Let’s see here… what do I need to revisit from my last post before diving into the progress I have made over the last two and a half months? This could be a long one…

As it turns out, the ignition I bought from NissanParts.cc did not in fact fit the late model 180SX. The push button to release the key is positioned on the bottom of the lock cylinder in a kouki 180 as opposed to the top, so when I tried to install my steering column I found that it contacted the cluster surround. I had to remove it and sell it, and since the kouki 180SX ignition is discontinued, I ended up just reinstalling my old one. I’m sure I am going to continue to have issues with it, but I haven’t had the time or motivation to try to find a solution.

Shortly after my last post, I removed the factory radiator to begin working on some cooling system maintenance and upgrades. While things were out of the way in the engine bay, I installed the new front suspension components. This included a NISMO power brace, NISMO S14 front lower control arms, S15 ABS front knuckles, Cusco tension rods, OEM S14 five lug hubs and hardware, NISMO steering rack bushings, GP Sports inner and outer tie rods with new tie rod boots, Moonface front sway bar endlinks, and a Cusco front sway bar. Bolting all of these parts into place was motivating as it allowed me to toss one of the NISMO LMGT4s on the car and step back to see it for the first time. Sure, it’s the same thing as my 240SX more or less, but it was still pretty exciting.

With the front suspension in place, I then turned my attention back to the cooling system. I installed a new OEM water pump with NISMO thermostat, Pitwork belts, and a few different coolant hoses. I still have several of these to install under the intake manifold, but decided to wait and install those at a later time. I replaced my coolant temp sensors near the throttle body and broke one of the brittle old connectors in the process, so I had to source one of those and replace it. I also found that I had purchased the incorrect coolant temp sensor (the blacktop SR20 uses the later model sensor found on the S14) so I had to sell that and order the right one. Sometimes it’s just one thing after the other, but I always get through it eventually.

The final additions to the cooling system were a new Koyo N-Flow radiator, along with a fresh fan clutch, blade, and shroud. All of these items were in good shape on the car, but I had purchased these before the car even landed stateside as a part of my planned maintenance. The water pump was actually an Aisin aftermarket replacement which was sort of interesting. I also installed a new set of OEM upper and lower radiator hoses with new clamps.

While working in the engine bay, I also managed to install the freshly coated valve cover along with fresh gaskets and brand new hardware. I replaced the coil packs back in the fall, but went a step further and installed a new OEM coil pack harness, cover, and hardware. I also replaced the PCV valve and associated hoses while everything was apart. The valve cover and new hardware cleans up the bay a ton, but also draws attention to other items that need to be cleaned up. I’ll get to it eventually! I finished things up by installing a new-ish exhaust manifold heat shield I had bought for my 240SX a few years back and new OEM hoses for the factory catch can.

I moved back to working on the exterior for a bit, starting with the headlights. I installed a pair of Raybrig headlight housings I held onto from my 240, as well as new metal bezels, adjustment screws, and plastic shrouds. It’s crazy how something so simple can freshen up the front end of the car. I kept the blue tinted H4 bulbs that the car came with from Japan in place since I thought they looked kind of cool. I was really tempted to completely strip the headlight assemblies and paint them (as well as the crusty core support) while I was at it, but decided to leave it alone for now and keep pressing forward.

To continue the theme of bouncing around, I moved back to the interior of the car. I had removed the gauge cluster to see about correcting my airbag light issue, but found that the dummy sensor included with the Works Bell hub should hopefully do the trick. After getting some help online, I found that I should have left the stock clock spring in place. Once I put that back on (thankfully I didn’t toss it) it was easy to see where the cancelation plug should be placed. This allowed me to finally install the Works Bell hub and quick release with the Nardi Classic 340mm wheel. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have never had a quick release before – so I am pretty stoked about the setup.

