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Adam's formerly supercharged... now soon-to-be-turbo'd, S14

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:42 pm
by adamky
*** For latest updates, see: Part 3: Adam's fantastic voyage from supercharged to turbocharged*** 8)


1/29/17 EDIT: This is the current mod list.
Engine:
Wiseco 9:1 .5mm over
Eagle rods
ARP rod bolts and main studs
11mm ARP CA625+ head studs installed w/ time serts from www.MechanicsToolsAndBits.Com
Stock head with BC valve springs
JWT S1 cams
JWT cam gears (settings can be found here)
Greaser's mechanically locked timing chain tensioners
Xcessive manufacturing oil pan adapter (modified by removing the rear trans flange, which normally prevents access to the rear oil pan bolts)
ISR Cast Aluminum sump with custom-made, counter-weighted trap door setup
3/8" thick oil pickup spacer (lowers the pickup-to-pan-clearance from ~3/4" to a more industry-standard ~3/8"
Skullwerks Oil block

Turbo setup:
Custom equal-length exhaust manifold
PT5857 - dual ceramic ball-bearing, 4" ported S-cover, T3-flanged .63 A/R turbine (4-bolt)
3" downpipe
RSR ExMag 80mm exhaust (with 2 additional straight-through resonators)
Precision 46mm wastegate (re-circulated)
Xcessive intake manifold
Q45 throttle body
Treadstone Performance TR1035 Intercooler
3" intercooler piping
Tial 50mm BOV

Fuel Setup:
Walbro 450/485 E85-compatible pump
Power House Racing billet fuel hat
-8 AN PTFE feed line, -6 AN return
Xcessive fuel rail drilled and tapped for 3/8 NPT to -8 AN adapters
Fore Innovations F1i Fuel Pressure Regulator
Fore Innovations 88mm Inline Fuel Filter
Bosch high-imp 1600cc injectors

ECU/Electronics:
Nistune S13 OBD1 KA24DE ECU (w/ Feature Pack)
S13-S14 conversion harness
Z32 MAF in aluminum housing (blow-through)
Zeitronix ECA-2
TurboSmart E-boost Street EBC
4-port boost solenoid
Stock S14 ignition w/ Kenne Bell Boost-a-Spark
Magnecor 8.5mm plug wires
NGK BKR7EIX

Drivetrain:
Mazworx Z32-KA trans adapter kit
Z32 trans
Xcessive Z32 short shifter kit (heavily modified to add rigidity)
Z1 Motorsports shifter (the one from Mazworx sucks because it buzzes very loudly)
RB25 OEM-style steel flywheel
ACT 350Z NZ1-XTSS - XT/Perf Street Sprung
S15 HLSD

Extras/etc:
Greaser's patented PCV vacuum tank setup w/ 7 gal air tank in-trunk
-8AN PTFE hose for tank-to-intake manifold line
-6AN PTFE hose for tank-to-crankcase line

Suspension:
Ground Control full coil-overs w/Koni struts (aligned and corner-balanced)
SPL RUCA
SPL Front tension rods
Energy Suspension subframe and diff bushings

Wheels/Tires:
OEM 350Z base wheels (17x7.5F, 17x8R)
225/45ZR17 Front 245/40ZR BFG G-Force Sport COMP-2
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So last year, I supercharged my stock KA and had a blast with the stock motor and an AEM water meth kit: viewtopic.php?t=49060

However, earlier this year I had a problem with my water injection system, which was my own fault. I was cleaning the filter/screen in the nozzle, and when I screwed the two halves of the nozzle together, I apparently didn’t get them tight enough. The AEM nozzle uses a nylon washer to create the seal between the two halves of the nozzle, and if you don’t get them tight enough, most of the water meth sprays out the side of the nozzle, rather than into the intake pipe. After one quick full boost run, I knew I had broken ringlands when I took off at the next light.

Sure enough, a quick check of the intake piping and I could see everything was coated in oil (my PCV was re-circulated back into my intake at the time). Pulled the motor and tore it down to see I had 3 of 4 pistons with broken ringlands. KA-BOOM!

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I had a spare motor in the garage, but decided to go ahead and build the bottom end and get the head decked and prepped for a Cometic. I dropped it off at Bell Motors in Louisville, KY to have the machine work done and bottom end assembled.

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:43 pm
by adamky
In the meantime, I pulled out my old AEM water injection system, and installed a Snow Performance MAF-based system with 2.5 gal tank. Image

Next to the old AEM pump and tank:
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Fabbing a mount for the tank to be mounted over the pump:
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Mounted in the trunk:
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:45 pm
by adamky
Because the AEM controller was mounted in my dash panel where the HVAC had been, and I sold the AEM kit, I had to make a new panel to mount the water injection and boost control switches, and a couple of gauges. I used a couple of pieces of smoked plexi, a Dremel, and some plastic epoxy called plastic weld. Took a while to make but it turned out good.

