Question about building a 240 "race car"

[duff0000]

Hey guys, Im new to 240sx's and am wondering about building one up. I come from honda's, Ive got a s2000 and instead of supercharging it, Im thinking about gettin a 240 and building it up. Im looking into the early 90's hatchbacks. Heres a couple of questions I have:

Ive heard its a good idea to get the 90 1/2 year ones and up because its a lot less work to swap a sr20det into them? is this true? why?

Will a built KA motor make more power then a built sr20det motor?

Can I aquire a stock 240 with high miles (140k +) for less then $1000? Ive seen alot of them lately go for under 1g.

Whats the best year 240 to make into a race car(stripped interior,no emissions, rollcage) which year is the lightest?

If theres any other good info i can use please post it here.

Thanks in advance guys, I really look forward to owning a 240!

[thekage]

Will a built KA motor make more power then a built sr20det motor?

Oh Man.. are you wanting to start a fight??

There are a lot of options for you..what kind of "race" car are you wanting to make?? Drag car I assume?There are a ton of options to you.. SR, KA, CA, RB, VQ, small block chevys.. LT1s and Ls1s.... there are a ton of swaps out there for your engine..Depends on what you want to do with it...What is your budget?What is your purpose?

Generaly you can find a high mile 240 for cheap.. I picked one up with a "blown" engine for 150 bucks... Am slapping in a rebuilt ka and adding some go fast parts on a budget of less than 2000..

[duff0000]

Im basically looking to make a highway monster.. and a 12 second car in the quater would be nice too. My budget is around 5,000.

[Florida240sx]

Total budget or buying the car then having 5k to spend on it?Ivan had 11.7 with 400hp on the ka didn't he? So look at people with 350ish setups.Coupes are the lighest.Only thing different from 89-90 to 91-93 is front bumper*and SOHC/DOHC*.Boost designs stage 2 kit should get close to your goal.($2600)Get AEM EMS and make it run perfect (1600) or if you get SAFC tune it very well<-----whole lot cheaper.
Modified by Florida240sx at 8:30 PM 5/3/2005

[Slappy]

Hey guys, Im new to 240sx's and am wondering about building one up. I come from honda's, Ive got a s2000 and instead of supercharging it, Im thinking about gettin a 240 and building it up. Im looking into the early 90's hatchbacks. Heres a couple of questions I have:

Ive heard its a good idea to get the 90 1/2 year ones and up because its a lot less work to swap a sr20det into them? is this true? why?

Will a built KA motor make more power then a built sr20det motor?

Can I aquire a stock 240 with high miles (140k +) for less then $1000? Ive seen alot of them lately go for under 1g.

Whats the best year 240 to make into a race car(stripped interior,no emissions, rollcage) which year is the lightest?

If theres any other good info i can use please post it here.

Thanks in advance guys, I really look forward to owning a 240!

there's a guy on the lookoutdrift forum that did his 240 all race setup. srtipped down, roll caged and everything.

you should register and get some tips from him.

[duff0000]

I would like to spend 5k total, but I can be a little flexible on the price if it were needed to do a quailty job.

[PantherRacer]

WELCOME TO NICO How's things goin?

looks like he's sayin total budget is 5g's... you can find a cheap 240sx (coupes really are lighter) get a new engine if it needs/ you want one, turbo kit if it's a KA, suspension, tuning, weight reduction shouldn't cost you that much...possibly just supplies needed to remove stuff, brakes, wheels, tires, guages,

Phew. I think that's a real bank busting list there...

But if it's possible NICO will help you along cuz this forum is the best

[Florida240sx]

Can you install yourself or have friends that have the know-how?We'll help you too.Also there is quite a few write-ups on here.If you start installing it's best to have a digi cam with you so you can take pics post your problem with the visual so we can aid you better.Car:$600New engine:$1000BD stage 2 kit:$2600Electronics to make your car safe:(????)Depends on what you wantThis is rough estimate.I bought my 240sx shell for 600.Had blown engine but good transmission.The stock engine max is 400hp 350rwhp is safe and many setups going around have this with mo problems due to good tuning.

