Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hello from Las Vegas! I've lurked here for a while researching info on my RB swap, but this time I have some questions regarding R32 rear subframe onto a S13 chassis.

Basically, my s13 rear subframe has been tweaked for months now (curbed, woops). My next project I want to complete is:

* Replace my rear subframe

* Go with solid subframe bushings

* Go 5 lug at the same time

* Upgrade the brakes to larger caliper.

* Keep cable e-brake if possible... Otherwise step up to hydraulic

* Add rear multilink arms

* Go to 4.4 final drive

* Goal: Keep/Re-use my 2way s13 non-vlsd/non-abs Kaaz

* Goal: Keep/Re-use my s13 coilovers

* Goal: Keep/Re-use my Whiteline rear sway bar

* Goal: Minimize labor & costs, do most of the work out of car and install as a unit.

I've just recently started researching this project, but I have some questions:

I think an R32 rear subframe bolts directly up to s13, but will of course require a HICAS eliminator. I am thinking of sourcing a complete r32 rear: subframe+diff+axles+arms+hubs+brakes. I will add solid bushings and multilink arms.

1) Can someone please verify the s13 and r32 rear arms are identical?

2) I believe the r32 non-GTRs came with 4.36 R&P final drive in an r200 housing with 5-bolt output shafts? Will I be able to swap my S13 non-ABS non-VLSD Kaaz 2way diff into this new housing?

3) Was non-ABS an option on non-GTR r32s? I ask because my s13 does not have ABS, not sure if this is going to be an issue (driveshaft length?)

4) One last question, will I be able to use my S13 coilovers with the R32 spindles? Not sure but I think I will need to use r32/z32? coilover lower halfs.

I am open to any suggestions you may have.. From what I have read there is no real difference between the S13 and R32 rear subframe, but I want the 4.36 and the 5 lug hubs/brakes also. I can source complete R32 subframe/rear end from our japanese importer, but I need to be sure what I'm ordering first.

Thank you for your help

Edited by mello88
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/191851-r32-rear-subframe-to-s13/
Share on other sites

better off with a non hicas rear subframe i.e s13 with all the 32 gear bolted on

even if you lock the hicas with a bar Ive seen a number wear out the hicas ball joints on 32's a31's

swap to the r32/r33/a31 drum style handbrake just need to use 33 cables or you can buy kits x japan off yahoo

1. yep there the same (gts-t were talking about )

2. hmm not sure on this one r200 is r200 though so should be possible

3. yes I have a non abs R32 gts-t probably more non abs than abs around in gts-t's

4. if you use a gts-t craddle yes if you use a gtr craddle no the bottom mounts are different (there forked sorta)

my suggestion as above get

new s13 non hicas craddle (or even s14,s15 Ive heard these are better)

r32 gts-t diff 4.38 ratio (use it just for crown wheel and pinon)

r32 gts-t brake setup (calipers, drum setup, hubs ,backing plates these are important as the drum setup mounts to this)

cable kit x japan or 33 cables

reuse your driveshafts, camber arms, toe arms, traction rods etc or get aftermarket items

the above setup is pretty much what I now have in my R32 Gts-t although I didnt have to worry about the cables

better off with a non hicas rear subframe i.e s13 with all the 32 gear bolted on

even if you lock the hicas with a bar Ive seen a number wear out the hicas ball joints on 32's a31's

swap to the r32/r33/a31 drum style handbrake just need to use 33 cables or you can buy kits x japan off yahoo

1. yep there the same (gts-t were talking about )

2. hmm not sure on this one r200 is r200 though so should be possible

3. yes I have a non abs R32 gts-t probably more non abs than abs around in gts-t's

4. if you use a gts-t craddle yes if you use a gtr craddle no the bottom mounts are different (there forked sorta)

my suggestion as above get

new s13 non hicas craddle (or even s14,s15 Ive heard these are better)

r32 gts-t diff 4.38 ratio (use it just for crown wheel and pinon)

r32 gts-t brake setup (calipers, drum setup, hubs ,backing plates these are important as the drum setup mounts to this)

cable kit x japan or 33 cables

reuse your driveshafts, camber arms, toe arms, traction rods etc or get aftermarket items

the above setup is pretty much what I now have in my R32 Gts-t although I didnt have to worry about the cables

Great reply, lots of good info!

I was thinking the hicas lock bar might be an issue...

Mostly wanted the 5 lug, brakes, 4.36 and complete rear as a unit. But you're right it would be easier to buy those bits separately and use the s13 cradle.

