240SX Time Attack Build

Dogbert

Dogbert

Helsinki Smash Rod
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
6,458
Location
N38? 43', W90? 22'
Car(s)
Roger Dean's Rocks
It's begun. :evil:

IMG00221.jpg


IMG00225.jpg


Five stage process.

Stage I: Make it run.
Stage II: Make it safe.
Stage III: Make it handle.
Stage IV: Make it fast.
Stage V: Make it pretty.

We're in Stage II. It goes off to Izzy's Custom Cages on Friday for two weeks to have its eight-point cage done, it's interior fully stripped from the front seats back (and headliner/carpet fully removed), and the seats and harnesses installed. I just took delivery of my Corbeau FX1 Pro seats from SPS today, and my friends from Takata Time Attack are hooking me up with two of their latest five-point harnesses.

When it's all said and done, I'm going to be competing in the TTB class of the NASA Time Attack series, and if budget allows, the Street class of the Redline: Time Attack East series.

More pics as the build progresses.
 
Last edited:
:nod:

What engine are you going to use ?
 
I'm only seeing 2 pictures.
I want to see a lot more.
Please and thanks
There's my manners
:)
 
I'm gonna be following the hell out of this thread, I love s13 coupes.
 
Hopefully things will go smoothly for you now. Looks great.
 
The cage builder actually blogs about all of the cages he does on his website, so I'll get picture updates fairly frequently.

stevanford1 said:
What engine are you going to use ?
Click to expand...
A KA24DE, eventually rebuilt and boostified. I could go with an SR20 or try and shoehorn an RB25 in, but:

1. Grenading an SR is expensive, an RB even more so
2. I have a spare KA24DE
3. I'm only looking for about 265hp (198 kW) tops from the engine (+110HP/+82kW), or else I risk pushing myself into TTA. That's easily doable with a KA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jay
Yay!
Keep us posted!
 
Dogbert said:
Stage V: Make it pretty.
Click to expand...

Not needed, skip.

Dogbert said:
A KA24DE, eventually rebuilt and boostified. I could go with an SR20 or try and shoehorn an RB25 in, but:

1. Grenading an SR is expensive, an RB even more so
2. I have a spare KA24DE
3. I'm only looking for about 265hp (198 kW) tops from the engine (+110HP/+82kW), or else I risk pushing myself into TTA. That's easily doable with a KA.
Click to expand...

About damn time people have come around to using the KA24's; they are a great engine, and unlike the SR20, you can overheat it (SR20's have a lousy water pump prone to cavitation at high rpm's) or run it low on oil and will come back for more.
 
Engines aren't supposed to be run low on oil or be overheated...If there is such a problem on high rpm (although "high rpm" is quite subjective and if higher than stock then buy a bloody aftermarket water pump :p) I can't argue about whether it is a great engine or not but i can surely tell you that the SR20 is a very nice engine !
 
jayhawk said:
Not needed, skip.
Click to expand...
Probably not in the way you're thinking. There are plans in motion to... lets say force me to make some aesthetic changes. :shifty:

Vambeer said:
Engines aren't supposed to be run low on oil or be overheated...
Click to expand...
But it does happen, and the KA is much better at handling abuse than the SR. I was still pulling decent street car times (and passing G35's, strangely) at Gateway on no oil, coolant, and three cylinders... and still drove it home. And let it sit during the winter for six months after that, and it started up again no problem. The old engine was even still in running condition when we took it out.
 
Last edited:
Can't wait to see this develop. I want those seats!
 
Well, a 911 has been taking up my spot with the cage builder for two weeks now, so I decided to do all the prep work myself before it goes in. He assures me it will go in this weekend, as he just kicked the 911 out of the garage for sucking too much and not having the parts (see: glass) ready.

IMG00238.jpg

Seats were heavy: 35lbs each (and the back bench was about as much, too). I think the new ones are under half that.


IMG00239.jpg

Fully gutted, but horribly dirty. The rest of this week will involve scrub brushes, especially where the carpet molded (augh).


IMG00240.jpg

Fist-sized hole in the floorpan that I was not told about. It fits the previous owner's (who, you may remember, was the douchebag who ditched me during the engine swap) jack, so I imagine he put it through the floorpan and just didn't tell me.


IMG00241.jpg

The remaining padding under the carpet, which is essentially welded to the car by mold and general grossness.


IMG00242.jpg

About 40lbs worth of (wet) carpet, headliner, seatbelts, and plasticy bits.


Total removed from the car in these pictures: ~130lbs (~59kg)
Total removed altogether (inc. spare tire): ~175lbs (~79kg)
Estimated curb weight: ~2525lbs (~1145kg)
(I need corner weights. :()

The lightest I'm comfortable with getting the car is 2500lbs, as under that I run the risk of having to take a weight reduction penalty in NASA; the total car weight (post-cage) plus driver weight plus full tank of gas can't go under 2700lbs. As it stands now, I'm only about 50lbs above that.
 
Last edited:
I'm bookmarking this thread :D God I love S13's
 
Dogbert said:
The lightest I'm comfortable with getting the car is 2500lbs, as under that I run the risk of having to take a weight reduction penalty in NASA; the total car weight (post-cage) plus driver weight plus full tank of gas can't go under 2700lbs. As it stands now, I'm only about 50lbs above that.
Click to expand...

Solution: Get fat?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top