Need some help with some ideas for my 510

[76bullit]

So this is my 510 sedan I picked it up a little while back and had to put in quite a few hours to get her runnin but now the motor seems tired and the tranny leaves lots to be desired, oh snd thr the clutch needed replaced like 10 years ago. But not to worry there because I have found A newly rebuilt L18 with good tranny and new clutch cheap enough to make it worth the swap. Here is where I need the help, I want to see if anyone can point me in a good direction for putting a turbo on this new motor. I know with the rebuild that I'm looking at like 110 or so hp but I would like to have some fun with the other imports in town. So if you can help I would appreciate it greatly.

 

I have done a search on this site and cant make heads or tails of any of it.

[MicroMachinery]

If you want to put a turbo onto that L18, you're gonna have to be patient. They come up once in a while on here or eBay. The Cartech or Rayjay turbo kits were the more popular ones back in the Datsun hay-day, but there are some still around. If you are handy with a welder, you could always make up your own manifold and install a turbo.. but that's after alot of homework. If you're just looking for a bolt-on and go, I'd suggest just being patient and keeping your eyes peeled on this forum, ebay, and craigslist. They come up for sale once in a while. There have actually been a few setups here for sale over the past month. Good hunting!

[yellowdatsun]

For the time/money your going to spend getting a turbo kit working on the L-18, you could swap in a different engine. The old Car-Tech and Rayjay turbo kits are really scarce, *AND* your dealing with 30 year old turbo technology. So your best bet for a turbo kit would be to make it yourself, but that takes a lot of time, and money, to get right. Your newly rebuilt L-18 probably doesn't have a low enough compression to run more than a few pounds of boost anyways.

[76bullit]

Is there some way to check the compression of the motor to make sure its not over 10:1. Im only looking to put 8 to 10 pounds to it anyway. I found a pick of the rayjay setup and I think I could improve on it with a header and an intercooler. I would put the intercooler before the carb. Does this setup run a weber? Or is it better to keep it a hot setup?

[DISLEXICDIME]

Is there some way to check the compression of the motor to make sure its not over 10:1. Im only looking to put 8 to 10 pounds to it anyway. I found a pick of the rayjay setup and I think I could improve on it with a header and an intercooler. I would put the intercooler before the carb. Does this setup run a weber? Or is it better to keep it a hot setup?

 

 

read all of this this http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=407&hilit=turbo+forum

[ichorid]

cheap enough to make it worth the swap. Here is where I need the help, I want to see if anyone can point me in a good direction for putting a turbo on this new motor. I know with the rebuild that I'm looking at like 110 or so hp but I would like to have some fun with the other imports in town. So if you can help I would appreciate it greatly.

 

 

if CHEAP is a big concern to you stop now. You will not turbo your L series engine, in my own opinion, based on this post. Seeing that you asked how to check the compression on your engine to see if its higher than 10:1 Im guessing you're not super mechanically inclined. Neither am I to get that out of the way. It will require a lot of personal fab time to make it cheap, or a lot of expensive fab time to get it done. If you're into starting a 5 year project Id say turboing a L motor with no upfront mechanical knowledge would be a great weekend hobby. You have a clean dime there a great start for a fun driver. Focusing on HP numbers is something a lot of people do, I don't understand it. If you just want to rip around town with some friends, or whatever, your L18 and some dual su's would be fine. lower it a little get some rims you really like, make it your own. Then it will feel like you have the fastest car on the block.

 

No integra, 240sx, corolla, w/e will ever have anything on your 90hp L series 510.

[HRH]

Nice looking 510. I'd say either put a NA KA in it, or go SR. If you have no money, build a 20b. Oh, and you should take those heavy ass dub looking things off and use them as mounts for a wooden plank coffee table. Then get some nice 14s yo, 'cause 14s are the bomb!!!!! :P

 

Sorry, you did say you wanted ideas...welcome to Ratsun! :)

[76bullit]

The wheels were a gift from my wife thank you very much . I would rather have more size apropriate wheels but what do you say to a present? As for being mechanicaly inclined I have no prob in that department,My truck, I just never had anyone to show me around a motor. Im trying to learn from you guys so please try to be helpful and not spiteful. Im frugal not broke, I will spend money where needed. I really just wanted to make a fun car to drive. If the L18 is gonna be more than enough Im not gonna screw with it. But like I said it would be nice to learn.

 

 

[HRH]

Now how are you going to haul 1500 pounds of gravel with that? :blink: Very true, a gift like that can not be refused. Pretty nice wife, too!

