My "new" 1986 S12 hatchback!!!

So after I got back home from deployment a few weeks ago, I decided to go ahead and buy a project/toy/non-daily driver.  After scouring craigslist for a few days looking for S13's, AE86's, E30's, and even a Starion, I came across a 86 200SX Turbo with a KA24DE swap about 5 hours from where I live.  Called the owner, he still had it, talk money for a little while and decided to drive up and check out the car. 

From what I can tell and talking with the owner, the car has approx 188k miles on it, and the motor allegedly has around 150-170k as well.  It was allegedly rebuilt 50k miles ago, and is mated to the B trans that came with the stock turbo CA motor.  There are some things wrong with the car, but for the price I got if for, I'm not really complaining, after all it is a project car.

Problem #1:  The motor fires up fine and the trans shifts decent, but the idle is rough and sometimes the car sputters and quits.  As long as the revs are up, it's good to go.  Could be electrical, could be the motor, could be the fuel system, I don't know where to begin.  The previous owner used the stock gas tank and fuel pump, and there is a fuel pump switch that you have to flick before you start the car.  Never driven a car with a swap before, so I'm not sure if it's the right way to do it, I'd prefer the pump to start when I turn the key in the ignition, but I'll have to deal with that later.  Also the car doesn't have electric switch fans, but instead uses just a clutch fan.  Would the clutch fan be enough?  Or should I just go electric?

Problem #2:  The power steering is hooked up, but the prev. owner said there was a leak in the system somewhere so he just drained the fluid, so now there is no power steering.  Not that big a deal for me, I am 6'7'' and work out so I can man handle the wheel, BUT I'd prefer to have the power steering anyway, especially for auto-x, spirited driving through the mountains, and maybe even a little drifting.

Problem #3:  B tranny!!  It works now, but I'd much rather have a KA tranny instead, so the searching begins...

Problem #4:  Wiring wiring everywhere!!  I'm an absolute dunce when it comes to wiring, and being a swapped car, the wiring is all over and very unfamilier to me.  Most of the gauges inside the car work, speedo/tach, boost( shows 0 lol), temp, headlights, taillights, signals, they all work...but the gas gauge and oil pressure do not.  Don't know what involved with making it work, not my field of expertise and quite frankly I'm a little freaked out at the concept of taking my dash apart and starting to mess with wires.  So the search begins for a mechanic that's very familiar with KA's.

Problem #5:  Misc. stuff.  One of the headlights looks misaligned, and goes up and down slower than the other, so couldn't do the the sleepy eyes without it looking like pooh...interested in hearing solutions for this...The interior needs some attention, maybe redoing the door panels and figuring out a solution for the cracked dash.  I have a cracked windshield too, so gotta start looking for one of those.

THE GOOD!!
The price was good for a running swapped KA S12.  The hard works been done, just gotta fix some gremlins...
The body is amazing!  No rust, and only one spot my the drivers taillight that's been dinged.  Has literally 2 other small dents on the fenders and the rest of the car is straight as an arrow.  The paint looks good, needs a few touch ups here and there, but a good buff and wax would bring the shine out.
NO RUST!!  Can't say how impressed I am that the car doesn't have rust...
Power windows work, has a sunroof that doesn't leak, both door lock/unlock, all exterior lights work...
Newish tires

So that's it in a nutshell.  Here are some pics of when I was bringing it back home, and after giving it a bath today...











Also got some S13 front suspension pieces in the deal...



So that's my new car.  Feel free to address any of my problems that I have listed as I'm really excited to hear your feedback.  It's good to be part of a car forum again that's friendly and helpful for the most part.  My daily is a G35 sedan and most of the guys on G35driver are just douches...not all, but most.  Plans for this car is to get the wiring figured out and make sure the engine is healthy enough to be reliable as is.  Then the suspension will be addressed next, gotta get it closer to the ground.  Some wheels 15'' or 16'' x8'' will go on after, redo my exhaust and interior, and then just have fun driving the damn thing!  Anyways, that's my story, hope you enjoy!!

Emanuel

Nice. Can't address the wiring without seeing it, but the lazy headlight motor could be a couple of things: the motor could be dying (worst case), it could be a wiring issue, or the motor or pivots could be gummed up. The motor itself can be disassembled and cleaned -- you might want to try that first.

Even before that, jump on over to this thread: http://club-s12.org/v3/index.php?topic=17058.20 and get the service manuals. As someone who owned one before the advent of Teh Intarwebz, it's the best download you can make.

Beauty purchase, though. Enjoy! You've earned it.

Welcome to the club and welcome home, thanks SO MUCH for your service!

Congratulations on picking up this beauty!  Nothing better than starting with a completely rust-free and straight car.  Looks great.

Nice car. Congratulations. Already KA swapped, that'll save you some trouble.

