Chasing an old dream (EU S13)

[Snilssson]

Hey guys,

Just a short back story, my first car was an S13 that I bought when I was 16, I had it for 6 years and learned a whole lot but it spent more time in the garage than on the roads and my biggest downfall was chasing cool stuff instead of focusing on drivability and reliability. The good times were tough to beat though.

Bought a stock S13 as a daily and a Blob STi after I sold that car and had it for a year. It was fun but not really my cup of tea, owned them for a year and it's been nothing boring german family cars since then.

I'm 30 now and live in Sweden. I spent 4 years in the states (Chicago) and loved it but moved back home a year ago after my wife and I had a kid.
Life moves pretty quickly with a house, new job and baby (and another one on the way) but I just stumbled across the perfect S13 for me to work on long term and just couldn't say no despite my wife doing her best to persuade me how bad of an idea it was, lol. It's been my dream to finish what I started so many years ago.

Some pics of my old cars..



↑ First S13 when I bought it & right before I sold it ↓



↓ My stock daily driver S13


↓ My Blob STi



Now back to my current car and what this whole thread is about, a 200SX S13 from 1991 with 219,000km (roughly 135k miles) on the clock.
It's been owned and renovated by a guy that's relatively famous working on S-chassis for a looong time, like I mentioned previously I just couldn't help myself when I saw the build in a small private facebook group and bought it from him.
Now, I can't take credit for his work but I'll proudly display it and will show you guys my goals for this beautiful thing.



















My goals are simple, I really just want to refine the car inside and out and make it drive really well on the street. This will never be a race or drift car.

I will update the thread with some build photos and spec list later on.

[Snilssson]

Continuing with build photos..
The car was in pretty bad condition and had not passed inspection since 2007.
It was stored in a garage though so rust was not a massive problem.

There are a LOT of photos, brace yourselves..

[Snilssson]

Here's the spec list:

Engine
- CA18DET
- 5-speed
- Fully renovated engine with new OEM parts (except for crankshaft, pistons etc)
- Garrett T28 from an S14
- 3" exhaust from turbo with 100 cell catalytic converter
- FMIC
- Torque 56mm radiator with electric fan
- Oil cooler
- H-Dev (Horsham) "Stage 3" ECU / 98 octane
- 444cc injectors
- Z32 MAF
- Walbro GS341 255l/h fuel pump
- S14 LSD
- XTD Stage 3 clutch
- Shortshift
- Stiffer engine and gearbox mounts
=Should be around 270-290hp with 16psi of boost

Suspension
- Tein Street Basic Coilovers
- Adjustable camber arms
- New bushings, rods, wires etc everywhere

Wheels & Brakes
- Work Emotion M8R 18x9.5" up front and 18x10.5" in the rear
- 215/40 tires in the front and 225/40 in the rear
- 5 lug conversion
- Z32 brakes front and rear with EBC brake pads and discs

Interior
- Nardi Deep Corn 330mm
- Gauges for boost, oil temp and oil pressure
- Battery relocated to the trunk
- Aftermarket gear knob
- New head unit 2 DIN

Exterior
- Fresh paint, white RAL9001
- Chuki front with pig nose lip
- Rolled fenders in the rear

I have had time for two minor modifications to the interior.
The car came with some terrible drifting steering wheel and I swapped it out for a Nardi Deep Corn immediately.
I also bought a new head unit. My plan is to build a simple audio system in the car.

Before..


After..


And this is where the car is right now, on jack stands and wheels are off.
I like the wheels but 10.5" in the rear is way too wide on a stock body imo.
The car is not enjoyable to drive when you have this much stretch on the tires and this amount of camber so the whole set is for sale.

[Snilssson]

The plan
And these are my small and big plans for the future, things will be slow in the beginning since I had to pay a pretty penny for this car and my wife and I just completed a massive home renovation but I am in it for the long run so I am not rushing anything.

