Loads of S Body Build Questions...someone help!!

Thread in 'Technical Questions' started by BHPSeeker, Jun 12, 2014.

  1. BHPSeeker

    BHPSeeker Member

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    Ok so I am currently building an S14a shell to accommodate an RB25det, I am on a tight time frame (end of July) so I need to keep costs down really and I have a lot of questions emerging:

    1. Is there any great benefit for going adjustable arms all round compared to standard arms/wishbones?
    2. Do rose joints on said arms mean you don't need to poly-bush?
    3. Anybody tried the Chinese arms off ebay? (dare I say it they look just like any other set out there)
    4. What Coilovers should I be going for my options seem to be Daiyama, HSD mono's, Racing Logic Hyper Street
    5. Are the standard ARB's any good or shall I replace them for uprated ones??
    6. Anybody any hot tips for 'budget' mods to do while the shell is bare??

    Predominantly the car will be for street with occasional track use so I don't want anything to harsh.

    The shell is completely bare at the minute, so I am building it up from scratch essentially, but using my old s14 for donor parts...

    :thumbs:
     
  2. mint

    mint touch my fruit

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    1. Lots of benefit. It means you can align the car to more exact figures that you have in mind.

    2. Yes, however they usually go far far far quicker than a polybush. Jites runs rose mounts on his s14a, and I think he regrets it. Use Polybushings unless your up for swapping them out.

    3. Never.. Fuck that. I bet some do though and they will be in to let you know how they found them.

    4. Up to your budget really. I run HSD's as do loads of people. I have however had many HSD shocks fail. Another bloody one died 2 days ago on my daily.. so im going to have to go swap it out for a shite raceland cause my handeling is wack now.

    5. This is personal prefrence. Have you experienced different types of ARB before? Some can make or break a car. on my s15 I ran an uprated rear Whitelines one but an OEM front one. Felt great. Some people remove the OE one from the front. I ran uprated ones on an MX5 and it was awful! So I removed them and ran without, still felt crap but better than the ARBs.

    6. Tub archs, Cage it, seam weld & paint it something amazing.

    :)
     
    #2 mint, Jun 12, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2014
  3. BHPSeeker

    BHPSeeker Member

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    Cheers Buddy! :thumbs:

    all the adjustable arms I have seen have rose joints though...don't the joints replace the bushes, if so where do I find adjustable arms that are bush-able??
     
  4. mint

    mint touch my fruit

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    Well its the option you get, Bushed or Rose jointed. I believe Jose Joints are meant to be better, but dont last as long. I havent used rose joint arms before so not sure. I'll get Jites to read this thread, he has adjustable everything on his s14a.
     
  5. jon07043278

    jon07043278 Well-Known Member

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    What Mint said tbh.

    I wouldn't go anywhere near the diayama's though. I've tried BC Racing, HSD's and Mesiter R's and all seem pretty good.

    Yes the adjustable arms all come with rose joints, so you don't get much choice with them.
     
  6. sparky_s13

    sparky_s13 Active Member

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    APEX do adjustable arms with bushes instead of rose joints
     
  7. 4ever_sideways

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    1.) Is there any great benefit for going adjustable arms all round compared to standard arms/wishbones?

    Do all the usual ones, caster in the front and the three upper arms in the back. I wouldn't really bother with changing the LCA's

    3.) Anybody tried the Chinese arms off ebay? (dare I say it they look just like any other set out there)

    This can be really hit and miss. I have chang spec castor arms and they're been really good. most if not all are made form shitty materials

    4.) What Coilovers should I be going for my options seem to be Daiyama, HSD mono's, Racing Logic Hyper Street

    BC golds

    5.) Are the standard ARB's any good or shall I replace them for uprated ones??

    This is a personal preference thing, I run a larger one in the back.

    6.) Anybody any hot tips for 'budget' mods to do while the shell is bare??

    Since a lot of the cars on here seem to be really rusty, underseal it. Get rid of unnecessary wiring.
     
  8. mint

    mint touch my fruit

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    Haha thats because they littler our roads in the winter with salt and grit.. which plays its role in rusting our domestic cars :( So yeah, underseal would be a plan!
     
  9. Jites

    Jites Active Member

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    If your car is track only or driven on the road rarely then rose joints are fine. They will wear quickly and make the car feel very loose and unstable indeed. If your planning to run on the streets often and daily then get bushed (harder compound rubber if pos) adjustable arms. If your going to go low and still want to be able to set your alignment properly then youll need them.

    ARB's are personal preference, I run super thick ones due to having very very soft springs but the HSD's I have are old and I just put up with that as Ive got no NEED to change them even though id like to get some Part Shop Max coilovers with much stiffer springs.

