This is the submission thread for the top hatch contest, sooo, submit your hatches here. Submissions will be open for 2 weeks and you can come back and edit your submissions as many times as you want for those 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks are up there will be a 1 week voting phase. Then the top 3 hatches go on to face off against the top 3 notches in the top s12 contest 1 week later after the voting ends.

delete this if it contaminates the thread.....but you want it all posted in here? pics/writing etc?

I am going to leave this for now so you guys can know whats up....you can post it all here...or if you have something that cant be uploaded and put on the forum for some reason it can be linked...but if it is a small group of pics just [img] tag it please.

1) Shame on Photobucktet for resizing these...
2) i had a nice thing made in illustrator, like 5 pages (wich were 7~9mb apeice) but i cant load SVGs to Photobucket and i cant convert it into much of anything usefull
3) i have grow lazy and dont want to remake all my pages, and im not adding in the ware/tear/ and yellow of age like i did in illustrator.
4) Sorry to ya if you wanted to see it...

So here it it the first 3 pages, and some pictures and maybe a block of text too







Some fake old pictures that are larger than they need to beV







And a few over the years

I guess I might as well add to this contest.......


I received my 200sx as an early graduation gift back in 1989. It had 60k miles on it when I got it, and I am the 2nd owner. My original choice was a 1984 notch that was the same copper color and with an auto tranny. Obviously I knew nothing about these cars back then and was trying to find a good replacement for my '77 Datsun 810 wagon "hammy-down". My parents gave me a $$ cap that I could spend, so spent several weeks looking. I almost got the '84 notch, but luckily while going through the local used car lots one last time, I decided to go over to the Nissan dealer and see what they had on their lot. When I pulled into the lot, my eyes were drawn immediately to the back of the lot where I saw through all the other cars the same copper color 200sx, but with some weird fake hood scoop. When I got closer I also noticed it was a hatch, and I noticed the turbo badges on it, which at that point I got super excited, because I knew so little about these cars, and this was the first turbo model I had ever seen, which I didn't even know existed. At that point I completely forgot about the notch, and called my dad to drive down so we could take it for a test drive. I fell in love with it at first glance. My dad was pleased with my find, and he signed the paperwork and the rest is history.
Another interesting story....the salesman that sold it to us was actually the salesman that originally sold it to the original owner 5 years earlier. The hood scoop was black when I got it, which I thought was weird....so I asked the salesman about it. He said he remembered they got it delivered from Nissan that way, and that it was the only one he had seen that had a non matching scoop which made it unique he said.

After getting my hands on a HKS catalog back in 1990, I started getting the "mod bug". The first thing I ordered was a HKS exhaust and a panel filter, from HKS USA back in 1990. This cured my mod itch for a few years.

Here is a picture of it back in 1990, completely unmolested all the way down the original Bosch fog lights. Only thing that had been done at that point was window tint. If you look close enough you can see that the scoop was black. Look at that fender gap



In 1996 I was being completely stupid and rear ended a Saturn. Here is the result...



I thought long and hard about letting it go and getting something else.....but in the end I decided to get it repaired. After spending $2000+ on repairs I decided then I made the right decision. Here it is shortly after it left the body shop...good as new! I decided to have the scoop painted the same color as the rest of the car. Glad I did....like it much better.



In 1998 I decided to send some pics in to Super Street and see if I could get in their Readers' Rides section, which to my surprise I made the cut! The pic they chose was the same one as the above pic.



This was around the same time I started getting the mod bug again. The internet was just getting started so I started looking for support. I don't remember exactly but this was when I stumbled on the old original Yahoo board, which I stayed a member of until Club-s12 was born.

In 2005 my original motor crapped out. After thinking long and hard, I decided to get a remaned ca18et long block, which was a huge mistake. Twelve thousand miles later I bent a rod, and I decided to get a s13 ca18det front clip in 2006. That's pretty much the history.....

