The Mission's 1972 240z SR20DET Build

[TheMission]

I'm finally to building stage on my 240z, with just getting it all back from paint and ready to start putting back together...

 

All in all, I'm a normal guy, wanting to show a build that's along the lines of what we normal dudes can do, rather than an all out no money limit build in the mags and that I see from time to time around hybridz and here.

 

I do all the work myself, from wiring, to body work, to engine tweaking, and only source my best friend for paint work and will spend a day at a local shop here in PDX for final tuning most likely.

 

It's now ready to be put together and set up, with new wiring harness, new seals, and so on.

 

It's my street sport attempt, as it will run the SR20DET, but also have the Autopower Roll Bar, Line Lock, Hydrolic E-Brake, and all the other fun things to make it a riot at PIR and to turn heads around town and at meets.

 

Final color is Laguna Seca Blue (BMW M3)... which looks way better in real life that the iphone can do it justice with.

 

So Far we've done the following body wise:

 

Taken it down to the frame/shell

 

Shaved :

 

Door Locks (going keyless entry)

All Emblems, Logos, C Pillar Holes

Side Markers

Antenna

Fuel Door

Engine Bay

 

Removed the Fuel Tank and Custom Installed a Fuel Cell

New Driver/Passenger Floors

New DogLegs Driver/Passenger

AUTOPOWER Roll Bar

De-Rusted EVERYTHING

All New Urethane Bushings the full suspension, Repainted all the suspension components

Reconditioned the Dash

 

Here's what it looked like when I bought it...

 

 

 

 

 

Here's some of the basic work done

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More To Come....

[I'm BLUE]

Very Nice , Fuel Cell build in :cool: Keep up the great work , dig the color too :thumbup:

[TheMission]

Here's some pics as it's moved from paint back to being slowly put back together... don't worry about the wheels/tires... they are going away.

 

Next is finishing the doors and side window installs/seals, then wiring it all back up again and then it's the slow process of engine building and interior redo... blah... I'm still waiting on a few paint parts - the near rear deck floor, the front valance, the hood, the roll bar.

 

I still can't take a good picture of the real color, as the camera just won't pick it up right... the color is darker than what the photos show, I'll have to take some pictures at dusk sometime.

 

Shaved front sidemarkers, Shaved Z Logos on Fender, Shaved door locks -

 

 

Shaved Fuel Door, Shaved C-Pillar Logos/Holes, Shaved Sidemarkers

 

 

Shaved Antenna, Shaved Side Marker, Shaved Door Lock, Shaved C-Pillar Logo

 

 

Quick Engine Bay Shave - Not Perfect, but I didn't care... just wanted it "Cleaner"

 

 

[TheMission]

Very Nice , Fuel Cell build in :cool: Keep up the great work , dig the color too :thumbup:

 

Thanks!

 

The Side Panel in the back is for a drop in dry cell... The rust under the battery tray was insane, so I just cut out the whole section from another Z and welded it in, but without the tray... I think it'll look much cleaner with the SR20DET in there, all by it's lonesome with all that room.

 

I'm sharing this on Hybridz as well, but seems to be much more traffic in here and local PNW/PDX Guys, so figure I'd let you see the work.

[I'm BLUE]

Thanks!

 

The Side Panel in the back is for a drop in dry cell... The rust under the battery tray was insane, so I just cut out the whole section from another Z and welded it in, but without the tray... I think it'll look much cleaner with the SR20DET in there, all by it's lonesome with all that room.

 

I'm sharing this on Hybridz as well, but seems to be much more traffic in here and local PNW/PDX Guys, so figure I'd let you see the work.

 

Welcome ! I an really diggin the color , wasn't my fav at first glance , but love it now ! How did you decide upon an sr20det for your beast ? :D

[Skib]

Welcome to Ratsun :cool:

 

Iv seen your thread on HBZ too

 

 

when do expect to have it on the road? Im around PDX so Id love to check it out when it is :lol:

[TheMission]

Just wait until the rest of the black is done... I think it'll look even better when offset with ZG flares/wheels/front lip/FG Bumpers/Fender Mirrors and hood in black...

