Project S13: 1991 Nissan 240SX Restoration/Build

[VTECking]

*NEWEST UPDATE ON PAGE 3!!!*
I just bought this 1991 Nissan 240SX for $500 and I am going to restore it to the best of my abilities, and then possibly build it. This will be a work in progress so I will be updating pictures of how the restoration/build is coming. The stuff that is all over the paint and kinda on the interior is mold "the car sat for 4 years under a oak tree" so I will be cleaning the car and ripping out the interior this weekend, also the car does not run because the previous owners son ran it hot so w/in a week I will be taking the head off the motor and hoping that only the head-gasket is blown. All things considered, I think that this is a good investment.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13001.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13002.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13006.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13005.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13007.jpg

[VTECking]

MOAR

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13008.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13009.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13012.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13010.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13013.jpg

[singhondeck]

nice man, always a nissan fan..good luck with this

[VTECking]

MOAR

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13015.jpg

[VTECking]

nice man, always a nissan fan..good luck with this
Thanks man!

[DVSRX-7]

Want to re-sell it for $500? LOL

Nice, needs some work.


Waiting for those 240 idiots to say " swap in a SR20 or 2JZ".

[Mr. Antonov]

swap in a SR20 or 2JZ

[SubiStokes]

fuckin christ did u pull it outa swamp

[Nick Jeezy]

seems like a good start.

take a pressure washer to it. it will clean up great. it will prolly sitll be shiny. i had a 240 that was like that, and it cleaned up great.

if you need little things here and there i prolly have it. just let me know.

[Echonova]

Can't go wrong with a '91 coupe. I miss mine, sorta.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x249/Echonova1/Old%20School%20meet/DSC02460.jpg (http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x249/Echonova1/Old%20School%20meet/DSC02460.jpg)
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x249/Echonova1/Old%20School%20meet/DSC02466.jpg (http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x249/Echonova1/Old%20School%20meet/DSC02466.jpg)

[RUFFIAN]

I hope you wear a mask when you get in there and start tearing it down......good buy for you.

[VTECking]

seems like a good start.

take a pressure washer to it. it will clean up great. it will prolly sitll be shiny. i had a 240 that was like that, and it cleaned up great.

if you need little things here and there i prolly have it. just let me know. Thanks man, I wiped up some of the mold on the car and the paint looked like it was in great shape.

[VTECking]

I hope you wear a mask when you get in there and start tearing it down......good buy for you. Definitely gonna do that.

[VTECking]

Stripped the Interior, more to come later

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13016.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13017.jpg

[allmotorEJ8]

Nice! Good luck with it and can't wait to see how it turns out.

[roscoe]

in for moar pics of the progress. looking for a similar el-cheapo project/resto myself

[FasTech]

Have fun with the mold. lol. Not bad, I guess. Needs ALOT of tlc.

[VTECking]

Just pressure washed the exterior and the interior. Everything came out great besides the carpet because its too stained so Im gonna dye it either charcoal again or black and the paint because its a little faded. Im gonna get a paint job and get the fenders, pop-ups, and hood to line up after I get the car running and get the interior back in. More pics to come when I dye the carpet and re-install the interior and also when I take apart the motor!!!

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13018.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13019.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13020.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13021.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13022.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13023.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13024.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13025.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13026.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13027.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13028.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13029.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13030.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13031.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13032.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13033.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13034.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13035.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13036.jpg

[Dirka Dirka]

looks like a whole different car after cleaning it...

good luck, should be a fun little project.

[VTECking]

^ Thanks man. More pics to come when I get interior back in and when I take apart and rebuild the motor.

[AFSil80]

Holy hell, how is the dash NOT cracked all over after sitting outside for 4 years....and it's a HUD dash...that's luck, man.

[FoolsDrifFWD]

GOTDAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! G/L man caint wait to see it progress

[Brian*]

looks like it was pulled out of a lake lol

g/l with everything!!

[Drifttoy]

Looks like lots of fun. Awesome project.

[VTECking]

Holy hell, how is the dash NOT cracked all over after sitting outside for 4 years....and it's a HUD dash...that's luck, man.
Its sat under a tree in full shade for 4 years, thats why it doesn't have a cracked up dash. I have a sun-deflector on the windshield so the dash stays crackless.

