L20B specs and potential??

Discussion forum for the venerable 510, and its non-US counterparts, the Datsun 1600 and Bluebird.
RedaspX
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 5:11 pm

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I was wondering if any one some links for the specs of this beast and what its potential is...

I just bought me a 1970 2 door.. and am planing on swaping the stock L16 with a L20B, so what can i expect to run into when doing this swap?


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compression
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:08 am

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the head sits about .75" higher because the block is taller than the L-16, so most likely your exhaust manifold wont line up with the head. Also, most L20b's had a larger flywheel, I think you can swap the one from the L16 onto it though...Other than that, it is pretty much a bolt in. Are you going to keep the stock 4-speed tranny? If yes, then it requires no mods.go to datsuns.com or the dimequarterly.com, they cot some good info and lots of links to other pages.

RedaspX
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 5:11 pm

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yeah im going to keep the tranny for now.... hell ya thx for the info!!

okayfine
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri May 21, 2004 8:36 am

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All L-series motors use the same size flywheel - overall diameter. The clutch face of the L20B may be either 200mm or 225mm, depending on the OE application for the motor.

In any case, the L20B flywheel is a 6-bolt, the L-16 is a 5-bolt.

You must use the L16 motor mounts, oil pan, and pickup tube to mount the L20B.

Stock L20B is 105HP, net. Potential is as big as your wallet.

Phax
Posts: 1625
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 6:24 pm
Car: Control dynamics

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The L20B has all sorts of potential. Check out Gary Savage's 2.2L EFI 510. That car is very well built. A few months ago, I had a 4-door 510 with a 2.2, fuel injected L-series motor pull away from my 240SX with a 2.0L turbo motor running 8 psi.

If you are going to be building the motor, I seriously suggest that you look into some TWM throttle bodies and an EFI setup. Dual carbs are neat and everything, but with the way the L-series motor has the intake and exhaust ports on the same side of the head, the carbs tend to vapor lock on hot days. A set of headers definitely compounds the problem.

Congrats on your 510 acquisition. Those cars become more and more rare with each passing day. It's good to know that people are keeping them on the road.

RedaspX
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 5:11 pm

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yeah i plan on building the engine up....and whant to go EFI I deff want to go with a turbo....now for some EFI where can i get a intake and throtel bodies to fit that engine.... ? In the end I would like to get bout 200 rwhp out of the beast...

The fellow im gettin the car from has 2 others and i plan ongettin them as well... on of them used to be a race car.. dunno for what exactly but he said they had to be all stock sept the suspension could be modded...

RedaspX
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 5:11 pm

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hrmmm.. not able to get that much out of a l20b???

Where could i get the EFI setup for it?

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datsunboy
Posts: 518
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 3:14 am
Car: Datsuns
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you could get that power from a L20b...I've seen it before...but a LOT of $ was put into it!you can EFI it fairly easily.1st way is to use the factory L18E EFI manifold.....yes...the L18 came as a EFI engine in some Japanese cars....but, for obvious reasoons, these manifolds are quite rare.

2nd way is to get a 280ZX ( L28E/T ) inlet manifold, and chop the middle 2 runners out, then weld it back together. If you do it right, then it will bolt onto your L20b.

3rd way is to use a Z18ET head on your L20B block ( but the Z18 head has less power potential than the L20B head ).the Z18 is a cross flow and factory EFI engine...so these are benifits....but yeah...less potential.

4th way is to just make a custom one yourself. which is not as hard as it sounds......all you need to do is get a flange plate laser cut ( which will prob cost you about $10 ), then buy some "donut's" ( which are a donut shaped piece of steel tube, which you just cut out the length and angle you want )....or just bend some pipe yourself. then make a plenum ( just a big round section will be fine, and make a adapter plate to fit your choice of throttle body.then you need to make some bosses to fit the injectors in, and drill and tap any holes you want in the plenum for things like boost gauge e.t.c.

and for a exhaust manifold....either custom fab one...ora LD20T exhaust manifold will fit if you slot one of the holesa LD20T is the 4cyl 2.0l turbo desiel engine....no idea what cars it came in.

hope this helps!

