sinerje's 1986 S12 VH45DE franken-notch project

Started by sinerje, 01:01:17 PM / 23-Jan-11

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sinerje

so, in the fall of 2008 a friend of mine (who has an S13 with an RB swap) found a 1986 200SX notch for sale with a blown head gasket. my first car was a 1986 200SX turbo (RIP), so i went to look at it. the car was really clean inside and out - it had a remarkably straight and relatively rust-free body and, despite what he was told, the radiator was full and it started but ran roughly. not only did the car have every conceivable option, it also had the original manual, warranty booklet, and even the original window sticker! after buying it and bringing it home on a flatbed i discovered that what the owner thought was a head gasket leak turned out to be leaky valve guide seals and was in fact oil smoke. it ran just fine after being allowed to idle for an hour or so to get rid of all the oil that had seeped into the #4 cylinder from prolonged sitting and i drove it a couple hundred miles over the next few weeks without any issues - no overheating, no low oil issues, no nothing! my original plan was to swap in an RB20DET but, due to personal reasons and lack of funds, the project sat idle in my driveway until this last spring when a friend found me a complete VH45DE swap for $350. after hearing a VH45 S13 'vert with straight pipes on YouTube i decided to snatch it up. it took me until a few weeks ago to get the garage at my parents' house cleaned up enough to use, but now it's finally underway. i'm gonna try to make this build thread as complete as i can, but you'll have to bear with me as i am a straight up procrastinator, haha.

this first round of pics is from right after i got it in late 2008. my friend pete detailed it and it came out really great, given the age of the car and all. click on the thumbnails to see them full size.

before:











after:











this next round is from very recently and shows the progress up to and including removal of the original CA20E and 5 speed trans, which will be for sale in the classifieds shortly.

here's my work area



getting prepared for removing the engine



i removed the stock exhaust manifold to get at the A/C compressor bolts



since i had to remove the front fender to pull the original ECU and harness, i plan on routing whatever i can behind the fender to keep the engine bay as neat as possible



got the hoist hooked up and everything disconnected



starting to lift the CA20E



lifting it up and getting the pan clear of the radiator support (i need to grow like two more arms...)



and it's out



now to clean up the mess!



â€Ã,¢ 1986 Nissan 200SX [the franken-notch]
â€Ã,¢ 2003 Honda S2000 [daily driver]
â€Ã,¢ 1987 VW GTI 16V [rustbucket resto project]
â€Ã,¢ 1966 AMC Rambler [future lowrider project]

complete CA20E + 5spd trans FS!

Quote from: David B
yea fuck those plastic guides

sideways_s12

Nice! But here's a lil friendly critisism you don't have to show us step by step lol I mean unless you want to go through all that its gonna be one long ass thread lol...Good luck with the project iggy is doing the same swap only in a hatch you guys could get together and compare notes....

IggyEGuana

i'm watching you haha. have fun with it man. gonna be a sweet ride when ur done. imo go ahead and post tons of pics like that. especially when fitting the VH :) cuz ur ahead of me. i dont have any cash or a place to work right now. i do have my motor tho. still in the Q45

Waylon Deno - Silhouette Autosports (check it out on facebook)
Drift Build Thread
Quote from: Arro
you sir are emblazoned with win.

sinerje

#3
Quote from: sideways_s12 on 06:44:50 PM / 23-Jan-11
Nice! But here's a lil friendly critisism you don't have to show us step by step lol I mean unless you want to go through all that its gonna be one long ass thread lol...Good luck with the project iggy is doing the same swap only in a hatch you guys could get together and compare notes....

i thought this was a build thread? i figured since there are a lot of different skill levels out there it might help to document the build, especially since it hasn't been done to the best of my knowledge... not everyone out there knows exactly what they have to do to accomplish this. my instructions are by no means complete so if no one wants to see the step by step i can just show the before pics and post the after pics when it's done. it'll take a hell of a lot less time and effort for me then cause i'm a lazy bastard anyway, haha.

