If you had $5,500 for an engine build, what would you do?

[PyR0NiAk]

and again; why do you need 400 hp in a s chassis?

Why would you NOT want 400whp in an s chassis?

[PyR0NiAk]

I hate SR's. Mainly because of their heads. Those dam rocker arms will break at any time. My friends did while he was just cruising around. Plus you are loosing .4L. Torque is fun. Rocker arm stoppers you say? They don't do anything to make them more durable they just stop them from over extending the rockers. And its more metal to get pulled into the engine when the rocker does break.

A stock KA will do 400whp just like any SR. And then just like the SR if its not in good shape it will blow. SR's blow up at stock HP, so do KA's. Its a nissan 4cyl, 400whp is achiveable but mid 300's are most definitely reliable.

As for weight, don't worry about it. I have an RB20 (soon to be pulled for a rb25) and its not really an issue, and if it is your driving wrong, or have horrible tires. My friend had a RB20 coupe running 14psi, and a FMIC and a 3in exhaust, a 10 point roll cage and seat and a welded diff. It was his nasa certified drift car. For a while he ran 215/50/16 BFG traction TA all seasons, pure drift car BTW. Besides tonns of drift cars have RB's. I saw some one plow into a wall in an SR, from understeer. Guess that means my heavy rb will kill me.

Just get good tires all the way around. They help out tremendously.

~Alex

The issue isn't just traction. And my car isn't a drifter either. Not every S-chassis is used for drifting My car is being built more for grip.. The front to rear ratio DOES matter.

[OM3GA]

your body is a wonderland.

[whyteboi]

i am a big ka-t fan but i will say the rock arm issues in a sr are blown WAY out of proportion. if your having rocker arm issues... buy some damn solid lifters

[PyR0NiAk]

your body is a wonderland.

Random much?

i am a big ka-t fan but i will say the rock arm issues in a sr are blown WAY out of proportion. if your having rocker arm issues... buy some damn solid lifters

^-This!

[visser003]

Fanboys never cease to amaze me...
...As far as bulletproof with a good tune, I'm pretty sure an SR can handle more on the stock bottom end than a KA can. An SR is also more efficient as far as hp/liter. Yes, a KA has a little more torque, but imo, the extra weight in the front end isn't worth it. Now if you want to use numbers for your argument, we can discuss the 1300hp SR built by mazworx. It all comes down to personal preference.

Lol. So you call him a fanboy then you spout off about SR's.
HAHAHA, hypocrite much?

[PyR0NiAk]

I have nothing against KAs. The "spout off" about SRs was to show him he was WRONG. I've helped work on RB25s, and KA-Ts, as well as my own SR. I have nothing against any of them. I call KAs boat anchors on a regular basis because people get butt-hurt about it. But if you look through my posts, you'll also see where I've told people that KAs are perfectly fine. Notice my last sentence was "It all comes down to personal preference."

[dgms240]

I say go KA-T and just build the motor you already have.

[DMan II-40]

Ka-T. Build it up, break it in, then add the turbo and tune it.

[RustspecS13]

I have nothing against KAs. The "spout off" about SRs was to show him he was WRONG. I've helped work on RB25s, and KA-Ts, as well as my own SR. I have nothing against any of them. I call KAs boat anchors on a regular basis because people get butt-hurt about it. But if you look through my posts, you'll also see where I've told people that KAs are perfectly fine. Notice my last sentence was "It all comes down to personal preference."

You missed my point. My point was an engine/overall f/r balance is important, but there are far more important things. Like proper suspension geometry, (roll center adjusters, lower outer tie rods etc etc) tire width and compound, affect front grip far more then just engine weight. Engine weight will really affect turn in grip most noticeably, which is one part of a corner.

Matt blancarte (sp?) has a s13 coupe with rb26dett track car. Its pretty well setup for track days.

If this is going to be a street car, big deal what engine goes into it. Tires and coil overs are far more important to over all handling.

As for the solid lifter comment, right because that's a great idea for most SR owners. And new rockers are a great idea too. So why aren't more people running them?

The only thing I don't like about the SR is the head. If nissan just put a KA or CA head on it, it would have been far better off.

~Alex

[Justin35ll]

1jz or 2jz.
If I could go back in time I def would not have gotten an sr20 and would have gone with either a rb25 or 1/2jz.

