just picked up s14, seafoam? and other newb questions

[cdog]

Hey everybody. I just picked up an s14 and I am super happy with my decision. It's a manual, and has been babied since birth. It's been garaged, never modified, never drifted, all regular maintenance, and only 107k miles. I have never owned a rwd vehicle! I had a heavily modified evo, and some fast fwd vehicles, that I was quite comfortable with. I thought it was time to experience rwd, so I can drive any vehicle at it's limits.

So if anything is wrong with this car, its about to need new brake pads, and dude said it will need new shocks soon. I'm trying to get it race ready, and sign up for some races. I'm trying to not make this a daily driver at all. I've never actually signed up for a race, I always took my car to its limits on backroads. Now, being on supervised probation, and possibly going to the penitentiary if I get a reckless driving ticket, or fleeing from police charge, I'm trying to do this correctly on a track.

THe problem is, I don't know where to start. I guess I will continue to try to read around without hurting my eyes too bad. People say I should seafoam the motor, but I literally know nothing about cars. I just drive them, and buddies help me work on them. I've heard seafoaming ruins the exhaust, but I could just replace that as planned. Is there anything else it screws up? Is it a good idea? I could probably get my neighbor that knows more about cars to help, or a shop to do it.. I'm thinking about just putting a whole new brake system on it at a shop, and not even screwing with the pads. I want this thing to be a beast, but very reliable at the same time. I know with my evo, you add power, clutch goes out, you add aftermarket clutch, cmc goes out etc. I want to do it all at once, and not have anything go out on this car. I may even have the engine rebuilt and turboed. I noticed otw home, while in fifth on the highway, the stick shakes alot, is this normal?

My last question is, where do I begin to sign up for races, and how can I make sure I don't over modify my car, and get disqualified in all classes? Do they have a practice day or place to practice anywhere near me? edit:knoxville I like to go balls to the wall, but I imagine if I make this thing fast, (never having rwd experience) I may hit some cones or something lol.

[bmxer882x]

As far as mods go, if you want to replace the brakes, look in to nissan 300zx brakes from the z32. They are a direct swap if you have 5 lug. If your 4 lug they sell conversion rotors if you don't want to swap. Keeping your ebrake might be a little hard but you would need the r33 ebrake cables. The brakes are 4 piston and 2 piston where ours are single piston all around.

As far as your shaking, since it's only once you get up to highway speeds, I would say it's either an unbalanced tire causing excess vibrations throughout the whole car, or your trans mount is shot. Which I would replace the engine and trans to poly mounts anyway. They help put the power to the ground without loss in flex of rubber mounts.

[cdog]

hmm okay. So do you mean aftermarket 300zx brakes? Because I imagine a set of stock 300zx brakes would kind of suck, when compared to aftermarket rotars, lines, calipers, and whatever else is involved. I would love to keep my ebrake, just so I can feel comfortable parking it on a hill. There is a performance shop nearby, that has done some 240's, and other really fast cars. I might take mine there. I'm appreciating all of the knowledge though, because I still want to be able to tell them what I want done. I don't even know what a brake piston is that's how far I am from the mechanical side of cars lol. It''d be nice to be able to walk in there though, and be like, hey, I want these 4 piston aftermarket brakes installed on my 240, might need some conversion rotors etc.

I'm probably going to just replace the wearing shocks, with a set of the best coilovers I can find.

[bmxer882x]

No, the stock calipers lol.
If you think about it they were designed to consistently stop a 4k lbs car. When you throw them on a 2500 lbs car it's a huge inprovement. Almost as good as many aftermarket brakes. There are conversion kits to Evo brembo brakes however I find the z32 to be plenty.

[Cash]

Stock Z32 brakes don't suck. They come from a car that weighs about 600lbs more than the S14. With aftermarket street performance pads, they have plenty of stopping power for a 400hp+ S14. You can also get adapter kits that allow you to run the bigger Z33 brake rotors, which gives you better heat dissipation.

[simmode1]

Originally Posted by bmxer882x

No, the stock calipers lol.
If you think about it they were designed to consistently stop a 4k lbs car. When you throw them on a 2500 lbs car it's a huge inprovement. Almost as good as many aftermarket brakes. There are conversion kits to Evo brembo brakes however I find the z32 to be plenty.

