We all make compromises in life, especially with our own girlfriend or wifey. Let’s face it, girls are needy, especially when it comes to where they want to live, eat, shop, put out, etc. But every now and then, we can bribe them when there’s something we want. For Andrew Kusske, his compromise with his wife Jessica scored him this sweet ’98 Nissan 240SX.
“It started off as a bribe,” Andy began. “Back in ‘03, we were selling our first house. I wanted to relocate to California but my wife wanted to build a new house here in Minnesota. I came up with a compromise—we can stay in Minnesota if she buys me a new project car. We agreed on a set dollar amount for the car and I started my search. I couldn’t find anything I liked in the price range but I came across a mint-condition 240. The problem was it was double our agreed price. I explained to her that this was actually a better deal—it cost more up front but very little money would have to be put into it. She agreed, giving the biggest check she’d ever written.”
But little did Mrs. Kusske know, Andy would replace and modify virtually every inch of his S14, swapping the original KA for an SR20DET, rebuilding a second transmission and overhauling the chassis.
Andy’s road to a finished car began when he was a little kid who loved American V8 muscle. Years passed and he started messing with Hondas and Volkswagens. He was always a diehard car guy learning how to detail from his father and enrolling in auto body and paint school. After working at car dealerships and body repair shops, he moved on to become a sales rep for Line-X Protective Coatings where he still works today at age 35.
The story behind this project kicked off when Andy ditched his front-wheel drive toys. His friends got into Nissans so he jumped onboard. After bribing his wife and transferring the paperwork of this S14 to his name, it was time to go bananas.
The goal for the 240 wasn’t drifting or flossing at shows, but a functional road car that could take a beating on the track. Of course, jumping into Nissans with no prior knowledge can be a little tricky. Andy learned the hard way to reach the level he wanted, for example the engine. The stock KA24DE inline-four was abused for a year until a turbo kit was thrown on. “Then the motor blew up,” he laughed. “A wastegate hose melted during tuning. The head lifted a quarter-inch from the block and the rest was history.”
With a worthless motor, Andy hit the reset button and sourced another KA. Keeping it naturally-aspirated, he rebuilt the bottom-end with higher compression to rev higher and stronger. For two years, he became more acquainted with his car on the track until it was time for the next step—more power!
Like many 240 owners, Andy sought after what was available and proven to offer reliable power—the SR20DET swap. Andy found a low-mileage motor with only 33k from a shop in Texas, along with its trans, ECU and harness.
The wiring was sent off to a third-party to mate with his S14 but the rest of the work was done at home. Andy left the 2.0 liter block untouched, but pulled the cylinder head off and rebuilt everything from the gasket up. The head was ported and polished and received HKS cams, cam gears, valves, Ferrea retainers and a five-angle valve job.
Ready for more boost, Andy had his eyes on a bigger turbo that wouldn’t jeopardize torque at low RPMs. He picked up a hybrid turbo consisting of a T25 housing with a T3 wheel. A 3" GReddy downpipe was mounted on followed by a new exhaust from Rear Street Performance. The exhaust’s construction is a one-piece 3" pipe that runs all the way back to the muffler with no cat or resonator—meaning this sucker is loud!