Quite possibly the widest S14 in the
world.
It is all too easy to see a beautiful car
and make assumptions. Although it may be true that the way a car is styled can
give you an idea of the owner’s personality, it is impossible to understand the
journey the car and owner have gone through with a passing glance. This is
especially true of builds that appear flawless. Perhaps it is simply human
nature to associate flawlessness with simplicity and simplicity with ease,
however, this is often a mistake, as assumptions usually are. Making something
appear effortless usually means that in reality the task is not at all simple
or easy but quite the opposite. Elmer Lee’s S14 is a perfect example of this
paradox. The car is essentially flawless. It’s extreme in every possible way,
yet simple enough to make the build appear easy. It’s executed so well that to
somebody with little experience, the sheer magnitude of what went into this
masterpiece is lost in the details.
Quite
possibly the widest S14 in the world
The journey of this man and his machine
began in 2007 when Elmer realized that a widebody S14 was the car that he had
always wanted. While browsing the Internet he came across a photo that would
change the course of his life for the next several years, an S14 with
over-fenders and large dish wheels filling out the extended bodywork. At the
time, Elmer was living in Arizona, immersed in everything the automotive scene
had to offer there and driving a ’95 Intergra GSR. Elmer started researching
immediately, force-feeding himself every piece of information he could find on
S-chassis cars, he knew that in order to build the car that he dreamed of he
needed to know the exact ingredients of that car down to the smallest detail.
Once Elmer felt that he was ready, the search for a suitable platform to build
upon was underway. A listing on an Internet forum was found, the owner was
contacted, and a deal was made. Elmer would be trading his Integra plus cash
for an S14 that already had a Kouki frontend conversion, over-fenders, and
wheels. This is when the nightmare began.
One
of the worst body lines on the S14 240SX is its feminine rear end. I simply
can’t stand the way the trunk cuts off and leans forward towards the car
The morning that Elmer was to finally
become the owner of an S14, the seller called to inform him that the car had
been stolen the previous night. Hanging onto the little hope they had, both
parties awaited the car’s safe return. Instead, they received word that
although the car had been found, it had been stripped to a bare shell and
torched. Despite the setback, Elmer stayed optimistic, continuing his search
for an S14. He found another suitable platform, a similar S14, another
converted Kouki, this particular car was equipped with an authentic BN Sports
Blister kit and Amistad Dish wheels. The car had previously been powered by an
SR20 but the owner had actually swapped in a KA24 with an automatic
transmission for the sale. Quickly realizing that this car would be a great
starting point for his project, Elmer contacted the seller and planned his trip
to Seattle to make the purchase. The seller had assured him that the car was in
good running condition, so Elmer chose to fly there and drive the car home to
Arizona. After crunching the numbers, Elmer figured that a full 48 hours would
be more than enough time to get the car safely home. A flight was booked, the
time off had been reported to his employer, and he was on his way to meet his
new car.
An
S14 with over-fenders and large dish wheels filling out the extended bodywork
The car appeared to be as it had been
described at first, but then Elmer noticed a couple small issues that had not
been mentioned. Despite being thousands of miles from home without a return
ticket, Elmer assessed the situation and stuck with the plan, concluding that a
small oil leak would not be an issue as long as he constantly checked the oil
level on his drive home. Little did he know, the minor issues were indications
of major problems to come (and the less than respectable character of the
seller). Miraculously the car and its new owner made it to Northern California
with no major issues, but at this point the car had reached its limit; it’s
shoddy construction became apparent and the car literal started to fall apart.
As it turns out, the car had never been aligned – the massive amount of toe
took its toll on the front tires, the inner edges had been reduced to cords.
With very few options available to him in the early hours of the morning, Elmer
parked in front of the first tire shop he found and slept in his car until they
opened. When the shop finally opened for business he was turned away; the shop
refused to work on his modified car due to liability reasons. Elmer drove to
several other tire shops on tires that could’ve blown out any moment, and
finally found a shop that was willing to mount two new tires on his car – for
an outrageous $600. Left with no other choice, he took it. Now that the car was
somewhat drivable, Elmer was faced with yet another challenge: finding a shop
that would align his car. Luckily, Elmer found an alignment shop that same day,
one that had an in-ground rack and a willingness to work on lowered cars.
This
particular car was equipped with an authentic BN Sports Blister kit and Amistad
Dish wheels
Finally equipped with fresh tires and a
proper alignment, Elmer and his S14 got back on the freeway, a full day behind
schedule. Immediately Elmer noticed that the rear of the car would shift to one
side for no apparent reason, not wanting to take any chances he went straight
back to the alignment shop. The car was put on the lift for an inspection. The
tech noticed that a rear wheel appeared to be loose, but the lug nuts were
torque to spec. A wheel bearing had failed completely and driving the car in
this condition was out of the question. A new wheel bearing was located, but
would not arrive at the shop until the following morning. Discouraged and
exhausted, Elmer found a hotel nearby to wait and get some much-needed rest.
The next morning Elmer picked up his car and was finally back on the road, two
behind schedule, but the car appeared to holding together. Upon reaching
Southern California, overheating became an issue. The car would perform just
fine on the open highway, but as soon as traffic thickened or by simply exiting
the freeway, the water temperatures would rise uncontrollably, forcing Elmer to
shut off the car and coast, adding an element of strategy to something as
simple as refueling. On one of these refueling stops, as Elmer was walking into
the gas station to buy some oil, he heard air pressure being released from his
car accompanied by a cloud of steam – the radiator had cracked. Still several
hundred miles from home and in an unfamiliar area, he threw caution to the wind
and bought several gallons of water. At this point the importance of saving an
engine that was to be removed from the car anyway was dwindling as quickly as
his patience.
In
an impressive display of perseverance, Elmer found yet another S14, a mildly
modified ’95 model
