s13 - Turbo LS build

[h2v7]

yes please running vids and sound of that cutout

[91 240]

Originally Posted by S14kouki_10

Great work, wanna weld up some stuff for me

Thanks! depending on what it is, I might be able to help you out.

Originally Posted by Mustache240

soooo siiiccckkkkkk

Thanks man!

Originally Posted by Smartone

I would love to see this thing in person, I live in Austin. I have a 300ZX TT and also a shell waiting for a motor, probably an LS based motor. If you would let me check your car out sometime that would be awesome. Oh and unlike you I go to UT, but A&M was one of my other choices..

I don't have a problem with that at all. i'd like to get it a little more "presentable" beforehand though .

Originally Posted by 7x13

This thing is going to eat tires.

sub'd

I sure hope so!!!!

Originally Posted by BiG MiKE86

Insane build!!!

appreciate it man!

Originally Posted by ka-titties

in for burnout vids

don't worry, they'll be coming.....eventually

Originally Posted by h2v7

yes please running vids and sound of that cutout

definitely!!

[91 240]

I have a little update, but nothing much to show picture-wise.

over the last few weeks/months, I've been focusing on wiring. I went through the entire LS1 harness and separated every wire and de-pinned both PCM connectors to remove unnecessary systems and to relocate the PCM in the car. At the same time, I relocated the engine bay fuse boxes and wiring. I'll post up fully completed pics when done.

I got to the point to try and start the car but was hit with another set back. Long story short, injectors are not being grounded by the PCM and therefore are not firing other than the first initial combustion cycle - here's a little vid IMG 0462 - YouTube My initial thought was VATS was still enabled, but confirmed by 3 tuners it has been turned off.

After talking with several tuners and friends about the issue, I ordered HP Tuners to help diagnose the tune, to avoid having to ship my PCM off or wait for weeks at a time to schedule a time for a tuner to come by and take a look. It came in over the weekend and now i'm getting familiar with the software and I'm hoping to dive back into diagnosing my problem later this week.


I'm hoping to have a better update next time around. Stay tuned

[91 240]

I've spent the last few weeks doubling checking my wiring and found 2 pinched wires (one to crank sensor and one to IAT). I've also updated my tune to a 2 bar OS and have added the correct injector data for my Siemens 60lb injectors.

I have a little bit more to do, but here are 2 new clips of it running before it dies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CVB-...ature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qOPP...ature=youtu.be

[91 240]

It lives!!

I've done some more tweaking with the tune and now have it to a point where it runs consistently on it's own without dying.



now I can focus on cleaning up all the wiring as everything is hooked up correctly and working. I can finish looming the engine harness and putting the dash harness back together.

Huge step for me and my motivation has picked up again. More progress to come over the long weekend.

Avery

[91 240]

I took the day off of from work yesterday to get a little bit of work done, as time on the weekends just doesn't exist anymore.

I worked more on my tucked radiator setup.

First I boxed in the lower rad support. prep and paint should happen over the weekend.....maybe


Then I welded on 1" pieces of 3/8" alum rod to each side of the radiator to mimic the OEM upper mounts and reused the stock rubber isolators. I made a couple of brackets that still need to be trimmed and them bolted to the core support to fully mount the radiator.

[91 240]

I got some work done over the weekend and completed my tucked radiator setup, well, for the time being.

I got it all buttoned up and decided to take it for a test drive to get an alignment. it did pretty good for the most part until I got stuck in traffic or at lights, then it started to warm up again. once I got moving it cooled back down some but still a little warm for my liking. The upper hose is very close to the exhaust, i some heat wrap on the way for that. I took it back apart again and am working on building a custom fan shroud as well as adding a surge tank to aid in bleeding coolant. More details on this over the weekend.

On to some pics

[91 240]

Damn I've been away for a while. I lot has happened since my last update. Moved from a house to an apartment and finally to our new house back in September.

I've actually done a lot lately, but i dont have too much to show for it. Some out of necessity and other self inflicted. Oh well

I'll start with more self inflicted first, as that's more fun to talk about.

