basic swap question

[Twinchy]

Hey fellas i tried searching for this but couldnt really get an idea.heres my question

how much would it cost to do a basic swap of an rb20det into a 90 240sx? including motor,parts,labor, etc.or would it be easier for me to do the labor myself (including friends)

just an estimate of what it would cost to have the car running and driveable?

[240convert]

this is not geared particularly just for you but for the mods also

someone should prevent people from asking about prices for swaps by putting a big banner across this forum saying:

Don't even think about asking about rb swaps unless you have $5G for the rb20, $7G for the rb25 and $10G for the rb26

[Twinchy]

no problem man.

so around 5g's for an rb20det huh?

[Yellow4g63]

Take the cost of the motor. Then the cost to pull The KA out of the 240, Then to pull the RB out of the Clip if you get one. Then the cost to install the motor, + the cost of mounts, Then the cost of a wiring harness if you can't wire it yourself. I think I spent 2k to get my RB into my 240 and running. I did all my own labor tho so thats whats going to kill you.

[Twinchy]

did you do the wiring yourself too?i can prety much do most the labor like pulling motors out and and putting them back in. that shouldnt be a problem.was it hard putting the mounts in?

[Darius]

I'm the same as you Twinchy, mechanically inclined but scared of messing up the wiring. Motor mounts are simple and you'll only learn by sink or swim if you're going to do the swap yourself. Just start taking stuff off of the motor to get it out or the clip and take tons of pictures along the way. Keeping stuff organized and labeled and in baggies was key for me. There's so much info here and other places online that you can find anything you need. I've never swapped a motor before and I'm moving along just fine. It's really important to get a good clip though...can't stress that enough or you'll be nitpicked to death trying to find parts. To just get the motor in and running, I'm about the same as Yellow4g63, $2000.

And about wiring, there are guys on here that would gladly do your wiring for a small fee. It beats paying $350-500 for wiring. ghey

[240convert]

if you do it all yourself and get the clip for cheap like from venus or something, i'm sure you can do everything for $3K if you do the bare minimum to get it running and use the stock crossmember and everything...

its really gonna depend on how much the clip or motor is going to cost you...

why don't you just spend an extra couple grand and get the 25 instead?

just my personal preference but if you're gonna do the rb20, why don't you just get the sr then...for me, its sorta makes more sence to get the 25 if you r gonna go rb at all...

26 if you just wanna b different and have the king of nissan motors in your bay...

but as far as power goes, sr's or kat's will get you into 12's easy for fairly cheap

[SeVa-S13]

why don't you just spend an extra couple grand and get the 25 instead?

just my personal preference but if you're gonna do the rb20, why don't you just get the sr then...for me, its sorta makes more sence to get the 25 if you r gonna go rb at all...

He speaks the truth, SR or RB25 4 lyphe! RB20 is for gimps and losers.

[Carl H]

why don't you just spend an extra couple grand and get the 25 instead?

just my personal preference but if you're gonna do the rb20, why don't you just get the sr then...for me, its sorta makes more sence to get the 25 if you r gonna go rb at all...

or you can spend the 3k you saved from doing a rb25 swap and make 400+ whp on the rb20.

[DriftingisLame]

He speaks the truth, SR or RB25 4 lyphe! RB20 is for gimps and losers.

....and the guys that are smart enough to figure out that its a grand cheaper just for the motor.

[rb240det]

RB20 is for gimps and losers? I think not my friend...Why not spend a couple GRAND more for a RB25DET? That couple grand will make a world of difference on a RB20 (ie. Carl's beast).

[ehacker01]

I did my whole rb25 swap for about 3100. If you spend $5K on a rb25 swap you have got to be paying for some of the work to be done for you.

[240convert]

it ALL really depends on how much you really know about doing teh swap, doing the wiring, doing basic machanical disassembly and assembly...

the price vary's quite a bit...

for example, if you know 100% of what you are doing and get a rb25det clip for $1,500 through a friend hook up, shoot, i'm sure you could do everything just to get it "running" for under $2,500...

on the other hand if you want to replace everything that should be replaced during the swap and have a shop do it for ya, i'm sure its in the $6-7K range easy for a rb25...

it all depends...

as for a rb20, i'd just get a sr20, don't worrry about that ugly intake manifold, don't worry about custom stuff, cross member, etc...and bolt on fuel, turbo upgrades and do 350whp for fairly cheap...

i don't know, just a personal preference but i don't see the rb20 as being an upgrade over the sr, different, but not much of an upgrade...

the 25 would be an upgrade and the 26 is if you just wanna b different and have money and want bling...

[masticatingcow]

On the other hand, doing an RB20 swap is a great way to learn about actually SWAPPING A MOTOR that doesn't belong in the receiving chassis. That said, the ONLY way to do an RB20 swap is to do it yourself. If you don't care about the process or about saving money, do yourself a favor - get an SR.

IMHO, the RB20 is a PERFECT first swap for people who want to get into the game armed with fundamental automotive knowledge.

[masticatingcow]

And Twinchy, this is what I project that my RB20 swap will, to get it running right, cost - part by part.

RB20DET Clip - $1300Greddy Timing Belt - $119OEM Nissan RB20 Water Pump - $129HKS 1.2mm RB20 Headgasket - $300ishNismo FPR - $125Nismo Thermostat - $75Altima electric fans - $100Clutch (still researching) - $370-400Resurfaced flywheel - $whatever the shop charges, not a whole lot thoughRebuilt turbo - $still pricingEDIT: Forgot about the custom DP - $still pricing

I'm looking forward to all of this, by the way. Like I said before... the only way to do the RB20 is to do it yourself.


Modified by masticatingcow at 11:46 AM 10/21/2005

[Twinchy]

cool thanks for the input guys.

well i guess i can scratch the rb20det off now.i guess ill go rb25det

but its almost impossible to find a rb25det clip for under $3000 no? i'm in the los angeles area so the only shop i believe that is close to me is the neotech imports. but thats alomost in san diego no?

i'm planning on doing this by march of 06. is there anyone in the los angeles area that can recommend a good shop that has a good rep selling rb25det motors?

[240convert]

i think you really need to do alot more research on this before doing anything bro...this is something that shouldn't be decided on just overnight or after reading someone's thread about how they killed a mustang...

really KNOW what you're getting yourself into...down to the last item that should be replaced, how much it cost, how you are going to get this "custom" part done, where and approx how much...then add it all up together and make sure you have another $1,000 on top of that just for extra little crap that could happen...

it could be just me but i guess i'm old enough and have gone through enough crap to know that you should do it right the first time, it is actually most cost effective that way in the long run...

unless you have lots of time on your hands, not going to school or anything and have lots of money to just experiment...

[Darius]

I second that. There is a ton of money involved with this and I can barely afford parts and I have a well-paying full-time job. But I guess I also have a hungry dog, a thirsty girlfriend, and a second daily driver that I have to support as well.

Seriously though, if you have any doubts about paying for this, there are many people who would steer you towards the KA-T upgrade vs the RB swap. It's completely up to you though so read up and keep us posted.

[RB20DETodd]

cool thanks for the input guys.

well i guess i can scratch the rb20det off now.i guess ill go rb25det

but its almost impossible to find a rb25det clip for under $3000 no? i'm in the los angeles area so the only shop i believe that is close to me is the neotech imports. but thats alomost in san diego no?

i'm planning on doing this by march of 06. is there anyone in the los angeles area that can recommend a good shop that has a good rep selling rb25det motors?

Since the rb20 supposedly sucks then i guess the rb25 sucks too because of the rb26?