Operation S14a "Former Glory/Get It Right"

Let's start with some background; way back in the year 2000, when I was 14 y.o., I decided that I wanted a 200SX. I saw a tricked out silver and blue S14a on an Aussie tuner site and it was instant :smitten: Many an IT lesson was spent drooling over pictures of SX's. Fast forward to November 2008, and I picked up a Kuro Black S14a with 77.5k on the clock from Lichfield, Staffs. I remember printing off a buyer's guide from the SXOC, and going over each point on the car :sxoc:

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-25142623.jpg

It spent the next 5 years serving as my daily driver. I didn't originally have any intention of modifying the car, but finding that a number of after market parts were cheaper than the standard OEM parts, I went down the path of mostly upgrading as stuff wore out/broke. This started with the fuel pump, then the exhaust, and I've ended up with a stage 0.9 car ( as i call it :) ).

This is where the problems (partially) started. I took the car off the road last summer as I wasn't enjoying driving it any more. A new job meant i was sitting in stop start traffic a lot, plus I hated having to slow all the way down for speed humps, otherwise the exhaust would scrape. The handling of the car was off, braking was off, the rattle from the short shifter was starting to get to me, plus the rear speakers were nearing the end of their life :wack: I didn't have the time or patience for it any more, so i got a Golf as my new daily and parked the SX on the drive.

I think I lasted until around November, before I started missing the car. Now I can't wait to be back in it, as good as the golf is at doing it's job, there's driving no joy anymore.

Hence, I am starting this build thread. I want it to be back to it's former glory, and enjoyable to drive again. :thumbs:

The changes that I made to the car previously are:

Walbro Pump
KYB Shocks with Apex lowering Springs
Apexi Induction Kit plus shiney intake pipe
Apex Type 2 FMIC
Greddy Profec B - currently just used as a boost gauge
Apex twin Sensible exhaust inc front pipe and de-cat
(Supposedly) Japspeed Short shifter - super rattle and shake edition!
EBC front disks iirc
Rebuilt calipers
Braided turbo lines
Red Silvia Emblem :D

The main issues that need addressing are:

1) Oil leak from the front of the engine. I'm hoping it's just a gasket. Ideas?


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133622.jpg


2) A few spots of surface rust. Not sure whether to try a DIY job (never tried it) or get a body work shop to sort it.


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133339.jpg


3) Scrapes and dings on the body work. Probably best for a body shop.


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133448.jpg

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133418.jpg

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133322.jpg


4) Suspension - the car is too low for my liking, It's currently sitting on KYB shocks and Apex springs. I am thinking about getting Apex Comfy's, and returning the ride height to near stock. I've also got a set of Godspeed ARBs that I never got around to fitting.


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133535.jpg


5) The brake pads need upgrading, and brakes need bleeding. I've not decided whether to go back to DS2500s or try Project Mu NS. Feedback would be welcomed.

6) Heater card. Only blows air on highest setting. I've bought a soldering iron so that I can have a go at repairing this myself. If it doesn't work, I'll try a card from a K11 micra.

7) Tachometer. It's gone all "techno ravey" on me, so again I'm going to have a go at the soldering as I don't want to swap it and loose the mileage reading.

8) Tyres. A bit mismatched at the moment between front and rear. I think I have Dunlop's on the front, and Good Year's on the back. One is flat, so probably a good time to replace them all.

9) Front splitter missing. I've got a splitter in my garage somewhere that needs a repair. Once the suspension is done, I'll add the splitter.

10) Replace missing bolts/broken stuff


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04133353.jpg

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-04145422.jpg


11) Short shifter. It's annoying the :censored: out of me. Had a metal Nismo gear knob but that had to come straight off. Two choices on this one either covering in silicone to dampen the rattle. Or replace. It's supposedly a Japspeed S/S, but Japspeed are adamant that their s/s doesn't rattle.

