1985 Nissan Silvia RS-X (4/2012: FINALLY updated, ENGINE BAY DRESS-UP)

nismologist
if i had the dough I wouldve picked it up for double the price it was offered. good job arro.

Arro
Grant was rather particular about who he sold it to... having the money for it wasn't enough. Two people from this forum offered to buy it and he decided to pass. I told him I'm by far not the most technical person on here, but he still felt I had the right understanding of what the car is, and that I would be best suited to preserving and showcasing it. It's a pretty big responsibility, after all.

So what would stop him from selling it to me? I love nissans and this forum. none the less I am sure you are a great owner and will do the car right.

jeffwins24
this is actually a pretty HUGE leap for the whole S12 community.

now you guys get to find out what the j-spec S12 had over the usdm S12.

Arro
Actually, YES! In fact I happen to have discovered something we've been wondering about... Why do our cars have the mounting point for an S13-style mirror, but our mirrors are mounted on the glass and a blank cover is in place instead? Well it turns out that the Japanese Silvia S12 has the SAME design mirror as an S13. The mirror part itself is different than the S13 version, but the arm that mounts it to the ceiling of the cab is THE SAME. Why the Japanese didn't give us the same mirror is beyond me, but anyone can just switch to an S13 mirror. And purists can now claim that doing so puts their car to "JDM-spec" lol, because that would be TRUE!

Odd, eh?

special detail or BAN

ArroBut from what I've been told, 2.5 psi is where it needs to be. Again I'm still learning about carbs so who knows lol.

if i had one of my other vehicles sold i would have been going down to pick it up.... but fact of the matter is is that i am too young and irrresponsiable to have a car of this nature. i really hope you enjoy this vehicle!

2.5 psi sounds about right to me for a weber side draft. Going off of my knowledge from my 77 midget, it's weber side drafts specify between 2 and 3 psi (which is all the funky diaphragm style fuel pump can do anyway). But I will say, getting them synced up is a bitch and a half. the easiest way to do it is with a special spark plug with a glass center, so you can see the color of the combustion within the chamber.

But once again, Arro. You had better enjoy that car. I was literally, patiently waiting, not saying a word on that topic, so I could pick it up in in the first week of january, get it running, and park it next to the omni, for the exact same custodianship reason.

So is this ever gonna see the road? Or is it just gonna basically be a garage car? I would be pretty torn on what to do. Part of me would want to drive it all the time and part of me would worry every time I drove it some moron not paying attention would turn it into junkyard material.

Man, I need that spoiler for my notch. I'm assuming they are extremly rare. I'm really impressed with this car, but I love notches.

As many of you now know, I bought Grant's 1985 Silvia RS-X. Grant brought this car over straight from Japan. Originally, it was an FJ20E, but has since been converted to a quad-carb'd setup using some of the largest side-draft units Weber makes. It's in amazing shape, only a few minor blemishes here and there... definitely one of the cleanest S12's I've seen.

My cockatoo friend and I towed an empty flatbed trailer all the way from Riverside area in southern California, to Dallas, Texas. Then towed the car all the way back. A grueling drive I will hopefully never repeat in a similar hurry. Not to mention the 20 through midland Texas is absolute boringness.

Cockatoo and I made the trip without any major issues, cleaned the car that night, and parked it in the garage.

I replaced the trunk-mounted Optima battery and tried to fire her up, but the timing is a bit out of whack... I'll be working on that soon. Needless to say I have to push it in and out of the garage for now. So today I took some pics, just in the parking lot...

An external oil cooler is chillin' (har har) in the lower airdam, but currently disconnected; The lines and such are among the boxes full of extra parts Grant gave me, and eventually I will hook it up. For now the engine has a filter directly installed.

Besides the quad carburetors, there are Nismo camshafts installed in a Nismo-spec FJ head, along with I believe Tomei adjustable cam sprockets... titanium springs and valve retainers, too. The head has been professionally-ported on the intake side. The fuel system is upgraded specifically for the carb'd setup. The pistons were originally 10:1, but a Felpro head saver gasket took the engine back to somewhere around 9.5:1. This was done because the plan was to supercharge the carbs. I will probably bring it back down to 10:1 with a thin Cometic head gasket. I'll also probably replace the fixed-adjustment (extra holes design) cam sprockets with fully-adjustable ones from Kameari. My goal right now is to get her fired up and then registered. Then later tune it more... these carbs are five-way adjustable... actually far more tunable than any EFI setup. Definitely can't say that about most other carburetors. So the car will stay set up this way.With some time and patience it's a good chance I can get 300 naturally-aspirated ponies out of it. From what Grant tells me, the car is almost there already.

Among all the extra goodies in boxes is a second FJ head and valve cover (shallow design), two S12-spec FJ20 intake manifolds (quite rare, most FJ's are from DR30's), an FJ20ET turbo exhaust manifold, and enough goodies to almost build a second FJ. Which is what I intend to do.... FJ20ET is now a firm reality for my future.... I see a certain metallic-blue S12 going very fast one day

jesus.

a tin pan alleyjesus.

could you take some close ups of the dash/ gauges and what not? it would be appreciated.

Joe, re-read what I just edited in about the gauge cluster.