Fresh wiper and turn signal stalks have alway been a must for me in my previous builds, and I wanted to do the same thing with my 180SX. The wiper stalk was still available new, but I was bummed to find that the late model headlight stalk had been discontinued. After talking to some folks online, I was told the R33 stalk would work – so I picked one up. After installing it, I found that it does not return the headlights back to the down position when I turn the lights off. There’s an additional plug and harness on the 180SX stalk that accomplishes this, but I have not found a way to swap it over. I decided to run my headlights in the “sleepy” position (something I haven’t done in years) and I will just crank them up and down by hand as needed. If this gets old, I’ll just swap back to the original stalk and deal with it looking less than stellar. But for now I love the look of the clean new stalks with the fresh steering wheel setup!

While working in the car’s interior, I installed my NISMO glove box gauge setup with my Defi Link Meter II gauges. I gave the panel a fresh coat of SEM satin black, drilled the necessary holes in the glove box, and glued the gauges in place with Amazing Goop (strong hold that can easily be removed later if needed – kind of similar to hot glue, but better.) I installed the box in the car and routed the daisy chain cable for the gauges, but will finish the install at a later date. I love the subtle placement of the gauges and the fact that I can close the glove box to hide them if desired. Really stoked on this addition to the car, especially since there are not a lot of modifications left that I get to experience for the first time.

Back in the engine bay, I used the instructions from my GReddy intercooler kit to cut the hole in the battery tray for the cold pipe. It went surprisingly smooth and I was very relieved to have this step out of the way as it is always pretty nerve racking. I installed the cold pipe, couplers and a new OEM air hose between the cold pipe and intake manifold.

I also installed a new Cusco OS front strut tower bar that I picked up from Japan when I ordered my set of Cusco front and rear sway bars. I’ve owned a few of these, but usually don’t keep them since they don’t fit with the NISMO engine mounts. Since I haven’t installed them yet, I decided to toss it on the car for now and find a way to space it up slightly when the engine mounts finally go in at some point in the future.

Bouncing around again, I finally decided it was best to remove the rear subframe completely for the suspension refresh. By around mid-March, I made quick work of dropping the subframe right before our family trip to Florida for spring break. I stripped the subframe down completely and gave it a good scrub, though it was relatively clean and in really good shape.

When we returned home from Florida at the end of March, I was feeling motivated again to try to get the car ready for spring. I started by drilling out the rubber bushings for the subframe before cutting out the sleeves with a reciprocating saw I picked up from Harbor Freight. I had not removed stock bushings myself in many years, so I was anxious about this process – but it went really smoothly and much quicker than I thought it would. I didn’t even have to burn anything which was nice. I also removed the bushings from the rear knuckles with a ball joint removal kit and some sockets to prepare those for the refresh.

Next came the always exciting task of pressing the new bushings into place. I reassembled my Harbor Freight press down in my basement, and managed to press a fresh set of NISMO subframe bushings into place. I swore I never would do this job again, but here we are. Once that was done, I moved upstairs to the garage and pressed all of the new NISMO knuckle bushings into the rear knuckles with my ball joint press. This may not technically be the best way to do this, but it got the job done! Once everything was pressed, I gave the parts a fresh coat of black paint. I always consider powdercoating this stuff, but never want to deal with the wait time, cost, and finding a local vendor. For a chill street car, paint seems to fit the bill just fine.

In the spirit of trying to keep myself interested, I moved back to the front of the car and installed the rest of my intercooler piping along with the stock bypass valve in the fender well. I’ve always just welded the provision on the intercooler piping for the stock valve shut and gone without one, but in the spirit of getting the car on the road and leaving as many things alone as possible, I decided to keep it in place. I’m still messing with the placement to get the hit pipe in the engine bay to fit properly with the factory airbox, but I hope to make some progress on that this weekend. While I was at it, I replaced as many of the factory vacuum and charcoal canister lines as I could with new lines as most of them were very brittle and crusty.

