My Nissan 200sx S12 - Careless Whisper

[iceageg]

Check the wheel fitment sticky thread.  It will have all the information you could possibly want.  Or at least narrow down your questions.

https://club-s12.org/forum/index.php?topic=19350.0

Of course photobucket broke many/most of the pictures but there is still a lot of good info there.

[kelso840]

I downloaded the photobucket Google Chrome extension specifically for the wheel fitment thread. Recovers a lot of the images nicely.

That said, I am still having trouble making a decision on wheel/tire setup as well.

[darquizard]

That chrome extension is killer, finally can browse this site without being frustrated now.


Seats are all taken apart and the foam is in really bad shape, not sure it can be restored, it isn't crumbly yet but is pretty stiff and really dark yellow/brown color all over, also some big rips in the foam almost accross the entire piece.

So - I'm not opposed to aftermarket seats as long as they're comfortable, but then the question is - how to install them. Should I hack my original seat frames up to build a seat-rail? Is there an aftermarket one I can use? So many unknowns with this car haha

Edit: forgot the customary video.
https://youtu.be/P9wBOzPJkq8 - Seats and seat thoughts.

Edit2: Haha I changed my profile to the 200sx Commercial guy, I just watched that video from the 200sx videos section and cracked up when he says 'Hey, you're talking to me'. I'm going to turn him into an air freshener.
Post Merge
The S12 is too fast for my son haha, or maybe he loves it? I can't tell

[Redneck]

The 5 lug s14 SE wheels as well as the ford crown vic wheels are very common wheel upgrades for the s12 SE that look good and can be had for cheap. I ran the s14 wheels on my old SE before it got totaled and loved em for a basic wheel upgrade.

Upgrading the seats in the s12 seems to be somewhat of an endeavor. I haven't researched the subject extensively but from what I have gathered the rails are kind of a pain to modify. Totally doable but unfortunately just like with most things on the s12 its not like you can just pick up some aftermarket seat rails online. I'd imagine there is lots of old threads you can search regarding seats though if your more interested. Luckily engine and suspension upgrades are pretty straightforward, generally speaking s13 engines/suspension swaps over with relatively minimal modifications in that department.

Sadly the forums are pretty dead now compared to what they used to be (thank you social media) but welcome to cs12 lol.

[darquizard]

Not a lot of work done on the car the past couple of weeks. My wife and I got an offer accepted on a house though, so with any luck and if the VA loan goes through okay, we'll be moving at the end of June and I'll have a proper, large 2-car garage (24'x24'!!!!) to work in.

The tail lights have been wet sanded with 600, then 1200, and then 2000 grit sandpaper, and applied clear coat to them.  I am a total novice when it comes to spraying / painting. Had some really bad runs with the clear, I got the technique down towards the end so I'll need to re-do them but for now, they look way better than they did before.

Tailights


Also as I'm getting ready for paint slowly but surely. I've gotten the rubber door molding removed so I can get at the small dents and dings.

This was actually a long process, I used the heat gun and slowly removed them from the car. The trick to getting the old foam glue off is a very sharp flat razor, get a nice cut under the foam and then run the blade as far and smoothly as possible. I've got about 99% of the glue off, still needs some touch up, but I have a feeling the paint stripper will pretty much take care of the rest when it's time for that.



I've also re-hung the passenger side door, it was also starting to become poorly aligned, now that i knew how to do it - I just had to remove the passenger side quarter panel and get at the bolts, jacked it up and fixed it no problems at all.

Also the hatch shocks were replaced with MightyLift shocks, they seem to be working great and installed without any issues, the hatch opens very easily now, booyah!

[darquizard]

Well, I had not gotten under the car very much at all since I bought it, but I found a couple of troubling things

1. The steering rack boots on both sides are torn completely, I'm not sure if there should be grease in these or power steering fluid or something, they appear to be greasy but empty. Major concern? Something that can wait a few months? Don't drive at all starting now?

2. The transmission fluid pan appears to be leaking, very very slowly. But there is bright red trans fluid on a few of the bolts, and the whole pan has a little bit of fluid on it in various places. Is this is a difficult fix? Just pop the pan off after draining trans fluid and then re-install with a new gasket? Or something more to it than that?

[CzechSilvia]

1. Finding powersteering fluid inside would be bad sign, it should only be greased. If I were you, I would clean the inside from the old grease, as it's probably contaminated with dirt or other garbage from outside, and then put some new grease in and replace the boots, they are not that expensive, the part number of the boot I used for both sides of the steering rack is 48203-05F00 .