Starting simple. I saw a shift knob I fell in love with years ago but found out it had been discontinued. I had asked if they could do a one off but they no longer had the prints for it, so I said what the hell I'll get it anyway. Turns out they sell blank shift pattern discs and I found a local engraving company to copy the pattern. It's a MGW Gripper knob to go with my MGW short shifter. Here's the original MGW piece


Here's the new one with the piece i had made locally....pretty damn good!!!!


Next i got a set of JDM 180sx Chuki side skirts. I've been eyeing these for a while but finally pulled the trigger when a friend decided to sell his set locally.

Not a great pic.....


Upgraded from the stock 78mm throttle body to a 92mm


My previous Suspension Techniques sway bar was actually rubbing on my GTO oil pan ever so slightly, so i ordered a GK Tech sway bar for almost 3" of more clearance


after much thought, i decided to swap out my MasterPower T76 turbo for an On3 Perforance Billet 7675. Better flowing than the MP76, very comparable to the Precision 7675 at half the price, and the LS and Mustang guys have been giving props




I bumped up from my 80lb injectors to a set of 95lb/1000cc injectors. I'm planning to convert to E85/Flex Fuel later in the year and took the plunge now:


Now for things that needed to be done.....
1. redoing the turbo setup for the new hood
2. cooling issues....this thing still gets hotter than i am comfortable with

Ended up cutting the new hood for Aerocatch latches Sad day getting it towed from the old house to the apartment


New hotside ended up being modified LS truck manifolds due to timing, i just wanted to get it running while i continued to work on my tubular manifolds. Welded some stainless tubing and vbands to the cast iron manifolds. Had them coated and wrapped the stainless portion


2.5" 304SS crossover with flex section and used a exhaust cutout as the 2>1 merge



Used a Turboflanges.com 2.5" round to T4 304SS flange


Added a VS Racing 44mm wastegate and dump tube



Made a 3.5" downpipe that transitioned to 3.5" oval for ground clearance. It's only complete to the transmission for now. Plans will be to copy my Greddy DD layout and go from 3.5" > dual 3" > 3.5" tips (Greddy DD was 3" > dual 2.5" > 3.5" tips)




Shitty cell phone vid at idle


Next i went on to fluid cooling, in addition to the oil cooler i added earlier

Derale 4 row powersteering cooler mounted to upper radiator support


And finally on to radiator/cooling which is still in the works
for now the same Griffin 24x16x3 (19x15.5x2.5 core) radiator but with a 16" Spal Extreme fan (2500cfm)


Converted an Ebay aluminum overflow tank to a custom surge tank. Actually modifying this for more capacity and to be self bleeding.


Made a couple of block off plates to fill the gaps around the radiator and lower core support




I also have a LRB undertray to help with airflow while driving

http://lrbspeed.com/product/s13-undertray/

Cooling at idle is still an issue, so i'm making a fiberglass shroud for the Spal fan as a last ditch effor before i splurge for a slightly bigger radiator.
made a form based on the dimensions of the core and the fan


wrapped in a $5 Wal Mart polyester blanket


then a couple layers of fiberglass fabric and resin


Need to trim, prep, and paint after it's fully cured to see how it really works.

Cooling has been the thorn in my side for the last 2+ years. I have a pair of N1 style ducts that i have available but i want to keep that as a last resort. I'm seriously considering an Origin Stream or VS racing front bumper so i'd like to have cooling down before having to modify the new bumper.

Hopefully i have more promising updates soon!

[91 240]

So yet again another long gap between updates. This is going to have a few changes over the past 2 years.

I ditched my entire cooling setup and started over, however looking back i might have actually ended up being a dead Optima battery. It would hold a charge but as it heated up it would slowing start dropping. Oh well, new battery and these changes have been good so far.

Ended up with a slightly large Griffin Dual Pass radiator with Derale dual fans. I had to notch about 1/2" out of one of the end tanks to get it to fit within the frame rails.





I had to push the radiator as far forward as i could, which meant relocating the headlight motors using the Auto-Collect Storm brackets



With the larger radiator/fan combo, i had to redo my turbo setup. I had to pull it in about 2" closer to the motor to clear the fan shroud. Stuck with the same 2.5" stainless





Ditched my old ebay FMIC for a Treadstone TR1245 31x12.5x4.5



Then made some new IC piping. Got some good practice on my aluminum welding.










From there I wanted to finish my exhaust. I used my Trust DD and made a jig to step up the piping size.

