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85 hatch vh45de swap

Started by methylprop · Dec 3, 2012 · 42postsSMF 2010–26

methylpropDec 3, 2012, 12:58 am · #1

This is my 85 200sx. It started life as a base model ca20e automatic. I swapped in a s14 ka, s14 front suspension and s14 subframe. I used the s12/s13 dive shaft and it wasn't right for my setup. In my attempt to use that setup I broke a bunch of stuff and so I parked it. Did some work on the ka replaced the trans but never bought a 1 piece drive shaft. I had bought a house so any money in the s12 was out of the question. since then It has had little to no work done to it. That was last year, I have settled in since and I am now ready to get this car knocked out.

These pics are from when I first got it to how it is now.

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As of right now the front clip is off. I sold my ka swap and bought it right back. I get to use my tax return on it so my plans are to go back to a ka, rebuild the motor and trans, do a few diy mods and buy some bolt ons, (keeping it n/a) s13 coilovers, going to paint it metallic grey with low gloss black window trim, and some s13 se wheels. I have some plans to clean up the interior panels as well. The valve cover and intake have been shaved and powder coated. I'm going with darker colors this time. flat bronze metallic and black. I plan to do a full wire tuck and make it as clean as possible. And a 1 piece drive shaft can't forget that.

turbo-s12Dec 3, 2012, 1:14 am · #2

Lovin the s14 cluster

methylpropDec 3, 2012, 2:27 am · #3

Thanks man. It matches the colors of the 2 tone interior and fits very well.

methylpropJan 18, 2013, 4:20 am · #4

I made a deal on a 91 q45 this week. I am going to swap in the vh45de into my s12.  It's a swap I've always wanted to do and I got the q45 for dirt cheap So I'm going to do it. I'm going to buy the z32 trans adapter plate and shifter relocate kit but will be doing the wiring and mounts myself. I will also be doing s13 coilovers up front I want to make the vh clear the hood if at all possible. Cool part about having a s14 cluster is they have a fix to convert to the z32 speed sensor. I will have a working speedo. I will be starting very soon. Here are some pics of the donor car.

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I know it's a pain in the ass swap and i'm ok with that and I will finish it.

night_s12Jan 18, 2013, 1:02 pm · #5

Good luck man I'd love to see that in a 12!

sideways_s12Jan 18, 2013, 3:49 pm · #6

definetly sir! git'er done one other guy has done it but we never found out if it ran and he also pulled the motor to iirc drop it in an s14? Someone correct me if im wrong....There's a few of us that want to this swap me included so post plenty of pics and a nice write up would'nt hurt lol Good luck!

turbo-s12Jan 18, 2013, 8:51 pm · #7

Awesome! Hopefully you can get it done.

d_k_jose_s12Jan 22, 2013, 9:34 pm · #8

sweet

alhickabeeJan 23, 2013, 7:35 am · #9

a vh s12 would be sick!  GL with the build.

RedneckJan 23, 2013, 10:22 am · #10
methylprop on 04:20:21 AM / 18-Jan-13I want to make the vh clear the hood if at all possible.

I wouldn't get too optimistic about it clearing. All of the vh45 swapped s13's I have seen have the hoods cut out for clearance. I had to cut one of the ribs out of my hood just to get the ka-de valve cover to clear haha.
BattleFairyJan 24, 2013, 7:20 am · #11

you could use a porsche chayenne manifold to get the clearance ;-)
a friend of mine did this on his R32 GTR VH56 twin Turbo Project to get the space

I_heart_VVLJan 24, 2013, 7:04 pm · #12

You'd need an adapter cut to fit the Cayenne mani, looks pretty cool though. Stock VH mani looks like dicks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/gsracer/intake%20manifold/353c6305.jpg
"It's an LS I swear!"

