TechkaV's Progress thread [Lots of pictures]

[mad-ass]

Hey TJ people, havn't been on here for a while..

just a little update on me for you guys.

I bought a 1995 Nissan 240SX base model with 145k miles on Automatic for $2000.

the engine has no problem what so ever, that was my main reason of this purchase. to get me out of Oklahoma to Colorado, then to California in 1 peice with out worrying about car falling apart. and I have no doubt that this car can make it if i can hit 100mph with out a problem still.

Anyways..seems like I'll be keeping this car for what it is and make it all "mine" to my standards. so here is my progress thread on my car.

I just made the To Do list on this car, and first one was to name the car, and I named it "TechkaV". When honda hits VTEC, it's the most awesome sound to my ears, so I couldn't ditch that anytime soon, so blended that into the name in reminder to pick up a Honda soon.

So, here we go!

[mad-ass]

To Do List on the TechkaV

1. Name it: TechkaV

2. LED Convertions
a. Dome Light: fix the wiring
b. Climate Control - Fixed
c. Gauge Cluster
d. Under dash
e. relay single LED to front to indicate break lights on along with backup light.
f. LED taillight convertion.

3. Tint
a. Peal off all the old tint flims - Almost finished, only got rear left
b. get a new tint job - Pending out of the list


4. Security
a. Install alarm system with keyless entry, trunk open.
b. Install GPS tracking device
c. install fuel cut off
d. install "Engine Start" button


5. Interior
a. Fix/replace Center arm rest hinge
b. cover center arm rest with padding/vinal
c. buy various clips for all the missing clips and clean/refit everything
d. Fiberglass cover the radio Bazel
e. 12V Cig lighter port - buy new and refit - Fixed
f. reattach/glue the ashtray cover - Fixed
g. Clean the carpet
h. clean the Seats
i. ceiling insulents
j. Sunroof - buy thicker weather sealent
k. Driver seat, buy nut for the tilt handle


6. Doors
a. Replace Door Panel
b. remove all sealent
c. replace lock acuators - Done
d. replace side pocket tray's - Temp Fixed
e. replace door handle covers - Temp Fixed
f. replace door sealent
g. adjust/fix window rails on driver side - Fixed
h. replace bolts that are worn out
i. degrease window rails and regrease



7. Head Lights
a. Black housing
b. 5000k HID
c. Projector from TSX/TL
d. LED Blinkers


8. Stance / Drive train
a. Full coilover setup
b. 5 lug convertion
c. Long studs
d. 5mm~25mm wheel spacers
e. Rims with deep dish
f. LSD
g. Sway bars
h. front/rear strut bars
i. under floor chassis braces

9. Breaks
a. Z23[300ZX] break caliper/rotor convertion
b. stainless steel break line
c. Hawk pads
d. slotted Rotors


10. Engine
a. SR20DET - Pending to go KA-T setup
b. Clutch
c. Flywheel
d. FMIC
e. Exhaust
f. Header
g. Intake Manifold

11. Body
a. Remove all dings and dangs
b. Sand down
c. Kouki Side skirts
d. Greedy Front lip - Pending to out be out of the list
e. Orginlab rear lip kit

EDIT: the numbers that are seperated isn't the order I'll be working on this. I just numbered'em off so i don't get confused. haha

EDIT: 27MAY07 Update

[mad-ass]

Just like How I picked TechkaV.
with all those crappy 10+ years old tint's gone bad with bubbles screaming "fuck yo couch" for the rear wind shield..so I can't see a thing threw the rear view mirror.

Lots of work to be done!

