R32 Skyline Build 2011

The next instalment of our personal R32 build is underway at the moment! I hope to update this section daily and keep everyone up to date with new and interesting project ideas for their vehicles. Along with this build, our carbon fibre R&D will also make its debut in this section and will give everyone a taste of what will soon be offered to the public, so make sure to keep up to date!

Our goal this winter is to build an incredibly light-weight track car however maintain its street-ability. The car will be driving down to North Carolina to do the Tail of The Dragon this summer, as well as a road trip down to the Sunshine state to check out the Florida tuner scene and see what kind of Skyline builds are going on state-side! Also, we’ll be heading out to SEMA this year to see what kind of new releases and product ideas are on the table. Possible road trip planned for our R32 so stay tuned!

Chapter 1 – Sound deadening – DEAD weight!

Winter build has commenced;

- Gutted the interior

- Removed the remaining sound deadening;

Tips; I’ve heard dry ice is good as it freezes the sound deadening and makes it easy to smash with a hammer, but if you’re not in pharmaceuticals or somehow have a connect for dry ice, the easiest method I have found is with a Pneumatic chisel.

Here’s a before and after shot;

After;

Messy, I know, but with patience, all that fluff and extra glue from the sound deadening will come off with Varsol. The rubber or so it seems to be “rubber” is actually sealant used to fill the holes left by the body construction. These can be removed, cleaned, and resealed once more as you will see shortly.

I decided on a small repaint, which actually changed down the line, but my initial plan was this;

Stay tuned to see how it really turned out!

Chapter 2 – RB23

Engine ideas were tossed around early in the winter, and a 2.3 came to mind after a friend and I toyed with the idea of using RB26DETT internals in an RB20. Cost effectivity is moderate, but originality is spot on!

The reason for not going the typical 2.4 route that Tomei sells, is simply due to wall thickness. A 2.4 build requires 82 mil pistons. Stock size pistons are 78mm; thats a 4mm difference and if you’ve ever seen the walls of an RB20, they’re no laughing matter. So, for safety reasons, 81mm pistons would likely be our target size.

Here’s how to do it;

2.3 is achieved with;

  • RB20 block
  • RB26 Rods
  • RB26 Crank
  • 4AGZE pistons (Corolla) @ 81 mil (101 series are forged i BELIEVE)
  • Head work to fit the longer stroke, so gutting, new valve seats, porting to match the new CFMS and etc..

Issues;

  • Crank clearance on the RB20 block – Clearancing will be required for the RB26 crank counterbalances to clear the cylinder skirts. Not a serious issue, however an issue none the less.
  • A bronze gudgeon will be required to fit the RB26 rods to the 4AGZE pistons. The pistons sleeve diameter is slightly less, thus small bronze spacers will be required to fit the RB26 rods to these particular units.
  • Undeniably, the RB20 head does not flow very well. A 2.4 will increase CFM’s considerably, requiring a mass amount of headwork and proper flow testing. This is rather expensive, and likely the most expensive part of this build. If not done properly could result in poor hp/tq numbers due to starvation or resistance of air, as well as poor tune. Proper balance between both intake and exhaust side will certainly be required. Another note on this topic as well is the matter of intake plenum. A larger Greddy style or RB26 style intake plenum would be required in this case, as it would offer more/direct air to the cylinders while the stock plenum is quite robust and offers a myriad of casting flaws that increase air turbulence drastically.

4AGZE from the AE92 levin are forged stock, finding a set is really the only battle. They’re difficult to find, but ARIAS does make them, and forged. A set of four is likely to run around 700-800$, but that being said, this build could likely be had for less than 3000$. Luckily for me, rods, crank and block are already in my possession, what’s left is machining, and the head work will be taken care of on my behalf.

The goods to go along with this are;

  • Tomei Poncams
  • Tomei Valve springs
  • Brian Crower valves
  • Bronze valve guides
  • Tomei metal headgasket (1.2mm to keep compression rather high – aiming at 9.2:1)

The block;

…And of course, the rest can be seen as the build goes on!

Chapter 3 – Weight savings

So far, this is what I’ve removed from the already 1120kg Skyline;

Sound deadening; 2x this box, which actually came out to be about 75lbs;

Under-carpet dampening;

Rear ducting, rear passenger seats and other;

Wire wires wires… A large batch of useless speaker wire and stuff the useless owner sadly left in remote locations around the car;

Chapter 4 – FRAM Oil filters, interesting document;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX0xrqvlsNI&feature=player_embedded

Chapter 5 – AC Delete

Weights;

  • Hoses and bolts are ~2.5 kg
  • Condensor 3.5kg
  • AC compressor, ~15kg

It’s relatively heavy, and for a ‘light’ build, it’s a killer. Will have to make due in the summer however I have yet to use it in two years!

Chapter 6 – Piping issue

Seem to have encountered a bit of a chafing issue on my intercooler piping;


Though he’s smiling, he’s not at all good and has been creating a rather serious lean issue for the past several months.