Why the S14 subframe? I'm curious :D

sideways_s12Jan 24, 2013, 9:54 pm · #13

turbo hood? or mk2 hood? may work turbo moreso than the mk2....

methylpropJan 28, 2013, 1:12 am · #14

I'll make it clear the hood. I plan to modify the crossmember and oil pan. I'm also building mounts from scratch. I can place it pretty low. I sold my s13 to use the cash towards the build.  I am in good shape to have it done whiten the summer.  I decided to piece the suspension together. Going to use ground control coilover sleeves, Cusco front plates and agx struts for the front and rear.  I picked up a set of iron z32 front brakes and a Mishimoto Radiator. should be picking up my z32 trans this week or next, waiting on the guy to pull it. for the next 2 weeks to a month i'll be accumulating parts. I also plan to build a tucked harness with mil spec connectors.  I Don't mind wiring and it makes or breaks a clean engine bay. 
Post Merge


I will make a custom intake before I cut a hole in my hood.
ProlowtoneJan 28, 2013, 4:19 am · #15

Sounds good!

methylpropFeb 9, 2013, 4:59 pm · #16

I have made a little progress with the build. I picked up my mishimoto radiator, z32 caliper rebuild kit, vh2vg trans adapter from Xcessive manufacturing, also bought their shifter relocate kit, bought a z32 5 speed trans, ground control coilover springs and sleeves. I am selling my s13 to fund the rest of what I need. As of right now I have everything to get the Z32 brakes on, build the front coilovers and the rear setup and everything to start on building the mounts for the vh. I am using the ground control springs and sleeves with agx struts and front Cusco camber plates. Once the s13 is gone I plan to buy the clutch and flywheel, driveshaft, fan kit and a few other small parts.

sideways_s12Feb 10, 2013, 9:38 pm · #17

aww shit its about to get real in here lol

methylpropFeb 13, 2013, 2:31 am · #18

Bought a z32 lightweight flywheel, clutch kit and short throw shifter today.I got my z32 caliper rebuild kit and some exhaust parts in the mail today also. I found a buyer for my s13 so i'll have those extra funds too. looks like this thing has a chance.

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this will be tail pipe 3in stainless

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sideways_s12Feb 13, 2013, 3:22 am · #19

NicE can't wait till it comes together.....

methylpropMar 1, 2013, 12:15 am · #20

Got a few parts for the swap. Still waiting on a bunch of parts to get here that have been paid for. Still need to order a bunch more.
I'm getting closer.

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sideways_s12Mar 1, 2013, 2:10 am · #21

Is that a ca20e starter?

IggyEGuanaMar 1, 2013, 9:13 pm · #22

just gonna say it early. fuck u for getting ur vh45 running before me! shit looks great. enough pics of porn tho. I wanna see the motor apart!

sideways_s12Mar 2, 2013, 12:25 am · #23

Lol

methylpropMar 4, 2013, 6:51 am · #24
sideways_s12 on 02:10:11 AM / 01-Mar-13Is that a ca20e starter?
not sure what starter it is. It came with the trans adapter kit.
IggyEGuana on 09:13:23 PM / 01-Mar-13just gonna say it early. fuck u for getting ur vh45 running before me! shit looks great. enough pics of porn tho. I wanna see the motor apart!
Still might be a little while. Right now I'm trying to round up a r200 and 5 lug swap amd a few other parts. Between other projects in the way and weather I'm not sure when it will really begin. Damn soon I hope.   

tbh the q45 don't run right now. I messed with it long enough to find out it had spark and weak fuel pressure. Sounds like it has compression while cranking but a compression test will tell all. If it passes I am going to jump into the swap and diag after it's mounted up. If I do have to rebuild, It will be a set back but I will keep to the plan. I plan to redo all the timing chain stuff at least if it is a good motor. If the motor is bad I will use it to mock up the motor mounts and trans mount still. Then rebuild it.
IggyEGuanaMar 4, 2013, 10:41 am · #25

It'll be awesome. Does the 91 have vvt? Mine is a 94 and it has variable intake cam timing. On nico somewhere there's a thread that talkks about all the different variations. I think your crank is weighted better or something like that too. My motor is out of a traction control car and I got a non trac throttle body but im not sure if the ecu is gonna trip out about it

Get a r200, axles, diff mount out of a z31. The taller gears will be beter for the v8 anyways and they arfe way easier to find in the junkyards. There are a few different gear ratios that came in them but I think they're all taller than s12s. Maybe the same as an SE

methylpropApr 9, 2013, 8:38 pm · #26

ya this has vvt. the only year the G50's didn't get vvt was in 96.

I installed some suspension parts. Coilovers and tension rods. This is at minimum ride height.

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this is with a 196/65 and a snow flake. camber set at 0 on the plate.