So I took the car to a reputable Nissan shop to see what shape the KA is in and to see what is up with the power steering issue.  Looks like I have some work to do  :yay!:

First off, I have a massive intake leak.  So I've got to replace some gaskets and hoses in the near future.  Nothing I can't handle and it will probably fix the idleing and rough engine issue.  Secondly, I have an oil leak by the front crank.  Again, nothing too difficult just gotta get the parts and tear down the motor...The shop was going to charge me around $600-700 for just those issues parts/labor included...I figure I can come way under that price with a few friends and a case of beer.

Third issue found is in regards to the power steering...it appears that the steering rack has a significant crack in it.  Source of the leak.  Shop quoted me around $800-900 to fix that...but power steering is not really that important to me, so unless I find a good used rack online or at a junk yard, I'm not too worried. 

On a side note, ever since I got the tag for the car on Monday, I've been loving driving the car around!  It's so unsophisticated and raw compared to my G35, and I love every minute of it.  Once I get the motor running right, I'm going to focus on some mods, mainly slamming/lowering the car, some wheels, and I've got to redo the exhaust...

What tire size would ya'll recommend for a 15x9'' +0 wheel?  195/55/15 all around?  Yes I'm a fan of "that" look so don't ask, but I promise my car will be clean and tasteful.

Emanuel

Can get a rack on ebay for $100 and quick easy change if the motor is out. I would HIGHLY recommend doing the hi pressure hose at the same time!! Rockauto is another good source for both parts.

What the Old Man said. Rockauto is a great place to get parts.

EMAN44 on 10:26:37 AM / 11-Jul-12What tire size would ya'll recommend for a 15x9'' +0 wheel?  195/55/15 all around?  Yes I'm a fan of "that" look so don't ask, but I promise my car will be clean and tasteful.

Emanuel

SchizophrenicMC on 12:02:44 PM / 11-Jul-12What the Old Man said. Rockauto is a great place to get parts.

The B trans isn't that bad if it is in good shape. My s12 was originally turbo and I ka24de swapped as well and my B trans has been holding up great. But if the C trans swap is worth the work to you it is a smoother shifting tranny. The C trannies other main advantage, its increased strength, is not needed for a basic ka24de swap.

Personally I feel s12's are not the best chassis to slam unless you can find a sra. The irs s12's already have fairly bad negative rear camber stock so if you really wanna slam it don't be surprised if your rear camber is in the -6 or -7 degree range and drives like shit over rougher or poorly maintained roads.

WOW, what a clean Mark 1.5, and in my favorite S12 color no less.... and what a clean swap job. Looks great! Yeah, I drive an IS300 and getting into my S12 is a totally different experience. When you said "raw" you penned it properly.

15x9. Ok so I won't comment on "that look" LOL, but I'm still gonna guess you want to stay within some kind of fender lip (be it factory or flares). First off, 15x9 with 195/55 won't look "ballooned". I think VVL meant "stretched". Balloon of course being when the tire footprint is wider than the wheel width, something you see mustang straight-line warriors do for more tire flex and better launch traction. Still, he's right, it won't look even good for "that look". It'll just look like a sphere from the front or back lol. A 9" wheel is some serious shit. A 195 on a 9" zero offset wheel will (on the FRONT of an S12) not look like a Jap stretched racer stance, but more like something that should be crawling dunes on the surface of the moon. The tread will stick out. I run 195's on 7" zero offset and I had to pull my front fenders a tiny bit and run a little more negative camber in the the front than I would like. With a 9" wheel, there isn't enough camber adjustment in a camber plate to compensate, and if there was, you'd look broken. Maybe with S14 control arms and suspension conversion, but.... AND I have said this before: unless your car is seriously purpose built for JUST drift, I wouldn't suggest that.

So you have this desire to run a 9" zero offset wheel in front. Fine. Run fender flares. Problem solved. But really, the thing I try to tell people that most don't seem to realize is that even though S12's come with non-staggered wheels from the factory, the CLEARANCES on an S12 are actually DIFFERENT in the front than the rear, meaning that the S12 SHOULD be with staggered wheels. Anything with zero offset that is wider than 7" in the front will require some tweaking of the suspension geometry and skinny 195's. You can run a 9" or even a 10" in the rear with good sized rubber. I can fit 225's in the back and I actually think I could pull off 245's with a little tweaking and the right wheel offset. Contrary to popular fanboy belief, while the term "zero offset" may sound cool, it usually isn't the ideal offset for wheels wider than 7", and wider than that requires a lot of other supporting modifications to make it work and not look retarded (again, think moon rover).

