David's CA18DET Build-Up Thread

Discuss topics related to the CA18DE and CA18DET series engines.
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mrzabala
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Very nice David. Cant wait to see more progess. Keep us updated. Happy holidays too.


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float_6969
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Looks good David. I like your color choices!

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MasterZenki
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that looks awesome dude...i can only dream of doing what your doing now...if i had a spare engine to use ill pop this CA right out and do a build on it...

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davidricardo86
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Hey! Well its a new year now and i have small update guys! With Christmas and new years out of the way, im jumping back in the game and ready for more. I took the initiative and took lots of photos of my intake manifold and 8 port runners because i was bored and wanted to do something! I did also because i know the 4 port and 8 port topics have come up and i know these pictures can be useful. They can also be linked or used to further explain or help explain some things that are related to this. Ryan, maybe you could get some ideas from this when you do the 4/8 port head/manifold comparisons. Let me know what you guys think.

Also I am getting the head done as soon as i can get access to it. I left it at my school and its been locked there since my Christmas vacation started! I have the money i want to get it done ASAP. Ill post and update once its done. Any recommendations before i take it to the machinist are greatly appreciated. Right now all i have in mind are a 3 angle valve job, new valve guides, and maybe some light port/ polishing accompanied with some flow bench time. You never know, ill let you guys know what happened later.







































Anyone can use the pictures, just tell 'em David took 'em.

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float_6969
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Great work David, thanks! I just may use these when it comes to doing the writeup. I think your digicam is a little bit better than mine!

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davidricardo86
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Well i finally got my head done guys! Here's some pics i took of it when i first got it. I had it cleaned, new stem seals, rebuilt lifters by Float_6969, 3 angle valve job, new exhaust valve(one was out of spec/bad), it was milled and reassembled. I kept all the old hardware because it was still good and within manufacturer's specs. I orignally was planning on upgrading the cams, springs, and a few other things. Well i did more research on turbocharging and tuning and my mind changed a bit. Bigger cams wouldve meant a bigger turbo, more fuel, ecu re-tune, and a few other things to accommodate the new camshafts. The stock cams are perfectly fine for starters which are great for overall response, little overlap, and little turbo lag. Eventually i want to autocross and maybe time trail so this will definately work for me. Anyways im going with the "start off small and later go bigger" concept. Ill still be able to have lots of fun and it will be a learning process, just like this whole project i got myself into.

Any input appreciated.






























Modified by davidricardo86 at 7:02 PM 1/28/2007

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davidricardo86
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Am i worrying too much?

Alirght now these next pictures are from the bottom or mating surface that was milled. I took the head to a different shop, not the one i took my block to. The shop, Windy City Machine Shop, wasnt as organized, expensive, or looked dingy compared to the shop i took my block to. Someone recommended them and said they were good and worth a try.

Anyways i was planning on using an appropriate sized Cometic MLS headgasket because i had the block decked and the head milled. I tried taking high resolution pics of the job done to show that theres fine scratches and lines. Now some are very very small and some i CAN feel with my nails, some i can't. I am not too happy about this and worried that if i did use a metal HG, that id run into trouble with sealing issues. I read all the old posts on headgaskets and now am concerned about this. I would hate to have to spend more money on this, again. I do have an OEM HG that i was thinking about using instead.

I asked how much material was removed from the head and they told me 0.007". The machine shop that decked my block said they do the minimum but i forgot to ask back when i had it done, im dumb. They told me its usually 0.001"-0.003".
















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DriftingisLame
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Amazing, this motor looks exactly like my rb, just a little shorter lol!

I'm diggin the MASSIVE attention to detail! Well done!

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davidricardo86
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DriftingisLame wrote:Amazing, this motor looks exactly like my rb, just a little shorter lol!

I'm diggin the MASSIVE attention to detail! Well done!
Thanks a lot, it'll be worth it once i actually get to use it.

Bump for my previous questions and concerns.

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Logan76
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Did you use stock rod's in your build? and I feel that you should be fine with no sealing problems from those small small scrapes, may want to get some other advice though.

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Swedish Mike
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Looks good! Impressive camera work.

About the scrapes, not good if you can feel the with your nail. Hard to say over internet, you might need a second opinion from a shop.Visit the best one you know and show them the head.

