I have been a Honda enthusiast for as long as I can remember. Unlike many diehard Honda guys, I have always kept an open-arm approach to other car manufacturers. I knew there were other great chassis out there for me to play with. Owning a 240SX has always been in the back of my mind since the car came off the production line, but with my already-immense fleet of vehicles I couldn't justify getting a 240 until I got rid of something in my stable. When I got busted in the Civic, I decided it was time to let it go. It wasn't too hard since I have three other Honda/Acura vehicles still in the stable. It was a sign to start searching for a 240SX.
OK I lied, I had already been looking for one for three months, the search just became more intense once the Civic was sold. Finding a car isn't that hard. However, finding the right one can be.
My criteria for the 240SX, was that the chassis couldn't have been involved in an accident. I could stand a blown engine, theft recovery or vandalism. Since I plan to track the vehicle, a bent frame isn't a good start.
I found one with water damage. It looked like it was thrown in a river and pulled back out. It was covered with a 1-inch layer of dirt. From the photos I could tell it had a set of coil-overs with pillow-ball mounts, but the price wasn't right.
My next find was a black 1995 SE with some body damage to the rear lights and trunk. Although I generally don't buy crashed cars, the 240 was barely hit at the trunk lid and would be an easy repair. But the stars did not align and I was outbid by $200.
The third time I hoped would be the charm when I found a white 1996 SE that was stolen. The radio, driver's side airbag and the seats were all missing. All of these components were readily available to me since most of my friends own 240SXs and have plenty of spare parts to choose from. From the photos I didn't see any major body damage and it didn't look like the car had ever been repainted. So I crossed my fingers and placed a bid. I won the car for $2,500. A steal if you ask me. I've seen similar-condition SEs go for more than $3,000. The next day I hooked up the trailer and made the long drive up to Northern California. After a 13-hour round trip (damn 'Frisco traffic) I was back home with my new toy in the garage.
Initial inspection was pretty much what the photos showed. The front and rear seats were missing along with the radio. What the photos didn't show were the baseball-size dents on each quarter panel. The front and rear bumpers were thrashed, and the hood was banged up.
I didn't worry too much about the front end since I already planned on changing it to the '98-and-up specifications. The two dents on the quarters were unexpected; I guess the body shop will just have to take care of that. The Nissan came equipped with an Injen cold-air intake and a muffler shop special exhaust canister. The previous owner added a set of five-spoke wheels that looked awful. Too bad the stock SE wheels weren't still there.
All the fluids checked out and everything seemed to be in order. With the battery charger hooked up we again crossed our fingers and cranked the KA24DE engine. The engine fired right up. After sourcing an interior from one friend and an airbag from another, I wanted to take the 240 for a spin.
On its maiden voyage we were disappointed to find out the clutch slipped. On top of that, the tranny was grinding in every gear except first. When the 240 reached 50 mph it started to shake violently. We later found out the amazingly ugly five-spoke wheels were bent. So it was back to the garage to perform some much-needed TLC on the SX.
The first hurdle was the slipping clutch and the transmission. Fortunately, my brother had a 1997 tranny in his salvage yard. The only other thing I needed was a clutch. We called Unorthodox Racing to see what the techs had that would work on the 240. Since we plan on turbocharging the vehicle, the Unorthodox crew recommended their Ultra G eight-puck ceramic disc with a heavy-duty pressure plate. The Ultra G has a higher clamp load compared to the stock pressure plate and the sprung ceramic disc substantially increases holding capacity.
Along with the Ultra G clutch, Unorthodox also recommended its Ultra L aluminum flywheel. At 12 pounds, the Unorthodox unit shaves off more than 9.5 pounds of rotating mass compared to the stock piece. The lighter flywheel improves throttle response and overall driveability.
The clutch comes complete with a new throw-out bearing, bronze pilot bearing and clutch alignment tool. Replacing a clutch is a straight R&R job; the key is to remember where all the bolts go. For novices, I recommend numbering the end of each bolt so you know where each goes.
Once the tranny was mated to the block, we swapped the stock rubber tranny mount with a Peak Performance urethane piece. Constructed from heavy-duty urethane, the Peak Performance tranny mount is much stiffer than the factory rubber mount, which gives more feedback when changing gears. Our factory mount was torn in two pieces, so it was a necessary modification.