The little CA18DET that did!

[boost_boy]

This little CA18DET has been in use since 3 days before september 11th, 2001. This little 1.8litre motor has been abused, over-revved, raced to wicked top-end speeds and pegged as high as 8700rpm (whilst being completely stock). This is the same engine that has pulled my G/F's sentra past S2000's, turbocharged IS300s, WRXs, eclipse cars, twin turbo'd RX-7s, big boost supras, multiple 4AGE-GZE powered cars until it over-propelled me past a Ferarri and nailed a pole perfectly down the center of the vehicle, causing major damage to the car, total destruction of the transmission and all adjourning componenets. but the only thing that took minor abuse was this little CA18DET motor which has been transplanted into another 1990 B12 sentra and fortified with a pair of HKS camshafts, A T3/T04E stage 3 turbo (lag), a bigger inter cooler, blitz and greddy type R blowoff valves, a lovely hybrid transmission, a custom turbo manifold, HKS wastegate, bigger axles and of course engine management is controlled via an SDS standalone which is (IMO) the best standalone for the fast tuner or novice tuner hands down (Just ask drumma022). I'm attaching this thread so you guys can view some of the work done to this car. it has been a long and arduous battle trying to reassemble a car for my woman, but hopefully she'll appreciate all the hard work I did to get the performance she requested. I'm expecting to drop 400+whp on this thing and I don't think it will be too hard with the current set-up. I'm still not finished as I haven't installed the A/C lines yet nor did I hook some of the electricals such as: Blitz dual SBC, Blitz turbo timer and alarm as well as new CD radio. Enjoy the photos guys and let me know what you think!http://www.that dead forum/sh...ber=1

[andrave]

is that thing running an lsd?

EDIT never mind I read that you are running a helical LSD.. where did that come from?

[McAdam]

that is simply awesome! 400whp in a car that would struggle to break 2300 on the scales is absolutely mind-boggling. the acceleration must be insane. Especially with the helical LSD. that is a very nice header, where'd you get it and how much? lol

I am trying to talk my uncle into doing this. He's got a 90 sentra with 403,000 (no s#!t) on the stock motor and hes looking to rebuild for performance. i told him to just buy the one off of Ebay for $350. are those good motors, boost? also, a pulsar SE twincam transmission will hold up to the abuse, right??

[r34 gtr]

dern...i need some money. that engine owns mine in all aspects. very nice work, thats one hell of a motor. some videos or sound clips of that thing would be sweet (this is where i cross my fingers..).

[boost_boy]

Quote » are those good motors, boost? [/quote] Internally they appear to be good, but the turbo is crap. Those bottom ends are no different from the newer engines as I've used the pistons and rods out of one of those blocks and they never let me down.Quote »also, a pulsar SE twincam transmission will hold up to the abuse, right??[/quote] That's the gearbox I started out with and they hold up beautifully. I've never busted a gearbox and now with the Helical LSD, traction is stupendous. I urge him to do it! No need to have only one sentra speeding around the country having all the fun with a CA18DET. That gearbox is tight-work, but you guys should see the other one for my built motor;) .

[boost_boy]

Quote »that is a very nice header, where'd you get it and how much?[/quote] My friend "Mike" at B.Y.P. racing did this one for me for $450.

[NeedCAforS13]

amazing as always Dee!:D now off to the dyno with it!!!

Sean

[andrave]

man imagine the quarter mile time that thing could rip off if you dropped in the AWD transmission and did some intense fabrication to fit the rear suspension off a bluebird or pulsar under there...

[CA19DET]

imagine if he got it to run methanol..... but 1600cc injectors are expensive

HOT little ride Boost_boy... i am looking for a 90' Nissan March to put my other CA18 into it, but i'll be leaving that one stock, well maybe... probably not...

[boost_boy]

Quote »HOT little ride Boost_boy... i am looking for a 90' Nissan March to put my other CA18 into it, but i'll be leaving that one stock, well maybe... probably not...[/quote] Thanks man! A CA18 in a march ought to be a treat as well! I have access to MA90 (nissan micra's 1litre twin charged beast) and am trying to figure out what to do with it. Imagine strolling to events and flashing a 1 litre motor with a turbo and supercharger on it. I'll probably try and find one of the old sentra coupes equivalent to your old school sunny GTI and possibly do this. Any way you look at it, Mo' money to be spent.........

[Siddhartha]

dee, are there any advantages in going with a b12 vs a b13 when doing a fwd ca18det??

[boost_boy]

Quote »dee, are there any advantages in going with a b12 vs a b13 when doing a fwd ca18det??[/quote] The CA series came in the 1987-90 pulsar which basically is built on the same chasis as the B12 sentras. Take a JDM CA18DET and strap on the pulsar's motor mounts and brackets as well as gearbox and the engine is bolted in to a sentra with no dramas. The B13 favors the SR20 as well as the GA16 in which the engines are bolted to the cross member and the transmission mount is affixed to a cheezy bracket and the chasis. There are some similarities between the B12 and B13 chasis, but you won't be just dropping a CA18DET into a B13 with out some fabricating via welding. Besides that, I chose the B12 because it represents old school, it's lighter than the B13 and is pretty cheap to get parts for besides the fact that there's no one really exploiting the car's potential.

