180SXw/CA18DET: Reliable low-mid 12 sec drag, autox, show, all year car possible?

[Daemos]

Well like the topic states.

I've been thinking alot about this, and planning my budget and so forth. Now my goal is: To transform a 180SX with a CA18DET into a low 12 second drag, autox, show car, all year reliable car. Now people have been saying this would be too unreliable.

Now I'm trying to compete with my friends, some of them are show, some of them are go, and some of them are drag. Some of them just do everything There's a FD RX7 it'll be running 10s soon, but it'll still beable to outhandle anything on the street, and in autox

So I'd probally want to be atleast mid 12s for drag, and autox I don't think that will be a problem, and show is pretty easy too (not extreme, just good looking I should say)

So With an engine rebuild, with new cams, lifters, valve springs, metal headgasket, a new flywheel and clutch. With other upgrades like a Disco Potato Turbo, FMIC, tuning etc...the engine SHOULD beable to handle mid 12s reliably as a daily driver right?

I mean does this sound unreasonable? Having this work? What kind of problems do you forsee, what should I change as my goal? I want something that will do everything not perfect, but good

PS This car WILL be driven in winter, but under low or no boost.

Now I've already chosen what I want for suspension, brakes, rims, tires, and the "show" aspect. It seems to me that people are saying maybe the engine/transmission won't beable to handle it. I dunno :/ Does the CA engine really need so much of an overhaul to handle that kind of power needed?

People have wondered what kind of plan I have for suspension:Zeal B6 Coilovers, Maybe Nismo S-tune, Maybe JIC, but I really like the B6 solution so far.Nismo PowerbraceCusco front/rear strut bar w/floor mount for rearWhiteline anti-roll bars front-rear17" Volk Gram light rimsKhumo MX tires.

Hell, look at the Project Silvia on SCC, it runs high 12s, and STILL handles well.

[masticatingcow]

Project Silvia is an exceptional car with exceptional people keeping her in shape. Remember though, Project Silvia is an SR car, and because of that, it has a much larger aftermarket support base. Also, SCC's staff has a significantly broader resource base than most tuners, and the fact that they often have the oppurtunity to have parts manufacturers dial in their hardware probably helps.

Also, don't compare your ride to Project Silvia or your friend's FD. Project Silvia was built up by a team of professionals bent on squeezing every morsel of performace out of their car and your friend's FD is in a different class than your 180. It was designed as a pure sports car from the factory, whereas yours was built as a fun little lower-budget "sporty coupe." The FD runs with the likes of the 300 and Skyline. A comprable Madza to the 180 is the late 80s NA FC. Making comparisons like that only leads to disappointment.

Quote »I want something that will do everything not perfect, but good[/quote]For the money it looks like you're going to pour into your project, I would hope you do things better than "good." A very rough estimate for your expenses would be around $10-12K US. For 10K, you deserve a car that dominates in something. May I suggest auto-x as your specialty? But you might say, "I'm going to be doing the install work myself to keep costs low." In which case some might say, "Then you'll never have ANYTHING like Project Silvia or that FD you mentioned."

The CA is a very robust engine and yes, it SHOULD hold that much power more or less reliably. But SHOULD never means WILL, and the only guarentees in building up a car are problems. Plan on replacing just about everything in the engine. The transmission itself should hold up fine, but you'll want a stronger clutch, a lighter flywheel and (if it doesn't come with the car,) a VLSD.

I maintain that while building a reliable, all-year, 12 sec auto-x show car is entirely possible with the 180, it will probably be the most difficult thing you've ever tried. I say, drop the 12 second drag fixation and build yourself a viscious auto-x car. Aim for 13's maybe and you'll have yourself your all-around car. That's a lot more plausible.

[rico05]

Wow. That was everyhting that should have been said in response to his question masticatingcow. I 150% agree. Drop the idea of the 12 second car. Our cars have good chassis desisn and the suspension geometry to dominate at Auto-X and drift. Project SCC is a beast, and should not be taken at mere face value. Tuning is essential, and hours on the dyno costs a premium. On a side note, the CA (like the SR) does not need half of the things you have listed to make good power. Remember: this is a Nissan. Stock internals should handle 250hp+ on 93 octane with (and I STRESS this) the right tuning. The FD is another story. Right out of the box, it is a handling MONSTER and lays it to cars that cost 4x as much. Don't compare your car to it. Silvias/180s were designed as date cars. Think of them like the Japanese take on the pony car concept. Good for the money, but no killer off the lot. A clean FD can be had for $13k, but $13k in a S13 will be even better than a stock FD. masticatingcow has a good point on the comparison of the S13 to th FC3S. (I owned one, trust me). On a budget of $10K (like me) a reliable drift/autox car is wholly plausible, but be smart, and take it in stages.

And on a final note: the Nismo S-Tunes are great for the street, and on a car that is used at least 60% of the time on the street, they are more than you will ever need. I am going to add p/b mounts to mine, but that is all. Those others are for track days not for driving to work.

[Daemos]

hmm :/ well I won't be happy unless if it's in the 12s. I really don't see Project Silvia as a "beast" the only thing they've really done that I wouldn't beable to do is the mag weilding of the front strut.

Oh stages, yea it'll be a project about 2-3 years in the making, but I just want to make sure this is the right car for me. I have specific goals, and if the 180SX can't do it, I'll find something else that can right?

[whiterps13]

one thing you overlooked is cooling. you must adress this if reliability is a key.

[Daemos]

Yea, new water pump, oil cooler, larger radiator...hmmm anything else I should be looking at for cooling?