Nissan 200SX Engine Swap

Automotive
#1

I’m undertaking the replacement of the powertrain of my 1985 200SX with the same kind of engine and transmission found in the DMS Lemons car (1995 240SX) and I’d like to use the facilities of the makerspace (namely: the flat concrete surface and indoor location) to do so. This isn’t my first engine swap, but realistically I expect it to take 2-3 days to get the old engine and transmission out, mock the new engine and transmission in, fabricate a transmission crossmember, and have the car ready to roll outside, where I’d also like to leave it for a few days while I await the arrival of a new clutch pedal assembly.

Ideally I’d like to do all this this coming weekend, as I understand the DMS Lemons car will be out racing during such time.

If this is acceptable, or if there are any problems with my plan, please let me know.

Thank you,
Kris

POLL - Plasma Ventilation or Paint Room
#2

@Brandon_Green is chair of the Automotive Committee and this is ultimately his call.
Normally we expect automotive projects to be day projects.

My concern is that this is a large effort with potential of going past your estimate. Also of note, the Lemons team will be taking a number of automotive tools with them to the track for field support.

Personally, I would be more comfortable if this could be broken into two projects. Is that feasible?

( these are only my personal thoughts - again, Brandon has the authority to approve your proposal )

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#3

I’m basing my appraisal of the time it’s going to take to R&I the powertrain on the time it took to do the same to my 1991 240SX, which I did with basic tools in a driveway in 2 days, including replacing all the engine oil seals and clutch assembly. The powertrain I’m installing is already assembled and is basically ready to go. All I need is to pull the old engine out and drop the new one in, at least for now. Getting it actually driving is another couple of projects I plan on doing further down the line, including running new clutch hydraulic lines and performing some electrical work.

All I’m asking, for now, is the shop space to remove and install the engine over the weekend. I have all the tools I need to do the work already, I just currently have the car parked in an asphalt parking lot at a friend’s apartment, and that’s less than optimal for swapping an engine.

#4

Sure that sounds great, I am a fan of large interesting projects. Just be sure not to store anything outside the green lines and try to leave enough space for someone else to pull in also. As long as you are actively working on it every day you can keep it inside.

The lemons race car won’t be stored inside anymore after this weekend, and a lot of tools will missing this weekend

If you could turn it into a class (by putting it on calendar 10+ days out and emailing admin to request honorarium approval) DMS will pay you $50. It doesn’t have to be very formal, just invite people to help you out and explain some of the steps as you go.

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#5

Yeah, certainly, I don’t intend to take up any more space than I have to. The car’s pretty small, so moving it into a place where it’s out of the way isn’t the least bit difficult. This weekend really is ideal for me to do the swap (I need to get the new powertrain out of storage soon, and I’m in a rare position of having nothing else I can do this weekend to further my other projects), so that makes it a bit inconvenient to try and do any classes, but I love sharing what I know, and anyone who comes by while I’m working is bound to get an earful of what makes cars car.

I might take that to heart for when I do similar work to my 240SX again- I’m building a spare engine for turbocharging, and the installation of that could be a learning experience for several. That’s well in the future, though, so I have some time to come up with that plan.

2 Likes
#6

I think it’d be cool if you put up a Wiki page with progress photos and other info so others could follow along/see the space being used on cool projects. As a member, you should already have edit priveledges on the Wiki pages.

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#7

I’ll document the process and make a page when I figure out how to author wiki pages. It’s a pretty straightforward job, more so than most people would imagine. I think the information will be somehow useful to somebody.

Maybe I’ve just passed the point where I find this stuff really cool anymore. I’ve done too many low budget engine swaps I guess. But if that is the case and they really are cool, I’m sure somebody will have a good time reading about it.

#8

Hey; if we blow the engine on the Lemons car this weekend, the one you have in the shop might “disappear”.

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#9

You can have the engine I’m pulling out of the car.

#10

Update:

Setback after setback. Traffic on Friday and Saturday made progress a lot less than I’d have liked, and then between the Durango being in the shop all weekend and the Lemons race being canceled, too much space was taken up for me to move the car to where I can actually pull the engine. If the skates were available, I would have moved the car over tonight, but the Hong Kong Phooey Miata was occupying them, and I didn’t want to disturb it.

I have pretty much everything torn down to pull. All that’s left is to undo mounts and hoist the powertrain out. I believe there’s still one or two electrical connectors attached to the top side of the transmission, which won’t really be accessible until I start pulling, but from there it’s pretty straightforward. I did get the clutch job done on the new engine, and the new transmission has been mated. I imagine, if the bay is clear and things go well, I should be able to at least get the new engine sitting on its mounts by day end tomorrow. At that point, the car will be together enough to roll around, though I don’t expect I’ll have it running for a little while yet. There are some wiring gremlins I need to sort out.