Looking good and not a million miles away from me,the oil leak is fairly common on these (boosted tree hugging save the planet economy engine),
I,ve had/still got three 1999 14a's 92k miles/90k miles and 23k miles and all leak oil from same cylinder head/front cover,
the 23k engine is not so bad but its still Fecking leaking, to fix it you need pull head off and renew head gasket :(,
or clean it right off and see how slow/fast it leaks over time,it wont leak badly as no pressure in that area its just the timing chain cover tbh,
its more a crap design/lack of gasket area to seal properly imo,And not worth pulling the head off etc to fix it and find it will possibly still leak soon after
Bodywork done properly costs ££'s but if you want it looking nice then might have to spend out,depends on budget and previous diy results
I would go the diy route as I'm skint/tight fisted and sooner spend out on power tuning/handling/braking mods :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ANDY black s13

Looking good and not a million miles away from me

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Your S13 wouldn't happen to have a SXOC sticker in the window would it? :)

I think I'm going to leave the body work until last, and start with the mechanical jobs first. Previous DIY results are zero, as I haven't attempted any paint/body issues before, but there's always a first time I guess :D

The leak I think is an annoyance more than anything else. Still plenty of oil in the engine. I hear what you're saying, probably will try and attempt as much as possible, with help were needed, to save the pennies. I've priced up the parts list, and let's just say I don't want my wife seeing it just yet ;)

Clean the oil leak up and it will give you a better idea of where it's coming from, not impossible it's the crank seal as the pulleys spray it around. If so the seal is about £8, so not a big issue.

Seems wierd to be seeing a thread on here that's not a massive list of mods, good to see one getting saved and the more standard ones are becoming rarer and rarer. Be worth investing in the bodywork IMO, even if it was just in terms of resale value it turns something ropey into a nice clean car, and you will get the enjoyment from it for however long you own it

the 13 has a lot of stickers on it,its been undergoing a major refurb last 18 months,
got a sxoc sticker on the white 14a,but that's been unused nearly 2 years as well

The oil leak from the front cover is a common problem and can be cured if you want to add some sealant to the top of the cover before the head is put back on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ANDY black s13

the 13 has a lot of stickers on it,its been undergoing a major refurb last 18 months,
got a sxoc sticker on the white 14a,but that's been unused nearly 2 years as well

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Ah ok. I thought I might have seen you driving through Bexleyheath in the S13 :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p.nicholas

The oil leak from the front cover is a common problem and can be cured if you want to add some sealant to the top of the cover before the head is put back on.

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That's encouraging to hear. I'll have to pick your brain Paul, when I get to that job :thumbs:

So today while I was out doing my errands, I drove past a body shop with 2 s14a's parked outside, so I popped in for a chat and to get a quote for my bodywork. £500 +vat for the rear bumper. £200 + vat for thr front.

The guy said that it may be cheaper for me to get new wings, and paint them rather than to treat the rust around the wheel arches. But we'll know for sure when I show him the car.

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That must be the place opposite the entrance for Victoria business park in crayford,mike has the black 14a and steve? has the bright green 14a
with the flames mural on the bonnet,they do quality work,the air brushwork on the Corsa van is very cool
and regarding the wings could be a good time to get some wider frp wings as I guess your going to fit some bigger wheels on at some point :)
my 13 was my daily for many years,then I bought three 14a's in 2011 and ran the white one for 18 months or so
I got loads of bits for 14's/14a's so give me a shout/pm if need something I might have it :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kazuya Mishima

Ah ok. I thought I might have seen you driving through Bexleyheath in the S13 :)



That's encouraging to hear. I'll have to pick your brain Paul, when I get to that job :thumbs:

So today while I was out doing my errands, I drove past a body shop with 2 s14a's parked outside, so I popped in for a chat and to get a quote for my bodywork. £500 +vat for the rear bumper. £200 + vat for thr front.