[fresh_boi]

man.... i love s13 coupes, they are literally my favorite looking car, and there are a lot of possibilities with them.
good luck with this, i will continue to watch for updates

only thing i would be careful about, u said it sat under a tree for years? well in the first set of pictures, the inside looked as dirty as the outside, it looks like it possibly could have been in a flood area when we had all those floods, i mean i don't know where you bought it, so i could be wrong, but i would be careful and check every spot on that car, be very thorough with cleaning the inside, because if you do not, then you could have some problems in the future, just a little advice

but it definitely looks way better with the cleaning you have done so far :goodjob::goodjob:
good luck

[allmotorEJ8]

Holy hell, how is the dash NOT cracked all over after sitting outside for 4 years....and it's a HUD dash...that's luck, man.

I know right. My hud dash looks like shit with cracks everywhere that's why I covered it back up.


The paint looks good compared to what it did. I would be happy with faded paint over this damn primer. Keep up the work and it will be looking good in no time.

[xsingxhaix]

damn, I'm jealous at how good the body panels of the car looks. My pignose coupe has big ass dents on the passenger side. i also like the clean ass non-cracked dash, digital gauge cluster, power windows, sunroof, and spoiler...................

good luck with the build, i will definitely be checking this thread often....................

[VTECking]

man.... i love s13 coupes, they are literally my favorite looking car, and there are a lot of possibilities with them.
good luck with this, i will continue to watch for updates

only thing i would be careful about, u said it sat under a tree for years? well in the first set of pictures, the inside looked as dirty as the outside, it looks like it possibly could have been in a flood area when we had all those floods, i mean i don't know where you bought it, so i could be wrong, but i would be careful and check every spot on that car, be very thorough with cleaning the inside, because if you do not, then you could have some problems in the future, just a little advice

but it definitely looks way better with the cleaning you have done so far :goodjob::goodjob:
good luck
Naw it wasnt flooded. The car was pretty much a block away from me sitting under my nose for 4 years w/o me noticing it until a week ago. But thanks for the advice man!

[DVSRX-7]

Doing work I see. Keep the pics coming

[TSiFTW]

Keep us updated. I love to see projects like this.

[VTECking]

Im gonna be doing alot of engine work this weekend and next week so more pics will be up soon.

[rbwdriven]

before and after are totally different cars I swear.

Good luck man.

[Greddypacked]

fuckin christ did u pull it outa swamp

He said it sat und4r a tree for 4 years but I would of guessed this if he hadnt said that lol.

[canadianrcis]

my only question is, who "restores" a 240?

[VTECking]

my only question is, who "restores" a 240?
Well I am a 240 enthusiast and other enthusiast like me restore and build their 240's like I am going to do with this one.

[fresh_boi]

Naw it wasnt flooded. The car was pretty much a block away from me sitting under my nose for 4 years w/o me noticing it until a week ago. But thanks for the advice man!

dang, what did you do? talk to your neighbors like, "i wanna buy that" ? or what lol

[VTECking]

dang, what did you do? talk to your neighbors like, "i wanna buy that" ? or what lol
Yea, I saw that it was all dirty so I figured the guy didnt care for the car and it hadnt been driven in a while so knocked on his door and asked if he wanted to sell it. lol

[allmotorEJ8]

Well I am a 240 enthusiast and other enthusiast like me restore and build their 240's like I am going to do with this one.

This.

[Genji-Sama]

Dang, I already like where this is headed. Eager to see where this is goin. G' luck

[VTECking]

^thanks man

[Sinfix_15]

was expecting you to find some bodies in the trunk after seeing that first picture.

[down_shift]

get the ka runnning and start in on the suspension.

[HachiDori]

clay bar and buff!

[VTECking]

Thats what I am gonna do. My friend has some Megan racing springs for $50 so Im gonna buy them "even though they are Megans" just because they are $50 bucks. lol

[Sinfix_15]

Thats what I am gonna do. My friend has some Megan racing springs for $50 so Im gonna buy them "even though they are Megans" just because they are $50 bucks. lol

i've got a lot of megan products on my car and theyre as good as anything else ive ever seen. Im not too sure why people seem to knock on the brand.

[alpine_aw11]

Yea Megan springs are just as good if not better than most springs...I've ridden on Teins and they dont feel any nicer than Megans. If you only want to buy springs instead of spending a grand or more on coilovers Megans are the shit. They're worth way more than what you pay, it doesn't matter what the douchebags say that think they're automatically too good for Megan stuff without ever trying it.