The bads....
-lots of dings
-after market sun roof. and for some reason, they primmered the whole roof gray.. and makes alot of noise when going 60+mph due to thin seals. but how ever it does not leak.
-looks like some bondo work and primmer cover all over the car
-front passenger side looks like it was in a light colision. the bumper shows cracks of paint. thus making the passenger front end not line up perfect.
-driver side window gear is missing some teeth, thus making it "click" loud when operating
-both door weather seal's are warn to hell and makes alot of wind noise when going 60+ mph. but it doesn't leak water!
-this seems like a common problem with 240sx's..the radio bazel trim is cracked and missing about 5" of the trim on driver side
-door panel's were "ripped" out of it's place and currently using washers to widen up the contact area with the bolt to hold in place. same with panel arm rest pocket and door handles
-rear window tint is bubbly as hell, i can not make out any car img out of it.
-driver side fuse box cover is missing all the clips, so it just "lays" over it's place, very loose
-the car is automatic
-center glove box's hinge is cut from it's base, needs new hinge
-sun visor's seem to have water damage for god know's what reason, need to replace
-climate control lumination lights don't work
-cig lighter port is corroded to hell and missing it's head holder so it goes straight back in when ever applied pressure to use.
-spare tire area is missing one of the large plug that blocks out side and the inside space, whole spare tire area on flat surface shows large areas of rust.
-the plywood that blocks the spare tire sucks, along with carpet.
-no rear speakers
-the blower doesn't work.
-window washer fluid pump is dead
-looks like missing plastic panel on passenger side trunk.
-breaks sucks, feels like air in break line
-when I apply breaks, I hear "thump" from the rear drive train, the previous owner told me his mech. told him it's the rear wheel bearings and he already has brand new one in the car, so I'll be replacing that next weekend and see if it helps any.
-needs new break pad/rotor. most likely going to upgrade to better one's. probably the break setup will be done before any "performance" mod list I've made.
-I can turn the car with my keychain and start/kill the car.[uh oh..how do i fix this?]

The goods....
-The car has close to 146k miles, stock engine on automatic transmission..but runs like a champion! No oil leaks anywhere under the engine bay.
-NO eletrical problem what so ever.
-I can hit 100mph with out a problem
-gets 28mpg city/highway driving.
-the headlights are in perfect allign hight/angle

[mad-ass]

Now the pictures...











^bird shit...goodness!

half done with stripping the rear side window tint off..god that's a bitch to work on!

[mad-ass]

I've noticed the dome light is burned out.
so instead of replacing the bulb, I converted the whole light system with LED's.

So, some explanation before the pictures.

I didn't know which wire is positive and negative. and I couldn't find a wire diagram for the dome light. So i gustimated which wire is for what, and now that I think about it..I think i wired some stuff wrong, but I havn't put it back in the car yet, so I'll find out tomorrow which wire is what.

I think the plug/connection to the dome light is both positive currents since I do see a negative/ground connected that is also connected to bolt that grounds to the chassis. but this is a easy fix

some basic instructions. and no I am not making a DIY out of this, simple circuit board with resistor's connection serise's of LED's. I used 100ohms 1/4 watt resistors with white LED's[I forgot the spec's on the LED's I've used today, bought them LONG time ago when I was doing alot of LED convertions, using left overs]

So 3 LED's per resistor, makes my life easier.

now pictures, I don't have it installed in the car yet, too late into the night and got lazy after i was done.


metal trim that covers the inside, I had no use for that so I took that off.



making marks for the cut for fitment and after math.



Test fitting the LED's and it's locations. as you see, I am using 12 led's, so that's 4 resistors for this application.


soldered the LED's in line except for the first positive leg and last negative leg to power the LED's. and fitted in the housing


1 hour later....



I use a old house cordless phone power adapter to test out my LED products as they are all for car application. it's output is 9V 350mh's. so it's bit less then what I will be getting from the car's currents. thus less brightness.






I used a super glue to hold the PC board in place. I cut about 1mm too small so i had to find a "tight fit" spot and glued at it's place.



The light output with out it's cover on. the computer body is 14" tall. pic taken about 4 foot away. Nice and bright/white.



The final work.

I'll edit this post to let you all know how it looks inside, and which wire is for what.

Thanks for looking!

-------------------------------------------
the next day.....

I reinstalled the dome light back in the car, only to find out there is a wiring fault in the system. my convertion works fine.

The light is very very dim, and only works when the key is in the ACC or ON position and when the door is open. I am thinking it's the wiring fault in the system because of those reasons. and plus this car is a after market sunroof and they might have screwd some stuff when they did this, perhaps they took the manual on power to power the sunroof motor. Not sure. any pointers?

[njn63]

ls1 > sr20.

With any luck, i'll be able to make a post around the end of the month proving this.

[xTimx]

looks like you listed more problems with the car than we anticipated! hehe just joking. but it looks great! paint it bronze or some crazy color.

