RB26 is in! pics.

[skylinegrl13]

i realize this is just the beginning, and some people don't think it's a big deal just to get the damn thing sitting in the car. after all the time spent sourcing parts for this swap and dealing with oil pan issues, this feels like a huge accomplishment.

want to thank the people on this forum that gave bits of advice, pictures and general encouragement! seeing it sitting in there is all the motivation i need right now.



she's dirty.



[/IMG] oil line had to be "massaged" to fit. going to make a new line later.

mckinney mount kit, the best on the market but still lacking. making my own when i take it out and build it down the road.

[Shocker]

oh look it fits! here at NicoClub when we make these threads we always pose next to our engines once installed.

how long till you crank her?

[skylinegrl13]

i can only work on it on weekends, so probly another 2 weeks. i'll pose next to it when it runs!

[Shocker]

good deal, luckily I have spring break this week, so more time than usual for me.

[blurrbosi]

Im diggin the engine bay color. Nicer work

[mhsz34]

congrats....

[Cameron]

I see your a girl, you gunna be able to engage that awesome clutch ? <Is kidding. Looks good congrats!

[Rellik27]

nice

[shally2186]

congrats!! looks clean and well put together (as of now)..looks like a VERY clean CRX in the back ..does he have his pilot license for that wing??

[Shocker]

any update from this past weekend?

[skylinegrl13]

Couldn't get it on the lift this weekend so I spent some time on cosmetic stuff. Got all the valve and timing covers off plus some pulleys for powder coating, ordered some new couplings, painted my windshield wiper arms...lol real exciting stuff. Here's a pic of my new wheels, and can I just say that Edge Racing is the ****!

[skylinegrl13]

LOL!! that's my bf's project car, and yes it is REDICULOUSLY clean. can't wait to see that thing at the track, it needs to get a little dirty.

[Shocker]

LOL!! that's my bf's project car, and yes it is REDICULOUSLY clean. can't wait to see that thing at the track, it needs to get a little dirty.

glad you didn't go your b/f's route and sticking with right wheel drive.

Wheels look nice, my buddy is rocking the same set!

[Phat_Optimo]

Nice. I see your using the oem oil pan. Let us know what that sway bar fits. .

[Carl H]

lol holy crap when was the last time you posted ^

[Phat_Optimo]

^^^^^^^^^^

Haha, yeah its been quite a while since I have posted. I got burn't out working on cars for a while (**** happens). I also ran out of money. I am back now with a renewed flame and pockets full of money . I'm basicly starting back at square 1. I just got my block preped and a few pistons installed. I am planning a single turbo this time around. I'll be posting more often now that I am back in the game. Look out for some of my pics I will be posting up soon. I have some good ones for you engine building freaks .

Anyways... what I was saying in my post earlier was that the sway bar hits with the 26 pan. Its not even close. I am using a 25 pan and plan on modding it for more oil capacity. Maybe you have figure out a way around this? I'd like to hear about it.

[skylinegrl13]

yes about that sway bar...it's sort of up in the air right now. i've read a few stories about just bolting up the stock bar backwards, supposedly it will clear like this but i haven't tried and it seems like cheating. Since i'm not above cheating i will hunt around for my old bar and see if it works like that.

Another way would be to get Whiteline to quit with the stalling and make a bar for this application. i contacted them last year about it and they were basically telling me they had thought about it but didn't have a car for design reference.

I will not "notch" my 26 pan as some others have done, i believe this would disrupt the flow of fluid and change a design that was maticulously engineered for a purpose. this is also why i would not use the 25 pan, simply because there is a reason that pan did not come on that engine from factory.

I like your idea of using an increased capacity 25 pan, it would definitely save some weight, but for me it was simpler and made more sense to change the bar and not the pan. And by change i mean, go without one until i figure out what to do!

[Yellow4g63]

yes about that sway bar...it's sort of up in the air right now. i've read a few stories about just bolting up the stock bar backwards, supposedly it will clear like this but i haven't tried and it seems like cheating. Since i'm not above cheating i will hunt around for my old bar and see if it works like that.

