a rust trap on all 200s, i have seen s13s where the x member has completely rusted through. I suppose in reality i could have taken the angle grinder with a wire brush and cleaned up the par satisfactorly with a coat of stone chip and some wax oil, after all you cant even see the part once the rad is in.

However i know it wont be right and i dont want to ever think about it again so i did this
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/P8170413.jpg
You can see the 6 pressings that make up the cross member, the smaller parts are the inserts which carry the captive nuts for the front suspension pick ups. The whole section seems to be designed to be a great water trap with several layers and minimal protection. i would think that most s14s will have corosion in this area perhapse with the exception of petrol.

All the parts have now been brushed down and a small section was welded in where the metal was getting a little thin.

all the parts are now in a bath of rust treatment to remove any last traces that the wire brush could not remove.

ill update tomorrow with the results

[blue boy]

I know that my S14 is starting to look terrible in this area.

[kingj]

wow,this is looking very good mate,you certainly have some skills:nod: keep it up its a good project choice:thumbs::clap:

[dougal200]

Bit of an update for the past few weeks,

the front cross member components have now been dipped and have been painted in zink primer ready for reassembly. i dont have any photos yet but i will record the reassembly process later.

i have stripped off both front wings and started to attack any corrosion in that area. generally the front arches are great along the seams
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1486.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1488.jpg
i will wire brush along the seams and then stitch weld them for extra strength.
i am concidering fabricating some fender braces to stiffen this area further. does anyone have any experience using these
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/FenderBrace.jpg i quite like the strut brace too

on a slightly more interesting note i have started work on the engine bay shave. Alot of the areas in the bay are full of spare holes and lumps for mounting components like the fuse box recirc valve etc. i wont be having any of these as the only items other than the engine in the bay will be the servo and the wiper motor. Anyway instead of smoothing the existing areas at the front i did this

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1477.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1479.jpg
a bit drastic but will give the look im after.

i have also stripped out all of the backend now inc subframe and fuel tank so here are a few more pick of rusty old datsun
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1482.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1481.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1483.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1484.jpg

plans for the next few weeks are to strip the rest of the interior and then to roll the car over so i can tackle the rust underneath a la petrol:thumbs:

[dougal200]

over the last few days i have been sripiing out the rest of the interior.

it takes a long time to get all the wire clips out without snapping them but i got there in the end.

no pics at the moment, ill post some later tonight.

i have also been busy constructing a chassis rotisary thingy ( think hog rost) that slots into the chassis rails at each end and will alow me to work on the underside without lying on my back getting rust in my eyes. again photos to follow. hope to have it flipped by the weekend.

ive also been looking into chassis bracing. my intention is to maintain some luxury so a welded in cage is a big no no. so far i will be doing the following:

.self fabricated front strut brace that will link back into the bulkhead

.home made rear strut brace- under shelf -i will drill some holes out to allow the strut towers to be directly braced maybe with a brace down to the floor.

. i will make a brace like on the s15 linking the rear subframe mounts.

.lower b pilar brace as on the s15.

.maybe a rear chassis rail brace across the boot floor again as the spec r

any other ideas- perhapse some ladder bars across the trans tunnel

[bonelorry]

very interesting project!

a chap i know is doing a similar conversion on a vauxhall calibra.

he bought a complete lexus ls400 for its engine etc and his plans are (once its fitted) to fit nitrous, forge the internals and turbocharge it :)

[dougal200]

sounds interesting, i will be starting off with the std internals as they should be good for upto around 500rwhp which should be possible on a large turbo and 15psi. i will prob go for either a holset hx50 or twin gt28rs'

if your friend is having issues with the sump on his conversion let me know as i have a sc400 engine which uses a rear sump and i am desperatly looking for a ls400 setup which has the front sump setup

[madcowman]

as I understand it the Ls400 lump has pretty strong internals as it is !