[mad-ass]

Alright..no pictures from today, due to NO progress what so ever..but I did try some more things..

I worked on the window's again for a bit in a attemt to get the tint off..

and then started taking my dash apart to install my headunit...

right after i get to unplugging the antenna connection..it starts raining like a mofo..and it's still raining after 9 hours...awesome!

well, crap ass tires + shit load of rain + open parking lot = fun sliding

yup..my first attemp to slide my car around today, the rear looses it's traction really well with today's condition...it was awesome!

and also got new plates today..

all they had was "JCY-###' and she just pulled out what ever she had in her drawer..so i asked her..

me: "do you have anything that say's S14?"
lady: "not in my drawer...Hmm..."
me: "oh, actually, since all you have is JCY-###, can you find JCY-514?
lady: "I'll be right back...hold on"

2 mins later..

Lady: "yup..i found it."
me: "FUCK YEAH!"

so now..my plate says JCY-514...in translation..Jucy S14

[charliemopps24]

Originally Posted by mad-ass

so now..my plate says JCY-514...in translation..Jucy S15

Thats some good freakin luck man. Wish i could get a good n funny plate.

[mad-ass]

Alright..
My climate control lights were burned out, seems like a common problem on 240sx's as well...

since it was burned out, and didn't bother looking up replacements for it..so more LED's!!!

No before picture because it simply didn't work before.




and my new headunit that I put in yesterday


other then that, I am just working on my back window in hopes of clear rear window! and I've decided not to tint my car. maybe after I am done with the car, but for now, tint's are off the list.

and my dome light seems to be wired off of ignition. very very interesting how it's wired as well..

the light only works when Driver side door is open and key is in "ON" position, and with headlight's off. any other conditions, they are just off. interesting...

Thanks for looking!!

[mad-ass]

Alright, about half way done with stripping the rear window tint.
i fixed the window again, and it no longer squeaks or clicks.
it wasn't a broken tooth in the gear or anything, just about every bolt was loose on it.
I am trying to come up with some clever ways to fix my center arm rest hinge since i can't get to a junk yard anytime soon. so I'll post a fix on that. ghoto rig ftw.

[mad-ass]

I do little bit of work on the car day by day..Some new stuff..

I fixed the cig-power port. I was missing a holder so i had to rig one up, but it fits perfect now.

I found out that I had an amarm installed in the car, but no remote so that's no use, I didn't even find a siren under the hood so what's good? even the door-lock acuators were disconnected, so that just tells me it was a failed attempt by some idiot[probably the previous owner]. along with that, he did a heck of a job making the wire splicing and jointing look like shit! all that wiring mess is out of the car now and in a dumpster.

My washer fluid motor works!!! but it is activated by turning the car on. I have no idea how to fix that problem..checked the fuse, and of course it's good cuz it's working, but not properly.

Rear window tint is the worst thing to fix in my history of car fixes...it's just simply rediclus. I might as well just replace both front/rear window's.

I found a semi-opened bottle of powersteering fluid in the emergency jack well. and best part...it was empty and covered in it's own fluid, and there is no hole down there..so god knows what it looks like in there

Still havn't fixed the dome light yet, well i havn't tried yet.

Simple greened the engine bay, looks lot cleaner now. less dirt and grease/oil.

My AC/Heater blower and shifter came in from a guy on 240sxf.com I think i got pretty good deal on it, $85 shipped for both items in almost new condition. I'll be installing that this weekend when I take a look at my rear suspension[it makes all kinds of thump noises when breaking and going over some bumpy roads]

[KevlarRUN]

Originally Posted by njn63

ls1 > sr20.

With any luck, i'll be able to make a post around the end of the month proving this.

haha funny that. a few of my patients actually are engineers and engine prototypers at holden here (the same guys that brought you the Pontiac GTO's your nation seems to love)

they hate the ls1. its a primitive cheap engine that does nothing for them on an engineering level.

however: it is cheap. it has displacement. and a gearbox stronger than for sr20's

here. sr20's arent expensive compared to the states. so the only real reason why an ls1 is better than an sr20 is for cost benefit ratio

but here that doesnt really apply.