2. Never had a car with automatic gearbox so I don't know much about that, I didn't even know they had oil pans but I'm pretty sure they should not leak, seems like you have another job to add to your TO-DO list.

[darquizard]

Well I very lightly torqued up the AT Oil pan bolts in a x-cross pattern, they weren't even finger tight to begin with, I could turn them freely. Looks like the leak has stopped, so that is okay for now.

I'll get the boots replaced before I try driving again, I'll have to do that before we finish moving.


I'm buying a VG30E engine from a junkyard, between 190-200 compression in all 6 cylinders and guy said it ran fine but exterior of the vehicle was completely totaled. So I'll be able to build a motor while still driving my car, then swap, and maybe build the other and sell? Who knows.
Post Merge
What have I got here? Some kind of vacuum leak? It sounds really loud. Also sounds like some valves tapping? Not sure how much of that is normal. The leak sounds pretty strong though, and my idle is a little rough, kind of hops between 700 and 800 and coughs down at 650 very occasionally.

https://youtu.be/lcFewagePvM

[darquizard]

Replace one of the vacuum lines on the EGR that was completely deteriorated. Still hunting for the vacuum leak around the IAA unit.

The big news is that I've gotten started on the serious dent repair. I have no idea what i'm doing with this stud welder but it's popping these dents no problem. I just mount the studs in a circular / semi-circle pattern and work my way towards the center / deepest part of the dent.

https://youtu.be/ILvSBfYmpLs

[weitrhino]

Nice work so far, keep it up. I'd sure like to find a cheap SE one day.

[darquizard]

Thanks man! It's been a fun project so far, there are certainly some small frustrations working on a car with zero aftermarket support. I think my next project car will be a civic haha


Well, I packed a lot of my work into the car, re-attached all of my missing panels and whatnot. Gotta think about getting packed and moving to the new place, the car is going to have a really nice new home in a real garage, I don't mind keeping my daily driver parked in the driveway, and finally no more giant trees right above the cars which is awesome.


What color should I paint it?

I don't want to pick something that will look silly with the blue interior, so I don't think I can go with cherry red or anything. I thought white could look nice, or do a re-creation of the stock paint but in a nice metallic pearl or something.

Something about a white car with white flake and gold mesh wheels seems pretty cool to me though.

[CzechSilvia]

The best factory colours for the s12, in my opinion, are white or black. Black looks cool and aggressive but it's a no no with a blue interior, my car is white with blue interior from factory and I love the looks.

[darquizard]

The best factory colours for the s12, in my opinion, are white or black. Black looks cool and aggressive but it's a no no with a blue interior, my car is white with blue interior from factory and I love the looks.

Nice, that is awesome. Soemthing kind of struck me last night though, and I said to myself... 'fuck it, this is my project car and nothing says I should play it safe with the color and do something factory or conservative'. So I may go total fast and furious with it, or maybe just something really unique, I haven't seen many yellow S12s haha!


I know this is a car build-thread, but do any of you have any experience with putting down an epoxy floor in a garage? I'm sure I've gotta clean the hell out of the concrete and do some patch work. I'd like to have a real nice shop floor in my new garage, wife said she doesn't care what I do in the garage at all except nothing that hurts the resale value in the future - so I'll probably be sticking with a grey concrete-ish colored epoxy floor.

Ideally I can get this done just before moving - otherwise the garage is going to get filled with stuff and have to get moved out again, so I've got a nice window of opportunity before getting everything moved in to get the floor taken care of.

[CzechSilvia]

not many yellow S12s out there, I don't think it was a factory option

[darquizard]

Been looking at some yellows but then I got into Photoshop and started messing around and changing colors on S12's. I really like this Porsch / Mulsanne blue I came up with .



Same color but different lighting in the picture, and the base picture was more of a metallic, so it might end up a little more like this

[darquizard]

After finding some more stuff wrong, and going over the car a little more closely I've changed/organized my needed repairs list. Just wanted it written down some place. Doing some of this admin type work because I'm moving and trying not to mess up the garage at the moment.

Thanks to everyone reviewing and replying to my build, I'm working hard on this and I read all of the comments. I'll keep trying to post videos and pictures as much as I can.