The guy said that it may be cheaper for me to get new wings, and paint them rather than to treat the rust around the wheel arches. But we'll know for sure when I show him the car.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

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You spoke to my boss, Marc :) I would have come out for a chat but I was painting a bonnet at the time! Bringing the car in to us is the best way to go about getting an accurate prices!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ANDY black s13

That must be the place opposite the entrance for Victoria business park in crayford,mike has the black 14a and steve? has the bright green 14a
with the flames mural on the bonnet,they do quality work,the air brushwork on the Corsa van is very cool
and regarding the wings could be a good time to get some wider frp wings as I guess your going to fit some bigger wheels on at some point :)
my 13 was my daily for many years,then I bought three 14a's in 2011 and ran the white one for 18 months or so
I got loads of bits for 14's/14a's so give me a shout/pm if need something I might have it :)

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That's the place. Spoke to Marc. Nice guy. He's got the bright green s14 up for sale, but from talking to him, doesn't really want to sell it :)

I'm planning on keeping the look of the car fairly original, but I give you a shout when I'm hunting for bits :thumbs:

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Thats him ,I'm terrible remembering names lol,yep he's had it a while and a nice spec too,he lives like a long stones throw away from me :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike41288

You spoke to my boss, Marc :) I would have come out for a chat but I was painting a bonnet at the time! Bringing the car in to us is the best way to go about getting an accurate prices!

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Hey Mike :) I take it the darker green car is yours?

I'll bring the car down once it's back on the road. Or if you're ever passing, feel free to drop in and have a look. I only live 5 mins away from your workshop :thumbs:

Looks like you have plenty to crack on with buddy, that's mega low for just springs. I bet you can't wait it get it sorted


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I had a crack at fixing the rev counter, with no luck so far. In the end I sourced a new set of clocks. I installed the new tach in the instrument, only to find that as soon as I turned the key to the on position, the needle jumped to 1000 rpm and when the car was started I was getting a reading that was about 1000rpm above the true value :mad: Not really sure why this is. Any ideas?

After this failed attempt I also discovered that I had a fuel leak coming from behind the driver's side rear wheel :annoyed: I imagine that the fuel line is cracked. I've called in some help on this job, and I should know more tomorrow :)

Suspension wise, I sourced original springs and shocks which will be the next job. I found that my tyres were wearing on the inside edges to the point where they could be considered bald - probably due to lowering the car and not adjusting the suspension geometry to suit. So 4 new tyres were needed, and I was lucky enough that another member living 10 mins away, was selling the stock wheels with nearly new tyres. Managed to get 4 wheels and tyres for £75 :D

Looks a decent base, just round the corner from me too. If you see a blue, wide, low, caged s14a it'll probably be me, once it's finished anyway haha.

Great work mate

Finally got around to swapping the springs over. The car looks better to my eye for some reason (although the gaps look huge haha). A big thank you to Andy for his help with this :thumbs:


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...1-13145327.jpg


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...1-13210111.jpg


While the car was in the air, with the wheels off, I took the opportunity to inspect for rust. There were 2 spots of concern, that with a lot of poking became nice sized holes ;), but nothing that worries me too much. One was in the rear offside wheel arch, and the other behind the rear bumper at the base of the wheel well. I suspect this was caused by a slow impact i received a few years ago; a young guy hit my car up the rear at low speed. There didn't seem to be any damage, and he was sh*tting himself, so I never made a claim. Looks as though the impact caused a crack, which has rusted over time. That'll teach me!


Wheel arch

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...1-13145610.jpg


Rear

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...1-13152821.jpg


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...1-13152841.jpg


And of course, we have the gratuitous oil leak from the front of the engine.....:wack:


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...1-13145916.jpg


As for the disco ravey clock, I'm still none the wiser. Now when I turn the key to 'on', the tach jumps from 0 to 750 - can't work out what's up with that! But next job on the to-do list is sorting out the fuel leak......

November 2014:

After much investigation, it was decided that the fuel line was something best fixed in my garage. Ended up speaking to couple of people and they all pointed me toward Dal in Gravesend.

Quick chat with Dal about the fuel lines, and the rust in the boot, and he arranged a transporter to collect my car :)


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...121_093353.jpg


http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/a...121_140512.jpg