# New here...thinking about an ENGINE SWAP!



## uber1337240sx (Apr 20, 2004)

Hey guys, I'm new here but I know a LOT about 240's. I'm thinking about an engine swap for mine and seeing as how I have quite a background in honda's, I was thinking of building up an H22 with some forgies, rods, and getting a stroker camshaft. Then, I would convert it to rear wheel drive and have a custom lenco air shift tranny fitted to the beast. OR, I could buildup a VQ30DETT for some heavy duty dorifto duty I'm thinking the VQ might be a bad option there, it'd be a lot of custom work  The H22 should practically drop right in if I fab up some mounts for it. I have some 1/8 in. steel plate sitting around and my friend was telling me he can weld with his alternator!!! I think I'll be set. What do you fellas think? I'm especially looking for some moderator input yo!


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

do you want it only for drift? in that case an sr20, ca18, or even ka with some mods will suffice.


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## uber1337240sx (Apr 20, 2004)

Nah man, that shiznit just wont cut it...not uber1337 enough!


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

how much money do you have and once again, do you only want it for drift?


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

id guess this is a pisstake


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## uber1337240sx (Apr 20, 2004)

Pisstake? we dont have none of those things here in Tejas! Is that like a kind of uber turbo or something?


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## little240boy (Jan 13, 2004)

seeing as how your so upfront about know things about 240's, shine a little light on drifting and/or anything about 240's. do you even have a car man?sounds a like load to me


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## OPIUM (Aug 18, 2002)




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## uber1337240sx (Apr 20, 2004)

little240boy said:


> seeing as how your so upfront about know things about 240's, shine a little light on drifting and/or anything about 240's. do you even have a car man?sounds a like load to me


Drifting is an overrated power slide  Happy now?


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## naturallyintoxicated (Apr 21, 2004)

uber1337240sx said:


> Drifting is an overrated power slide  Happy now?



you just dont know how. if you watch some pros doing it, youll know its not just a powerslide. if you can download something called drift mix online, do it. its fuckin badass and has tons of drifting clips


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## belmore (Apr 5, 2004)

i think you should keep honda far away from any nissan. its like injecting yourslef with a disease. honda sucks stick with nissan or at least the the twin turbo supra swap, just not honda. shudders.


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## Harris (Nov 11, 2002)

Guys, please keep the conversation on topic.


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## billyjuan (Jan 14, 2004)

OPIUM your pics crack me up man ROCK ON :thumbup: :fluffy: :cheers:


Also why the fuck we talking aboiut hondas in a NISSAN forum???????????


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## Harris (Nov 11, 2002)

billyjuan said:


> Also why the f**k we talking about Hondas in a NISSAN forum?


They're both cars, that's why. It's ok to talk about other cars that may not be a part of our forum.


uber1337240sx, if you seriously considering to spend the kind of money for a swap, go for an SR or RB series motor, which are easier to transplant into an S13 and will give you the power that you desire for drifting. I personally like the SR20DET due to my experiences with the motor (I don't drift, by the way). The SR has a lot of aftermarket support on our shores, and can be buillt to make power quite reliably. It does, however, boil down to how much you're willing to spend on your car.


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## 93blackSER (Feb 1, 2003)

once again the little CA gets overlooked. i'd go with a CA or an RB. forget about the SR in my opinion. there's enough support for every engine these days.


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## Harris (Nov 11, 2002)

93blackSER said:


> once again the little CA gets overlooked. i'd go with a CA or an RB. forget about the SR in my opinion. there's enough support for every engine these days.



It's one thing to have an opinion and another to bash on another member's opinion. Learn to differentiate between the two. Why don't you explain to the member as to why he should forget about the SR and only go for the CA or the RB series motors?


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## 93blackSER (Feb 1, 2003)

Harris said:


> It's one thing to have an opinion and another to bash on another member's opinion. Learn to differentiate between the two. Why don't you explain to the member as to why he should forget about the SR and only go for the CA or the RB series motors?


there was no bashing in that statement. there was only and opinion and a statement. 

and according to the rules, you must search before posting. why does this rule never get enforced? that is the main reason that threads go off topic. i dont mean this in a way to offend you, just curious.


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## Harris (Nov 11, 2002)

Changes are being made. Please have some patience and things will go smooth. Now lets get back on topic, shall we?


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

hooray!! we get all the moderators in our little 240sx section. we much be special! but to keep on topic, if you want the power you were talking about go rb.