[dougal200]

yep,

weakest link on the early engines up to 95 are the pistons, rods can be a problem but the situation is much better when using forced induction.

the crank is nearly indistructable as it has 6 bolt mains and heafty journals. there are drag engines running 1500+hp on std cranks:eek:

[Adams]

You're sure looking at a lot of work - good luck with it! :thumbs:

[dougal200]

todays update,

here are a few shots of the interior now its all stripped out
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1493.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1494.jpg

after a bit of light fabrication here is the rear support for the rotisary
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1497.jpg

and here are the supports for the front and the rear
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1492.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1496.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1495.jpg

and then


































http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1498.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1499.jpg

the car now pivots and i can get to the underside which needs some attention

on with the rust removal then this weekrnd:thumbs:

[Darkside7]

that car is ruuuuuuuuuuuussssssssssssssssttttttttttttttyyyyyyy yyyyyyy!!!! good luck lol and keep us posted

[ep1centre]

nice going there mate, now go buy a bucket large enough and dunk it in there :wack:

[dougal200]

perhapse i could borrow a swimming pool:D

[tussey01]

I've read this project from the start and think its brilliant! Having to build the garage for your project too! Genius!:thumbs:

[ep1centre]

perhapse i could borrow a swimming pool:D

right, get the shovel out pool building time!


tho your neightbour might not be impressed when he comes back to find your 200 dunked into a freshly built pool in his driveway :wack:

[dougal200]

:D no swinning pool building today but with this weather who needs one

ive spent the last two days scraping, brushing, grinding and generally making lots of dust and noise.

With the car on its side the first thing i did was to remove the underseal and most of the paint fron the rear arch to see how rusty it was. guess what

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1507.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1506.jpg
Rust!!!!!!!!!!!

well not as bad as i thought actualy, mostly just surface rust. The main thing is that the arch lip is ok and the outer sill is quite good. it seems that the plastic cover for the fuel filler piping creates a real rust trap the bracket had coddoded off and the hole area is quite bad.

not quite sure where to start so didnt and moved on to the front arch.


this is how it looked after alot of work stripping the underseal

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1508.jpg

the only bad corrosion was where the brake pipe passes through

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1505.jpg

this area i cut out with a thin blade in an ange grinder

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1509.jpg

all the rust now removed- i removed a bit of chassis rail as well as it will produce a better result

this is how it turned out

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1513.jpg

[dougal200]

i then took the wire brush to the rest

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1512.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1511.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1510.jpg

i then applied some rust eater over night on the deep rust areas

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1515.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1516.jpg

before finishing up i also started on the sill, it all looked very good with a few rust bubbles, i applied some paint stripper, then attacked it with a rotary brush and applied some more rust eater.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1517.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1518.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1519.jpg

thats it, it dont look like much but represents about 16 hours work, ill update with some photos once the rust is gone:thumbs:

[Scougar]

Have you looked at "Petrol's" thread listed under "comprehensive s14 refurb" (I think), for decent (but expensive) rust attacking chemicals. I think he uses DeOX, which is a really powerful iron oxide (rust) eater.

Project is coming along nicely. How far you got with the garage your doing the work in?

Matthew

[dougal200]

quick update

i have started electro stripping the rust tonight using a caustic sada bath so ill post some pics tomorrow should be good.

i ahve also stripped the chsiis rail and the outer floor pan and most seems in good nick except a small secion where the two chassis rail sections join but easly repaired.

i have also ordered some products from this place http://www.rustbullet.co.uk/shop

great products- i have ordered the 3 step process bits- its very similar to por15 so i will paint the underside in this, use stone chip in the arches and then apply top coat over the lot- rust will never be an issue again.

ill update tomorrow with some photos

[dougal200]

work over the weekend has been steady but a bit slow over the weekend due to other commitments but here are a few updates .

The first job of the weekend was to sort out the front arch/inner wing

this is the section i cut out

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1526.jpg

and the template i made

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1528.jpg

i then cut out a rough shape out of 1mm steel. The most important thing on a complex panel like this is the folds, they went in first and i use these as datums to trim the panel to the correct shape. if you do this the other way around it is very unlikely the part will fit.

here it is ready to be trial fitted

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1527.jpg

and in place

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1525.jpg

The fit around the edges should be tight where i must butt weld it to the existing steel

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1524.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1521.jpg

it will be positioned with clamps and the exact position found for each of the fixing points before welding, once position and i am happy with the trim it will be tack welded then seam welded.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1522.jpg

the curved part will be the last as the profile is not so exact. i have no gas at the moment so welding will have to wait, however you can see that the bodywork will be much smoother much more like the minimal look im after than the std bay

[dougal200]

i also had to do a few patches in the inner wing

here is the section i have cut out, i will also do the area inside the green line