IggyEGuanaApr 10, 2013, 1:30 am · #27

nice!

rifelman1993Apr 10, 2013, 2:25 am · #28

Hey man I askedyou on fb dont think u sall it tho. But how do you do the lights like that? There not the same as the 240 lol.

methylpropApr 10, 2013, 6:18 am · #29

I just left the harness unplugged and then pop those black caps off and roll them down.

IggyEGuanaApr 10, 2013, 11:11 am · #30

on the control switch on the left side of the dash is a brown wire. just cut or depin that wire and you can use to switch to freeze the headlights in place on thier way down

ArroApr 10, 2013, 12:55 pm · #31

a.k.a. "brown wire mod"

EternalSwapApr 10, 2013, 6:01 pm · #32

I ate at Taco Bell, then used the "brown snake mod."
But all that did was break my toilet

rifelman1993Apr 11, 2013, 5:15 am · #33

Thanks for the info

methylpropApr 13, 2013, 9:01 pm · #34

I switched threaded collars (installed the right ones) and got a much better max ride height.  Adjusted the camber plates all the way out and got this.

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sideways_s12Apr 13, 2013, 9:03 pm · #35

less suspension stuff moar motorz info please!!! lol Looks good

ArroApr 23, 2013, 5:23 pm · #36

I like your ride height but I don't understand why you're having issues with changing the collar... I guess the collar I have lets me slam my shit to the tire if I so choose. Which I don't choose... I'm only a tad lower than you in the front, same diameter wheel.

methylpropApr 28, 2013, 9:32 pm · #37
Arro on 05:23:43 PM / 23-Apr-13I like your ride height but I don't understand why you're having issues with changing the collar... I guess the collar I have lets me slam my shit to the tire if I so choose. Which I don't choose... I'm only a tad lower than you in the front, same diameter wheel.

When I pulled them out of the box I kept the collars with the springs like they had them. They ended up being backwards so I had to switch them. The rear collars where much shorter than the fronts.

Today I put in some work on the vh45. It didn't run when I bought it. It has a pretty good tick/knock-ish noise coming from the right side lower timing cover. I think it is a broken timing chain guide. I rented  a compression gauge from Autozone and it did not work at all. So I stuck my thumb in each spark plug hole and I could feel a complete cycle from each cylinder. left side felt strong and even but on the right side cylinders 4 and 6 seemed noticeably weaker than 2 and 8.  I know it's not a legit way to test compression at all but the pool of coolant sitting on top of the block has me concerned that It may have a bad head gasket on the right side.

With all of these issues I am going to bite the bullet and tear it down and do a rebuild. It is bitter sweet because this is going to be pricey and it is a set back. I did some what expect to have to rebuild this motor.  but one of the good things about doing a rebuild is I can do some head work on these heads while they are off and install metal timing chain guides. I am going to go ahead and build the mounts for the swap before I tear it down. After it is mounted in properly then I will pull it out and rebuild it.

I haven't had very good luck with this build so far but I will see it trough to the end. Time to pull that beast out.
Post Merge
I will get a good compression gauge and find out the true numbers tomorrow.
IggyEGuanaApr 29, 2013, 10:13 am · #38

dont bother with porting or fancy valve job or anything. the heads flow like champions. Its a homaligated race engine after all. Do timing components, water pump, gaskets, make sure theres no other problems and slap it in the car

night_s12Apr 29, 2013, 10:31 am · #39

I can't wait to see video of this thing in action!!

methylpropMay 17, 2013, 11:11 pm · #40

My s12 is a base model so it came with a r180. This has always been something I have neglected to deal with. I was about to buy a complete r200 swap but with the build being centered towards drag racing I have decided to go with a solid rear axle setup from a late 80's mustang. I pick up the axle tomorrow. It has 4x108 lugs with drums. I am going to convert it to 5x114.3 with disks. With a drag radial it should hook up much better. This shit is snowballing so fast.

IggyEGuanaMay 18, 2013, 12:19 am · #41

Gonna be awesome!

methylpropJun 3, 2013, 12:20 am · #42

I got my Z32 brake setup for the s12 today.  They are cast iron front calipers and aluminum rear calipers. They will be powder coated and rebuilt. I plan to use the rear rotors and calipers.

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