As far as I’m concerned, there’s no harder time to be a car enthusiast in Michigan than during the month of January. I’m typically broke after the holidays exhausted from all of the traveling and madness that comes with it. At this time of year, my car is usually the least of my concerns – and this year is proving to be no different. This is also the point in time each year where I start to question if I even enjoy the hobby anymore and if I should be cashing out all together.

However, little lapses in chaos and peeks of free time typically remind me that I do still in fact enjoy owning an S13. While the car is much lower on my priority list than it was twenty years ago and doesn’t serve as my identity anymore, I do still enjoy the hobby quite a bit. The terms have change and the timeline is much slower, but when life allows it the passion is still there.

One of my goals for 2026 is to provide some sort of update or post here on the blog once per month. A month feels like a good amount of time that should hopefully allow me to keep pace and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the year. As my enthusiasm for Instagram and social media continues to fade, I think this will be a really rewarding space to provide some documentation for myself and feel a sense of fulfillment in a place with a lot less noise. If it can bring some enjoyment and information to folks that happen to stop by, that is definitely a bonus.

So let’s get into it! As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to take the plunge and attempt to squeeze some more power out of my SR20DET. 2010-2012 was my favorite stretch of time for my 240SX hatch build as I felt it was the most complete build all around. The car looked great, had a cool interior, and made really good power on a reliable S15 T28 turbo setup. I put the most miles I ever had on the car in 2011, and attended a lot of cool events with even cooler people that I still talk with occasionally to this day. This was the peak S13 experience for me, so my goal is to replicate that stage of the build with a real-deal 180SX this time around. Many people will probably scoff at taking the same approach again, but as I’ve said many times before, at this stage in life I like what I like.

When January began, I decided to let go of a lot of my spare/stock parts for my 180 in addition to the few random parts left from my 240SX couple build. My mindset is shifting a bit after turning 40 in December and hoarding really doesn’t feel necessary anymore. Having a couple parts around that have become difficult to find or afford seems like a fine idea, but I am done holding onto every little thing in case I happen to need it one day. It feels great to get rid of the clutter and live a little less simply.

As the remainder of my S13 coupe build parts slowly trickled out of my basement, new parts for the 180 began to show up. The first was the S15 T28 turbo that I ordered through Chico directly from Nissan. After being given the run around and told it was no longer available by one of the bigger-box online Nissan dealers, Chico had one at my door in less than a week. I am very thankful for his help! It’s kind of nerdy, but it was important to me to get a hold of one from Nissan directly like I did with my 240 build back in the day.

Tariffs are proving to be a real annoyance when trying to source parts for this car. Ordering from vendors in Japan has always been my go-to, but even with the favorable exchange rate the tariffs have been killing the cost benefits of going out of the US to buy the parts I need. Sometimes there’s no other option, but I have been forced to find US vendors that have parts in stock for a decent price. My biggest gripe with US retailers is they often do not actually have items in stock, contacting you about a long back order after you have placed your order. It can be frustrating, but after a fair amount of research I was able to track down most of what I needed in the US.

The first set of parts I tracked down were items to install the S15 turbo. I picked up an S15 7 layer metal exhaust manifold gasket, as well as all of the other needed gaskets for the turbo. I also grabbed the metal and rubber oil drain tubes and the required gasket. Finally, I picked up one of the keys to a leak-free four bolt turbo gasket – some OEM locking tabs. The prices of these were outrageous in the US, so it made the most sense to order from Amayama in Japan and pay all of the associated fees. Everything else I sourced from Nissan dealerships on eBay and Z1 Motorsports. Shoutout to Z1 by the way – their stock status on their website is actually very accurate which is a huge help when ordering from inside the US.

The new turbo setup requires larger fuel injectors, so I picked up a set of NISMO 740cc side feed injectors. They were a little more costly than some of the other brands out there, but I had a bad experience with a DeatschWerks injector failing prematurely years ago and had good experiences with the NISMOs, so I decided to take that path again. I also ordered a set of OEM O rings through a seller on eBay to go with them.

Though I replaced the fuel pump with a Walbro 255 back in the fall trying to diagnose my engine issues, I have read about the issues people have with their fuel pump wiring not supporting the power needs of a higher flowing pump. This was never an issue for me in my 240SXs over the years, but I figured it would be a good idea to get ahead of it on the 180 just in case. I picked up a plug and play fuel pump hard wiring kit from Key’d Performance during their Cyber Monday sale. Key’d has been great to work with in the past and I am really impressed with the products they offer, so I am sure this will be no different. I haven’t investigated how to install it just yet, but I’ll keep you posted on how it goes later this winter.

While replacing the turbo, I decided to install a new set of turbo lines. I reached out to my friend Frankie at Faction! Motorosports and ordered a set of their SR20 braided lines. I really appreciate that they look a little more low-key with the all black fittings, and their was an option to add the needed oil restrictor for the T28 turbo. It’s a super nice quality setup that I am excited to install on the car.

I snagged a couple more items from Faction that I was really stoked to hear they had in stock. The first was an HKS T28 turbo actuator. I don’t really have a reason to buy this at all, but I had one on my T28 setup in my 240 and thought it would be cool to do it again. It’s one of those parts that is just kinda neat to have. The stock actuator on my T28 was dented during shipping anyway, so I figured why not?

The other item from that order was a HFM brake master cylinder. When I converted the 180 to Z32 brakes front and rear, I never replaced the brake master cylinder like I did on my 240. The brake pedal feel was less than ideal, and it felt like the first 1/2 of the pedal travel didn’t really do anything. I am excited to solve this issue. I’ve noticed my ABS light coming on randomly as well, especially after doing a pull in the car – so I may try to delete that as well later this spring when I am working through installing some of these other parts.

With my Racing Service Max hood secured, I decided I should be parting ways with my Koguchi Power hood. I brought it out of the basement and tossed it on the car to grab a couple photos for the for sale ad and it got me really excited about having a vented hood on this car. I’ve seen this in person a bunch of times, but it’s still exciting to step back and see it every time. What a cool piece for a 180SX. I believe I have a buyer lined up and hope to make it down to South Carolina to pick up my new hood in February. Fingers crossed it pans out sooner than later because I am really excited.

One afternoon in December a few days after Christmas, I started the task of removing the stock turbo. It’s been about 15-20º colder than usual in Michigan for a couple weeks now, so my motivation to go in the garage has been pretty low. While I used to spend all kinds of time out there on the cold garage floor to ensure the car was ready for the first nice weather day of the season, it’s not worth the agony to me anymore. I think I would rather wait until the weather turns to work on the car, even if it means missing some of the season. But with that being said, I had the stock turbo and manifold removed within a couple of hours.

I haven’t done much since, but I’m hoping to find the time to continue cataloging and sourcing the parts I need for the new setup in the coming weeks. I am still waiting on a couple crucial pieces from Japan right now, but with any luck I should have them by the next update. Fingers crossed!

Thanks as always for stopping by to check this out. In a world where everything is instant now, I know the amount of brain power and effort it takes to find and read a blog post. I appreciate you tagging along!

Damon