Yo dudes and dudettes, I don't typically like to make build threads because I don't believe a car is a build until engine mods and/or fabrication is done, but now is as perfect time as any to actually document everything in one place.
It is a 1997 nissan 240sx at heart, and even a base model at that. That means it came 4 lug, no abs, no lsd, and hardtop from the factory, infact I think the only reason the car is manual is because it was cheaper at the time, but more on the story of the car in a little. I'll hit y'all with the current mod list, as of December 2023.
1997 Nissan 240sx
270,000ish miles
Engine/ drive train:
Original KA24de
Nismo engine and trans mounts
Injen intake (lol)
fence pipe straight pipe
No name brand alum radiator
Taurus power steering cooler
White bunny stage 2 clutch
Welded s13 diff
Suspension/ brakes:
Oem 5 lug swap
Stance coilovers with swift springs
Gktech V4 Front tenssion rods, Rear Camber arms, rear toe arms
A mix of GKtech and PBM solid bushings everywhere
Gktech weld in power brace
Gktech weld in subframe kit
Salad gas tank shield mod (stop blowing up your axles kids)
Project mu rear pads
Interior:
Bride Zeta 3 red gradation driver bucket on circuit sports rails
Bride Brix red gradation on bride rails
Vertex 7 star 330m wheel, nrg quick release, momo hub
Tomei shorty shift knob
Pioneer double din with JL speakers all around
Whiteface cluster swap
E brake button
Exterior:
Full rep M sports kit
Kouki wing
Kouki JDM grill
Wheels:
Do luck Double Six
(2) 18x9 +0 with 225/35 18 Advan
(4) 18x10 +18 with 225/40 18 whatever
(2) 18x8.5 + 35 B.I.M Driftmasters
Onto the actual story of the car:
(the day I bought it)
Bought this car in October of 2012, as my first car that was truly mine. I bought it from a guy who was just using it to commute, and had always wanted a s14, but was selling it because it wasn't as fast as his s2000 (lol). I am the 3rd owner, with the guy before me only having it for a year, and the original owner owning until 2010.
The car was apparently bought brand new at now defunct Brown & Brown Nissan Dealersahip in Tempe Arizona, and I have every receipt from the day the car was new.
The PO put BC coilovers, isis exhaust, usdm kouki front lip, kouki sideskirts, the stereo system and a JDM cluster because apprently the original blackface one stopped counting miles around 220k. I bought it like that at apparently 240k miles. The PO swore to me that car had never been driven hard, honestly, after thoroughly inspecting the car with my dad, it truly seemed like it hadn't been.
I still vividly remember the feeling the car gave me when I first started driving it, that "JDM" smell and raw feeling ( I had been driving trucks until that point.) Ever since I was like 12 I wanted a kouki 14, after playing it in videogames, seeing it online and magazines and buying the old Option D models. I drove the car to every place an 18 y/o would, so to see girls, work, school and boba.
Through out the first part of 2013, I 5 lug swapped it, put in a r32 LSD, some mustang cobra wheels and swapped the JDM cluster for a USDM white face one. Through the car, I was able to meet some of what would become BLVCKMOON, since we all lived in the same area and had the same cars. In June of 2013, I took the car drifting for the first time at Sonoma Drift. And I did terrible.
(on the way to Sonoma Drift 2013)
The mustang wheels were never meant to last, and I always dreamed about getting Racing Sparco DS2 5 spokes because I had seen it on that one red s14 on Zilvia (rip), and wanted to replicate it. I found a set in 18x9.5 +22 and threw them on the car with a bucket seat and other tweaks and started to get much better at drifting.
(Roughly october 2013)
I continued to drift and practice throughout 2013, trying to get better and better. The car also introduced me to many influential people in my life who gave me a lot of amazing oppurtunities. 2014 rolls around and I start to mod the car more, PDM arms, welded diff, bride black gradation bucket, Nardi steering wheel set up, full jdm aero, and trying to get the stupid fucking BC coils to go lower. Then Final Bout one rolled around, and it lit a fire under my ass, we had to drive in 2015, my car had to be better. By the end of 2014, the only mods I really made was my ex buying the Vertex wheel for Christmas (lol) and selling the cobras to buy a full set of Gram Heavies as spares.
(Beginning of 2015?)
Leading up to Final Bout I only made two real changes, Dmax wing, and finally stopped being stubborn and sold the DS2s (I actually got offered a stright trade for 17" Blitz 03 that I turned down so fuck me.) I ended up buying some SSR Courage and resized them to 18x9 +13 18x10+13. Off went Blvckmoon to Final Bout, which was an incredible experience that the car did great at, I did okay, and ended becoming a shitshow outside of driving, with it earning the Transport Fiasco name (TLDR transport truck driver tried to screw us and Animal Style and then left our cars in Wisconsin, full story for another storytime.)
