For months I've been trying to find a ca18det bellhousing so that I can do a 5 spd swap with either an rb or sr gearbox. Occasionally a full ca18det transmission will pop up on ebay, but they're always in Austrailia and would cost a lot to ship something that large (and in questionable condition).

Is there someplace I'm missing that would have a decent chance of having one? Or even some aftermarket company that makes them?

I was ready to embrace the ca18det life that fell into my lap. But no engine is worth it if it's an automatic.

Best bet is if you can find a 85+ S12 in the junkyard. They also got the 71C transmission. The early ones still had a 71B transmission that wont work.

For instance,
There is a 87 S12 in the JY near me. Just got there 4 days ago. (except this one is the rarer VG30 one...)

That opens up a couple more options around me. Thank you very much for the help and alternate solution!

I need to amend what I wrote. 85 is the wrong year. Mid 86 is the change over from 71B to 71C. So you need a 86.5-88 S12 bell housing.

The 86.5-88 S12 has the right transmission according to Wikipedia, but only for the Japanese model. According to it, the U.S. production 200sx was made with only the VG motor after 87.

Does this mean I have to find a real S12 import, or is there a 200sx model that has the right transmission. The info on this car is kind of muddled and hard to find.

No, In America, they discontinued the CA18ET and replaced it with the VG30E. The CA20E was still offered.

XE = CA20 SE = CA18/VG30

Alright, that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. I've got one on its way. Hopefully it all works out