Well, there I go not updating my blog again. The holidays were busy but restful (if that makes any sense) and now that 2015 is upon us I am back at it in the garage when my schedule allows.

Since last time, I finished up the majority of the work I planned to do to the engine. I installed new coolant hoses under the intake manifold and looped the heater core lines as my car does not have HVAC anymore. The inside of the intake manifold was filthy, so I gave that a good scrubbing as well before reinstalling it.

With the intake manifold back in place, I pulled the engine off of the stand and replaced the front and rear main oil seals. I still need to install the alternator and pick up some bolts for my power steering pump as the power steering was not installed in the coupe I sourced the engine from.

My SR was still using the factory clutch and flywheel, so I wanted to replace the clutch at a minimum to save myself some work down the road. Fortunately the good f0lks at Turn 14 Distribution hooked me up with a Competition Clutch Stage 2 clutch and lightened flywheel for my build making life a ton easier. This should be the perfect street setup for the car with minimal complication- that’s the goal this time around, right?

At this point I turned my attention to the transmission, installing a new OEM shifter plate and gasket, along with new input and output shaft bearings. Once the new Comp Clutch release bearing and clutch fork were back in place, I was able to mate the engine to the transmission. The C’s short shifter and Cusco brass shifter bushing will be installed later when the drivetrain is in the car.

With those items out of the way and the NISMO transmission mount in place, I was able to drop the engine in the car. It’s always a great feeling to have the drivetrain back where it belongs, even if a lot of work still remains.

On the parts front, I picked up a couple items around the holidays. My family hooked me up with a Cusco brass shifter bushing, HKS radiator cap, Works Bell steering wheel hub, checkered floor mats, and a new pair of DMAX position lamps for the car.

I also picked up a Cusco/Safety 21 seven point roll cage from someone located up North. Unfortunately it turned out to be a non-sunroof model, but I am hoping to have a friend help me modify the main hoop prior to powdercoating it to fit my chassis. This is lower on the priority list but will be nice when it is finished.

I think that is more or less where things stand right now! I’m hoping to keep plugging away at the engine bay and the suspension to get this car ready for spring. I’m really enjoying having the S13 back again. I’ll do my best to keep the updates coming. Thanks for reading!

Damon