Pierce Ford's 1985 Turbo Build Thread

Started by Saavedro88 · Aug 12, 2009 · 100postsSMF 2010–26

Saavedro88Aug 12, 2009, 1:32 am · #1

(copied and pasted from a local drift forum I post in...)

Some of you may know me, most of you probably don't. I bought Aldon's Supra a few months ago and showed up to Hyperfest in my daily driver Civic (tragic, I know). My name is Pierce Ford. I look like this:
I had absolutely no expectation that I had fixed that sucker on Thursday. It was about 10:30, pitch dark outside, and the leak was WAYYYY the crap up under the head. practically unseeable without a mirror angled just right and practically unreachable save for my trusty Snap-On pocket screwdriver.

So I took it that night out to our local Friday night meet, and afterwards, took it for a run down Old Gun road... Holy Hell. Do NOT ever do this on blown shocks. I need a new seat and a new pair of pants now.

OH. And this showed up yesterday (Saturday, 8/8/09):

LeegamerAug 12, 2009, 1:34 am · #2

How about "PROJECT RED REDEMPTION!?"

I donno, sounds epic...maybe too epic.

Saavedro88Aug 12, 2009, 1:43 am · #3

LeegamerHow about "PROJECT RED REDEMPTION!?"

I donno, sounds epic...maybe too epic.

Lol. Probably a lot more epic than this car will ever be in the near future. But it's a good name for second stage of the build, the EPIC TURBO POWER DORIFTOMOBILE!! (Coming Spring 2195)

LeegamerAug 12, 2009, 1:45 am · #4

It's already drifting, minus the tire smoke and driver. Easy photoshop fix.

Saavedro88Aug 12, 2009, 2:06 am · #5

LeegamerEasy photoshop fix.

That's all you bro. I suck at photoshop. Go for it!

NemisisAug 12, 2009, 9:28 pm · #6

Man, that aero package stuffs is fucked! That shit is not supposed to be painted!!

Looks to be pretty decent shape otherwise.

TroskinatorAug 12, 2009, 11:51 pm · #7

looking foward to this restoration/built
i also like the ratatat shirt

Saavedro88Aug 13, 2009, 12:25 am · #8

NemisisMan, that aero package stuffs is fucked! That shit is not supposed to be painted!!

You are correct! It's pretty confusing to me why they thought that could even be painted...

Troskinatorlooking foward to this restoration/built
i also like the ratatat shirt

Possibly the best live show I've ever seen. Ratatat is Epic. You receive +10 Pierce Points.

Saavedro88Aug 22, 2009, 7:22 pm · #9

BUILD THREAD UPDATE!! :OH NOES!!:

Hit Chesterfield Auto Parts today (the local pick-and-pull) with Lee cause we had seen that there was an S12 there. I wanted the hood, and just to see what else we could find, he needed some interior pieces...

Found this:

It'll probably be for sale since I can't use it...

There wasn't much else on the car that was usable, it had front end damage so no hood for me... the shocks and springs didn't look like they were worth pulling off to replace my blown stuff... But Lee went to look at a Turbo Z31 and came across a Zenki S13.

Goin back tomorrow with a wheel lug wrench to get the other side and the sway bar.

I am THIS much closer...

LeegamerAug 22, 2009, 11:01 pm · #10

Saavedro88Aug 23, 2009, 5:24 pm · #11

David BAug 23, 2009, 5:34 pm · #12

lol i coulda gotten that for you for like 50-80

Saavedro88Aug 23, 2009, 5:40 pm · #13

All of it? Lamesauce...

MaxpowAug 23, 2009, 7:48 pm · #14

Nice car man, good luck with your build!

SlickS12Aug 23, 2009, 8:25 pm · #15

Saavedro88

Nick_WAug 23, 2009, 9:05 pm · #16

You have the exact interior is me. checkered grey and faded pea green FTW! lol
My coolant lines were leaking in exact same place too.. nice use of JB weld, haha.

