KA24E Pistons In A KA24DE

[Leachguy]

I've been scouring the forums for about a week now and can't seem to find anybody that has done the KA24E pistons in the KA24DE. Everyone talks about it, but has anyone done it to their engine? I just need to know about fitment, if my valves will clear with some agressive cams, that sort of stuff. So any real info, not just speculation, would be nice. Thanks

[180fan]

been done. yes the valves clear, sometimes easier to fabricate a cover for a sohc block to a dohc head. how aggressive is aggressive, and if it's gonna be a build, you can get the pistons in varying sizes to suit the diameter you'd need for your particular build. Remember to use a bore gauge. Lurk moar.

[Leachguy]

I was thinking some Crower's with a 272 duration and a 10.19mm lift. I am planning a quite hefty build. Sorry if I never found this topic before, I'd done quite a few searches but apparently not enough.

[BJNX2000]

lol, i came over to this forum, cuz i wasnt getting any answers an 240sxforums, and you and i are both doing the same thing.....

im also comteplating an all motor Ka build on my DE. but, im thinking very seriously about saying to hell with the KA-E pistons, an just pony up for cusotm CP pistons(custom bore, valve reliefs, serious 12:1 compression, etc).

the KA-E pistons are cheap/free, but theyre only a bump from 9.5:1 to 11:1(also heard 10.7:1, who knows). i might try using the E pistons, but i really dont want to build a motor, be let down by the numbers, and keep thinking "what if id used those[custom] instead...". and then i dont want to build a motor twice to correct the problem.

i dont know.

we'll see what i decide.

[Leachguy]

I want mine to still have some good street manners so I'm not too worried about being let down, I don't expect too great of things. The 10.7:1 is probably achieved from the KA-E pistons from the later KA-E engine with the lower 8.6:1 compression, where as the 89 KA-E had 9.1:1 compression.

[180fan]

The crowers should clear without too much drama. The octane you'd need to use to keep this thing from grenading will be pretty stiff if you want it to have streetability. My suggestion would be a smooth KAE build using some mikuni 44mm carbs and call it a day.

[Leachguy]

Could you explain what you mean by "too much drama" I'm looking for something that won't need new valves every 2 weeks.

[180fan]

as in it clears but just barely. I personally prefer a little more margin of safety and would 1. deck the bugger, then 2. get a thicker headgasket

[Leachguy]

So some 9.52 mm lift cams would be a better choice then. They'd probably handle the street better than the other ones too. Because I'd rather not put a thicker gasket in there; I'd be giving up my compression gains then.

[180fan]

bingo.