I think a lot of well-intentioned new S12 owners get an idea in their head of what they want their car to look like... they want the styling of a Corolla, but they want the wheel specs of an S13 or S14 dedicated drift track car, and they expect that to work safely on the road and don't anticipate tire wear or the expensive parts to even make that setup possible on an S12. S12 is an S12. Not an S13, or a Corolla. I'm not being mean with that statement. I'm just suggesting that people need to reevaluate what they bought and understand what they want out of it vs. what it is able to give them without massive headaches or financial commitment. Is there a way to give it a little styling from both S13 and 'Rolla? Sure. To a point. More like a theme. Not a full-on thing. You can run a reasonable dish in the rear AND the front, but still keep a practical suspension and tire spec. Just don't expect to have super fanboy wheel lips you can set your beercan in.

A few guys have done some 9 or 10 inch wide front wheels but again it took a lot of changes and I would never call it practical. Nor does it even look that good on an S12.

Would I say run flares and then run 9's? YES! I think it's not only easier to do, but it lets you run a tire that DESERVES to be on a 9" wheel, like a 205 or a 215 even, while still maintaining a bit of that Japanese style look with a mild stretch. Looks, performance benefits, and the flares make it fit the car. And I recently posted a thread with pics and links to more pics of S12's with fender flares. The S12 loves flares when you install them right.

Run your 9" wheels with flares, and run 205's in the front, and 225's in the rear. Or don't run 9" wheels at all, stick to 7" and be happy. 7" is a great wheel and back in the day, 15x7 was the choice wheel spec for Japanese tuners anyways. I run 15x7 zero offset with 195's in front and 205's in rear and love what I have. It looks very vintage Jap and suits the S12 IMO.

I've said enough here to address stance-haters, performance gurus, and people who like a stanced look. Make of the comments what you will.

^^^ Arro, sir, you've given some great info.  I know I'm new to the S12 chassis, and I know that they aren't as mainstream as an S13 or Rolla, but that's the reason that I went with an S12.  It is very unique, mine is only the third one I've seen with my own eyes, and that's why I bought it.  Since I became interested in the S12 when I was over in Shitghanistan, I've been trying to do my research on these cars.  I have seen some S12's that were "stanced", including on this very site.  I love that look.  I love the look of a 70 or 80's type Japanese car that's slammed and running aggressive wheels.

I know that the S12 with irs will have massive amounts of rear camber when slammed, I'm prepared for that.  As I've said before, this car is just my toy/fun car.  I love starting (barely starting) the motor and then just going on a cruise and maybe hitting some parking lots at 2am and getting sideways.  I just came back from driving for an hour at 130 in the morning, and even though the car is so rough, I'm absolutely in love.  That being said, I do want to do what makes sense and what works.  If I have to run a staggered 15x8 +0 front and 15x9 +0 rear, I'll go with that route.  I'd just prefer to have the same size wheel/tire all around for the sake of swapping/flipping/rotating my wheels and tires when I do encounter the -6 neg camber in the rear.

Hell, I'd even go with 8'' wide all around.  I know that a 195 on a 9'' wide wheel would be hella stretched, I just didn't know if it would fit under the front fenders without flares.  As much as I love the flare look, I'll leave those for when I buy an S31 project.  I think that I'd be ok, with the staggered 8''/9'' setup, but I know that I don't want to run 7''.  Not saying that I don't like 7'' wide wheels, and I know that they are proven, I just want to do something a little "extra" because that's how I am and that's what I like.

Here's an example of my Scion that I had that was different from the rest...




While everyone and their mother with an xB 2nd gen were putting 20'' rims and stuffing there toaster's with neons and speakers, I was the first one to put C4 Vette Sawblades and use an SVT Focus front lip among many other mods to have a unique look.

I think that there are some great looking S12s running less aggressive widths like these:



I just want to look like these...



I've been searching high and low on this site, and have become used to seeing former member's Henry's S12.  Truth be told, I remember seeing his car when it was featured in Super Street, and instantly fell for it.  His car isn't the best, probably rides like crap, and god I hate the un-matched wheels, but his stance is near perfect in my book and his car oozes character.  That's sort of what I want to try to achieve with this car... Not getting magazine coverage, just making it look and feel like I want it too...

That being said, I found out I had some leaks when it rained like crazy the past few days.  I opened the door the other day to find a puddle on my drivers floorboard as well as a puddle in my spare tire space.  The rear leak is coming from the rear wiper motor.  The whole motor is rusted, but the sheet metal is still good, guess I'm just going to remove the motor and plug up the hole.  As for the front driver's side leak, I have no idea where it's coming from.  The headliner and door were completely dry, so I'm hoping it's not coming from the dash area.  Regardless, I promptly threw away half a garage of trash that my wife accumulated while I was on deployment and parked my S12 inside.  It's pretty funny that my G35 and my wife's 08 Pathfinder have to share the driveway while my S12 sits nice and cozy, but I figure that she's had a rough life til now, so she gets to get pampered a little  :laugh:

So what do you guys think?  8'' front 9'' rear +0 with the fenders roller?