But don't get me wrong I love my sr and it's treated me well. I don't think I would have had to knowledge to swap in a rb or jz motor back then anyway

[Shusaka]

Do a single cam swap...LS1!!!! they weigh the same as a ka24de but with gobs of torque everywhere, for 5500 thats what i would do, and throw on some tein tension rods, nismo power brace, strut tower bars and kyb agx wrapped in tein s-tech springs, that should be do-able for $5500, find a shell with 17" wheels with good offset and you are good to go

[NismoS13Ks]

$5,500 can be spent alot better than building the KA. What is your current cars setup? Interior perfect? wheels, suspension, brakes? If you have a KA thats running no prob, leave it alone. Do some interior work, body work, brakes and suspension, get some wheels. Its your car, do what you want, but more info needed here. Pics?

[CRyan]

Do a single cam swap...LS1!!!! they weigh the same as a ka24de but with gobs of torque everywhere, for 5500 thats what i would do, and throw on some tein tension rods, nismo power brace, strut tower bars and kyb agx wrapped in tein s-tech springs, that should be do-able for $5500, find a shell with 17" wheels with good offset and you are good to go

You forgot the best part about the LS swap. Better gas mileage, too!

[numbnuts240]

As for the solid lifter comment, right because that's a great idea for most SR owners. And new rockers are a great idea too. So why aren't more people running them?

i've always wondered this as well. i think it's because most people are too cheap and in a hurry to get the swap done and drive it, without taking a little more time, and spending a bit more money to take preemptive measures to protect their investment.

[scotty-2-forty]

Personally, I think this thread would've served better if it was entitled, "I had $5,500 and this is what I did!" and filled with glorious performance parts, how-to's, experience based advice and pictures of the process. But, my recommendation is to keep the stocker in there, figure out your power goal based on how you want to drive the car, locate a suitable engine (KA, RB, SR, blah-blah-blah), and build that one to suit. Meanwhile, again based on your drivability projections, upgrade other facets of the car to suit the potential power gain (i.e. suspension, safety, etc). Whatever you choose, take your time, do it right and good luck!

[scotty-2-forty]

and again; why do you need 400 hp in a s chassis?

... Sacrilege!

[PyR0NiAk]

As for the solid lifter comment, right because that's a great idea for most SR owners. And new rockers are a great idea too. So why aren't more people running them?

i've always wondered this as well. i think it's because most people are too cheap and in a hurry to get the swap done and drive it, without taking a little more time, and spending a bit more money to take preemptive measures to protect their investment.

Because the problem isn't as big as people act like. The problem with most SRs isn't as much the motors as it is the owners are rev-happy. We get them here without solid lifters. Hell, most of the threads I read with thrown rockers are on stock SRs with nothing but a boost controller and an fmic. If you look at my thread, you'll find I didn't touch the valves themselves or the lifters. Was it because I didn't have the money? No. I don't plan on smacking my motor off the rev-limiter all the time, and the valves were ok as they were.

[project213]

id yank my newish ka thats got around 90xxx on it and do a frebuild with sohc pistons new cams polish head xcessive intake full exhaust and a radiator n electric fan setup. than id spend the rest on new suspension and wheels.

[scotty-2-forty]

id yank my newish ka thats got around 90xxx on it and do a frebuild with sohc pistons new cams polish head xcessive intake full exhaust and a radiator n electric fan setup. than id spend the rest on new suspension and wheels.

You'd yank your newish KA thats got 90xxx on it? Not understanding that. Frebuild? ... Oh, "rebuild". Electric fan setup? ... Why? That's been covered a million times; hell, I even got sucked down that pipe ... the clutch fan is absolutely fine.

[brudacille]

welcome to a local; honestly any swap (especially an RB) is going to be super scary with stock brakes/suspension

Thank you. What part of PA you from? I've been doing alot of research and already decided that the 300zx brake upgrade is getting done. I plan on getting them from a local junk yard and then rebuilding them myself.

Suspension,bushings and brakes.some sort of limited slip.The debate on the engine will go on forever.U have to decide on what u want the car to drive like.With that budget u could do any swap u want to.Personally i would do a all aluminum v8 only because i could use the low end torque.

I'd like to get around 325-350whp. I'm trying to stay away from V8's and go the turbo route. I've only owned 1 turbo car (92 240sx w/SR20det) and fell in love with both turbo's and the S-Chassis. I'm going to cut corneres on the LSD and just have it welded. I'm really focusing my time and money into the engine more then anything else. I jsut want something with a little power that will hold up when I beat the hell out of it, lol.