(Final Bout 2015, probably my fav photo of the car)
It took a month for the car to get back and I was just fucking over it all, cars, drifting and had gone through a pretty bad break up, a job change anmd Final Bout in the span of a month. I actually heavily cosnidered selling my car and buying a friends black AE86 that was for sale at the time. I legit didnt touch the car for a month, even wash it, but lured out by some friends for a cruise and photoshoot that relit the flame.
(That photoshoot)
I drove the car slightly through 2016, including Final Bout West at PARC (which is still my favorite track til this day). And basically left the car the same, without any new mods. There was one problem though, although it's objectively the best car has ever looked, I never liked it, I always thought it was super boring with no personality, espeically seeing the car on grid at FB next to all these fully kitted unique cars.
(Final Bout West 2016)
So I sold the Courages, and luckily enough a set of wheels I had always dreamed about popped on YAJ: Do Luck Double Six. Ultra unobtainium. Ended up getting the full set up of 18x10 for $1600 shipped. The other thing I toyed with was going full kit, instead of JDM aero. I wanted something agessive but not full on GT. Stuff like Uras GT, Origin Race and the one I ended up going with, M sports, because apparently what I wanted was a replica of Full Lock's car. I legit woke up one day and said fuck it, and drove around to multiple places to to fill up the back of my truck with aero. I tried paiting it myself in my backyard and it went horribly wrong (make sure to mix your clear correctly.) I drove Super D matsuri at the end of 2016 blew up all my brand new aero.
(Grange dirt and borrowed wheels)
2017, and it starts to go down hill, I try to wrap the kit myself and looks like shit, but finally get a front pair of Do Lucks. Although the car looked like shit, it was the first time I saw the full vision of what I was trying to acheive, and it was the first time I was truly happy with the car (or at least getting there.) I also made the mistake of buying a certain blvck is300 as my daily.
(may 2017)
2017 was a very hard year in my perosnal life so the car suffered heavily, and I was forced to move towards the end of 2017. Using the friendships I made with the car, I ended up moving from the Bay Area to Long Beach. As a result nothing really changed about the car for a year, until Super D matsuri 2018 rolled around, where I refreshed the car as much as I could on the budget I had, and that event was a blast. Little did I know it would be the last one I would do with the car for years.
(super D matsuri 2018)
After Super D, life just caught up with me and the car just sat outside of me trading my black bride for a red one. I think over a span of 2 years, I only drove the car a handful of times. I only did one drift event in 2019, and it was in the Is300. 2020 rolls around and Final Bout West returns but this time at Horse Thief. I try hard to get the car done, but I just ran out of time and money to get the car to be worthy. The car roughly sits through covid doing nothing (imagine working in education when covid hit.) I get one event in 2020 in, but the car has a lot of issues and I basically don't get to drive. 2021 hits, those gov checks really start hitting, and final bout west 2021 is announced. I decide its time. Full refresh on the aero, sent the fronts out to get rebuilt and chromed, and a borrowed diff with a 4.6 final drive (time). It had happened, for the first time, my vision was complete, and I was truly happy with the car.
(Right before being loaded on the trailer to go to west)
And what happens? The diff breaks early on, and a steering problem I had been plagued with for years returns, and I maybe get 5 laps in. But I had done it, and I was happy. I tucked the car away, and a couple months later end up getting a dream job, and the car falls on the backburner again. 2022 becomes the first year I don't drift at all, or a mod the car at all, but the rest of life is awesome.
2023 comes around and it's time, time to drive more. Work is going well, money is flowing in and I can make it happen. Get car ready, go drive RAF with the Uprise homies in April, and event goes well, aside form me shaking the rust off.
(shoutout to @jeronimofo for the MSC shot)
Where does this put me now? Well that event inlfuenced my team mate and one of my closest friends to buy another 86 to drive while he finishes his main car, infact we just drove together for the first time. Outside of that, I decided it was time for a full suspension refresh since everything was 10+ years old. New stance coils and gktech arms, along with a bride reclinable pass seat. So what's next? Well parts I have that are waiting to go on as of 12/23
350z Brembos with all the brake stuff around that
Heatmaker B kunckle
M sports hood
Driftmasters waiting to get rebuilt
And future soonTM plans:
SR20DET
Full color change to orange
Rebuild front wheels into a better size
Roll cage
More driving
This thing has given me every oppurtunity, friend, and career success I have today, it's my pride and joy, and I will take it to the grave with me. Shout out to everyone who helped me along the way, but especially to my two closest friends and teammates, Phil and Josh, for pushing to me work on it, drive it, and being my support system.
This was fucking long, just realized I've been typing for like 2 fucking hours on a Friday night, fuck I need a GF. If you read this far, thank you.
I don't mean to necro this thread, but this has got to be one of the first times I've seen a photo I've taken out in the wild! Especially one from Super D 2018, as I wasn't actual media there and just brought my camera. Sweet to see you're back in the game.