180sx

So, my VG33E has pretty much hit rock bottom and I'm going to need to rebuild it. Upon doing research for my Kia Rio turbo project (yes, that was not a typo. lol), I stummbled across this site. They have a full engine rebuild kit that comes with new pistons. They also offer these in oversized sizes! I have a set of Infiniti VH45 pistons sitting in my garage right now. Problem is I can't find a machine shop locally willing to fly cut the valve clearances (one shop said they would, but the price was rediculous!). So I found this site. It's an awesome deal, at less than $400 for the whole kit. This would be so much easier than getting different rods and cutting into pistons. But, I have one issue. They offer them in .020 and .040 over. I want the bigger one. Anyone know if we can bore our blocks .040 over? Seems like a lot to take off, and I'm concerned about water jackets and oil passages being thin. I'm going to check with the Z31 guys and see what they have to say. Just wanted to let you guys know. RPM rebuild kit Jose

Nice Civic! the 4 doors look way better than the coupes IMO. Good deal! Don't be a stranger on the boards now! Jose

Bad strut bearing (also known as sperical bearing in Nissan Parts land)!! Jose

In that diagram, look at P/N 54093. Is that what you are talking about? Madhornet, re-read what he wrote> the rear of the control arm. Guess he should have added front lower control arm in there. And weird what that part number 54480 is called. Haha. Jose

Check the bulb? Bah, no need. Just keep gas in the tank. I think my CEL bulb is out though. It used to always be on and off. Hasn;t been on in a very long time and I havent changed the problem yet (bad O2 sensor) so I'm assuming it's dead. And to think of it, the light probably stopped working the las time I went wheeling, because I remember it not coming on on the drive home and I was on E. Maybe the jars shorted the bulb? Who knows. Too lazy to pull the cluster. Engine is practically dead anyway and it's just parked now while I wait for parts so it gets more than 8mpg. Jose

Just two bolts on the control arms. Search "missing link" and Tylers thread should come up. has the pictures in there. Jose

The bearing shouldn't be plastic. Should be metal. The one's I have in now are half metal, half plastic from NAPA. Haven't had a problem with them at all. Nissaneric, that was from a bad excursion. It happened twice. Not once, but twice! One from offroading, the other from a pothole. A pothole! Haha. Oh well. That may look bad, but if you ever get a chance to see FUELER's, his was bad! His went through his damn fender! Haha. I'll have to find the picture if I can. Jose

My light stopped working al together. Hell, the pathy died from no fuel, and still no light! Oh well, now I just keep it above a 1/4 tank as much as possible. Jose

Oh yea, that too! Been a while since I replaced mine. And hey, thats my strut mount! Haha. I remember that! here's more of the carnage from that incident. Jose

Above +. Key points. 3 Nuts hold the top of the strut. 2 Bolts are on the bottom. Remove Sway bar end link from strut. Remove brake line from strut. Wiggle out of there. Dissassemble by your way. Note, the strut mount has an 'L' and a 'R'. The letter on the side should be facing the engine. The spring hat has a 'v' notch in it. This should be lined up with the correct letter. Have fun! Jose

Kinda late. but my thoughts. Am I stunned at the $15K price tag to DEVELOP the system? Yes. At first, it sounds lucacris to ask for that much. But then you have to think about everything. -CARB certification, EPA certification, DOT approval. -Costs to dyno the product to find the right size pipe for a gain in performance. (this is what they sell) -Costs for the pipes and mufflers used. -Costs to set up the machinery to mass produce these kits. -Payroll costs for the roughly 15 people who will be working on it. -Costs for maintanance after all the dyno pulls on their equipment. These just add up. And them asking for it is not unreasonable. Has anybody asked them for this product before? Probably not. How do they know there will be a market for them? If not, did they just spend the money to develop a kit that won't be succsefull in anyway? I just don't see the problem with this request. It's mucho high, but that's the cost of creating new products from a large business stand point. Now, you could go and make your own exhaust for, say, $300. Go pay $100 or more for a dyno session. Realize your pipe is the wrong size because you just lost all your bottom end to gain top. Go pay another $300 with a different size pipe. Then another $100+ for more dyno sessions. Then again realize your top end falls off earlier then before. And your muffler is way too loud. Rinse and repeat. This could easily turn into just $2000 for your exhaust alone. So, go do it, tell us what works, so we can pay only the $300 to have it done. Thanks! Jose

I just bought both rear arms from Rock Auto for a little less than $110 shipped. Haven't installed them yet, so no review on them, but they look good. Jose

It's because thay have that rugged look, versus 99.5+ having that pretty boy prep look. Lol. Your pathy looks great! And those WD wheels look surprisingly good on it, too! Nice job! Whats next on your list? Bumper? Jose

X2. That thing is way too big. Please size it down. Also helps our less fortunate 56K folk. Thanks. Jose

you can get any axle you want. Money wise, waganeer is ideal. post 95 dodges can be done. older ford f-250s, can be used (wide, though) and if you use newer F250's the outers would need chevy equivilents. well, even broncos could be used, although they are 5 lug, not 6.

do they have lift spings available?

yes. you may have to change the core support, but shouldn't be that bad.

Just use a skinnier bolt. 1/2" is pretty big already. So using somthing a bit smaller shouldn't hurt anything. Just don't go to the baja. Jose

Why didn't you keep the LSD?

Pezzy has a real cool rear bumper. Ask her.

Yes, Rancho makes struts for our vehicles. https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/rancho-shocks-struts-rsx17000-shocks-struts-c-435_413_392_408.html Jose

x2. I ran/run them. I have tow and ratchet straps and jumper cables in there. Jose

Auto. I tried to find one, but couldn't at the time when I bought mine. Now, Just waiting for a junker to show up at the yard to swap stuff with. Jose

$800?? Wow, what a rip off! KYB-GR2 struts are the best we got, and they perform well (better than the Ranchos from what I hear). Monroe is junk. I had those. Went off road twice, and they blew after only 6k miles (to be exact, the valve inside broke to pieces). You can get the KYB's struts and shocks for $200 on ebay from one of the vendors. $600 for labor does not sound right at all. I'd go back and see what he would charge if you brought the struts/shocks already. If he says he won;t do it because he has to order them, then go somewhere else. Jose

I'm interested in this plastic you speak of. Please post links for more info. Thanks! Jose