Minor stuff
- Raise the car like 1/2 inch or so.
- Some touch up on the paint and chassis
- Install the new head unit and make it flush with the center console
- Get some 6.5" speakers for the doors and maybe a small sub in the rear. If so, it will be very modest and clean.
- Paint the center console and the light covers
- Swap out the blue air filter to a red one (duh)
- Replace the wastegate and install some sort of boost management system
- Replace some missing and broken clips here and there
- Sleepy eyes and being able to have them turned on
- Trunk space is missing carpet and some minor details, it is not painted either so will have to figure something out there

More interesting and bigger items
- Sell the wheels and buy something more modest. Can't make up my mind between 17s or 18s. I had my mind set on 17x9s or a staggered 17/18 setup but since I don't want a car that's super low I'm thinking that 18's might be better since it gives the car some better clearance. My last idea has been 18x9/18x9.5". Preferably TE37s but reality will probably come down to Rotas. Please don't hate me.
- Build a new catback exhaust. Current one is fine but I prefer a polished fart canon. Please don't hate me.
- Kouki aero including spoiler. I'm not sure I can stomach OEM prices so will probably go with a replica kit.
- Kouki taillights, or possibly the cheap route for the time being with painted Lexus style ones ( https://www1.garaget.org/archive/86/...63-2502394.jpg )
- S15 or R32 GT-R seats - this is pretty low priority though

That is about it for now, happy to hear your thoughts and ideas. Especially on wheels, or if you can help me source the parts I'm in need of in Europe. It's almost 10 years since I left the game so a lot has changed..

[ingmar F]

really clean car! how is the s-chassis community in sweden? I live in the Netherlands and we have a small community, but if you are looking for you can always contact (i might have a spare trunk carpet) me and i can see if i can help. if i was you, i would settle for 17"s with a decent tire on a stock body s13.

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by ingmar F

really clean car! how is the s-chassis community in sweden? I live in the Netherlands and we have a small community, but if you are looking for you can always contact (i might have a spare trunk carpet) me and i can see if i can help. if i was you, i would settle for 17"s with a decent tire on a stock body s13.

Thanks, it's the nicest S13 I've ever laid my eyes upon. :-)
It's a very small community, there used to be a pretty large and active forum in the days but it's been completely dead for a few years now. There's also a Facebook group with roughly 2000 members but there's not a whole lot going on. What's it like in NL?
Appreciate it, I hope to find a carpet local but if I fail I'll reach out to you. I assume shipping will be rather pricey..

17's are nice with some chunky tires. The more I look at different photos of cars the more confused I get though haha.

[ingmar F]

Originally Posted by Snilssson

Thanks, it's the nicest S13 I've ever laid my eyes upon. :-)
It's a very small community, there used to be a pretty large and active forum in the days but it's been completely dead for a few years now. There's also a Facebook group with roughly 2000 members but there's not a whole lot going on. What's it like in NL?
Appreciate it, I hope to find a carpet local but if I fail I'll reach out to you. I assume shipping will be rather pricey..

17's are nice with some chunky tires. The more I look at different photos of cars the more confused I get though haha.

We have a whatsapp group with around 100 people, the dutch forum is not as active as it was back in the days. but the german forum (SXCE.DE) is really active, so that is where i look for things now. Shipping is not really expensive, 20-25 euro depending on the weight.

i really like the tire and wheel size on this car for a street setup. maybe its something you like to.

Gram Lights 57DR 17x9 +22 | Michelin Pilot Sport A/s 3 Plus 245/40

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by ingmar F

We have a whatsapp group with around 100 people, the dutch forum is not as active as it was back in the days. but the german forum (SXCE.DE) is really active, so that is where i look for things now. Shipping is not really expensive, 20-25 euro depending on the weight.

i really like the tire and wheel size on this car for a street setup. maybe its something you like to.

Gram Lights 57DR 17x9 +22 | Michelin Pilot Sport A/s 3 Plus 245/40

That's cool, I have never heard of SXCE.de but will definitely sign up!

I really like that setup, meaty tires look great on s-chassis.
This is another 17x9 set I really like, +25 offset which isn't too aggresive.





18s do look a tad better though. I'll see what I can get for my wheels first and then the budget gets to decide. Appreciate your input!

[Danb]

Nice S13 man, I would be proud to own it regardless of who built it originally. It is a representation of you now, the advantage of what you got is you can start enjoying it now versus the long process of getting one to the point that its at.

