From rags to riches - the junkyard dog. 325iS rebuild + k swap!

[grandeswag]

Whoops, going out of order for a second here. Forgot to post about the brake booster setup. Really nice to ditch that crusty old one. 944 booster with a 2002 reservoir and some hoses to relocate. I opted for the Chase Bays ABS delete kit to clean up all the lines. It wasn't my first choice to remove the ABS system but it wasn't working. I also installed a Lantzfab Wilwood clutch master setup as it seems many people struggle with the high RPM shifts with a stock setup. Apparently this is the fix.

[grandeswag]

Fitted up the power steering lines, had a custom line made online from hoseandfittings.com very fast and easy process. Clearance with the intake is super tight, I swear those scratches were from the PO. I had to shave the water pump housing though.

[grandeswag]

Next up was fitting the Kpower headers, this was a major pain. The pipes don't line up at all and they provide you with some laughably short bolts. There's really no way these work out of the box. I had to grind a bevel onto one pipe to be able to get it started, then a mess of prying and hammering to get the others. I also bought some longer bolts that really helped. Of course they leak like a sieve too, so some exhaust sealant is required.

[grandeswag]

I jumped on the Synchro Design Works 24v stainless exhaust group buy. Obviously the downpipe can't fit up but the rest should be a bolt in affair. The Kpower headers finished with a 3" flange and we were trying to fit up to a 2.5" v-band. With some help from a welder buddy, we managed to fit it all together. It wasn't long enough to fit the mtech bumper so we had to extend the mounting brackets.

[grandeswag]

I wired everything up, fitted the catch can and radiator. I loaded a basemap to the Hondata system. Man I was excited to turn the key.. womp, no go - forgot to ground the block. Then it cranked and started up, but wouldn't idle. I was getting a crank sensor no signal code. I tested the voltage at the connector and everything rang out correctly. However I then went to check if the wires were going to the correct pins on the ECU. From my understanding, there was a mistake. I read through the Honda wiring diagrams and they show the CKP going to pin 7 on the A connector of the ECU. My CKP was going to pin 20. Seemed like a blue/yellow wire was swapped with a yellow/blue wire. So I sent photos of my connectors to Kpower and gave them a call. Well, they said that my harness was good and that the wiring was correct - verified by the harnesses they have in the shop. Damn, I guess that wasn't the problem. Pulling my hair out for a week trying to figure out the issue. On a whim I went back to my harness theory and swapped the pins. Car starts right up. Reached out to Kpower and they offered me a T shirt, like I'd ever advertise for them lol.

[grandeswag]

Now that I had the wiring sorted out, I started looking for a remote tuner. Got a quick reply from @calibrated.tuning . Ed has been helping me get the idle dialed in, nice and smooth. During one of our test runs (5 minute idle log) I started hearing a horrible squealing noise from the motor. What a surprise, another bad Kpower part. The idler pulley which came with the power steering kit has totally failed. The pulley rides back and fourth, dragging along the block and destroying the belt. So currently I'm waiting for a replacement part, hopefully they get it out to me soon and get this thing on the road.

[MrBurgundy]

God damn, what a string of posts

[evrgrn]

This is so cool, giving me lots of ideas for my car. PM'ing with some questions about interior stuff.

[varg]

Neat turn of events. The K swap has many objective benefits, it's a light engine, makes good power even NA, and is fairly affordable. You can't really get that combination elsewhere. I wouldn't do it myself because I like I6s too much, but it's definitely a sensible swap. Which K24 variant is this? I don't know enough about them to identify by sight.

[grandeswag]

Neat turn of events. The K swap has many objective benefits, it's a light engine, makes good power even NA, and is fairly affordable. You can't really get that combination elsewhere. I wouldn't do it myself because I like I6s too much, but it's definitely a sensible swap. Which K24 variant is this? I don't know enough about them to identify by sight.

With my other E30 equipped with an S50, I was looking to try something else. Should be fun!

It’s a JDM K24a - Came in a couple different models I believe, TSX and others.

[grandeswag]

Neat turn of events. The K swap has many objective benefits, it's a light engine, makes good power even NA, and is fairly affordable. You can't really get that combination elsewhere. I wouldn't do it myself because I like I6s too much, but it's definitely a sensible swap. Which K24 variant is this? I don't know enough about them to identify by sight.

With my other E30 equipped with an S50, I was looking to try something else. Should be fun!

It’s a JDM K24a - Came in a couple different models I believe, TSX and others.

[s14brent]

this is such a solid build! kudo's!! when the engine bays all sorted this thing is going to be soooo good!! real bummer about kpower......

[82eye]

nice build. k swaps are fun to see.

[OSAH racing]

I am following with interest in this swap as a track car motor. The swap package has been out a few years but I personally have not seen one yet. If you after the best balanced e30 car a 4cylinder is spot on. Did you talk with others who have done this swap first? What kind of reliability are you expecting. I we have a Honda Element w/175K and its a durable little van.

[OSAH racing]

And what great job on all the work. Thats a nice e30 now that you have completely rebuilt it.