For comparison, here's the old panel which I hated from day 1. Looks like poop, and I'm glad it's in the scrap bin where it belongs. (click for full size)
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Here is the new panel. The gauges are for oil pressure, and air intake temps. With no intercooler, I have always wondered just how hot the air is going into the engine, so that’s why I got the AIT gauge.
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Controller mounted in the glove box:
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Repainted the engine bay:
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Star Specs 245/40 R and 225/45 F
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:55 pm
by adamky
After over 2 months, I finally got the motor back. Specs are:
-Wiseco 9:1 pistons .020” over
-Eagle H-beam rods
-Clevite Bearings
-ARP rod and main studs
-ARP 10mm Head studs
-Cometic MLS HG
-All new OEM timing parts, oil pump, oil pan
-Block was cleaned, hot tanked, bored .020” over, crank bore was line honed, deck resurfaced to <50 RA for Cometic MLS HG, rotating assembly balanced, and they assembled the bottom end
-Head is my factory 140,000 mile head with JWT S1 cams and cam gears (properly re-shimmed). They did resurface it to (<50 RA) along with both front covers.
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 6:14 pm
by adamky
Future-proofing :wink:
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Cleaned and painted everything with high temp paint:
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Motor assembly time:
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All new OEM timing parts:
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I didn’t get a pic of the cometic. I coated it in copper spray on both sides before installing it. Torquing down the ARPs:
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 7:00 am
by Toe
What did you torque your arp head studs too?

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:57 am
by adamky
80 ft/lbs

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:59 am
by adamky
Cams in, checking and setting valve lash. The lash was actually already set for these cams, but while moving the head around with the cams out, 5 cam buckets fell out. So, I had to put them back in and then check the lash to figure out which ones were messed up:

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Finding true TDC to degree cams. I decided to take out some of the overlap from these N/A cams, advancing the exhaust cam 5 degrees, and retarding the intake 5. This should help increase power in the mid range to top end. I'm hoping this will keep the power from falling off so bad up top, but we'll see if that works out when I dyno it.
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Skullwerks oil block. I decided to change up my PCV system, replacing the one way valve with a 5/8” hose barb which will vent to a catch can and then to atmosphere.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:48 am
by superDorifto
MOAR!!!!!!!!! :evil:

Except for a few small details our builds are going to be very similar. Also the closedt E85 to me is in NY....

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:36 am
by NeverSatisfied
Nice build.

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:05 pm
by sus@n
Very nice man! !

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:42 pm
by adamky
Thanks.

With the supercharger unbolted from the supercharger plate, I realized that the coating was coming off of my rotors. Everyone I talked to advised me to just take the coating off, rather than get pieces of it sucked into my freshly built motor. Of course, you lose a little efficiency this way, but I can always swap in a smaller pulley. I disassembled it and used aircraft stripper to take the rest of the coating off.
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The Mobil1 grease is for the needle bearings in the back of the supercharger housing. The oil and housing sealant are from a Magnuson supercharger coupler replacement kit.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:42 pm
by adamky
I decide to add a direct port setup from Devils Own to the Snow performance water injection system. This is simply to ensure even flow to each cylinder. The “plenum” within the supercharger isn’t very large, and with only one nozzle mounted pre-supercharger, I was always worried I was getting uneven flow to each cylinder, especially at higher boost levels. I’m using 5, 50 ml/min nozzles. One for each intake runner and one at the supercharger inlet to give a little cooling and sealing effect on the rotors:

***EDIT: I have since removed the direct port setup and switched back to one nozzle (175ml/min) pre-supercharger. This is due to the decision to switch to E85 and use the nozzle pre-supercharger to generate 1-2 psi extra boost***

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Testing the setup:
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Bolting the intake manifold and supercharger back together:
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:45 pm
by adamky
Motor going back in. It was a PITA doing it with this 1 ton hoist. It just wasn’t long enough. At the time I needed one, it was literally the only one I could find in town. This was the only one Harbor Freight had in stock.
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Taurus fan is out, Altima dual fans are in:
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New Coolant overflow to replace my ugly yellow plastic stock one:
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:56 pm
by supakat
Nice. How are the dual altimas running? I am running Taurus and works fine.