I would just say pressure wash that lip.. all the paint will prolly fly right off

David BAug 23, 2009, 9:18 pm · #17

just remove the skirts.... and ill give u fresh door panels almost new from oem surplus i can even throw in some suspension pieces i have around my garage

Saavedro88Aug 24, 2009, 4:45 am · #18

SlickS12Do your baby a favor, I vote for a good cleaning/scraping of those craptastically painted skirts and front lip. Little work to add to the big picture, otherwise it looks straight. Keep it up!

Thank you kind sir! The cleaning up of the Aero may or may not occur depending on how I feel about it after I'm done with getting it to run correctly...

Nick_WYou have the exact interior is me. checkered grey and faded pea green FTW! lol
My coolant lines were leaking in exact same place too.. nice use of JB weld, haha.

I would just say pressure wash that lip.. all the paint will prolly fly right off

How did you fix the leak? I seriously didn't want to have to take all that shit off, just to JB it...

The paint probably would fly right off... Of the whole car... Lol!

David Bjust remove the skirts.... and ill give u fresh door panels almost new from oem surplus i can even throw in some suspension pieces i have around my garage

Not interested in the door panels, all the interior is coming out eventually anyways. What suspension pieces do you have besides what I've already got?

MaxpowNice car man, good luck with your build!

Thanks buddy!

David BAug 24, 2009, 6:10 pm · #19

what do you need

EightySix200SXAug 24, 2009, 6:27 pm · #20

digital cluster i rebuild them name a price.

Saavedro88Aug 24, 2009, 9:03 pm · #21

David Bwhat do you need

Springs and shocks, all four corners.

EightySix200SXdigital cluster i rebuild them name a price.

I don't have a digital cluster in my car, so I can't use the one I got. I don't know that it needs to be rebuilt...

seb.racingSep 16, 2009, 4:49 pm · #22

welcome

good job

Saavedro88Dec 27, 2009, 8:51 pm · #23

Well this thread died...

Update: I got this sucker running about a month ago, maybe two, cause my Daily Driver Honda Civic transmission blew up on me. So now I'm daily-ing this turbo beast... And I'm nervous as hell about it. Lol... Sucker runs pretty rough, and I'm super nervous about something breaking or coming loose, cause it's all I have to drive right now.

BUT. She runs pretty well with the new turbo and manifold on it, I can feel the boost pretty well, but kinda winds out in the higher RPM's. I guess that's the punishment of have a T2 turbo.

Went to the junkyard today for some parts for my 83 Supra, and found these on Sentra or something.

They're not actually installed, I've got to put some better tires on em.

But unfortunately it IS only a set of three. So if anyone has one or two more, any colour really, I'd LOVE to talk to you about picking them up.

a tin pan alleyDec 27, 2009, 10:27 pm · #24

congrats! very nice find

David BDec 27, 2009, 11:28 pm · #25

nice man, dont worry. s12's, well at least ca20e's are pretty reliable imo

Saavedro88Dec 27, 2009, 11:31 pm · #26

See that's the problem. Mine's is a CA18ET... The T part is what scares me...

kyskaterDec 28, 2009, 6:08 am · #27

if you got those of a sentra they are more than likely going to be a 4x100 bolt pattern.... i had a set of jdm wheels that i got off a porsche 944 at a junkyard full 3 pice that i returned cause i brought em home and found out that they were 4x100

Saavedro88Dec 28, 2009, 6:12 am · #28

kyskaterif you got those of a sentra they are more than likely going to be a 4x100 bolt pattern.... i had a set of jdm wheels that i got off a porsche 944 at a junkyard full 3 pice that i returned cause i brought em home and found out that they were 4x100

Yeah, I'm kinda scared that might happen, but we'll see what happens tomorrow at work when I get it on the lift. I've not got enough money invested in them to worry about them though. If they don't work out, I'll just flip 'em on the local forum. Or maybe they'll go on the DD Civic.

If you got 'em off a Porsche they were more likely something like a 4x107 pattern, those German's like to do funky stuff...

