# Whats needed from DOHC pulsar for ca18et head swap???



## Lotus2843 (Nov 1, 2003)

I found a whole 88 or 89? pulsar with a DOHC motor, (direct ignition and all that) its at the salvage yard... What will i need off the car to make the head swap possable on my 1985 ca18et (200sx) im planning to drop the motor in an 89 240 coupe, just want to make sure that i get everything i need!


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## 93blackSER (Feb 1, 2003)

that's a big list. it's not a straight bolt on, nor is it a straight drop in into the car.


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## Nizmodore (May 9, 2003)

*deep breath*

Block Mods:

Head bolt holes need to be drilled out and re-helicoiled from M10 to M12

Timeing system mods:

New timeing belt crank pully, depending on what crank you have you may have to get a CA18DE re-sleved....
Relocated timeing belt pully

Other:

CA18DET oilpump
CA18DE head
CA18DE computer and loom

No I havent done a CA18, I built a CA20 Twincam, which I don't have a car for atm  Stupid CAMS Stupid FIA.......


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## Nizmodore (May 9, 2003)

PS: just buy a CA18DET...is much easier and cheaper......  I wouldn't recomend doing that conversion.....I'm not sure it would even work, the valves from the twincam head may hit the single cam heads pistins due to the fact that the valve cutouts may be in the wrong position.....

......Hell, my engine I havent even fired it up....waiting for my new timeing belt crank pully and a car to put it in  (the other holdup)


BTW 500th post!!!!! yayayayayyayayay!!!!!


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## 93blackSER (Feb 1, 2003)

Nizmodore said:


> No I havent done a CA18, I built a CA20 Twincam, which I don't have a car for atm  Stupid CAMS Stupid FIA.......


i have a car you can put it in


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## Nizmodore (May 9, 2003)

You wish mate...you wish


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## Lotus2843 (Nov 1, 2003)

How many people have done this exact swap?

its got to be cheaper that a ca18det, i wont have $300 into the 200sx turbo and the pulsar dohc stuff, plus i have a garage, 1800pc snapon tool set millions of other tools, ect ect at my disposal...


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## Kelso (Apr 29, 2003)

well this may be much cheaper, but if it doesnt work like he said, then you just wasted your cash. its just going to be a big inconvenience to do it all.


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## Lotus2843 (Nov 1, 2003)

Kelso said:


> well this may be much cheaper, but if it doesnt work like he said, then you just wasted your cash. its just going to be a big inconvenience to do it all.



You know what, hahaha, just looked on ebay, and for a 40k mile ca18det with harness, tranny, ecu, (everything) its like $1200 shipped.... so im just going to get the ca18det motor mounts and bolt the ca18et in the 240sx and do it that way, sell it and do it the right way (with an 89-93 240sx coupe and a JDM ca18det)

thanx guys

where do i get ca18det motor mounts?


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## azRPS13 (Jun 7, 2003)

Uses the same mounts as the KA/SR, so pretty much anywhere... if you want go nismo :thumbup:


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## Nizmodore (May 9, 2003)

Lotus2843 said:


> How many people have done this exact swap?
> 
> its got to be cheaper that a ca18det, i wont have $300 into the 200sx turbo and the pulsar dohc stuff, plus i have a garage, 1800pc snapon tool set millions of other tools, ect ect at my disposal...


Personally, what I would do, is to get a CA twincam Turbo exhaust manifold and put your CA18ET turbo on in and chuck the whole twincam motor in your car, I assume the twincam motor you have atm is a CA18DE? (it could be a CA16DE) 

The only advantage of useing the CA18ET bottom end is the lower compression ratio, but if you use the higher compression DOHC motor, you'll have awesome throttle response (but you won't be able to run as much boost!) I made a high compression RB30ET (Holden VL Commodore Turbo) useing a std RB30E with a 9.0:1 compression ratio (a RB30ET comp ratio is 7.8:1) and it pulled like a cut barstard, much much better than a std RB30ET, alas it didn't generate as much power up the top end, and you couldn't raise the boost any more than 7ish psi (Well I wasn't running a intercooler.....)

Still if your keen, you have to do a complete ground up engine rebuild....the bottom end of the CA18ET will have to come off, because there is a danger of when you are re-drilling and re-helicoiling the head bolt holes, you may get some metal shaveings in the bottom end...not good!

Still, I was warned not to build a CA20 twincam.......the more people tell you not to do something, the more you want to do it  

Now on to the supercharged, water injected RB30/25 project......


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## Nizmodore (May 9, 2003)

Yeah I just checked, the compression ratio of a CA18ET is 8.0:1 while a CA18DE is 9.5:1....a little high, but like I said, low boost, a good intercooler and a slightly richer fuel mixture (run a pot across the engine temp sensor to adjust the mixtures to richen it up a bit!) and you have a very responsive, low lag motor!

Tho if you got a copper headgaskit (leaky POS!!!!) you could droip the comp ratio down and run more boost.....


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