Current Mods:

CA18DET swap
Custom top mount header & dump pipe
Mitsu Heavy Industries EVO III Big 16g turbo
Custom 3" turbo back exhaust with Magnaflow muffler
Front mount intercooler
Front mount oil cooler
Nismo fuel pressure regulator
Walbro 255
DSM 450cc Injestors; cleaned/ blueprinted by RC Engineering
Apexi Safc II
AEM Wide Band
AEM Tru Boost
Boost currently at 21 psi
Z32 MAF
Cometic head gasket
Centerforce Dual Friction clutch
Tokico lowering springs
25mm rear spacers
Drilled/ slotted front/rear rotors

Here are some pictures leading up to current day....







Cadillac Ranch in Tex-ass; Heading East moving from Cali


















Most current pics with brand new "non warped" OEM Surplus front lip....































That's pretty much it in a nutshell.....

Over the past 21 years my goal has been to keep it looking as stock as possible with having some decent mods under the hood. I think I have achieved this goal with some very subtle changes to the exterior, and unless you look, you will never notice the Magna Flow muffler, which was painted matte black to blend in, or the FMIC which is nicely tucked behind the air dam. I'm still considering painting it matte black to help hide it even more.

These are the reasons why I think I have the "2010 Top Hatch", plus the fact that I am the OG of S12's

i guess ill try.

i dont really have a story though.

picked this car up for 350 bucks with the full intent off drifting it.

when i got it:

auto, ca20e, horribly leaking transmission pan.





then i got jdm happy and this happened:





ol ca18det. ran okay for 1500 miles. then had all kinds of issues, including me doped out after gettin my wisdom teeth pulled, and dropped a bolt in the number 4cylinder.

long story short, i was sick of that engine and just wanted it too die, and i just needed an engine that ran.

so this 30 dollar piece of magic happened:



ka24e. ran like a top. beat the living jesus out of that engine. but the need for boost hit again.

then this happened:





and this to run it: (ms2) assembled by me lol.


most current pic:


horrid fmic setup



rockin the clubs12 banner




kinda running as off now, getting dyno tuned next week, so itll be legit by the end of this contest haha.

setup to make my car sound cooler than it really is :
engine
s14 ka24de
Oem rebuild
bored .020 over
BC "stage 2" cams
simplfied intake, coolant lines etc.
cool stainless steel lookin turbo oil and coolant lines
t25g turbocharger.
poo ebay turbo manifold
shiny dump and downpipe.
hacked intercoooler setup.
hks SSQV cool sounding BOV
450cc injectors
whinebro fuel pump
nismo fpr

engine management:
megasquirt 2 horribly tuned by me (for now)
GM map,CTS,IAT sensors.
s13 ignition setup

still to install:
ford EDIS COP ignition

supension:
megan coirover
s13 inners and outers cut for alignment
s14 tension rod bracket
lame no name adjustable tension rods.
s13 brakes, 4 lug hubs

still to install:
z32 brakes, need to find 5 lug stuff.

I purchased this car in March of 2008, for a ungodly sum of $2300....it was a lot, I know!!! I had been looking for an s12 for quite awhile though. They are impossible to find period around here, let alone in somewhat decent condition. So I bent over, and took it in the ass. BUT the car was now mine!!!

After the ignition upgrade and a couple other touches of my own....this was my stock engine and exterior:





Then I decided I was sick of this mediocre slow car....so it was time for a swap in my driveway (in the canadian elements lol). So my friend drifted his Silvia into a ditch....and I bought his whole car for $1000....including the CA18DET, GT2860RS, brand new IC core, HKS SSQV BOV, IC piping etc.....figured I could NOT pass up that deal!!! So in January of 2009 the swap began! Please note.....I did this swap ALL by myself, Ive done ALL the work on the car ALL by myself. No one other than me has touched it (minus one friend for 30min helping me with the wiring), which is a miracle cuz Im just a self/internet taught backyard mechanic, that still has a lot to learn.

Pulling ca18det engine out:


Routing the IC shit took the longest, mainly because I wanted to keep my battery where it was, so it was interesting to make the piping I was given work for my routing. But I used what I had and made it work!


Engine went in....then within 2 months I blew the headgasket, and she sat ALL winter. I had driven her barely at all. so at this point Ive had the car almost 2 yrs and had driven it a grand total of maybe 6 months!....But in the spring of 2010 I fixed the HG and got her all back together. Added a lil snazzy coloring while I was at it

Engine as of now:



So finally have her running the way I want. I put my T25G on during the HG change just because I didnt think my mods warranted the GT2860RS at the time. And I thought I blew it (when it was actually the HG). So instead of putting on the disco again I opted to sell it so I could do up my suspension instead. Theres always time to upgrade the engine more in the future....my suspension on shitty lowering springs was killing me.....so it was time to do that!