Emanuel

a 9" wheel with a 205-225?  I must say I disagree.  a 9" wheel is meant to run 245+  a 7-7.5" wheel is meant to run a 225.

Remember, he wants a stretched look.

Emanuel... Henry's specs have changed so many times I can't keep track of them. There was a point where he had great wheel specs, but the last time I saw his car he had some goldish wheels on the back and was superstretching some 205's on 10" wide wheels. So he overdid it methinks.

There are many more good examples of S12's... and many of the ones you posted are, as you said, 7" wide wheels. Still, you're looking for 8" now and that's reassuring because you're more likely to make that work well with some planning and a little extra camber.

It sounds like you have a relatively open mind to all this, so I am sure that you'll sort it all out in the end :thumbsup:

Oh, and I like gen-two xB's (hate the gen one's) and I love love LOVE those Vette wheels on it! Awesome!

silverton on 03:14:40 AM / 14-Jul-12a 9" wheel with a 205-225?  I must say I disagree.  a 9" wheel is meant to run 245+  a 7-7.5" wheel is meant to run a 225. 

So what would be the tire size to go with on a 8''/9'' +0 staggered setup?  195/50 or 195/55 for the front and 205/50 205/55 for the rears?  I think the 50 would look better, but only if the car is super slammed. 

Working on taking the wiper motor off today and plugging it, as well as taking my passenger headlight apart, cleaning it, regreasing and installing back to see if they will go up and down at the same time as my drivers headlight.  And also just picked up a hell of deal for my G35.  My buddy is looking to trade his Stance GR+ coilovers off of his 350Z for some Eibach Sportline springs.  I just so happen to have 350Z Eibachs that I recently took off of my G35, so looks like I'll be making a trade plus throwing some cash on top for some nice coilovers for my daily driver!  Woo Hoo!!  I need a bigger garage though  :reallysad:

Emanuel

SchizophrenicMC on 09:56:03 AM / 14-Jul-12You'd be right if he wanted performance. But he's all stance. Sad day. Another especially clean S12 lost to camber and stretched tires.

S12s are, by their nature, problem cars. Nothing is straightforward on them.

My point was not so much that the S12 is a performance car (It can be, if you sink time and money into it, but that's another story for another day), as much as that 9" wheels with 245s are a performance wheel/tire combo, and that any size tire smaller on that wheel is a stretched tire.

Now, I'm not trying to say you're the same as that one kid with the 7k SR20 cambernotch. His car was a mess and we all knew it. What I am trying to say is, your car is beautiful as it is, and all you'll get from slamming it is comparisons to Hondas. Comparisons it will likely be on the losing end of, because that crowd circlejerks over their Hondas more often than not.

Anyway, good luck salvaging that S12.

He makes a good point, Emanuel. Still, I've been avoiding criticizing your intentions and I'm going to keep avoiding that in this post, too. Regardless of my attempt to avoid, you missed something I told you earlier, when I mentioned that my 15x7 wheels were zero offset. You acknowledged that I mentioned 15x7 but maybe missed my larger point there that with zero offset and 7" my 195's required me to *slightly* pull out my front fender lips... and that was AFTER I maxed out my camber plates. So if you consider this, running them on an 8" zero offset would mean they would not have the TREAD part of the tire under the fender lip (and a 9" of course would be worse). This is where my moon rover joke came into play.

This is also why I said IF you were hell-bent on doing 8" zero offset, you would need some seriously negative front camber to tuck it in. Maybe a lot more than you realize. Meaning you would need more than just camber plates. As in S14 control arms, and all the other shit you need to do to the steering rack and tension rods and such to make those work. Then what you would end up with is something with FRONT camber like this has BACK camber...



Which I suppose is fine for some people, because that's the sort of pseudo performance that sites like Motormavens and Stanceworks and Speedhunters look for and give props to. Of course, it's also one step away from something like this...



And I'm not clowning here exactly. Just putting some things into perspective. That last image is an example of the Japanese hobby of Bosozoku style, wish is indeed a cherished style of modification there in the motherland of Japan. But to them, it's the anti-cool, and sort of their answer to the idea of mating the circus with the car world. Almost like a way that they are able to poke fun at themselves, because other than that, they take automotive performance pretty seriously over there.

But in the western world, that's been sort of misunderstood, and you have a LOT of people (I would personally go so far as to suggest the majority of them) who somehow think that their half-assed versions of clowncars (again, not using the clowncar term insultingly) should be taken seriously as performance tuned cars. And there is the problem. People with more of a legitimate tuning interest take offense at this, and rightly so. It's taking a form of automotive artwork and trying to pass it off (either subtly or even blatently) as "tuning", a term which by its nature should indicate performance and improvement as such.

