New 240sx,What should I do to it?

[cacho93]

Hello everyone,

I recently inherited what I would say is a *new* Nissan 240sx 1991 dark grey with 60k in its mileage. It looks completely gorgeous recently painted with its original colors, but it has a few problems, and it's already in the mechanic getting fixed. The most alarming problem is the transmission is not working properly, will not go above 2nd gear, everything else that needs to be fixed on the car does not require a mechanic. My 240sx has the ka23de and has a automatic transmission.

I would like to hear recommendations or suggestions of what should I modify to the car. I would not like to add a body kit to the car, I would like to maintain its originality, but I would add its original spoiler and change those 15" rims.
Please take into consideration when leaving yours suggestions that I have a limited budget, lets consider that the budget is $4000, with that money, what would you do to the car to bring the best of it?

These are some of the questions that I would like to know.
What is the best turbo kit to add to the car?
Is it more cheaper. in a way, to swap engines with a SR20DET or a CA18DET?
What rims would look best with the original body of the car?
What alarm system is best for the car?
Should I change the bodywork of the car? if so, to which one?

Thanks,
Oscar

[2_Liter_Turbo]

Hello everyone,

I recently inherited what I would say is a *new* Nissan 240sx 1991 dark grey with 60k in its mileage. It looks completely gorgeous recently painted with its original colors, but it has a few problems, and it's already in the mechanic getting fixed. The most alarming problem is the transmission is not working properly, will not go above 2nd gear, everything else that needs to be fixed on the car does not require a mechanic. My 240sx has the ka23de and has a automatic transmission.

I would like to hear recommendations or suggestions of what should I modify to the car. I would not like to add a body kit to the car, I would like to maintain its originality, but I would add its original spoiler and change those 15" rims.
Please take into consideration when leaving yours suggestions that I have a limited budget, lets consider that the budget is $4000, with that money, what would you do to the car to bring the best of it?

These are some of the questions that I would like to know.
What is the best turbo kit to add to the car?
Is it more cheaper. in a way, to swap engines with a SR20DET or a CA18DET?
What rims would look best with the original body of the car?
What alarm system is best for the car?
Should I change the bodywork of the car? if so, to which one?

Thanks,
Oscar

First and foremost, welcome to the forums! And wow, 60k?! That's a gem for sure. Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time fixing the automatic transmission if you can live with the car sitting for awhile. The 5 speed manual transmission is pretty in-expensive and easy to do if you're a weekend garage warrior. If not, now's the best time to learn! The bodywork is all up to personal taste. There can be a million people adding their input, which is good to give ideas, but in the end, it's what you like. Is the car a coupe or fastback? Definitely post up some pictures if you get the chance!

Wheels are again a personal taste thing. Some relatively simple and inexpensive wheels that aren't garbage are Enkei RPF1's, but they are pretty common.

Then theirs the age old question. Which motor. Again, budget, complexity and what you want out of the car are all important factors. Also, where you live (due to emissions) is one of the biggest considerations to take in account for engine choices.

[RobotDowneyJr]

4k will go quickly. With a limited budget you'll obviously have to make some sacrifices, best to decide what you want most out of the car and focus on that first.

Drag race junkie? Focus on power, maybe an engine swap or turbo kit.
Prefer the twists and turns? Focus on suspension and bracing.
Wanna drift? Well...just prepare to be broke all the time.
Regardless of which way you go you're going to find yourself wanting a manual transmission, and you'll need to upgrade the brakes and at least the tires if not wheels and tires. Then remember that aftermarket wheels with stock suspension gives your car a monster truck look, something to consider if that bothers you.
Can you do your own work? Do you have tools? If not factor in cost of tools and/or labor.
I bought my second 240, a 96 base model, in mid August last year, I'm already about 4k deep and I haven't even touched the engine yet!

I'm not trying to discourage you by any means, just giving you a heads up that money disappears so fast your head will spin when you're a 240 enthusiast.
Good luck!

[cacho93]

Here are the images of the car, I'd rather keep the look of the car the same, and change the rims, tires and add a spoiler.
Obviously I need to change the brakes, the exhaust, the bodywork, but which one do you recommend?
What's probably the best stuff to do to the car with $4000?
I don't intend to drift with the car, probably a little drag racing, but mostly for weekend use. I don't intend to make this my daily use car.

