Cryo-hibernation mode complete...

Car is asleep for the winter season.
Sitting on winter tires on steel rims, coolant mix beefed up with antifreeze to resist very cold temps, oil changed, battery removed and stored indoors, fuel stabilizer added to a full tank of gas, documents and stealables removed from car...

...I still need to add a little more antifreeze to the mix before January megafreeze begins. Also, crack the windows slightly to relieve pressure on seals, put some charcoal briquettes and odor removed in the car to fight humidity and mold, and pull the spark plugs and put some oil down the cylinders. I also might put some oil to coat the brake discs to prevent rust.

The spring checklist would involve dumping a bottle of water remover into the gas tank, and cleaning off the discs with a lot of brake cleaner before driving.

I miss that car already, but its retired from winter service, having already put in enough miles on that front.

Some summer memories...

...as the cold sets in. First frost this morning, car is going to hibernate somewhere for a few months, soon enough...

Turbo project ahead

That's right... GA16DE+T on the way. I am missing a few parts and the most crucial is which tuning route to take. I am glad to wait a little longer though...I hear through the grapevine that Calum has something in the works for the underdog GA, and MegaSquirt is ongoing as usual, hopefully with some upcoming chip to maintain VTC (Variable Timing Controller) functionality...and there's always good ol' JWT with their ECU reflash. But that one is costly, and you need to pay full price for another reflash if you change your setup. Which I plan to do.

The last thing I'll do to the motor while N/A is to advance my timing again (finally!), and install an SR20DE throttle body mated to a spare upper intake plenum ported larger to fit the new TB.

Stage 1 is a budget naturally-aspirated to turbo car conversion. used Garrett T25 turbo, front-mount intercooled, log manifold, 240SX MAF, 370cc injectors to get started with. I still need the MAF, oil and water lines for the turbo, and to drill my oil pan for the return line. Add to that adapters for oil pressure gauge and oil temp sensor, and a boost gauge. Oh yeah, and a bigger exhaust will need to be fabbed up. I might re-route my (unused) washer nozzles to be able to spray the intercooler at will. Hope to gain around 40 HP to the wheels with little lag.

Stage 2 I would foresee possibly upgrading to a GT28RS "Disco Potato" turbo, if I can/want to fork over $1000 or so, but likely just a turbo rebuild on the one I have or maybe a newer ball-bearing T25 from Garrett. Add water/methanol injection and push the boost up higher with the help of a good boost controller, preferably something that can tune boost for each gear. I also have a spare head lying around, from the old motor, which I would love to port out and match to the manifolds, and maybe install some turbo cams in. But that's a long way off.

As for now, I'm sourcing a used NX1600 transmission with better gear ratios and final drive (sportier but a little less fuel efficient) to tear down and rebuild this winter, and install a Phantom Grip LSD at the same time. This will go on the car in spring, at which time I will install my aluminum flywheel and the shifter stuff - a short shifter and a more solid bracket for the shifter stabilizer.

Yes I am a car nerd. And I don't know if anyone has even ever read any of this blog, but that's unimportant. It is a log. Now go drive!!

Getting ready to hibernate

So I took off my mags and cleaned and waxed them, deflated tire pressures to 15psi for storage, and tire shined all rubber surfaces to protect against oxidation. Was able to inspect the tires, and treadwear was minimal this year, despite the hard driving and open diff. inside tire wear...I guess my alignment held up to the abuse as well. Dang, these will easily do another season of driving, making the Falken Ziex-512 I got good for 3 spring-summer-fall cycles.

I'd like to practice doing my own alignment, but as I lack a garage, especially a garage with a level floor, we'll have to see about parking at the mall next spring for a few hours and measuring stuff!

I put back on these indestructible no-name winter tires I got when I originally bought the car...tires that came from a recylcler and had already been used when I got them. We then proceeded to put 3 winters on them, and the car was parked inside on them most of last winter. They are still good. Pumped up and bolted on, and my highway drive to work this morning testified to the fact they're still balanced. With the new suspension setup driving on the steelies isn't nearly as bad. Put a grin on my face...