I have also heard the s14, s15 cradle are superior, but from my research a s14 cradle will not bolt to s13 without some fabrication. Do you know if this is the case for the s15 cradle?

thanks again!

not sure to be honest can't read Japanese which doesnt help but there are plenty of S13's running s15 rear craddles in

Japan see if you can find any info on the was rb26 Riverside onevia now 2jz

I got a Tengoku mag featuring his car clearly showing a s15 craddle in it

To get the s15 subframe in an s13 properly you need custom offset bushes (which are available ex japan). But as stated above, it can be bolted up without them but you are depending on slack in the rubber bushes to do it and thats not good for alignment.

mello, it's pretty much a yes to all your questions, though you'd need to confirm that your current diff is an r200 and not an r180.

re the hicas vs non hicas subframe. if you lower the car with s13 subframe you will have to buy toe arms anyway which will flog out eventually. If you get a 32 one you will have to fork out for a lock bar and at some stage tierods. by the time you look at the cost of getting another s13 subframe, and an r32 diff and shafts and brakes separately and the toe arms, vs just buying an r32 subframe, a lock bar and a couple of tie rods it will probably work out around the same sort of money (atleast it would here as we have a lot of r32 stuff available).

It's the same old story, cheaper to buy an entire subframe than it is to buy all the bits separately.

Are you talking about tie rod ends or tie rods? Because there's only one person i know of thats done ends and thats t04gtr in his street/track gtr. The tie rods certainly wear out as they get old, replace them with new ones and they are good for another 150-200,000kms. the same can't be said of aftermarket toe arms

  • 4 weeks later...

use your s13 hub carrier but fit the R32 hubs and brakes to it (r33 brake cables work best) see this link i did years ago. that way you can use S13 coilovers :w00t:

http://www.nissansilvia.com/forums/index.p...;hl=5-stud+uras

stay cable with the handbrake and use URAS drum shoes form this guy in the US, http://www.uras-usa.com/index.php?main_page=index

i guarantee a better result than a hydraulic. here is some pics of the gear as i see he does not list them http://www.uras.com.au/syohin/brake.html if you get stuck we could probably send some over.

Well I want to thank all of you for your input, this thread has helped me a lot!

Turns out I found a local guy selling an entire s13 cradle, diff, axles and hubs for $50.. Too good of a deal to turn it down, so for now I'm sticking with s13 cradle. Perhaps on another car in the future I'll try the r32 setup.

URAS Interested to hear more about z32/r32 cable ebrakes vs hydraulic? I'm going Z32 ebrake for now but was planning to upgrade to a hydraulic setup in the future. Can you share some more details as to why the shoes are better than a hydraulic setup? Thank you!

good input, I've never driven a car with a hydraulic ebrake. I just don't like how much effort is required to lock up the rear on the cables (and s13 calipers) but that probably has a lot more to do with the pads and calipers than anything. That's why I'm holding off on the ebrake until I see how I like the z32 setup, the drum/shoes are much larger and have a much bigger surface area than my s13 setup... Any other input on this topic is welcome!

URAS Interested to hear more about z32/r32 cable ebrakes vs hydraulic? I'm going Z32 ebrake for now but was planning to upgrade to a hydraulic setup in the future. Can you share some more details as to why the shoes are better than a hydraulic setup? Thank you!

Z32 is the same as R33 (e-brake) so you wont have an issue providing you use the correct handbrake shoes. Decent cables are a good start as old stretched ones reduce effective adjustment. You get a very sharp engagement and it does not play with pedal feel and if set correctley uses very little driver effort to lock. we were actually the first car in australia to use hydraulic handbrakes in our driftcars but have since gone back to cable operated setups. (Cat has a hyraulic still as she sits to far forward to use the cable setup).

my old 180 had no issues locking 265 r-type tyres on 12" rims all day everyday.

post-34927-1196210049_thumb.jpg

Z32 is the same as R33 (e-brake) so you wont have an issue providing you use the correct handbrake shoes. Decent cables are a good start as old stretched ones reduce effective adjustment. You get a very sharp engagement and it does not play with pedal feel and if set correctley uses very little driver effort to lock. we were actually the first car in australia to use hydraulic handbrakes in our driftcars but have since gone back to cable operated setups. (Cat has a hyraulic still as she sits to far forward to use the cable setup).

my old 180 had no issues locking 265 r-type tyres on 12" rims all day everyday.

Where can I buy your shoes in the USA? online?

Can I ask what prompted the change back to cable setup?