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## 93blackSER (Feb 1, 2003)

kaptainkrollio said:


> hooray!! we get all the moderators in our little 240sx section. we much be special! but to keep on topic, if you want the power you were talking about go rb.


you should back up that statement. what makes you say that? why not another engine? i know the reasoning, but others probably wont. i can get just as much out of my CA, as you can an RB. prove that the RB is the better choice.


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

my back up is that i already suggested CA and he didnt want it. i happen to like the CA also


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## zombiesid1 (Dec 11, 2003)

*RB better than CA or SR*

Well first off, I'm having this dilemma right now. I have a reliable source that can get me an RB or SR front clip within a few bills. I know I don't want a CA because I've talked to my 2 cousins in japan who have CA powered S13s and want to swap in an RB an SR because the CA tends to have headgasket sealing issues over 300ps. They said they explored o-ringing and after all the machine work and bottom end improvements, it wasn't much more expensive to swap and more reliable due to the more modern design of the RB and SR engines. One of them wants the RB because he is basically making a dyno queen he wants big numbers and bone stock, the RB motors make more power than an improved SR. There's no replacement...I guess. The other one wants an SR for the durability and streetability. He said the RB is livable but he is lazy and wants to be able to abuse his motor and not worry about expensive repairs. 

Myself, I'm at a cross-roads. I want lots of power, but I don't want to drive a car I gotta drive to the airport to fuel up, or worry about stop and go traffic overheating the tightly packed motor using the push fans on the outside of the radiator. BUT it'd be nice to be able to go hunting Supras and kill em on the 04. decisions decisions...

I've been mulling the 2 RB/SR motors over while I fix my "ashi" or feet. Any drift magazine will show you, improve your ashi before your "pawaa." 

One thing to think about is, SR20DEs came in B13 SE-Rs and G20s. So maintenance and some hard parts are readily avail. in the US. I don't think we sold RB motors here, but maybe with the rise of the RB25DET swap more hi-po storehouses will keep water pumps and timing belts in stock. 

One thing for sure though. If you want ultimate power, you DON'T go with the CA.


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## azRPS13 (Jun 7, 2003)

zombiesid1 said:


> One thing for sure though. If you want ultimate power, you DON'T go with the CA.


Even though that was a opinion based off your cousins, That was not right. Yes CAs do have headgasket problems but not all of them... PM boost_boy, his CA is running fine @ close to 400hp on the stock head gasket. most people blow their headgasket from running too lean and burning the gaskets causing them to leak. I do advocate the CA more than any engine but never have i stated A "If you want ultimate power, you DON'T go with the *_insert engine here_*" Thats just ignorant. Every car/engine has their problems on their journey to becoming "ULTIMATE"... It so happens that CAs problem happens to be Headgaskets for some... Well, metal headgaskets or a standalone sys can solve that... Big wow! And yes, the CA can take abuse alot more than SRs can IMO... But if not treated right all engines have expensive repairs...

Yes we got SR stuff in b13s and G20s, We got CA stuff in post '90 Pulsar's and 200sx's... So yes CA maintenance parts are available...


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## Kelso (Apr 29, 2003)

AZ is right and you must be gettin some bad info and your giving out horrible info.

the RB can end up being just as old as the ca. the RB has a couple different series'.... the rb20's are _about_ as old as CA's. the RB25 and 26 are a bit newer. i dont know anything about the rb30's though.

the CA is often reffered to as the RB's little brother. Its kinda of like a milder RB. Thea CA is a great motor. headgasket problems can be fixed with a metal headgasket like azrps13 said....whats that like a 200 dollar investment?

but if your going to be pushing that much horsepower youd be an idiot not to put something like that on any motor, cause eventually they will blow.

Being on the forums, ive seen a lot of people come on looking for sr20 info and then get turned towards the RB or CA instead. after a while, you hear about all the bad things with the motor.

sure its got plenty of parts just everywhere, cause everybodys got one. so right off the bat your not being original at all, it just depends on if you care about standing out from a big big crowd or not. the sr20 isnt a "free revving motor" . it seems people dont like the fact that it seems like the engine just doesnt go to its full potential, but it cant...its like it just cuts off or something.

a big thing is the aluminum block. ca and rb have a stronger block.
also, the ca18 had too much money in manufacturing it and nissan had to go on a budget. one answer was the SR20det. a cheaper built motor with a couple extra horsies under the hood. 
just thought id throw out those facts to open your mind up to the CA... just cause somebody is in japan doesnt mean they are smarter ....everybody gets misconceptions and wrong info sometimes....it seems they relayed it to you