 

The SR20 comes from my enjoyment of modern turbocharged engines... I've built a couple more modern cars for show and love tuning/modern FI tech and I've had a couple old school carb'd cars and HATE carbs, so thus, the style I miss nowadays, with the tech I love.

 

Some of my older rides...

 

The Scion - My first competitive show car - Zex Wet Nitrous Full Kit, Autopower Roll Bar, JTAutostyle Vertical Doors, Fully Custom Big 16G Turbo Setup, NST Pulleys, Umnitza Daylight Demon Eyes, Custom Paint Everywhere, and much much more)

 

 

 

The S2000, which was just my clean daily driver for a while - APR wing and Mirrors, Fujita CAI, X- Brace, Front Lip, Custom Shaving and Paint Tweaking here and there.

 

It was just a car I've always desired to have and wanted to make as clean as possible.

 

 

 

Ground Up '73 Mini Resto - This was my get smiles when driving fun project. Pretty much pulled everything and rebuild the engine, repaint, wheels, tires, etc... REALLY fun car to drive.

 

[I'm BLUE]

Wow ! That is killer , and totally see it with flares , and at least a black hood/highlights , that will look absoletly sick :cool: May I ask if you have ruled out the RB25det then since you enjoed the turbo charged/FI engines

 

I love the Mini's man , and that's a pretty damn clean s2000 is it ? ( 2nd pic down )

 

All I have to say is ya got good taste my friend :D

 

I have 73 240z , L28 with SU's , electronic ignition , I just re-wired the fusebox , ran a new harness for the lights , and all the little things that come with it :rolleyes: ( as you know ) ( I got lucky my SU's are ok ) :lol: ( It is my daily driver , and also my daily fixer :lol: )

 

Don't get me wrong all of your past projects look pretty bad-ass , but I am biased my favorite is your current one hands down :cool: To be honest I don't think I have ever even touched a Scion car , so I don't know much about them :unsure:

 

I will totally agree with you on this phrase 100% " The style I miss nowadays with the tech I love." :D Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

Keep this up man , ya got some pretty cool toys here and especially a great current project :D Definetly post this under my favorites :cool:

[TheMission]

Thanks.

 

Over at Hybridz there is a lot of inspiration... The interior is a different ball game though. I've already restored the dash, but I'm not going to be stock on the interior, as I really don't want too much more weight, so I'll go aftermarket seats, no heat/ac, and minimalistic trim pieces with only basic sound/heat deadening. I'm not going for comfort, I'm going for weekend driving fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hughdogz]

Very nice! :thumbup:

[DISLEXICDIME]

Very nice! :thumbup:

 

 

nice work.

What made you decide on a 4cyl instead of a in line6?

[TheMission]

It was either the SR20DET or the RB26DETT, as I want a more modern engine, with good rep and parts/tweaking availability, and great looks... Seeing the pics of the vildini motorsport's cars I just love the engine bay.

 

There is some great inspiration from Blakt Out over at Hybridz, which leans me toward the SR20 as well, but my build is an "everyman's" build, where his is a "Everyman with a whole lotta dough" build - No offense to his great and awesome resto, but I just don't have that kind of funds he has, and want to do as much myself as I possibly can.

 

The RB26DETT just is plain too costly to pick up and even more so to tweak than the more common sr20det swapped into all the 240sx.s around here and all the parts available for them... In the end it comes down to money first and then my preference of engine with parts availability... I'm aiming for 250-300 RWHP, so it's quite easily achievable and somewhat affordable with the SR20 and just a ton of shops that can work on/tune them if I need down the road.

[TheMission]

This last week got some decent progress done on it:

 

Put the ZCC Tow Brackets on - Cause they are dang sweet looking - Check out ZCCjdm.com

 

All Seals are In

Door Window Frames and C-Pillar Windows are In

Tails are Re-Wired with Modern Molex Connectors and back on

Cut and set up new D&P side kick panels and dogleg panels from new material - Upholstering it later

Steering Shaft and Pedal Box is back on

 

I've finally figured out all the wiring for:

 

Turn Signal Switch

Headlight and Wiper Switch

Full Wiper Motor Rebuild and Wiring and Relay Setup (Which is a Pain)

All the EZ-Wiring Harness

 

I'll probably post some of the schematics I ended up with, as the wiring was fun to figure out and it's helpful to add another reference to the mess of wires and how the assemblies work.

