We'll be the first ones to admit it, our venerable stable of project cars has seen better days. When you're constantly tinkering and "improving" your car in the name of investigative reporting, some lines are bound to be crossed. Our Nissan 350Z project rides around with tired shocks, worn rear tires and a scraped-up exhaust system. Our Subaru WRX sedan is parked indefinitely with blown head gaskets and the rest of the cars we're scared half to death to drive because of police scrutiny.
While we may not be Formula One engineers here at 2NR, we mess with cars for the same reason that you do. Modifying our rides gives us that extra bit of personalized speed, damned the cost. On the days that our projects do run well, they give a feeling of enjoyment and speed that only true enthusiasts can relate to.
Lawrence Ojas of Seattle, Wash., knows the arduous tale of the project car all too well. The former D1GP AE86 competitor summed up all his experience by simply telling us, "Building cars can be both fun and a huge pain at the same time." Amen to that, brother.
So when Ojas, an employee of Silk Road USA, decided to build a new project to represent the company, he knew that he had to go buck wild. There would be no faded paint, no leaking fittings, no loose wires, no zip ties and no compromises. The project would have to be built as a truly top-notch, no-expense-spared platform that would excel at drifting, time attack and car shows. A rear-drive machine was obviously necessary, and a 1989 Nissan 240SX was purchased.
The S13 chassis 240SX was first sandblasted of all its original paint and then stitch-welded by Intec Racing. Next, the car was delivered to P1 Racing to have a roll cage built that would meet the specifications for both drifting and time attack competition. After leaving P1, the car's exterior was shot by James Guse in Le Mans Sunset Orange, an OEM color from the 350Z. The cage wears PPG Chameleon Silver/Gold, while the rest of the interior is PPG Gunmetal.
With the chassis built to be stronger and stiffer than a battleship, Ojas threw his efforts into creating a heart stout enough to match the body of his S13. The weapon of choice was the ubiquitous SR20DET out of a JDM Nissan Silvia, the 240SX's hot foreign cousin. Built by Charles Dundon of Intec Racing, the SR20 sports CP pistons and Eagle connecting rods, in order to withstand 17.6psi of boost pressure. Up top, Tomei 264-degree camshafts spin with Tomei adjustable cam sprockets on GReddy valve springs and Tomei solid pivot lifters.
At the heart of this pumped up four-cylinder is a GT2871R turbocharger, fed by a Silk Road tubular stainless-steel exhaust manifold. Grasping air out of the GReddy intake pipe, the GT2871R spits its waste out of a Silk Road turbo exhaust elbow and into an A'PEXi titanium exhaust system. Boosted air, however, is carried through the black anodized Silk Road front-mount intercooler system and into a polished GReddy intake plenum. To ensure proper cooling for both the front chiller and a GReddy radiator, Ojas uses a V-mount setup, which provides adequate airflow to both heat exchangers at the same time.
With 375hp and 345 lb-ft. of torque available at the rear wheels, Ojas had to make a few changes in order to avoid blasting his engine to pieces during a hard on-track run. A higher-capacity GReddy oil pan was installed along with a GReddy oil cooler and an Accusump system, ensuring that Ojas never has to think twice about proper oiling when he's out driving.
By Joey Leh
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