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1530.jpg

next i cut out a patch, in this case this is part of the chassis leg and is 1.5mm steel

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1531.jpg

and here is the patch for the arch tub. note that i am following the original dge profile for the panel to keep things nice and neat, this part will be butt welded arount the top three edges and spot welded along the bottom edge.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1532.jpg


i then started on the central floor section, no real rust here but i will strip the stonechip and paint to give the new paint as it is supposed to be applied to bare metal. this is after degreasing-ie cilit bang.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1534.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1536.jpg

as you can see there is some surface rust towards the rear

you can see on the next photo that some damage has been done to the rear of the chassis rail by some careless jacking.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1535.jpg

my solution as it has been badly dented in is to remove it as before, i know it is only the underside and there is no real rust in it but i want the underside to be better than it left the factory

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1542.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1543.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1542.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1543.jpg

The rest of the chassis leg was then cleaned up

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1540.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1541.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1545.jpg

again a small bit of rust here but nothing to worry about

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1544.jpg

[dougal200]

finally i have started on the bit i was dreading, the area above the chassis rails which is above the fuel tank, this is a real water/mud trap and a real pig to get to

most of it looked like this

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1539.jpg

It now looks like this, not perfect but can now be treadted with rust remover

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1538.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1547.jpg

i have also nearly finished the rust up in inside of the front turret

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1546.jpg

with some rust treatment and another wire brush this will be ready for painting once the welding is done.

im having a night off tomorrow as i keep having dreams of removing rust-surly not healthy:wack:

[dougal200]

sorry scougar, forgot to reply to you, the garage is done now, its so nice to have light and shelter. i have not used the bilt humber stuff yet as i am using up the hammerite stuff i have already, however i have pointed my dad in the direction of petrols thread (its been an inspiration to me, perhapse i should have started on a less rusty car though) he is just starting an e-type restoration and has ordered loads of deox gel and c so i might have to nab some:thumbs:

how is your project going?

[Scougar]

You got a bargain, you obviously have the skills, so I don't think it's an issue about the condition of the car, as your going all out :)

Good you got the garage done, must be nice to be able to work in a decent space in the dry and light!

My front work wheels are on, as are the z32 calipers and disks thanks to the hub converters :) Just the rears to do! The fronts are not pretty as rushed for time with the dust shield :(

Really impressed with you metal work.. so a good talent to have!

[dougal200]

Thanks for the kind words,

metal work is just something you have to practice, i used to work as a mechanic doing MOTs etc and we used to specialise in classics so i got a lot of practice at welding old rust cars together, even did a lancia or two, now they rust:eek: i could still improve alot though

it will be good to see you get the rears done, as its me that has got the dibs on the handbrake bits.:thumbs:

[dougal200]

i have had a week off this week so lots done.

most of the underside is now ready for paint and there is a bit of welding/fabrication left to do.

ill post up some pics later.

i have also built up most of the bits for a 300zx rear brake setup

in the last few days i have been thinking about doing somthing a lille different on the front end and i would like to guage some reactions
about this

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/S14_3Front.jpg

with these

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/HL-240SX.jpg

and this bumper

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/NSSX13VXS.jpg

what do you think?

[swiftmini]

I like the first pic as it is. I'm not to keen on those style lights!!!

The bumper is ok but i prefer the bumper on the white car.

Have you seen the cheap drift kit that srb are doing. You can get just the front bumper and its similar to the white one :)

cheers
kev

by the way that is some superb rust removal work going on there. keep it up.

[Muttly]

Don't put on those lights. They never look right on cars.

[ep1centre]

yeh i'm not sure about the lights, i do like the bumper and that s13 front end look, love the lazy eye on those and i mean really lazy like maybe 1/2 inches open... that would look awsome however seeing as you have a 14 and not a 13 i cant really imagin how it would look..

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j198/ep1centre/SXOC%20Weekender%2006-08/IMG_1431.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j198/ep1centre/SXOC%20Weekender%2006-08/IMG_1476.jpg

[dougal200]

those photos look like they were taken at prescott

Im not entirly convinced on the s13 front yet, ive still got some time to think about it though

[Scougar]

Sorry for delay with the Z32 rear brake setup Dougal.. they are getting sent out :) Our moving house got in the way.

