Hey Nico,

I've been on Nico for quite a while now; mostly just lurking with the occasional post here and there. I introduced myself a long time ago and posted a few pictures. Well I haven't made much progress since then. I've been busy with school and was lacking funds big time.

Short story short, I've got a freshly rebuilt KA24DE at stock specs sitting in my garage right now. I bought it for $500 which seemed like a really good deal and it probably still is.

I have a few questions though. Would it be worth upgrading it while its still not in the engine? I figure I could always just swap in the new engine and slowly rebuild the old engine to how i want it. But what would be the better choice? The car isn't a daily driver so its okay if I take my time with it.

Basically:
Should I swap in the rebuilt engine and work on the old engine that is going to come out of it?
Is it more worth my time to upgrade the rebuilt engine while its out of the car since it will be easier to work on?
Should I pull both out?
Did I get ripped off?
Or should I just sell both and get me something else?

Thanks. Sorry if a thread like this exists already.

I think a good rebuild is worth $500. Sounds like a good deal and something I would put my money down for.

If the current engine is running fine, and you want to build an engine, I'd take the fresh one back apart and build it. That will save you the labor of taking one out/putting it in (your old one) and the rebuilt one will just need some pistons and rods. The bores should be hones and fresh for new pistons. That would cost the least IMO.