JC's 7Ltr V8 Nissan 180SX
JC has embarked on the journey of creating a toy that is totally unique - something that he has always wanted to do!
With a love of Japanese styled cars, his long time ownership of his Nissan S13 180SX was something he didn't want to let go of. This presented him with a problem. As he has always wanted to build & race a V8 engine, what was he to do???
Have the best of both worlds of course!
So he shoe-horned a monstorous V8 into the little 180SX.... naturally!!!!!!
I will upload here, his progress reports as his unique toy comes together!
Engine was built by Brad Searle at Searle Race Equipment
Various parts supplied by The Team at Searle Race Equipment
It's over to you JC......................
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Welcome to the December update - 2009.
New Website created!! www.JohnClarkRacing.com.au
headers/ exhaust... Unable to find a set of headers that would bolt on, building a custom set was the only solution (ie more grinding and welding!). With plently of room to play with, tuned length headers were quickly constructed for the passenger side. The drivers side however required around 50 trial fitments due to very little space around the starter motor and steering column, but the result was worth the effort. The rest of the exhaust system is thin walled (lightweight) three inch stainless steel tubing, incorporating a balance pipe, with a single custom muffler. Also constructed of stainless steel, the muffler is twin three inch in - twin three inch out. The passenger side sill panel also had to be cut away and boxed up to fit the large exhaust tips in, to help keep adequate ground clearance.
steering shaft... the factory steering shaft was too short with the seating position moved so far back. A new chrome moly shaft on custom mounts was fabricated. This setup includes a custom, long reach alloy boss kit bolted to a quick release hub (similar to the current WRC cars) and a Sparco steering wheel.
At the other end, a military spec universal joint off a helicopter rotor tailshaft mates up to the factory steering rack.
final assembly... the final interior parts were bolted in, including a custom accelerator cable/ brackets; battery box, carbon fibre dash inserts, carbon fibre switch panel, and instrument wiring.
dyno... with Mighty Mike providing the towing power (and trailer), the car was loaded the night before as a very early start was scheduled to beat the heat for the dyno. After several hours, the new engine was sufficiently run in. With some expert tuning by Shannon, the first power runs bought a smile to everyones face. The car was wheel spinning as the revs rose, which neccessitated three of the guys sitting on the boot to help get traction!! With a 40 degree day and conservative timing, the big engine thumped out 450hp at the wheels (600 hp on engine dyno) and 462ft/lb torque! A great start.
track... straight to the track after the dyno...you bet. After a quick oil and filter change, some very quiet laps were completed to check out all systems. Running just on street tyres, second and third gear resulted in severe wheelspin...actually even fourth it was spinning!! MINT!!
new website/ videos.... due to many requests from interested people who are following the build of the car, the teams photographer (and web developer), Heidi has built a new website, which includes the complete build history. Check it out!.....
website: www.johnclarkracing.com.au video of dyno powerrun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBzTs7ZAMNs video of track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytN_WDyjmAE
We are indebted to the following amazingly talented people whom have helped over the final stages of the build; Simon, Mike & Shannon!
Some awesome news to hand..... JC has fired up the beast & it's heading onto the dyno on Saturday!!
Click here to see the youtube vid!!!!!
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Hi Guys! Welcome to the Spring update for 2009.
chassis wiring loom... front and rear wiring harnesses were fabricated with a full custom setup for the headlights, tail-lights, indicators etc. The factory loom was around 13kg, the new loom coming in about 4kg. (an interesting point is that the factory setup has 86 wires going to the rear of the car, now there are only 7, which includes a spare!) The battery has been moved behind the passenger seat, kill switch installed, and ecu positioned. A carbon fibre switch panel was fabricated with a full bank of switches and circuit breakers instead of fuses. It looks like the cockpit of a 747!
engine wiring loom... a factory V8 wiring loom was purchased and then totally stripped down to each individual wire. Any surplus plugs and wire were cut out. New injector plugs were grafted in, diagnostic plug installed (to plug the laptop into) and all sensors fitted to the engine.
fuel system... the fuel pump was mounted, braided fuel lines fabricated and an inline fuel filter installed. The fuel rail was modified, completing the fuel system.
brakes.... Hidden brake lines were also custom made and connected up to the pedal box, along with new slotted rotors and brake pads.
radiator... The custom radiator was mounted on a crome molley rail, hoses installed and engine self bleeders set up.
oil lines... Braided oil lines were installed using aircraft grade XRP alloy fittings, running to a custom remote oil filter setup.
clutch... The factory 427 clutch was installed, along with braided lines and remote bleeder setup
silence... with only headers fitted (no mufflers) it was time to add some oil and coolant to the mighty V8. (oh yeah and a quick trip to the servo with the jerry can for some fuel :) Flicking the ignition switch resulted in the fuel pump bursting into life (which is powered through the ecu). Thats a good sign! Pushing the start button, a smile creapt over our faces as the engine cranked over. Plug in the coil packs, plug in the coils.... (spoken in a slightly high pitched, excited voice). After doing so, again a flick of the start switch and the big engine burst into life and idled first pop. It was magic to hear life come to the beast, and a credit to the team that it even ran at all after chopping and modifying every single part.