Whoa. Lot of gross misinformation on vehicle weights right here...

[bmxer882x]

2+2 turbo 300zx weighs 3600, s14 weighs 2750. Sorry, didn't feel like looking it up. I just know my s13 weighs 2500.

[silviaks2nr]

Don't seafoam it.

Change the oil, filter, trans fluid, fuel filter and air filter.

[cdog]

Ok awesome thanks guys for all of the tips! I mean if the evo brembo brakes are better than the z32 brakes though, I would totally want them. That's funny you've got to do conversions to evo or z32 brakes, in order to get alot of stopping power. I would think brembo or someone else would make some killer aftermarket 240 brakes, with the big aftermarket following this car has. However, I don't want any of these brakes or other parts, to disqualify me from any races. It's like if it was done my way, I would literally have the best brakes money could buy, the best tires, the best coilovers, and about 500 hp, and as much torque as I could get. For some reason, I thought I remembered reading a long time ago, that you couldn't have certain performance mods though, and still auto x. I guess my first step will be to perform the steps silviaks2nr mentioned, and research more about signing up for auto x or drifting, and what disqualifies you.

I hate how hard this is! I wish there was just some killer shop that I really trusted to replace everything, like rubber mounts to poly mounts, every little thing, and hand them 15-20k, and come out with a z06 eater, that's actually reliable.

[bmxer882x]

Your not understanding me. Z32 are more than enough to improve your braking. Wilwood does make a BBK for the 240 however the cost isn't worth it compared to getting the z32 setup that is pretty close.

As far as your paying a shop, I'm sure you could but to me it sounds you would have been better off looking for a different car. Especially if you have 15-20k laying around to pay some shop

[Kuma]

Yeah, should have bought a different car. These are good chassis for DIY'rs, but not the best for non mechanically inclined people. If it's unmolested and in good condition I suggest you sell it and buy a newer car like a 350z.

[zeitgeist]

We were all like this in the beginning. Give the guy a break

Cdog, search all this stuff. Every question you could ever have has been covered

[simmode1]

Originally Posted by cdog

I hate how hard this is! I wish there was just some killer shop that I really trusted to replace everything, like rubber mounts to poly mounts, every little thing, and hand them 15-20k, and come out with a z06 eater, that's actually reliable.

How about you just take your $20k and just go buy a C6 Corvette? Because if just picking the parts you want finding a shop is too hard for you, you don't need to be driving a 240. And likely, $20k is probably not enough to complete a full restoration plus LSx swap on one of these cars when you factor in labor costs.

[Kuma]

the difference between us and him is we all had a desire to learn about this stuff. if he's had multiple " fast cars" and still doesn't know how to do brakes himself, then this chassis isn't for him. Hell, a newer miata would be a better choice for him as long as he can get over the fact he's a felon driving a miata. maintenance aside. The labor alone on a turbo kit install would be more than $1000... Which is money the rest of us could spend on coilovers or something. coilovers and suspension arm labor would be another $300-$500.

As sad as it is, the only thing I could see as a good route for him would be ls1 swap with a freshly rebuilt close to stock engine, freshly rebuilt t56, lowering springs, z32 brakes with e brake and done. so it's stupid simple and fairly reliable so he isn't in the shop every week. even then he will probably have spent more than enough to buy a c5 vette.

[bmaddock]

Originally Posted by cdog

I hate how hard this is! I wish there was just some killer shop that I really trusted to replace everything, like rubber mounts to poly mounts, every little thing, and hand them 15-20k, and come out with a z06 eater, that's actually reliable.

If you don't want to do any of this work and are prepared to drop 15-20k right now..just buy a better car than a 240SX. Or hell, if you're fanboying over the 240 then just buy someone's LS-swapped car. Otherwise you need to buckle-down, do some research, and get to wrenching. Most of Zilvia isn't afraid to help you figure things out, but asking very basic questions is just lazy.

Originally Posted by cdog

I've never actually signed up for a race, I always took my car to its limits on backroads.