So maybe you aren't one of those kids, puffing up their chest and acting like their slammed Civic is a racecar with billet aluminum tow ring (because racecar) and a license plate and other DOT required items, but I'm suggesting that you might get grouped with them if you aren't careful, and for what? For a look that is less true to the Japanese, and more true to the western world's warped take on Jap Boso artform. And less than ideal performance. And more tire wear. And frankly, more expense and hassle just to make it happen. I'm just thinking these are things to really, really evaluate in your head before you change your entire front suspension to make it happen.

These are great cars, and can be made to handle and accelerate better, while still going all-out in a semi-vintage and even agressive styling with wheels and other items.

These are just some points to ponder. Again, you seem like a smart guy with the right attitude, so as I said earlier, I'm sure you'll sort this out one way or another and at least *most* people will like how your car turns out :thumbsup: Either way, I'm glad you're here :D

I'm just of the view that camber is the enemy. But I'm the forum's resident asshole, what do I know?

Great responses by both Arro and Schizo!!  Other forums that I've been on, if you voice your opinion on how you want your car to look or perform, most people just like to clown you and talk crap...ahem...zilvia...ahem...I appreciate the responses from Arro and Schizo because not only do you voice your opinion but also provide facts to back up your info. 

I'm not against the 15x7'' +0 look, and the white notch that I posted with the crown vic meshies is just about perfect in my eyes.  I love that look, I just thought, that I would push the envelope a little with this car.  But again, I do not want to be having to deal with too many excessive problems regarding camber and/or toe if I run a wider wheel.  I guess I should've said that I want to run an 8'' or 9'' wheel but if I have to settle for 7'' then so be it...

Anyways, I have some pics of the car I went through today at the junkyard.  The car itself was about 98% complete so that was a nice surprise.  Here are the parts I ended up with for $100...






I really only picked most of these parts as a backup in case I ever break the original items that are on my car now, but I did pick up some parts to replace the broken crap in my car.  I didn't have enough tools with me to take the dash out, even though I tried...the dash on the junk car was uncracked...Here's how she looked when I finished with her...



Also bought these items to work on my intake and oil leak...




And did some minor maintenance on the KA...



Fixed my lazy headlight, so now I have even sleepy eyes!  Don't mind the plate, my friend found it in my garage and then proceeded to scream "INITIAL D!!!  PUT IT ON NOW!!!"...lol



And I took off my rusty rear wiper motor off the rear...got some practice on the junk yard car in doing this, so I did it on my S12 when I got home.  Now I just gotta get some grommets and sealant and close up the holes. Any recommendations on what to use?




Got the plugs and wires changed out, used some MAF cleaner, as well as some fuel injector cleaner and drove around a little.  Drives a whole lot better, gonna do the intake gaskets and throttle body gaskets later this week because I'm already too sunburnt and tired and my 2 year old boy is wanting daddy time  :yay!:

Took these pics with my buddies 350Z...



I just gotta get rid of that exhaust on my car and the ungodly wheel gap and I'll be set!

Emanuel

INISHARU DII

Seriously though, I think KA performance is just about perfect for an S12, and spacers will take care of all the wheel gap woes. Run 7's for great justice. Come up with solutions that can lower the car slightly and negate the negative camber, and that's my perfect S12. Well that and a rally-spec. Sexy sexy rally speccy.

jesus, why the fuck is everybody making a big deal about wheel fitment?

he wants a "stanced" look, plain and simple. get off his tip and let him build his car the way he wants.


thats a 195/50 on a 15x8-5 front and 205/50 on a 15x9-17. just about the closest thing to "stance" on any IRS s12 to date.

Wheel fitment is the biggest issue on this site. I've never seen it discussed more anywhere else.

Anyway, I'm just against stance. Fuck anyone who likes it. I'm not paid enough to be tolerant.

SchizophrenicMC on 01:27:10 AM / 15-Jul-12Anyway, I'm just against stance. Fuck anyone who likes it. I'm not paid enough to be tolerant.

EMANN44 i just look at your Scion and i know you have good taste and your S12 will be done right even with a "stance" look. i cant wait to see it.

where is the junkyard with that s12 your stripping?

SchizophrenicMC on 01:27:10 AM / 15-Jul-12Anyway, I'm just against stance. Fuck anyone who likes it. I'm not paid enough to be tolerant.

EMAN44 on 02:38:21 AM / 15-Jul-12Wow, ok...was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt earlier, but it seems that every car forum out there has it's online hard asses who are so loud and powerful behind their mighty computer screen.  Ehhh...go preach your crap elsewhere man.  I've been through too many shitty years in too many different shitty countries to give a crap what one negative e-thug's opinion is. 