Saavedro88Dec 28, 2009, 7:31 pm · #29

Someone mentioned at work that they looked like stock Maxima wheels and it occurred to me that that was the car I got them off of. Anyone know anything about that?

They fit really well, a bit wider and a good bit more offset than the steelies I was running. They don't bolt up well though, I need Lug Centric Lugs. Anyone know where I can get some for these wheels? Or is lugcentric a pretty standard size?

Saavedro88May 14, 2010, 4:28 am · #30

So yeah. Blast from the past. Bump this thing up cause this Saturday, Tomorrow techinically, I'll be going to NoVA to pick up an S13. Why does that matter? Cause I'll be swapping all of the KA stuff into my S12. =D I'd also like to keep the stock S12 turbo and throw it on the KA. So... I guess this build thread is about to explode or something? Lol... Anyone have any good tips for me?

JayMay 14, 2010, 4:31 am · #31

Saavedro88 I'd also like to keep the stock S12 turbo and throw it on the KA....... Anyone have any good tips for me?

The T2 is too small for the 1.8. It's WAY too small for the KA

The rest of your story I like. And I have a set of those ARE's. Identical. Had em a while. They're a set of track wheels for me

Saavedro88May 14, 2010, 4:34 am · #32

JayThe T2 is too small for the 1.8. It's WAY too small for the KA

You think so? I'm not worried about making big power or anything, just a little kick. It's a single cam KA, and I figured with the stock turbo, I could at least match the power of the DOHC.

Thanks for the kind words!

VG33ERGazelle?May 14, 2010, 7:11 am · #33

I had an SOHC s13 coupe...they 'kick' pretty well on their own to be honest lol.

get a turbo that's a little bigger on ebay for cheapz

Saavedro88May 14, 2010, 5:34 pm · #34

VG33ERGazelle?I had an SOHC s13 coupe...they 'kick' pretty well on their own to be honest lol.

get a turbo that's a little bigger on ebay for cheapz

Lol, I plan to do that at some point anyways. Right now though, I just want the engine in the car and running. So we'll see what happens. ;-)

Saavedro88May 16, 2010, 4:54 am · #35

So yeah. Today, Mike and I drove three hours north to Lovettesville VA to pick up the S13 I purchased from someone on VAdriven.com. Got there, and dude man hardly even knew his name. Some spoiled rich punk who didn't look like he'd seen the car since he bought it. Two flat tires on the rear, mud all over the car, didn't know where the key or the title was... So while he looked for the key, Mike and I switched the tires around, putting the flat ones on the front. But then halfway down the highway, one of those tires blew anyways.

posted image

Tomorrow will consist of cleaning the garage. So lame. But hopefully the awesome will ensue soon after-wards.

Saavedro88May 25, 2010, 3:01 am · #36

So last Tuesday, (May 18 ) I started cleaning the Garage when I got home from work. Next thing I knew... It was one in the morning. BUT! It got clean!

Before:
posted image

After:

Sorry for the shitty pics, I couldn't find my camera's batter charger for a while.

Then last Saturday (22nd) I got the S12's CA just about ready to come out with some help from Mike. Gonna wrench on it a little bit tomorrow I think. We'll see what happens.

TeamEurekaMay 25, 2010, 3:22 am · #37

IM freken loving this :]

good luck dude
i feel sorry for tht s13 doh

Saavedro88May 25, 2010, 3:31 am · #38

TeamEurekai feel sorry for tht s13 doh

I don't. Lol.

And thanks!

TeamEurekaMay 25, 2010, 4:13 am · #39

hahah jerk lol

makes me want my s13 more now
still at the shop

Saavedro88May 26, 2010, 1:33 am · #40

Didn't end up doing much tonight. Put the car up on the jackstands, crawled underneath, and decided I didn't have enough room. I wanted it on on the Rhino Ramps. So... I stuck the ramps under the front wheels, and pushed it up with my Civic. Now I have lots of space. But absolutely no drive to work on it. It's hard to want to work on a car when you spend all day working on cars. :?