I know some guys use the really fine 3M "cloth" to remove the last scrapes with good results.Don´t know the exact word but you use it to prepare cars for paint and stuff, the softest one.

The rubber surface on the gasket should do most of the job but not deep scrapes.

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float_6969
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I don't think you'll have a problem, but you might take the head down to the shop that rebuilt your motor and ask them. You seem to have a better opinion of them.

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davidricardo86
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Well guys i got the head back and i must say i am now satisfied and ready to continue along with the project! The shop that did my head the first time wasnt exactly a "performance" shop, more of just a "rebuild" shop so they wont take the measures that a performance shop would.

Last time i posted, the head had scratches and didnt look good enough for the Cometic MLS headgasket i was planning on using. Some of the scratches you could literally feel with a sharp finger nail! I took it back to my favorite machinist, Precision Engine Rebuilders, and they told me that it wasnt too bad and that i wouldnt run into any problems with the type of headgasket i wanted to use. The owner told me this and he also said that as long as there wasnt any deep scratches running across the fire rings, id be ok. But since there was a deep scratch that would've possed a threat, i decided to have the head milled once again. While they were at that, the filled down any sharp edges formed from the milling process. They also had to remove the cams so all the valves could close. From the pictures provided you will be able to see the paint that has come off from the valves from the previouse shop.

Let this be a lesson to me and all the future CA tuners that follow! Make sure you have critical and very important machining done by a reputable, experienced, and equiped machinist! If not, you'll end up paying twice like i did! Learn from others' mistakes so you wont have to repeat them!







Luckily this little detour only cost me $60.00. Phew! Heres my head as of now. Just waiting for that Cometic head gasket to arrive (1.55mm). The mating surface shines just like in the pictures. I know that its not that obvious in the pictures but in real life and up close its Amazing!














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float_6969
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That resurfacing looks MUCH better.

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biosehnsucht
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Somehow I've missed this thread until now..

a quick note regarding the fouled up intake runners, it IS because of the butterfly, but not because of fuel. Fuel would actually wash it down and clean it out; the fuel injectors only inject on the ports that are always open, not the butterfly'd ports. What builds up is blow by from the turbo, PCV, etc. Mine were pretty bad too, worse than yours..

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float_6969
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Nothing a little sea foam won't take care of...

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anumeric
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Glad to see you got everything taken care of with the head. Looks way better. Anyways the project is looking quite sexy and making me drool. lol

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davidricardo86
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Thanks for the responses and input. I will update you guys on anything as soon as they become available.

Logan76-

I did use my stock rods, crank, and bolts for these. If you go back a few post, you will see i changed the pistons, and will be using ARP head studs and Cometic HG.

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brandonb012
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looks good man, glad to see you taking your time, doin it right the first time

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davidricardo86
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This is from when i got my lifters rebuilt. Ryan (foat_6969) was able to help have this done for me at a decent price!

Before:









After:











Yeah thats right, im a picture whore!

I was considering changing the exhaust manifold and outlet pipe. Pros/Cons?

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float_6969
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Replacing the O2 pipe has no cons.

The exhaust manifold will make the turbo spool slightly later (how much depends on the turbo) but the gain in mid to top end more than compensates for it.

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znelson
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Where did you get your bearings from?

ca20det
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the guy the post before you.... btw How much would it be for my lifters ?from canada to you then back at me?

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float_6969
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If you click on my screen name, you can email me....

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davidricardo86
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Good news! I finally put the head and block together. Got a few things torqued down and next week hopefully ill have my freshly powdercoated covers! I got my Cometic HG(1.55mm), ARP sr20 main stud kit, timing belt, timing belt component kit and a bunch of other little odds and ends.

Before reassembly.

Theres my block, head, and other parts that will soon go on. There's my school's shop where ill be finishing my project.

Prepping the block.

Heres the block ready for the headgasket. As a reminder the block had much done to it, those are CP pistons 8.5:1 CR, balanced assembly, honed walls, decked, and new bearings. I wish i couldve changed the rod bolts but we'll start with this for now. New seals, gaskets, bearings and paint to freshen-up the bottom end.

So fresh and so clean! New water pump from a rwd ca18et, new oil pump from the fwd ca18de, and timing components. The transformation begins.