 

Any L series has the potential to make the 510 a "fun" car to drive around. The hard part is that need to go faster. My 20b pulls hard, but recently my buddy Mark's diesel Dodge took me. Not a stock diesel. He's running around 350 hp and some ungodly amount of torque. And I had cold slicks on and shitty 3.7 rear end gears. But enough excuses! His truck probably runs low 15s, the 510 right now runs high 15s.

 

For a rally car, that's fine, it's not a drag car anyway. (But it IS getting lower gears and maybe some more compression, I'm going to take his Dodge before I go rallying.) The problem is, 15 seconds used to be decently fast. Now, it's pretty damn slow. So if you go play with your buddies, depending on which crowd they are and how much hp/money they have, they might walk all over you, which will diminish your fun if you can't keep up with them.

 

If you truly don't car, and would prefer more fun with gas mileage benefits, I would definitely suggest building the L16 or 18. Keep in mind, it won't be a torque monster. If you're going to want a little get up and go, do an L20 since it fits in the same spot and as we all know, displacement is a good thing.

 

The other thing is how much you're going to drive it and in what weather and conditions? Carbs suck. I love my SU's but they're bitchy when it's too hot, and they're bitchy when it's too cold. Fuel injection will happen sometime this year. If you're just using it as an occasional cruiser, keep it carbed. Run a little 32/36 or an SU or dual SU, and she'll work fine.

 

If you want eventual performance, just swap in a fuel injected mill now or make a fuel injected L20. KAs are good transplants, pretty easy to find.

[datzenmike]

Is there some way to check the compression of the motor to make sure its not over 10:1. Im only looking to put 8 to 10 pounds to it anyway. I found a pick of the rayjay setup and I think I could improve on it with a header and an intercooler. I would put the intercooler before the carb. Does this setup run a weber? Or is it better to keep it a hot setup?

 

Very unlikely it would be 10 to 1 on a draw through build. Detonation control would be 10 X more difficult.

 

You can't run an inter cooler before the carb. The air in the intercooler will be the same temperature as the air outside and heat will not exchange. Just does not work. Here's why: When air is compressed into a smaller space the warmth in the air is concentrated also. Next time you are near a running compressor feel the storage tank it will be from warm to hot. To shed heat you need the inter cooler after the turbo where the heat is concentrated above the ambient. In the case of a draw through carb set up you can't run an inter cooler after the carb either as the the fuel and air are mixed and compressed... if there is a backfire the inter cooler will explode, blowing the front of the car off. If you use a blow through set up the boost air can be cooled in an inter cooler before it goes through the carb.

[ichorid]

I apologize, I completely came off arrogant and thats not what I wanted. Your truck is awesome I had never seen it before. Id love to roll a truck like that. I think those wheels would look rad as hell on the truck. But Im in your corner if my wife gave me those as a gift Id put them, and stand tall next to them. I just know (from reading around therealm and ratsun) that turboing an L series engine is crazy hard (my opinion with my mechanical abilities). You'd be much more likely to complete a sr20det or ka-t swap for the time and money involved with each given task (countless variables not taken into consideration).

 

now to answer you compression ratio question, this is what I found when I was researching what a compression ratio was.

 

http://www.automedia.com/Checking_Compression_Ratio/pht20020701cr/1

 

Im not a mechanic at all so I really REALLY rely on the internet. I think of hear/read things throughout the day that I am completely clueless about. when I get a chance I write them down and when Im able I go through my list and google/research the subjects to get some idea of what I don't know (it could fill a library the size of texas I assume). Its an odd thing that I do, but I think its helped me quite a bit in many facets of my life.

[76bullit]

I might have to look into a KA. What is the best vehicle to get them out of? How much of the wire harness do I need?

[HRH]

A 240sx is the ideal vehicle because it has the better intake design. The truck has a sort-of tbi setup, even though it's actually multiport looks like a tbi. Anyway, it also has crappier pistons and a few other things.

 

There are two KAs. Single cams and double cams. Single cams KA24Es came in 90-97 hardbodies, and 89-90 240sx'. Double cams KA24DEs come in 91-98 240sx', 98 to something trucks (again the worse intake design) and 93-97 Altimas, and some 90 Stanzas. The front wheel drive versions are just that, so it's harder to make them work. Oil pan changes and the intake suction is on the wrong end.

 

As far as the wire harness, I don't know how much is needed. I haven't done a conversion like that, though I am tempted to use my other truck motor since it's there. I would try and just get it ALL, that way you're not missing something. Probably just the engine bay harness and ECU would suffice though.

 

I'm sure there are some others on here with more KA experience, and you might hit the search, there are probably a few threads on it.

 

Oh yeah, the only real big annoyance of the KA is the hydraulic valves. They can be noisy. They usually clack on startup, and in the case of my motor, I needed to replace them all before the damn things would shut up. I would highly recommend going with a solid lifter conversion if you build one, unless you fire it up and the HLAs don't make noise. Then leave it alone.