[dougal200]

Thanks for the update mate,:thumbs:

was just about to pm you actually,

any idea when i should expect them

[-Marc-]

i think that looks awsome with the 13 front end plus its a change from the now common 15 swap:thumbs:

[Nocturnal]

Love the 1UZ-FE engine. I was going to work on one for a Soarer but then got started on another project.

A set of CAM on it with Individual Throttle Body goes a LONG way in that engine. :)

[mejulie]

great project,you have definatley come along way:thumbs:

[Dave270r]

Good project :thumbs: I think the S13 front is an interesting idea. It will certainly be unique in the UK AFAIK :)

[gonzomagic]

Good project :thumbs: I think the S13 front is an interesting idea. It will certainly be unique in the UK AFAIK :)

Yeah, I prefer the back end of the S14 but the front of the S13.

this would be the best of both worlds. Go for a wide rear, and it would look mean as fook.

Do it, just do it.

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/319809

Thread above is one for S14 with S13 fronts, worth a read and look, lots of pics :)

[dougal200]

thanks for the positive comments guys,

so nice to see some positive feedback on my ideas, the welding on the underside should be done soon so it will be on to the engine install and then the body work. im thinking of grafting on some 5 series bmw arches and i have some seriously radical ideas for the back/ bumper so watch this space.

im aiming for the most unique s14 in the uk inc 600+bhp so it all helps. i love all the work people do here but im inspired by the individuality of the americam custom car scene. i hope it dosent look like i ram raided halfords!

[dougal200]

it has been quite some time sice i have updated my thread. it doesent meen i have not been working on it though, infact its nice to see how far it has come since the last pics.

One of the main areas we should all look at for the dreaded tin worm is the last foot or so of the sill section, belive it or not this looked ok before i gave it a bit of a prod with a screwdriver.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1551.jpg

there are 3 skins in this area this is what it looked like with 2 removed

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1553.jpg

and then the last of the rust cut out.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1564.jpg

It is very obvious that the sill has been rusting from the inside out so the first signs are too late. You can see where the nissan wax protection penetrates too, any parts beyond this have vanished!

Here is a plate i made for the first section

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1557.jpg

I have now finished the other plates but i wont bore you with more pics.

I have also been trying to finish off the rear of the shell where there is some more severe surface rust

After a quick wire brush i usually treat with a rust eater, you can see the cling film being used to stop the gel evaporating

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1554.jpg

i then go over with a wire brush (drill or angle grinder mounted) to finish off. in some cases another application is needed.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1550.jpg

the results can be very good- the seatbelt mounting is tricky to get to and was rusty. The rust colour stuff is mostly the residue from the gel

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1566.jpg

[kingj]

OOOH,thats tinworm right there mate:eek: mucho respect for tackling all that welding:clap: looks like shes gonna be a stormer when finished fella:nod: keep up the pics and good work:thumbs:

[dougal200]

i have also be using deox c so most parts that i can get off will go in the tank. here is the rear tow eye

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1570.jpg

This week has been busy, i have recived the parts for my z32 conversion including the alloy uprights.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1569.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1568.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1571.jpg

and i purchased this beast

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1567.jpg

The first job this week was to cut out the boot floor

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1563.jpg

this is to allow me to strengthen the chassis rails in this section, fit my choice of back boxes and fabricate some sort of rear diffuser.

The floor has been cut out to follow the remaining structures
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1559.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1560.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1561.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1572.jpg

Where the rear panel was cut i formed a lip. This puts some strength back into the panel and will allow me to mount the alloy floor i will fabricate

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1562.jpg

As you may be able to tell parts i have cleaned up have started to rust again

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1548.jpg

Its only very light surface rust but i dont want it to get any worse so tonight i decided to do some painting

[dougal200]

First off i gave the areas with surface rust a quick once over with the wire brush, then used a product called aqua clean - this is a strong deturgent and removes all grease and dirt fron the metal.

Then i use a product called rust blast, this is a strong acid and it acts in three ways. first it removes light rust such as the flash rust i have had, secondly it etches the surface for good paint adhesion and finaly after it is washed off it provides a zink phosphate coating stopping any further flash rust

Finaly after drying with an air line and a hot air gun the panels are ready for paint

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1573.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1574.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1575.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1577.jpg

as you can see the finish is great but i have to say it is very similar to painting with gloss house paint. i have only done one coat and obviously i have not done the whole underside, another coat will go on tomorrow morning.