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:07 am
by street_240sx
altima fans FTW!!!!!!! i cant wait til i can run water meth i just need to figure out where i want the nozzle. i do like the idea of direct port tho

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:37 pm
by adamky
superDorifto wrote:MOAR!!!!!!!!! :evil:

Except for a few small details our builds are going to be very similar. Also the closedt E85 to me is in NY....
Thanks. Are you still planning to run the custom charge cooler? E85 has gotten fairly common around here, so I'm gong for it. I have at least 5 stations within a 6-7 miles radius that have it. I've been running my GMC Sonoma on it for a while because it gives it a nice little power increase. It's a complete slug on 87 octane...runs much stronger on corn.
supakat wrote:Nice. How are the dual altimas running? I am running Taurus and works fine.
They are running fine. I liked my Taurus fan, but it was making noises and on its way out. The altima fans are great because the are slim. They look nicer, IMO.
street_240sx wrote:altima fans FTW!!!!!!! i cant wait til i can run water meth i just need to figure out where i want the nozzle. i do like the idea of direct port tho
Awesome, good luck with it. The direct port setup ran great. Never had an issue with it for the month or so I ran it. I now just have one nozzle pre-supercharger, which I like because I get an extra 1-2 psi of boost. I'm seeing 15 psi now. :twisted:

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:42 pm
by adamky
The header was looking rough, so I decided to try out some VHT FlameProof High temp paint. In my experience, most high temp header paint lasts a few hundred miles at best before it all burns off. This stuff if supposed to stand up to more abuse and last longer than your average high temp paint, so we’ll see. It looks and feels exactly like ceramic coating. I’ve got 500 miles on it so far, and it still looks just like this.
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Catch can for PCV:
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Last time, my exhaust was extremely loud, so I bought 2 straight through resonators in the hopes of quieting it down some. The resonators made a big difference in the noise level. It’s still fairly loud in high boost, but I can actually hear supercharger whine now.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:46 pm
by adamky
Everything bolted back together and ready to start break in. I’m using the motoman break-in method. Google it if you don’t know what that is:
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 6:53 pm
by blacks13coupe
Bad. Ass.

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 6:56 pm
by supakat
I would eat my dinner off that bay!

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 7:12 pm
by adamky
Thanks! I feel like I've been working on this thing non stop for years now!

I decided to replace my 5 yr old AGX And Eibach Sportline suspension with something a little better. This is the Ground Control complete kit for S14s with Koni 8610 fronts, Koni 8040 rears, GC camber plates, GC coilover with Eibach springs (425 lb/in front, 325 lb/in rear), and GC custom front strut housings for more wheel clearance. Image
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Old suspension:
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New vs old.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:25 pm
by street_240sx
Koni ftw!!!!!!!!

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:34 pm
by adamky
Rust repair time. Horray :roll:
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I hit it with spot welds about every 1/2inch, and then hit it with body sealant
I know my welding sucks. I think it will get the job done though.

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Finished it off with rubberized undercoating:

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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:39 pm
by adamky
More rust repair:

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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:43 pm
by adamky
Rust repair complete, time for suspension install:

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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:25 pm
by adamky
The only bad part about the suspension is that the springs they included are really not tall enough. With the suspension raised all the way up, I was dragging my header over every speed bump, and I was hitting the front bump stops over any decent sized bump. Especially when cornering hard.

I contacted Ground control, and after sending them some pics of the setup and explaining the situation, I was able to get them to send me springs with very similar rates , but 1" taller. I went from 5" tall, 425 lb/in front, 7" 325 lb/in rear, to 6" 440 lb/in front and 8" 330 lb/in rear.

I didn't get a comparison pic of the rears, but here are the front springs new vs. old:

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I was able to raise it up abouth 1/2 inch. I am no longer scraping over speed bumps or bottoming out, and the car really handles great. It just feels so controlled and smooth. Rides much smoother than my old setup.

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:35 pm
by driftfiend
very nice build bro

Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:53 am
by redpotatoes
Nice build !

I have a question for you about the air temp gauge/sensor your using. Where did you put the sensor, on the intake manifold, throttle body, etc ? Which one did you use (OEM S14) ? Is it only displayed on your gauge or you managed to log it ? I want to have a air temp sensor to monitor the water injection effects but also want to have the ability to log it.

Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:15 pm
by adamky
Thanks.

The intake temp sensor is just the gauge and sensor from PLX. I cannot log it. The sensor is located in the top of the supercharger plate. You can see it in the engine pics if you look close. It's the silver wire coming from between runners 1 & 2.

I did glance at it a little today while tuning. During a run with water meth, I'm seeing 30-40 degree drops in temperature. And they stay lower for a short time after the run.