My plan for the interior of my 180SX build (if we can even call it that) is very simple and straightforward. Fortunately, all JDM S13s came with traditional manual seatbelts, so there’s nothing I need to source or track down to make that a reality. The car is also equipped with Digital Climate Controls (DCC) which I have purchased multiple times over the years and never managed to properly install in my 240SX. The dash was uncracked when I bought the car, so with any luck it will still be pristine when it arrives here in the states.

One of the items I kept from my previous S13s is my seats. I have three black bucket seats to choose from for use in the 180SX: My Bride Maxis, Bride Zieg II, and a pristine Bride Zeta II. I haven’t decided which combo I will install first, but it’s great to have options. I am also in the process of trying to acquire a couple other seats to add to my collection – more on those in a future post. But in the mean time, I will be ordering a pair of seat rails for mounting dual buckets in the car.

Another item I held onto from my 240SX coupe is my black Nardi Classic 330mm setup. I have considered switching it out for a slightly larger wheel for street driving, or even a silver one – but haven’t decided yet. I also kept my Works Bell hub, but I’ve always wanted to try a quick release setup. This might be the time to finally make it happen.

As far as cool-spec bracing goes, I held onto my NeXt Miracle Cross Bar from the 240SX as well. I’ll definitely be installing it in the 180 at some point as it is one of my favorite aftermarket S13 parts of all time. I am also hoping to pick up another Do-Luck Cross Bar that installs behind the rear seats as they’re still available and I have alway thought it was a cool piece.

Ever since I had my Cusco roll cage in my 240 many years ago, I have wanted another one. However, I am hesitant to get one for my 180SX for a few reasons. I don’t want to hack up the factory rear plastic trim panels, but I did keep both sets from my other S13s for that reason. But, I also really don’t want to drill holes into the floor or cut up the factory carpet. Time will tell, but as much as I would like to have one, I probably won’t mess with installing one this time around. Things change though – we’ll see!

As you can tell, the interior plans are still a little in flux – but they’re also very simple, so I think things should follow pretty closely to the plans laid out in this post. I’m in the process of shopping for a nice set of RHD floor mats for the car, but haven’t made a decision yet. I was bummed to see that Karo no longer makes mats for the S13 chassis as those are what I have always dreamt of owning, but I will find something cool that fits the bill. Finally, I also held onto my white face 60mm Defi Link Meter gauges from my 240, but I don’t have plans to install them at this time. I definitely would not want to drill into my dash again, and probably won’t want to mount them on top of the dash either. They’ve gotten so expensive and difficult to find though that it makes sense to keep them for the time being.

180SX Shipping Update

I’ve become a bit obsessed with tracking the ship’s progress in the last week. I watched as it departed the port in Kobe with my car on board, and followed along as the ship made stops in ports at Nogoya, Yokohama, and Hitachinaka. Finally, its destination updated to Panama and the tracking updates stopped as it headed out to sea. The current ETA in the app is around May 7th, where it will switch ships before heading up to Galveston. It feels great to know things are progressing. Now I just need to get my ducks in a row stateside to ensure I am ready when the car arrives!

The 240SX rolling chassis was supposed to be picked up tomorrow, but sadly the buyer needed to postpone pickup for a week. Hopefully I will be able to get it out of my garage next weekend. However, the SR20 and some other parts I sold quite a while ago are still supposed to be picked up tomorrow – so hopefully everything goes smoothly!

That’s about it for this week! Thanks as always for following along. Have a great weekend!

Damon