My opinion about this forum hasn't changed though, because in not even 2 pages of a thread that I've started, I"ve already got enough info to get me started and guided in the right way about what I want to do.  Anyways, just got back from a late night cruise around the city with my S12, and I'll tell you this little car has already paid for itself in just therapeutic value alone.  After spending a day stripping another S12 at the junkyard, and working on my car, I've been able to keep my mind busy and off of crappier things that I've got going on in my life.  Plus, my 2 year old was able to work on the car with me...well mainly just by sitting behind the wheel making "vroom vroom" noises.

I heart VVL...yeah that's the car I was talking about in my earlier posts, Henry's...I think that it looks pretty good and would be alot cleaner if he had matched the wheels, but the car just screams personality and uniqueness.  I try to keep an open mind about all sorts of cars and how they look, and I can honestly say that even though I'm not a fan of every style, i.e.  Donks, Chromed out SUVs, wide body kits, and neons...if a vehicle is clean and put together like the owner gave a damn about it, then I can appreciate the car.  I guess some people are just stubborn in their ways and can't adapt to other styles.  Those people can have fun with their close mindedness.

I'm here on this site to get guidance on some aspects of my car, and to share the fun that I'm having with it.  If certain people want to be negative or don't like what I have planned, do everyone a favor and don't comment on my thread.  If every car here looked the same it would be boring and uneventful.  Hope I didn't say anything to offend, wouldn't want to get banned after only a few posts ;-)

Emanuel

Jeremy A on 10:20:32 AM / 15-Jul-12

EMAN44 on 02:38:21 AM / 15-Jul-12 wouldn't want to get banned after only a few posts ;-)

Hey EMAN don't mind Schizo, everyone's entitled to an opinion, his just sometimes seems to become a bit of a personal attack though I don't think he means anything by it. I think it's a reflection of his enthusiasm on the given topic.
On a more important matter, keep your 2 yr old involved doing his vroom vrooms! My kid is 20 now, and he never got interested in my enjoyment of being a backyard mechanic (and in hind sight, I never encouraged it cuz I get impatient). . It's a skill I think he will miss someday.

SchizophrenicMC on 01:27:10 AM / 15-Jul-12Anyway, I'm just against stance. Fuck anyone who likes it.

SchizophrenicMC on 11:11:52 AM / 15-Jul-12I didn't comment to tell you how many fucks I gave.

SchizophrenicMC on 11:11:52 AM / 15-Jul-12I'm allowed to think stance is a waste of time and money just like you're allowed to think it's the coolest thing to do to a car. Deal with it.

Emanuel -- PLEASE go back and get me the two door panels from that blue interior car, and I will paypal you! I am straight up missing one of my door panels because some asshole who did a shitty paint job on my car "misplaced" them (how the hell do you misplace a door panel? It's not small like a screw LOL).

Get them for me and I will be so very grateful!

As far as people being polite on here vs. "other" forums, it hasn't always been peachy, but we've brought the ban hammer down on people who caused problems... usually at the expense of negative reputation for me being some kind of overbearing asshole lol. Incidentally, the guy who owns the white notch you so love (and yes, I admit freely his car is sharp looking) is one of the best examples of that "bad reputation" I have for keeping this place clean.

Schizo and others are actually tame comparatively and really pretty much everyone on here actively nowadays is a good, civil, and fun person to post alongside of. It's a great community, from many different parts of the world, and it turns up some surprises all the time :thumbsup:

As far as your wheels and tires go, you could always reconsider your offset ;) It'd make your 8" front wheel desires a bit more attainable. I still say it's gonna come down to staggered for that fit you really are wanting vs. all-around-specs at 7" for a reasonably good look but the benefit of wheel/tire rotation.... although again, even 7" all around on my car doesn't mean tire rotation -- I run my 7" wheels with 195's in front and 205's in back.

Honestly, if you're gonna run 7" zero, you want 195 all around, but that sux for the rear :( And 205 won't clear the fender lip in front. See where this gets tricky? Maybe switch away from zero offset and use something like 8" wide +25'ish all around, with 205's.... believe me, this is a complicated discussion. You have the S12's wheel hub positioning in relation to its front vs. rear wheel well lips, you have your wheel choice which is width and offset, and then you have your tire choice to consider... do you go staggered wheels and tires, or just staggered tires, or same all around, and what size(s)? It's a lot to think about.

Since most people are interested more in styling with performance as a secondary consideration (something even I am guilty of now and then), I usually suggest they find a "look" they like, and then see how close to it they can get while still keeping things within what they personally feel to be "practical". For some of us, this means a mildly aggressive wheel spec...because believe it or not, 7" zero offset is, for our cars, somewhat aggressive in the front, when you consider that factory wheels are 6" +38.  For other people, a much more aggressive wheel spec might mean staggered, or might even go as far as crazy wild front camber and seriously stretched tires to tuck that shit under the fender lip. But that route also means major suspension changes and expensive wheels, and more frequently replaced tires.