[njn63]

Originally Posted by KevlarRUN

haha funny that. a few of my patients actually are engineers and engine prototypers at holden here (the same guys that brought you the Pontiac GTO's your nation seems to love)

they hate the ls1. its a primitive cheap engine that does nothing for them on an engineering level.

however: it is cheap. it has displacement. and a gearbox stronger than for sr20's

here. sr20's arent expensive compared to the states. so the only real reason why an ls1 is better than an sr20 is for cost benefit ratio

but here that doesnt really apply.

haha, we hated the GTO actually. It's out of production already I think. It wasn't a bad car, just they screwed up by killing the Firebird/Camaro and bringing out a heavier/slower car 2 years after.

The ls1 is a great motor for us in the states because it has a decent powerband, is all aluminum (lighter than the stock ka24), and like you said, is relatively cheap. It's by no means an engineering marvel, but over here I think the swap is a far better option than a sr20.

Plus, i spent last night watching a bunch of v8's at a "street racing" event at the track. It's just natural for us around here to stuff something like that into it.

[mad-ass]

so what are you guys saying, i should do some crazy shit and put LS1 in my car? haha

Anyways, Today's work.

I replaced the blower motor, took me a bit because I kept on getting caught up with something else all around the car, such as replacing bulbs here and there and cleaning the battery terminal, and taking the rest of the speaker/sub wires that was under the carpet, i probably pulled out good 30~40 ft of wires out of my car today. shit was ugly.

Well, The old blower spun at all level, but it just wouldn't work when it's inside the blower unit/housing, so that's in dumpster now, and new motor is in, works awesome, feels good to have working AC/blower

and replaced my carrier bearing today as it was just sitting in the car brand new still in it's plastic seal. and i ended up snapping two exhaust bolts..i had fun drilling those out..not really.
This calls for new exhaust, haha 3 inch exhaust here i come

I was shopping around for some new suspension setup, oh btw i found out i have KYB replacement shocks in fronts, interesting..
I am looking to buy Stance GR+Pro. decent price and I've read nothing but good on'em. so we'll see. Another one I am looking to buy is Silk's...but those are bit more pricy then the Stance's.

but for my entry level, Stance should last me for a bit while. Sunken battle ship here I come

[mad-ass]

16 June 2007

I just replaced my Plugs and Wires. I just went with Bosch Platinum 2 spark plugs and wires. why? fuck if I know..I should have went with NGK plugs and wires..but what evers, they were WAY WAY over due for change, atleast the wires.

I think wires are bad when you can hear the wires "crack" when you move'em around while cold

The plugs seemed to have been changed about a year ago or so, wasn't in bad shape at all, it had little carbon deposit on'em. I'll be sure to check this out when it's time for me to do more engine mods. but for now, I am trying to meet the basic/general maintence.

I was reading over the FSM last night to figure out the problems of my window washer fluid relay and dome light relay. and I am sure I found out the problem, just need to run the said test from the FSM for the washer relay, not sure about the dome light still, i think it's the passenger side door open/close sensors that's bad, but it still doesnt' explain why the light is so dim..Hmmm anyone have any idea?

[mad-ass]

UPDATE

I am getting the car repainted, and i'll be picking it up tomorrow.

I am still not sure what color my uncle will paint the car, i requested him to paint it code LS1 or the EVO MR gray color, so i'll find that out tomorrow morning.

some pictures of the prep work













i'll update the pictures of the car painted when I get a chance.

[mad-ass]

Long time no update....

here it is.

Well well..I just received this in the mail today at lunch...Hmmmm













I am probably going to put this on tomorrow.

Hmmmmm

[mad-ass]

i hope this sucker atleast sounds and performs good as fuck.

I found two dents on the pipe before the resonator, and the paint on the muffler is stuck to the plastic shipping wrap so most likely it'll peel the fuck off when I take it out, and the welding job on the muffler and tip is absolutely SHIT! and the rest of the welds are machine welded. Hmmm..

well, if this product was good enough to be used in a magazine..i guess it is good...even the shitty quality welding IMO..

Project Car Magazine
Off spring from Super Streets

Circuit Sport S13/S14 3" Dual Tip Catback ** FREE SHIPPING S14**

[mad-ass]

Oh yeah, the pics of the car painted...






the said picture of me and my friend's MR


@ friend's house doing some belt changes...