You always remember a first love. Whether it be a song, a car, or a person, the memories last long after the love has faded. In the case of Tom from Bangkok, Thailand, his first automotive love came in the form of a 240SX. Having worked hard, he saved up until he was able to purchase the car at the age of 15, after moving to the United States with his family. But like most first loves, this one didn’t last, and after 5 years of ownership, he sold the 240SX and purchased a 350Z. Don’t worry, it only gets better from here.

Photos By: ‘nonggolf exclusively for StanceNation.com

After a year of modding the 350Z, Tom sold his car to his brother and moved back to Thailand. With the memory of the 240SX still fresh in his mind, he started the search for a clean S13, and after a year and a half of hunting, Tom found the perfect car, a bone-stock S13 equipped with a CA18DET and an automatic transmission. After racking up some kilometers, the transmission faltered and Tom decided it was time for an SR20DET swap, and the perfect specimen you see here was born.

One of the reasons Tom loves the S-chassis is the relative ease of finding new and used parts, and what a list of parts it is! A JDM fanboy myself, looking over his mod list is like reading the menu at a great restaurant; everything looks amazing! Having decided to go all out with his build, Tom’s order sheets read like a who’s who of JDM goodness: Tomei, Nismo, Greddy, Blitz, Vertex, Work; the list goes on and on.

Having owned a 240SX previously, Tom knew exactly what he wanted and what he didn’t. Originally intending to keep the interior stock, he scrapped that plan in favor of a full interior makeover. A set of rare Autech seats sourced from an S15 hold Tom in place while a Maziora steering wheel mated to a Works Bell hub and quick release accept his driving input. A Greddy turbo timer and Profec boost controller keep the turbo running optimally, while Defi BF gauges and a Tomei gauge cluster keep Tom apprised of the car’s vital signs. A Tomei shift knob, Yashio Factory spinner knob, Origin carbon fiber door panels, and a JDM S13 CD-holder armrest round out the interior modifications.

Wrestling with his color choices for a month, Tom made the perfect choice when he selected the metallic purple you see here. But before the paint was laid down, the body had to be shaped. A full Vertex body kit was embellished with Origin 20mm front and 50mm rear over-fenders. Aerocatch hood latches keep the D-Max hood in place, and an Origin roof wing, East Bear mirrors, and GT-R grille add to the flair. After 3 months of paint and body work, the exterior overhaul continued with Silvia brick headlights, Origin taillights, Circuit Sports clear corner lights, Circuit Sports position lights, and JDM S13 window visors. To button up the look of the car, Tom added the perfect contrast to the sparkly purple paint: fully polished, aggressive Work Equips, 18×10-10 in the front and 18×11.5-10 in the rear. The Equips are covered in 225/35/18 and 265/35/18 rubber, and bolted to the car with Kics Project neo-chrome lug nuts.

In order to mount the timeless Work Equips, Tom first converted the S13 to a 5-lug setup, which also allowed him to upgrade the brakes to Infiniti Q45 front calipers and Nissan Z32 rear calipers with Project Mu lines. To dial in the ride height, Tom added Tein Super Drift coilovers, Cusco rear upper control arms, Cusco rear toe arms, Powered by Max Pro front and rear lower control arms, and Kazama hard tie rods and tie rod ends. Determined to prevent even a hint of body roll or flex, Tom then proceeded to add more bars and plates than a maximum security prison. A Cusco 6-point roll cage with the diagonal add-on bar, Cusco rear strut tri bar, and Carbing front strut bar pull double duty, looking great while solidifying the chassis. Do Luck provided the floor bar, chassis support bar, and front ladder bar, and the C-pillar bar is a rare piece from Rash Facture. Still not satisfied with his car’s stiffness, Tom purchased a Uras frame rail brace, a Nismo Power Brace, Sunline front tie brace, Nagisa Shakitto plate and fender brace, Energy subframe bushing, and KTS rear subframe brace and tie brace.

With the SR20 swap under the hood, Tom turned his attention to the motor. An S13.4 hybrid valve cover keeps the BC valve springs and retainers, Super Tech valve stems, Tomei poncams, cam gears, and rocker arm stoppers under wraps. Tomei also supplied the exhaust manifold, turbo elbow, 1.2 mm head gasket, regulator, fuel pressure gauge, oil pan, and oil cap to the engine. The upgraded turbo is a GT-RS unit from HKS, which works in harmony with an HKS GT actuator, SSQV blow off valve, and intake filter, and a Greddy intake manifold. Fuel is controlled by a Walbro fuel pump and Nismo 555cc injectors. To keep the motor cool under pressure, Tom added a Greddy radiator, oil cooler and oil filter, a Blitz intercooler, Billion power steering reservoir, and Yashio Factory radiator hose and water pump pulley. On the exhaust side, an RSR downpipe feeds into a Dart Izumi dual catback exhaust. Tom also installed a Carbing radiator cooling panel and relocated the battery. The result is an impressive 384 hp at 1.4 bar from the SR20 red top.

Tom’s ownership of his 240SX may not have stood the test of time, but like most of us, he learned a great deal from those 5 years spent with his first love. Determined to make his second go-around with the S-chassis a success, he spent a year and a half re-imagining his S13, and a masterpiece was born. Bravo, Tom! Bravo!