Quick comparison of the oem Nissan gasket and the Cometic gasket. It'll be good to see how it goes. (i know one is upside down and the other down side up, if that makes sense)

Headgasket goes on. Watch out for that Moly Lube!

I love the way everything looks so shiny and clean. I love new parts.

Take a close look in there!

Another nice detailed shot. This time i wasnt using my camera because i lost my battery. The is a 7MP Sony Cybershot and it performs way better than my Konica Minolta 5MP Dimage x50. Ill try and use it again later.

And another one...

There i am putting the cylinder head on. I highly recommend you put the ARP washers in before you put the head back on! I tried both ways and the only way i could get it to work was if i dropped the washers in there firsts, all eight, then set the head down. If you try putting the washers in after you set the head down, there wont be enough room for them to go through. Be aware and use what ever works but this is what worked for me!

If only i knew how to use macro mode on this camera. Heres the gasket all squeezed up.

Damn blurry photos.

Here we go! That gasket looks mighty thick compared to the oem unit buts its that way for a reason. Since i had the block and head machined the extra thickness is for compensation, nothing else!

There i am again torque-ing everything down to spec. ARP instructions said to torque it down to 70 ft lbs using their specially formulated Moly Grease. The FSM says 76 ft lbs. I did 72ft lbs because i had to use a few adapters. Get a load of my sweet yellow safety glasses!

Finished. Next are the covers, plates, fuel rail which will be powdercoated.

As of now, how much was all this you ask?

pressure wash block - $90.00deglaze hone 4 cyl (upto .030) - $90.00deck straight block - $100.00balance crankshaft (internal) - $160.00change pistons (4 cyl set) - $58.00standard short block assembly - $325.00tear down short block - $40.00rod bearings (clevite) - $31.88main bearings (clevite) - $49.95sales tax - $5.32freight - $13.57

TOTAL - $963.72

CP Pistons (pistons, rings, pins, clips, and shipping) - $570.34

TOTAL w/ pistons - $1534.06

Nissan OEM gasket kit 10101-CA18 - $236.34CA18DE Oil Pump - $ 101.49Crankshaft gear - $23.05Crank plate 13022-42L00 (behind crankgear) - $2.78CA18ET Water Pump - $43.49CA18DET Alluminum pulley kit (alternator, water pump, PS pump) - $80.00Bead/Sand Blasting Valve Covers, Timing Covers $30.00Cylinder Head (3-angle valve job, milled, exhaust valve, misc fee) - $241.00ARP SR20 Main Stud Kit 202-5402 (head stud kit) - $82.84Timing belt component kit - $88.97Timing Belt (Gates/Napa) - $19.92Camshaft Rear Seals (half moon shaped) - $6.95Cylinder Head (Mill and wash Head again due to crappy 1st shop) - $60.00Cometic MLS Headgasket (1.55mm) - $127.65

TOTAL (so far) - $1144.48

TOTAL w/ previous total - $2678.54

Yup thats a lot of money and its not yet finished! Ill update with more goodness as soon as they become available.

Modified by davidricardo86 at 7:34 PM 3/28/2007

Modified by davidricardo86 at 7:38 PM 3/28/2007

Modified by davidricardo86 at 8:02 PM 3/28/2007
Modified by davidricardo86 at 8:05 PM 3/28/2007

ca18datsun510
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very nice. im guessing thats the shop of your school?

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float_6969
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ca18datsun510 wrote:
that looks posted in a sacracstic way as to imply something. if i were you id replace that with flowers so he doesnt think you are feeling hes stupid for not knowing how to email you.
Nothing sarcastic about that statement at all. This thread isn't the place to discuss lifters or your issues with me and what I'm doing. As I said before, if you've got a problem, email me or the administration.

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davidricardo86
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ca18datsun510 wrote:very nice. im guessing thats the shop of your school?
Yup. Thats my school shop. Im doing my swap at the school as part of a class task. Not to mention ill be able to get my swap done from the help of other students, professors, lifts, hoists, tools and equipment, etc. Ive got sometime but i really need to get this thing all back together.

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Razi
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You are my hero!! I'm 100% sure I'll go with a CA swap once I get a 240sx

nocwage
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Thanks again David for the pics of the butterfly setup! It helped me a lot



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