Okay, engine decisions!

[Buttons06]

I agree with mechanical that doing it all at once is the ideal thing to do, but if I get the CA, I'm probably going to spend the next 6-12 months driving it barely modded - z32 MAF, injectors, tune, and maybe as much boost as I feel safe with from the stock t25 or a used t28. I've got to replace suspension and I'd like to do other misc work on it, such as paint, wheels, and so on. Down time isn't really a BIG issue for me since I live only a mile from work and that's hella easy to walk to and from. I don't really NEED the car so much as want it atm. Plus if I really need one I can use my friend's lol

As for my current engine, got the bugs worked out of the car aside from having blow by. My compression is about what you'd expect from an engine with 14x,xxx miles being 155-160 on all cylinders, and I burn no oil. Replaced the PCV valve hoping that would relieve some of the pressure, but still have it pretty bad.

Swapped the radiator which was clogged out, for the one from my auto '95. It took some thinking/slight modification of mounts to come up with a way to mount it and relocate the reservoir so the hose still reached. It stays cool now though, so much that I almost second guessed if I put the thermostat in. The gauge shows no change as long as I'm constantly moving, but when I idle for a few minutes after driving, it raises to normal temp.

Also removed that thermoswitch thing. The metal mount/housing for the sensor was pretty badly corroded and had a crack in it, and since it's part of the nonessential A/C system, w/e

I'd like to get into circuit racing, but not sure if there's any around here really.
Wasn't aware that the crank was half weighted in the KA though. I thought the higher CA red line was due to having a similar design to the RB series.

[SX APPEAL]

+1 Vote for the CA.

You can swap some internals from RB's even. Also the main reason i swapped out a freshly rebuilt KA-E for my SR is redline. I dont dorifto or drag, but i auto-x and circuit race. I want to have more revs per gear so i can stay in a gear longer in corners rather than bounce off a red line at the wrong time or get stuck shifting early. CA18 has an even higher red line than the SR. Why u think F1 engines have 10k+ red lines? Gear changes cost time. KA has only a half weighted crank iirc and they are known to shake themselves apart if you keep them in the higher rev limits (above stock?) torque numbers can hit nice and hard early on, but its still a "truck motor." It sacrifices top end for low end. Then again, finding a totaled titan and swapping a VK56 might be fun.

First of all, F1 engines rev to 18K because that's how high you have to rev a 2.4L naturally aspirated V-8 to get 750-800bhp out of it. It has nothing to do with "avoiding shifting" as they tailor gear ratios specifically for each track and the electro-hydraulically operated transmissions can change gears so quickly that there is almost no appreciable drop in torque to the wheels anyway. You're not just in a different league trying to compare F1 engines to a CA or SR, you're in a completely different universe.

But I digress, to be fair your point of a higher revving engine giving you the ability to stay in gears longer does make some sense down here on planet earth, but also remember, a higher revving engine with most of its power coming closer at the top of the rev range might require an extra down shift before the corner to keep it in the powerband, whereas a torquier, lower revving engine might not... Ultimately it depends on way to many factors to try to quantify in an engine vs engine discussion.

Then there's this "truck motor" thing again. I know that its commonly accepted NICO lore that "oh that old half-counterweighted KA will tear itself apart if you rev it." But I gotta say, after 7-8 years of reading on these forums and working on these cars, I cannot recall a single story about a KA blowing up because it was over-revved. Most KA failures I've heard about involve badly tuned turbo systems, overboosting, detonation, etc. If you can provide an account of a KA failing simply because it couldn't handle being revved to 7000-7500 (which is about the maximum powerband the current parts support for the engine allows) then I'll happily eat my words with a fork and spoon. Now keep in mind, there's no question an SR or CA will rev higher, I'm just saying the "can't rev at all" stigma surrounding the KA might not be entirely deserved.

Moral of the story, throw about the same amount of time and money at any CA/SR/KA and you're going to get a fun car with nearly the same performance, its all a matter of how it feels, the sensations you get while driving and the "personality" each engine brings to the car.

[float_6969]

The stroke is what kills the revs on a KA, not the half counterweight. The CA is a half counterweight as well and I've had my motor to 8K rpm more times than I can count and the crank was as straight as the day it was made when I rebuilt the engine the last time (failed oil filter).

SX Appeal is right, this "truck motor" thing is stupid. Let it go. All 3 motors have their merits. There is no wrong or right answer. You have the pro's and con's, weigh your options versus your goals, and make a decision.

As partial as I am to the CA, if all you care about is 300hp and reliability, I'd say get a black top S13 SR, T28, exhaust, intercooler, injectors, mafs, a chip, and a boost controller, and call it a day. It'll do that all day long. You can get the exact same results with the CA, with a loss in bottom end power, a gain in rev-ability and valve train durability, and slightly less weight (The CA DOES weigh less than the SR, not by much, but it does. It's also physically smaller, so it doesn't sit as far forward, and isn't as tall, all of which will help handling) IF you can find a good condition CA.