So these are things to consider. You have an idea of what you like visually. Now you just kinda need to decide where your practical limit is, and then you know your specs. Then you can google search for wheels in that spec, and then buy your tires.

I will say this: My specs are a no-brainer. Guaranteed to work. And tire sizes that are both easy to find and inexpensive. And my wheel specs are COMMON so there are LOTS of styles, great prices, and if I damage a wheel, my particular wheel choice is so common I can find a cheap single wheel replacement within an hour, sometimes on craigslist and have it back on the car the same afternoon. Something to think about ;)

cutter67 on 08:13:05 AM / 15-Jul-12EMANN44 i just look at your Scion and i know you have good taste and your S12 will be done right even with a "stance" look. i cant wait to see it.

where is the junkyard with that s12 your stripping?

SchizophrenicMC on 11:11:52 AM / 15-Jul-12
I've only been banned a couple times, I wouldn't worry about you.

And if it means anything, I'm not just an "e-thug". I'm just as loudly opinionated in real life. I'm allowed to think stance is a waste of time and money just like you're allowed to think it's the coolest thing to do to a car. Deal with it.

rednucleus on 11:39:47 AM / 15-Jul-12Hey EMAN don't mind Schizo, everyone's entitled to an opinion, his just sometimes seems to become a bit of a personal attack though I don't think he means anything by it. I think it's a reflection of his enthusiasm on the given topic.
On a more important matter, keep your 2 yr old involved doing his vroom vrooms! My kid is 20 now, and he never got interested in my enjoyment of being a backyard mechanic (and in hind sight, I never encouraged it cuz I get impatient). . It's a skill I think he will miss someday.

Arro on 03:21:21 PM / 15-Jul-12Emanuel -- PLEASE go back and get me the two door panels from that blue interior car, and I will paypal you! I am straight up missing one of my door panels because some asshole who did a shitty paint job on my car "misplaced" them (how the hell do you misplace a door panel? It's not small like a screw LOL).

Emanuel.... read what I just posted. It has less bullshit and more real talk. Schizo, you're usually a good guy. Seriously bro chill out, pop open a beer, and ask the old lady for a BJ ;) It's cool if you want to tease a little about hellafrush stance boys, but keep it adult or I'll have to take off my big leather belt and spank you like an unruly 8 year old :P

I_heart_VVL... lemme tell you something about Henry's car that most people fail to realize... he has pulled fenders! Not a little but A LOT. I know because he posted pictures of them in his thread. It just doesn't look like it, but he completely took out the flat-faced edge of the wheel well lips. That adds at least another inch or more of lip clearance. So for those who didn't notice or weren't aware, DO NOT think that his specs as mentioned in this thread will work without body modifications.

Which is why I've said before, pulling or fender flares let you run much more aggressive wheel specs. And Henry's car ran aggressive wheel specs. I say that in the past tense, because maybe most of you aren't aware that he SOLD that car to another member on here, a guy who knows his shit and tends to have his own ideas about wheel fitment that somewhat differ from Henry's.

Henry's car was, for him and for those of us who followed its progress, something of an experiment, the same way that my first KA-swapped car was. These experiments are what have helped the community kinda sort out what works and what does not, and how far you have to modify things to make other things work. My previous post pretty much sums that thought process up.

So make of it what you will (meaning my previous post here).

Jeremy A on 02:52:01 PM / 15-Jul-12LOL,  Get real.   OP's s12 is gonna be cooler than your s12,  deal with it.

As long a he knows that, and understands you're just being an ass for humor's sake, I'll keep my belt on my pants LOL.

Er, um no wait that didn't sound right...

SchizophrenicMC on 03:49:12 PM / 15-Jul-12Eman, mind if I ask, why do you use bike racks on your lowered G35, instead of toting it in or on your 4Runner? I mean, I have a roof rack for the Saturn that predates us owning the GMC or the Jeep, and in turn, we haven't used it since we got the GMC, let alone the Jeep. I mean, between ease of use and looking dumb, it's just more convenient to load our bikes in the back of the pickup or the SUV. (And I'll never get bothered by people who think roof racks are mostly a fashion statement. Myself included.)

Arro on 03:41:23 PM / 15-Jul-12
So make of it what you will (meaning my previous post here).

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Post Merge: [time]01:42:14 PM / 15-Jul-12 [/time]

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GO GET THE PANELS. I have fully-restored blue vinyl top sections, I just need the rest of it with good armrests!

