RB30 on a college budget?

[TJcars2]

I'm thinking about building a motor to swap into an S chassis car.

Is it possible to build an RB30 with a RB25 head on a college student budget or should I just build an RB25? I know neither is cheap but it's not something I plan on doing in a weekend. I plan on buying a running car and driving it till the motor is built and ready to swap.

Wise words would be appreciated.

[Cjmartz2k]

I wouldn't describe any RB swap project as budget friendly. That being said, considering how hard it is to come by RB30 bottom ends in the states, unless you already have a RB30 bottom end, the RB25 is going to be WAY cheaper IMHO.

[Carl H]

to do an rb25 swap properly you'll be looking at least at 5k...and thats barebones swapping it.
rb30 isnt hard to do but sourcing parts is.
you'll be looking at a MINIMUM of 1300$ to get a block stateside...perhaps even more depending on location.
dont forget the mods required to slap an r33 head on the 30 bottom end.

[TJcars2]

Guess I'll just build an RB25 then. It'll probably be a S1 since they're a dime a dozen. I'm very mechanicly inclined so I'll be able to do 98% of the work myself.

I figured it'll be around 5k for the swap. Like I said, it won't be done in a weekend. The motor & trans will probably run me anywhere from $2k - $3000. I can fab mounts myself If I want to save some $$$ instead of using the McKinney kit. What should I replace while I have the motor out? (aside from the water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, rad hoses, etc.) Should I buy ARP head studs and throw those in with a new HG or should I hold off on that?? (I plan on a full build once I'm done school and have a decent job.)

[Shocker]

If your on a budget don't even open the motor leave it as is, make your mounts bolt it down. Wire it up yourself, run the factory SMIC (if your getting a clip, this is the cheapest option), change the TB, tensioner, idler and WP. Get a new clutch, have a DS made or buy a used one.

[Cjmartz2k]

I would put the motor in as is. You don't need to even take the head off until WELL over 500hp. If you were just hell bent on ARP studs (which are never a bad idea IMHO) you can install them one at a time with out removing the head.

[RustspecS13]

At least do a new OEM head gasket. That's the only thing I didn't do on my RB20 swap, and it blew 2 months after I finished it.

Yeah yeah the RB20 is older, but all imported motors sit and rot with old water and coolant in them, and it eats away at the headgasket.

Do tonns of people throw in JDM motors as is and not have problems? Sure, but there are plenty of people that do have issues, and fixing as many as possible is easy when the engine isnt in the car. How fun do you think it is to do a turbo straight 6 head gasket job in an s chassis?

But other then that, I would just go RB25, and do an RB30 block later when the rest of the setup is sorted out and you have more time.

~Alex

[TJcars2]

Thanks for the advice guys. Hopefully I can start this project soon and have enough time to do the build and goto school.

[Cjmartz2k]

Sorry Rustspec, I have to disagree with ya man. I wouldn't pull the head off unless there is a problem, especially on a buget. Most people cause more problems then they help when they do it IMHO. Just my $.02

[TJcars2]

Sorry Rustspec, I have to disagree with ya man. I wouldn't pull the head off unless there is a problem, especially on a buget. Most people cause more problems then they help when they do it IMHO. Just my $.02

I shouldn't cause any problems. I've done head gaskets before. I'd rather do it before it's in the car then after it's in. It may not be in an S chassis though it might be put in a R50 Pathfinder.

[Shocker]

Sorry Rustspec, I have to disagree with ya man. I wouldn't pull the head off unless there is a problem, especially on a buget. Most people cause more problems then they help when they do it IMHO. Just my $.02

I shouldn't cause any problems. I've done head gaskets before. I'd rather do it before it's in the car then after it's in. It may not be in an S chassis though it might be put in a R50 Pathfinder.

I wouldn't do it, if you get your motor set for a reliable member or good company there should be ZERO reason for it to fail unless your boosting it through the roof. Pull the head and its best to get it re-decked which is more money. But the choice is yours.

[RustspecS13]

I had about $60 in machine work and cleaning, and $75 for a stock head gasket and $150ish for arp head studs. Well worth it since your spending way over 2-3K for every thing else.

Can a lot of people throw in a JDM motor be ok? Yeah sure, but we've (the US) been importing motors for so long, we are starting to see more engines fail. I've heard of more SR's lately having rod knock and other long block issues. I wanted to do a HG but I couldn't buy one at the time. Id really like to know how long these motors actually sit around, instead of a WAG...

~Alex

[TJcars2]

I would rather be over prepared and spend the little bit of extra $$$ to make sure I have a 100% reliable motor. Who's to say the bearings aren't eff'd though? I would think THAT would be covered by the company I bought it from. You ALWAYS take a risk when buying a used motor.

Speaking of which, what are some good, trustworthy, reliable importers for motors? I wanna make sure i don't get wang slapped by choosing the wrong person to buy from.

[Cjmartz2k]

Alex has got some good points, it's just my preference not to crack in to the motor if it doesn't need it. If you are able to do it and have the money, it'll give you good piece of mind if nothing else.

[flatrate]

DO NOT BUY FROM JDM ENGINE DEPOT they have other names on EBAY as well... there from Kearny, NJ...

I bought a S1 Rb25 swap from them, the motor had water in cylinder 3 and was very rusted, as well as a few of the cam lobes.... they wouldnt do a thing about it, told me to run it that way... they also got mad at the fact i removed the head to replace the head gasket...

the trans i got with it isnt in the best of shape either...LOTS of input shaft bearing noise and the transmission will grind if you shift high RPMS and fast...

[TJcars2]

DO NOT BUY FROM JDM ENGINE DEPOT they have other names on EBAY as well... there from Kearny, NJ...

Thanks for that info. I'm gonna buy a motor from Raw Brokerage. I overlooked the fact that they have motors on hand.

[TJcars2]

Another quick question, if I buy an aftermarket crank (such as with a stroker kit) do I still have to do the extended crank collar??

[Darius]

Aftermarket stroker crank on a budget? That is awesome but definitely not budget friendly. You'd probably have to check with the manufacturer to make sure they extended the oil pump drive.

[TJcars2]

Stroker wouldn't be till way later. I was only curious at this point. Seeing as the crank collar has to be done anyway at some point.

If there's a better part, I'll save up and buy it.

[ItzGenX]

The crank collar will cost way way way less than a brand new stroker crank. Chances are the stroker crank already does have the extended oil drive though.

[eh?]

Get an RB30 short block not a stroker crank. You can almost build an entire RB30 for the cost of just a crank. Just sell your short block when the time comes.

[TJcars2]

Doesn't the RB26 have better harmonics then the RB30? Even if you stroke the RB26 it's still very rev-able.

[eh?]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpFWolNO ... re=related
Are you planning to do more than 1100hp?
10,000 rpm with a stock block and crank aint bad

[TJcars2]

yes I'd love 1000+ hp however that wouldn't be very budget friendly.

[Carl H]

my experience with them wasnt this bad but the rb25de motorset i got from them for my 30 build was kinda sludgy in the head...that and they didnt even know what they had!
guys sent me the wrong ecu (r33 engine) and insisted that there was no such thing as an r32 rb25de (claimed it was an r33 engine with an rb20 head), in the end i was able to get them to send me an rb20 ecu but it defintately took several calls to do so.
only good thing i have to say is that the shipping from them is silly fast, ordered it friday, showed up monday.

DO NOT BUY FROM JDM ENGINE DEPOT they have other names on EBAY as well... there from Kearny, NJ...