You can also see the sean welding around all the floor pan, i hope this will stiffen the shell up a bit. The welding does make the underside look a little worse than just the factory seams at the moment but with some tiger seal along all the seams followed by a coating of gloss white 2k i hope the underside should be good enough for a few shows.

Next jobs are to carry on the welding and try a bit of shot blasting on the rear with my new toy:D

[dougal200]

Thanks kingj,

strangly enough i just read through the whole of your thread, good effort.

It makes a big difference to have a car on its side to work on. however i dont ave a forklift in my garage:wack: so i ahd to take a different approch:smash:

[kingj]

Cheers Dougal:) its nice to have encouragement from others rather than piss taking from my bro and mates:D:rolleyes:
I dont think I will ever do a car from scratch like this again tbh as its just such a heart/ball ache:wack: but putting it on its side is deffo the easiest way to do it!! Im not to good at the mechanical side of things so have to wait until my mates have the spare time to help me out:nod: but its hard when we all have so many different little projects going on:annoyed: it will be worth it in the end though;)

[Scougar]

Looking good Dougal :)

Doing my best with the parts you need btw so hopefully you'll be able to fit the uprights soon :)

Good to see someone else using deox :D

[dougal200]

Thanks for all the hard work mate, as you can see i think the subframe fitting is at least a month away.

hows the engine hunting going?

[a_ahmed]

nice project, keep it up, looking forward to more updates :)

[dread]

Your making a really good job of that mate, the rust on that sill section was pretty bad but its good to see it getting sorted and sorted properly.

Keep it up mate!! :thumbs:

[dougal200]

bit of an update for you all

the work has been carying on but more of the same so ive tried to keep the photos of rusty old datsun down a bit. Anyway a bit of progress now so here you go

Most of the back end looked like this

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1539.jpg

After some shot blasting it looked like this (not all done)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1559.jpg

after acid etch/zink phosphate

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1577-1.jpg

it now looks like this

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1578.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1579.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1580.jpg


Next up is the wheel arch. ill have to see if i have much spare time over xmas but im hoping the underside will be done by the new year:smash:

[Scougar]

Great work dougal :) Looks like you may need some more coats of paint though as it is pretty transparent at the moment (It is white though).

[kingj]

well done mate:thumbs: its definately coming along there! and to a bloody high standard:nod: dont worry bout posting to many pics though mate,I cant get enough of the detail your going into.....us anal folks love it:D

[Scougar]

.....us anal folks love it:D

Obviously there is room here for a comedy rearrangement :wack:

[dano]

good work there dougal, some excellent fabrication :clap:

and all just up the road from me......

[dougal200]

As usual thanks for all the kind words guys

[Ian200sx]

Top work man, I cud never find the time / patience to do this.

[dread]

Good progress Dougal, looks like your doing a good job on all that rot. Looks like the shell was pretty bad by all accounts.

[200krisx]

Can I ask who sourced your engine for you please mate?

[dougal200]

i got the engine through a breaker on ebay, i think he specialises in soarers. ill try and dig up his contact details

the engine cost me about 350 inc delivery and had less than 60k on it. bargin

i think you will find the engine to be quite cheep from most places as demand is so low as they never go wrong

[Bens851]

Hi mate!
this looks amazing!!
how is it coming along now?
Got any more pics!
im gonna have to see this when its finished!!
I respect the work you have put into it!!
you should be given a obe for restoring this car!!! lol

[Petrol]

Just read the whole of this thread. You are a talented bloke with lots of skills :thumbs: Did you brick the garage yourself? If so top jobbie :nod: (Done a bit of brick laying myself)

Have to say your dedication to the project so far is very impressive. Stripping the wiper motor and re-assembling it is not the easiest task :no: The brushes are a bit tricky to get back in.

I can't help thinking though that after it's all welded up and complete, the shell could do with dipping. It's not the rust that you can see, it's the rust you can't. I guess it depends how long you intend to keep it and what your budget is. I would at least be spraying loads of dynax in the box sections and using the spit to make sure it penetrates everywhere :thumbs:

Keep up the good work :thumbs:

Oh and hats off to you for saving another S14 from the scrapyard :notworthy There won't be many left in years to come :no:

[dougal200]

wow

thanks for the kind words guys.

