So is the dragonmotor-sports the way to go now?? $1800 seems like a good price..Im looking into buying an sr because my ka is going down hill...

Yeah, I'm looking to buying an SR as well, any body buy their sr off ebay?

I've been starting the shopping process for a front clip or just an engine set in the bay area.

This is all for my '71 510

So far Ebay seems pretty shady, as I cant find any customer reviews.

Venus auto in Sacramento seems good from what I read here, and is somewhat local to me (where being able to compression check and pick it up myself is a huge plus.)

Anyone have experience or recommendations to an engine source around the Bay Area CA?

http://www.jdmhookup.com/

the only place to go if your in the midwest. its worth the drive to actually look at an engine and pick it out yourself. Its also a COMPLETE swap, absolutely everything you need he has.

wow~! i never knew people payed so much for motorsets.

Got mine from Phase2. Not worth the crazy amount I paid for it. Cool guys... customer service was alright I guess, but I wish I could go back and save some money with some of the suppliers in this post. Engine seems excellent so far though.

I got a few broken/missing parts which were all replaced EXCEPT the ECU which I waited a month for before buying one myself.

zachattack_5491 wrote:Got mine from Phase2. Not worth the crazy amount I paid for it. Cool guys... customer service was alright I guess, but I wish I could go back and save some money with some of the suppliers in this post. Engine seems excellent so far though.

I got a few broken/missing parts which were all replaced EXCEPT the ECU which I waited a month for before buying one myself.

If you had to go through all the nightmares that other people go through (when they buy from these shady low-end importers), you'd feel differently.

A couple hundred extra bucks is WELL worth it.

I've been dealing with Phase2 since 2003, and they've ALWAYS been solid. Enjuku is, as usual, an excellent choice as well.

Trying to save a few bucks will bite you in the a$$.

Greg said it best.

I got mine from http://www.nagasakijdmmotors.com/catalog/index.php and I would give them 5 out of 5. Comes with every single thing you need to swap it in.

centralflZ wrote:Yeah, I'm looking to buying an SR as well, any body buy their sr off ebay?

i bought mine from ebay... i got to say i was happy with my buy. bought it for for $1650 with free shipping. customer service was good. at first i didnt get my spark plug cover but once talking to them they sent one as long as i payed for shipping which was $10. just like i got my engine, i dropped it in my bay. car idled great (idled around 850-900rpm) , no problems engine wise. had a couple boost leaks and miswiring on my part. once that was fixed it was running great. lasted me about 10 months until my dumbass decided to up the boost. had a manual boost controller so i had no idea how much i was boosting. once i did a pull i saw the boost go up to 16-17psi and "pop" my car started to shake bad. stopped, opened the hood and noticed oil had came up from the dipstick. towed my car, did a compression test and cylinder two is out. and now im in the process of a rebuild. just pulled my engine this week.

Who said that buying from Canada was a bad idea?? Know your sources people.

http://www.jdmsource.ca/ - Very good customer service. Got a very very low mileage (about 20,000miles) s13 blacktop and a Q45 rear end for 2500 Shipped!! Pulls a lot harder than my first blacktop. Engine runs so smooth you can't tell it is running. I bought it in 2007 and runs strong. Still had the seal on the CAS!! Not my daily driver though. These guys got their engines from Heavy Throttle sources. They compression test the engine and send you pics of the engine you are actually purchasing. No sample pics. This is what they sent me. This is what I got. No bull.









NismoFreak/SeniorJackstands/Alan been awhile. Hope you got that hatch running.

AZhitman wrote:

zachattack_5491 wrote:Got mine from Phase2. Not worth the crazy amount I paid for it. Cool guys... customer service was alright I guess, but I wish I could go back and save some money with some of the suppliers in this post. Engine seems excellent so far though.

I got a few broken/missing parts which were all replaced EXCEPT the ECU which I waited a month for before buying one myself.

If you had to go through all the nightmares that other people go through (when they buy from these shady low-end importers), you'd feel differently.

A couple hundred extra bucks is WELL worth it.

I've been dealing with Phase2 since 2003, and they've ALWAYS been solid. Enjuku is, as usual, an excellent choice as well.

Trying to save a few bucks will bite you in the a$$.

Yeah, that's why I went with phase2. I knew 100% that I wouldn't get a bad motor. I was just saying, I spent A LOT of money for a redtop. I could have had an s15 up and running for the same price from a halfway decent supplier with good reviews.