Once the bypass valve and piping were in place, I was finally able to work on installing the front bumper. I was going to use the bumper with the R33 GTR N1 ducts in place, but decided at the eleventh hour to go with the license-plate-cutout-only option. I started by modifying a JDM S13 crash beam I had been holding onto from one of the cars I parted out years ago. I chopped it up to clear the intercooler, cut out the center for the license plate cutout, and gave it a quick coat of black paint. I then spent far too much time installing all of the kouki 180SX bumper brackets from my 240 onto the new bumper before bolting it all into place properly – including a brand new pair of OEM fender extensions. The front lip that came on my 180 is pretty thrashed, but I decided to use it for now until I can get the gray one from my 240 painted.

It was so motivating to step back and see the body of this car complete again. Like I often say, this isn’t really anything I have never seen before – but it still ignited a spark and got my motivation fired up to see the car really coming together. With the bumper and lip in place, I installed the modified fender liners from my previous 240 coupe build. I am sure some trimming/repositioning will be needed once the car is on the ground, but this will do for now.

With the bumper assembled and on the car, I turned my attention back to the rear subframe. I put everything back together with the new trio of Cusco adjustable suspension arms, NISMO rear lower control arms, Z32 rear drum assemblies with brand new OEM 2+2 cables, five lug hubs, and a Cusco rear sway bar with all new OEM end links, bushings and hardware. I had originally planned to replace the diff and the axles during this project, but the funds I had set aside for that vanished into thin air around the holidays. In the spirit of enjoying the car this summer, I decided to push those details off to a later date. I replaced the rubber fuel lines at the rear of the car prior to bolting the rear subframe back into place. I just need to replace the fuel filter and lines in the engine bay before calling that portion of the project complete.

After the subframe was lifted into place, I spent some time installing the NeXt Miracle Cross Bar. While this is one of my favorite pieces for a 180SX, I can’t stand installing it. After plenty of busted knuckles and swear words, it was finally in place. One interesting discovery during this process was that when I removed the rear seat belts, one of the trim panels was filled with glass. It looks like the driver’s side quarter glass must have been shattered at one point. The quarter panels are very clean though, so maybe on the glass was broken? It’s hard to say, but it was definitely interesting to see. I’ve got a privacy cover that I trimmed to fit with the Miracle bar that I may end up using at some point, but we’ll see. I am still debating removing the upper half of the rear seat for a bit as I have in the past.

After waiting a few weeks, my set of G-Corp floor mats arrived. The red is pretty subtle in person which I actually really like. These were more or less the final detail I was waiting on to finish the interior. I still want a bolt in cage and a Do-Luck floor bar, but those items will have to wait for a while.

My Z32 conversion lines leftover from my 240 were pretty old, so I decided to replace them with a fresh set from StopTech. I still need to paint the calipers prior to installing them.

A few other OEM items arrived, including a new oil pickup and gasket, a fresh dipstick, and some rear sway bar bushings. I’m planning to install the oil strainer when I swap the oil pan sometime down the road. I’m hoping to get a GReddy one again if I can pull it off.

Another random order including a GReddy sandwich plate for the gauge sensors, a few NISMO oil filters, NISMO thermostat, and GReddy air filter for the factory airbox.

Finally, I decided the 180SX deserved a new exhaust, I picked up a new Kakimoto catback that arrived just before the tariffs and DHL restrictions kicked in. I’m a little concerned about the clearance with the mid-muffler, but hopeful I can get it to work. I’m looking forward to bolting it up and hearing it.

Whew! These long posts take a long time to sort out. I really need to do a better job of updating more frequently to ensure I don’t miss anything and include all of the photos I want to. The weather has gotten pretty nice here in Michigan and I am very anxious to get the car out of the garage. Parenting and life in general has been a lot lately, but I am trying to get out into the garage when the motivation is there. With any luck we will finally get to see this thing out and about soon!

Thanks as always for stopping by to check out my progress. Have a great weekend!

Damon