Thanks for the info.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Back again. I returned to Japan in Jul/Aug to spend time with the car on my birthday and remind myself what all the sacrifice and compromise is for. It happened to line up with the monthly morning meet in Okutama, which I have been wanting to go to for a long time. It's a unique event at a unique spot with really rare, interesting, and quirky cars. It's where all the oldheads and OGs gather. The nighttime scene at DKF certainly has its place and should be experienced if you're into cars, but there's too much bad attention and negativity around it now. IMO the better time is Sunday morning at DKF or Okutama; it's more chill and relaxed. I'm glad I was finally able to go, but not sure it's worth the drive from all the way from Nagoya immediately the day before, unless I was already staying in Tokyo for the days right before the meet, because you have to wake up quite early to make it in time. Funnily enough though I didn't drive the car all that much this trip because it was just too damn hot. While there were zero issues and running temps were nominal and the A/C was strong, RBs already run crazy hot as it is. Sure, it took it all like a champ but something about driving these cars in the ridiculous heat/humidity bothers me and makes me feel like I'm asking too much of it. I'm just me being weird and treating the car like a living thing with feelings; I'm mechanically sympathetic to a fault. Instead I was mainly driving something else around - a KX4(silver) 2001 X-Trail GT, that I acquired in May. There's a few different flavors to choose from with Xs, but visually it's the Nissan version of the Honda CR-V. Mechanically it's a whole different story as this, being the top-trim GT, has an SR20VET mated to a four-speed auto and full-time AWD! It was a very affordable buy in exceptional condition inside and out, with very low mileage...only 48k kms. Most likely it was owned by an older person who kept it garaged and well-maintained, so I'm really happy with how it all worked out. It literally needs zero attention at the moment, albeit except for some minor visual touch-ups. I wanted something quirky, interesting, and practical and for sure it handily delivers on all three of those aspects. I was immediately able to utilize the cargo and passenger capacity to its full extent. It's a lot of fun to drive and is quite punchy through 1st and 2nd. It's very unassuming -in the twisty bits it's a lot more composed than one would think at a glance- and it'll be even better once I get better tires on it(yes, it's an SUV but still a little boat-y for my liking). So...now I have two golden-era Nissans in silver. One sports car and one that does everything else; the perfect two-car solution I think👍 The rest of the trip...I was able to turn my stressed brain off and enjoy it, although I didn't quite get to do as much as I thought. I did some interesting things, met some interesting people, and happened into some interesting situations however, that's all for another post though only if people really want to know. Project-wise, I went back to Mine's again to discuss more plans and am hoping to wrap that up real soon; keep watching this space if that interests you. Additionally, while working in the tormenting sweatbox that is the warehouse, I was able to organize most of the myriad of parts that my friend is storing for me along with the cars, and the 34 has a nice little spot carved out for it: And since it can get so stupid hot in there, that made it all the more easy -after I was standing there looking at the car and said 'f**k it'- to finally remove all the damn gauges that have mostly been an eyesore all this time. Huzzah. The heat basically makes the adhesive backing on the gauge mounts more pliable to work with, so it was far less stressful getting this done. I didn't fully clean it up or chase the wiring though; that will happen once I have the car in closer possession. Another major reason to remove all that stuff is to give people less reasons to get in my car and steal s**t while it's being exported/imported when/if the time comes, which leads us to my next point... ...and that is even though it's time in Japan is technically almost up since it's a November car and the X would be coming in March, I'm still not entirely sure where my life and career is headed; I don't really know what the future looks like and where I'm going to end up. I feel there's a great deal of uncertainty with me and as a result of that, it feels like I'm at a crossroads moreso now than any point in my life thus far and there are some choices I need to make. Yes, I've had some years to consider things and prepare myself, however too much has happened in that time to maintain confidence and everything feels so up in the air; tenuous one might say. Simply put, there's just too much nonsense going on right now from multiple vectors. Admittedly, I'm struggling to stay in the game and keep my eyes on the prize. So much so in fact, that very recently I came the closest I ever have before to calling it quits outright; selling everything and moving on and not looking back. The astute among you will pick up on key subtext within this paragraph. In the meantime I've still managed to slowly acquire some final bits for the car, but it feels nice knowing there's not much left to get and I'm almost across that finish line; I have almost everything I'll ever want for my interpretation and expression on what it is I think an R34 should be. 'til later.
    • Thanks for that, hadn’t used my brain enough to think about that. 
    • Also playing with fire if they start to flow more air down low than what the stock twins can. It's not even up top you need to worry, it can be at 3000rpm and part throttle and it's getting way more flow than it should.
    • Any G40/1000 or G40/1250 results out there?  
    • You still want a proper tune on the stock ECU though. Stock tune + stock ECU with GT-SS/-9s is probably playing with fire if you're running more than stock airflow/power.
×
×
  • Create New...