[Siddhartha]

Hmmmm, I wanna do this, found me a cheap b12 in the area.

Any suggestions on places that sell all that stuff? This'll be my first swap, so I'm gonna ask lots of n00bish questions.

TIA

[quest]

B13 /SR20 already a good as it gets fwd platform to build on. so why?seen a b12 clip at the importers with the CA motor. Strange enough, that motor wound up in a B13.... my buddy put it in there. not bolt-in.since you in florida, just get boost_boy to set it up for you..... but you're not his girl, so dunno.......

[CA19DET]

Quote »since you in florida, just get boost_boy to set it up for you..... but you're not his girl, so dunno....... [/quote]lol.

[boost_boy]

Quote »B13 /SR20 already a good as it gets fwd platform to build on.[/quote] You must have never seen a CA18DE and B12 mixed together! The problems with the SR20/B13 thing is endless in the fact that they have gearbox issues throughout the world and now they have a shortage of gearboxes. If you're lucky, you may find one from $600-1000 depending on who's screwing you. I've serviced a few SR20DET FWD engines and trannies and I can just say that I feel sorry for those who've blown their money on the hype and have no mechanical knowledge. They will end up spending more money than they could've ever imagine (pays my bills). CA18DE in B12 beats up SR20DE in B13. CA18DE 125hp vs SR20DE 140hp. B12=2200lbs vs B13 2400+lbs. CA18DE open diff VS SR20DE viscous LSD. CA18DE transmission very durable VS SR20DE transmission wimpy and weak and will break. That's the best I can break it down.Quote »since you in florida, just get boost_boy to set it up for you..... but you're not his girl, so dunno.......[/quote] It won't be crack-head priced, but you won't be disappointed either.

[Siddhartha]

So how much do JDM FWD ca18det engines generally cost? Would I just go to junkyard for mounts/bracket/gearbox?

[boost_boy]

A JDM engine can cost anywhere between $375 (as seen on ebay/older CA18DET) to around $900. You would get most of your parts from the junkyard and preferrably from a 1988-90 pulsar with CA18DE motor. I don't recommend getting a sentra less than 1989 unless you are very good at wiring. The wiring period is a bit of a challenge and not all JDM engines come with harness and ecus. I used the U.S. spec pulsar ecu and had JWT reprogram both my woman's and my own. If you need a competent ecu, I have two JWT units here.

[Siddhartha]

Do you know if the one on ebay now runs? You said you knew the guy.

[quest]

I've owned an SE-R for a while. Bluebird det motor, still T25. I don't have endless problems with it. I'm well aware of gearbox issues, and I think failures are more, driver induced. My first na did have the 5th gear popout tho'. Lotsa street SE-Rs around here with all levels of mods. Only guy cracked the bellhousing was the one with least power (100shot, cams, jwt..). Another time, he broke the forks too. Kid does dumb stuff. Even the 60-1 car, 3rd is still alive - pulls like crazy.Why I say se-r a good platform ? I've seen, with no mechanical failures:T25 on DE run lo 13s/ hi 12s. T28 mid 12s, hi 11s on spray. 60-1 car...just gotta figure, as a driver, what side of the fence you onWould a CA powered B13 match it ? maybe. Worth it over an se-r ? He'll have to do the math to answe that.

>>"You must have never seen a CA18DE and B12 mixed together!

the way that little motor moves my full weight s13, I can't even imagine what a B12 feels like. Your quarter mile times should be interesting. I know I'd never build a hi powered fwd - got a s13 and corolla 2.0 turbo for that

[boost_boy]

Quote »what side of the fence you on[/quote] Is this like aimed towards me in anyway? And if so what do you mean by it?Quote » Why I say se-r a good platform ? I've seen, with no mechanical failures:T25 on DE run lo 13s/ hi 12s. T28 mid 12s, hi 11s on spray. 60-1 car...just gotta figure, as a driver, what side of the fence you onWould a CA powered B13 match it ? maybe. Worth it over an se-r ? He'll have to do the math to answe that. Well, I guess you and I see different things then as well as the rest of the FWD SR20 world as well. I just sold my friend another SR20 transmission $450 because the market rate down here in miami is $600 and he's on his 4th transmission and he has bluebird DET with a failed oil pump so now he needs a new motor. I'm curious as to why your friend put a CA18 in a B13 which is better suited for an SR20? I mean why would you cough up the opportunity to have better displacement/a bigger more modern engine over a small, torqueless CA18DET?

Would a CA powered B13 match it ?