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Post Merge: [time]03:44:15 PM / 15-Jul-12 [/time]

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OH and another thing -- if you ever want to offload those G35 wheels, lemme know. Would fit nicely on my IS300 :thumbsup:

Arro on 03:41:23 PM / 15-Jul-12
I_heart_VVL... lemme tell you something about Henry's car that most people fail to realize... he has pulled fenders! Not a little but A LOT. I know because he posted pictures of them in his thread. It just doesn't look like it, but he completely took out the flat-faced edge of the wheel well lips. That adds at least another inch or more of lip clearance. So for those who didn't notice or weren't aware, DO NOT think that his specs as mentioned in this thread will work without body modifications.

Which is why I've said before, pulling or fender flares let you run much more aggressive wheel specs. And Henry's car ran aggressive wheel specs. I say that in the past tense, because maybe most of you aren't aware that he SOLD that car to another member on here, a guy who knows his shit and tends to have his own ideas about wheel fitment that somewhat differ from Henry's.

Henry's car was, for him and for those of us who followed its progress, something of an experiment, the same way that my first KA-swapped car was. These experiments are what have helped the community kinda sort out what works and what does not, and how far you have to modify things to make other things work. My previous post pretty much sums that thought process up.

No need to apologize, as long as the new guys understand that his specs aren't "perfect" in that they require alterations. To me, "perfect" means it fits on the car as-is.

I guess I should have made it clear when I asked about the 8'' and 9'' wide wheels, I knew that rolling and pulling of the fenders was needed.  I've had to roll/pull fenders on my last three cars, so it's not new to me.  I wasn't planning on running the wheels on stock fenders...

Anywho, took some more pics.  Went from taking out my rear wiper motor and leaving two holes open to the rain, to making a quick trip to Lowe's to scrounge up something to plug the holes up and ended up with this solution...



Don't worry I'm painting them black...

Then while I was at the auto store picking up some parts for the KA, I ended up parking next to another 80's import...


Also picked up a new companion for the car...


And the tear down begins...



Ole' Stormy lookin on while the car is temporarily deadlined...


And Arro, I haven't forgotten about the door panels, I'll try and make a run in the morning, but you still didn't answer me about if you still wanted them if the lower half of the doors are FUBAR?

Emanuel

Oh, and can this thread be moved over to the build section?

I'll move this thread over tomorrow morning yes :) The part that is fubar'd is the bottom? Then yeah they won't work for me. Cutter says he has some for me so I think he has me covered, but thanks :)

dear god you car is sooooo clean.

do you actually roll around town with that "JDM" plate without getting pulled over? haha

I_heart_VVL on 09:44:24 AM / 18-Jul-12dear god you car is sooooo clean.

do you actually roll around town with that "JDM" plate without getting pulled over? haha

I_heart_VVL on 09:44:24 AM / 18-Jul-12do you actually roll around town with that "JDM" plate without getting pulled over? haha

Well my car is still deadlined, the motor is still disassembled in the garage, haven't had time to work on it because I've been sent to Ft. Bliss, Texas for my demobilization process...Should be back home in the next few days though and hopefully work on the car this weekend and get it back on the road. 

I went ahead and ordered my wheels as well, 15x8 +0 Front, and 15x9 +0 Rear.  Won't get them till Sept. some time, so I have so time to work on the suspension.  Not sure if I still want to use the S13 parts I got with the purchase of my car, or just go simple and cheap with Canucks, and MR2/Mustang shocks...

Also looking at tires, and priced out some Falken 512's from Discount Tire Direct, 195/50 205/50, for $260 shipped to my door...Gonna go ahead and try to get my buddy to come to my house with his fender roller in the next few weeks as well, so I have no problems fitting the wheels and tires. 

But my priority right now is as follows:

1. Get the KA24 back together and running
2. same as #1
3. Replace my engine mounts (the mounts on the car now are horrid)
4. Start piecing together my suspension
5. Replace some of the suspension bushings
6. Redo the damn exhaust
7. Roll fenders, maybe slight pull...
8. Take delivery of wheels and mount tires and slap em' on...
9. Enjoy the car for a while after #1-8 are done...

I think eventually, I'll get some body work and paint done as well, I have a co-worker that owns a body shop on the side, so I know I'll get a great deal on a repaint.  I'm not going to change the color though, I love the dark grey.

Other than that, I'm just ready to get back home for good and start wrenching.  And I'm going to go ahead and apologize to certain people about my future wheel/tire choice!  :devilsidesmile:  It's the look I want, and hopefully I can pull it off, if not, no harm done, I can sell the wheels/tires and try some thing else...

Emanuel
Post Merge

I saw this thread by accident and lurked for awhile then decided to chime in. I've been busy with my own build thread. Anyway, love the car. It's even cleaner than mine!  As for suspension, I contemplated the same weld on setup several times but IMO I think the s13 conversion kits a cleaner/easier setup and awards you with more brake upgrade options although 15" rims limit those to a point. Slip on rotors are far more easy to service as well.
Post Merge

I'm going to be buying this exact car in a week or so not sure if it from same owner or not but I will have the car soon.