Need some help fitment problems rb20 s13

[vg33t]

Ok, I am swaping an rb20 with the auto trany in to my s13. My plans were to use the stock trany mount and crosbar, wich was a perfect fit. I plan on making motor mount brackets. The problem is the motor sits so far forward that the crank polley is tuching the radiator. The whole thing needs to move backwards about 2" Does this mean I need to shortin my drive shaft and make a new trany mount bracket also? Is the auto trany longer than the manual? Any ideas on what I can do to fix this problem?ThanksDave

[Carl H]

huh?you are saying that using the stock 240sx xmember that the engine is too far forward? this i would have to see to believe.ive got a r32 xmember in my car and even with a koyo radiator i have about 2" from the radiator to the crank pulley.something is wrong in your car.

[vg33t]

Yes it is the stock crosmember. I was about to make the mount brackets for it When I noticed to crank pulley was right ware the radiator sits.I managed to get the radiator in place, but the motor needs to be lowerd still and it will hit the bottom part of the radiator.

[vg33t]

Ok, it looks like if I modify the trans mount bracket I can slide sthe trany back an inch. Has anyone had to do this? I thought you could use the stock transmission mount bracket without any problems.

[Carl H]

which xmember are you talking about? s13/s14, r32, r33? what?if you are using the ka the motor shouldnt even come close to bolting in, its so far back there is no way the motor could even sit on it.take some pictures, this i have to see to believe.

[DriftingisLame]

Which driveshaft are you using? Yes the auto transmission is much longer, and using an auto driveshaft will be toooo long.

[rbsileighty]

Ok, it looks like if I modify the trans mount bracket I can slide sthe trany back an inch. Has anyone had to do this? I thought you could use the stock transmission mount bracket without any problems.

Sounds like you bolted your trans mount up in order to make engine mounts correct? You'll find that you'll have to modify/remake your trans mount for sure... as it seems you have noticed. From what I can remember (it's been over 1.5 years ago) I made my mounts so that they bolt the motor up 1/4" or so back from the R32 member holes if you have a 32 member laying around and can compare your plates on the S13 member vs the r32 member side by side. My motor sits in perfectly with a fair gap between the radiator and the crank pulley. In the correct position you might have to "massage" the tunnel to keep the trans from rubbing, but I'm not sure how that will be with an auto since I've never seen or delt with one.

I would suggest using 5" wide 1/4" plate with 4" deep 1/4" channels (this is off the top of my head... but I'm pretty sure those are the right numbers)... I ran the numbers and they should hold up really well... mine have been great so far...

Hope this helps.
Modified by rbsileighty at 9:44 AM 10/16/2005

[vg33t]

So if I get a manual driveshaft I will have more room? I was able to slide the trany back 1 inch and now there is room to make it work.

[rbsileighty]

What driveshaft are you using... S13 or RB auto?

[vg33t]

s13 auto

[rbsileighty]

I was going to say if you were trying the RB auto shaft try the S13 one... As I said before I've never done a auto swap before so I really couldn't tell you for sure. Sounds like you might have made as much room as you can...

[vg33t]

Did you have problems with the oil pan siting on the sway bar? It looks like it would clear if the motor was back farther.

[rbsileighty]

My sway doesn't hit... I would suggest mounting the motor first and getting it right then going from there. You can always get a custom driveshaft... or convert to manual.

Definitely not a glamor shot... but here's how my motor fits
Modified by rbsileighty at 10:45 AM 10/16/2005

[vg33t]

Is this to far forward?

[Shocker]

Yes it is, you might have a little trouble if you ever want to upgrade your radiator...

[Carl H]

looks like a rb20 in a s13 to me......

[rbsileighty]

If you can take a straight down shot... that would be best.