Want proof?...check out the link & the flames!..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZ2xUG00y0
We are indebted to the following amazingly talented people whom have helped over the last couple of months: Simon, Terry & Shannon. Thanks so much, you guys rock!!!
Welcome to the second update for 2009!
Work has progressed steadily on the car each week, with many people coming over to check out the progress and offer ideas and help.
engine bay & firewall ... Check out the finished firewall and engine bay! The final amount that was cut out was huge, from stut tower to strut tower. A new firewall was pressed up, and mould lines hand beaten into it that matches the factory profile. All the brackets were removed, brake lines & fuel lines hidden, and all the holes were welded up. The whole engine bay was seam welded, sanded and undercoated.
With the engine and gearbox in place, a new one piece drive shaft was made, saving another 5kg of weight compared to the much smaller two piece factory shaft. Following on with the weight diet, the side intrusion bars were removed from the doors (saving 10kg). These are effectivly replaced by the roll cage. see photos: engine bay construction + painted.
tunnel & floor... 50% of the floor and tunnel was also cut out and reconstructed. The factory hump in the passenger side was removed and a boxed section was made to accomodate the new muffler under the passenger seat. The exhaust will exit the side of the car supercar style. The tunnel was widened, and a new gear lever boot cover was welded into the top of the tunnel. As with the engine bay, the whole floor was seam welded, and all holes plated and filled, bringing the total number of holes welded in the shell to over 180! Also all the body seam filler was removed for a super clean look. see photos: interior construction + painted.
fuel tank... In keeping with the 'if its standard, remove it' theory, the original fuel tank was removed, all brackets removed, body shell shaved, and the factory tyre well was also chopped out. Crome molley tubing was welded in to provide support for the new 30 litre racing fuel tank. This is fully baffled, with a surge pot on the lower section.
see photos fuel tank construction + painted.
Stay tuned for the next update!!
Welcome to the first update for 2009!
We would like to start the year by thanking some of the people who have been helping to bring this beast into life...Brad, Simon, Andrea, John, Mike, Neil, Terry & Shannon. All these boys have been helping, with encouragement, ideas, materials, and helping to lift big heavy things!
engine- photos ...Check out the almost complete engine and gearbox sitting on the jig ready to find a new home. It looked huge sitting there and the odd muttered comment like...'where are we going to put that?' was heard. It's lucky the above brainiacs came up with the required answers, otherwise I may still be scratching my head thinking "whose idea was it to start this project?"!
mounts...We started by mocking up a new sump to work out the finished engine height, this will be finished off at a later stage. Then a new front subframe was designed and fabricated, new supercar style engine mounts constructed. These have a rubber bush sleaved in at the base to provide engine dampening. Also constructed was a new rear cross member to carry the rear of the gearbox.
making it fit...So we had all the parts made, now to make it fit. It was decided the original firewall and front half of the tunnel had to go. With the grinder working overtime, it didn't take long to remove a big chunk of the car, making it look like Fred Flintstones machine. And yes its easier to cut it out than stick it back together...but thats still to come :) Once the engine was dropped in, the final position was decided, and everything bolted together. It all feels very secure and solid with the shaker rig (ie two guys shaking the engine like madmen) almost rocking the car off the axle stands. The engine looks small in the car, with the front of the engine behind the front axle line. The gear lever, poking up through its new hole in the floor, is in the perfect position to be reached by the driver who is 250mm back from the standard seat position.
Stay tuned for the next update.......
We would like to thank all the sponsors that have supported the team for five years!. Without their continued support the development of this exciting and unique race car would not be possible!
SEARLE RACE EQUIPMENT.com.au One stop shopping for all your race apparel needs and V8 specialists
GLASSKOTE.com Coloured glass for your kitchen and bathrooms.
BBQ ROADSHOW.com.au The tastiest BBQ catering in Perth!
XTREME SIGNS AND GRAPHIX Professional car signwriters
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