Project Ugly Duckling. SR86. 'Haters gunna hate, Tyres gunna bake'

[ae8zn6]

This just 'in'...




...More later

[Rice86]

engine bay looks clean as it is, so good

[ae8zn6]

Thanks mate, believe me the prep work for the paint is actually pretty rough and after scratching the crap out of it today Im glad I didn't put any more effort into it, lol


Anyway:

So yeah, clearly the engine got put into position today and is now sitting more or less in place by the engine mounts and a jack supporting the rear of the gearbox. It took a little more dicking around with the firewall and tunnel that I was originally hoping, but I am more than happy that, with the method used, the final result will retain factory rigidity.

Clearances behind the motor are quite good and most of the tunnel modification is really just to facilitate getting the motor in and out and as such the clearances around the box are quite good too. The one tight spot is the clearance on the drivers steering rack mount. Luckily enough for me they must have had the same problem with the 1G when that conversion was done and they had already improved the clearance a little which made that problem go away. Other than that the sump is lower than the engine cross-member, so I will likely make up a bash plate in the future.

One thing that had me concerned from the research I did before starting the project was the clearance for the dump pipe against the firewall. Most conversion kits recommend using an aftermarket manifold that mounts the turbo a little further forward so that the dump pipe has enough clearance. I always wanted to keep as many things as possible reasonably close to standard for the sake of reliability, especially given that the power output of a completely stock engine would still make this thing a rocket. As such I was hoping to retain the factory exhaust to the turbo. The engine I bought had an aftermarket dump pipe though, and luckily enough for me it dropped off fairly sharply. This means that I can run the stock manifold without fouling the firewall. Win.

Also glad I did the combination S13/R32 gearbox as those couple inches forward will be a godsend. The 1G to W58 setup had required the previous owner to modify the shifter position already (although I won't praise the job they did of it). The box I am using pretty much puts the shifter in the exact same position. Had I opted to just use a Sylvia box I would have needed another two inches or so cut out That would be closer to that reo bar than I would have liked, but happy with how it sits as it is

So, plan for tomorrow is to start working on the front suspension. More fun times ahead

And pics:

SR, lookin' at home:



Dump pipe clearance, win.



Low sump is Low:



Shifter position:



happy



See you next time

-Robbo

[Nikkojoe]

Yes I did, and while I was fitting these injectors I vented my frustration with Nissans design process. Didn't know I could hate a CA18 more....

[Nikkojoe]

In regards to the SR, Tom is happy. Just be careful using them power tools to tidy up that shifter cut out

[ae8zn6]

OK, did a little more on this thing.

So the idea at the moment is to take the Borg Warner diff that is in there at the moment and get the F series diff in. Personally I am going about this the longer, but more satisfying way of installing the front suspension so that I can sit the car on the front while I work.

So that is basically what has happened. I finally got to start installing some of the parts that have been arriving in my garage in dribs and drabs over the past several months. I also finally got to start using parts I have been holding on to since 2 ae86s ago

Like many things on this car when I bought it, the LCAs were painted red So I have them a very quick clean up and painted them black, I also installed brand new ball joints and superpro bushes courtesy of . Anyway, I threw them in and fitted them up to the whiteline swaybar that was already in there. I then finally got to install the GReddy front coilovers and AJPS RCAs that I bought months ago. I had some old hubs lying around from my old white GZE daily, so I got some new wheel bearings and re-greased the whole setup. Then I performed a small seance and channeled steroidchickens' old gold drift car...



(So pretty!!!)


...well maybe I didn't successfully resurrect it, but I did go and retrieve the front brakes that I bought from his old car that I had been saving for a rainy day (or race car).

The end result looked something like this:



Happiness is GReddy Type S suspension and a big brake kit

Had a bit of a shock though when I found out that my 15" stepped Mesh wheels didn't clear the brakes (hence the bolt-ons fitted)

Anyway, car is ready to support its own weight again. So next time I get a chance I will likely dump it on the ground and start tackling the rear for a bit.

[maxhag]

You will love the GReddys......

I have plenty of differant wheels you can test........

[mals86]

Good progress, pickin up a few tips as well, awesome!

[ae8zn6]

OK, more progress...

So the plan is to have the tunnel welded up this Saturday, but given that I had some time in between I figured it would be a good idea to take out the Borg Warner diff that was in there and insert my F series. This has the added advantage of being able to take some measurements and hence get my tailshaft in the works. Another advantage is that I am finally able to see if my wheels still work with the somewhat wider track of the YR22 diff.

After hearing of a I figured I should get some ... I mean Adelaide... Anyway, got some of :



Then I got to work, undoing and then re-doing a bunch of things. At one point I stopped and thought to myself... 'why in the hell are you taking out a perfectly good, strong diff, with working disk brakes and handbrake, just to put in another one???'

Then after I got the BW diff out and tried moving it around suddenly it all made sense


Anyway, car is on the ground for the first time in months and your verdict is in:









Can't ask for much more than that!

Also slapped in the new gearbox crossmember to make sure we get an accurate tailshaft measurement:



And just for good measure:




So yeah, as stated next big task is sealing up the tunnel. Once that has been done I can start inserting things for the final time (engine, brake and clutch masters, interior, etc). Also getting the tailshaft made will be up there on the priority list. I guess I need to start on making the bottom of the car black soon too...

In case some of you are wondering what the rear brake setup will entail, it is a work in progress atm and as such I am intentionally not going into it on here. Once its complete you can expect a full rundown. Expect a dual caliper system. That is all.

Till next time!

[ae8zn6]

Big day today...

Well, the big news from today was that I called in some backup from Paul in order to get the tunnel returned to one piece.

This definitely showed the flaw in my process of painting the engine bay prior to cutting it up and having it welded back together

Anyway, Paul fought against less than ideal prep work from me and successfully made my tunnel whole again



I then did a little prep and finished painting the engine bay (again ) excuse the crappy late night photo:



I then gave the inside surface a reasonably thorough layer of sicaflex to cover any sharp edges and then started re-installing the dash supports.





At this point the wife came home and I decided that drinking beer was more appropriate than more work

Its great to have this part done as it was really on the 'critical path', basically until it was done I couldn't do the final installation of anything in the engine bay as it was always going to come out again. Likewise, I needed to have all of the dash and other interior out in order to give unhindered access to the join of the firewall and tunnel. Having it done means I can start to reassemble the car in earnest.

Really happy, and its great to have it done to a very high standard to boot! Thanks again Paul!