KA24E Done. What should I do?

[ripewithdecay]

So i bought a 90 d21 from my cousin for a couple hundred bucks. I knew it AT LEAST needed a headgasket and transmission. I got the head off today and found this:

I just need a little advice on what to do. Should I rebuild the engine and find a junkyard trans? Should I get a CA18DET with trans and drop that in? (They look like they run about 1200$)

I am debating on whether or not I want to keep the truck or sell it to make a little profit. I do know that I don't really want to spend a ton on this. However I have kind of always wanted a hardbody with a SR or CA in it. I searched car-part.com and it looks like junkyard ka24e's near me are around 600$. (seems a little steep to me for engines with 150K+ miles) It's a pretty nice rust free body so I really dont want to scrap it either. Just need some guidance and price points on swap vs. rebuild.
Thanks for any help.
P.s. I will be doing the work on the truck not a shop.

[frapjap]

First off, welcome to NICO!

Second, YIKES! Thats not what you expect to find when you take the head off.
Rebuilding the engine wouldn't be very difficult once pulled.
$600 is probably about right for an engine that is known to be good. However, alternatives are to find a junk 240sx on Craigslist or our forums here on NICO.
classifieds.html

If it were me and was intent on keeping the chassis, I'd buy a used engine and refresh it with new gaskets, clutch, etc.

Whatever the outcome, put up a build thread here!

[ripewithdecay]

Hey thanks for the info! I will have to post some pics of the truck soon!
I found a engine and trans at my local junkyard online for 900$. I'm gonna talk to them tomorrow and see if they might give me any better of a price on that. ( my friends dad works there so maybe)
For that price though the CA swap sounds very tempting. I've been trying to find a definitive article on doing the swap, but I haven't found a great one. Kind of on the fence about what route I wanna go.

[Rev_D21]

Welcome to NICO. If you plan on keeping the truck...like I would...I would go for a known good used engine. As Frap said, refresh it and do a timing chain on it then jst drive the truck and enjoy it. There is nothing handier than a cheap Hardbody truck.

[ripewithdecay]

Thanks for the advice guys. Probably smart to get a used engine and not mess with doing a swap right now. Then maybe i'll boost it in the future, we'll see.

[ripewithdecay]

The more I think about it and research prices, the more I think i would just rather rebuild the engine. It seems like I would end up spending about the same on unknown junkyard engine.

As far as rebuild kits go should I avoid the ebay kits? Such as these : http://www.ebay.com/itm/89-90-Nissan-24 ... fa&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nissan-Pick-Up- ... ea&vxp=mtr


The threads I've read were a bit older referring to the ebay kits. People seem to have mixed feelings on them. Some said they love theirs others are a bit weary. Especially with the timing components. Which is understandable why you'd want OEM for that. But as far as the rest of the kit should they be adequate? If I did end up boosting later it would be 7-8 psi max, nothing cray. Thanks guys.

[smurfmobile]

To bad I am not in amerika I would give you the engine from the parts car. Your welcome to find out how much the shipping would cost. And that is a KA24DE, also it is a stick shift so you could have everything you want to make yours a stick. Engine and gearbox runs great. Elderly couple had it its whole life and they did oil change every year on everything. But anyway good luck with that truck

[Rev_D21]

I'd go ebay only if it were for brand name stuff. No name stuff scares me, especially when it comes to engine internals. I wouldn't want to have to do the job twice.

[ripewithdecay]

To bad I am not in amerika I would give you the engine from the parts car. Your welcome to find out how much the shipping would cost. And that is a KA24DE, also it is a stick shift so you could have everything you want to make yours a stick. Engine and gearbox runs great. Elderly couple had it its whole life and they did oil change every year on everything. But anyway good luck with that truck

Thanks for the offer man! It would probably cost an arm and a leg to ship though

I'd go <a class="vglnk" title="Link added by VigLink" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ebay.com/"><span>ebay</span></a> only if it were for brand name stuff. No name stuff scares me, especially when it comes to engine internals. I wouldn't want to have to do the job twice.

True true. Seems like http://www.rpmmachine.com/ has a pretty good rep, so maybe i'll just order through them.

[smurfmobile]

I called customs here in iceland today and they said that it would probably be around 400us, and that was for the motor and gearbox but he could not say for sure. Can't give me the exact amount until it would be weight at the customs.

[ripewithdecay]

Since I already have my head removed, what's the best place to attach my chain to hoist the engine and trans out? Motor mount? I read someone just put a couple head bolts back in and used that, but I'd like a second opinion on that. I guess I could bolt the head back if needed too... Anyways thanks ya'lls.

[frapjap]

I'd go with a couple of bolts from the intake manifold or exhaust manifold. Do you have a leveler? They help a TON in situations like this.

[ripewithdecay]

Got it pulled today Its handy having a forklift available!

[frapjap]

Got it pulled today Its handy having a forklift available!

Haha, ULTIMATE ENGINE HOIST!!

[ripewithdecay]

Haha yeah the funny thing is, I had asked my friend to borrow his dad's hoist. Then I was like wait a second, I have a forklift available to use what am I talking about??