It wouldn't be a comparison if the 2.0 litre couldn't get the job done. Now you want to put the under-powered CA18 into a B13 and try it against a CA powered B12? I'm sorry "Quest", but that B13 gets owned quickly and will probably make it blow it's engine trying to even play. For me, it's no experiment! I've done it, tested and know what it takes to make the wee-small CA18DET munch on Supras and the likes. And if need be, much on a few S series cars as well. I personally would never build a RWD car because my desire for sheer top end speed does not coincide with the characteristics provided by a RWD vehicle. And besides, I've seen what happened to one guy and his car who was riding really hard in RB25 powered S13 and even one of my own good friends in his SR20 powered/ SDS controlled S14. Low MPH incidents equals a lot of damge to 240's and judging from the 240 I just bought, low mph crash and a lot of damage done.

[quest]

>>"Is this like aimed towards me in anyway?" no. I meant if the guy asking about the b13 is the type that will beat up his gbox or not. From what I see, it makes a difference, but I agree with you that there are issues.

>>"Now you want to put the under-powered CA18 into a B13 and try it against a CA powered B12?"I don't, nor won't. Sidd was asking the B13 vs B12 question. Having owned an se-r, I didn't think it would be worth the ha$$le for similiar perf. If you build it for him, we'll see. >>"are there any advantages in going with a b12 vs a b13 when doing a fwd ca18det??"

>>"I'm curious as to why your friend put a CA18 in a B13 which is better suited for an SR20?owner paid $200 for a good b13 hull for resale. Complete b12/ca16 clip sat for a very long time at importer. No interest, so it went out the door $300, plus he sold all the body panels. He couldn't care less about sr vs ca. It was economics.

top end speed, huh. Man, u got waayyy more nerve than I'll ever haveAny quarter miles times on any of your B12s ?

[boost_boy]

Quote »Any quarter miles times on any of your B12s ?[/quote] The only time I ever took any of my cars to the track and actually participated was on April 7th, 2002. 1st run I ran 14.6@98mph (rookie syndrome and ridiculous wheelspin out the hole). 2nd run I ran a [email protected] and actually laid the smack down on a guy with a WRX (video included). Back then, the car had T25, an un-tuned SDS (pretty new at it then), an open diff gearbox, an extremely garbage suspension, some borrowed B14 SE-R wheels with 205-55/15's on them that scrubbed my rear strut and too much air pressure (36psi). I mean, you could not launch that particular car hard, but hen it got rolling it was showtime. Never brought that car back to the track because of R&D that would go bad before an event and ultimately having a meeting with a pole after seeing speeds of over 160mph and getting cut off from a car coming on an on-ramp and violating those big white cross lines that sperates them from people with the right away.

[Nismo1182]

where can I find that, you vs wrx vid?

[andrave]

you are telling me you got a sentra to 160 mph?I assume this is verified by a radar gun, otherwise I'm claiming bs.

[float_6969]

Non-believers all of you. There is a reason that this is a great motor for top speed. Something about a 9 thousand rpm redline(built anyway) that helps you acheive some very high speeds. I will be the first to admit that I've not seen this first hand, but I will also openly admit that I sincerly think it's possible.

[andrave]

I still call BS.

[NeedCAforS13]

no bs...have you seen his set up? I believe its entirely possible:D

Sean

*EDIT* I believe he WAS clocked by a law enforcement officer at this speed...

[boost_boy]

Quote »you are telling me you got a sentra to 160 mph?[/quote] Don't make it sound so impossible. Maybe not the SR20 variants, but mine do. And with this motor it's not impossible at all and you don't need 300 or 400whp to do it. "Andrave" though your opinion is definitely respected, BS is hardly a phrase that I would use when it comes to what I or anyone else spend time and money on building and striving for. And "Sean" is correct at me being clocked by law enforcement and the actual speed I was clocked at back in September of 2000 is 173mph in a 55. Very possible! I would take it that dynomometers don't read mph correctly! I asssume that they are very close if not correct. At 15psi of boost which equated to over 290whp in my girlfriend's old car, I spank on Z06s, C5s, mustangs and unfortunately, a few other nissan models to include B13 SR20DET powered sentras to boot. On the dyno and at 6200 my car is already doing 128mph in 4th gear and most video that shows my speedometer confirms it. Since my car's speedometer peaks at 125mph and turns black, I can perfectly pin-point my mph, but I do know this, if your can't get past 150mph, then your race with me was over before you started. And if you still chose to call BS, that will be strictly your opinion. I won't argue it and I ask that others let it be as well. But we true CA18DET enthusiasts know that it is very possible to even tip 180mph if you got your stuff in order. But I will not risk my life again trying to prove a point to anyone, so "Andrave" sorry you wasn't riding with me that night that very nice officer showed me his radar systems reading (he was a true enthusisast of the game because he sent me home with a sensible warning about speeding on I-95). So I tell all, Drive safely and if you want to have fun, take it to the track.

[boost_boy]

http://www.back-yard-productio...X.mpgQuote »where can I find that, you vs wrx vid?[/quote]