Trust DD is 3" > two 2.5" > two 3.5" tips.
My exhaust is 3.5" > two 3" > two 3.5 > tips using a Vibrant Race Muffler






Little idle clip
https://youtu.be/lyLGZJe_ceA

I did a little suspension work. Finally added the SPL mono bearings i've had sitting for a while. Z32 uprights, lower shock bearings as well as all 3 rear arm bearings.

Little cleaning, before and after



Got some new rear wheels and tires, same style just went 17x10.5 +27 with 275/40's to 18x10 +40 with 285/35's. The 17's were too wide and didn't want to try pulling the fenders that much. With the 18's I ended up only having to do a mild roll/pull...maybe 1/2". Gained almost 1.5" of suspension travel

Before


During


After


I just finished up my turbo intake piping. Needed to get creative with some pie cuts to get it where i needed it. This took about 6 hours of welding





I should be finishing up my front suspension this weekend. Koni yellows to replace the KYB AGX's i had with the Ground Control coilovers. Adding T3 camber plates and their upper spring hats




Got a new bumper that's going to need some work to fit. VIS Racing knock off of the Version Select V4



Pretty much how it sits right now.



I have a few more little things to wrap up before i'm ready to have it tuned again. Hopefully something in the next couple of months.

[91 240]

Originally Posted by h2v7

yes please running vids and sound of that cutout

it's not a great vid, but definitely sounds good. i'll try to get a vid with the cutout open while driving.

[U mirin]

Originally Posted by 91 240

it's not a great vid, but definitely sounds good. i'll try to get a vid with the cutout open while driving.

*drooool*<--- that's normal right? Sick build man. So much inspiration in this build. And all of them honestly. I really would love to learn how to do fabrication. Props to you!

[91 240]

I haven't had much of an update lately, but have a bit to show for work that's been done over the last couple of months.

This is still all cooling related.

Back in October i took it to meet a buddy who's a freelance tuner. This drive was without the hood but put the bumper back on. it didn't take too long to find out that the airflow to the radiator with the bumper on was lacking. 20 miles into the 50 mile trip, temps started climbing. low speed with the Taurus fan wasn't keeping up so i had to run the fan on high just to get the temps to drop back in the 200* range. However, i made it without any issues. We were able to get some good off boost tuning done. Car felt pretty damn good while doing so. Here's a shot with his C7 Vette, such a smooth driving car that's making 490whp.



On the way home is where things started getting interesting.

running the fan on high the entire time eventually took it's toll. Alternator fuse ended up blowing and voltage dropped to 10v. Pulled over and called a tow truck to come get me and to continue brainstorming.

Once home, i planned to focus on 2 things:
1. ducting between intercooler and radiator
2. add some bumper vents to get air directly to the radiator

I recently picked up a new TIG welder. nothing special, but should do everything i will need for a long time. AHP AlphaTig 200


I welded up some ducts to force all air going through the IC directly to the radiator. I used some .060" alum sheet for my ducting. First time welding alum so go easy on the criticism









This helped a lot on it's own, but want to do some bumper work as well.

I got a spare bumper that i used to cut up for testing. I added a duct in the bumper that was right above the intercooler that fed directly to the top 6" of the radiator. I had to cut up the hood to fit the relocated radiator, which included cutting the stock latch. I went ahead and added a set of AeroCatch hood latches.





I took it for a drive last week, 100+ miles and the temps never got above 185*. Felt pretty damn good to drive without fear of overheating.

Now i'm planning to rack up some miles and hopefully get it tuned in the next couple of months.

[91 240]

I finally got my car tuned today. Not quite what I was hoping for, but based on the boost levels i'm definitely happy.

Final numbers:

608whp and 526wtrq at 8psi

we were limited to boost based on my EBC not responding and relying on waste gate spring pressue ~ 7-8psi.

Fuel was only hitting 70% duty cycle so there was definitely more left in it.

12-15psi could have put us into 650+whp. oh well, i'll definitely be back for more.

right now, it's still a chore to handle this much power in such a little/light car.

Here are some vids from the day.

568whp at 7psi



590whp at 7psi - fedex guy wanted to take a peek



608whp at 8psi

[Michaelwinne]

Sounds awesome man! Hook 'em! :P

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Big Zee]

that is a beastly yet pure joy to hear even through a laptop.