 

Picked Up:

 

Taurus Fan - Rebuilt and Cleaned/Tested that monster of a fan

 

 

 

Next steps are full rewiring, replacing all the old connectors with modern molex setups, which will take a chunk of time.

 

Interior Rebuild and Re-Upholstery

 

Then it's flocking time! - Dash and all upper interior trim will be flocked to match ultrasuede Headliner and such.

 

The Engine will be purchased soon and mounted on a stand and I'll share my experiences there with a moderate rebuild there, as I'll replace seals like mad, and repaint and accessorize the SR20DET well.

 

I'll pop some pics over the weekend as I finish up the tail section a bit.

[TheMission]

Got some decent progress done today...

 

All Windows are in her now, as well as almost all the door hardware, except the outside handles, due to paint waiting.

 

Wiper Motor and Assembly Back in...

 

Wiring Harness Tentatively Mounted - Where I want it to be.

 

 

Taurus Fan All Cleaned Up and Testing, Running like the monster it is.

 

 

Bit by bit it's coming together

[TheMission]

 

 

[TheMission]

 

[sssr20det510]

Looking good

[TheMission]

A Bit of progress over the weekend... the wiring is getting more and more complete, and I'm working on individual parts here and there to clean things up and make them nice.

 

I have a new carpet kit coming on Tuesday, as well as a cheap keyless/alarm setup on Wednesday, plus a power window conversion kit on it's way too. Even may have a great engine sourced.

 

I just picked up some vortex generators for the Z and looking forward to putting them on, as I really like the look of them.

[TheMission]

Woot! - Sourced my SR20DET with new clutch/CAS/vildini mount/wiring, etc.... only a few weeks till I get my hands on it and pretty much follow this thread post for post to clean it up and get it set up for my wishes.

 

CLICK HERE FOR AN AMAZING SR20DET thread

 

I love that thread... so in depth and up my alley!

[Supra510]

Nice.

[TheMission]

Well... fun day!

 

I had the day off, since I've worked the last 10 or so days straight at work, so played a bit with the car!

 

Got the lock coversion and power window conversions in and tested -

 

Finished the wiring of 2 and 0 gauge wire up to the front from the rear odyssey battery location and finished the brake lines getting run.

 

Brake Booster and Clutch Master Cylinder Mounted

 

Close up of the EZ wiring Fuse Box in it's location

 

RAAMMat'd firewall and tunnel, (used extra pieces to hold down the wires for now) - All the silver will be covered with black closed cell acoustic foam from RAAMMat too.

 

New Carpet Test Fitted over the Tunnel

 

Lines from the rear to the front (Ground and Power) Ground will go to Frame at where the engine grounds will go, Power will go to solenoid and to the inside from there.

 

Lots of work for 4 hours.

[TheMission]

I'm looking at two different suspension setups, the one with the megans, but running the EM's due to cost, or another setup, tailored to the EM's, but not widely out on the forums... both are interesting to me, but I'm patient there.

 

It's not in the pics or details, as It was less critical to me, but I did remove all suspension components and restore them and added poly everywhere I could. I didn't do new springs/shocks, as someday I'll get a better setup.

 

Here's some pics of what I did back when the car was getting torn down...

 

How do you get at it all easy? This is how... and how to do it with no money.... 4x4s to the stock bumper brackets, Some gate hinges, some tow straps, some roller wheels, and an engine lift and TADA!

 

 

Poly was a pain, but it was worth it for later.

 

[TheMission]

5 hours of wiring.... ugh, my back hurts, but things are getting there. The rear is all wired, Just need a fuel pump and I'm good to go wiring wise back there.

 

All the running of wires hidden to the back and getting everything clean and set up for the column and front, it was a ton of work.

 

Next week I'll actually power up and start testing lights and using the meter to check everything else for correct operation!

[Skib]

Nice!

 

 

I really dig this car man :cool: cant wait to see it on the road

[TheMission]

Edited