# swap out or build up



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

I have a 93 sentra se-r and definatly want to go turbo. Up untill today i was planing on swaping out my sr20 for the sr20det out of the gti-r. Then i finally met someone in my town who ownes another of the early 90's se-r's (there are only 5 in town that ive seen) and he was saying it might be better just to rebuild my existing motor, lower compression, get new cams, and all that fun stuff and just get a turbo kit. His arguement was that if i ever had problems with the gti-r motor that replacement parts might be harder to find because its jdm. My question is are the gti-r motors different in a way that if something went wrong with it that i would not be able to go to an auto parts store and order the part that should have been on my stock motor and it will work. Also if i do opt to rebuild it then i could also replace the any parts that might fail when i start really boosting the horse power. Fyi im hoping to be able to set it up to be able to run at least 15 psi of boost and hopefully get at least 350 horse. There are just so many variables i just dont know what to think. Any advide or info would be appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

Oh ya, im also woundering which one would be more cost effective as far as rebuilding my sr20 with all the new stuff or swaping it out for a gti-r motor.


----------



## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

It will be expensive to convert a SR20DE engine into a SR20DET. There are significant differences:

The DET has:
low compression forged pistons
oil squirters to cool the pistons (which requires machining to install)
sodium-filled valves
stronger rods
bigger injectors
oil cooler
ECU programmed for boost

It will cost over $1500 to convert the DE.
Additionally, you will need the turbo setup. Kits cost $3500+ (includes ECU)
Cams will cost $560

You can get a SR20DET for $1500 with the ECU and harness. (You should check the bearings before installing one.) Parts are available.

Lew


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

But what about getting replacement parts should something need to be replaced?


----------



## Slacky (May 31, 2004)

could get a u12 or u13, easier to get parts for those and think of it this way if u got the j spec encine u would eventually upgrade the turbo and injectors anyway so really all u get is a ecu which u get from jwt and the higher compression pistons is a good thing u have more power off the start and all the time, not jsut boosting annnnnnnd if u have emissions u are mor likely to pass because u haev all the emissions junk and u can just take the turbo off and what not or just m ake sure to get inspected first


----------



## N2nismO (Jan 22, 2004)

if you're looking for the most cost effective i would definately go with the u12 or u13 as previously suggested. 15 psi should not be too difficult for any sr to handle with the right engine manigement. if youre looking for 350hp definately go with a det. det or de, either way its going to cost you alot.


----------



## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

grumblecakes said:


> But what about getting replacement parts should something need to be replaced?


With the $4000 you save, you can import them from Japan. :thumbup: 

However, they are available in the USA. For example, check this out:

http://www.courtesyparts.com/nms/b13/b13_1.html

Lew


----------



## sersr20dk (Oct 15, 2003)

first off, det pistons are cast just like the de. they are not forged. you can do 350whp on a stock bottom end de. how many miles are on the motor you have? recently parts have become more available for the gti-r but looking for 350whp you are goin to need to swap out turbo's and probably the manifold to a t3 flanged one, also going to need larger injectors and something to control the fuel because of the upgraded injectors. you could maybe keep the mani and max out one of the t2 flanged gt series turbo's but you will need more than 15 psi to hit 350whp. probably closer to 18 or so. imo i would rebuild the motor u have with gti-r or stock rods, arp head studs, cometec head gasket and bolt on a bb t3/t4 w/ a good front mount. also, you are still going to need buy an i/c kit with the gti-r engine. how much money do you want to spend? go do a compression test on the engine you have and go from there, if all is good there i would say buy or piece together a kit for your motor and keep it around 10-12 psi until you get everything worked out. the motor should take it for a while. i wouldn't jump from na to 350 whp if i were you, start with low boost and get used to it for a while.


----------



## Slacky (May 31, 2004)

like i said.. just gonna upgrade everything anyway so id just stick with the higher compresion block, it can handle it no sense in paying for something if technically u dont want it


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

Slacky said:


> could get a u12 or u13, easier to get parts for those and think of it this way if u got the j spec encine u would eventually upgrade the turbo and injectors anyway so really all u get is a ecu which u get from jwt and the higher compression pistons is a good thing u have more power off the start and all the time, not jsut boosting annnnnnnd if u have emissions u are mor likely to pass because u haev all the emissions junk and u can just take the turbo off and what not or just m ake sure to get inspected first


Im not familiar with u12 and u13, what does that mean?