It is especially nice to hear such kind words from a man of petrols tallents.

Its been quite some time since i last updated my thread, infact i have just hard to read back through a bit.

In response to your question pete, i did brick the garage myself, never layed a brick before in my life but with a bit of help from my dad i got there. Nothing quite like the thought of a warm dry space to work in to focus the mind:whip: The roof on the other hand was a pig of a job.

I will also be using dynax as your suggestion. i think ive got almost all the rust out of the seams etc by virtue of having to replace all of the vulnerable areas. Im hoping to keep it forever so after the rust seal (similar to por 15) i will apply a coat of etch primer followed by tiger seal around all the seams. This will then get a smooth coat of stone chip in the arches and outside of the chassis rails, then followed by a couple of coats of 2k and lots of dynax. all the seams that have been rewelded have been treated with weld through ecth primer so i think apart from dipping which i cannot afford, i have given it the best chance.

I have progreed quite a bit further mainly with the arches which i hope should give the car a bit of a different look from most.

Im not sure where i have saved all my pics so ill have a sort out and a big update either tonight or tomorrow.

[dougal200]

ok here we go this could be a rather large post so i may have to give it a few pages

most of the rust is now delt with on the side i can get to so my next job was to sort out the rear arch and wheel tub. i dont have any pictures of before but below is the picture of the area around the strut top after repair.

Please excuse the rubish welds - my welder has been playing up and does not feed smoothly

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1756.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1757.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1755.jpg

After the main structual work my attention switched to the arch lip. The main problem i had was that rust had started to spread between the seam on the arch lip. As some may already know, once rust starts you can neaver really get rid of it in a seam so more drastic work was required.

However my plan required quite drastic work to be done on the quater panel so i started my plan attack on the front arch lips which i decided would act as a test mule incase things did not go quite to plan (new front wings are easy to replace.

[dougal200]

work on front wing begins.

Take one old s14a wing

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete479.jpg

And compare to a E46 bmw 3 series wing- seems to be a good start

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete480.jpg

take angle grinder to expensive wing purchased off ebay (£1)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete482.jpg

And compare again

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete483.jpg

Mark out more accurately and trim

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete486.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete487.jpg

and test again

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete488.jpg

notice how i have contoured the cut to allow the original swage line to flow into the flair
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete489.jpg

[dougal200]

With the arch extension cut i now tac weld it into place

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete493-1.jpg

You can see that this gives the arch a +30mm flair from standard

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete491.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete492.jpg

With the arch in place i then scribe around the outline ready to remove the original arch section with a plasma blade in an angel grinder

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete494.jpg

[dougal200]

i must have lost some photos as i only have pictures of the now finished wing. The wing is cut out very accuratly so that when removed the new section butts up perfectly to the old wing panel. This is essential if using a butt weld on thin guage steel or the weld will just blow through. i chose to use a butt weld here so i can gring off the welds to create a seemless panel which can be perfectly sealed. A lap weld would create an exposed seam which could allow corrosion to start.

Here are a few pics of the completed panel using a better wing that i had

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1764.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1763.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1765.jpg

[dougal200]

i hope you like the finished results as much as i do. Personally for me the front arches on the E46 3 series look fantastic and when looked at carefully the lines of the E46 follow very similar styling cues to the s14/a hence my decision to take the plunge and try to create somthing a little different to the usual chargespeed etc wide front wings and rear over fenders.

As far as i am aware no one has ever put these arches on an sx so i was very supprised that they fitted so easily. It would be great to see a few other cars follow in my footsteps, i just hope that any one who does decide to do this works slower than me as i would be gutted to see another before mine is Complete. Here are a couple of pics of my inspiration for the arches

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/13401m7.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/2007090582nap2qwpz7.jpg

[Chriscooke]

I think I'm going to really like the look of those wings when they are done:nod:

[dougal200]

moving to the back things get a little more complicated as i will need to extend the outer arch as on the front and fabricate a new inner wing section and create a propper lip where they meet. Hence why i tried it on a front arch first

For the rear N/S arch i will use the same E46 front wing but from the oposite side to create the correct profile. Here in a brand new wing i bought and butchered

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1780.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1768.jpg

i used the same technique as the front to graft on the arch with the exception of using a lap weld as the inside will not be exposed to the elements and will be seam sealed.

