ferrari87 Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hey guys! I've started working on a recently arrived kit, Aoshima's TOP SECRET Nissan Silvia S-15 Spec. R. It's a decent kit. There are some fitment issues with the hood and front bumper but those should be easily solved. What will take some work is putting in an RB26 from my spare R32 kit, along with the transmission. I'll also use a single turbo set up and custom exhaust. Otherwise, that's as far as I've planned. it's really rough now, I haven't polished it up much. I just pulled out the dremel and started cutting and did a bit of sanding. I'll be working on this more as I close in on the end of my RX-7 build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 this is going to be very interesting, especially since i have that kit on the shelf myself. i have always wanted to transplant engines on Japanese cars but haven't actually done one yet. keep us updated please! how are you going to cut open the hood or is that opening there going to be it? jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 I will be busting out my dremel again to cut the opening. I was very surprised to find the hood was not molded on. That makes life a lot easier. I'm going to leave a small lip around the fenders for the hood to sit on. The mounting bracket for the front bumper will be re-attached to the chassis. I've yanked a front support beam off the R-32 chassis for this purpose. That will allow me to attach the front of the chassis and body together as the old excuse for an engine was the attachment point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 Managed to make a little progress today... some work on the transmission housing... took the Dremel to the hood mounting area... look for some more progress throughout the week... still a ways to go on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanesteele240 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I love me some nissans. The s15 would have sold like crazy in the US if nissan would have sold them as the turbo jdm version. They must not like money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 I love me some nissans. The s15 would have sold like crazy in the US if nissan would have sold them as the turbo jdm version. They must not like money My next build is an R-34 with a Hobby Design RB26DETT. I do love Nissan's as well. I have at least two more planned. A 370Z and an R35 GTR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 A weekly update guys. I've spent most of the last couple days mocking up, tearing down, measuring, mocking back up, and modifying several parts. Notably, the sub-frame assembly and splash guard. The stock sub-frame assembly and splash guard does not have the clearance around the oil pan for proper engine placement. I corrected this by cutting open the splash guard. Next, I ran into issues with the rack and pinion steering piece. This was corrected by taking some liberty with the construction of the oil pan. I cut away some of the oil pan after removing all parts of the AWD system from the parent R32 vehicle. To further ensure a proper engine placement, I against took some liberty with the rack and pinion steering, cutting and flattening the rod on the engine side (as opposed to the underside) of the rod. I will now be able to maintain the proper ride height and original construction of the front suspension and add the RB26. I'll get some pictures up shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 ok guys. Weekly update #1 (I plan on havinging a second update tomorrow.) First, I have something of a firewall with some detail and a rough beginning of an engine bay. with the firewall mostly taken care of, I turned to the strut towers. obviously I need to sand the Tamiya white putty and smooth it out. Next I need to add some detail to the actual strut tower top and a crash structure to the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 nice going! things should shape up pretty well in the engine compartment. jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om617 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I think it`s really cool you make it full detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Thanks guys. I didnt make as much progress as I wanted to today. Basically I smoothed out the fenders. I still need to add detail to the strut towers and finish up the radiator area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 made some progress this week. I used Milliput to fill in the gaps behind the wheel well and added some structure above the transmission housing. I also sanded the wheel wells to smooth everything out. Once the milliput has dried, I'll go over everything with Tamiya White Putty and add strut tower detail. I also mocked up the engine and radiator. To add some realism to the R32 kit radiator, I placed a backing of .20 styrene and filled in the gaps with white putty. here's a mock up picture of the cooling elements and a closer look: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Bump for something different around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbdolfans Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Justin,I really like the progress on this.It is going to be interesting to see how this goes. Have you decided on a body color?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I saw your "what's the point" thread and it seemed you want constructive input. First, I like what you're doing. Several of us here who are hard-core "traditional" hot-rodders are of the opinion that engine-swapped imports are some of today's real original-spirit hot-rods. What bothers me about this one, and remember...you asked for constructive feedback...is the Milliput at the firewall / inner fender juncture. I don't know what your plans are, but right now it looks like somebody emptied a couple of cans of Great Stuff urethane expanding foam in the crease, and hoped for the best. I find that careful fitting and shaping of sheet-styrene replacement parts that are going to show on the finished model gives better results than thick gobs of filler. The area you're working in at the junction will be very VERY hard to file and shape to produce anything remotely resembling a 1:1 assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsxse240 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 To expand on ace's comment. Look at how a real car is put together and try to duplicate it either by process or by simulated details. Being a huge 240sx/Silvia enthusiast and owner, I want to see this and all other s-chassis model projects come to fruition and the builder to be happy enough to build more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterlingStang13 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I