# 240sx CA18DET Project.



## Pulsar-NX-SE (Mar 23, 2005)

Actually this is not my first post for the car. But since everything has changed it has now become an unintended *PROJECT CAR* .

Yes you heard right a car that has already had a CA18DET transplanted and was advertised as only needing a crankshaft replaced is in a word *JUNK* . Well maybe junk is to strong a word but at least it isn't profane. Let me give you the baseline story on this car and the project goals that have been set.

The car was advertise on EBay as having a bad crank because when a shop was installing a new clutch they only installed three bolts and when he boosted for the first time it sheared them off. Now to be fair he might very well have thought that is what happened. But after closer inspection of the crank itself and the remaining 5 bolts (All were still in the flywheel) the reality 3 bolts were sheared off and the remaing 5 were stripped completely out both the bolts and the threads inside the crank. The only issues I really have are a couple of small things like headlight motors. I asked if the worked or not and I was told that they did sometimes and he thought it might have a short so he just left them up. Fair enough so my first order of business was to tackle this short. I started to manually lower the lights and on the passenger side the light contacted the fender about an inch before it would have been completely down. The shorted wiring turned out to be that someone was smart enough to unplug the harness to the headlight retractors so as not the distroy the fender. And to be perfectly honest the only other issue I really have is after asking him just about everything you could ask about the condition of a car that is in a condition which prevents testing everything the driverside electric window doesn't work. Actually that isn't even the issue the reality is the problems I have currently found on this car I can fix the real issue is that (Drum Roll Please) I can't contact the seller to see if these are existing or new problems (the dreaded won't answer the post sell phone).

So I feel much better now. The car as it sets is a 1989 Nissan 240sx with a 1990 JDM CA18DET with Man Transmission ( The turbo is supposed to be from a SR20 but I can't confirm that yet. It has a LSD rearend from a 1996 240 and a couple of extra's like the Spedo HUD and Digital Dash Spedo (Looks kinda hokie but OK). It most definetly needs a Crankshaft and after careful inspection the wiring harness mods that were made were pretty much twist the wires together and wrap it with electrical tape. The Oil lines going to the turbo looks like someone took a pile of hoses with pressure couplers and kept adding them together until they had the ends they wanted. The Air-Conditioning Compressor, Condenser and Lines are gone the power steering is there but no belt. And I am sure that there are other treasures just waiting to be discovered.

PHASE 1
1) Remove and Build the engine both for performance and durability.
If there is a tie then durability will always win. I don't wish to work
on this car ever weekend.
2) Replace the severly undersized radiator with a least a double row.
Remove the engine driven fan and replace it with thermostatic 
controlled electric fan. 
3) Reinstall the accessory items that were removed. Hey I live in the South
you try driving down here in the summer without AC.
4) Build custom Oil Lines for the Turbo and replace all of that jumbled
mess of water hoses.
5) Replace the JDM Intercooler with something larger and better located.
Can't dictate size at this point since I need to measure after I install
the radiator and condenser.


What I have done so far is.
1) Purchase a CA18DE. It's a running engine but I need it's Crank and the
other spare parts won't hurt either.
2) I having a set of Forged JE Pistons made.
3) I have a great Machine shop. They are going to polish and Nitride the
Crank and Rods. The will also magnaflux the block and bore it if 
necessary
4) The head gets Polished Milled (3 angle valve job) new Valve Guides,
Springs and Keepers.
5) I haven't made a decision on the Cams and Lifters just yet. If I can find
a new stock set I'll probably go that way 
6) Going insane trying to find a metal head gasket for the CA18DET.
Please everybody don't say have the machine shop make one. You
got a machine shop that will make it give me their number.

PHASE II (Putting this mess back together)
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## MR. Wizard (Apr 19, 2005)

hey, how much did that valve job cost?


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

MR. Wizard said:


> hey, how much did that valve job cost?


More than you can afford, pal. 180SX. *VROOM VROOM*


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## Pulsar-NX-SE (Mar 23, 2005)

MR. Wizard said:


> hey, how much did that valve job cost?


$384.00 Plus parts. That covers polishing and porting.
Of course I'm taking the Valve Job the the n'th degree. I only want to build this one once. Dropping a valve on a custom forged piston because I didn't want to invest in a new set of keepers would be kinda stupid. When I get the
final bill I'll disclose the work done and the cost associated with it.


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## Pulsar-NX-SE (Mar 23, 2005)

bridrive55 said:


> More than you can afford, pal. 180SX. *VROOM VROOM*


I'm cashing in my food stamps now. *HA HA*. I'm pulling the plugs on this one and going all the way.


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