[RobotDowneyJr]

From what I gather from our limited interaction here's a list I would recommend for you, just my two cents.

5-speed transmission, whether you're at the drag strip or an auto-x event you'll want, no, need this.

Coilovers, but a nice set of springs and struts may be good for you. A lot cheaper too.

Wheels and tires, get nice tires. Don't let people hassle you for getting Rotas or XXRs. They'll be fine. Size and style is up to your taste, you'll get different answers from everyone on what looks good. S13s can pull off 16"s pretty well and cost you less. I always thought the Rota Grid V would look good on an S13 (they come in a few colors). Get what you like, maybe shoot for something at least 8 inches wide. You may need to have your fenders rolled, shops in your area may charge around $50 per wheel well.

From here I would typically keep going deeper into the suspension and bracing, differential, etc. But I think if you got an intake, exhaust, maybe the spoiler you like, you'd be pretty happy and proud of your car. It won't be a world beater, but it'll be fun and look nice.

EDIT! - Just realized the Rotas I linked you to have a 4x100 bolt pattern, if you're 4 lug you need a 4x114.3 bolt pattern!

[captainzen]

Hi Oscar

Bet you never immagined how much you like it until it came to your hands. I have owned one forever. I bought it new and have been trying to keep it that way until now. Have look.

http://s33.photobucket.com/user/captainzen1/slideshow/

Mike

[simmode1]

Here are the images of the car, I'd rather keep the look of the car the same, and change the rims, tires and add a spoiler.
Obviously I need to change the brakes, the exhaust, the bodywork, but which one do you recommend?
What's probably the best stuff to do to the car with $4000?

Lol @ whoever recommended RPF1's... No decent sizes for 4x114.3.

OP, check my sig below for inexpensive 4 lug options. But ultimately, I'd recommend going 5 lug.

As for that $4000 budget, that ain't gonna take you far at all, but there's no reason to reinvent the wheel here. Take care of your maintenance & get everything functioning properly first. Then do coilovers, tie rods, RUCAS, 5 lug hubs, Z32 brakes, wheels & tires. Maybe throw in an LSD & racing seat (God, stock S13 seats suck bawlz!). Should have moneys left over if you do the work yourself.

For wheels, I recommend starting of with a basic setup like:
(front) 17x9+20 with 235/40/17 tires
(rears) 17x10+20 with 265/40/17 tires
Feel free to use smaller stretched tired if you're going for the "stanced" thing.

Once you got that out of the way, save the rest of your money for real power. Ignore all of the typical non-turbo bolt-on KA bullshizz like intake, header & fartcan exhausts. Realistically, all they do is make loud noise & fool ppl who never been in a fast car into thinking your's is a beast. They'll give you maybe 25 to 30 hp which is really nothing when you consider the fact that you're starting off around 120whp.

I wouldn't recommend spending money on a 5spd transmission swap for your KA until you know which engine you want to stick with. Research & pick your poison: KA-T, the endless combinations of SR swaps, RB, 1/2JZ, VQ or LSx.

Personally, I'd go SR for simplicity & purity. Refresh it as soon as you get it, swap it in & have fun maxing out the stock t25/t28 turbos for a while. Maybe down the road, plan for a VET head swap &/or 350Z CD009 6spd transmision swap. As for cosmetics, you can't go wrong with OEM stuff. Look into the 180sx Type X to draw some classy inspiration.

Just my opinion.

[240hatchsx]

Hey man nice ride. First off from a guy that had bolt ons and now going thru a complete rebuild and have replaced dam near everything money can buy. Take notes from these guys they won't steer you wrong. Also research Research RESEARCH there are a plethora of build treads and how toos on here to help you get you burning it up on down the road. Rimtuck dot com will help you out on how the wheel and tire sizes will look on your ride. I got some extra parts laying around if you want to replace something that I might have just pm me ENJOY

[simmode1]

Hey man nice ride. First off from a guy that had bolt ons and now going thru a complete rebuild and have replaced dam near everything money can buy.

