this a good deal?

[mewannadorifto]

I had been looking into the CA18 swap for a 91 fastback s13, so I went to a local shop to get a quote and they gave me what I think was a pretty fair deal and I was just wondering what you guys thought, they said the total price fore the job would be $4,197 this includes the front clip, labor, hoses,vac lines, belts, "power steering fabrication" and the part where I think the deal is, is that it also includes the 240chassis. I know I could save some money if I just buy the front clip and the chassis and get some of my friends to help with the swap and do it ourselves but then again, theres the certainty of haveing a profesional do it so I'm kinda on the fence about that, also I was wondering if I should just save up some more cash and go the RB20 route? any input would be helpful

[float_6969]

I would get a good look at the car and the motor first. Ask for compression and leakdown tests. You get what you pay for and that seems a little low for Car, clip, and labor from a shop.

[mewannadorifto]

he bought 4 shells wholesale he said he did'nt really care about makeing much profit from the car cause they shop really makes money by the doing the swap so if I decide to do the swap I get the car for that price and I picked the cheapest(it had more dents than the others also interior was'nt as nice) hatch, he had 3hatch backs and 1 coupe someone had already picked the coupe, I agree it did seem a little low but the labor seems about right seeing top hat performance in georgia charges 1,000 for the swap and like 250 for the wiring and I don't think they get the clip for you. what things should I look for on the car and engine I mean I know there will be little things I overlook what are some of the major ones I should look for? and is the RB20 that much better than the CA18 I do like how the RB looks tho

[mewannadorifto]

oh and they had a really nice S13 with a RHD conversion and an RB26DETT in it it was a beast! the guy that would do my swap had done that it was his car. oh the clip seems kinda cheap cause I would get mine shipped with this other guy who is also haveing a CA18 put in but if I decide not to do it, it would be more to ship it by itself.

[rico05]

Really man, it is not a hard swap. For my car with just a stock swap would have cost me around $3000. And I overpaid for my coupe. If you are really afraid of doing it, I say go for it, but wouldn't it be cool to say that you did the swap yourself?

Again, leak down test of the motor. Since it is in a clip, see if they will hook it up to a battery, add fluids, and run it for you. Also, just check that turbo for any play. Here is a quick link w/ pics on how to do that.

http://www.davidrawlinson.org....tml?2

Also check that clutch. Many times, people in Japan throw theirs cars away because it is cheaper to buy and register a new/er car than it is to fix their stock one, so be on the look out for the reason as to why your clip ended up in a junkyard.

As for the chassis, there are a myriad of problems that can happen because you are dealing with a hatch, and all have to do with if it has a spoiler and rust. Check the hatch itself, all wiring in the hatch, and in the tub of the car for rust. If you are looking at a base model car, no worries! No spoiler, no problem! Also normal little things to look at: brakes, condition of shocks/springs, interior wiring. Becaue it was a shell, there has to be a reason that it was gutted and left for dead. Once again, find that out. I hope that you get a good deal, and enjoy your new toy!

PS The RB20 is an awesome engine! Think of it as a CA with 2 more cylinders (not in internal dimensions, but rather in technology and ability) 400hp+ is not unheard of on a stock bottom end!

[mewannadorifto]

Thanks for the advice bro, I'll probably end up doing the swap myself, it's what I wanted to do orginally but I was haveing a hard time findeing a 240 in my area and when I went in for the quote and talked to the owner of the shop he said he could get me a shell in good condition for under 1,000 bucks thats what caught my attention. I'll definately check the things you told me, thanks again.

[biosehnsucht]

if its a hatch, make sure the defroster, antenna, and 3rd brake light are actually connected..

in case the hatch was swapped from a worse off one (i..e rust etc)

I swapped in one w/ a wiper on my car from a junkyard, later realized that the car it was on wasn't even its original car, since only some of the wiring worked, turns out the previous time it was swapped they had cut the loom in half instead of pulling it through the body and then tried to solder it back together again (and failed).. at last the brake light worked, just not the wiper..

[float_6969]

I had a similar problems with on of my past 240's. The wiring going from the chassis to the hatch had broken from opening and shutting so many times and everything associated with the hatch quit. It was a NIGHTMARE to fix. I bought a coupe after that...