[Buttons06]

The stroke is what kills the revs on a KA, not the half counterweight. The CA is a half counterweight as well and I've had my motor to 8K rpm more times than I can count and the crank was as straight as the day it was made when I rebuilt the engine the last time (failed oil filter).

SX Appeal is right, this "truck motor" thing is stupid. Let it go. All 3 motors have their merits. There is no wrong or right answer. You have the pro's and con's, weigh your options versus your goals, and make a decision.

As partial as I am to the CA, if all you care about is 300hp and reliability, I'd say get a black top S13 SR, T28, exhaust, intercooler, injectors, mafs, a chip, and a boost controller, and call it a day. It'll do that all day long. You can get the exact same results with the CA, with a loss in bottom end power, a gain in rev-ability and valve train durability, and slightly less weight (The CA DOES weigh less than the SR, not by much, but it does. It's also physically smaller, so it doesn't sit as far forward, and isn't as tall, all of which will help handling) IF you can find a good condition CA.

K. Knew they each had an up and down, all were good choices, but this helps.
Essentially, you say screw the KA then and make it Black top SR vs CA, assuming I can find a good condition CA? Which I figure the rebuilt one from Dee would, or should be, a good one. From everything I've read lurking the CA forums, it seems like between you and he, you guys know almost all there is to know about the CA.
On that note, unless there is some reason to doubt Dee's ability to rebuild an engine, I suppose I'm set on a choice.

[float_6969]

No, I'm not saying screw the KA. I am saying that from a reliability standpoint, the KA is historically less reliable in stock form at 300HP than the CA or SR in stock forms, as long as the CA is a good condition motor. You're talking about being on a budget, and if you're not rebuilding a motor, the SR and CA are going to have better durability at 300HP in stock from than the KA. IF you can find a good condition CA, it will cost less money and will get you to you're power goals when you're ready (which Dee should be able to provide, but I don't know how it compares cost-wise to a black top).

[Buttons06]

Ah. I didn't think you were discounting the ka completely, I just wasn't sure on you meaning stock form. I'd want to rebuild my KA(s) anyway before boosting since they both have some issues. Putting in forged internals to make it more reliable would end up costing me a good bit combined with a turbo kit and everything else I'd need too.
I'm not sure on the cost of a SR blacktop, but I'll look around and check it out. If the CA isn't much more or pretty similar in price I'll probably go with it though since it'll be a new rebuild.

[DET240SX]

Hey your car looks pretty nice from what I can see.

What is your goal with this car DD,autoX, drifting, being a ricer, road course, etc....? If it's been answered, sorry. Didn't feel like reading all of KA discussions:p

Cheers,

[Buttons06]

Hey your car looks pretty nice from what I can see.

What is your goal with this car DD,autoX, drifting, being a ricer, road course, etc....? If it's been answered, sorry. Didn't feel like reading all of KA discussions:p

Cheers,

Mainly a fun DD. Would like to get into circuit later but I haven't really seen any circuit racing around here.
Anyone have input as to how much a S13 blacktop SR would cost - complete motorset, ecu, harness, etc? From what I've found through searching google and these online jdm engine stores (Osaka, some on ebay, so on), it looks like the CA from Dee would cost less than a blacktop SR, and I couldn't be sure on the quality of the engine til i see it. Still searching! lol

[blkvrtswp]

My 2 cents: For 300 WHP I would pick a non-rebuilt motor over a rebuilt motor any day any time no question. In my experience with many customer's rebuilt KAs and SRs, when the pistons, bearings etc are replaced more than half of those engines will not be running in 3 years. Machine shop inexperience, poor cleanliness control, inferior parts, assembly errors - whatever the reason - all are not an issue with a stock block.

A stock SR with a mild turbo upgrade is my advice for easy 300 WHP that can last for years and years and still be expandable if you want more power in 5 years. My next choice would be a low-mileage stock block KA with a properly tuned turbo kit.

Nothing against CAs though - excellent engine for some situations.

[float_6969]

The CA he's talking about will have been rebuilt by one of our Moderators, BoostBoy. He probably has more experience rebuilding CA's than anybody else in the US. A rebuilt CA from him will be on part with a stock motor.

That being said, blkvrtswp is right about rebuild issues. I found out that the machine shop that rebuild my engine the first time made A LOT of mistakes, the primary one being that they forgot to put plugs back in the oil galleys on the crank! Amazingly the engine didn't show any signs of damage, but I did have low oil pressure and noisy lifters.