It's annoying, right?! You get the car, you get all excited about buying parts and ideas from your dumb Honda friends about massive gains from intake, header & exhaust fill your head, so you don't listen to reason from the experienced guys on the board. Then you go & blow a bunch of money on 5hit you're just gonna end up throwing away because it was useless.

Yeah man, I been there.
AEM short ram intake
Ebay OBX headers
Circuit Sports 3 inch dual exhaust
Cat delete/ EGR delete
248/232 cam swap

Lol... I used to think that shizz was fast. Until I drove a BMW 135i. That was a revelation. And the stock 135i wasn't even all that fast. It just taught me that I was NEVER EVER gonna come even remotely close to that kind of performance without an engine swap or DIY turbo project.

OP - research, save your money for well thought out mods & do it right the first time.

[ddgsxr504]

All the advice that has been listed is really good. HOWEVER, I wouldn't suggest running a staggered wheel setup as Simmode posted. Ive ran a 17x9/10 setup. While there is nothing wrong with it you won't be able to rotate your tires and therefore they won't last as long. Hence the reason I went to a 17x10 all around setup.

[earlingy]

Is the transmission issue due to the rev sensor? My automatic 240sx had shifting issues and no mechanic could ever figure it out. I found a thread here about the rev sensor, unplugged it as shown in the thread, and the car shifted great to the day I sold it. I even explained to the new owner what I had done in case a mechanic ever plugged it back in.
As for upgrades, you should get a BRM exhaust, and some performance oriented summer tires. 5 speed swap if you can find the parts. Maybe a limited slip differential, there are lots of options there- j30 vlsd, s15 hlsd, or aftermarket. Then drive it (autocross or drifting events, whatever you're in to) and you will figure out what you want to change.

[simmode1]

All the advice that has been listed is really good. HOWEVER, I wouldn't suggest running a staggered wheel setup as Simmode posted. Ive ran a 17x9/10 setup. While there is nothing wrong with it you won't be able to rotate your tires and therefore they won't last as long. Hence the reason I went to a 17x10 all around setup.

Yeah, any choice on staggered wheels is purely a stylistic one. It has been proven that S13's handle better with non-staggered setups & the ability to rotate tires eases the cost of ownership. Do I care? Hell naw. Staggered FTW.

It's just a form vs function thing. I prefer non-staggered setups on coupes and S14s. But on hatches, I love staggered... especially Corvette-ish stagger with like 17x9.5 & 18x10.5. It's all pretty individual. I figure, I don't need razor sharp handling on my way to the store or the office, so I can sacrfice a little performance for my sense of aesthetic. There's certainly more than one way of doing things.

[240hatchsx]

Lol... I used to think that shizz was fast. Until I drove a BMW 135i. That was a revelation. And the stock 135i wasn't even all that fast. It just taught me that I was NEVER EVER gonna come even remotely close to that kind of performance without an engine swap or DIY turbo project.

OP - research, save your money for well thought out mods & do it right the first time.

Haha at least your revelation came from driving another car I got smoked by a scion TC that a buddy had ... TWICE no less. God I wanted to sell it for GTI a friend was selling until I realize how much I hate fwd cars. As for bolt ons I had eBay injen knock off with an K&N filter, 4-2-1 header to an no name 3in exhaust but I do have a locking diff but it didn't matter after that I needed to be different and fast as possible so ka24der here I came after I finish fixing all the gremlins that the previous owner left for me.

[simmode1]

^^^Smoked? Damn, man... the TC is only supposed to have a 20hp advantage over us in stock form. Bolt-ons should level that playing field, but at that point, you're really just racing to see who's the fastest kid at the special olympics... You're both slow AF.

Hope that KA24DE-R works out for you. I don't see alot of those projects get finished or yield as much performance as a similarly priced KA-T. GL man.

[240hatchsx]

Yeah I know it's now as powerful as a KA-T but just want to have something different in the coward but the way I've build the engine I could just swap the supercharger out and spend a little more and go turbo

[adrianfromthecastle]

lol. dude, you can't just ask the internet to modify your car. Its like you just grew out your hair and started asking internet strangers how you should style it.

first and foremost however, get rid of that automatic transmission asap. lol.

Everything else is subjective. Start off with your suspension. You'd be surprised how much fun you can have with your car with a set of nice coilovers, even with <100whp. lol