Since then it has been fixed, but this will be covered in our TIG welding section! I have also sold the piping and have gone in a completely different direction, care to guess?

Chapter 7 – Engine woes

Originally my plan was to leave the top and bottom end as is while building my 2.3 from my spare block, however after having seen this, it has prompted me to take another direction;

It’s a nail biting gouge, and though compression tested 150 across (refer to Skyline Build 2010), it seems that upon installation (from factory?!?) they chiseled into the cylinder wall with the ring compressor. It’s unfortunate, but just means the motor has to come out for a hone, bead blast the pistons and re-ring them OR swap in forged pistons. Keep in mind, another motor is being purposely built for this car midsummer /winter next season, so this motor is only to last until then and with my horsepower goal of 350-380whp, it’s more than doable with a stock top end. Worst case scenario is that the transmission dies before the motor! They’re real monsters.

Chapter 8 – Speedo mod and LED cluster lights

Small update..

Was just messing around at work one night with some customers things and new molds, then i tackled a few other little projects;

Carbon Coil pack cover.. this is just the prototype too, it came out pretty nice.. unfortunately i ran out of clearcoat so it didnt thicken up quite well.. I’ll wet sand it an redo it tomorrow..

A customers center vent gauge is almost done as well.. had to make a new mold for that; it should actually turn out pretty epic!

I had my LED bulbs come in early last week so i figured i’d tackle those as well,

The stickers kinda funny; came with them. Obviously i chose something that had “rb20″ in it.. Had to keep it real

My ODO had been bothering me.. Seeing 130,xxx km drove me insane, and it looked terrible  IMO, so i got to work on that too!

Of course i wont divulge the steps, i think its pretty self explanatory as to WHY.. However if you must know, pm me and i’ll fwd you the pics and steps..

Grade 3 Calculator games? Yes…

3 km test drive

Some fun;

Stock RB20;

Stock bottom end RB20; turbo, cams, valvesprings, valves;

Built bottom end RB20; forged rods, forged pistons, bearings, blueprinted, cams, valvesprings, valves, solidlifters, turbo.. :D

Figured i’d get to shaving some weight as well, considering i was messing around with the interior..

Decided to remove the roof liner. Not sure why, but seeing as i’ll have my cage in the back and no rear seats, i guess it just fits the motif, and it weighs a fair amount!

This is the rear passenger holy crap handles plus brackets and etc.

The weight was actually .136 kg more, as i placed some items on the scale prior to zeroing..

Roof liner,

Next is to cut the rear speaker deck tray out and other junk, then tackle the carbon shelving for the rear and cage welding..

Also going to pull my pistons out soon enough and have a look at the other block.. Have it sent out for cleaning along with the head and then decide my final move.

Chapter 9 – Rewiring, relocating, and removing more weight!

Rear defrost units (there are 2)

Rear speaker deck amp

HICAS wires (the useless ones)

All affiliated wires

Only thing going to my trunk now are turn signal/brake lights and fuel pump..

Also removed the sound deadening in the trunk, as tyler pointed out, theres some in there which i totally missed.

Also about done cutting my rebar.. Only purpose now; to hold my IC up..

Relocating my washer bottle to the trunk now too ..

Moar wiring..

Oh and that wiring on the floor of the driver; Hicas module/rear lights AND my 4AWG power wire!  Not bad when compared to the stock wiring loom, especially for a street car!

Chapter 10 – Washer bottle relocation

Water bottle relocation DIY;

Need;

16′ of 3/16″ hose or 2 10′ hoses like i did. In this case you’ll need a joiner.

16′ of wiring – very small gauge..

Zipties

Soldering iron/rosin core solder (or electrical tape, if you like things buggering up after 3 drives)

Pretty simple really..

1. Remove wiper reservoir from engine compartment – that’s a given..

2. Locate wiring harnesses and make the appropriate cuts leaving enough of the loom to solder after wards

3. From these wires (in the wiring loom of the car, not connector), splice in your new wire keeping account of which one goes to which colour and feed it through the firewall

4. Run this along the runners until you reach the trunk. Best to feed through the rear fender gap as you’ll be able to go directly to the reservoir without passing through the trunk

5. IF you dont want to use your rear wiper anymore, you’re in luck, the hose is already back there, so take this hose from the rear wire, feed through the same passage as your wires and connect to your front window squirters

6. IF you cut yours out like a moron, as i did, then realized this would be a fun thing to do, well then you’ll need to re route the hose.

I ended up T the hose off – 1 goes to wipers, 1 to front. Instead of running two hoses, at the track ill just relieve the T fitting and run the sprayer to intercooler as it wont be required for the street..

7. Ziptie this beast in place.

You may have to remove your rear window defrost module, seems to be some sort of transformer or something, so get rid of it. or keep it, and fend for yourself!!

Tidy up, and voila, done..

tube

To intercooler

Wiring to reservoir;

Tube route inside firewall;

Follow runners to the first inlet to the rear fender;

Tidy up!