But first I wanted to fixed my wrecked door panels. And did something a lil bit different. For my first time wrapping a panel it turned out ok

Interior Shot:



Exterior before suspension swap/coilover:



But yes....now for the suspension!

parts:



on car:




And now to the full pics....I took some more today....just for this contest

self-rolled fender ftw?!


trying to be artsy with a shitty cam:


as you can see the car is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination....bumper got hit by precious owner...and the lip cracked a lil due to me! OOPS


more from today:



Current Mods List:
- CA18DET swapped
- GT2860RS (soon to have another back on)
- T25G
- B&M Short Shifter
- Turbo Smart Manual Boost Controller
- Dual 12" electric fans
- Apexi Cone Filter
- HKS Wastegate actuator
- Autobahn 88 IC Core 600mmx300mmx77mm
- 3" Dump pipe back exhaust (cat. delete w/ flow through muffler to a 4" tip)
- Apexi Turbo Timer
- Shitty Sunpro Tach
- Faze Boost/AF gauges
- Tenzo R seats
- Super cool functional hood scoop lol
- Momo Harnesses
- Walbro 255LPH Fuel Pump
- 15" Fastwheel Flashback 8 rims
- Advan 205/55 A032 rubber
- s13 inner/outer tie rods
- s13 spindle and hub
- Megan Racing coilovers
- s13 callipers
- Munroe pads
- Z32 SS brake lines


And thats that....why do I think I should win? ummmm no reason inparticular....I just treat my car like its my kid and do whats best for it....like Im sure most everyone does on here lol.......the amount of time and money Ive put into this car is insane lol.....at the end of every month Im broke all because of this white beast haha....but its worth it! so THANK YOU for taking my car into consideration....and thank you for all the help various people have provided during the last couple years with this build. Wouldnt have been able to do it without yah! SO thanks!

*bows*


Heres a lil flyby vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTKe5dsmhks






Heres a few more pics taken today:





^ I was about to hump it....but my friend took the pic a lil early.....haha but I still like this pic

I had no idea what I was getting into when I bought this car in may of 2007...

Driving down the road, I saw it parked on someone's side yard. I Love 80's boxy cars. And for some reason had to have this thing. So I stopped to take a quick look. The car had a few dents here and there. but no rust (In Wisconsin no less). So I went to knock up on the door.

Talked to the guy for a little bit, found out what he had done (Rebuilt the ca, done other maintenence, misc stuff), but due to an electrical problem with the digital dash, couldn't drive it because he didn't trust it. So I casually asked him how much he would want for it.

He said, and I quote "If you have 200 dollars on you, it's yours. If you have to leave, the price goes up to a grand".

I look back at him and say "Don't really feel like letting it go do ya?", he replied with "Not really, It's just kind of a cool car."

Funny thing, I never carry cash. But today I had cashed a check and never deposited it. So I had that 200 cash on me.

And then I bought it. Having never seen an S12... Snatched it up and drove it off for 200 dollars, thinking to myself "Who cares? It's 200 bucks".



As I was driving it home with my friend tailing behind me in my maxima. The thing starts to get a little warm. So I stop at advance.... No biggie, It wasn't ever fully filled with coolant. So I dump some water in (It was may, so it couldn't freeze)

Got it home, and found an envelope in the glove box. It had every service record since the day it was sold (In Austin, Texas), including the oil change the day it was sold. It had the insurance cards from every single person that had at some time, owned this car. Receipt after receipt, owner after owner. After all was said and done, I came to find out that 17 people before me had owned this car. It had bounced from texas to washington, to florida, to nevada, to illinois, then to central wisconsin.

It has had 4 paint jobs. Started out life white, then went red, then green, then back to white. And now, with me. Currently all flat black. Which has been sprayed over time and time again as things happened to it. It was tagged by some kids where I live. It has been in 4 accidents. (Zero since I've owned it). And you'd never fully know that this car was once totaled.