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by Danb

Nice S13 man, I would be proud to own it regardless of who built it originally. It is a representation of you now, the advantage of what you got is you can start enjoying it now versus the long process of getting one to the point that its at.

Thanks!
I honestly do not have the time nor the space for a true project so this was perfect for me, I am really happy I found it. With a corporate job, house and kid time is limited to say the least.
I get to do the things I enjoy the most, modify the exterior and keep it nice while hopefully enjoying plenty of miles on the road.

[projectsupra]

Awesome job bringing this one back to such a nice condition, really looks amazing!

[Snilssson]

Time for an update!

I have sold my wheels, and purchased a set of JR5 18x9.5" ET22 square setup instead. Now, I do understand how it sounds going from genuine Work wheels to Japan Racing but it will just be driven on the street and the price of the JR5 were too good to pass up. Things might change in the future too.. Please be nice :-)





I have also ordered a set of genuine Kouki lights and also the lower metal panel as well as the kevlar RPS13 center garnish, the middle piece will be Lexus/Altezza lights but I don't think it matters since it will be covered up by the garnish. Just like Shant_a_ganoosh car on Instagram which is my inspiration per below.







Spent some time with the car yesterday looking over some things, starting work on head unit wiring, gear knob, installed some clips that have been missing etc.
The center console have been removed in preparation for new paint by the way.





Air filter got replaced with a red one, tried to change the wastegate too but it needs a rod end and a new bracket to the compressor housing so that will have to wait.
Here's the new gear knob by the way, not sure if I like the size but it looks cool at least.

[Snilssson]

Noticed that the pictures were all messed up, fixed that now.

[mrmephistopheles]

Do you have plans to reinstall fender liners and splash guard?

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by mrmephistopheles

Do you have plans to reinstall fender liners and splash guard?

No, the plan is to build a splash guard in the rear section of the wheel house but not all the way around.
I will be installing a Kouki bodykit later on too and the wheels will be too big for OEM fender liners.

[mrmephistopheles]

Originally Posted by Snilssson

No, the plan is to build a splash guard in the rear section of the wheel house but not all the way around.
I will be installing a Kouki bodykit later on too and the wheels will be too big for OEM fender liners.

I see. Your car is coming along beautifully. I tend to love keeping things as OEM looking as I can, which is why I asked.

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by mrmephistopheles

I see. Your car is coming along beautifully. I tend to love keeping things as OEM looking as I can, which is why I asked.

Thank you, I agree that OEM is always best and I strive to keep the quality at OEM or as close to that level as possible.

[spooled240]

Originally Posted by Snilssson

No, the plan is to build a splash guard in the rear section of the wheel house but not all the way around.
I will be installing a Kouki bodykit later on too and the wheels will be too big for OEM fender liners.

At minimum, I would install the rear fender liners. They keep sand out of the door hinge area and cut down on the wind noise a bit.

The fronts liners can be cut and pushed further towards the front bumper for tire clearance.

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by spooled240

At minimum, I would install the rear fender liners. They keep sand out of the door hinge area and cut down on the wind noise a bit.

The fronts liners can be cut and pushed further towards the front bumper for tire clearance.

I will try to figure out a way to get my hands on the rear fender liners for sure. The car has only been driven around 600km since the renovation and I can already tell the wear on the paint and hinges so it is priority.

[Snilssson]

Time for an update again!


Was able to spend an hour in the garage and took care of some minor things. It?s 3+ degrees in the garage and no lights so it?s not the best workplace but fine for small jobs.

I fixed sleepy eyes with this solution, the blank button next to the pop up lights will get this switch. Simple and clean.





I removed the speakers from the parcel shelf and instead of trying to find a replacement I found two speaker grills for just a few ? that works visually imo



And then I got around to increasing the ride height by approximately 15mm all around.



After that I test mounted the Kouki lights, the metal panel still needs to be painted as well as the middle section. But it?s nice to just line everything up. :-)





And lastly I put on the wheels, will be interesting to see it on the ground but I think it will look good!

[jr_ss]

Nothing like fresh clean parts and chassis. Keep up the great work.

[ingmar F]

very nice! i think it would look really good when its on its wheels

[Snilssson]

Thanks guys! :-)
I just got my hands on an S15 turbo now, I’ll swap that in for some better response in the spring

[Snilssson]

No real news here, I've just purchased a bunch of stuff..


