bob72gts Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 8 or 9 years ago I bought an 85' 200SX turbo with 67,xxx original miles. It was fully loaded, it talked, sunroof, even had the rain sensing wipers. The car was very straight, but minus a windshield and had been sitting for several years so it wouldn't run. I wanted to put the CA18ET into my 79 620KC, since I had recently nuked my L20B. So I got it running in the car first. Fuel pump was totally boned so I hooked up a Z car fuel pump to a 5 gallon gas can. Then I took about 5 lbs. of Rodent shit out of the air cleaner assem. Got her to run pretty good. Ran her through the gears shifted nice, previous owner said it got a new clutch and a turbo about 1000 miles before it got parked, A/C even worked. For about 5 minutes I thought about putting a windshield in that car and driving it, then I made the wrong decision. :unsure: I yanked that engine/trans combo and started fitting it into my 620. Problem #1 The oil pan sump and the steering center link wanted to be in the same place. That was easy enough to fix. I pulled the pan and cut the sump off, put the engine back into the truck repositioned the sump and tacked it in place. :) Then I found problem #2. The exhaust down pipe and the left torsion bar needed to be in the same place. While I was thinking about problem #2, I started wondering about problem #3 :( Problem #3 was that the engine wiring harness was crumbling as I was pulling the engine out of the car and would need extensive repair or replacement. Went to the local dealer $1100 for an engine harness IF they could find one. :blink: :blink: So I pulled the turbo engine back out and installed an L16 that I had laying around. Fast forward to the present time and I still have this damn CA18ET sitting around with a 5 speed, an almost new clutch, and a Z fuel pump with 30 minutes run time on it. I know that I will never install this into any of my trucks but I have thought about putting it in a B210 hatchback. While the 135 hp 141 lb/ft CA is no monster , it is almost twice the power of the A it would be replacing. Problem #2 would not apply to a B210 and problem #3 is no longer a problem, as my wiring skills have greatly increased. So my question to my fellow Ratsun members. Is the CA18ET worth swapping into anything or should I just cut my losses? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 B-210 with CA18ET sounds pretty ratsun to me. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 There is a hell of an awesome thread on here by B210in where he put ca18det into a b210. Flipping sweet swap man. Start digging here! My link Quote Link to comment
bob72gts Posted February 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 There is a hell of an awesome thread on here by B210in where he put ca18det into a b210. Flipping sweet swap man. Start digging here! My link Yeah seen that one, it is pretty cool, but mine is a single cam. That is why I'm wondering if it is worth the time and effort. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 Yeah seen that one, it is pretty cool, but mine is a single cam. That is why I'm wondering if it is worth the time and effort. Oh right! Sorry about that dude! I think the single cam would still be fun as heck. Especially if you already have it ready to go! If you were going to buy a CA specifically, DET would be the way to go, but you already have this! What I would try to find out is how similar it is to the det version? If it is close, then a future head swap up to a det could happen. In the mean time you can have fun with what you have. Just a thought. BUT if you are going to spend 1K on a harness (there must be cheaper solutions?) you'd be close to a CA18det with everything you need. So in that case DET for sure, and sell the ET to get some cash back. If you can find a cheap solution to the wiring, why not have some fun! I actually think about the CA18ET for my 1959 L210 here and there. (If I were going more modern.) Quote Link to comment
bob72gts Posted February 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 A DET head swap is an interesting option for down the road. The $1k harness is no longer a problem, I can now fix what I have. I guess the next step is to find the B210 and do some measuring. Thinking box flares and a racecar style paintjob and stance for the street. Quote Link to comment
greybeard Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 This could be an interesting swap if you have all the parts on hand, I'm trying to remember the weak point on this engine..... was it exhaust manifolds cracking, or bad cyl. heads??... yep, a B210, or a 1200 w/ CA18 would be a Ratsun Ride.... give it a try... up the boost a little, 150-160 HP in a 1500 pound 1200 will go just fine ;) Quote Link to comment
Danfinny Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 up the boost a little, 150-160 HP in a 1500 pound 1200 will go just fine ;) like stank on shit :hyper: Quote Link to comment
mr.mk1 Posted February 26, 2010 Report Share Posted February 26, 2010 Much love here for the DET! Ive got a Mk1 Escort im putting a modified one into, should be hell! Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 26, 2010 Report Share Posted February 26, 2010 There was one in a yard near me. They sold the exhaust... it was back the next day... cracked. The CA is a tough little motor but stock engines have hyperutectic pistons. They will take 4-6 lb of boost fairly reliably. Running up the boost will risk breaking them. There are stronger motors out there so running a CA18 is makin' 7 the hard way.... but if you have one then points for making use of what ya got. Quote Link to comment
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