...now I need to find somewhere to strore my car this winter...

Drive it or else.

Went for a nice rip in the little noisy car Friday night with my bud Mike, we went down towards the border, Monteregie...saw a lot of cats drivin' fast headed to Napierville, to the drag strip. Took it slow on the highway, with the exception of some un-needed exits in order to really shred the s-curves. Stuff was wet so all 4 wheels got sliding, very fun if you know what the heck you're doing. We took off into farm country, down some minor highways, and even a little road that had raccoons at one point. Did my very first burnout, smoke and all, and it was enough to remind me I need to adjust my e-brake cable...a fun drive. Even ripping around like that for a couple hours we only went through a 1/4 tank...thats like 11 liters...hurray for the gas-sipper!!!

Anyways I like this car. And the car likes being driven really hard...I'll probably keep it until it is literally driven to pieces.

Lil' updates...

I got my Cusco front strut tower bar in. A strut bar helps stiffen the chassis, and an FSTB specifically improves steering response, like, a lot. Instructions were all in japanese...now that was funny! All except one sentence, something like "Attention this product is legal for use in Japan only"...anyways it is a nice blue bar, looks like this where it attaches to the strut tower:

Its a real nice unit, its designed for the N14 chassis (Nissan Pulsar GTi-R) and the way it angles back towards the firewall was to allow clearance for the top-mounted intercooler on that car. here is one:

It so happens the N14 and the B13 share suspensions...so here's the bar, in someone else's Sentra:

So thats that. Steering is tight as heck now. Now I need an LSD in my transmission and stickier tires...

Redline

Finally felt set up right, so I took it to redline for the first time ever. That's also the first time ever for the car, likely. Felt good. Need to put on the short shifter though - the throws are LOOONG and the RPM's drop a lot as a result, between shifts. Time to go on a CONSULT diagnostic run with my laptop and ECuTalk...later!

In the dry or in the wet...

I'm finally feeling like how I used to feel when I knew my car well and could drive it as such. It's been a learning curve. Switching the ECU from the 91-92 one of dubious condition to a 94 one from a running car seems to have been a good thing, and I just readjusted the idle and its a little more stable now, albeit a tad high (800 rpm on a manual...).

The clutch pressure plate is also stiff and has a very short period of engagement such that the full range from engaged to disengaged is only about 1/3 of the pedal travel...but I set up the cable so that its in the middle of the range of pedal motion. As such it requires finesse and control - from practice on this car - to shift smoothly at low speeds or high rpms.

The suspension setup is great...on the dry the car hugs corners like mad with no body roll, and only in the wet does the rear tend to come out a bit (well, you can slide it if you do it on purpose) just past midpoint of the curve.

In the wet getting on it from a stop, straight-line, it doesnt get good traction until 3rd gear. In the dry from a rolling start it will chirp the tires shifting into 2nd at about 4500RPM. That happens to be at peak torque on a stock motor - this one hasn't been on a dyno yet, but based on the butt dyno, the torque peak is still around there.

Still havent redlined it. Yesterdfay morning though I revved to 6200RPM or so in 2nd gear, and thats where you can really feel the exhaust freeing up the motor to breathe as it heads to the peak horsepower...

For a while I was annoyed with the way my car drove, but now I realize that I jhust need to drive it more and get used to its quirks - such as when upshifting to 3rd, I have to be at or above 3000RPM or it will be 'wobbly' on accelerating in 3rd; whereas at 2000-2500RPM in 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th you are just fine.

