rwd 52f code sr questions

[USAF_S13]

got no love in the n/a forums, no one replied at all so maybe you guys can help. need some advice, been doing alot of searching and just want to concrete some ideas. basically my situation is that ive been given a 52f code sr20de from a silvia for free. now at first i was gona sell it for junk in favor of something else but might as well boost it. the motor is missing the dist and plug wires, but ive got a set of coilpacks from a det laying around so all i would need is the cas from a det, well thats my understanding. if i can use the stock cams ( if they will work with the cas) would i be better off using a stock set of det cams or run the stock na cams? ive also got a det transmission and igniter plus an ecu also laying around to help save money. want to rebuild the motor because its had a hard life, and from what im reading everything from a det bottom end wise is interchangeable with the de. i also read that the rods on the de are not as strong, but i only play to run 12-14 psi from a t28, seems to me that would be ok on stock bottom end. has anyone ever ran into any issues not having the oil squirters vs having them. trying to do this as cheap as possible but still a good rebuild at the same time. sorry for the long post.

[PyR0NiAk]

52F seems to be on all rwd SRs... I have no idea how much boost it can handle... With proper tuning, I'm sure it would be fine, although it would most likely be cheaper and easier to just find a used SR20DET long block and rebuild that. Then you could use the ECU and transmission you already have. You could get a Wiring Harness from Wiring Specialties. Last page of my build thread has a pic with their harness installed on my SR. My build thread is the website link under my name over on the left.

[Seishuku]

Well, the problem area is going to be the pistons, they're just not designed for boost. However, if you plan on rebuilding it, you might as well just get some DET 8.5:1 CR pistons and just run it like a DET.

Otherwise, 7-10PSI on the stock 9.5:1 pistons wouldn't normally be an issue with a T28, but more than that and you risk getting hot spots on the pistons and might seize a ring.

But keep the NA cams, they're better for boost, and the lack of oil jets isn't as big of a deal as most people make it out to be. They're there for reliability, but if you aren't going to be doing track racing where you keep a lot of heat in the engine, it's not a problem. An oil cooler would help out a lot.

As for the rods, they're the same as the DET rods. The DE block = the DET block, minus the oil jets and has higher compression NA pistons. The heads are the same too, but the cams are a little longer duration.

[PyR0NiAk]

I still say it'd be cheaper and easier to buy a det long block..

[Seishuku]

Now that depends, if he already has the turbo, then it might be cheaper to turbo the DE... But also depends on power goals too, as you might be limited to about 300WHP with the NA pistons, but with different ones, the sky's the limit.

I turbo'd my 10:1 S14 SR20DE for about $300, so add in the $400 I paid for the engine, and I have a pretty sweet motor set for under a grand. Of course I tuned and did all the labor my self too.

[USAF_S13]

im thinking it would be cheaper to build the de block since i have no money in it, and a det block would cost me. ill prolly just put some det pistons on the stock rods to lower comp. but at the same time i plan on running a meth kit so i can safely run a higher compression. will the det cas fit right in there or is the gear pattern gonna be off. i would think it would fit but dont know for sure.

[Seishuku]

Yep, everything about the RWD DE head and block is the same as a DET head and block, like I said, it's just missing the oil jets and has different pistons.

[USAF_S13]

cool, tore it apart today and man its a beat up motor. japanese people need to change their oil everyonce in a while

[Seishuku]

Yea, I know what you mean. My DE wasn't in too bad shape, as far as oil coking goes, but it was an automatic too.
That's why I usually look for an auto, it's less likely to have beat on. I'm doing a rebuild right now because of an unfortunate mishap with a ring seizing, and I was temped to just reuse the bearings because they were such great shape.

Then again, I guess in JDM world the SR20DE is just a junk motor and gets a lot of abuse.