Chapter 11 – AC Matrix removal / TIG welding practice!

Couple updates;

Had my first shot at tig welding. Took care of smiling mcgee IC piping..

Voila.. TIG isn’t very hard, or at least not as hard as people make it out to be.. And this was my first ever weld. I cant wait to have a go at my new plenum!! :D

Also, after speaking to a friend the other night (M13 on GTRC), he was telling me about removing the AC matrix located under the dash; he estimated about 5-7 lbs depending on the amount of crap stuffed in there after years of driving; he wasn’t far off..

Here’s a how-to for those of you who’ve deleted your AC!

1. Remove glove box and metal cross member supporting the glovebox

2. Locate the big white plastic box – ZEXEL Stamped.

3. Remove the holder screws (5 i think)

4. Pull it down and then from the top view, you can see the screws holding the box in one piece, remove these and pull it apart.

Tada;

Weight reduction. And it rids of the nasty smelling air you get when you pump the fan’s (Air passes through this upon entry into the vehicle, then from there into the ducting system)

FYI, weight is in KG.. 5.11 lbs

Chapter 12 – DIY RB20 Front facing plenum and Carbon speaker deck

Spent all day messing around with the TIG!

For my first real welding project with no previous experience, i have to say it’s quite a challenge, but you do eventually get into the rhythm of it. I absolutely love it, and i never thought i’d enjoy welding as much as i do now.

Planning to offer this to people looking for a front facing plenum option and who dont want to spend 600+ dollars on a standard front facing “Greddy” type.

And no, it does not lean 5-6 as most people like to believe. After doing my research on SAU, GTRUK, GTROC and the likes, there is no signs of leaning and if there is doubts, a simple tune would rid of the lean condition. Better yet, it’s said to lower spool upwards of 400-600 rpm with a stock setup, (2700-2800 with FMIC and stock RB20/turbo). With a proper tune, this could really be a great addition to a person trying to gain more low end on a bottomless RB20. Also, it gets rid of the J-pipe and the likes and cleans up the engine bay quite nicely.

[url]http://www.skylineowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70143&page=4[/url]

Also did this :)

Any guesses?.. Pretty obvious..

Chapter 13 – Customers vinyl wrapping and new Plasma cutter!

Plasma cutter;

Horizontal band saw;

I also got some new goodies in the mail.. I’m collecting everything and putting it all in one photoshoot before it goes onto the car so i can have one family gathering before everyone goes their separate way..

But here’s what came today! Thanks Mark (Craftz)

20 year old intercooler??

And off to work related stuff..

this is for Adam on our boards;

Almost done with that.. And a few more other customer projects to do, then i can get around to more car stuff like finishing my rear carbon deck/firewall cover

Now with the new plasma cutter, i plan to cut the entire rear speaker deck out, and since we now have access to welders and a bandsaw (horizontal), i can make my own custom bracing instead of the rear deck! :D

Chapter 14 – Engine removal and wire tuck

The RB20 is out. Note i did the job with the transmission still intact.

Relatively easy job, and considering i did it alone just over an hours time, i think anyone with the right mindset, tools and even a friend could easily achieve the same.

One big thing to note when doing this without a lift, first and foremost, place a HYDRAULIC jack underneath your transmission bellhousing. Theres a flat area with a small step in it, good place to mount your jack.

I emphasize on hydraulic because you’ll need to play with the height of the trans as you pull it out.

The CFG of the RB20 is rather far back; i’d say somewhere along cylinder 6.

Since you need to pull the motor and transmission on an angle to clear the tunnel, you will have to use the jack as support as to not destroy or snag on your power steering rack/subframe. Also, the jack is required to drop the transmission/engine mounts off the rear.

A good note is that there are only 3 mounts on an RB20. 2 at the front by cylinder 2, and 1 at the rear at the end of the trans.

Easiest way to keep most of the bottom end intact is to undo the driveshaft carrier which will allow the driveshaft to slide out the end of the input shaft on the transmission.

Now all that’s left is to make sure there are no connected hoses and wires, then begin to loop your chains/ropes/cables onto your block and attach them securely to your lift.

Once that’s done, loosen your mounts at the front – 4 14mm nuts on either side of the mounting plate. (not necessary to remove the bottom 2 but makes it easier instead of getting cocked on the studs)

Now begin to lift, watching your supports dont shift inappropriately and that the weight is being well supported.

Use the jack to lift then lower over the front subframe/steering rack.

Once that’s clear, the jack will free up and can be discarded.

Once it’s high enough you can grab the as$ end of the transmission (coupler where the driveshaft enters) and tank it over the radiator crossmember.

That should be it.

The weight of an RB20 (FULL, head and all) with transmission is only 538lbs if i remember correctly. A 1 ton jack will suffice given the arm length adequate to reach inside our enormous engine bay depth.

Here are some photos of the job along the way;

A teaser of my new goodies :) How well do you know your boxes??

