sandhman75 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Hey, so I am not new to the forums by any means, but this is my first time posting about my car. Like the title states, this a RB20DET build. I will be starting the RB20 swap next weekend, but I figured I would get everyone caught up to speed with how I got the car to where it is today. I guess starting from the day I bought the car would help. I bought the car off of an older gentleman who had it sitting in his garage. It leaked, the suspension was blown, it ran but barely, rear main seal leaked and everything just seemed to be a little sloppy. With that being said, there was only minor surface rust, a running L28, original paint in decent shape and the interior was decent, so it wasn't all bad lol! First thing was first, I did the basic fluids, and it was apparent this thing hadn't been driven in a while! Once i got some smooth juice in her, I fired up the old pressure washer, and washed away 38 years worth of grime. The engine bay cleaned up ok, I washed away the leaky main seal, and exposed all the bushings and ball joints. The suspension definitely was the first thing that needed to get done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandhman75 Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) Before I started the suspension, I found a set of original Enkei 92's with good tires to replace the shitty 80's special steelies that were on there. Then, I fired up my trust old computer, and dumped my savings account into a complete suspension and maintenance part rebuild of the car. I opted for Eibach springs, KYB struts, urethane bushings, ball joints, nylon pivot ball, tie rods.....pretty much the works. If it was a wear item, it was replaced. I went through the brakes and replaced all components, including stainless braided lines. As you can see from the pics, the rubber bushings definitely had seen better days! I also went through and did the full cooling system (thermostat, water pump, hoses, etc), ignition (plugs, wires, cables, cap, rotor, etc), starter, alternator, and things like that! Edited February 2, 2016 by sandhman75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandhman75 Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) So now that the car was running good, and it was some what reliable, of course the only logical thing to do is take it all apart again! I grabbed my trusty wrench, through on my dirty jeans, and got to pulling the motor. I wanted to paint the bay, replace the clutch, put in the header, and do a general clean up of anything in the motor bay I didn't need. Took me a month worth of weekends to get it out, painted, and back in. Edited February 2, 2016 by sandhman75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandhman75 Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) That is the extremely quick and cliff noted version of how we got to today. There is a ton of interior work, wiring gremlins, exhaust, paint restoration, etc that happened. The car now has a pair of Corbeau Forza seats, Momo wheel, new rims and tires, MSA valance, and a ton more I am forgetting. As for the RB.... I now have the motor and transmission in hand. I have McKinney Motor Mounts, I bought the complete wiring specialties wiring harness, Enjuku Racing oil pan, an Exedy Clutch, ACT Flywheel, and more. I just need a fuel pump and intercooler/piping, and I'll be ready to plop this bad boy in! Keep tuned...I should have more updates soon! Edited February 2, 2016 by sandhman75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihiryu Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Very nice. You wasted money on the mount kit though. You can use random mounts for the RB20. The trans mount and driveshaft line up correctly. You could have just gotten generic mounts from your local auto parts store. Now the WS harness, can't go wrong with it. Wired up a customers awhile ago with a RB25, what a cinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizzurp Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Yep, stock rb mounts and Datsun trans mount retains your stock driveshaft. May as well send those back. My stock rb wiring harness was perfect to I saved 500 bucks by spending 20 minutes wiring it in myself. It's a super fun swap, makes decent power and is hilarious to drive. You will enjoy it. Also the stock z/zx pump will fuel it just fine. Mine has perfect afr's on the oem pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandhman75 Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Unfortunately when I got the motor, the factory wiring harness was cut and hacked to shit, and it did not include the factory mount brackets. It was going to be like $200 bucks to get new brackets, so I figured why not have the motor back in the right spot and know it'll work. But, I am starting to second guess this. Unless anybody out there has some extra RB brackets and mounts laying around lol. Also, I didn't mind spending money on the harness to avoid the headache, plus it's semi tucked. I hate the look of the factory harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizzurp Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 You'll just get to spend money having your driveshaft shortened, not a bad thing just an additional expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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