Restoration project #3

incredible, the car will be better than brand new

Sir, you REEK of AWESOMENESS! It is inspiring to have a member that is so involved and shares it all with us. Keep up the incredible journey through restoration land...

Thanks Cajun1guy!  It's posts like these and others from the S12 community that keeps my passion alive and motivated when restoring these beautiful cars.  Remember, the goal is to have 10 fully restored S12's.  I say I have my work cut out for me until retirement.

AWESOME!

What specifically did you use for the rear springs, and where can I buy them, I have a set of megan coilovers but the rear springs did not come with adjustable collars/seats. This would work perfect for me.

Thanks Weitrhino!

Updated: 11/01/17 - Here are a few more pictures of my slow but steady build.



Transmission has been completely overhauled.  Just have to press in a new throw-out bearing and assemble the rest.



Replacing the reverse and neutral switches.



Resurfaced flywheel and a Duralast clutch kit.



Installed this flywheel spacer to ensure there will be no starting issues. 



Flywheel installed and tightened to specs.







Lowering and aligning the motor to mount the transmission.



Can you guys guess what I forgot to install?  Notice in the back the dust cover (spacer) leaning against the styrofoam.  As a result, I had to remove the clutch and flywheel to install this piece......ahhhhhh!



After lubing the transmission shaft spline, she just slid right in.



Installing new starter.



All bolts torqued to specs.



Installing the wiring harness.



Ready to drop the motor, however, I plan to replace the suspension and power steering rack before doing so.  Stay tuned!

This thing is gonna belong in the Nissan car museum after its done. Seems to be about as close to "factory brand new" as you can get for a 30 year old car. I'd truly fear for its life on public roadways after this kinda restoration. Amazing effort and work lifer.

I don't see why you need to use gloves on an engine as clean as this. ...perhaps to keep the engine sterile?

Updated: 01/01/18 - I was able to take advantage of some free time I had during the holidays to continue this slow but steady project.  Here are the latest pictures.



Finally towing her out of the carport to the Auto Hobby Skills Center on base.





Time to remove all of these components and swap them out with restored parts.



































I plan to repair/replace, sand blast, prime and paint these parts and install them on restoration project #4.



Cutting the exhaust pipe to remove cat and muffler.









After scrubbing the wheel well, I sprayed a layer of undercoat.



Now for the fun part.........installing all restored parts.









Securing the brake line with zip ties.











Removing the old seals.



Installing new seals.

































Camlock gaskets to prevent clunking.



Adjustable collars.

















Such a pain in the ass installing the brake cables.











Final height adjustment will be done once I drop the motor.  Later this week I plan to do the front suspension and replace steering rack.  I am hoping to drop the motor by the end of this month.  Stay tuned!

Dude...... You built a whole damn car!

This is insane. Hope your son appreciates how dope his old man is.

Hey Kelso840, this project should have been completed a long time ago.  My son is just to busy with his job and cannot really help me.  He just wants to just drive S12's to the shows and meets.  Guess I don't blame him.  Besides, he knows how passionate I am when restoring these cars.  Want to come over and help?

Hmmmm.... It's 11 degrees this morning, and I am trying to make inroads with the fuel handling folks at a base in San Diego. Be right there!

Cool!  I'm off at 12 today and have a lift reserved at 12:30.  By the way, it's currently 70 degree's right now.  Gotta love that Cali weather!  We can drive the 12's to the beach and have a margarita!

Very, very cool, S12_Lifer!
Can't wait to see the SE restoration!

Jamie, as usual, your love for these cars shines through! Remarkable restoration work, kudos to you!

Thanks Cajun1guy!  Hey SuperWhitePlatinum, I probably will start repairing the SE in April.  You may like what you see when I'm done.  Full restoration will probably start in a couple of years.

I'm glad that your sons project is going well. Great work Jay!!! Your son will be proud of your accomplishment.

Thanks Sanchez36!  Now, if he can just get Saturday's off from work, he can start joining us on road trips, meets, and shows.

Updated: 01/29/18 - Moving forward with significant progress.  Here are the latest pics.



Ready to replace all front suspension parts to include Steering rack and calipers.













Removing the entire strut assembly.









Dropping the entire front cross member.











Cleaning the cross member.



Spayed undercoat before installing parts.



The best motor mounts I have, ready to bolt on the cross member.



Cross member installed and torqued to specs.



Remanufactured power steering rack.





I thought I would move the car outside to save a few bucks on the lift.  As most of you know, it's all down hill from here. 

































Setting the bearings.









Next week, drop the motor.  Stay tuned!

 

Updated:  02/05/18 - I finally had the chance to drop the motor.  Here are the latest pics.



Just loaded the motor and other parts on to my truck.  Off to the Auto Hobby Shop.



Off loaded the motor late in the evening. 



I been waiting a long time for this moment.  A couple of buddies assisting me in dropping the motor.