I have ordered 1 red top from Engineland Inc and 2 N/a sr20des and 1 sr20det from Tiger Japanese also and i didnt have any issues with either one. My motor from Engineland was great it had a lightened flywheel, nismo fpr, 256 cams and a tomei short shifter. the turbo was a 25/28 hybrid. My det thats in my sentra now is from tiger and it is still running now and its almost been a year now. ive had issues but they where computer and maf related

ciscos13 wrote:

centralflZ wrote:Yeah, I'm looking to buying an SR as well, any body buy their sr off ebay?

i bought mine from ebay... i got to say i was happy with my buy. bought it for for $1650 with free shipping. customer service was good. at first i didnt get my spark plug cover but once talking to them they sent one as long as i payed for shipping which was $10. just like i got my engine, i dropped it in my bay. car idled great (idled around 850-900rpm) , no problems engine wise. had a couple boost leaks and miswiring on my part. once that was fixed it was running great. lasted me about 10 months until my dumbass decided to up the boost. had a manual boost controller so i had no idea how much i was boosting. once i did a pull i saw the boost go up to 16-17psi and "pop" my car started to shake bad. stopped, opened the hood and noticed oil had came up from the dipstick. towed my car, did a compression test and cylinder two is out. and now im in the process of a rebuild. just pulled my engine this week.

what store on ebay did you get the sr from?. Not all I heard about ebay clips is bad, it sounds like it really depends on what store.

Any places to pick up engine sets near New Mexico, Arizona?...

Fueled performance in Tempe, AZ could sell you a motor. You would probably come out cheaper going with Tiger Japanese though, can't get much cheaper than those guys.

cool thanks

what store on ebay did you get the sr from?. Not all I heard about ebay clips is bad, it sounds like it really depends on what store.

Any places to pick up engine sets near New Mexico, Arizona?...

don't remember the companies name from whom i bought it from. but if your in AZ you could buy a motor from Suspicious garage. they are located at 40th St and I-10. they were working on alot of 240s, when i went there to get my arp headstuds for 100 bucks brand new. They had a motor set for sale not to long ago you could go and check it out if they still have it for sale. they are shop you can trust.

LOL. They're named Suspicious Garage, and you can trust them? Nice.

i have been searching for an sr for 3 months scared to death to over pay and to end up getting a crap motor
i have researched this whole post and everywhere on internet does any body have info on jdmtigerjapanese ??
or any good repuitable dealers that hasnt closed up shop

I got my engine from JSpec Auto and I have to give them a 5. Before buying a engine I talked to alot of people that I both knew and didn't know about many sellers and I carefully searched the web. I came across a lot of horror stories about bad engines from this place and that place with missing parts, dirt inside and bad customer service. I finally went with JSpec on word of mouth from some friends who had bought from them previously. I honestly can't comment on their customer service because I didn't have any issues so I didn't have to contact them about anything. I was able to track my engine from them to my delivery point, it was complete and came with everything that they said it would. After I finally swapped it in it ran fine and still does to this day two years later.

My testimonial on their webpage number 51.
http://www.jsamotors.com/page.aspx?page_id=11

ok so i have i tried to call and order my motor today from jdmtigerjapanese.com
there customer service sucks they are very rude. when asked to send pics of compresson and leak down checks
they simply say that they do noy have results of these tests and act like they dont care and cuss at you
like your the a## hole for wanting to buy there product and hang up on you . will diffently never going to buy from them


also tried to contact sr20store.com left many emails and voicemails they have not gotten back to me so i will rate when i have some info

buying a motor from an reputable dealer is hella hard and iam glad there is this thread to help me along

Yeah it is. Just take your time and do your research which is what you appear to be doing anyway. Good luck bro'!

Has anyone dealth with JDM Engine Depot? In the marketplace for an s13 sr20.

K Wolfe wrote:Did your engine come with a starter, ac pump, ps pump, alternator, smic, and all that stuff, also did you get pictures of a compression check? They look good, can't complain about the price.

Came with everything but SMIC, didnt ask for pics but they had a thread about the container that arrived a month or so ago and i browsed through that to look at the motors. They do provide results and offer a 90 day startup warranty.


If you need a SMIC i got one thats been sitting for a year or so with a stock cold pipe.

I was looking at jsamotors.com as well. As they are right outside my state. Price seems high compare to japan star motors. Is the extra money worth it? I've been reading this post along with others, and seems the alot of the reputable companies aren't in business anymore. Can anyone chime in with whats a good place to buy from in 2012.

K Wolfe wrote:Has anyone dealth with JDM Engine Depot? In the marketplace for an s13 sr20.

For future Reference any one searching the board JDM engine depot in Kearny is not any different then any other jdm engine place out there. The cheaper prices are due to the fact they move alot of more motors then 85% of the other places out there. You have to keep in mind when your buying a jdm engine you are buying a junkyard engine. They offer a 30 day warranty against mechanical failure.


Ive bought more then my fair share of engines from them i run a shop 4 miles from them. I know countless people who have gotten swaps from them with out any issues.

I live in Florida and I am looking to buy an SR. JDM Orlando Inc. has a complete engine and tranny and JDM of Florida has one as well (but it is 200 dollars more). Has anyone heard anything about either of them? I have only talked to one person and he said that JDM Orlando takes engines off cars that cant pass emissions, while JDM Orlando takes the engines out of totaled cars and dumps oil in the cylinders before compression tests. Is there another place that I'm not aware of? Thanks!