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

Oh, and as of right now the car has 178,000 miles on it, I know its a lot. Im going to school for auto body and its going to be my project car next year so that will take care of anything cosmetic as far as the condition of the car. But i really have not had the car for all that long and im not shure if the people who owned it before me took all that great of care of it so i really have no idea what i would come across that should have been replaced long ago once the rebuilding starts and i really get into the thick of it. I


----------



## Slacky (May 31, 2004)

u12 and u13s are the body codes for the blue blird like the b12 is a 87-90 sentra or a b13 is a 91-94 sentra anyway both bodys have sr20dets that are available for front clips or jsut engines , the difference is basically just age im prety sure the engine stayed the same but u would have to wait for someone a lot more familiar with ALL sr20det specs for a positive answer


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

What would be better about those blocks then my current one?


----------



## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

grumblecakes said:


> What would be better about those blocks then my current one?


The block was designed for boost. It has the following features to make it more reliable:

low compression pistons
oil squirters to cool the pistons
sodium-filled valves
stronger rods
oil cooler fittings

Lew


----------



## sersr20dk (Oct 15, 2003)

nothing is better about the blocks than your current one, the blocks are the same, pistons are different so it is lower compression. the head has sodium filled 1mm bigger exh valves. the advantage is that most come with much lower miles on it than your engine has now. that is all really. some also have piston cooling oil squirters which are not neccessary for your goals


----------



## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

Hmm. I wonder why Nissan put all that stuff in their turbocharged engines if it isn't necessary???

Lew


----------



## sersr20dk (Oct 15, 2003)

it was more of a security blanket so that the engine may last longer under warranty. many people remove the oil squirters when they build det's. i know you are going to say that it will cool the pistons better, but with the right tuning they are not neccessary. the 1mm sodium filled exhaust valves are better, which could be put in a de head while it is apart are a slight advantage, but i have yet to see a boosted de burn up a valve with the engine tuned correctly, have you? once again nice but not neccessary for 350whp. with 9.5:1 compression you will hit that goal at lower boost levels. it is all about tuning. the nissan ecu had to be emissions friendly, which means it can't have all the extra fuel it would take to tune a higher compression motor for boost . plus it had to be safe for everyone since it was in a u(altima) chassis. most people treat it like a normal n/a vehicle and don't take proper care of the vehicle. these added saftey's will make it last longer when treated likemost people treat their cars. the de rods are plenty strong, seen over 350 whp on a stock de bottom end last for a while(4 years or so). all that stuff is a saftey blanket, like an oil cooler which can be added to any car, which would be a good idea. i'm a fan of the de-t engine also and if he has to pay to rebuild his current engine, it would be the better idea. i have driven both 8.5:1 and 9.5:1 boosted sr20's and the 9.5:1 is a little more fun. either way you are looking at a fun ride when finished


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

Are the u12/u13 motors hard to find, and about how much do they cost? Do they come n/a or turbo? Questions leading to more questions, its a never ending cycle.


----------



## Slacky (May 31, 2004)

ok.. this is pointless if u want to be a nissan driver go do some research if u keep asking these obvious questions everyone is going to stop answering you. if u tryed to look them up at all u would see how much they were and if they were turbo in the pic, obviously u havent even searched


----------



## grumblecakes (Sep 5, 2004)

I’m sorry; I thought this was supposed to be a source of info where people who were more knowledgeable could educate those trying to learn something. Obviously I was wrong and inconvenienced you by you responding to something that you willingly responded to on your own time. Did I ask you personally for your response, no. You came yourself and chose to respond. I apologize for maybe not looking into it as much as I should have but I considered this as doing my research. Asking someone who did know what I wanted to know instead of trying for hours to locate all the info I required to make a decision. I could be wrong but I thought that was the general idea of this site.


----------



## Slacky (May 31, 2004)

your right i did answer on my own time, i had some spare time thought i would come on and add my 2 cents but i and i think i speak for most people dont feel like repeating something that has been posted a million times, i just did a search and i found around 8 results including u12 / u 13 engines 4 of which had over 10 responses chock full of info, this also isnt a place to argue because the threat will get closed.if u wanna talk to people a lot of us include our aim name for personal ims or u can send private messages on this site.


----------