BUT. I did take a look at the motor mounts, and I think I'm in trouble. I can't tell how I'm supposed to make them work... I figured I'd have to use the KA mounts, but how am I gonna make that go into the S12 bay?

David BMay 26, 2010, 3:13 am · #41

Saavedro88

BUT. I did take a look at the motor mounts, and I think I'm in trouble. I can't tell how I'm supposed to make them work... I figured I'd have to use the KA mounts, but how am I gonna make that go into the S12 bay?

yea, ka mounts bolt on. you need a flex head rachet to get to the s12 mounts under on the cross member.. the s13 cross member is hella easier then the s12 one for changing mounts

Saavedro88Jun 1, 2010, 3:40 pm · #42

David Byea, ka mounts bolt on. you need a flex head rachet to get to the s12 mounts under on the cross member.. the s13 cross member is hella easier then the s12 one for changing mounts

Oh ok. Thanks.

Saavedro88Jun 6, 2010, 8:00 pm · #43

Today was mildly successful:

S13 engine needs to come out next.

Also, I has a CA18ET for sale if anyone wants it.

Saavedro88Jun 20, 2010, 2:18 am · #44

Ok. So I started taking out the S13 engine out today, started to undo the wiring harness... That bitch runs all the way across the front of the bay and back into the car on the drivers side and all up in and across into the dash and everything... So what I need to know is, what am I supposed to use? How am I supposed to get this thing out?

JayJun 20, 2010, 6:02 am · #45

Saavedro88Ok. So I started taking out the S13 engine out today, started to undo the wiring harness... That bitch runs all the way across the front of the bay and back into the car on the drivers side and all up in and across into the dash and everything... So what I need to know is, what am I supposed to use? How am I supposed to get this thing out?

Disconnect by relay box
Disconnect from battery.
Disconnect the couple big connectors by the battery
(There are a fcouple more connections here things here)
Disconnect from ECU.

Coil harness on top of motor

Pull motor out. It's a LOT easier this way

Saavedro88Jun 20, 2010, 6:13 am · #46

See that's what I did with the S12, and it was super easy... but with the S13, it's all one HUGE harness apparently... Or am I just doing it wrong?

JayJun 20, 2010, 6:23 am · #47

Saavedro88See that's what I did with the S12, and it was super easy... but with the S13, it's all one HUGE harness apparently... Or am I just doing it wrong?

The S13 harness is massive compared to the S12 one. It connectors are by the battery. Runs down the motor, runs down the trans, runs over to the other side on the front of the motor. It's a big ol harness. It could be doing it wrong though. It's like, 5 things to disconnect, all in super easy places

The method above is how I pull KA's in in an hour and a half

Saavedro88Jun 20, 2010, 2:44 pm · #48

JayThe method above is how I pull KA's in in an hour and a half

Damn... That's pretty impressive compared to how long I've been fighting this bastard... But I can pull a 13B out of an FC in about the same time, so I guess it's just experience.

I'll retry today. See what I can do.

Saavedro88Jun 20, 2010, 9:44 pm · #49

Sooo... I unplugged two small plug-ins next to the positive battery cable, and it all came out. =P (THANKS JAY!!) YAY! KA is out! But the CA-Turbo manifold DEFINTELY doesn't fit, like that dope-nose had told me it does... Lol... Anyone have a SUPER cheap turbo setup for a KA?

Saavedro88Aug 29, 2010, 5:42 pm · #50

Alright. After BSing around for ages and days, I can't find anything I can do to make this car turbo for cheap. So I've decided to go ahead and just drop the engine in NA for now, Maybe do a DOHC build in the future.

Got a couple questions though:
Is there a manual rack I can look into for drifting this car? Can I convert my PS rack to manual?

I have a pretty much complete S13 front suspension setup, should I do all that before I drop the engine back in?

Info and input, as well as opinions, are always appreciated.