Anyways had a cool drive home in the thunderstorm and thoroughly enjoyed the little noisy car, so I thought I'd share that with the world.

the Lowdown

Chassis:
1994.5 B13 Sentra XE, about 349k kms (218k miles) on it before auto-manual swap and motor swap - 10k kms on it since (6300 miles)

Engine and drivetrain:
USDM GA16DE, bought new in 2000, w/ approx. 70k kms on it now (44k miles)
Upper intake plenum port-matched to SR20 throttle body
Carb fuel filter catch can for PCV system
300ZX TT fuel filter
Prothane motor and transmission mounts
Shifter stabilizer bushing mod
Outlaw Engineering Thermoblok spacers on intake manifold and throttle body
USDM 5-speed transmission, approx. 138k kms on it now (86k miles)
CSF High-performance all-metal radiator
DIY radiator airflow plate
Dual-friction clutch and performance pressure plate (ACT?)
OEM NGK SR20DE platinum spark plugs BFR-6G-11
Mobil1 10W30 Synthetic motor oil
Redline MT90 synthetic transmission fluid
50-50 water-coolant mix

Breath:
Custom 2.5-inch mandrel-bend intake
Custom airbox with cool air induction
K&N cone filter, oversize
Hotshot 4-2-1 header, latest generation - wrapped
Universal high-flow catalytic convertor
2.5-inch header-back exhaust
Magnaflow resonator and muffler
Custom stiffened muffler hangers

Interior:
JVC MP3 headunit, Sony Xplod front speakers, Pioneer rear speakers
91 SE-R seats w/NX2000 seat rails
Aftermarket tach
Aftermarket steering wheel w/240sx hub adapter
Cosmoracing short-throw shifter
B&M shift knob
Leather shifter boot
AC Autotechnic water temp-volt-oil temp. digital gauge and fan controller
Manual fan override switch
iEquus mechanical boost and oil pressure gauges (oil not yet connected, was for turbo project)
GlobalTGP HG-100 heads-up display GPS digital speedometer

Exterior:
Stillen aero kit (air dam, side skirts, rear fascia)
Custom FRP front undertray
DeftRacing carbon fiber hood
APC hood pins
Stealth tints: 50% front doors; Charcoal tints: 20% rear doors. Rear windshield retinted soon.
Gradual tint windshield strip
Shaved antenna
Tsuru front end conversion with modified (shaved) grille
Sylvania Silverstar headlight bulbs
some LED bulbs here and there
Stainless muffler tip
15" Rota Slipstream wheels, 11.9 lbs., 67.1mm center bore, matte black w/ customized center caps - tiny curb rash on 1 of the wheels, can't see it from 6ft away
Falken Ziex-912 205-50R15 tires, 20.4 lbs. each - 3000kms (1875 miles) mostly highway on them
Custom hub- and wheel-centric 5mm rear spacers
3mm universal front spacers

Suspension:
Active Tuning rear strut tower bar
Cusco N14 front strut tower bar
Whiteline rear sway bar
KYB AGX struts
Custom Road Magnet springs, Drop: 1.5" front/1" rear , Spring rates: 325/250
Koni progressive bump stops
(suspension has about 6000kms on it, 3750 miles)

Other:
Optima Redtop battery relocated to trunk (Knukonceptz components)
Walbro 190LPH low-pressure fuel pump
B-Quiet Ultimate sound deadener in trunk, rear deck, under rear seat and in front doors
Cruise control deleted
EGR deleted
EVAP deleted
Custom grounding kit

Weight reduction:
Tow hooks removed
Heat shields removed
Jack bracket removed
Shaved-down alternator bracket
(lightweight hood and wheels)


I'll update this list for accuracy and completeness as time goes on.

D

Major overhaul completed.

Yep, its got a fresh motor and is now a 5-speed, lowered...read all the details in my thread over here:

THE LONG LONG 2007 THREAD

Getting pretty.

Getting pretty. 'Nuff said. Still an automatic, though, and that motor is burning oil...

Full update and pics on this thread:
more 94.5 B13 XE sedan pics (bodykit on)

Miles pile up

...nearly 100,000 kilometers over 3 years of daily driving duty, from 30 degrees to minus 30. Only left me stuck once cause it was too darn cold...

View the rest of the text all the pics full-size here:
http://sr20forum.com/members-rides/168570-94-5-xe-4-door-drvn_dly-pics.html

In the beginning...

Started out in June 2003 with a stock Sentra XE. Looked kinda like this, but dark green (Emerald Black):



...and then things changed...