Another way would be to get Whiteline to quit with the stalling and make a bar for this application. i contacted them last year about it and they were basically telling me they had thought about it but didn't have a car for design reference.

I will not "notch" my 26 pan as some others have done, i believe this would disrupt the flow of fluid and change a design that was maticulously engineered for a purpose. this is also why i would not use the 25 pan, simply because there is a reason that pan did not come on that engine from factory.

I like your idea of using an increased capacity 25 pan, it would definitely save some weight, but for me it was simpler and made more sense to change the bar and not the pan. And by change i mean, go without one until i figure out what to do!

The 26 oil pan isn't that great from the factory. If you take that car on a road course there is a good chance that you will kill the motor due to a lack of oil. Talk to a few of the GTR guys on Freshalloy and they will tell you all about it.

[Arrow]

Hey guys, I've been doing a lot of research on the RB26 swap and since you mentioned about the whole sway bar situation, I have sort of a question for you...

I know why Nissan made the 26 pan for a specific purpose - but wasn't that purpose the incorporation of the front diff? If they in fact wanted to make the 26 pan completely unique and did not want the possibility of the 25 pan to be used without the front diff. then wouldn't they have simply changed the bolt locations of the 26 block? Although I am not aware of the differences between the 26 block and the 25 block - and I could see that if there aren't any differences than it would be senseless to try and move the bolts or whatnot...

Please enlighten me and help me further my knowledge or point me in the right direction so that I can find the answers.

BTW, your build looks impressive and CONGRATS on making it this far!

[skylinegrl13]

i mean, really, it's all about capacity. i wanted a bigger capacity pan as a bit of an 'insurance policy' if you will, along with an additional inner baffle and new pump. you're right about the diff thing, and in the end, it's whatever choice you feel confident with. thanks for the props!

@Yellow4g63: that topic has been beaten into the ground so many times...i don't want to be a d!ck here so let's just agree to disagree.

[Phat_Optimo]

yes about that sway bar...it's sort of up in the air right now. i've read a few stories about just bolting up the stock bar backwards, supposedly it will clear like this but i haven't tried and it seems like cheating. Since i'm not above cheating i will hunt around for my old bar and see if it works like that.

Another way would be to get Whiteline to quit with the stalling and make a bar for this application. i contacted them last year about it and they were basically telling me they had thought about it but didn't have a car for design reference.

I will not "notch" my 26 pan as some others have done, i believe this would disrupt the flow of fluid and change a design that was maticulously engineered for a purpose. this is also why i would not use the 25 pan, simply because there is a reason that pan did not come on that engine from factory.

I like your idea of using an increased capacity 25 pan, it would definitely save some weight, but for me it was simpler and made more sense to change the bar and not the pan. And by change i mean, go without one until i figure out what to do!

*opens can of worms*

That sway bar is a super ***** unless you use the 20/25 pan. Flipping the sway bar does not work. The twin turbo setup is another mo-fo. Been there and not going back

[Phat_Optimo]

Hey guys, I've been doing a lot of research on the RB26 swap and since you mentioned about the whole sway bar situation, I have sort of a question for you...

I know why Nissan made the 26 pan for a specific purpose - but wasn't that purpose the incorporation of the front diff? If they in fact wanted to make the 26 pan completely unique and did not want the possibility of the 25 pan to be used without the front diff. then wouldn't they have simply changed the bolt locations of the 26 block? Although I am not aware of the differences between the 26 block and the 25 block - and I could see that if there aren't any differences than it would be senseless to try and move the bolts or whatnot...

Please enlighten me and help me further my knowledge or point me in the right direction so that I can find the answers.

BTW, your build looks impressive and CONGRATS on making it this far!

