Hello everyone. Thought it would be nice to start a build thread over here on H-T to document the progress of our latest shop car project. The shop is Speartech Fuel Injection Systems (owned by my dad) and we've been making standalone LSX wiring harnesses for swaps since the LS came out. You may have seen Speartech mentioned on HorsePower TV on Spike recently when they did a 240SX project on there. They used our harness package for it. We have since done another harness package for them for another project on air too.

For some reason, I have always been into Japanese cars.. which is odd giving my upbringing. My first car was a 1990 Honda Civic Si I got at age 14 and from there it's been nothing but different Honda chassis and doing little things, boosting, engine swaps, etc.

For a very long time though I have wanted to take an LSX and swap it into a Japanese car since I just prefer them over American cars. The obvious choice was the 240SX.

So finally able to make that happen and with the help of Speartech this build is getting underway.

The main objective of this build (for me) is to gain knowledge of everything involved in swapping an LSX into a car that it didn't come in and some R&D for the company. It won't be an all out effort for any one particular motorsport (drag, circuit, etc.) but just an overall balanced car that you can take to the strip, take it to a HPDE, drive it to wherever.

So enough text, here are some pics. The ball should get rolling quickly.

Bought the car basically stock. Has Fortune Auto coilovers and a Buddyclub exhaust. Sitting on 350Z wheels in the front and stock wheels in the back (have both sets).





Previous owner installed a bolt in cage. It was the first thing to go.


I guess one out of three isn't bad. :duh: Made my job easier anyway.


The engine bay, looks like it's down four cylinders.


So there you have it. Looking forward to this. Also, if you'd like to follow along "blog style" I created a page for the car on Word Press here: http://speartech240lsx.wordpress.com/

Thanks!

 

Made some progress over the weekend and today. Began prepping the engine for removal over the weekend - disconnecting the wiring harness, removing driveshaft, various clutch, power steering, A/C lines, etc. All went pretty smooth. It definitely helps having all the right tools and equipment!

Ran into an issue while trying to raise the suspension up to a more functional height for the meantime. The front was fine, however the rears are a different story. Something has gouged into the strut base where the shock screws in and out of for ride height adjustments. It's so deep that it has contacted the threads and is unable to function. Emailed Fortune Auto Suspension and have a replacement rear set on the way.

You can see them gouged pretty bad here:



Almost ready to remove.



She gone!



No more engine up there.



Next up is a thorough cleaning of the engine bay with some good degreaser and a pressure washer.

 

 

Over the extended Memorial Day Weekend we decided to get the bay cleaned up for a better work environment and because the thing was caked with muck, oil, grease, etc! Removed various bits and bobs and still have some more to go. Also, the new Fortune Auto rear replacement coilovers came in and got them installed too.

Moved the 240 to a suitable location, got the pressure washer and purple power out and went to town!

Looking fresh! Highly recommend Fortune Auto Suspension. They are hand assembled at their facility in Virginia and shock dyno tested.



Engine harness completely removed.



Hmmm, tempting!



The 240 won't be needing cable throttle anymore.



Look at that mess!



The weapons of choice for assisting in the engine bay clean up. Can Am to help us move the 240, and a pressure washer with a Honda engine.





Cleaned up pretty well.



Now we will be removing most things mounted to the firewall, various lines/hoses, etc. in preparation to have the engine bay painted. Also while at the body shop, we will have the ghetto fender rolling straightened out to look professional and various touch ups here and there, new windshield, new weather stripping, etc.

Stay tuned!

 

Thank you sir!

 

Hell yea Johnny!

 

holy good god, LS9 swapped 240sx...MURICA! awesome

 

Haha that would be awesome! That LS9 isn't going in here though. This 240 will be receiving an LS3.

 

Looking awesome! Would love to do something proper like this some day.

 

Damn that's false advertising with the LS9

 

looks great!

 

Thanks for the love guys. Will have a little update later today.

And that LS9 is a builder engine for LS9 harnesses. We build all of our harnesses on an assortment of about a dozen different LSX platforms here, test run everything to ensure proper functionality before shipping our harnesses to our customers.

 

in for this build, awesome

 

The new heart of the 240SX project arrived today. Got the call from the dealer and headed on over to pick it up!

We went with the GM LS376/480 crate engine. Rated at 480 HP / 475 TQ. We went with this option because many of our customers choose this engine and this will be a way for us to dial in a great tune for customers using this engine. And hey, who doesn't like a claimed extra 50 horsepowers thanks to the GM LS3 "Hot" cam? Full list of specs here: http://www.chevrolet.com/performance...ls376-480.html

Also got a call from our swap kit provider, who said that their oil pans are on a 3 week backorder but will be sending everything else out today.

At the dealer.



Part Number Tag / Made in MURICA!



She's a beaut!

 

:Like:

 

Thanks brap!

 

wow...what an incredible project!

lets go with the updates already!

 

seriously.ive been checkin in all week waiting to see how this thing is goin.

 

In for updates!

 

Well it’s been awhile since the last update. Mostly because there is nothing to be updated. We got the complete S14 LSX swap kit from Sikky about a month and a half ago except for the oil pan which was on a 3 week backorder. It’s been about 5-6 weeks or more now. Still no oil pan but we called them today and said it will ship today or Monday the 21st of July.

We did however get our T56 back from RPM Transmissions today! We had them fully upgrade the transmission with carbon synchros this, something that, just the full deal. Plus fully micropolished front to back. It’s a thing of beauty!





Once the oil pan arrives from Sikky, we can get to test fitting and sending it off for paint.

 

Damn!!! Liking where this is going. You bought a brand new motor? MBN, haha. Looking forward to seeing updates.

 

This is pretty ******* bad ***!

 

 

Thanks for the support guys. Been kinda lagging behind lately!! Some updates:

The Sikky oil pan finally arrived. Upon arrival and test fitting, we noticed some of the windage tray on the LS3 needed to be modified/removed for a proper fit. So we had our fabricator at Speedcraft Prototypes do his thing. The side tabs may not have needed to be removed, but we went ahead and did them as it looked close... also the Sikky instructions say to cut out that rear portion, so we did.







After these modifications, and installing the supplied Sikky oil pickup, the pan went on smooth and trouble free.



Got the LS3 and T56 finally mated together. For the record, an LS3 pilot bearing will not work with LS1 F-Body T56! You must use the LS1 F-Body pilot bearing in the LS3 when using an F-Body T56 trans. Everything is now good to go. Gonna start prepping the chassis, get some mounts bolted, and test fit this bad boy!

 

Oh boy this is going to be a monster!