GreyDesigns - Sr20 S12 - Build

[greydesigns]

With the SXOC Crail day cancelled, I actually got some stuff done this weekend!

Compression test – 132, 140, 145, 145 – Certainly not good results, but good enough for now. If the engine gives out, I'll just buy a new one or rebuild later. I could rebuild now, but I am trying to keep this build cheapish and quick, especially since there will be loads more to do even when the engine is in the car.

Engine Out (I decided to just cut away the front of the car, which made it very easy,) Wiring mostly out – Though I am not sure how much or little I want to use yet, so I will just leave them all in the car where I can keep track of roughly where everything came from until I am ready to deal with it.

I need to save for VVT sprocket, clutch and flywheel and other engine consumables. And just generally give the engine a good clean and service while it is out of the car. I think I will try and get a nice finish on the rocker cover too. I also need to decided which gearbox I want to use in the s12, and get a load angling device for the crane so I don’t scratch up the car I do care about. And learn to weld, thanks for the tips Van_denton_san!

Basically, I need more money! - If I run out of stuff to do before I get more funds, I will just have to get started on the S12. I might have some nice Evo recaro's ready to be fabed in that my brother had gotten last year for his S14, if they fit, I think they will look ace!

Anyway, having never removed an engine before, this was a lot of fun and felt like an early mile-stone in the project. I can't wait to have this car on the road...

[greydesigns]

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[greydesigns]

Right, its been a while. Time to update this sheet!

I decided I wanted nice new parts for the clutch side of things since this will be a drift car and be getting a lot of abuse, I went with an Exedy 3 puk and also ordered a lightweight DW flywheel to get some faster reving and lighter limiter bashing - hopefully doing this now should save me some time under the car next year...

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I got the gearbox, clutch and flywheel off this weekend. But I want to replace the crank seals while its all apart. So holding off on fitting the shiney new bits for now.

The gearbox was a bit of a pain to get off on my own, it was only by battering it with a hammer that it eventually decided to come loose (I was getting worried I was going to knock a hole in it.) The moterbike paddock stand worked perfectly for proping everything up while I got the bolts out. And then I got the flywheel bolts off by wedging a skrew driver onto one of the studs that goes onto the clutch, had to get my brother to put a bit of extra weight on the engine too.

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Up next (when I have money again,) new gaskets and seals, belts etc. And get the S12 through its mot.


Im going to order a welding mask through the week too so I can get started with learning that stuff (I will start out with gasless while I just make a mess and get used to it.)


Really cant wait to have this car on the road.

[van_denton_san]

I'm jealous of your sr! 3dsmax eh?

[Big Dubs]

Did you change the spigot bearing in the back of the crank mate? Its advisable to do it especially as the gearbox is off. They are only about a tenner from Nissan to

Looking forward to seeing what happens with this one, keep up the good work fella!!

[greydesigns]

I'm jealous of your sr! 3dsmax eh?

Haha, thanks, that should really depend on if it works in the end or not! - But Indeed, are you a 3d guy too?


And cool, thanks for heads up Dubs, I'll look into getting one of those ordered too.

[greydesigns]

8 meters of fresh Vac line arrived today - Heatwrap, tubular manifold, main exhaust manifold to block gasket, front and rear crank seals, pilot bushing and welding mask + gloves on their way too. Should be plenty to get done this weekend!

[van_denton_san]

Don't wear gloves! get your self a nice sun tan!!

And yeah im a 3dmaxer! trained as a car designer but do product/games/film now. you?

[greydesigns]

Cool! Always nice to meet other 3d folk.

Unfortunately, being in the Aberdeen 3d market means I just do oil and gas product and safety animations normally. I have always wanted to step into the games market, but financing cars, my family staying up here and driftland opening have kept me pretty planted for the time being.

S14 model from last year
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I love doing game art and programming in my free time though (and at work when I get so lucky!)

[van_denton_san]

^^Nice.
Yeah I know what you mean, I commute to London everyday from Northampton and its a 4 hour round trip! ...sucks.

[greydesigns]

New OEM parts I had been waiting one for a couple of weeks now!


Last night I removed the pilot bushing using the bread technique, which was really fun! and mangled the old seal out. Really pleased with how easy both those jobs were.


