|Piecing together an Engine|
Why go out and buy a normal car when you can build one to your spec for the same price? That is the logic many of us follow when we look at our projects. Scott decided to take this reasoning and run with it, and so the Grip Royal Restomod S13 was conceived. The whole build walks the line of simplicity and complexity, and you’ll see that as we show you more of this car as it is being built. Today, we’re going to focus on the heart.
The Nissan SR20DET has been the engine of choice for the 240sx for years, there is no secret as to why. Its a small, lightweight, reliable engine that is capable of supporting enough power to satisfy most of us. For a daily driven streetcar? Perfect. The engine chosen has had one or two previous local owners and it needed a rebuild. Upon inspection, Scott found that it needed a new piston, so a new piston was procured and the rebuild began.
I know what you’re thinking. “Why not build the whole bottom end for POWER???” Simplicity is key; The goal of this car is to be a fun street car, a stock SR with some bolt-ons is plenty fun for a streetcar! So with a new piston, new rings, and new gaskets, the bottom end will be solid for years to come.
Further inspection showed there was no damage to the rods, crank, or bearings, so together she went!
The next step was to hone the cylinder for the new piston. Care had to be taken to minimalize metal shavings in the bottom end. Note the shop-vac being used to eat up the bulk of the dust. After honing, the block was thoroughly blown out with high pressure air. Then, Scott fit the new piston in with new rings, bolted it down to the crankshaft, and moved on to installing the ARP head studs.
With the bottom end done, all that was left of the longblock was to bolt the head down
After this, the block, head, and accesories were all painted flat black to promote a uniform look across the car. Scott went ahead and purchased buckets of brand new zinc plated hardware in every size the S-chassis requires. So, all the hardware on this engine is brand new, all the hoses and lines are brand new, and everything is freshly cleaned and painted.
The turbo manifold was powdercoated black to carry the theme. Check out those titanium exhaust studs and nuts!
The OEM turbo that was sourced did not come with a wastegate actuator, so an HKS replacement was used.
Another cool detail is these Mazworx hoist brackets. A clean look and no more rigging up hoist points!
Over on the intake side, we have a plethora of shiny new hardware and freshly painted OEM Nissan goodness. The rest of the engine was put together in a similar fashion; Scott cleaned and refurbished everything on this engine, and the end result speaks for itself.
Stay tuned for the next installment where we’ll cover the chassis!
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