Completed Work

• Repair Battery Drain/Alternator Issue - Fixed! Improper wiring.
• Fluid Change & Flush - Fixed! Still need to do coolant though, but it looks and smells normal. 
• Replace Stereo - Fixed! Was a disaster, but the stereo system works great now and is wired properly. No amp, sub, or rear speakers yet.
• Air Conditioner - Fixed! A/C is nice and cold now (Could be colder though...) after doing complete fuse replacement.
• Rough Idle - Mostly Fixed! Seems to be better now after properly adjusting the Idle Air Adjustment screw (unplug solenoid with hot engine in Drive, adjust screw to 650-700rpm, plug back in).
• Leak-Down Test - Complete! Doesn't seem to be any leaks.
• Dent Repair - Mostly Fixed! Still some small stuff to do, but I've finished with the stud welder and pulling the major dents. Still needs filler, paint, all that, but the big dents are gone
• Engine Bay Cleanup - Mostly Complete! Won't ever be perfectly clean without pulling the engine, but I dry-brushed and de-greased what I could easily get to, and no more mouse-nest.
• Vacuum Leaks - Mostly Fixed! Replaced a lot of 3/8in vacuum tubing in the emissions control areas. Might delete EGR & Charcoal canister, but there doesn't seem to be any more leaks

High Priority

• Replace suspension bushings - Refresh worn out suspension with new bushings. Old ones are in rough shape.
• Replace Front and Rear Springs - Should do this along with bushing replacements. Probably will use Canuck springs.
• Alignment - If I'm doing the bushings and springs, I will need an alignment afterward.
• A/T Oil Pan Leak - Needs new gasket
• Steering Rack Boots - They're ripped up, fortunately no PS fluid leak at all, and the shafts are clean except for grease.

Low Priority

• New Tires - Tires are safe to drive at the moment.
• Complete exterior clean and detail - Decided to repaint the car.
• Brake Job - Could be tighter, but work fine at the moment, pads in decent shape, no squeak.
• New Wheels  - Wheels are expensive, and I'm not sure what I want yet. Current wheels are rough but serviceable.
• Interior Trim / Dash Repair - Blower vents, arm-rest cracking
• Replace Exhaust system - Current one has a ton of exhaust leaks. Muffler is ruined.
• Gauge Cluster - Brighter / LED replace, current one is dim even on max setting.
• Spark Plugs - Cheap and not too difficult. 
• Paint - What can I say, the paint is complete shit. Not sure if I want to do a complete tear down of the car, or just spray the exterior

Some questions I know have been asked before, but that is part of the problem - there are a lot of different threads with what looks to be slightly different answers. Can anyone tell me...

1. What bushings are compatible from the Z31 kit? The list I have from trying to compile different threads together is below, is it complete? What about the rear end? What about tie rods?

• Front Sway Bar(minor modification)
• Sway Bar Bushings
• Control Arm Bushings Front
• Control Arm Bushings Rear
• Strut Rod Bushings
• Sway Bar End Links Front
• Sway Bar End Links Rear

2. Can I use just the Canuck springs without any other modifications at all? Or do I change shocks/struts in any way? Is this the preferred method of keeping the stock suspension but lowering the car slightly? Is there another spring that will work and give me an even 1 inch drop all around?



For reference - I found the Engine-Bay diagram I was looking for on the Auto-Zone Website, however the CA20 and VG30E diagrams were mis-labeled, which led to a lot of confusion. Here is the correct VG30E engine bay diagram for other noobs like me who don't know what these different parts and pieces are.



For reference - Arent these just the nicest fucking wheels you ever saw?


Oh and my Air Fresheners are done. Too bad my car isn't even a Turrrbo, but I liked the picture. Maybe something I should add to the low... no... high priority list?

[CzechSilvia]

Get experimental engineering delrin bushings for the tie rods and also buy the delrin steering rack bushings while you're at it

[darquizard]

Get experimental engineering delrin bushings for the tie rods and also buy the delrin steering rack bushings while you're at it

I messaged him on Facebook about a month ago, I'm not sure he is in business any longer. the vg30.com website is no more as well, and I couldn't find any ebay listings from him.

[CzechSilvia]

He's in business, don't worry. I saw him post about his products in some facebook group not long ago. Try sending message to his other facebook profile - David Carroll

[darquizard]

Good call mr CzechSilvia, I sent him a message and lo' and behold he lived 10 minutes from my house.

So I asked him if I could drop by and hang out and talk about our cars.

Here is a little tour https://youtu.be/L08ezRtPBNU