So the story begins...
I acquired my 88 S12 Hatch (CA20E) with not a spot of rust for 2700. Turns out it was a two owner car, the first owner was the grandmother of the guy I bought it from, she bought it new in 1988.
To start, after a short test drive, the car's battery died 50 feet across the street from where I bought it, at a gas station. Then I got out of the car and the top door hinge bolt fell out, causing the whole door to damn near fall off. So for the rest of the night I left the window open and the door locked, and climbed in Dukes Of Hazzard Style. So as a result the first $100 into it was for a new battery, not gas. It then made a 4 hour drive across the state of Missouri from Kansas City to St Louis at about 80mph the whole way in the middle of the night. The suspension left much to be desired, as at least two of the shocks were blown out, causing the car to pitch and roll like a boat. Also, the old exhaust had been torn off somehow, the seller didn't really explain how, but it was subsequently replaced by his 20 year old self with a very loud "custom hater pipe". As a result I was rolling down the highway at just about max speed with the engine noise loud enough for my buddy who took me to pick it up to hear it from a good 8 or 10 car lengths ahead with his music all the way up.
One of the headlight motors was seized in the up position, and the other has some sort of issue where it vibrates causing it to appear as though flickering when driving.
Oh, and also, the previous owner installed a complete Alpine Type S system, which included 4 6.5" mid range speakers, and two 12" subwoofers running 800 watts. I'm nervous it will blow the back window out if turned up too loud.
Past that, the car made the long and arduous journey home with seemingly no issues.
The very next day I take it to walmart to turn in the old battery and buy a bolt to keep the door on the car temporarily while a new one was on its way in the mail. From there, on the way home, the car overheats about a mile from where I live, and starts shooting smoke from under the hood. I park the car at a Firestone that just happened to be there and had them do a full lookover.
Turns out, the water pump was leaking fluid from the weep valve, and a few other odds and ends. The car also has a significant power steering leak, so if the fluid level isnt watched it gets very difficult to drive.
So after that I take it to my garage, put it up on a lift, do the basics. change the oil, new windshield wipers, check the fluids, vacuum it out, etc. I spent 3 days after work replacing the water pump. New water pump is in, the car is still overheating, but not as bad as before, so I suspected the Thermostat was also bad. So the next week, I replaced that as well, with a 180F TS that was the only one in stock for the car for a good ways. upon putting everything back together and bleeding the air from the cooling system (kindof, more on that in a second), the car is still overheating. I pulled my catch pan from under the car, and noticed about two or three tablespoons worth of oil in the coolant. coolant that I bled the previous week after the new water pump was put in.
I did have a hard time bleeding the coolant system, from most of what I was reading it said to just jack up the front of the car and run the engine with the rad cap off and fill as necessary, ensuring the resevoir was filled to the line. I did this, but I think air being in the system may be a significant part of why the car is overheating.
So brought the predicament of what to do about this troublesome engine overheating, as well as a very squaky throw out bearing. So I hit up a few friends, see what the market looks like right now for engine choices. being right near St Louis, means I have JDM Hookup literally less than an hour away. That puts alot of SR20s, RB engines, CA engines, 1UZ, and other engines and parts right in my area for good prices.
So naturally, I'm going to buy a full engine swap in the next day or two for more than I paid for the car. The engine in question is a 300-350hp SR20DET from an s14, a Gen 1 Blacktop. Its got a huge laundry list of brand new unused parts, including a brand new ISIS T28 turbo and miscellaneous upgrade goodies.
The swap includes
The Engine and trans
New clutch, flywheel, and throw out bearing
new turbo and all associated piping as well as a brand new intercooler
a KA style aluminum radiator
an SR20 Driveshaft
the wiring harness and ECU (stock)
brand new boost and oil gauges for the turbo
motor mounts and a brand new rubber trans mount
new ISIS stainless turbo oil lines
new ISIS exhaust manifold, elbow, and downpipe
new GReddy intake manifold
new ISIS water pump
new ISIS pulleys and underdrive pulleys
new s14 throttle pulley wheel
new KA alternator
Circuit Sports CAS cover
GKTeck Coilpack Cover
all for a price of $3000, after negotiation.
So I think thats a good starting post to intro myself to the forum on what I have planned for the car. I will be doing the S13 front suspension with the Megan S12 coilovers, as well as the S13 power steering conversion. The interior will eventually be gutted, but probably not until last.
The next update will not be until after I get back home, as I am going on a vacation for about half of this coming month and will not be working on the car.
Thanks for reading
Jun 29, 2015, 10:44 pm · #1