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compression
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:08 am

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Getting an L-series (2, or 2.2 liter) to make 200 at the wheels is going to be a huge challenge for ya, I personally dont think it is possible normally aspirated. It is going to be very expensive and the motor is going to be strung out, like a tight rubberband waiting to snap. It also wont be very "streetable", probably will overheat, have a terrible idle, and only run good when its spinning 6500 rpm. We are talking fully ported heads, cam, valves, pistons, rods, 13:1 compression... everything will have to be massaged to the max and you would have to run her on race gas all the time.The L-series like to make all their torque down low the peeter out as the RPM go up, partially due to the poor flowing heads.If you really are determined to go with the L and have a lot of cash sitting around...then get a longblock built by rebello or a similar race engine place, because thats what you are looking for, a full race motor. The L-series was a good engine in its time, and it is tough as nails, but times have changed dramatically.If you are talking turbo, good luck, you will need to EFI it, use a standalone, and probalby make your own manifold, probably rebuild it , and it will still be slower than a stock SR20DET in a 510. There are a few out there with L turbos, but there is a reason why they have never been popular. Remeber, the L motor was widely used for about 25 years in all sorts of datsuns and nissans, so whatever you are thinking of doing, someone has tried, and can probably give you some good advice as to why it did or didnt work. oh yeah, and the thing with dual carbs, is not vapor lock (there are heatshields availble) but the fac that they get terrible mileage and are a beotch to tune. Not many people know how to tune them or know when or how to swap needles and sync them.

OR, you can just skip that step of the 510 learning curver, (realizing that $4,500 later, and it still is not fast enough for ya and runs like crap) save yourself some money (and a lot of time) and go straight to a motor swap. A VG, KA, or SR seem to be the popular choices, but of course you could swap in whatever you wanted.The above mentioned engines will make 200hp at the rear wheels (some with more mods than others) much easier than an L-series, and they will drive a lot better too. Do some research before dropping all your money into an L-series. Maybe ask the opinions of the guys who have been in it for years and years on the bluebirds e-mail list. You can subscribe at the dimequarterly.com (look on the sidebar for "mailing list").This forum does not draw a lot seasoned 510 veterans, so it is not the best place for experienced advice.

Just trying to save you a lot of trouble, I have learned all this from my own experiences over the past 8 years with my various 510's and from gathering information from all over. I am not just shooting from the hip here. I hope you get an engine in there you like and you are happy with it...let the spending begin! "Datsun 510" translates into "a hole in road in which you throw all your money".....ha ha ha

RedaspX
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 5:11 pm

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ok forget the L20b im going with a KA24DE... or KA24E stock is 140 Hp on the E and 155 for the DE...

now just gota find one! hehe

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datsunboy
Posts: 518
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Car: Datsuns
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or you could go for a CA18DET like me!a lot lighter and physically smaller engine.makes 170ish ( 130KW ) at the flywheel from factory.responds well to mods.a lot of people ( including me ) belive it to be a better engine than the SR20DET. ( although it all depends on exactly what you want the engine for )the CA is a 1800cc twin cam, EFI, intercooled turbo engine.infact...the CA18DET is actually lighter than a L20B!!!

and yeah....a HIGH HP L-series will not be very friendly on the street.

here is a couple of links tho if you are interested.

220HP N/A L24 ( still a 4cyl tho )http://www.rallysportnews.com.....html

DAMN!....took me ages to find this link....and you need to be a memeber ( costs money to do that )....but you can still see a few pics, and part of the article here:( it's about half way down the page )

220HP turbo L20http://www.fastfoursvip.com/ga...age=2

I have the actual magazine here if you want to know anything more about it.he says that it is actually quite streetable!

fo0manchu
Posts: 112
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2003 11:55 pm

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look up rebello racing. They prep a lot of motors that make extreme numbers. Find out their secrets to engine building and your set!! ;)

but it all depends on your budget. Ka swap is fun but is more involved as you need to fab up some stuff. Do a search and you'll find more info on that. Im in the process of doing the swap myself. L20b is a fun motor and I would say that about 150-160 rwhp is fairly easily obtained, and makes for a fun ride. If your looking for just a fun street car that will do 14-14.5 sec quarter miles then the l20b is the way to go and wont take a big chunk out of your wallet. but if your looking for more power then the other engine options mentioned will save you money in the long run.


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