SR20 Regrets??

[silviaziz]

I'm in the middle of performing an S14 SR20 swap into my 1992 S13 hatch. I'm beginning to feel like this whole idea was a big mistake. I've spent about 10k in parts (including suspension and wheels), and the car is not even running yet. I purchased a front clip thinking that everything in my clip was from the same model car, and now I realize that I have a mixture of Zenki and Kouki parts. Hopefully the car will run fine but I'm having my doubts. My MAF comes from a Zenki and my MAF plug comes from a Kouki. I have a kouki wiring harness and ECU and a Zenki engine and transmission. My only real silver lining is the fact that my Engine only has about 15k on it and it is very clean (shiny aluminum when I look in the oil cap).

Do any of you guys have regrets? I now realize that I could have purchased a nice E36 M3 for about the same amount of money and I would have ended up with a much classier car, along with a nicer interior/exterior, not to mention decent speed and excellent handling.

[duffman1278]

Should have done more research before you bought everything.

The clip should be all you need, and probably some replacement parts here and there but not 10k worth.

Should have probably bought wheels after the swap eh?

[lrb_2000]

Modding a 240 is a huge waste of money, but we all do it for the love of the car lol.. I've put around 12k into my car and it looks like s***.

[ZX88]

how can you tell theres only 15k on that engine. i seriously doubt than no offense. alot of time engine depot will say that but its not true. any used engine will need replacement parts.

[nissan~240sx]

trust me, you wont regret it after you drive it. definitely worth the wait. i waited a year and went through two different motors before i got her running. also went through +$7000 to get it running as well. But its definitely worth the wait especially if you have never driven either another SR20 or a turbocharged car before.

[Ninjamasta]

My S13 Sr Kouki engine cost me around $2,000 -Greddy LS FMIC $500 -Greddy hot pipe with flange $110 -Greddy RS bov $160 Ebay special clearance price. -Godspeed Aliminuim radiator $240 -Samco radiator hose $80 -Stri DSCS gauges (boost, oil pressure, fuel pressure) $450 -Nismo motor and transmission mounts $240 -Peak performance transmission mount $60 -F1 racing flywheel and Stage 2 clutch kit $240 -used B&M shifter $115 -downpipe $100 -z32 front brake kit $550 (got ripped off here ) -new KYB Agx $500 -SPL Tie rod ends with z32 Tein inner rods $400

Total -----$5805

These are the parts I have so far...and more is on the way after swap. -Nismo power brace $140 -SPL tension rod $220 -SPL Ruca $240 -SPL upright metal bushing $120 -SPL rear LCA metal bushing $120 -SPL aluminium subframe bushing $130 -Energy Suspension front bushing kit $20 -Progress 30mm sway bar $240 -Godspeed rear 28mm sway bar $70 not too sure if they sell only the rearThats going to be close to $1300.Total after project $7100. Wow....Oh well I'm already half way there....but 10k with a front clip for your project seems a bit too much. You could have rebuild the KA and dump a T3/T4 on it, with AEM EMS.

[slidestyle69]

between all my 240's since i was 16, i have prolly put 20k alltogether and nothing to show for it besides pictures, time slips and memories.

Do i regret it? Not one bit i could have had a nice tahoe paid for but its so worth every new part i put on my car. I LOVE IT

[Koshin]

uuuuhhhhh.....

you dont sound like the prime candidate for a swap bud...its the easiest swap in the world to do...and 10K worth of parts, your car should be a head turner....did you buy 26" Work S2Rs?? lulz

trust me, you wont regret it after you drive it. definitely worth the wait. i waited a year and went through two different motors before i got her running. also went through +$7000 to get it running as well. But its definitely worth the wait especially if you have never driven either another SR20 or a turbocharged car before.

**facepalm**

Modding a 240 is a huge waste of money, but we all do it for the love of the car lol.. I've put around 12k into my car and it looks like s***.

**facepalm squared**

[Koshin]

Should have done more research before you bought everything.

The clip should be all you need, and probably some replacement parts here and there but not 10k worth.

Should have probably bought wheels after the swap eh?

this man speaketh the truth...

[silviaziz]

I know it sounds like I did not do much research, but trust me I did. I knew it would cost a pretty penny, and it would not have bothered me as much if I had purchased a front clip with everything I needed. The 10k includes alot; front clip, coilovers, wheels, tires, FMIC, clutch, flywheel, all needed gaskets, hoses, radiator, intake, elbow, downpipe, exhaust, test pipe, exhaust hangers, BOV, optima and battery relocation kit, brembo brakes, ss brake lines, hawk pads, ss turbo lines, ss clutch line, B&M short shifter, turbo timer and more. Also all the parts are name brand as well (I know I could have saved some money there but I wanted quality parts).

Also, the clip comes with the dash board, and the odometer reads 25,050 kilometers, which comes out to almost 16,000 miles.

Like I said before, the most frustrating thing is paying extra money for a front clip with zenki and kouki parts mixed together.

[dtowndrifter]

i dont regret my redtop...but i think i should have gotten a s15 swap..