After a few minutes of wiggling the motor in place, I bolted her on to the motor mounts.

 













The last part to install on the bottom of the car was the front sway bar.  This weekend I will tackle the air intake, radiator, hoses and vacuum lines and of course, the harness.  Hopefully she will crank over by Sunday.  Stay tuned!

Sir, you are full to the brim of awesomeness! I love your builds, are you spending your retirement funds all at once?

Updated: 04/16/18 - Continuing with the slow but steady progress.  Here are the latest pictures.



Completed connecting the harness.



All fuel lines connected.



Selecting the best hoses and cleaning them before installation.



New radiator from OEM Surplus.



Installed all remaining hoses.  Started her up for the first time, nothing.  Found out I had a bad coil.  Replaced both with the resistors (should have replaced them the first time).  Finally cranked over but idling very rough.  Pulled the dizzy, set number one cylinder TDC and installed dizzy.  Still rough idling.  Called my buddy (Gus) and he says it's the timing belt.  Pulled entire intake and discovered the timing belt was off 180 degree's!  Started her up, idling was a little better but still a little rough.  Lastly, replaced the MAF.  Started her up, bingo!  She was purring like a new CA20e!  Finally, I can drive her home and continue the work in my carport.



Installed my turn signal switch after cleaning all contacts. 



Prepping the hood with the liner, washer nozzles, hoses and rubber bumpers.



Completed adjusting all fenders, headlight covers and hood to have the most staightest possible lines. 







Installed mudguard.



Side moldings.









I thought I would take a picture of the part number for this Toyota item in case any of you are looking to do the same for your lip kits.





That's it for now.  I plan to finish installing the lip kit this weekend or next.  This will be the last item for the outside of the car.  Next phase is to beautify the engine bay by replacing parts with chrome parts.  Lastly, the interior.  Stay tuned!

Stellar work as always, Jaymie.

If you sourced new hoodstop/rubber pads I'd sure like to know where you got them. I've looked all over and come up empty.

Updated 07/25/18 - I finally got her running the way I want as well as completing everything on the outside and engine bay.  The inside is still gutted but I think this project will be completed  by the time JCCS will be in town (September 15).  Here are the latest pictures.





Using white-out to mark where I will be drilling.



Drilling the holes for the side skirts. 



I put sealant under the washer to help prevent corrosion.  I also used a little brush to add some primer where I had drilled.



The end result.



No issues mounting the lip.









Just finished the engine bay last weekend.  The motor is strong and runs great!  I did advance the timing by 3 degree's.  Acceleration is instant and seems to react very quickly.  I must admit, one bad-ass CA20e!





This S12 will be participating in the S12 meet this Saturday.  I'm sure she will be the highlight of the meet.  My son is finally off from work and he will be proudly posing (and driving) in front of his nearly restored 12. 

Stay tuned for final completion.  S12 for life!

Yeah, just casually slip in the polished air intake and valve cover without saying a word.

Updated 11/18/18:  Progress is still very slow with this project.  I've been extremely busy with my job and have been doing more travelling.  Just got back from Costa Rica (Pura Vida)!



I like to use styrofoam boards to fill in the space for the spare tire.  This prevents the carpet from sagging into the wheel well.  I do not carry any spares or jacks in any of my 12's.  So far, no flats!







I'm going with the Momo steering wheel.



Installing a little Dynamat around the door speaker.







Purchased this carpet online.  The molding fits great but there is still a lot of cutting to do.



I am hoping to have this project completed by the end of next month.  Stay tuned!

Updated 12/30/18:  I started to receive interior parts from my upholstery guy last week.  Here are the latest pics.



Headliner and other pieces to hold the headliner in place.







Notice the coat hanger hooks for the rear handles.  Extremely hard to find.















Double checking to make sure all three air bags work for the driver side.  These seats came from an 84 XE notch that I have been using as a parts car.  To my amazement, the bags still holds air after all these years.  You can purchase a kit online with motor but the kit only comes with one airbag,  I'm glad I did not have to go that route.  As most of you know, these electric seats are very rare.





My assumption was this connector was for the electric seat.  I knew it was not for the driver side seat belt since I already connected that.  Unfortunately, this connector did not fit the seat connector so I assumed this is for those models with the infamous "talking Betty" on/off switch.  I will just wire the seat to a power source and ground.







I'm just waiting for the back seats and rear side panels to complete the interior.  The last step, a high-end stereo system.  Stay tuned!

Wow, thats super clean. Nice work.

First time it occurred to me the the CA2 has no quench. Was always to busy hanging turbo on them to be concerned with that. Most hemis dont have them. Alot of newer ones do though.

So those are what the hydro lifters look like. Sometimes I wish mine had those as Im entirely to lazy to adjust mine every 6000mi. Honestly I dont think I ever adjusted them on the current s12. Happens when one plans a swap I suppose -  excuse for neglect.

Came out real nice towards the end. Great show car.