Little engine that could... (Question for first time buyer of Ca18det)

[uvamosk]

Ok, I was going to buy a Rb20det for my 240sx Coupe.

I have decided that the Ca18det would be a better choice at this time.I am looking at around 1500$ for a front clip +shipping....

The question is Do i really need a front clip or is a Motor set just as good?

I am thinking of ordering from Venusauto

I wanted to go RB20det but I hear parts are easier to find for Ca18det states side. I also Know that the ca18det with little mods is a pretty stout engine.

I think I may have made up my mind.

Does anyone have suggestions on what they would have did diffrently or would have bought when they did their swap?

Things I should look out for or places to buy my engine from?

Thanks guys..... Also Whats some real world numbers I could get form a Ca18det... I would love to get around 300whp some day..

I started to think Ca18det instead of rb20det because of the lower budget that I have. I also fell in love with the scream of it hitting 8k with cams ^_^

[r34 gtr]

You dont really need a front clip as long as you get a very complete motorset, but a clip is really useful because you can see where everything goes. I ordered my clip from venus a long time ago and they were great, but since then I have heard some bad things about them. I would give jarco inc. a call, and also JHOT and see which one can get you the best deal. they are both located in GA, right around Atlanta. Very good, friendly people. Actually, when I visited jarco they took me for a ride in their rb20 powered s13 and it was RAW. dude was bouncing it off 9k the whole time, just drifting the hell out of their little street.

The ca18 will do 8k all day, but it wont make power there unless you get some cams and some stronger rod bolts, as they can stretch with repeated abuse. personally, my CA has seen 9k a few times, but it was very, very sketchy and not worth it in the slightest bit as far as power is concerned. 300whp is very doable with this little engine, and it will do so quite reliably if properly done. Check out some of the faqs on here (sticky at the top of the forum page) and dont be afraid to ask questions.

[themadscientist]

well I own both types of engines and for the money I would choose the CA18. They have the same potential power. A couple of things with the CA though.

Rod bolts, they are inadequate, smallest I have seen in a Nissan engine. You may love the scream of 8000 RPMs but the motor won't and you will likely pick up a nasty rod knock in a few months.

Age. The engine is over 18-years old. The chances it will be in prime shape are infinitesimal. Go into it expecting to completely overhaul the engine. 300hp is no problem on a tight healthy stock CA18 with adequate boost, fuel delivery and cooling but I wouldn't lean on a used one that hard.

Those ^%#@$% little hoses under the intake. I don't know about the SR20 but the RBs and CAs have dozens of little preformed hoses that will all be crusty and ready to burst. Save yourself headache and replace them all. I redesign the whole setup and eliminate as many of those little bastards as I can.

the turbo. It's too small and it's very old and surely abused, it's ready to die likely on the first test drive. Have a replacement ready before you even try to start the engine.

I don't want to scare you, I just want you to be ready when the ole pocket monster starts giving you ****. Don't yank your existing motor until you know you have the CA full ready to go back to work. Here are what I would call stages of preparation. Hey everyone else has "stage this" and "stage that" I can too!

Stage 1 (you cheesy half-stepping bastard)scrub the motor down, get it nice and clean, look for leaks and other trouble.Replace the valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, rear main sealReplace any hose that feels crunchy, does it make your *** pucker when you feel it, yeah change it. It's easy on the stand a real PITA in the car.check all the exhaust manifold and turbo nuts and bolts for tightness and look for any blown gaskets or broken stuff. scrutinize the turbo, is it blown?Check the timing belt and water pump, if they look suspect change them now.

Stage 2 (glad you are taking this seriously)same as before but just replace the timing belt and the water pump. You should anyway, I guarantee they are on their last legs. Replace the front main seal while you have the crank pulley off. Replace all the hoses and all the clamps, every stinkin one. pull the stock turbo and put on something better, rebuilt T25, a small GT Garrett, I would recommend an A/R .63 exhuast and something capable of at least 300hp on the compressor side, might as well make it worth your while.

Stage 3 (welcome to the frequent flyer lounge)This is really as minimal as I would go and I would hope you would be of the mind to start you CA18 adventure from at least this point.Complete overhaul, the old girl deserves to be pampered, exorcize all the emotional baggage and physical damage caused by the previous three owners one of which had Nissan service it, the next who never checked the oil and the third who thought they were a D1 driver.you should have the head and block tanked to clean them of sludge and rust deposits. The deck surfaces of both should be checked andand decked if they are warped. Have the crank checked for straightness at the minimum. The cylinders will at least need to be honed but if the scoring is excessive an oversize boring will be needed. Have the rods checked for cracks and straightness and at least replace the stock bolts with ARP ones. You will need new pistons, be sure to get ones that will work with the final bore size, talk to your machinist. Have the valves and seats checked for excessive wear. They may just need new seals but be prepared to have the guides replaced. Put it back together with all new bearings and gaskets and slap a basic metal head gasket on it just for a little extra insurance.

Beyond that it's basically steps up in go-fastiness of the parts or laborbalancing the crankhead chamber and portworkforged rods and pistonscrazy camsditching the factory ECU for a standalone etc.

[r34 gtr]

i beat you on the jump.

Since he has been on here for a few years, I figured he was fully capable of looking stuff up himself, but spending an hour typing all that stuff up for him works too. haHAAAAaaaa ok im done.

edit: I just read "stage three" and is that stuff necessary? werent you the one saying how good the stock pistons were? why not just get some new oversize rings and save $400? I know you need to have it properly rebuilt but damn! from experience you should only have to deal with half of that stage three stuff if your engine is completely ruined.

[themadscientist]

it's not speed that counts but post mass. My post is Ronny Coleman to your Richard Simmons submission. Nyaa!

[r34 gtr]

i'll give you that sir.

[uvamosk]

I have done the engine swap dance before. so dont worry I will give here a star treatment before she goes in.

Belts, Hoses, Gaskets, water pump all that jazz...

I didn't know about rod bolts so I might go ahead and swap some new ones in.

Other than that I really cant do the rebuild right now dont have the lettus to feed that rabbit.

Anyway... I just know people (Sr20det) trash on Ca18det so i was wanting to get a full understanding before I go into that saloon.

I was going to swap over to a t25 or t28 off a sr20det for now and get a new one when I rebuild.

So whats the diffrence between the Front clip and Complete motor swap? I know Sr20det people freak out if you tell them you didnt get a front clip?

The Ca18det has the same wireing setup as the Sr20det I hear so I should be ok there. I have the lower transmission harness from my Sr20de that I made to get the Sr20de in my 240sx running now. Will that swap straight over to the Ca18det?

Also, Where is the best place to buy Ca18det build up parts?

How much further back does a ca18det set in the engine bay?

[uvamosk]

any answers?

[Jiggyfry]

One major benefit of a front clip is that you'll be getting all the hardware to make the butterfly system work as it should and not "half assed" like most of us do.

[ca18datsun510]

is your car a pignose or 91+?

if its a piggy, a clip will help you with random things such as power steering lines and reservior.

also with a front clip you will get all the parts to hook up the intake butterflies properly and do a more complete swap.

[uvamosk]

Na, Im not piggy...Im 91+

Though Is a front clip needed as much as it is for a Sr20det swap?

I'm just trying to figure out why most places don't carry a Front clip but they have tons of motor swaps?

[ca18datsun510]

front clip isnt really needed for sr20det.

rare to get clips these days.

most places dont carry clips cause they take up more room, and are more expensive to ship.

they also com with the clip attached which is a big hassle to get rid of.