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## 93blackSER (Feb 1, 2003)

the CA has just as much potential as the SR or RB. just because it's a smaller engine with less stock horsepower and torque, doesnt mean that the other engines are better. technologically, the CA owns the SR. a lot of the technology in the CA is also in the RB. check out www.norrisdesigns.com and look at their S13 200sx powered by the CA. over 500whp or something crazy like that. talk to Boost_Boy, he's building a FWD CA to be over 600whp. his girlfriends daily drives a B12 with a CA at over 300whp. just because two people you know dont like the CA, doesnt mean that it's a bad engine. if you havent noticed, the CA's price has skyrocketed in the past few months due to it's popularity. the CA owns in my books.


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## little240boy (Jan 13, 2004)

so kelso, do you think that having a ca18det would be better for a long lasting daily driver then a sr20det? i want a fast car but you can only go so fast in the city! stock which one would be a fast car? since i do a a bunch of highway driving, do you think that a rb would be a better choice? reliabilty is a big concern as this car has to last me, but I want some speed too! any input?


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

Kelso said:


> the CA is often reffered to as the RB's little brother. Its kinda of like a milder RB.


Ive only ever heard that from people who prefer CA's over SR's. Im sorry, they do share some common design features but if it was directly related it would have been called the RB18

Some advice.
Dont choose an engine just because some workshop somewhere has managed 500 hp out of it. While it may be an indication of potential, that engine will have little in common with a stock version anymore. This goes for all engine types.

CA18 is a very rich running engine thus it is not very fuel efficient. But if you are planning 300hp out of a turbo 4 nothing is going to be fuel efficient.

While ROM tuning the CA is actually easier than the SR or RB (you dont need a daughterboard) I havent heard a lot of support for it in the US. Scott may have some options though.

Plan and budget for a rebuild for a CA. Ignore the people that say "I know of two or three that are running fine on 300hp without a rebuild". These engines are old and ones still in factory trim will have been thrashed and worn.
The SR and RB (especially RB20) are not far behind in this either but newer versions are available. 

The SR requires a timing chain replacement at around 150000-200000 k's. This is pretty much a rebuild anyway. RB and CA need the belt changed at 100000 which you should do when you get the engine from Japan.


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## OPIUM (Aug 18, 2002)

any engine is capable... it always comes down to the question of, "how deep are your pockets". 

I chose RB because I am ass tired of I-4 cylinders. I would want to pop my ear drums everyday if I owned another I-4 cylinder 'modded' car. Not to mention the engine looks as impressive as it sounds. I didn't choose the SR because I've already owned one. I don't like having the same thing twice. I typically get a new vehicle about once a year or so. I don't plan it, it just sorta happens. I never explored the possibility of the CA at all. But again.. the sound of a 4 cylinder car everyday would probably ruin me. Everything is capable of what you want to do, everything requires maintainence of some sort... 

CA's don't do well with headgaskets
SR's go through waterpumps
RB's, in my experience anyways, coil packs. But I've heard I am a unique case.

All in all, if you replace those things, you got yourself a great motor either way. It's kind of hard to go wrong. It just depends on what your building it for.


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## Slo_240 (Jan 1, 2004)

Nicely said I 100% agree :thumbup:


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## doriftomunkee (Apr 25, 2004)

yea you're preference all depends on what your goal is and how much money you have...every motor has their advantages and disadvantages..this has been covered a gazillion times so what you choose is up to you...either way you should be happy with it..so goodluck on what your choice end up to be :thumbup:


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## RacerJunkie (Apr 13, 2004)

Say I was wanting an all around fast daily driver, which I would street race occasionally, do a lot of burnouts, and general high rpm fast driving, which motor would be the best for that purpose? By the way, I run the dog piss out of my cars, so strength is a major issue.


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## RacerJunkie (Apr 13, 2004)

Not cause I wanna tear stuff up, just because I'm addicted to speed. So until they make a patch or a gum for my problem, I'm still searching for a car that can put up.


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## Enthalpy (Mar 17, 2004)

how about you do a search...then decide what is right for you after reading all the different opinions of everyone else? that sounds fair doesnt it. 

Also,"doing alot of burnouts" makes you sound very immature. If you phrase your quesitons better you usually get better responses.


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