By request... pics of my $200 S13

Well it got delivered today... a background:

S13 1989 SE I think it has the sport package because it has sunroof, spoiler and front lip.

Body is straight, all panels line up. A few dings here and there, and a couple non-creased dents on the front quarter panel (I think these will pop out).

A little rust, under the spoiler of course, and on the kick panels under the doors. But wheel well sheet metal seems to be in good shape.

Tires are about 70% tread and has 205 series on the rear.

Interior is reasonably clean.

So it ran when the guy drove it to it's "resting place" almost 3 years ago but has not been run or moved since. So I need to pull the plugs, put a little oil in the cylinders, buy a battery, new plugs, hand-crank it and then give it a try. Hopefully it will start.

Even if it doesn't it was worth $200 IMO.

Pics below:

http://www.jgap.com/publicftp/3si/240sx/exteriordrivers.jpg

http://www.jgap.com/publicftp/3si/240sx/exteriorrear.jpg

http://www.jgap.com/publicftp/3si/240sx/exteriorfrontquarter.jpg

http://www.jgap.com/publicftp/3si/240sx/interior1.jpg

http://www.jgap.com/publicftp/3si/240sx/interior2.jpg


Plans? Well if it runs then I'm going to beat up on it for a while... check over the suspension and braking system, etc. Then hopefully a 300Z brake upgrade in the front and of course new wheels to fit. Then some coil-overs or similar for handling, and then off to the road course. :)

My plan is to make it a road course/autocross car predominantly... not really concerned with the body at this point.


So, what you guys think?

looks pretty damn good.....especially for $200

hell yeah man. you should be really really happy to get your hands on a deal like that

where did you get it delivered from? how much did it cost for the delivery?

100% worth 200 dollars, even if it doesn't run great... or at all... that body is clean for that price... nice buy

Not bad, How many miles on it?

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/72474Oct07166_3_.JPG

not bad...not bad at all for $200. well worth the price.

hey carm, stop posting pictures of your car after you post, its getting annoying

To answer questions...

It was sitting in a dude's backyard for 2.5 years, it ran when it was pulled back there. It was only like 15 miles from my house so the guy flat-bedded it to me for $35.

177k miles, a ton, I know.

Now I have some questions...

I've been out tearing it up.... still don't know if it runs but I can say that there's oil in it (which will be drained tomorrow and checked for coolant, etc).

The suspension looks decent, control arms are good but tie rods are pretty rusted. Struts are really rusted but seem to function correctly.

Calipers are rusted outside and the rotors are REALLY rusted on the surfaces... definately will need to get them turned, but they don't appear to be horribly warped. I'll pull the calipers probably over the weekend and check them out really well.

One concern is I tried to put jack stands under what I THOUGHT was frame.. a kinda curved piece of solid-looking metal that sits maybe 10 inches inside of the body panel and runs the length of the car from front-to-back... but it started to dent in and would not hold the weight of the car. Is this supposed to be frame?

I took the valve cover off and that seemed to be a pain.. the valves were hitting the bottom lip of the cover, had to finagle it to get it out... is that normal? It almost seemed like the valves were sticking out too far or something?

The timing chain seems to be tight but not too tight, I can slightly move it. Normal?

Pulled a spark plug and surprisingly it's a Split Fire.. so the guy that owned it must have at least TRIED to keep it running well, and bought decent plugs (yeah I know people don't like splitfires but point is, he made an attempt which shows me he cared). Plug is carbon-y but not oily. I'm checking the condition on a spark plug diagnostic sheet that I found with pics of different spark plug conditions and possible engine problems associated with condition.

The last thing is I need to put some oil in the cylinders and turn the engine over "by hand" a few times. How the hell do I do that? I know there's a bolt at the end of the crank outside of the engine where the belts all attach and I turn that, but I need to know WHICH WAY and also how to get to the bolt (do I need to remove the radiator or can that fan just be removed?)?

hey carm, stop posting pictures of your car after you post, its getting annoying


please and thank you. :)


Jeremy. WOW! what a deal! the exterior and interior are in very good shape, and you got a rare OEM lip as well with it.

now when it comes to the engine...by the sounds of all the problems it's got, i'd say simply stick a new KA in there maybe...it might end up costing less then fixing everything that sounds to be wrong with yours, and plus you could probably get your hands on one with alot less mileage.

good luck!

And another plus, if the 'ol KA doesnt work, its a perfect swap car! your a lucky guy!

I dunno i've never racked a 240sx before. Most unibody cars have something called a body bead on it. This is like right on the edge of the car underneath. The metal comes together from both sides and is rolled straight down about 1/4 inch or so. put your support longways on that if its flat, some jackstands are curved up top and it might not sit too good that way, so try to get the body bead to go in the middle of it turned sideways. It might not look like it was designed for that, but trust me it will hold the car and not mess that up, I've done hundreds of cars that way. It runs the length of the rocker panel, when u see it you will immediately know what im talking about. Those other things aren't really frames. The only tough part of the car is the subframes or that body bead that runs underneath the car just before the edge.

177k miles, a ton, I know.

It's not that many miles...depending on how well the last guy took car of the engine and how much damage the engine has sustained from being left sitting for so long...

I've seen so many shittier made cars and engines go for so much longer than 177k...and some were treated much worse than yours...

The fact that it was sitting may not mean all that much...though it would have been better if it was started and driven from time to time. So I'd see whether the engine starts after you change the oil and quickly inspect it and you may realize you don't need to swap the engine afterall....