Great work!! I look forward to more vids of it running

[Big Zee]

Also, love the fact you redid everything, engine, engine bay, interior, carpet. all the little things add up.

Kudos dude!

[Smartone]

So I need to come check this out for sure now. Recently I decided to part out my entire TT setup from my 300zx after it developed rod knock and now I am going with an LS based motor. Not sure yet on the exact motor, but a friend may be selling his LS3 and if not I will go boosted 5.3 or 6.0 (probably TT). I would love to come check it out this week or next to give myself some more incentive for the swap. My swap will be keeping my z32 trans as well as all the accessories by using customs brackets by LOJ Innovations.

Progress looks great!

[91 240]

I did a little more on my day off for Columbus Day.

after i got it started and running i developed a pretty big power steering leak. I had to pull most of the front of the motor apart to add a restrictor valve to the pump.

while i was at it, i pulled the manifolds off and wrapped them. with the manifolds generating a ton of heat and very close to my relocated coils, i figured it wasn't a bad idea. i wanted to do the crossover as well, but ran out. each manifold took 50ft of 1" wrap



Next I put everything back together, drained the oil added the compressor and center housing, oil feed and drain lines, wastegate and vacuum lines. Engine bay is 98% done, all i have left to do looming a section of the engine harness and all should be good. just need to bleed the brakes and clutch and finish the interior.

[Charzilla]

dayymn so JDM
Boosted LS tho....win in my book.

[91 240]

I have a little bit of an update guys.

after my last update, i had several other issues come up that slowed my progress.

1. after the p/s restrictor i added, i still had a pretty bad leak. this ended being a bad seal with Russell Powerflex p/s lines i made. the way i had the lines running put some stress on the fittings down at the rack. I added a couple inches to each line to take the stress off the lines and so far it's holding strong now.

2. next my clutch was not disengaging right and catching right off the floor. i had to drop the transmission to shim the slave cylinder out with a .078" shim. now the engagement is more in line with where it should be.

3. another item was my valve train noise. I originally went with a set of Thunder Racing 7.350" pushrods based off my measurements with a PR checker. Looking back, i was using a preload value of .060" from a stock LS1 lifter instead of the .080"-.100" for the LS7 lifters. I changed out a set of Speed Inc. 7.400" pushrods. i still have some noise, but it's better than before.

4. Lastly, i modified my exhaust some this weekend as part of it was hitting my rear diff.

I drove the car around the neighborhood yesterday to get a little feel for it, but didn't do too much with it. Coolant temps were getting a little high just from putting around, still need to troubleshoot this some more.

Here's a quick little vid of me backing it out of the garage and a little walk around. I still have a ways to go with wiring and getting the rest of the interior/exterior put back together.

[BiG MiKE86]

=O man that's one sick build

[VQMaxFan]

May want to put in a comp trunion kit, stock rocker bearings are pretty noisy.

[91 240]

Originally Posted by VQMaxFan

May want to put in a comp trunion kit, stock rocker bearings are pretty noisy.

Already have the trunion upgrade. Could be piston slap as well. Still have some diagnosing to do

[skateny115]

You may be able to shove a chasebays radiator up under your core support there and get your radiator a bit farther form your manifold piping. Possibly help with over heating problem.

[91 240]

Originally Posted by skateny115

You may be able to shove a chasebays radiator up under your core support there and get your radiator a bit farther form your manifold piping. Possibly help with over heating problem.

oddly enough, i've been contemplating that. or even another dual pass type radiator and adding a larger "low profile" puller.....current dual 12" pushers obviously aren't cutting it. i like the thought of CB's tucked radiator but, not liking the cost.....>$550 after slim fans, and remote filler neck and cap.

[2muchboost]

A couple of my buddies who are into drifting use the one i linked below. They drive an hr + then beat their cars then drive back home with no overheating issues. They say good fans, a good rad, and low temp thermo is the key. I have this rad and am looking to use Ford Taurus or Altima fans. I will be adding a low temp thermo as well, prob a 180 degree. This rad fits between the S14 rad location with no mods.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/afc-80101ndp

[creatorvince]

Sick freaking build! Sounds and looks like a monster! Loving it

[valiants13]

That thing is beautiful!