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#11

Update again: The engine is in the car. I’m starting to patch things back up. I still need to fabricate a transmission crossmember before I can consider rolling the car out of the shop space, but beyond that, it’s not far from being able to park it outside. (It’s still a ways from running yet. The person selling me a clutch pedal assembly has backed out, and I need to make it a whole new exhaust, plus amend the wiring harness for the engine to play nice with the chassis, but these can be done later, if the space in the bay is needed)

If anybody who can work with sheet steel feels like helping me out, I could use some assistance making this crossmember. Secondarily, I also need some help making up a bracket for the A/C compressor.

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#12

I’ve been hearing through the grapevine that there have been complaints about the car. If anybody has any concerns, issues, complaints, or anything, please text me at (682) 221-4000 or email [email protected].

I’m taking steps to clean up any spills and staining in the floors. There is no such thing as a permanent oil stain. If anybody is interested in hearing the iterative process for removing oil stains from concrete, you know where to reach me.

Finally, with Ed Kim and Chuck’s help, I got a transmission crossmember fabricated today, so after a final application of paint to the piece tomorrow, I’ll be able to get the car rolling. It won’t be anywhere near running, but it’ll at least be out of the shop. After I’ve rolled the car out, I intend to fully mop up the automotive square. Once that’s done, the car will be out of the makerspace’s hair. The rest of the work it needs can be done anywhere at all.

Again, if there are any questions or concerns, I urge you to contact me directly. Using the leadership types as proxies isn’t fair to anybody, and it’s much harder to address specific issues through a third party than in a professional one-on-one fashion.

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#13

The car is out of the bay. The old engine and transmission are still there because Chuck said he was going to try to take them and rebuild them. The exhaust is free to whoever wants it. (Though, if you take it, Chuck would probably appreciate it if you removed the exhaust manifold and left it with the engine)

I went ahead and mopped up the automotive square and did some basic oil stain removal on the entire floor, mostly in areas my car never sat. The floor was still somewhat wet when I called it a night, but if there are any stains left, an overnight application of Tide might be the best bet. I’ve left the Tide and a gallon jug of concrete degreaser as a measure of good will. Between those two, there shouldn’t be any problems with oil stains. Ideally, you’d use a pressure washer in conjunction, but even without one, there’s a pretty good amount of cleaning you can do.

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#14

So, the 200SX has been parked in the back since I got it out of the bay (I’ve had it in and out a couple of times since I got the engine in) and I apologize for it sitting so long. A number of the parts I’ve needed have only just now arrived. Additonally, I live in Arlington and my work isn’t very steady- sometimes I have a ton of cash, other times I’m broke for months (the latter is the case right now). I drive an old Grand Cherokee, which averages 12mpg, making it hard to afford to get out to Carrollton as often as I’d like. On top of that, life has a way of getting in the way, and I’ve been very preoccupied with very many issues at home. I meant to get up to the Space earlier this week to tie up some loose ends with the Nissan so I can get it towed home, but the Isuzu developed rod knock on Monday and my grandma’s Fusion needed new tires installed on Tuesday. To say nothing of the setbacks in our kitchen repairs, our recent plumbing problems, or the carburetor on our lawnmower randomly falling off. And then today is my father’s birthday.

I understand the car was brought up at the board meeting, and while I don’t think the landlord of large scale expensive commercial properties like these has enough time in his busy schedule to worry about one car parked in the back lot of a warehouse complex, I don’t mean to be that asshole who leaves a mess behind. I am trying my hardest to get everything taken care of, but I’m dead broke and I’m doing my best just to hold things down at home. Your continued patience is much appreciated.

I’ll do what I have to, to get the car gone by the end of the week. There are only a couple of loose ends keeping me from flat-towing it home (driveshaft bolts, transmission speed sender pinion) which I hope to do, because I can’t afford to rent a trailer right now.

Again, if anybody has any concerns, please let me know so I can address them.

#15

From what I understand you have to worry about the City of Carrollton more than anything. They’ll likely tow an obviously disabled car before the landlord notices it, because then they can issue a fine. There’s apparently a city ordinance for this stuff.

#16

This is a far more realistic concern than the ones I’ve heard raised about the car sitting (mostly that the landlord will notice, have it towed, and think poorly of DMS as a whole) and it’s one I take very seriously.

If anyone has a trailer I can borrow to tow the car home on, I can get it out of DMS’ hair and sort it all later. Pretty much everything it needs now can be accomplished in any driveway, with a bit of time and effort.

#17

The landlord has contacted us about vehicles before. Usually it was because someone parked in front of a loading dock or across multiple spaces. They towed two to my knowledge, one was an obviously disabled vehicle parked around 5-6 spaces.