After the engine was pulled, it was time for a clean up. My first thought was that i was going to need a repaint.. but..

- Before;

- After;

Also did a nice wire tuck on the passenger side;

Capacitor location;

Now i just need to figure something out for my steering reservoir.. I deleted the remaining hicas loop-to-cooler that i couldnt reach prior to removing the motor, also a few brackets which came out to a solid 1.3 kg or so with hardware.

Cleanup is still going on, but seeing as the paint is in amazing shape, i’ll likely can the repaint idea and continue to finish tucking wires etc before finishing my motor/transmission rebuild..

Still need info on the oil squirter bolt head size and tool name (inverted torx?) just so that i can strip my other block completely before removing it from the stand.

Chapter 15 – RB20 Engine disassembly

Disassembled the motor today.

Looks as though things aren’t as bad as I had anticipated. Pistons are new and have been recently changed, thus the reasoning behind my 150-155 compression numbers. I’ve also revealed the cause of the mysterious cylinder #4 knick; ring compressor upon reinstallation.

When the motor was last rebuilt (by whomever, assuming in japan because this car was imported by a friend), the ring compressor scored the top of the cylinder. Nothing was done about one for 2 reasons; 1 it was freshly line honed and the cross hatching is still vividly visible, and 2, the knick in the cylinder has zero affect on the rings ability to seal because it is nearly a millimeter HIGHER than the top ring land, meaning no ring strikes this or interferes with it at all.

Now I’m left with another small cylinder score, nothing too bad, but caused by the removal/install of the previous job due to the con rod scraping on its exit/entry. Typical mistake, oh well..

Going to do a light in house hone with some heavy duty scotch bright, then a lighter grade to clean it up, should get rid of all the marks minus my larger knick, but since it’s not an issue i wont address it just yet..

Being that the pistons/rods/rod bolts are all new (if you look closely at STOCK conrod bolts, they have a small indent at the base, these do not) I’m going to just throw it all back together and run it as is.

Got this off in 2 seconds, luckily;

….

Engine is ready for reassembly!

Finished cleaning the block and waterways with degreaser, than, with the thermostat out, I was able to jet enough water through the galleries to thoroughly rinse them.

New N1 water pump was on already, so that will be good to go for the next season!

All clearances checked out – Rod journal clearances were well within spec, as well as the crank journal pin being well within as well! Rod/crank horizontal clearances were great too; absolutely no complaints. My assumptions on this motor having been rebuilt recently seem to check out which is a sigh of relief.

Tonight, I’ll be going back to finish cleaning the head.. I picked up some new carbide tips for my dremmel as well as some for my die grinder to tackle the larger, more heavy duty job of doing the proper gasket matching and removal of material on the exhaust manifold divider plate. All mouths and openings will be gasket matched and this should remove at minimum 3/32 of an inch of material on all manifold ports and more than double this at the manifold entrance to the turbo. The snail as well, will be gasket matched before being sent for rebuild at Cherry turbos.

Placing an order tomorrow night for a valve lapping kit and a valve spring compressor. I could potentially remove the originals with a socket as I’d have access to the collets without any real issue, but to replace them with the heavy duty Tomei’s is going to pose an issue. So it’s a safe bet to have a compressor handy..

Also found out that the nut/rod bolt’s ARE reusable. The only reason they would no be reusable is if; A. You remove the rod bolt from the rod, B. You change to an oversize bearing (0 vs 1 Sizing) because this will affect the deformation pattern of the bolts, being paired already to a different sized race. Even if there clearances are off a thou, it’s not worth reusing, this will just introduce unnecessary stress to the bolts and likely wind up sheering under high load.

Con rod bolts are not necessarily stretch bolts by any means. The general thought is, these bolts stretch when first torqued, thus are no longer reusable. This is wrong, these bolts do not stretch, as a matter of fact, then torque numbers are incredibly low at 4.5kg/m. The one thing you need to be aware of is deformation which is the actual, physical ‘bending’ of the bolt inward to cater to the size of the crank pin (where the rod end connects). Same typical principle applies to head stud bolts. They don’t necessarily stretch, but if you swap headgasket, to crush the headgasket in the same manner the previous one was squashed, you will need to apply considerably more force, this leads to fatigue issues in the future creating a possible sheer at high temps and high rpm as pressure increases. Potentially you could reuse stock bolts if you reused the same headgasket and tolerances weren’t changed, unless otherwise specified..

Chapter 16 – Head cleaning and gasket matching

Finished cleaning the underside of the head last night in preparation of removing the valves.

One thing to note is to do this cleaning process before removing the valves that way you wont damage the seats when cleaning afterwards! IF the seats become scratched or damaged it could result in a leak, otherwise you’ll need the head shipped to a machinist who can replace the seats.

Tools you’ll need;

  • Degreaser or oven cleaner
  • BRONZE brush or dremmel bit
  • Air gun or good lungs

Give the head a good spray down with degreaser and let sit for a while, then begin the process of removing all the gunk..