S15 Turbo and wastegate, it only has 60,000km on it and is in perfect condition.


New front fender liners, will probably need modification to fit with the wheels but it's really nice to have these imo��


New and smaller leather shift knob.


GKTech wheel nuts, neochrome because I'm extra :saint:


A new catback 3" exhaust, I know it's basic but it's the style I want


I have also ordered a full Kouki body kit with JDM rear bumper, spoiler, lights etc. Not sure if I will be able to fit everything this year but it's nice to have all the parts..

[Snilssson]

Still not a lot of action here, the weather is still very cold with snow here in Sweden.

I’m waiting to install the new turbo and new catback until I can take the car to a real garage with heating and proper tools etc.


I have installed a manual boost controller (test fitted for now, have a real bracket that will be installed after testing) Also might get an EBC in the future. This is just to be able to adjust boost a little bit and see how the car behaves on the road..



Got a trunk carpet that’s gotten some stitching and a deep clean. These are becoming harder and harder to find so I’m happy to have something.



Got the headlight covers and the panel around the stereo painted, installed it with the new gear knob. The wiring for the radio is sorted but just needs to be wired up, will do that in a warm garage too. :-)



And lastly I have installed the center piece between the taillights, the reversing lights are really dark inside the garage but look less dark in reality. :-) I’m pleased!

[Snilssson]

Guess who?s back!

Took the car out of winter storage and drove it 30km back home, everything felt fine but the brake warning light lit up as I was almost home so drove it straight to work for a check up and some minor maintenance items.



Despite raising the car around 20mm around it?s still super low, that will be changing though.



Heres the issue, one of the pistons in these freshly renovated calipers were leaking.. S13 life




Wanted to replace the catback exhaust but all the mounting rubbers were changed so couldn?t be bothered with it and put the current exhaust back. I might just replace the exhaust tip in the future..



Another issue I have known about is oil leakage from the turbo oil return, I had a new OEM gasket so I replaced that. I also changed the engine oil to Motul 8100 5W-40.



Considering the boost management discussion I made an effort to install a waste gate with a 1,0bar base pressure. I?m aiming for 1,0-1,1bar so with this I won?t need to adjust any boost pressure with the bleed valve hopefully.



Had to do some welding and customization to get it to fit but it turned out pretty good.

Didn?t get a chance to test drive it with the leaky caliper but will get around to it soon enough.


Next thing will be to install these S14 seats I picked up for almost nothing, they only have 60,000km on them and are in really nice condition.

[ingmar F]

cool updates! I love how clean your car is.!

[Snilssson]

Originally Posted by ingmar F

cool updates! I love how clean your car is.!

Appreciate it!

[Snilssson]

It's a bit of a chore to upload here because of the vintage forum style lol but a few things have happened to the car so I'll summarize.

Installed the S14 seats, a very simple and straight forward installation. Love the seats too.


The brake caliper that was leaking had all gaskets but one replaced, which was of course leaking. After new gaskets it was fine again.


Installed the new stronger wastegate with a base pressure of 1,0 bar. Worked flawlessly and the car holds that 1bar throughout the rev range. Pulls strong!


Since it is a street car I really wanted some sound in the car so I installed 6.5" speakers in the doors along with some sound deadening and a new head unit. Can't live with wireless carplay lol..








Removed the front bumper and also purchased a genuine Kouki/Type X front bumper. Drove the car to the body shop but it just sat there for a month without anything happening.






And finally I found some genuine BBS LM 17x9 ET20 wheels. Bought new high quality performance tires from Yokohama and ditched the Japan Racing wheels. I increased ride height, did a wheel alignment and also installed brand new front fender liners. Car drives and feels great now!










Hopefully I can get the bodykit painted next week because the car is ready to be driven!

[Snilssson]

Got the metal panel under the rear lights and front bumper painted so I at least could take the car to one meet this year lol. There were over 1000 japanese cars but I won the award for best engine compartment. Surprising but fun



















Returned the car to the body shop when I got back and it took a couple of weeks but it is finally ready, just gotta install the spoiler.