Final tack before atacting a mint quater panel with an angle grinder:smash:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1782.jpg

And flare achived

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1783.jpg

After using a joggeler around the cut edge the panel now sits flust to the old quater

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1766.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1761.jpg

I have not finished yet but you can see the new inner wing being formed from scrap (orange) steel i had in managable sections as i dont have an english wheel
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1773.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1775.jpg

Finaly in this last picture you can see the swaged edge produced by using a joggeling tool. it allows you to weld two sheets together with a flush surface but using a much easyer and less prone to warping lap weld

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1777.jpg

[dougal200]

Final post for the night i thought id add a few random images that i had collected over the last few weeks

The front suspension and brakes from my in progress non locost which i have dug out from the back of the garage sine moving it here

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1771.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1772.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1770.jpg

our new cats we recently adopted called fidgit and Nismo (guess which one i named)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/Lauraandpete496.jpg

and a nice pic from our place of the recent snow (very random i know)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN1740.jpg

[dano]

surprising how close those bmw arches are.. the lines are very similar and should look the nuts when done.

are you going to flare out the bumpers and skirts to meet with the new line of the arch?

[dread]

I loved this project before, but those beemer arches are awesome... I can't wait to see a shot of the whole car to see the stance of it.

[DanS14a]

I love the arch work you are doing, very original. Better than just sticking a bunch of fiberglass ones on. Top work keep it up.

[CNHSS1]

nissan work is top banana, but the 7type is mega! more pics of rocker susp and uprights please :)
whats the rack? escort or chevette? did you make the rockers and ally rack clamps yourself? are the uprights your fabrications or bought in?
sorry for all the Qs, cheers Craig

[dougal200]

nissan work is top banana, but the 7type is mega! more pics of rocker susp and uprights please :)
whats the rack? escort or chevette? did you make the rockers and ally rack clamps yourself? are the uprights your fabrications or bought in?
sorry for all the Qs, cheers Craig


ill try to post you up some new pics of the suspension. i might even give it a bit of a clean up:thumbs:

The rack is mk 2 escort- only standard at the moment but a quick rack will go in at some point.

All the alloy bits are made by my fair hand on my dads mill and lathe. i really enjoy making bits like that so plenty of similar bits should crop un the nissan to as im a bit of a magpie when it comes to shiny bits of metal.

All of the front suspension is fabricated and designed by myself. Whilst designing the front suspension i found that using cortina, triumph or sierra etc uprights compramised the geometary to much so i had no other option but to fabricate myself. they are made of 2" box section with various cuts and inserts. The steering arms bolt on and again are machined alloy with a rose joint connecting to the track rods. This allows all the bump steer to be dialed out. The stub axles and hubs are nissan:nod:

[Scougar]

I know I have these for sale (someone else hase enquired about them), but why aren't you using 300zx front suspension to get rid of bump steer rather than fabricating you own?

[dougal200]

sorry mate, i think you may be a little mislead. the fabricated front suspension is on the seven not the nissan.

i have been thinking about 300 front suspension though. isn't it double wishbone?

[Scougar]

ROFL.. opps! I was wondering why you were going with escort steering rack lol. Teach me not to read the previous page :rolleyes:

Yes, the 300 front suspension is double wish-bone. I really don't know what's involved to get it mounted however as I got mine as part of a brake purchase.

[dougal200]

i forgive you:)

as ive had the rear hubs off you i may well be tempted by the fronts now as i will have to use 300zx coilovers i might well try to use the fronts as well. can you send me some pics.

i have just ordered a complete set of lower arms for the front and rear. do you think s14 lower arms would fit z32?

Are the uprights alloy?

[Petrol]

wow


In response to your question pete, i did brick the garage myself, never layed a brick before in my life but with a bit of help from my dad i got there. Nothing quite like the thought of a warm dry space to work in to focus the mind:whip: The roof on the other hand was a pig of a job.

I will also be using dynax as your suggestion. i think ive got almost all the rust out of the seams etc by virtue of having to replace all of the vulnerable areas. Im hoping to keep it forever so after the rust seal (similar to por 15) i will apply a coat of etch primer followed by tiger seal around all the seams. This will then get a smooth coat of stone chip in the arches and outside of the chassis rails, then followed by a couple of coats of 2k and lots of dynax. all the seams that have been rewelded have been treated with weld through ecth primer so i think apart from dipping which i cannot afford, i have given it the best chance.