That night, I met the girl I'm currently with, Aly. This car was bought the day we met.

So, After registering it. I got incredibly drunk, and decided "What the hell, Let's paint this thing to look like a corolla". So I did it. Using a single newspaper as a block against the paint. And went to town with it. The result was absolutely terrible, But the drunken Treuno in disguise worked so well, it scared me... Everyone thought it was one

Here is an early photo of it parked with my maxima, with Aly standing next to them.

I drove it. Worked out some of the electrical issues. But about every 20 minutes of driving I had to get out of the car to jiggle the alternator ground, or it would stop charging and the battery would die. This lasted for two months.

fast forward to june of 07'. I was out beating the CA stupid in the rain. It was 2000 miles old after the rebuild, and it was a 200 dollar car. It was absolutely downpouring, and the roads had flooded. They were so high in one part of town where train tracks go over it, that I came up to a stalled buick facing the other way. Got out, waded into the small lake basically, And asked him what was up.

He had sucked in some water... Hydrolocked... I should've heeded it...

So I turn around, and back into the water. Get behind him, water rushing into the car from every opening. And start to push him. Exhaust bubbling through the water, and in my review mirror I notice my rear window has a water line in it. About up to 6 inches above my headlights was under water.

I pushed him up and out, and all was good. Soggy, but good. So I grab a screwdriver and a hammer out of the hatch, and punch a couple small hole in the floor pan from underneath to drain the water. All was good. Until I decided to go back home..........

This meant going through the small lake. The rain had let up a little, So I figured it was good enough to go.

I was very, very wrong....

Halfway through she starts to stumble, and water pours over the hood.... FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. burble burble, Tink. Nothing but radio........... Hydrolocked.......... Shit

Got it out of the water thanks to a police car and his brush guard. Still raining, I pulled out all of the exhaust plugs and cranked it over. Water sprayed a good 30 feet away from the car out of one of them. There it is now, empty. Put plugs back in, and see what happens.

It starts. Runs like absolute garbage, but runs. Knowing the damage is already done I drive it home as fast and hard as I can. To see what will befall of this beast.

After getting it back, the next week I move 30 miles away back to home in Wausau. Leaving the 0l' S12 there, for a month. Next time I see her, she's covered in paintball paint, the stereo has been stolen (But not the CD required to unlock it which was in the glove box, next to the keys, Which WERE stolen), and they took the big ol' can that was on it. Which made me laugh even harder, as it had been on 7 cars before the 200.

So I find I have to hotwire the car. So I did thanks to it being pretty easy, fire it up. And drive it up onto the flatbed. Get it to my parents house, and park it.

Fast forward to October '08

I got laid off from work. Sign up for dislocated workers program, go back to school with unemployment benefits, and state granting up the wazoo. I'm still currently seeking my degree, with about 3-5 more years to go, depending on how far I want to take things.

So... I miss the car. Aly misses this car. It was fun, it was interesting, it was comfortable, and got AWESOME gas milage. So I start to look for a new motor for it. Not 5 minutes into my search I find one. In an 87. So it was a silver top. Looking at the differences, figure there's no difference in anything really, and figure I can swap stuff over from my motor to the new one, and she'll work right as rain. Bought this parts car for 100 dollars.

I was right.
With some simple swap over stuff, she worked as good as new. rebuild alternator, couple more things. 200 bucks total and she was driving. No more keys needed, as the originals were stolen just over a year ago at this time.

This is what was inside of the old motor



And all was well... until winter came and the world was below 32 degrees.
Every night, I had to leave this car attached to a car charger, block heater, and every morning I had to spray ether into the AIV valve to start it. let it warm up for 10 minutes, and THEN drive to school. It was a MAJOR pain in the ass... So I start researching the KA Swap beginning on '09

The day I decide to look for an engine, I come across half of a 240sx, for 400 dollars. The shell was clean, but was missing too many parts for my liking to just build it. I buy it, start modifying parts, and in 3 days, start to finish. I have a KA in my S12. Sweetness... The final nail in the coffin for the swap to commence was the CA springing a pinhole coolant leak in it's upper hose. I was dying for a reason to swap.