Post Merge: 08:39:48 PM / 23-Jan-11

Quote from: IggyEGuana on 07:44:38 PM / 23-Jan-11
i'm watching you haha. have fun with it man. gonna be a sweet ride when ur done. imo go ahead and post tons of pics like that. especially when fitting the VH :) cuz ur ahead of me. i dont have any cash or a place to work right now. i do have my motor tho. still in the Q45

thanks - i'll be sure to post lots of pics of the actual fabricating and mounting so there is a future visual reference. i have my engine on the stand waiting for JWT to release the Z33 6 speed to VH auto bellhousing plate so i can start the process of fitting the drivetrain. in the meantime i'm slowly cleaning 25 years of accumulated crud from the engine compartment and formulating a plan to repair the areas that have rust, which is minimal. here's a quick pic of the engine

â€Ã,¢ 1986 Nissan 200SX [the franken-notch]
â€Ã,¢ 2003 Honda S2000 [daily driver]
â€Ã,¢ 1987 VW GTI 16V [rustbucket resto project]
â€Ã,¢ 1966 AMC Rambler [future lowrider project]

complete CA20E + 5spd trans FS!

Quote from: David B
yea fuck those plastic guides

IggyEGuana

very nice. i havent looked into the 6 speed. hows it compare with the z32 trans? what do u have to do for the electric speed sensor in it?  and what are u planning for ur mounts/headers/etc?

Waylon Deno - Silhouette Autosports (check it out on facebook)
Drift Build Thread
Quote from: Arro
you sir are emblazoned with win.

sideways_s12

Lol I meant with the engine pulling pics how you went step by step with that nvm lol do what you do....

D-sport S12

this looks like it will be interesting
Jesse R

Keichi Tsuchiya: "I'm afraid if I raced you on the street I'd push you to your death."


tuhsty s-12


VG33ERGazelle?

yeahhh, I'll be keeping an eye on this. gotta love an all original nissan V motor. good luck
Colin L. - First recorded case of a running, drivable VG33ER swapped S12
In Print, 2/6/2011 - Nico Club
Projects:
-'87 SE-V6, VG33ER Swapped
-Daily Driven S14K
-Graduate college at some point

What I lack in decorum, I make up for in absence of tact.
Quote from: sam31183 on 01:07:07 PM / 01-Sep-11
i has sweet coilovers and hoshinos, also my hood isnt pregnant with a supercharger baby.

sinerje

#9
Quote from: IggyEGuana on 11:33:30 PM / 23-Jan-11
very nice. i havent looked into the 6 speed. hows it compare with the z32 trans? what do u have to do for the electric speed sensor in it?  and what are u planning for ur mounts/headers/etc?

i haven't looked at the ratios yet but i figure that having the extra gear will allow me to run an R200 LSD with either 4.11 or 4.36 rear gears and still have a decent cruising RPM in 6th on the highway. as for the speed sensor, it already has the stock digital dash so i should be able to use wiring at the stock converter box on the pass side strut tower (hopefully) plus dakota digital has a tach signal converter for RPMs. i'm gonna fab my mounts myself but i have a friend that owns a tuning shop who is gonna do the headers/exhaust/intake for me.

Post Merge: 02:51:26 AM / 26-Jan-11

Quote from: VG33ERGazelle? on 10:34:09 AM / 25-Jan-11
yeahhh, I'll be keeping an eye on this. gotta love an all original nissan V motor. good luck

thanks to all for the encouragement so far - i can't wait!
â€Ã,¢ 1986 Nissan 200SX [the franken-notch]
â€Ã,¢ 2003 Honda S2000 [daily driver]
â€Ã,¢ 1987 VW GTI 16V [rustbucket resto project]
â€Ã,¢ 1966 AMC Rambler [future lowrider project]

complete CA20E + 5spd trans FS!

Quote from: David B
yea fuck those plastic guides

VG33ERGazelle?

#10
yeah man, maybe if you get it right soon enough we can rock the 2011 Nissan-Infiniti National Convention with a coupla' V motor s12's. It's near Atlantic City in August
Colin L. - First recorded case of a running, drivable VG33ER swapped S12
In Print, 2/6/2011 - Nico Club
Projects:
-'87 SE-V6, VG33ER Swapped
-Daily Driven S14K
-Graduate college at some point

What I lack in decorum, I make up for in absence of tact.
Quote from: sam31183 on 01:07:07 PM / 01-Sep-11
i has sweet coilovers and hoshinos, also my hood isnt pregnant with a supercharger baby.

sideways_s12

What's the timeline look like how soon are you trying to get this done? And what are plans for it after the swap...

sinerje

#12
Quote from: VG33ERGazelle? on 05:55:04 AM / 26-Jan-11
yeah man, maybe if you get it right soon enough we can rock the 2011 Nissan-Infiniti National Convention with a coupla' V motor s12's. It's near Atlantic City in August

i'd love to hit up the national convention and i'm sure my buddy would love to bring his RB20-powered 240sx notch as well.  

