Dakota’s 1989 Nissan 240SX
Detailed Feature | 1989 Nissan 240SX | Dakota Goss | IG @touge.therapy
Photos taken by Dakota Goss unless otherwise noted.
“The little KA that could” - these are the words that ETCH moderator Dakota Goss uses to describe his 1989 Nissan 240SX. That is, if you exclude “it’s a money pit” and “there’s not a lot of cars I’d sell this for”. Dakota is one of the original ETCH Network members and has been running with our community for years. Dakota picked up this pretty little red two-door back in May of 2018 to take over daily driving duties from his 2000 Volkswagen Jetta. His fascination with this 240SX started with the idea of going drifting, but the timeless and sleek look of Nissan’s S-chassis and the particularities of options that vary from model to model hammered in the final nail in the figurative coffin (or the wallet, take it as you wish).
The 240SX’s sporty, rear-wheel drive architecture and perfectly balanced weight distribution allow for highly spirited drives on backroads. Readily available parts - “finding parts for the 2.0L Jetta was a nightmare” says Dakota - helps keep the wheels turning, while a cult following opens up door to creative offerings and ideas from the community. This helps Dakota keep the mostly original mindset going on the car while he decides on a future direction for it.
Aside from down time to keep it running, Dakota has put work in to get the car to where it is today. The first order of business was the installation of coil-overs from budget-oriented Raceland. As a basic set of coil-overs, the Racelands allow for height, damping, and camber adjustability in addition to a stiffer, more controlled ride. From the beginning, stance was the primary idea for this 240SX - inspired by S-chassis enthusiast @tmy.180 on Instagram. At one point, the frame sat so low - an inch and a half of clearance - that the ground ate through half of the exhaust!
This, of course, meant that the half-missing stock exhaust were bound to be replaced. So, Dakota picked up a new system in the form of an ISR cat-back - 3 inch piping leading into a dual-3-inch exit - and a test pipe. The new exhaust changed the character of the car, offering up a louder and more pronounced tone. The dual tips also gave it a more aggressive look from the rear.
No project car is ever complete until it has gone through its fair share of shoes either. Dakota’s 240SX has featured everything from stock hubcaps, stock steelies without hubcaps, stock hubcaps painted pink - a result of a bet, factory 7-spoke alloys, a borrowed set of meshes, to what it rides on today - MST MT36s. Currently, the 15x8+20ET MT36s are wrapped in beefy 225/45ZR15 Falken Azenis RT660s for high-grip duty.
So, at this point you might be wondering - did Dakota ever go drifting with his 240SX? With a little encouragement from a winter snowstorm, you could say he went drifting. But today, the little KA that could plays a very different role than its original intention. Now Dakota takes his 240SX to SCCA-sanctioned autocross events, competing in the STX (Street Touring Extreme) class - which lends a gentle guiding hand towards the more grip-oriented mindset of the car.
The 240SX’s coils were raised half an inch, and - with the current set of Falken tires - now sits around an inch higher altogether. Negative camber all around helps keep the car stable and planted, while seats with better side bolsters helps keep the driver planted as well. In the near future, Dakota plans to install upgraded sway bars and chassis strut bars to help flatten and control the body movements.
As far as cool little details go, this 1989 Nissan 240SX was built in March of 1989 which makes it an early production car. As a base model of the 240SX, this was the version you’d find at the dealership with no power windows, no power locks, and no real bells and whistles other than air conditioning. The second owner (Dakota is the third owner), however, installed power windows and locks as they were getting older (or more experienced).
The original steering wheel is still prominent in the interior alongside anime, video game, and Japanese culture inspired accessories like a tsurikawa - (a hanging Japanese train/subway handle), a D.Va mirror sticker, and a do-it-yourself incense air freshener. On the other hand, a neat little detail on the exterior are the taillights - Dakota had them masked off and painted with sparkles to create this dazzling layered look from the rear. This work was done by his friend - @saberrawr on Instagram - and the result is quite unique and stylish. Overall, this little red 240SX makes a statement that’s unique on its own right!