All was well. A ton of goodies came with this motor, and a ton more have gone into it. Because the KA made the stock from springs squat. I grab the rear set of drop springs that were on the donor 240sx, and throw them onto the S12 to drop the rear and make her sit level. Works like a champ. The Stock seat broke. Replaced by one that I had from the original donor 200sx. Dunno why I kept that one seat, but hey. It worked!

Before


After, With a SWAT team in my driveway



About this time is when I lend out my Maxima to a friend. This friend has borrowed cars from me in the past, blown one transmission in my probe (Not really an uncommon thing for that car), and fixed everything that he has broken. So he's a friend that I can count on to fix things if he breaks it.
He the proceeds to plow the Maxima into the rear of a parked van, which destroys the front of the maxima in many ways, and just barely scratches the ford windstar he hit. The maxima is now junk...

This is about the time when my S12 gets tagged by some rowdy kids. There was purple paint, there was red paint, and there were some crudely painted flowers all over my car in many, many places. It was terrible. So I proceed to paint it flat black because I had no money, No time, and no tools to do anything of any real worth for a paint job.

Several months go by, and my friend can't pony up the money to fix it. So instead, he gives me his 240sx. Okay, cool. I still have the maxima, plus now I have a pile of shit rusty ass 240sx with some good parts in it. Let's see what we can do!
I pull the coils, I pull the motor, I pull freaking everything. Sell most of it off, keep a lot of it. I have tons of parts. And this set of coilovers



I go into my design mindset. So I start drawing, mocking, and building things to make these coilovers work in the rear of my SRA, Without modifying anything from factory. I make a crude kit, refine it some, and then go ahead and install everything at a good height as not to let the exhaust scrape the ground.

And from here, Not a whole hell of a lot more has happened to the car itself, just some minor stuff. Broke the second drivers seat, replaced with S13 seat. Welded diff. etc.






List of what it has for modifications
-KA swap
-Fidanza flywheel
-XTD six puck clutch
-Ebay short shifter
-crappy 2.5 inch header back exhaust
-Custom sway bars
-240SX radiator
-Altima dual fan setup, on an automatic switch at 190 defrees
-Some Ebay intake
-Walbro 190
-5 point harness
-S13 drivers seat
-Welded diff
-S13 front conversion
-Ksport coilovers
-Stripped interior
-Analog dash conversion from digidash
-More I can't think of/don't care to say because it's stuff needed to do other stuff already mentioned/too minor to be mentioned

Things to be done to it, in short order no less
-Boosted
-Better exhaust
-More suspension stuff
-Painted
-Caged
-Milling out a bolt on part to give more lock, and fix ackerman angle issue.
-More custom fabrication
-Blown up motor
-Broken
-Happily done all over again

I could go on and on about it even more. But this has already turned into somewhat of a novel. But let me say, this car has changed me as a person. Before this, a car was a tool for me to get to my end means. It has started me down a path I can never turn away from. In one day, I bought this, met the girl whom may be the love of my life, and led an overwhelming sense of accomplishment for a car that many people don't even know exist. A lot of work and sacrifice has gone into this thing. It may LOOK like a rag tag poorly painted slapped together car, but it really isn't, and is much more than that to me. It symbolizes my past, present, and future. It's advancement can easily be paralleled with the blossoming of my relationship with Aly, and the furthering of myself as a person. I will never let this car die, and it will never leave our possession, hell or high water. This car is extremely sentimental. I don't think I should win this contest because my car is the best. It's far from being anywhere close to the best. But this car has a story, it has soul, and most of all, It has a huge piece of Alyssa's, mine, and tons of other people's hearts into it also. It has been a collaboration of a lot of idea's, knowledge, experimentation, and blood to get it as far as it is. It's not just a car. It's a way of life. It's the only hobbyist 200sx in Wisconsin, legally driving down the roads with every modification it has. No limits, with the limits nowhere in sight. It has been passed off, totaled, face-lifted, skipped the country, drowned, beaten, crashed, and drifted. This car has a hard life. And it just keeps getting better every step I take with it.

To me, this car, is the epitome of enjoying the car life.