I have been busy moving house lately however, so have gotten very little done on the car/engine. I have been making progress on learning to weld and doing metal work though, got some good practice in buy making some height adjustable supports for my bed (I was given the bed for free, but it was too low so I made new wooden legs for the corners and these cool bolt on metal legs for the middle using the old ones as templates.) I am starting to get the hang of recognizing bad settings and mistakes I have made. I'll just keep practicing until I get it.

Hopefully I will get the new pilot bushing and seal in tonight, just wanted to read about best practice for refitting before I went and fitted something wrong! - Then I can get the clutch and flywheel on, and mount the block on the engine stand for the rest of the work!

I am hoping to remove the S12 engine next month. I want to buy a load adjuster and some slings for the crane though, since I don't want to mangle up that car. On the plus side, that bay is huge compared to the little engine, and it should be a fair bit lighter too.

[pippin89]

Sounds like an awesome project dude! Good luck!

[greydesigns]

Small bits more of progress, new pilot bushing, oil seal, clutch and flywheel fitted. Snipped off the old rotten belts, fan and removed the AC (I wont be needing that in Scotland!)

Was going to mount it up to the engine stand, but the bolts arent long enough with the clutch on. So I will need to buy some long bolts and a make some spacers (might just use wood to avoid damaging the block, also...cheap.) Then I can start cleaning the engine and get the tubular manifold fitted, though I need to weld a locking tab back onto it and give it a heat wrap - I think I will get some braided lines for the turbo too.

I'm taking my time basically. I'm in no rush and still have quite a lot of parts to buy before I can get this into the s12. That said, I'd still like the car to drive this year!

[piman2k]

Coming on well bud

[greydesigns]

This weekend I gave the engine a quick clean with degrease stuff, took off the turbo etc and wrapped my tubular manifold...and destroyed my BMW by drifting into a girder (private farm road that I use for practice between drift days, very narrow and not very forgiving!)

[chris-a]

Not the healthiest looking beemer I've ever seen....got a lot of time for the S12 though, looking forward to seeing updates

[greydesigns]

Monday Update time!

So, since my turbo came out with bent fins and on the path to destruction, I bought a new turbo with braided lines and a stainless elbow. Fairly happy with it, it has very little side to side play, but worryingly it does have axial play, I whipped out the dial indicator to see how bad was. It came in at just over the 0.004" tolerance, but the seller assured me he never had issues, so I will keep it and hope for the best!







The other issue is that the actuator seemed a bit weird, cheap and has been rubbing in its housing due to the arm on the turbo being a little bent in. So I switched that over for the one off my dead turbo, should be fine.



I also decided to test fit my evo recaros into the s12, It looks like I will have to sacrifice the original rails and make some modifications for them to fit. But I wont be doing that until after the engine swap anyway. I also moved my nice nardi wheel and gear nob over from the dead BMW, I still haven't decided on if I will use the previous owners Coca Cola horn, I think its pretty fun and fitting. But there is no denying that it is stupid!





Will be ordering a bunch of OEM seals and gaskets this week to destroy my bank account, and I have some S13 Hubs and knuckles on their way too, so I should have some S14 Cusco coilovers on the front of the S12 soon.

Its slowly coming together!

[van_denton_san]

Nice, you got all the suspension bits needed for s13 swap?

I like your grey dash, I like my blue dash but man its blue!

[greydesigns]

I'm not too sure yet. I have coilovers from an 14, knuckles and hubs ordered from a 13, then hopefully I can use s14 LCA and Callipers. So I will need some 13 disks or re-drilled 14 ones. Just depends how much will come off the s14, and how well it all fits really. Looking forward to getting the front end down though.

Yours looks brilliant, very jealous of how tidy all your front end stuff came along!

[van_denton_san]

thanks mate.
Will the knuckles fit the s14 coilovers?
do they have bigger bolts?, im no expert but when I was trying to find bolts for mine I seem to remember s14 being different, might have to drill out your knuckles. I could be wrong though.
Also what you gonna do for outer tie rod ends? I think s13 ends are too long, the internetz sais to use s13 inners and 1995 ford escort outers, so I got some 95 escort outers and they don't fit, they are m14 and not m12, cause the American escort is different to the UK one!!! ballz

So I just bought some japspeed beefers but don't know if they will fit yet!!