[duff0000]

Thanks Panther!!!! Good to be a member here!

I have the know how to install stuff myself, one of my first cars was an turbo eclipse, I pulled the engine on that by myslef, installed a 1g head on it, bigger turbo and supporting mods etc So i think i have a the know-how. I also have a friend who is ase certifed in engines that loves doing this kind of stuff. I plan on installing/ preforming all the mods myself, with the exception if i decide to rip the motor apart and put new internals in it, that kind of stuff.

[duff0000]

How much are coupes lighter then hatchbacks? sorry guys for these basic questions, I think i should try searching.

[HashiriyaS14]

As for the weights of hatches vs. coupes, just google for 'S13, curb weight"

You'll probably find something. I don't personally know the answer.

I say get a coupe, strip it bare, spot-weld it, weld in a cage, do suspension and some unbelievable tires, and then whatever's left over goes into the engine.

[duff0000]

What exactly is spot welding the car? Is there somewhere I can get more information on this?

[Florida240sx]

Aren't the coupes only like 75lbs lighter?Good hat you can install yourself.Best bet is either find a low mile 240 and turbo it or find one for under 500 and buy a new engine or low mileage and turbo it.

[Nathan]

Im basically looking to make a highway monster.. and a 12 second car in the quater would be nice too. My budget is around 5,000.

You dare to dream the impossible dream. It cannot be done with any modicum of style, reliability, longevity, or quality.

[benemorius]

Yeah there are loads of info on the forums. Searching would turn up countless things.

The weight difference is minimal - about thirty pounds. It's nothing I would be concerned with. Pick the chassis that looks best to you.

Depending on your location, you should have no trouble finding an s13 with a blown engine for ~500.

With a budget of $5000, you might be able to do a build, but you may consider leaving the internals alone. If you come from the Honda world and are new to the KA scene, it may be news to you that a stock KA is actually very strong. As somebody already mentioned - many people are pushing 400 hp with no reliability issues to date. (see edit)

KA vs. SR? You've hit a nerve with that one, buddy. That topic has been worn in to the ground and still has no answer. It's all personal preference. I prefer the KA at the moment. It has .4 liters on the SR and it's lived most of it's life as the underdog.

EDIT: Note that by "pushing 400 hp" I meant approaching 400, not necessarily at 400.
Modified by benemorius at 9:32 PM 5/3/2005

[duff0000]

But wouldent I blow the sh*t out of the stock ka lets say if i put a t-66 on it and kept the boost somewhat low? heh heh

[DriftingisLame]

T-66's are huge right? that would be some intense lag I'm sure...

For around 5 grand I would buy a 240 with a blown motor and then pick up the boost designs stage 3 kit, and some form of engine managment. Rebuild the motor and you've probably spent around $4000-$4500? then a little room to work with on suspension, or just tires lol.

but you'd have a hella fast car for drag anyway!

Hope that helps. definatly check out the BD turbo kit, IMO its probably the best kit for your money.

-Max

[duff0000]

Thanks, ill check into that!

[nismofly]

you might also want to look here...

zeroforum?id=170

and here for that kit...

http://www.boostdesigns.com/main.htm

[gabossie]

welcome to NICO

for real though, we have a 240 gen, 240 technical, SR, and KAT forum.... gen chat is not the place to find your answers... zeromain?id=7

[Nismo_Freak]

Honestly.

You won't get a complete car for $5000.

Spend your money wisely with the intent of buying parts later. Work at it and build your project.

If you limit your mind to $5000 then you will cut corners and you will be disappointed at the end result if what you say is what you truely want.

[duff0000]

Gotcha, Im deff. not looking to cut corners if its gonna be a little more to get the right parts, and build it right, I have no problem doing so.