The result;

To ‘deck’ the block and the head, start first with a blade to scrape off the excess junk, then move to green scotch brite as its quite abrasive, then from there to a light 400 grit sandpaper. That way you can ensure the block and head is nice and smooth.

Next, take a ruler or the straightest edge you have, and lay it flat on the top to check for high spots or warping. Try it on different angles until you can be sure its flat..

Manifold and turbo gasket matching;

Our stock manifold outlet is terribly cast. If you line the gasket up with the bolts you’ll see what i mean, there is a ton of excess material that can be shed, the same goes for the turbo.

(i started a bit)

The outcome is this;

Smooth, no more edges and 3/32 of material has been removed.

Same for the turbo;

The turbo has a big stamp inside the snail, mine was a large 2. The castings are generally just terrible. Anything to maximize flow ensures you’re doing everything to extract every bit of power!

Chapter 17 – Valve lapping kit and Engine paint

Have acquired some goods today!

Ordered my valve spring remover and piston ring compressor, should be here at 8 am tomorrow.

Picked up a valve lapping kit;

Paint;

For this;

Which ended up looking like this;

Chapter 18 – Valve spring removal

——————————————-

Received my valve-spring compressor, along with my piston ring compressor this morning. I have all the necessary equipment to reassemble and reinstall my motor, minus a new rear main seal, and top end gaskets (aacv/intake manifold etc).

I finished the remainder of my porting;

If you’re going to be tackling this job yourself, you’re going to need these;

1. Dremmel

2. Diamond carbide bits

3. Green scotch brite

4. Red scotch brite

5. Metal polish

6. Buffer-dremmel attachment

First thing you’ll notice after cleaning and prepping the head is that Nissan left numerous casting flaws. The biggest issue with these is that they create turbulence, making the air that’s passing through these channels less efficient. You want to reduce turbulence by porting and polishing. Porting is the physical removal of metal, and such castings, by using a carbide bit attachment on a dremmel. After that’s complete, take your scotch brite pad (green 1st) and clean the surface you just dremmeled to a smooth finish. The Red scotch brite will create an even smoother surface before continuing on to the polishing phase. Polishing is not necessary, and is sometimes classified as insignificant. The velocity of air on the wall is always considered 0. This is because at this psi, air becomes viscous and thick, as opposed to our normal ‘breathing air’. The air will cling to the walls and create a sort of duct, contradicting the myth that a polished surface will enable more air to move more vigorously. That being said, i do it regardless because it’s something i’m accustomed too, and the step only takes 20 or so minutes…

The greatest loss of air is typically downstream of a valve, so its crucial to follow the air path in, and make sure there are no castings creating obstructions of the sorts. This is basically what i’ve done here;

After;

The oem castings just past the seats were rough. This roughness was a collecting a great deal of carbon, which is typical of any motor. To reduce these deposits, smooth out the areas as much as possible.

Cleaning the castings on the exit port help as well to increase flow. I also removed a great deal of material to open the mouth as much as possible as well, interested to see how it does on the dyno.

Before;

After grinding;

After polishing etc;

Cleaned head;

These will be done tonight;

Chapter 19 – Valve lapping guide

So last night I returned to finish my head.. Figured I could get a 1 day turn around on this beast – 1 day is a slight underestimate unfortunately..

I can say this much, I have zero patience for installing collets and do not plan on doing this until my valve guides and seals give, or a valve breaks. (btw all guides are nice and snug, look to have been changed along with the seals)

First and foremost I had to lap my valves into the seats. This ensures a tight-closed fit and promotes a solid sealing surface. You can see after use that the finish has become almost like a mirror, shiny and even corroded slightly.

A lapping kit includes;

Wooden dowel and suction cup

Lapping grease (sandy grease)

Theres 2 ways to get this one. Both require you put a small amount of lapping grease on the sealing surface of the valve, then put it into the guide and close it. Take your plunger and suction it to your valve face.

Method 1; fire starter, as i like to call it, as you’ll be rolling the dowel between your hands vigorously. Every 4-5 twists, raise the valve with the plunger and smack it back down. This brings all the lapping grease back into contact with the seat. Do this 5 times approx, or until the coarse grinding sound fades to a light gritty noise.

Method 2; is the proper, original method (from what i hear), which requires the same technique, but instead of keeping the valve stationary and twisting, you lift and twist at the same time to continuously draw the grease out. It’s hard, because the suction cup tends to let go and requires you stop, reattach, and continue. This was too time consuming IMO, and both methods should yield identical results.

Make sure the lapped surface is now clear of grit, and that its uniform. It should look like a rough piece of metal on a background of shiny metal, meaning the lapping has been done successfully, like such;

Before;

After;

Chapter 20 – Reinstalling Collets – tips

Next; installing collets.

This took a lot longer than I had hoped. It’s really a tedious job, and unfortunately there is no physical way to speed up the process as it’s just meant to be a long and tedious job.