[speedminded]

i've got a lot of megan products on my car and theyre as good as anything else ive ever seen. Im not too sure why people seem to knock on the brand.You get what you pay for. I've seen the adjustment knob break off shortly after installing Megan's. The shocks apparently aren't matched to the springs or simply aren't up to the task because i've seen them blown within a few months. I'm trying to verify it but I think Megan is a rebranded BC Racing coil-over (http://www.bcracing-na.com/). Google Image "BC Racing broken" and you'll find an unlimited number of broken coil-overs...


Yea Megan springs are just as good if not better than most springs...I've ridden on Teins and they dont feel any nicer than Megans. If you only want to buy springs instead of spending a grand or more on coilovers Megans are the shit. They're worth way more than what you pay, it doesn't matter what the douchebags say that think they're automatically too good for Megan stuff without ever trying it.lol! Can't exactly go too wrong with a cold rolled piece of steel. There's not much point in comparing a low rate Megan spring to a Tein "show" spring either. Read the box on Tein springs, it says "Dressup Master".

This is how suspension works: you get a spring type for the application (linear or progessive) and a spring rate to meet the demands of your car. Then you get a dampener that matches the spring. If the dampener/shock isn't matched to the spring rate then 1) It's going to ride and handle like crap 2) It's going to be blown in no time.

[alpine_aw11]

You get what you pay for. I've seen the adjustment knob break off shortly after installing Megan's. The shocks apparently aren't matched to the springs or simply aren't up to the task because i've seen them blown within a few months. I'm trying to verify it but I think Megan is a rebranded BC Racing coil-over (http://www.bcracing-na.com/). Google Image "BC Racing broken" and you'll find an unlimited number of broken coil-overs...

lol! Can't exactly go too wrong with a cold rolled piece of steel. There's not much point in comparing a low rate Megan spring to a Tein "show" spring either. Read the box on Tein springs, it says "Dressup Master".

This is how suspension works: you get a spring type for the application (linear or progessive) and a spring rate to meet the demands of your car. Then you get a dampener that matches the spring. If the dampener/shock isn't matched to the spring rate then 1) It's going to ride and handle like crap 2) It's going to be blown in no time.

All I'm saying is that if you're only buying springs Megans are a great way to save money. I hope you don't think I was implying that Megan springs are as good as a nice coilover setup...

[speedminded]

All I'm saying is that if you're only buying springs Megans are a great way to save money. I hope you don't think I was implying that Megan springs are as good as a nice coilover setup...The spring doesn't really matter as long as it's stiff enough for the use of the car. The quality of the ride will be determined by the shock/dampener, not the spring.

With a stock or cheap shock that can't keep up with the demands of the spring then it's going to ride like crap anyways so at that point it doesn't matter if $50 or $250 was spent on springs.

[down_shift]

good information Speed Minded but lets keep in mind that he just wants to go low.

[Sinfix_15]

You get what you pay for. I've seen the adjustment knob break off shortly after installing Megan's. The shocks apparently aren't matched to the springs or simply aren't up to the task because i've seen them blown within a few months. I'm trying to verify it but I think Megan is a rebranded BC Racing coil-over (http://www.bcracing-na.com/). Google Image "BC Racing broken" and you'll find an unlimited number of broken coil-overs...

lol! Can't exactly go too wrong with a cold rolled piece of steel. There's not much point in comparing a low rate Megan spring to a Tein "show" spring either. Read the box on Tein springs, it says "Dressup Master".

This is how suspension works: you get a spring type for the application (linear or progessive) and a spring rate to meet the demands of your car. Then you get a dampener that matches the spring. If the dampener/shock isn't matched to the spring rate then 1) It's going to ride and handle like crap 2) It's going to be blown in no time.


I've got megan coilovers on my car, most of my other suspension components are megan too, turbo many and exhaust are megan. I'm no hardcore racer by any means, but theyve held up flawlessly to weekend warrior abuse. Just my own personal opinion, i think a lot of the criticism of parts comes from hardcore racers and is adopted by street car drivers. I think most any aftermarket part is probably sufficient for street use/mild racing.

[VTECking]

Im sorry guys, I have been buys with work so I havnt made any progress yet. I am in the process of trying to find a S13 Coupe carpet that is in decent to good shape so I can put the rest of the interior back in the car. Please PM me if you have one that you would be willing to sell.

[VTECking]

MOAR

So I finally got some free time so today I just took out the radiator and Sunday I will be taking the head off the motor.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13002-1.jpg

This is the culprit that overheated the motor making the head gasket blow.
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13005-1.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg57/VTECking/Project%20S13/ProjectS13003.jpg