[WagDatto]

For the KA swap, I'd look into an S13 240sx (91-94) KA24DE. You get the dual cam design, with better intake, they're cheaper (being the older 240sx) and are OBDI, so wiring is typically easier. The 1995 has the easiest wiring of them all, BUT the ECU and wiring harness are unique to that year motor. Pick your poison, 91-98 are all very similar minus a few small differences.

 

You will need the motor, transmission, ECU, ENGINE wiring harness (plugs into ECU and all plugs on motor), MAF, fuel pump, new radiator, shortened driveshaft, modified engine crossmember, custom transmission crossmember, modified exhaust manifold (or headers), modified shifter location and tranny tunnel at shifter and new exhaust.

 

The swap itself is fairly easy:

Cut and reverse the "sump" portion of the engine crossmember to clear front sump motor

Buy or make tranny crossmember

Measure and modify driveshaft to fit longer motorset

Relocate the O2 sensor on the stock exhaust mani, or buy headers, and finish exhaust system

Buy a VW Rabbit radiator without filler cap, and get an in-line filler (this is to properly bleed your coolant system)

Finish wiring and intake

New fuel pump and feed/return lines

 

That's pretty much it. Depending on how many friends you have and your mechanical know-how, you can do the swap in a month or less, if you do your homework and have an understanding of what needs to be done.

 

Since you can buy a full KA24DE motorset (including wiring, ecu and MAF) for less than $600, the whole swap costs between 1000-1500 depending on what you do yourself, what you buy and the prices you get things for. Worth it, in my opinion, for a reliable, peppy, torquey, fuel injected motor with more aftermarket possibilities, more access to OEM parts, and in most cases, less mileage than the L series coming out.

 

This is coming from not only me, who drove an L series that was in terrible shape for less than 100miles before I swapped away from it, but also my brother who got me into 510's, who's owned around 20 of them, and several trucks with L series motors in them. He and I both agree that a KA swap is completely worth doing.

[76bullit]

cool thanx

[78kingcab]

wow lots good info in here :rolleyes:

[Jester]

Check here for KA info.

[76bullit]

Is it just me or are there no KA motors anywhere?

[WagDatto]

Just you. Maybe it's Idaho? Here in CA, the drift scene is huge, so KA's are basically given away for SR swaps. Check around on Zilvia.net and maybe even KA-T.org and see if the forums yield any results for you there? Nico would be another place to check out, too.

[76bullit]

I was kinda hoping to find a low milage Jdm motor that hasnt had the crap beat out of it though.

[ichorid]

jdm and ka24de don't exist together iirc.

[WagDatto]

Haha yeah, the JDM motor was the SR20DET. KA's are truck motors and had lower emissions, which is why we got them in our 240sx's.

 

Quick chassis lesson:

180sx - earlier model, used the CA18DET. Named 180sx because of the 1.8liter motor, hence 180sx

200sx - later model, referred to as a 200sx in EU and sometimes in Japanland. Used the SR20, again... hence 200sx with the 2.0 liter.

240sx - 2.4liter motor... etc, etc, etc

 

This might cost you a little more money up front, but will get a better taken care of motor...

 

Buy a S14 (95-98) motorset from an AUTOMATIC car. Might cost around the same amount as a 5 speed, and you can either try to sell, or give away the auto tranny and crap. Then buy a 5 speed tranny, which would be around 1-200 bucks. Combine with used flywheel (less than 50) and Exedy OEM clutch kit (150 or less, I dunno) and you'll have a motor that has been babied with the 5 speed you want!

[Skib]

200sx - later model, referred to as a 200sx in EU and sometimes in Japanland. Used the SR20, again... hence 200sx with the 2.0 liter.

 

 

 

dont forget the Z20, Z18et, Z22e (S110) CA20, CA18et, VG30e, and FJ20et (S12) :D

 

the earlier S10's also came with an L18 or L20b

[Guest kamakazi620]

If ya wanna stick with L-series w/turbo check this

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://motormavens.com/emAlbum/albums/Yoshi%2520Shindo/Feature%2520Cars/Ray%2520Stonehocker%2520510/DSC_0090.jpg&imgrefurl=http://motormavens.com/2009/10/center-stage-garage-autohero-datsun-510/&usg=__Gq4O_EenvLWeOXLWgQr2VUpmKaY=&h=448&w=672&sz=78&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=84-QPBhS1KuuSM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dratrod%2B510%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4SHCN_enUS326US326%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

[ichorid]

I have been considering going SR just to get a 6 speed. :D I wish there was a way to get a 6 speed KA without as much crazy.