Starting to collect parts for the rebuild....I want your guys' opinions

[MarkEmark]

I have quite a bit of money saved up from Christmas and my birthday (and from never going out) and want to start collecting parts for the engine rebuild so that a) I don't blow my money on other useless stuff and b) I have some tangible parts to remind me that this is no longer a long-term plan but will be happening this summer. My ultimate plans are around ~330 rwhp, 17 psi or so of boost

Anyway, I basically want to know your guys' input as well as the cheapest places I can find these parts from....

Pistons:I want to go with Wiseco forged 9:1 pistons and rings, and I know that they can be had as a kit for as little as $420...does anyone know where? Also, concerning the rings, are the rings that come as a kit with the forged wisecos "heavy duty" and "durable" enough to take 17 psi of pressure? I know Rick from KA-T.org is running these pistons but I don't know if he's just running the rings that came with it or if he's running some other combination to allow him to make 533 rwhp successfully. Can other rings even be had for the wisecos or aftermarket pistons like these, such as total-seal? I assume companies like total seal just need exact measurements and can supply a set of rings for any pistons...anyone know where I can get the wiseco's exact measurements?

this place, http://www.importperformanceparts.net/, sells wiseco's in .020 over, .040 over, and .060 over, all for the same price...but it seems most stick to .020 over and .040 over for pistons. What do you guys suggest, and would there be any performance gains using a .040 over vs. a .020 over?

Rods:I'm gonna stick with the cost rods....I can't justify spending $700 on rods when Ivan has demonstrated the sheer strength of these things. I will have them re-shotpeened/machined...Where do people get ARP rod bolts that fit? Or do they all need to be machined to fit?

Bearings:??? Not really sure on this category. I've heard Toda is really good....where and for how much can I get high performance bearings??

Valves:I'm going to go with black-nitrided stainless steel valves from http://www.ka24de.com, 0.5 mm oversized, while the head is being rebuilt. They should complement my PDM cams nicely and will be able to withstand the extreme heat/pressure better than the stockers.

Studs:ARP head/main stud kit...a no-brainer for me, as they seem to be the industry leader. Is there anywhere that I can get them for cheaper than the $289 that KA24DE.com charges?

Timing chain kit:I want the upper/lower timing chain, sprockets, tensioners, and guides all replaced for peace of mind. I was looking around on ebay and saw a lot of complete kits for only $155 or so, but I'm worried about the quality compared to OEM nissan brand timing chain kits...not to mention, all of the kits said that they worked with Altima DOHC KA24DE's and 240sx DOHC KA24DE's, but I thought this was NOT the case? So, where's the cheapest I can get a complete timing chain kit for? I checked out some of the sponsors but I didn't find any kits, only individual parts, and some of the places didn't sell the sprockets.

Head gasket:I've heard good things about both fel-pro and cometic....what are your guys opinions? Which one is the best? Again, I'm not looking for insane amounts of power. Where can I get the cometic? I know Phat KA-T sells them, but I don't know if they have any in stock or how much they go for.

O-ringing the block:I've heard good and bad about this so I'm just going to avoid that issue altogether and not bother...

Oil pump/water pump:I'm gonna get a new oil and water pump while I'm at it...again, where's the cheapest place for OEM spec? Pinnacle Nissan? Everything Nissan Infiniti?

I know there's a lot of assorted odds and ends, but I want to purchase the big, glorious stuff first

Let me know what you guys think, input is appreciated, especially regarding the headgasket/piston rings.


Modified by MarkEmark at 8:13 AM 3/8/2005

[MarkEmark]

No one?

I know there's plenty of guys with built KA-T's browsing around this forum...maybe I should take the question to the ka-t.org forums, or, perhaps, even fresh alloy

[Structure240sx]

dont get personal with nico, j/k

why dont you email or AIM rick about the pistons. if i had to buy a set of psitons i would prolly go with the arias. ivan is running a group buy on them for about $470 plus shipping

any arp dealer can get you the arp rod bolts. im not sure about them fitting perfectly or what

stock bearing will be jsut fine

i dont see any need to even touch the head for up to 400rwhp

as said before the stock head is fine up to about 400rwhp. im on stock bolts and headgasket and have been doing fine. i beleive i might be having a problem next time i take it to 20psi we'll see soon

timing chain- you said cheap in there. try not to say it again,. suck it up and go OEM

true no need to oring the block

[nissanfanatic]

I think that kit that importperformanceparts.net and boostdesigns.com is a good idea. Comes with mostly everything.