[TurboKA37]

With a budget of $5000, you might be able to do a build, but you may consider leaving the internals alone. If you come from the Honda world and are new to the KA scene, it may be news to you that a stock KA is actually very strong. As somebody already mentioned - many people are pushing 400 hp with no reliability issues to date.

yea, there are people with reliable 400whp (and up to 600 now) KAs but not on stock internals. Ivan did make over 400whp on stock internals but that was for a couple dyno pulls and a little road time then the ring lands went. i would never trust 400whp out of a stock block KA. the ring lands on the stock KA pistons are too weak to support major power for a good time. the rest of the block is pretty sound though. i think low to mid 300's is more relistic. i do prefer the KA over the SR but each engine has its pros and cons and each should really be looked upon for what your budget and type of racing you are going to be doing. If i had 5k to put together a 240 for some fun i would find a well kept/well running 240 for a decent price and focus on suspension and some good wheels and tires first. that would be enough to have some fun on the roads as well as some autocross events while you get to know the car and it's characteristics/limits. then down the road when u have some more money saved up, look into adding some power with maybe a turbo or a swap of some sort. waiting down the road to put money into the engine will allow you time too fingure out what you are really interested in doing with the car.

[Nismo_Freak]

yea, there are people with reliable 400whp (and up to 600 now) KAs but not on stock internals. Ivan did make over 400whp on stock internals but that was for a couple dyno pulls and a little road time then the ring lands went. i would never trust 400whp out of a stock block KA. the ring lands on the stock KA pistons are too weak to support major power for a good time. the rest of the block is pretty sound though. i think low to mid 300's is more relistic. i do prefer the KA over the SR but each engine has its pros and cons and each should really be looked upon for what your budget and type of racing you are going to be doing. If i had 5k to put together a 240 for some fun i would find a well kept/well running 240 for a decent price and focus on suspension and some good wheels and tires first. that would be enough to have some fun on the roads as well as some autocross events while you get to know the car and it's characteristics/limits. then down the road when u have some more money saved up, look into adding some power with maybe a turbo or a swap of some sort. waiting down the road to put money into the engine will allow you time too fingure out what you are really interested in doing with the car.

Excellent commentary.

[TurboKA37]

thanks, i try to let people know how i would have done things if i had to start all over

[Nismo_Freak]

thanks, i try to let people know how i would have done things if i had to start all over

Same.

It's easy to have big hopes and dreams.

It's even easier to spend $5000 and have nothing but a bunch of parts.

[nametakennow]

Only thing different from 89-90 to 91-93 is front bumper.

Well, that and a camshaft .

89-90 = SOHC 2.4litre91+ = DOHC 2.4litre

I say: Get an S13 (lol, assuming you can find one), drop in a fresh DOHC KA from a swapped S14 ('95-'98 -- these are easy to find because there's a lot of swapped S14s around with someone who's dying to sell their KA), then turbo and build that KA and work on suspension, then swap the motor in when it and the suspension are done. $5k is not enough to do what I think you want. With a couple more grand I say a T3/T4 turbo setup, maybe a GT28, that'd be good for 300-350whp and decently cheap - along with some JIC FLT-A2s, sways and a front strut bar, polyurethane motor and suspension mounts, and some bigger (maybe get Z hubs and buy a kit meant for a Z) slotted rotors, not to mention some 17X8s with sticky rubber... that's all coming out to a good $8k, if you're lucky, depends on how much you build the motor and what, if any, bodywork you do (the body may need a freshening, it IS a 15 year old car). That also assumes you do the work yourself.

[Florida240sx]

Well, that and a camshaft .

89-90 = SOHC 2.4litre91+ = DOHC 2.4litre

Well, was under the assumption of him wanting an SR, so didn't matter which one he has because he was going to trash the engine. Turbo kits are to find for SOHC or am I blind? Good job on quoting that though to prevent maybe others thinking that's the only thing different.....

[nametakennow]

There are a few SOHC KA turbo kits, but yeah, not as numerous and I, personally, wouldn't touch it, in large part because the SOHC motors are so old, they're probably not in a great state compression-wise.

[PantherRacer]

truth...compressions alwayz a problem, but if he fixed that it'd be good to go (I think) lol. and DOHC is more power darnit LOL