I would buy two cars. One for daily and one that you can put a rear end on, and a few suspension mods. You don't need a ton of power to drift or autox in a 240 especially if you are new to it. A few bolt ons and a 180 whp KA and you will have plenty of fun.

bonkers to your thoughts on buying a car thats already built. If you can save money that way do it. you can remove everything and put it all back on if that makes you happy. As long as the car was built by someone with the right know how and the previous owner wasn't a retard then you should be fine.

I'd rather just have 1 toy, lol. My girlfriend and I already have a POS daily (Buick Regal, ROFL!!). I always have decent toys and am just looking into building a new one. As for tearing it apart and putting it back together, I probably would lol. I'd just like to be able to claim the work and learn as much as I can in the process. Learning is a big thing to me. I've owned some decent toys with decent power and the KA won't keep me entertained for long. In no way am I saying I mastered driving, I just love knowing that I have all that power if I want it.

definitely put money into everything else. i got a 5G loan and a great friend to help put into my s13 and the engine is staying stock for now.

Why not build the engine with that money? Everyone likes there own thing and I'd rather drop the money to make more power. I'm not into looks so much and it could stay stock looking for all I care. I just want a beast, lol.

I say 2jz that mofo

I haven't even looked into the 2jz swap but it definitely interests me. I'll read up on it a little and try to come up with a price estimate and some of the pros and cons. Thanks for mentioning that though.

If I had $5500 to spend on my RB25 or VQ35, Id slap you and call you stupid for giving me five grand. Then run away and buy a tig welder, and get a built rotating assembly.....

If you spend 5K on an RB swap your doing it wrong.

Find some one local with a turbo 240sx of any kind. Take a ride.....

~Alex

I've owned an SR20DET 240 so I know how it feels. I just want something with a little bit more power this time.

Take that 5 grand and upgrade the brakes, diff and suspension first

I have a few extra $'s to play with now and have already began looking at the 300zx brake upgrade. Diff will most likely be welded. I'll also be looking into a decent budget suspension as well.

hmm i say do the sr swap and still have some money to buy some coils, and suspension work. i get how you don’t wanna buy some1 else’s car and i understand that but wouldn’t a rb25 be to much? its pretty heavy and u said you wanna slide it so you dont need to much power for that. i say go sr for better weight distrubition and it will be alot faster and easier to swap it. plus parts arent hard to find for it.

The more I read on the different swaps the more I think I'll go with the SR. My last SR was stock and didn't really impress me that much. If I go SR this time though I'll have more money to throw at it to make it perform better. I would really like to have something a little different and not so common though. Thats why I'm still interested in the RB.

KA-T > SR

I think its a shame that people trash their KA's in favor of SR's when KA's are much faster. There is a reason time attack/drag cars all use KA-T, and its because KA has more displacement, more torque, better gear ratios, and is bulletproof with a good tune.

If I went KA I'd want to do a complete rebuild on it, have it hot tanked, honed, and all that good stuff b4 boosting. I just fear boosting an engine with 100k miles on it. I'd like to have some reliability with my build.

I'll tell you what the LAST engine build I would do for $5,500 would be

I've got about 8 grand now but I'm still curious what you wouldn't do.... What would you stay away from and why?

Take that 5 grand and upgrade the brakes, diff and suspension first

+1

Suspension & Brakes are ALWAYS first.

Coils, wheels, BBK, adjustable arms, and solid bushings

http://splparts.com/store/product-info.php?pid12.html

Would a set of bushings really make that much of a difference in the feel? I haven't even thought about this or considered it. Very good advice though. Thank you.

1jz or 2jz.
If I could go back in time I def would not have gotten an sr20 and would have gone with either a rb25 or 1/2jz.

But don't get me wrong I love my sr and it's treated me well. I don't think I would have had to knowledge to swap in a rb or jz motor back then anyway

Why would you make a different decision?

As for the solid lifter comment, right because that's a great idea for most SR owners. And new rockers are a great idea too. So why aren't more people running them?

i've always wondered this as well. i think it's because most people are too cheap and in a hurry to get the swap done and drive it, without taking a little more time, and spending a bit more money to take preemptive measures to protect their investment.

This is exactly what I'm trying not to do. I'm not concerned about rushing and getting it done. I'd like to take my time and make sure its healthy.

Heres my photo album of my last 240 with the SR20 swap...... http://s876.photobucket.com/albums/ab32 ... 0Blacktop/

[brudacille]

I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who has participated in this thread and helped to provide me with additional information.