With the spring compressor back in place, make sure you have ample room to move the collet into position. They are quite long, so make sure the springs are compressed quite a bit. Next, take a spray can extension (red plastic tube) and get a tab of grease on the end, as well as on the mating surface of your collet. Next, finagle your way in there and enjoying the quality hours spent screaming!

Chapter 21 – Piston reinstallation

The piston went back home. The spring compressor revealed the mysterious cylinder scoring.

Whomever tackled the previous engine build decided to lodge this down inside the cylinder to facilitate the reinstallation of the piston. This would seem to most like the proper way to do it, however, it is far from proper.

First, line up the rings in their proper calibration. This is listed on page 223 of the FSM. The oil ring has 2 openings, upper and lower, and this one was not properly calibrated, so check to make sure everything is aligned beforehand. Once they are, get a good amount of oil on the piston, or engine storage spray, as well as on the surface of the piston ring compressor and pair the two. It’s not stringent on how high or low the piston ring compressor is on the piston, as long as the two are together snug, and the ring compressor is not cocked.

Next, place the rod inside the bore. Best bet is to tape the rod end bolts so they dont score your journal. I didn’t do this, but luckily when i replaced my piston, the con rod bearing fell directly onto the crank journal, so let that be a lesson!

Now, because its a snug fit, you can either use your own force to push/transition the piston from the holder to the cylinder. Other option is a piece of wood and a light hammer to slowly tap it into place.

MAKE SURE YOUR RINGS DONT CATCH THE CYLINDER.

Should flow pretty nicely if you’ve followed the above steps.. Just don’t hammer the compressor into the bore.. Common mistake, obviously, and can easily be avoided..

Chapter 22 – Gearset disassembly and input shaft bearing reinstallation

I have YET to find a proper DIY on changing the input shaft bearing or swapping gearsets on the RB20 Transmission, so i’ll likely write one when im done, but here are a few pics of the process;

Remove these 5 bolts to expose the input shaft bearing (Culprit of the whiny RB20 transmission noise)


Next, remove the rear housing. Simply undo all the bolts and attain leverage on the case by hammering on the intermediate plate, using a block of wood to avoid damaging the case.


Inside the front of the bellmouth, where the first step took place – there are circlips to remove. 1 is a small visible one on the shaft itself. Remove this then remove the spacer. Next, remove the large one holding the bearing in place (around the outside, hard to see). Once that’s done, dislodge the intermediate plate from the bellhousing as you did to the rear portion a minute ago, and pull the 2 apart.


Now you have all your gears/synchros exposed.

If your transmission is noisy with your foot off the clutch, you likely have a worn input shaft bearing (one in the front). The reason i say this is because your throwout bearing is free, and when the car is at a stand still with the clutch engaged (foot off and in neutral), the only shaft spinning is your input shaft. Your intermediate shaft is free (holds the gears per se) and so is your output shaft. The only bearing spinning at this point is the large one you see in the first picture.

To change this, you’ll need to strip the gearset down, heat the bearing race after freezing the input shaft by tossing the whole unit in the freezer for a few hours.

Chapter 23 –  Some new parts!

Chapter 24 – Engine bay repaint – coilover installation – GTR intercooler installed

Decided to repaint the engine bay anyways. I’m very anal about small scrapes/discolouration’s  and etc so this had to get done..

Also mounted my GTR intercooler and cut the hole on the driver side to fit the piping/oil cooler lines.

And then i finally mounted my new suspension. Front is done.. Cleaned the wheel wells up too.. Turning out to be more of a showcar than a track car!

Wheel fitment!

Chapter 25 – Centre vent gauges are now complete!

Center vent delete. Angled down slightly as the dash is contoured, as well as angled towards the driver at the same degree as the center console!

Chapter 26 – BMC stopper prototype

Toyed with the idea of making a brake master cylinder stopper as the typical Cusco units are rather overpriced (100$ ballpark -http://www.rhdjapan.com/cusco-bcs-ki…-group-a-10798) , and being that I couldn’t fathom the absolute necessity to have one, I figured it’d be best to see what could be made!

Using some steel flat bar, I managed to come up with this.

Disregard the weld ‘neatness’, as i had the feed set WAY too high and was in a rush amidst arranging a few personal issues.

Now, after i designed it and put it together, i completely left the strut brace out the equation! Fortunately, it all fit without an issue;

I’ve ground the welds and painted it black. For a prototype, i think it turned out quite well!

It’s adjustable, as well.

If anyone’s interested, more can be had for a very fair price 

Chapter 27 – Direct 12V fuel pump wire-in with relay

Having moved the battery to the trunk, this makes this mod a lot easier, but regardless, it’s worth doing as a jump from 11.4v to 13+ is usually seen!


