A Slammed & Swapped RB25 S14 That’s Build To Be Driven

The life of a tuner can be a difficult one. You are constantly thinking of ways to modify your car to make it stand out from the crowd. What rims am I going to buy? Do I go widebody? What parts do I need to increase power or do I do an engine swap? It is the last question that poses the biggest issues because on one hand swapping engines can create some serious power or create really unique cars. On the other hand swapping the engine losses the cars originality, causing it to greatly drop in value. This debate has divided tuners and collectors alike. But, for Ryan Austin the answer was simple… swapping the engine meant he could get the most power out of the Nissan S14 200sx.

Ryan purchased the S14 because he wanted to upgrade from the S13 he had been driving. The S13 was RB25 swapped, produced 450whp on pump fuel and was a great street car, but the S14 was more desirable, a little newer and also allowed for bigger wheels to be fitted under the guards.

Having owned the car for over five and a half years the car has come a long way from the way it was when Ryan originally purchased the car, which was just a standard red rolling shell with no seats and no wheels. Today, the car is unrecognisable from the way it was purchased, with the RB25 from the S13 replacing the S14’s SR20 motor. But, one thing did remain and that was Ryan’s original goal to create a super clean and tidy S14 with big rims.

When it came to building the car, Ryan did a lot of the work himself. This allowed him to really get a feel for the car and what needed to be done. But, when it came to fabrication work, tuning and painting, Ryan employed the help from a few people. Dan at FabLab did the fabrication, Sam at Whitey’s wiring for the loom, Varun at 101 Motorsport for the tune and Mark Dunn did the paint.

The list of modifications for Ryan’s RB powered S14 is long, but includes Tomei cam gears, Garrett 3582r turbo sitting on a 6boost exhaust manifold, Turbosmart 50mm progate and a 4” custom stainless exhaust with 5” tip. To keep up with the cars thirst the fuel system comprises of Bosch 2000cc injectors and a Walbro 465 intank fuel pump. Final power figures are an impressive 518hp on 22psi. One thing that stands out in the bay is the RB26 leopard print engine covers, which Ryan thanks his wife for suggesting because they really set the car apart. It’s refreshing to see something a little different.

The brains behind the operation is a Haltech E11V2 that connects to a Racepak dash. To cope with the extra punishment the drivetrain was upgraded to a rebuilt RB25 gearbox with cryo treated gears and a Direct Clutch Services twin plate with billet flywheel. The rear end was also upgraded to a R33 diff and shafts.

Ryan always wanted a set of big wheels under the guards of the S14. Quality wheels were the only option, choosing to go for a set of Work VSXX’s with an aggressive front 18×9.5 -10 and rear 18×11 -5. The factory braking was treated to upgrades slotted rotors and EBC red stuff pads along with braided brake lines. Helping the car ride like it should are BC BR coilovers, extended front control arms, Maxima tie rods, Hardrace tie rod ends and castor rods along with a tone other goodies.

To make sure the exterior of the S14 was up to scratch it was given a complete overhaul with a new body kit comprising of a Navan front bar, side skirts and rear bar, Dmax boot lip, Ganador mirrors and series 2 tail lights cleared in candy. To tie it all together the car was then resprayed in Honda Odyssey purple by Mark Dunn.

The interior of the S14 was not left untouched and received the attention it deserved with a set of Bride Zeta III fixed back seats and Crow Enterprises harnesses holding Ryan in place. A Cusco 7 point cage with door bars and harness bar, Nardi deep corn steering wheel and We Are Likewise shifter was also added.

During the two and a half year build, Ryan had a great deal of support from his wife, as he went through the ups and downs of building the car. He would like to send a special thanks to Dan and Fablab, as well as Varun at 101 Motorsport. As Ryan looks to the future, he is pretty happy and content with the way the car has turned out. He believes the car is about finished, with the main focus being to continually maintain and keep the S14 looking clean.

MODS LIST

POWER

– 518hp on 22psi

ENGINE

– RB25 Motor
– RB26 covers
– Camtech cams, valves and springs
– Tomei cam gears
– ARP head studs
– Nitto head gasket
– Gates timing belt
– 6boost exhaust manifold
– Garrett 3582r
– Turbosmart 50mm progate
– 4” custom stainless exhaust with 5”tip
– Turbosmart boost tee
– Slide Industries plenum with throttle body
– Sard fuel rail
– Bosch 2000cc injectors
– Turbosmart 1200 hp fuel reg
– Walbro 465 intank fuel pump
– Koyo radiator
– Aeroflow twin 10” thermo fans
– Nismo thermostat
– Aeroflow 600x300x100 intercooler
– Custom intercooler pipes
– Custom 2 in 1 catch can and overflow bottle
– Solid engine mounts
– Astra power steering pump
– Braided lines and fitting used throughout the engine bay

DRIVETRAIN

– Rebuilt RB25 gearbox with cryo treated gears
– Direct clutch services twin plate
– Billet flywheel
– Cube short shifter
– 1 piece tail-shaft
– Custom gearbox crossmember and solid mount
– R33 diff and driveshafts
– Solid diff bushes

ENGINE MANAGEMENT

– Haltech E11V2
– Racepak dash and sensors
– Custom wiring and tucked loom

BRAKES

– Front 300mm 2 piece vented and slotted rotors
– Front PBR calipers.
– Rear r31 skyline slotted and dimpled rotorsR
– Rear refurbished r31 calipers
– Wilwood brake bias
– Hydraulic handbrake
– All new brake and fuel lines

WHEELS & TIRES

– Work VSXX wheels
– Front: 18×9.5 -10
– Rear: 18×11 -5

EXTERIOR

– Full respray in Honda Odyssey purple
– Shaved engine bay, bootholes and aerial
– Navan front bar
– Navan side skirts
– Navan rear pods
– Jdm front guards
– Jdm rear bar
– Dmax boot lip
– Ganador mirrors
– Series 2 tailights cleared in candy red
– We are likewise wheel nuts and royals
– Pomponazzi glass coating

INTERIOR

– Bride zeta 3 fixed back seats
– Bride fg rails
– Crow enterprise harnesses
– Cusco 7 point cage with door bars and harness bar
– Nardi deep corn steering wheel
– We are likewise shifter
– Stripped rear and painted interior

SUSPENSION

– Bc br coilovers
– 25mm extended front control arms
– Maxima tie rods
– Hardrace tie rod ends
– Hardrace castor rods
– 20mm shortened rear control arms
– Gktech rear camber arms
– Gktech rear toe arms
– Solid cradle bushes
– C pillar brace