[simmode1]

Cdog, don't mod anything yet. Don't even gut it. Just focus on maintenance & google your local autocross. That way you can find out what mods will take you out of the class you want to run in. Plenty of ppl autocross bone stock daily drivers while they're learning the limits. Seafoam is fine for the KA. There are plenty of online resources showing how to do it properly. Just read up on the pros & cons. And lastly, no street racing please. Keep it on the track. Your driving will improve faster in a safe environment & with available instruction. http://www.trscca.org/indexFull.html

[cdog]

Hmmm, I could sell it guys, but I do have some close friends (poor as well, will work for a pretty penny) that are PRETTY, mechanically inclined. I just don't trust them as much as a really good shop. I feel like they could screw something up. The whole reason I got this 240, is because, it was in such good condition first of all. If I got a 370z brand new it would be 40k, and I can't go drop 40k on a new car without being watched, plus it would wipe out any money I have. If I got a used 350z, it would likely have problems still. Plus I like really light cars, because I'm all about handling, and not going fast in a straight line. Plus I would likely want to mod whatever car I got. I figured if there is a chance of rebuilding the engine, dropping a new tranny in it, etc, I might as well get a 7k dollar car. The 240 has a big aftermarket following too, so I thought I could end up with the car I wanted for less. You all are making me consider selling it, but I'm probably going to keep it, and just keep it stock for a second like the last dude said.

I really do want a reliable car that doesn't have to be in the shop, but I would consider the ls1 swap sometime. I imagine that adds some weight though, and I love turbos for some reason. I love reliability more though.. I just figured if the mods were done right, it could be reliable too.

As far as me not wanting to learn, I've tried to learn some stuff, but working on cars is just a headache to me. I just want to drive, not be a mechanic..

[bmxer882x]

My question is, why are you wanting to mod it?
You haven't even had it long enough to drive it and find its weaknesses. Once that happens THEN upgrade wherever you feel it needs improvement. You'll grow much faster this way. Rather than throwing a ton of parts and money at it and wrecking it your first trip out.

[simmode1]

^^^Agreed. Nothing wrong with wanting to learn. Zilvia is just a tough crowd & we're tired of asshats coming along & ruining so many of the cars we love with poorly thought out mods. Just take it slow, be a voracious reader & you'll learn all you need to know. Check out that link I posted, the build threads around here & frequent the tech section. Go buy a good set of tools & start with small stuff. It ain't rocket science. You can do it. But I do wanna clarify... Brand new base 370Z's are only $29k. It's the Nismo that over $40k. But honestly, building a turbo s2000 would have probably been a better choice than a 240.

[bmaddock]

Originally Posted by cdog

As far as me not wanting to learn, I've tried to learn some stuff, but working on cars is just a headache to me. I just want to drive, not be a mechanic..

You sound just like a buddy of mine who bought a C5 Corvette, racing seats, harnesses and tires. He always laughs at us because instead of spending time in the garage or building cars, he spends it on the track. Nothing wrong with taking this approach with cars and a base model C5 is plenty of car for most people just starting off on the track. If you're truly a beginner there are cheaper and more reasonable options such as the 240SX.

[cdog]

can't fit in an s2000, I'm 6' 4" and barely fit in the 240. I wanted an s2000 a long time ago before I sat in it though. Thanks bunches guys. I'm going to keep the 240, read around, mainly to figure out exactly what work I want done, and how to get involved in the race scene. I guess I'm going to hold off on modding it, until stuff breaks down, and I figure out what will disqualify and what's best. I'll probably still have someone else do my work. First mods will probably be brakes and coilovers, because the shocks are going out. I might just replace the pads though, and not screw with the brakes yet.

[bmaddock]

Still not 100% clear what type of racing you're trying to do but try contacting your local SCCA for autocross events, especially if you're new ( http://www.trscca.org/indexFull.html ) or NASA for road racing (start with an HPDE http://midsouth.drivenasa.com/ )

[simmode1]

Oh an before this thread gets locked... about your shakey shifter... I'd probably be looking at your motor & transmission mounts. They may need replacing. Bad mounts always transfer a lot of vibration into the cabin.