If your battery is in the trunk, you’re more than safe running 10awg-16awg. Because it’s a short distance, you can effectively move the 14 or so amps max. that your wiring loom will see without an issue.
Also, a 30 amp fuse is not necessary. The most people have seen in this setup is 14 amps, so a 20a fuse will suffice.
I’m going to explain this in laments terms, only because every thread i read about this has some ‘electrician’ standpoint which is just a bunch of jargon the normal DIY person doesn’t really grasp.
1. You need to source a relay. The relay needs to be capable of transferring 12VDC (NOT AC) and a rating greater than that of the inline fuse you’ll be using – in this case 30a + will be fine.
2. Once you have a your relay, find yourself an inline-spade-type fuse holder like what you see here (Black thing, red wire)

Since our battery is in the trunk, and we know that 10-16 awg is safe, get hold of a fuse holder of the same size. I went with 14 awg all around.
Now the fun part, reading the relay.
Most relays have the same readouts as that posted in the photo above, which makes this quite simple.
Basically, looking at the relay top, you’ll see this;(high amperage rating)

#30 is your POWER in from the battery. Between your battery and the relay is your FUSE#85 is your SIGNAL wire, which tells the relay to close (Creating a circuit/switch, grade 11 physics!). This is done by introducing power, which in this case is 12v signal on from the ECU or ANY wire than provides 12v on ignition. (ECU is safest for fuel cut in the event of an accident)#86 is your GROUND. There are TWO – one on the fuel pump, and one to the chassis. This means you need to T off 2 wires from this connection.#87 is your POWER to FUEL PUMP
1. First things first, wire all the wires accordingly to their posts on the relay. These are all fresh and have nothing to do with the car at this point, so make sure everything is all set up, like so;

2. Next, locate and remove your fuel pump. Once it’s out, locate the POWER and GROUND terminals. The colour of these wires for an R32 fuel pump harness is
POWER –> White with purple stripeGROUND –> Blue with red stripe
Cut these, and solder your new power and ground from your relay (87 and 86)

3. Reinstall the pump
4. Finding your signal wire.. At the rear of the trunk with the lining off is a small green relay, this relay is the corresponding relay for the OEM fuel pump harness and voltage regulating system.
The ONLY 12v source at ignition that i could retrieve was the BLACK with PINK STRIPE and SILVER SPOTTED wire;

You can see it under the green harness, second from the right.
This provides 12v to signal the relay. You dont need 12v, of course, since the relay would operate normally at anything around 4, but since this provides 12v, we know that it’s a direct feed from the ignition harness and is what we’re after.
Cut this wire from the existing relay, and solder your relay SIGNAL wire to LIVE end (dont solder this to the connector to the relay! lol)This gets rid of #85
5. Mount your relay; i used the bumper bolt on the rear of the trunk next to the existing relay. There is a ground just to the left of it for the rear lights, this is fine to use.
6. Ground the relay to the chassis (remember, fuel pump is already ground but its not ground to earth yet)
7. Take your power to relay wire and mount it on the + terminal of the battery – this gets rid of #30.
8. Place your fuse in the fuse holder
9. Test it out!
ACC will not activate the pump, placing it in ignition, like you normally would, will now activate the pump to prime. You will find it’s substantially louder as the pump is no longer regulated, and is running at a constant 13.8v or wtv output your battery is capable of.

Done.

In theory, yes, you are moving more fuel to the engine bay, thus heating fuel up and returning it to the tank. HOWEVER, this will get rid of some hesitation issues on and off throttle as the voltage regulator kicks in everytime the supply of fuel is cut (foot off) – so between shifts, and etc.
There has a been a lot of praise to this method on SAU and i can’t see the negatives besides killing the pump (stock) due to constant power, as well as hotter fuel entering the tank. However, if you run a brushless or uprated pump other than stock, your system will be more than adequate to handle the extra power. Also, most people complain that voltage drop due to old wiring harnesses and such has shown max voltage to be in some cases, 11.4v, which is quite low.

Chapter 27 – DIY Front facing plenum complete!

I‘ve been anxious to get the motor back in the car so i’ve been pushing double time whenever i get a chance..

Tonight i managed to finish my weld job on the plenum, since i was able to pick up some 1/16th filler rod and ditch the 3/32 i’ve been using.


I ground the sides, then left the top since i thought it looked kind of nice to see some ‘weld’ going on.

Needs paint (Silver).

And so, how she sits as of now!



But of course, it can’t ALWAYS go flawlessly.. This issue was certainly something i completely overlooked and absolutely skipped my mind when it came to designing this plenum. The only times i’ve ever seen this done is on an rb25, where the plenum is slightly repositioned in comparison to the 20. Also, it’s larger, boxier and allows easier fitment of the TB on the front end..



So as you can see, the fuel pressure regulator will not fit with the throttle body in this position; an issue i had neglected to foresee but never the less, solved!

My primary attempt to cure this issue was to simply cut the tabs off the fuel rail and tack them on the other side. By flipping the rail, i’d be able to clear the throttle body with the other regulator, since it’s a directly horizontal. However, it ended up being much easier to flip the throttle body around. This also gave me the idea to weld a bracket, and tap it for the OEM throttle cable adjuster.

