I got one of the last Nissan 240SX cars in California last year. It was clean and original. This vehicle was just right for me. It had a black interior, a dual-cam engine, Aztec Red paint, a manual gearbox, and no cracks in the dash. I loved Nissan cars and the 240SX. A retired woman gave it to me after 27 years of ownership, during which she kept all the repair records. She even saved the window sticker and Monroney label that the last owner put on the car. I want to make it my own while still recognizing how great the car is. Some people might say I should have held onto this example stock, but I’ve been a modifier for as long as I’ve been a car fan (forever). But my plan for this 240 will meet my “must-modify” need and keep conservatives (and me) happy. But there was a plan: Make a copy of the Kouki 180SX Type X as it is in Japan. The production of the 180SX continued until 1998. The 180SX is the Japanese counterpart of the 240SX hatchback, if you speak that JDM geek language. In its later years, the car was sold in a “Type X” trim (kouki means “later version”), which had a special aero package with a unique wing, skirts, and other things. To finish off the look, my Kouki Type X mod needs the following: Bumper Turn on the lights. Turning on the lights. The lip of the bumper Extension of the bumper on the side Bumper brackets for vehicles Type X side skirts Type X back valances X-shaped wings Kouki Type X tail lights have a center piece, bottom metal trim, and a key lock for the trunk. We have the 180SX Type X wheels available. I also wanted to find all OEM parts or copies of the same quality to make my purist side happy. Many of these items are over thirty years old and very used, or they’re BNIB/NOS and very expensive. Regardless, the search started. Luckily, the first group of parts came without any problems. A friend of a friend says that Nissan gave them a genuine wing, lookalike side skirts from the famous DorkiDori brand, and new parts for all the taillights. Everything on the front end came next. It’s not just a bumper; it’s very complex. Side extensions, lights, an emblem, brackets, and a lip finish off the look. Oh, and you’ll need conversion brackets to adjust the bolt spacing since Japanese license plates are different from US plates. You’ll also need to make sure the wire harnesses are in place to connect all the lights. I found a new OEM bumper with extensions on Facebook Marketplace. The seller turned out to be the cousin of one of my close friends. An excellent way to meet other car fans is to buy and sell car parts online. People start talking instead of doing business, and they end up becoming friends. The last things I got were new and came from stores like Enjuku and Z1. While looking for parts, I found a set of original 180SX wheels on Yahoo Auctions Japan. My friend Jacob at Shock the Mob, which specializes in importing Japanese car parts to the US, helped me bring them in. It turned into a waiting game after a tax-related delay. Fortunately, I won the bid, and in the end, they came. At the same time, put on paint. I went to ACG Mobile Paint in San Diego after seeing their work at a local Cars and Coffee event. Is the paint a good match? Great. Finally, as a sixteen-year-old, I was overjoyed to see fifty pieces (even the small details) laid out on the floor, exactly matched and ready to turn my car from tame to Japanese Domestic Market and totally awesome. We began to install it after I called my car-fanatic friends and ordered drinks and food. It was a normal garage night, with a lot of laughing, fixing problems, and small wins. We were able to fit it all in three days: the front on the first day, the sides on the second, and the back and wing on the third. After a lot of mounting, measuring, and drilling, my idea was 99% done. All I needed was that Japanese box with the nasty wheels. For months, I drove around on the original steelies with teardrop-style hubcaps. Still, I kept the project going by working on other parts first, such as the interior and visual upgrades. The OEM S13 seats were replaced by S14 seats, which are more comfortable. After taking off a different S-chassis, I was able to put on a leather S15 Silvia shift knob to replace the broken, soft, and old S13 OEM one. Instead of just making the body kit look better on the outside, I paid attention to the smaller things, like color and PDR. Both are easy changes that make the car look a lot better overall. Besides keeping the car cool (the AC isn’t working yet), the tint stops the dashboard from breaking into pieces. Also, I like that the dark color matches the 240SX’s black trim on the rear windows and trunk. Even though the car has been repaired several times, it’s unreasonable to expect it to last forever. At first, the problem was losing the feel of the clutch. The trouble didn’t go away when I changed the master and slave cylinders. I then saw that the clutch damper on the 240SX between the enslaver and the enslaved person often breaks. I took that off and continued my trip. I chose to get a Koyorad after my regular radiator blew up. There haven’t been any issues with the mechanics since that time! An exhaust was necessary because I knew I wanted the car to be louder. It’s not clear if an aftermarket exhaust system makes a stock 2.4L KA24 more powerful, but it had almost no effect. I just needed more soul. The HKS Sport exhaust was the least noticeable, cheapest, and most dependable choice I could find that would keep it looking like a stock setup. The simple add-on turned out to be a great way to make driving my car a lot more fun. Jacob from Shock the Mob finally texted me, “Your wheels are in.” I went to Corona, California, to get the last thing I needed for my car and to hang out with an old friend. The next day, I had new tires put on, and we were able to drive again. At last, this was it. After a year, the goal was reached: by using mostly factory parts, a regular 240SX was turned into a clone of a fully loaded 180SX Type-X. This part should be done, but it would need more parts, like 180SX seats or an SR20DET engine, to be improved. But because projects like this are never really done, I always want more. Since I posted, I found some original equipment maker skirts to replace the car’s fiberglass copies. I’ve also gotten many suspension parts that will be in V2. Right now, I’ll be driving it a lot and possibly going to a track day with it in its current setup. I’ll also be busy planning how the car will evolve.
