1992 Nissan 240SX - The Sleeper - 2013 IMSCC Competitor

We are happy to announce that Steve Maxey will be our final competitor in the Import Meet Street Car Competition. The IMSCC is an event that will compare ten import cars in multiple categories (drag racing, autocross, dyno, car show, etc.) in August 2013.

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With the rise in popularity of drifting over the last ten years it’s rare to see a Nissan 240SX built for anything besides drifting. Steve Maxey had a different approach than most. From the start he’s always wanted the car to be well-rounded street car with the ability to compete in multiple styles of racing events.

Photos by Steve Maxey. Video by Ryan Kam (RK Films).

Watch 1992 Nissan 240SX – The Sleeper – 2013 IMSCC Competitor on YouTube

Of all the cars in the IMSCC it’s no doubt that Steve’s car is the most likely daily driver of the bunch. It has dents, scratches, and is missing paint in some spots. Steve doesn’t deny this, which is why he refers to his car as the perfect sleeper. “The car looks like a $500 beater 240SX that has seen better days. However, underneath the hood is the big surprise of a fully built engine,” he says. The only mod that gives people an idea that the car isn’t stock is the Greddy V-Spec intercooler that takes up most of the front bumper.

Steve likes the fact that people underestimate the car. One of his best experiences was beating a 500 horsepower Dodge Viper at the local drag strip shortly after installing the SR20DET engine. He still had the stock turbo so the car only ran low 13’s but he was confident that the Viper would have traction issues because of his tires. “When I saw the car I asked him if he’d like to run against my 13 second 240SX. He replied that he didn’t want to waste his time. So I asked the line director to hold the Viper in line until I was able to get up to the front. He made it happen and as I predicted, the guy only ran a mid-13 second pass. I wasted him off the line, and he couldn’t catch me in time before crossing the finish line. He was so embarrassed that he left the track from the return lane. It was a very satisfying night to say the least!”

Steve has owned this particular 240SX for five years but has owned the engine since 2005. It was initially swapped into another 240SX chassis but when he picked up this white shell he fell in love with it and decided to make it his primary project instead. The engine and transmission was transferred over to the white car and the leftover shell was sold off.

After swapping the SR into the new chassis he continued to upgrade it. Steve purchased a Garrett GT3071R twin scroll turbocharger with a Full-Race exhaust manifold. “I focused on a balance of engine response, power curve and reliability with my motor build. This is why I went with a medium cam, a twin scroll medium sized turbo and a turbo manifold designed for boost response rather than peak power,” Steve explains.

Once Steve reached the limits of the stock SR he knew he needed to build the engine to handle more power. It was pulled from the car and the head was assembled to a separate block that he had been building while attending college. Everything went together perfectly but right after he started driving it on the break-in tune he had detonation issues and blew out the ring landings on the number one cylinder. Discouraged but not ready to give up, he built his original block instead and salvaged what he could from the blown engine.

The new block was bored to 86.5mm and upgraded with 9:1 CP pistons, Scat H-beam connecting rods, and ACL bearings. The crankshaft was replaced with a brand new one from Nissan. In addition, the head was ported by Portflow Design and Tomei 260 Procams replaced the stock cams.

Steve’s favorite mod is actually the manual seat belts. The car came with automatic belts like just about every other import in the early 90’s and he swapped them out for seat belts from a JDM S13. This modification alone made the car much more enjoyable to drive.

He was inspired to build the car the way he did because of his love of road racing and hill climb competition events. Most of his experience up until this point has been with drag racing and autocross but he wants to start road racing soon.

Steve has big plans for the future, but not for this chassis. He plans on pulling out the drivetrain and putting it in a cleaner shell—a 1996 Nissan 240SX. After that he plans to focus on suspension to make it handle better for autocross/road racing events.

Of all of the cars competing in the IMSCC Steve said he’s most concerned about both GT-R’s. “With only one type of tire allowed they will have the biggest advantage overall with high horsepower and their electronic AWD systems, but I’m in it for the fun and experience. I think it will be an awesome event, and I’m glad I’m able to participate!”

When asked why he thinks he will do well in the IMSCC, Steve responded with:

“I know the car very well. I have experience doing multiple types of motorsports and I also like being the underdog.”

Steve would like to thank:

“I would like to thank my family, friends, and especially my girlfriend of almost 7 years for always supporting me and my mischief and never discouraging me from doing what I love to do.”

Click here to see the rest of the IMSCC competitors

Modifications

Exterior/Wheels/Tires:
17×8 5Zigen Typhoons +27 w/ 245/40R17 Dunlop Direzza ZII (Front)
17×9 5Zigen Typhoons +35 w/ 255/40R17 Dunlop Direzza ZII (Rear)
Clear turn signals

Interior:
OEM S14 front seats
HKS turbo timer
Authentic S13 Silvia manual seatbelt conversion
AEM EMS with MAP and boost control (tuned by English Racing)
Autometer ES wideband air/fuel gauge
Autometer ES electronic full sweep boost gauge
Autometer ES electronic full sweep oil pressure gauge
Autometer ES electronic full sweep coolant temperature gauge
Autometer ES electronic full sweep fuel pressure gauge
JDM SR20DET gauge cluster with 180MPH speedometer conversion
Momo steering wheel hub
Momo mod 08 steering wheel

Engine/Transmission/Differential:
1993 S13 v2 Redtop SR20DET
Bottom end balanced, decked, honed, and bored to 86.5mm
Ported and polished cylinder head
WPC treated 86.5mm CP 9:1 Pistons
Scat H-Beam connecting rods
ARP rod bolts
ARP main studs
ARP head studs
ACL race main bearings
ACL race rod bearings
S14 oil pickup
WPC treated oil pump gears
Ishihara-Johnson crank scraper and baffle
Brand new SR20DE crankshaft
Apexi metal head gasket
Supertech dual valve springs
Supertech titanium retainers
Supertech bronze valve guides
Tomei 260 Procam camshafts (12mm of lift)
WPC treated rocker arms
WPC treated +1mm Ferrea valves
Tomei solid lifter conversion
Megan aluminum accessory pulleys
ATI crank super damper
Full-Race twin scroll manifold
Full-Race/Garret GT3071R Twin Scroll
TiAL V44 external wastegate
Full-Race 3″ turbo elbow
Modified Megan 3″ down pipe
Modified Apexi GT-Spec exhaust (3″/3.75″)
AEM dryflow intake filter
Greddy intake manifold
Greddy V-Spec FMIC
SM Garage hotpipe
TiAL Q BOV
AEM adjustable FPR
Tomei 740cc injectors
Splitfire coil packs
Earls oil filter relocation kit
SM Garage SS braided turbo lines
SM Garage SS braided fuel line
Tomei Fuel Rail external FPR adapter
NGK Iridium spark plugs
Miata battery
Greddy oil pan
Nismo radiator cap
Mishimoto radiator
Circuit Sports radiator hoses
Altima electric fans
Megan brake master cylinder heat shield
MA Motorsports S13.4 valve cover conversion

Suspension/Brakes:
Complete 5 lug conversion
Tokico Blue struts
Eibach Sportline springs
SPL tension rods
Project Nissan adjustable RUCA’s
Megan adjustable toe rods
DefSport Wilwood caliper brackets and aluminum rotor hats
Wilwood Superlite 4 pot calipers
Wilwood outer brake rotors
Wilwood front SS brake lines
Hawk HPS brake pads
SPL SS rear brake and clutch lines
ES sway bar bushings front and rear
ES rear subframe bushings