like what you're doing here. I am primarily a muscle car guy, but also enjoy a clean import. Like Ace, I recommend smoothing out your filler more. From my own personal experience with filler it is a very time consuming process. Any slight bumps, or waviness WILL show up when you go to paint it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Justin,I really like the progress on this.It is going to be interesting to see how this goes. Have you decided on a body color?? I'm torn between Tamiya's Metallic Orange and a Gloss Red. I'll change my mind two more times before I get done with the engine though. What bothers me about this one, and remember...you asked for constructive feedback...is the Milliput at the firewall / inner fender juncture. I don't know what your plans are, but right now it looks like somebody emptied a couple of cans of Great Stuff urethane expanding foam in the crease, and hoped for the best. And this is why I cherish input...I did not think of it like that at all and now that you mention it, that's all I can think of. I'm going to spend a few days figuring out a way to fix it up a bit. My initial plan was to go over the Milliput with Tamiya White Putty. One thing I did mess up on was the transmission housing, that "bump" shouldn't be there along the firewall and I'll have to remove that section if I can. Thanks Bill!! This part of the build will be difficult to see and I was thinking, "well, if it doesn't lookright it won't be too visible." I am still going to revisit this area as I'm not done working with the firewall area. Stay tuned gents, I'll get her right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Justin, I'm glad you took my input in the spirit I intended it. I've been under hoods and cars most of my life, and usually have a pretty good idea of what things should look like, which is a great advantage to a modeler. But the nice thing about today is that we have the internet. You can almost always find a photo of how something would look if it were real, and I use online research constantly. This is a shot from above of a Nissan S15 gutted, being prepped for something like you're building. You can see the junction between the firewall and inner fenders is not filled or radiused, but is a sharp crease where the panels are spot-welded together. Good shot of the strut tower, too. Here's the thread on this car, which has lotsa shots of the project you may find helpful. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=682434&mid=0&nmt=Nissan+Silvia+S15+-+Twin+Turbo+V8+Track/Drift+Car+Build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Yep. I'd lose the molded marshmallow look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Bill those pictures are friggin sweet! I did a generous amount on googling but could only find pictures of the SR20 installed. I found one picture of a bare engine bay but i could not verify if it was an S15 or one of her older sisters. It also left what was behind the wheel wells to my imagination. I think what i can do is tear down what I have built up and remove the milliput. If I am careful enough, I may be able to re-use the styrene firewall and inner fenders. If not, I can easily make new ones. As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Thanks again Bill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Looking good. Do you have a picture of the box or a real car so we can see where you're going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjeffro26 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) This is the car from the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift. (the car he crashed in the begining) It is an S15 with the RB26 in it. I really like this idea. The car must be a monster! Edited February 28, 2015 by captjeffro26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsxse240 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 a friend of mine has a RB25 (rear wheel drive) in his S14 and it is scary fast. Dyno shows about 550 horsepower. It's very heavily modified, but still retains a factory look. I'm honestly not impressed by the RB series due to the fact that they're as heavy as a big block chevy engine and only produce about 250-300 horse stock (from all the dyno runs I have seen with my friends' cars) Don't get me wrong, a GT-R power plant with all wheel drive would be absolutely KILLER in any S-chassis. There's a company in California, Full Race, that converts S-chassis cars to awd with the GT-R drive train of your choice. keep up the good work, I'll be watching intently! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrari87 Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Don't get me wrong, a GT-R power plant with all wheel drive would be absolutely KILLER in any S-chassis. There's a company in California, Full Race, that converts S-chassis cars to awd with the GT-R drive train of your choice. keep up the good work, I'll be watching intently! Thanks for following along Ken! I'm going to keep this one rear wheel drive for simplicity as putting in the Tamiya engineered AWD drivetrain would have meant some serious modifications. Initially, I thought maybe I could use the whole front end of the donor R32 but nothing fit right. Currently all parts of AWD system have been permanently removed. Skip, as you requested...here is the box, it's Aoshima's TOP SECRET S15 \ here is the current paint color: Bill, I took your advice and disassembled the entire firewall back to square 1. The milliput is gone and I will be mounting the firewall closer to the inner fenders IAW the picture you provided. I still will have a considerable gap from the back of the engine to the firewall but that is mostly a compromise of several issues. The leading one being the sub-frame assembly that holds the LCA's that mount to the steering knuckles. To properly place the engine, the oil pan is in direct conflict with the sub-frame assembly and to move it, I would have to redesign the entire front suspension. I also have a feeling that the engine isn't quite the size it needs to be either. The R32 donor is an old kit and I suspect that even Tamiya's excellent engineering may have made the engine a wee bit too short. In fact, it looks more like the SR20 motor than the RB26 in the engine bay but this is a minor issue I can live with. I probably won't make much progress over the weekend but with Tuesday and Wednesday off, I'll be able to reconstruct the firewall and resume progress on the front of the engine bay, adding in the crash beam and radiatior supports and then finally start to mock up the intercooler placement and then charge air piping as well as the intake piping. Stay tuned gents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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