This also gives the TPS room to breath and actually cleans it up quite a bit by relocating the throttle cable to underneath the plenum.

Chapter 28 – AMS Front upper, rear upper control arms and Tension rods

Install, along with DIY toe, camber and caster adjustments will all be up soon!

Stay tuned!!

Chapter 29 – Engine reinstallation!

 At this point, all that was left to do was hook up the coolant lines under the plenum and run the electrical (knock sensors, oil pressure, starter and alternator wiring)

Next; mount the oil cooler.

This method warranted removing the OEM hood latch; next step – hood pins!

Next, design a throttle cable setup for my TB. Having the guide welded to the bottom of the plenum made this a bit of a pain because A. I couldn’t crimp 2 lines together other wise they’re jam in the plastic sheath or in this guide and B. I needed a much longer cable! Bicycle brake cable did the trick!

By drilling a hole through this bolt, I was able to use it as a sort of ‘crimping’ device. It also enables you to adjust the cable length in the future.

The one thing I had to pay attention to was the TB opening, since I’m not longer running an IACV or AACV, thus meaning ALL idle control is based on how much the TB is open using the set screw, and the TPS adjustment being backed off to ZERO at this point (.48v = 0)

AACV gone

Fabbed up intercooler pipes from scratch – don’t mind the welds!

Chapter 30 – Judgment day..

Well it had all come down to this… I had just finished installing the new turbo – 50 trim, GT30 CHRA with ported/extrude honed exhaust housing and RB25 snails, 360 degree thrust journal bearing setup..I headed to the dyno in the afternoon, of course it was pouring down with rain and still not being used to the car made the trek that much more undesirable..

Day 1 of the dyno didn’t go so well. First, a coolant line burst (The line going to the turbo). Once we fixed that, we ran into a sudden lean condition. We concluded it was the fuel pump on its way out (Rb26 oem). So I returned home, rather upset of course, but more so confused and unsure of the issue.

I spent the following days changing EVERYTHING fuel related – fuel pump to a new Walbro 255 (GSS342?), injectors to rebuilt 480′s, all fuel lines, all FPR’s and fuel rail, fuel filter etc. Fuel pressure showed a steady 40-50 lbs on and off idle – this was then ruled out, but the lean condition persisted. I turned now to the tuning. Having a copy of Nistune in my possession made this almost effortless. After spending 3 days reading up on their informative forums and tutorials, I soon learned that the MAF scalings were incorrect. Here’s a quick, laments tutorial;

MAF’s use a thermister to measure air volume being introduced to the engine. Thermisters are quite simply a ‘hot wire’ that when air passes by them, cool down. This ‘cooling’ tells the ECU to exhibit a higher voltage to keep the wire hot. When this wire cools, the ECU is being told there is more air being introduced, thus more fuel is required. The stock MAF has a lower resolution and voltage than that of a Z32. When swapping MAF’s you have to take into account these different “Scalings” otherwise the ECU will continually register the stock setup. This is what was happening in my case. Because the Z32 MAF reads a higher voltage, the wire was staying too warm to occupy the ECU with the thought of increasing fuel, thus leaning out. The MAF scales are based on a K constant value. When changing the MAF in Nistune, you have to remember to reset your AFR’s to stoich (14.7) then work from there to achieve the desired AFR. You also have to account for the thermister voltage which is a progressive curve beginning low (1.3 v per se) to 5 v. Besides this, you need to remember that when changing injectors, the K is also affected, and that the injector pulse width and latency must also be varied since they wont vary simply by applying a large CC injector in the drop down menu.

Again, this is much more of a laments discussion, and doesn’t really get into the depths of Nistune’s tuning abilities. There are many more variables to account for, but this gives you the general idea for why a Z32 MAF will not function without rearranging the ECU scales..

The reason this was not done properly in the first place is because of our quick shutdown when the coolant hose blew. The maps weren’t saved, and so we sporadicly lost all our data. An unfortunate issue but fixable none the less.. At least at this point I knew it wasn’t mechanically related.

DAY 2!

Day 2 went well!

We laid down 354 whp and 360 wtq at 23 psi.. and 300 whp and 300 wtq at 18psi for daily driving.

Big thanks to Pat at Team ACSP in Laval for the tuning!

Chapter 31 – Got weight?

So coming off of last years diet, we hoped to break the 1100 kg mark, which for some seems to be far fetched for the R chassis, but we had higher hopes in Skyleeze than that..

In fact, we shattered any predictions we had.

Initially we assumed 1080 kg empty, with minimal fuel and perhaps just the drivers seat.. Boy were we wrong..

The car came to 1090 kg – full tank of gas, full front half of the car (dash, seats, trim, no headliner) and all essential fluids..

Definitely very exciting..

The power IS violent, and it’s no wonder considering the weight to power ratio of this car, coupled with high torque numbers and a responsive 3900 rpm full spool.

We are very pleased with our endless project :)