[Yulaw]

You should've spent the money towards the swap only and then worry about stuff like coilovers and wheels after the car runs (unless your car was a non-rolling shell). When I had my SR swap done, I had a little few impulse buys here and there but wheels and coilovers are a bit too much to spend for a car that doesn't run yet. Those two will set you back about 2-3k. You could've bought an already SR swapped car and build it up even more but it's always fun to build it from stock.

[Koshin]

an S14 knotchtop SR swap shouldnt cost more than 3.5K, and if you do it all yourself...maybe 2,500 bucks

Ive got less than six grand in my car and Ive got more equipment than you and a legit car...

your car will be great when its done buddy, but you bit off to much in to short a time...

***hint hint*** you can get great buys on good used parts and it saves a lot of monies...

i dont regret my redtop...but i think i should have gotten a s15 swap..

[CSUPUEBLOTIM]

I would have personally got the engine in and running before I started dropping $$ on wheels and suspension. But just remember that it has been done before and is possible. Just don't cut corners and you will avoid many mistakes. I just hope mine fires right up once everything is in, but at the same time I am taking my time and buying the right stuff the first time.

[TimTurboZ]

Can you trust the cluster mileage with all those mixed Zenki and Chuki parts? (sorry if that shatters your world)

GL with finishing the swap! That moneys gone now so focus on being cost effective the rest of the swap and just think of the good times ahead

[silviaziz]

I created this post to see if others had regrets, not to be told that I should've done this or that. I purchased the coilovers and wheels because of the amazing deal I was able to obtain at the time. Also, I did not post everything I purchased, so it's hard for someone to say that they purchased more parts then myself.

Anyway, I'm glad to see that some of you also went through a lot and still think it's worth it. Only time will tell if I feel the same way.

[TimTurboZ]

Want to hear regrets buying a POS KA24DE from a douchebag and finally getting my car running after getting another motor. I put $1000 into a $500 shell...FML haha

[S13Joe]

^ Shouldn't have bought a shell then, or at least compression test the motor before you buy it, jack a**.

[Koshin]

^ Shouldn't have bought a shell then, or at least compression test the motor before you buy it, jack a**.

yyyaaayyy yyyaaaayyyyyeeeee

bbwwwaaaahahahahahaha

you wont have regrets OP....once its running itll be bad a**...is the motor in the car yet?? w0t is in fact, the deal??

[sebazztard]

i dont understand how the biggest nissan enthusiast site, especially 240 gen has a thread like this. im more than looking forward to dropping 5k on my rb25 swap, and thats just in parts. i cant wait to dive into the project and fire it up for the first time, and take it for its first drive... i have to look up youtube vids to get my fix. maybe cars isnt your thing buddy? a friend of mine thought he was a car guy untill he realized he wasnt capable of giving it the attention it needed. i dont know how or why you are spending 10k on an sr swap, but i wish you the best in the project.

[Koshin]

[seanman]

dont tell him car building isn't his thing guys, obviously he was stoked to do it, just comin up on second thoughts. No regrets man, anytime something goes wrong on my sr, ya its a bummer, but i just kinda relax and start troubleshooting. Just take your time and do it right, and with all those parts, it'll be one hellof a drive once you step on the gas. you might have gone about it a little differently than the rest of us, but either way just stick with it and you'll laugh your a** off in hysteria when you go WOT in 2nd heh

[sebazztard]

but either way just stick with it and you'll laugh your a** off in hysteria when you go WOT in 2nd heh

im looking forward to that lol

[Koshin]

youll get it done buddy...it will be worth it

SRs are my favorite motors

[S14toRPS13]

No regrets here, but just stay focus on your project. You've already spent the money and put in the work. Once it runs, you'll feel a huge sense of accomplishment and all your regrets right now will be a thing of the past.

[silviaziz]

Thanks for the back-up. I hope it's as good as you describe it. I only drove an SR powered 240 once, and it really impressed me, that's the reason I decided to do the swap. And as for being a car guy, I don't know many people who love cars more then me. I spend the majority of my free time reading/researching cars and have owned several modified cars in the past; however, this is my first project that involves an engine swap.

I am not performing the swap myself. My mechanic who has done about 3 SR swaps before is doing the install for me (I was told by the seller of the engine that I would lose my "warranty" on the engine if a certified tech did not install it). He has not ran into problems like this in the past.

My biggest mistake was trusting the local company that I purchased the clip from. I heard nothing but great things about them, so I had no reason to question them. When I saw the clip, I had no way of knowing that the harness and MAF came from a different SR. My friend purchased his SR from the same shop and had nothing but good things to say (he has an NX2000).

Well, you live and you learn. If I could rewind time, I would have done things much differently.

[sommmatt]

This sounds like I could go over there and have your car running in a few hours.

With a full front clip, seriously, it should be straight up bolt in.

Not doing it yourself is kind of fail too. If this guy has done 3 SR swaps, it should be cake for him. I don't understand why you're having these problems.

[Mangid]

The SR in my car was put in 4 years ago for $2.5k with labor, out the door.

Sounds like you got screwed.

[Dittoz7]

I'm Not Selling My Car Ever.

So I See All My Parts As A Life Investment Of Awesomeness.