[91 240]

Time for a few updates. Holidays took a lot of time from me and I dont have a lot to show for it pic-wise, but i have knocked out some big items.

The last time i posted on it, it was over heating pretty quickly just from idling or cruising around the neighborhood. Come to find out, a modification i did to the water pump to plug the heater core outlets actually blocked flow through the thermostat. Sooo, very little coolant was flowing through the motor, definitely not enough. I pulled the water pump and thermostat off and drilled a hole inside the pump to allow water to flow around the thermostat.


I drove the car around 5-10 miles, nothing too much, and things seemed to be working better. I only had 1 fan running and the temps never got above 205*, i'll keep playing with this more as I start putting more consistent miles on it.

I pretty much finished my engine bay wire tuck. I condensed and relocated the pass side fuse box under the dash (pics of this coming) and moved the driver's side relay/fuse box under the wheel well, basically the same location. cleaned up the bundle of wires i had zip-tied around the driver's headlight (if you noticed in the video) and ran the wiring along the lower radiator core support. Only have one pic of the box location.


Then i was able to finally take care of something that i've been wanting to do for quite a while....i painted the hatch and quarter window areas with 2 coats of epoxy primer. Now i can put the quarter windows back on, get taillights mounted, relocate battery, mount the fuel door to the floor and then i can get the hatch back on. One step closer to being road worthy.


I came across a deal that i couldn't pass up. I found a brand new set of CTS-V Brembos at a killer price. Rotors from a Mistubishi Evo 8/9 and Mazworx brackets.



Pretty big size difference compared to the 30mm z32 calipers I had before(not my pic, I was working quick to get it done and didn't get a comparison pic)


Here's a wheel shot, i'll get better ones when I move it out of the garage again.


Finally, over the weekend i pulled the dash back out and have been working cleaning up all the wiring since everything works now, i need to make it a little more presentable. While i'm at it, i'm installing a new Viper alarm w/ remote start (Thanks Broadfield!).


i'm hoping to finish all the dash wiring this weekend and start piecing the interior back for good.

[supersayianjim]

Originally Posted by 91 240

Time for a few updates. Holidays took a lot of time from me and I dont have a lot to show for it pic-wise, but i have knocked out some big items.

The last time i posted on it, it was over heating pretty quickly just from idling or cruising around the neighborhood. Come to find out, a modification i did to the water pump to plug the heater core outlets actually blocked flow through the thermostat. Sooo, very little coolant was flowing through the motor, definitely not enough. I pulled the water pump and thermostat off and drilled a hole inside the pump to allow water to flow around the thermostat.


I drove the car around 5-10 miles, nothing too much, and things seemed to be working better. I only had 1 fan running and the temps never got above 205*, i'll keep playing with this more as I start putting more consistent miles on it.

I pretty much finished my engine bay wire tuck. I condensed and relocated the pass side fuse box under the dash (pics of this coming) and moved the driver's side relay/fuse box under the wheel well, basically the same location. cleaned up the bundle of wires i had zip-tied around the driver's headlight (if you noticed in the video) and ran the wiring along the lower radiator core support. Only have one pic of the box location.


Then i was able to finally take care of something that i've been wanting to do for quite a while....i painted the hatch and quarter window areas with 2 coats of epoxy primer. Now i can put the quarter windows back on, get taillights mounted, relocate battery, mount the fuel door to the floor and then i can get the hatch back on. One step closer to being road worthy.


I came across a deal that i couldn't pass up. I found a brand new set of CTS-V Brembos at a killer price. Rotors from a Mistubishi Evo 8/9 and Mazworx brackets.



Pretty big size difference compared to the 30mm z32 calipers I had before(not my pic, I was working quick to get it done and didn't get a comparison pic)


Here's a wheel shot, i'll get better ones when I move it out of the garage again.


Finally, over the weekend i pulled the dash back out and have been working cleaning up all the wiring since everything works now, i need to make it a little more presentable. While i'm at it, i'm installing a new Viper alarm w/ remote start (Thanks Broadfield!).


i'm hoping to finish all the dash wiring this weekend and start piecing the interior back for good.

I have this alarm system, very pleased!!