Well, what can I say other than you seem to have everything sorted :thumbs:
Mucho respect on the brick laying and love the arch work - proper fabrication :clap:

You should get a thread up of the 7 build :thumbs:

[alex_s14a]

Just noticed this thread.

I love what you've done to the arches. :cool: When I was driving home from work earlier I was looking at every car I drove past and every car that drove past me and got me thinking what cars would be good to butcher up!

[dougal200]

thanks guys

wait till you see what the back bumper is coming off. all im going to say is ill use the top half of the s14 bumper and the lower half off somthing with a similar upper profile.

I spend an hour and a half a day driving too and from work so i have plenty of time plotting and looking at suitable donors.

any body got any ideas on some suitable side skirts, im not keen on mst of the jdm stuff and the touring skirts wont look right with the lines im going for?

[Ken]

Excellent work on the wings Dougal, really impressed with them:nod:

[ex-ctr]

i hope you like the finished results as much as i do. Personally for me the front arches on the E46 3 series look fantastic and when looked at carefully the lines of the E46 follow very similar styling cues to the s14/a hence my decision to take the plunge and try to create somthing a little different to the usual chargespeed etc wide front wings and rear over fenders.

As far as i am aware no one has ever put these arches on an sx so i was very supprised that they fitted so easily. It would be great to see a few other cars follow in my footsteps, i just hope that any one who does decide to do this works slower than me as i would be gutted to see another before mine is Complete. Here are a couple of pics of my inspiration for the arches

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/13401m7.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/2007090582nap2qwpz7.jpg

well i might just pinch your idea:nod::D

[kam]

Wow, love the wings! M3 wings anyone?! :wack:
Awesome general fab work too, i'll be keeping an eye on this one!

[ex-ctr]

just had a good look at this thread and well done with the fabrication work:nod:

[dougal200]

Thanks mate, lots more to come. Ive still got lots of fresh ideas. no rotas or off the shelf body kits for me:smash:

[retardrift]

Keeping an eye on this....Looks awesome! Your dedication is impressive :nod:

[ex-ctr]

about time for an update:nod::)

[dougal200]

well i guess ill have to get back into the garage and take some photos. been working on the rear arches so work has been slow but most of the filling has been done.

Update later tonight folks.

i expect to see todays progress form you aswell Ex ctr:thumbs:

[Scougar]

Just realised i didnt reply. Yes the front uprights are alloy.
Looks like good work so far, m3 fenders would be interesting.

[dougal200]

could you take a photo for me. i i very interested in converting to 300zx front suspension:thumbs:

[Scougar]

No probs, will get one asap :)

[ex-ctr]

some good projects that seem to have stoped, UPDATE PLEASE:)

[stu_]

AGREED :D

I like this one too :)

[dougal200]

sorry its been so long since ive been on here ill give a bit of an update later

[NismoSpirit]

Yes do come back, certainly dose look a cool project, i got to ask how you're doing the inlet manifold on the locost from the Turbo to the ITB's? because it would have to direct air nice and equal to each body i'm guessing.

[dougal200]

you run a tapered plenum. alot of the skyline ones are of this design.

right. the reason alot of work has stopped is this
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/IMG_0901.jpg

its been my daily driver since i moved jobs . i had an s14 which i used to run but got too pricy on petrol etc so i sold it and got the blue 406 hdi. it was boring and i already had the white s14 project so i bought the 300.

its a jap tt auto which i will soon be converting to manual. its quite std except exhaust etc running about 380bhp. ive been spending my time getting it up to scratch etc before the weather gets rubish. so fitted some teins bought a 99 spec bumper and fitted 99 spec rear lights

anyway. as there is no light etc in the evenings im back on the 200.

the plan is to have the rolling chassis somewhere near finished by xmas so i can start on the engine install.

i m getting the subframe painted this weekend so i can start to get that built back up with all the goodies i have bought. it will have fully adjustable arms inc the lower wishbones and z32 alloy uprights,brakes.

here is one of the wheels i have referbed
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/IMG_0903.jpg

and before

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/dougal200/DSCN0123.jpg

ill keep you posted now