I am as much of a slave to this car, as this car is a slave to me... For that, I respect it

Year/Make/Model:
84 datsun 200sx s12
Vehicle History/Summary:


bought this piece for 400 bux, put a 40 dollar sohc ka inside to replace the shit ca20e.. first swap when i was 16-17. started drifting. got rid of that and threw a sr20 fanboy motor in it for use of 3rd gear! car is just for track use. though i drive it to some meets with the antique plates. i hit lots of trees LOL!!!

ive invested like a good 2500-3k into this bitch. hell yea shitz real jdm dawg


Modifications
Engine/Exhaust/Drivetrain:

comp stage 4 clutch with 11 pound jun flywheel (used)
late redtOp sr20det at 10 psi (t25) (used)
greddy rocker arms stoppers (used)
mid mount i/c (used) with SAM (super awesome motorsports) exaust tubing i/c piping (flux core weldz dawg...)
half and half s12/s13 hybrid driveshaft
coostom TrAnS MoUnT
3 inch dp all the way back to hks muffler
stripped chassis harness car runs on 12 fused volt power

Suspension/Brakes:

CNC hydraulic staging brake (for the rear) (new)
brembo rotors (used)
s13 front coilover conversion megan coilovers. (used)
homemade spring perches in the rear with billstein camaro shocks, generic red ebay springz (used)
rear s110 diff/axles (used)
rear s13 calipers on s110 caliper brackets (used)
cut steering knuckles (used)
Wheels/Tires:
hoshino g5 impuls, (used)
riken mesh, (used)
drift steelies (used)
2 inch spacers for the rear (used)
Exterior:

turbo s12 hood (used)
v6 s12 sidskirts and lip (used)
mk2 mudflaps (used)


Interior/Audio:
roll cage
1999 momo seat (expired 02)
grant wheel (used)
4 point sparco (expired)
aem wideband (used)
4 point harness bar. (used)
s13 rear view mirror. to fit in (used)



















http://vimeo.com/11575044

This is a pretty cool contest so many awsome examples and stories already was a good read. Made me wanna put mine down aswell... anyway.

This is my 1983 Mk1 Aus spec Gazelle. I bought it from another member of aus12 at the end of last year with the intention of turning it into a track only drifter.

The car looked like this when i first got it.


The car was carrying some decent mods done by the previous owner, including...
Adjustable live axle rear end done with modded s13 coilover and some fab work


Some basic and non adjustable front coilovers


And the best part of the car... CA18DET conversion


Now i had brought this car and driving it home was amazed... easily the best s12 i have owned, only problem was i hadnt done any of the work to the car... it was still someone elses car that they built... little did i know things would soon change.

so disliking the 4x4 ride hight and the miles too far inside the guard fitment a pair of buddyclub coilovers were fitted up front and set to LOW, rear end was also lowered and a pair or Work ewing II's with 30mm spacers were fitted to the front. Lacking any good wheels for the rear i was forced to run whatever i could find at the time which often resulted in the rear looking alot worse then the front of the car lol.

So the better half of the car was sitting like this


And after wanting more steering angle at fulllock this was acheived


So a few mods are done, a diff was blown and some tires were shredded... it was now time for the first track day, or was it?... The water supply line running to the turbo via behind the head decided it wanted to develop a water leak in a really pain in the arse spot the day before drift prac at our local track, Mallala motorsport park, so the day before im wanting to thrash the absolute balls out of it and the engine is coming back out...


So a few beers were had and the car was fixed and running almost dead on midnight... the car was loaded up and off to the track we went.


Have been out to the track 4 times since... the last time proved fatal for the ca though... Big end knock and cracked head gasket were the signs... CA came out again and plans of an SR going in were well on their way... Now i tend to get bored/sidetracked/make big decisions at silly times... and well thats kind of what happened. An SR20DET was purchased and 98% ready to go in and wired when this came along



I have no idea why i changed my mind and decided to put the RB in, guess part of it was that it was just laying around doing nothing and i thought that it would be cool haha.
So the RB is now going in, mounts are almost finished and just need to gather a few bits and peices before it is ready for wiring. So thats pretty much it the story of my s12 over the last 7-8 months. The car will never be "finished" it will always be changing but here are a few pics of how it is at the moment and from the track before the ca died...








Well theres my entry, doesnt measure up at all to some of the sweet s12's getting around here but thought Id chuck it in anyway