Quote from: sideways_s12 on 10:04:53 AM / 26-Jan-11
What's the timeline look like how soon are you trying to get this done? And what are plans for it after the swap...

the plan is to have it running and driving by late spring or early summer.  i pressure washed 25 years worth of grime off the subframe and engine compartment yesterday so i'm about to go pull the original mounts and temporarily drop the VH45 in to start seeing how best to make it fit. after the swap is done i plan on beating the tar out of it a lot - 1/4 mile, drift, road courses, etc - but i'm sure like all other projects it'll take on a life of its own and next will be cams or ITBs or a supercharger or all of the above, haha.

:grinwink:
â€Ã,¢ 1986 Nissan 200SX [the franken-notch]
â€Ã,¢ 2003 Honda S2000 [daily driver]
â€Ã,¢ 1987 VW GTI 16V [rustbucket resto project]
â€Ã,¢ 1966 AMC Rambler [future lowrider project]

complete CA20E + 5spd trans FS!

Quote from: David B
yea fuck those plastic guides

VG33ERGazelle?

Quote from: sinerje on 04:52:34 PM / 26-Jan-11
i'd love to hit up the national convention and i'm sure my buddy would love to bring his RB20-powered 240sx notch as well. 


that would be righteous
Colin L. - First recorded case of a running, drivable VG33ER swapped S12
In Print, 2/6/2011 - Nico Club
Projects:
-'87 SE-V6, VG33ER Swapped
-Daily Driven S14K
-Graduate college at some point

What I lack in decorum, I make up for in absence of tact.
Quote from: sam31183 on 01:07:07 PM / 01-Sep-11
i has sweet coilovers and hoshinos, also my hood isnt pregnant with a supercharger baby.

sideways_s12


sinerje

ugh, stupid motor mounts... i gotta get a shorty 17mm GearWrench, a swivel-head 1/2" drive ratchet, or pull the whole f'n front subframe to get at the bottom bolts on the mounts unless someone has some good advice otherwise, lol.

...anyway

here's a few pics post-degreasing. as you can see, i have some rust repair to tackle before getting too deep into fitting the motor. even though i'm super-mega impatient i'm going to pull the subframe and knock that out first so it's done and over with.







â€Ã,¢ 1986 Nissan 200SX [the franken-notch]
â€Ã,¢ 2003 Honda S2000 [daily driver]
â€Ã,¢ 1987 VW GTI 16V [rustbucket resto project]
â€Ã,¢ 1966 AMC Rambler [future lowrider project]

complete CA20E + 5spd trans FS!

Quote from: David B
yea fuck those plastic guides

sideways_s12

A flexhead ratchet should get those mounts out 14mm socket with a 14mm wrench should do the trick

sinerje

#17
Quote from: sideways_s12 on 10:36:16 PM / 26-Jan-11
A flexhead ratchet should get those mounts out 14mm socket with a 14mm wrench should do the trick

it's a 14mm? the ones that actually hold the mount to the subframe?

i'll have to look again in the AM. i have all the time in the world to skin my knuckles and curse loudly tomorrow since we're buried under like close to a foot of snow here in SE PA and it's still coming down.



the aftermath, lol.

â€Ã,¢ 1986 Nissan 200SX [the franken-notch]
â€Ã,¢ 2003 Honda S2000 [daily driver]
â€Ã,¢ 1987 VW GTI 16V [rustbucket resto project]
â€Ã,¢ 1966 AMC Rambler [future lowrider project]

complete CA20E + 5spd trans FS!

Quote from: David B
yea fuck those plastic guides

Deezus

What?!?! Youre from Pa?!?! awesome.


Quote from: hotdoghogie on 03:30:07 PM / 15-Oct-10
Deez why the flip are you so smart sometimes.

Quote from: Arro on 03:02:02 PM / 25-Jul-11
OMFG THE TROLL IS OUT!

Quote from: Athens on 11:48:05 AM / 28-Jul-11
Deezus is always in maximum trollverdrive mode.

sideways_s12

Yeah I'm pretty sure its a 14mm.....