The 25 pan needs about 15-20 mins of modding for it to fit on the 26 with the oil pickup installed. The 26 has 2 sets of oilpan bolt holes. The inner holes line up for the 25 pan (cept a few that have to be enlarged) while the outer holes work with the 26 pan

[S14-NEO]

couldnt you have compensated for the extra capacity by using a oil cooler? im pretty sure with the cooler , lines etc could have easily given you an extra two quarts possibly.make sense?

also your swap looks nice and clean..its good to see people take their time to do a nice job on things once in a while...nice job!!

[spooled240]

WOW that is one sweet ride...can you get her running in another week or so?

[skylinegrl13]

LOL!Oil Cooler = $$ skylinegrl does not have. i'm pretty sure i can find or rig up a sway bar for less than $1400. plus, i don't think i need an oil cooler when i'm shooting for ~450, but i might go that route when i do the big single setup later on. this is a pretty stock setup other than ecu, intercooler, clutch, exhaust...seriously, that stupid thing is the least of my worries right now, if i can't get it to fit by the time this thing runs then i'm going without.

[Shocker]

LOL!Oil Cooler = $$ skylinegrl does not have. i'm pretty sure i can find or rig up a sway bar for less than $1400. plus, i don't think i need an oil cooler when i'm shooting for ~450, but i might go that route when i do the big single setup later on. this is a pretty stock setup other than ecu, intercooler, clutch, exhaust...seriously, that stupid thing is the least of my worries right now, if i can't get it to fit by the time this thing runs then i'm going without.

Oil cooler setup is NOT that expensive... I just did it. Break down the prices.

Earl's 16 row cooler kit: $126 from SummitGreddy Sandwich: $89.99Lines + fittings: $80.00Steel for brackets: $5.00

Total $300.99 and track assurance for a nice cool motor.

I could have went way cheaper if I didn't do a thermo sandwich and got a stock cooler like Carl did from a Saab or Volvo or something else.. Brought it down to about $200 then....

[Arrow]

I have a quick question for you: about how much money has it cost you to get things this far along and how far do you feel it will set you back in the end? Just curious I know that the general consensus is somewhere over 10k to properly install a RB26...

[skylinegrl13]

uh, this is sort of embarassing, but i have to keep reminding myself that i bought most of my stuff 5 years ago when it was a lot more expensive. right now i've spent about $14000 not including the car itself or the wheels or the upcoming paint job. the thing i regret the most is spending $2500 on the transmission alone (half of that was cost to ship from japan, bought before people had them everywhere in the states). i've done a cost per item breakdown on my project blog. that snazzy clutch was around $1300 i think, engine $4500, power fc $1000...none of that 14k was spent on labor or storage, just straight parts and mistakes. if i did it all over again now i would probably have spent around 10k.

as far as it setting me back in the end? not sure, i think with all the tuning and the work I'd need at least $25k to recoup it all, and that would probably never happen. but you know i don't really think about it like that. this was and is a learning experience, and i love my car, and i will love driving it and hearing that engine that i saved from junk yard oblivion, and honestly i wouldn't want to leave it in the hands of someone who would buy it and beat the crap out of it. sorry to get all emotional and junk, but that's how it is to me.

[S14-NEO]

ive got on my car a nissan pathfinder power steering oil cooler for my oil cooler...costs me ZIP-ZERO-NADA!!!

[Arrow]

I understand your pov... I mean you've spent a whole lot of time building this car and working to have the money to put everything together and all. I'm currently trying to see if it would be feasible to buy a RB26, rebuild it and get in installed and running in the factory trim for less than 10k - doing all the work myself and possibly doing some custom fabrication myself also...

I hope to be able to buy the engine within the next year and tear it down for a complete rebuild (hopefully not needing to buy new pistons, rods, valves, etc...) and hopefully do that for around 8k total or somewhere along those lines... but time will tell. and so will the falling US dollar - not sure how much that is going to put a hurting on me...

But in the end it's all about knowing that you've done your best and built the car that you've wanted to build and I really like your build so far... Any specific reason why you chose to use a PFC instead of the factory ECU?