Congrats man i cant wait to see this in action....so how are you registering it???

This has to be the only Authentic RHD S12 car out here bad ass

are the little circles in the rpm gauge functional? if so, what are they for?

nismologistare the little circles in the rpm gauge functional? if so, what are they for?

The spoiler is from an R32 GTR Skyline, rather than an S12 item.



Nice find Jason I am very envious - it also is a good indicator of how my car looks in black!

jeffwins24tap dancing

Ahhhhhhh interesting. I wonder if Nismo (or whoever) considered it an upgrade option for the S12 coupe.

did you get a adjustable fpr with a fuel pressure gauge also? I am not seeing one under your hood. Carbed engines need a ridiculously low psi for fuel. I think my brothers 16valve is running like 5 psi. I personally think webers are to complicated and an out dated design...but if you can get it tuned in right it will scream.

edit: on further inspection, i think i see a fpr and gauge....cool.

No, the FJ24 is actually a completely different block, the FJ20 block is *based* on it but is not the same casting. They say it's an underbored version, but that's not entirely accurate. The FJ24 and the FJ20 share the same stroke.

This car began life as an FJ20E. Even says so on the placard.

The little circles are indeed dummy lights.

I actually consider myself less of an owner and more of a "custodian" of sorts; This car is so very important to our community... it's one of the major hallmarks of the S12 legacy. To me, preserving this car is for the better of Club-S12. For all of us. Call me dramatic, but it's the primary reason why I drove my ass all the way out there like I did to get this car.

sam31183did you get a adjustable fpr with a fuel pressure gauge also? I am not seeing one under your hood. Carbed engines need a ridiculously low psi for fuel. I think my brothers 16valve is running like 5 psi. I personally think webers are to complicated and an out dated design...but if you can get it tuned in right it will scream.
edit: on further inspection, i think i see a fpr and gauge....cool.

idk about side drafts

but what i learned from researching carbs. a carb fuel pump should usually push around 4 psi. again, I don't know about side draft carbs though.

and for a boosted carb setup from 4 psi - (how ever much your boosting, it varys very very greatly)

Arro No, the FJ24 is actually a completely different block, the FJ20 block is *based* on it but is not the same casting. They say it's an underbored version, but that's not entirely accurate. The FJ24 and the FJ20 share the same stroke.

This car began life as an FJ20E. Even says so on the placard.

The little circles are indeed dummy lights.

I actually consider myself less of an owner and more of a "custodian" of sorts; This car is so very important to our community... it's one of the major hallmarks of the S12 legacy. To me, preserving this car is for the better of Club-S12. For all of us. Call me dramatic, but it's the primary reason why I drove my ass all the way out there like I did to get this car.

2.5 psi... the fuel pump and regulator is in the trunk mounted on the passenger side  

(that's the driver side for us lolz)

duh, the administrator of the forum HAS to have the rhd fj s12

congrats. that drive was worth it

sam31183
jeff, side drafts run about 5 psi...my brother is running side draft mikuni's on his ae86.

fuel pump is easy to check...just make sure he has pressure at the gauge. I would try to turn it up so you have 4 psi at the gauge...2.5 sounds to low. Basically you just need to get it to start...if its rich its rich and you can lean her down. Check the plugs though...that will tell you a lot about whats going on.

You lucky motherfucker!!!! I offically Hate you....

Well I forgot to take a picture of the trunk which has the fuel pump, regulator, and trunk-mounted Optima battery. I'll do that tonight if I remember. But from what I've been told, 2.5 psi is where it needs to be. Again I'm still learning about carbs so who knows lol.

if i had the dough I wouldve picked it up for double the price it was offered. good job arro.

Show us some pics of the 3" exhaust. Espec around the axle and tail pipe.

You the man Arro!

Awesome ride. Great owner for it. Congratulations!

Arro
Ahhhhhhh interesting. I wonder if Nismo (or whoever) considered it an upgrade option for the S12 coupe.

nismologist
if i had the dough I wouldve picked it up for double the price it was offered. good job arro.

This is amazing. Congrats man and I can't wait to hear it run.

do you have any other plans in mind down the road?

Nice Jason........glad someone from the club got it....although it would look much better in my garage. Should of jumped at this months ago.  Oh well......could of, should of, would of.

Enjoy it

Yep, completely remodeled one of the rooms, and the kitchen is next. Also made a lot more room in the garage, I can park two cars in there if I move the hoist and a couple air compressors out of the way.

Arro...and a couple air compressors out of the way.

I have

too much shit

in the garage.

I'm a packrat

Jason this car is   i have always wanted a notch

6 months later...lol

+1

Maxpow on 07:51:02 PM / 15-Oct-10+1

lmao fuckin Justin!

Nah you need all motor rep for next JCCS
Jason   FJ20
Marvin SR20DET
Sterling CA20E
Justin   KA24E....T?
Andrew VG30E
who else should I add to the list?

You can add the one or two banned people since they can't add themselves

And you guys who bitch about me not doing anything with the Silvia can suck a fat one lol... I've been messing with the Silvia, the blue hatch, the IS300, and a pickup truck, while working full-time and going to school full-schedule.... but I never plan to race around in the Silvia anyways.