    Id go for Part Shop Max going by your location as they are sold locally to you

    Cheap Chinese unknown materials... nah, pass mate. Buy a branded set of arms and if rose jointed get the best you can afford as the quality of material and tolerance the rose joints are made to is key to lifespan.

    Hardrace, APEX and Cusco all do bushed arms, Ikeaya formula would be the brand id choose if money was no object for rose jointed ones but I use driftworks rose jointed arms. Had them for 3 years, had to replace all the rose joints last year for MOT but ive not used the car for anything other than drifting and hooning about since and they are still fine. the Driftowrks arms are super strong, smashed the cunt out of them and none have bent or broken

    Hope that helps
     
  10. BHPSeeker

    BHPSeeker Member

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    Rust doesn't seem to be a problem, the shell I got from sx_si and its been well looked after and undersealed although it will be getting another coat before I build things up...

    The rear arches have been flared already and look really good, plus its in a metallic green colour which I think looks really good in the sun...plus I want to go for the standard look then whack em with big power :D

    Great info buddy I'll get on google and see what I can find, the car is going to be weekend road use mainly with the odd track day thrown in so I want to keep everything tight without making her an uncomfortable bitch to ride!

    Cheers all!! Build thread coming soon!!
     
  11. mint

    mint touch my fruit

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    I was more so meaning about the front archs being tubbed and painting / seam welding the bay. Such as..

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Clark3y

    Clark3y Member

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    Rose jointed arms are only rose jointed on one end. If you fit a 4 arm kit then you still have the front lower arm inners, arb, rack. Rear lower inners and outers, upper outers. Poly subframe are worth doing.
    I wanted a fit and forget solution so went with apex (hardrace) bushed arms, they were/are running a group buy on them.

    Coilovers I'd go HSD. I blew one on my e36 but that was because I had it set up incorrectly and ignored the problem until it popped, they are reliable units. Just saying though, I have a near new set of BC's for sale right now :p
     
  13. BenRice

    BenRice Well-Known Member

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    1.Is there any great benefit for going adjustable arms all round compared to standard arms/wishbones?
    For predominantly street use, go for castor up front, camber and toe in rear (dont bother with rear traction arms until you are worried about tyre wear while drifting). Poly subframe collars if you can find a set cheap help stiffen it up but not as rock solid as subframe risers, so good compromise.

    2.Do rose joints on said arms mean you don't need to poly-bush?
    As stated, only one end is rose jointed. Replacement rose joints are easy to find and swap out.

    3.Anybody tried the Chinese arms off ebay? (dare I say it they look just like any other set out there)
    I've had D2 Racing (chinese) camber arms in mine for 5 years of street / track use. Just checked them and rose joints are still fine.

    4.What Coilovers should I be going for my options seem to be Daiyama, HSD mono's, Racing Logic Hyper Street
    BC Racing Gold from experience are a good hybrid of street and track. For an RB25DET power car i would go for 10kg front springs if you have the choice. Keep the rears at 6kg. If you want to go stupid low, then 12's and 8's.

    5.Are the standard ARB's any good or shall I replace them for uprated ones??
    I fitted an A31 Cefiro one to mine to clear the sump and it worked fine, just used uprated poly bushes. Good compromise between buying Whiteline ones.

    6.Anybody any hot tips for 'budget' mods to do while the shell is bare??
    Use the R33 skyline front crossmember, it will place the engine and gearbox in the best position and bolt up to the factory holes.
    Tubbing front arches is a good idea if you plan on going low with big lock / 9"+ wide front wheels. Otherwise don't bother unless you are prepared to do an engine bay respray.
    Make front radiator support unboltable as it will make installing/removing engine easier (dont know if this is legal in the UK so check first).
    Relocate wiring loom that runs through the RHS wheel arch. Either move it into the engine bay or move the engine bay fuse box into the car, ideally either in the glovebox or in the centre console.

    If you have any specific questions regarding the RB25DET swap send me a message.
     
  14. BHPSeeker

    BHPSeeker Member

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    Ah I see, looks good but pointless for me I think...plus time isn't on my side!!

    Where abouts do I find info on the group buy?

    @BenRice thanks for the info, the swap had already been done in the old S14 so most of the work went into that will be getting swapped into the 14a! the only big job I will have is wiring loom, a friends tuning company have their own ECU so I will be blanking a lot of the pointless sensors and building a custom loom
     
  15. WarrantyVoid

    WarrantyVoid New Member

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  16. immy21

    immy21 Member

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