1980 200sx

[Drahzzel]

So, i'm at a crossroads of where to go with my car. I've replaced the two-piece driveshaft for a single-piece after the carrier bearing got destroyed, got a new high flow cat and magnaflow exhaust (someone cut out the cat with a saw while it was sitting at sister-in-law's), and resigned myself to having to learn body work since I can't seem to find panels that need fixing after a drunk driver slammed into my car in the middle of the night.

 

The dilemma comes in what to do for a motor and suspension. Currently I have the Z20E 8-plug (california thing i guess) and will pass smog for now, but seems that it's burning oil so I know it may not be long before that gets destroyed. Should I rebuild this motor and do a port/polish on the head, or look for something along the lines of a KA24, VG30, 13b, etc.? I love the torque that the Z20E has, but it seems to lack power in 3rd/4th/5th and 1st/2nd gear are short lived. There is an ad on craglist near me for a 13b rotary engine that needs new apex seals for $50, but would it be worth with all the ancillary parts i would need to get as well?

 

As for suspension, it's really hard to find anything for this as well, but I've managed to find replacement bushings for the swaybars and steering linkage as well as some monotube struts, but would it be better to try and adapt something like the s13 suspension?

 

Thanks for any input/help you guys can give. :)

[Skib]

have you built an engine before? do you have fab skills? a work space? tools? ect..?

 

all factors....

[Drahzzel]

As of now I have no work space or many tools....plenty of room to do stuff, but no actual garage. No fab skills, but I've got a few friends who are welders and machinists that could help me make parts that i'll need. As for engine build, it's not something I've done completely, but I have the knowledge of what to do and how to do it. While attending school, the group I was working with rebuilt a 454 and dyno tuned an SRT-4, 98 Civic, and Subaru STi using AEM's EMS and Hondata s300. The knowledge is there, just not much of the experience as my passion for cars didn't really bud until really late.

[Bleach]

If you are planning to keep this car going through the smog check then the factory original engine is your best option. Are you willing to register an engine swap to keep things legal?

[OpelWagenGT]

my passion for cars didn't really bud until really late.

 

 

Haha bull! :lol: it says your 16 years old

[Drahzzel]

Haha bull! :lol: it says your 16 years old

 

16? Not sure where you got that from, but I'm 30 and checked my set birthdate to make sure it's set correctly.

 

If you are planning to keep this car going through the smog check then the factory original engine is your best option. Are you willing to register an engine swap to keep things legal?

 

I'm definitely willing to register a newer engine if need be as I will not be going back to the Z20 if I decide on something different. I've also entertained thoughts on turbocharging the Z20, but i'll need to either get a megasquirt or AEM EMS system. Ideally I would use AEM's as it would lend itself well to future engine upgrades if I decide I need more modifications or have outgrown the engine, but it is rather expensive.

[Bleach]

The Z20 (or z-series) has the same block bolt pattern and lean to it as the KA24. You may be able to do a KA24DE swap without too much trouble as far as bolting into the car. (not sure though)

 

Wire that up and then there is quite a bit of aftermarket support for turbo systems for the KA. A KA24 is certainly more worth your trouble.

[Drahzzel]

So I've had a bit of motivation to get to working on my car lately thanks to the highway patrol and a ticket for non-registered vehicle ;). Seems the problem was all ignition related and after replacing the plugs, wires, and a new distributor cap it passed california smog. The spark plug wires were the original wires and were leaking voltage so I got some premium BWD plug wires that nearly fixed all misfire issues it had at idle. As an added precaution I changed all 8 spark plugs even though they looked pretty decent. The interesting tidbits were what I found when I pulled the distributor cap off.

 

Sooo....order for a new bosch cap and rotor set from Rock Auto and a few days later I had all issues cleared and a happily registered, if a bit unsightly ;p, vehicle. Thankfully I only payed for a fix-it ticket instead of a non-registered vehicle ticket. Took it on the backroads after work this evening and shot a little crappy clip of how it runs a bit. Hopefully I can get something better in the future as it's kinda hard to hold a camera phone to take a video and drive a manual vehicle at the same time..lol. Anyways, here it is if anyone is interested. 200sx

[Farmer Joe]

god i fucking hate facebook.

 

could you put the vid on youtube?

[Drahzzel]

god i fucking hate facebook.

 

could you put the vid on youtube?

 

lol...only reason I still have facebook is for picture storage and to keep up with friends from other countries, but i'm ahead of you on this...already put up on you tube, just follow this

:). Vid is really just a shot of the tach on my car as i'm accelerating in first through 4th, but I like the sound of my engine as well as, what seems to me, quick revving of the motor. Either way, enjoy.

[Drahzzel]

A few new updates:

 

1. Found an 81 200sx for some small parts at the local pick-n-pull which surprised me because these cars are hard to find:

 

before:

after:

 

2. I've gotten a hold of a Kamei front spoiler that I'm pretty stoked about.

 

 

 

3. I've found a donor car for a new motor/transmission/suspension, but now I'm not sure if I do want to use this for parts or if I should restore it and wanted a few opinions. It's a 1987 300zx na VG30E.

 

 

 

Bought it from a friend for $500. He got it at the local auction yard the same day he sold it to me, but decided it wouldn't be worth his time to restore it. Seems to run just fine as I drove it from his house to mine. Either way I go, I will probably be rebuilding the engine as it has about 220k on it.

[lil89ram50]

i say get a new fender for the z car and drive it, also keep driving the datsun till the motor completely goes, and then swap to a ka24de.

[Drahzzel]

i say get a new fender for the z car and drive it, also keep driving the datsun till the motor completely goes, and then swap to a ka24de.

 

Originally I was planning on a ka24de, but when my dad called me up saying his friend had this I had to take a look. I was kinda bummed it was in such good condition as it's almost painful to have to tear a perfectly good car up...which is why i'm still debating on keeping or swapping the parts..heh.

[datzenmike]

All California S110s were 8 plug and all other states changed to 8 plug from 4 plug by '81. Canadian cars changed to 8 plug in '82 with the Z22E motor.

[Drahzzel]

Multiple Updates:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The carpet need some major love since it had a giant pothole right where you would rest your feet as the driver as well as 30 years of funk. A bit of rust on the passenger side rear foot area and a bunch of dirt and grime later I began to fit the new carpet in. Still need to cut all the holes for the seats, seat belts, and console, but otherwise fairly straightforward. Also found another donor vehicle at Pick-N-Pull, this time an '81 hatch. Got the front apron thingy that goes under the lights as well as the headlight plastic and side marker that I have been missing since getting the car. Pretty stoked to find those. Speedometer, I found recently, was broken internally as well as the needle snapping off so I pulled that out as well as the tachometer. I have been driving around for about a year and a half without a speedometer or odometer so I'm curious to know how fast I will actually be moving. No speeding tickets yet thankfully. :D The tach I didn't really need, but it is not faded like mine and looks remarkably bright still. Also got a new driver side seat belt since mine was all frayed and just asking to break and get a ticket for being not safe..heh.

 

Edit:

 

Carpet is kinda odd....it seems it's blue in some lighting, yet teal in other...meh...it'll serve it's purpose for the time being.

[Master-O-Turbonics]

I need some of those z20 rods, would you be willing to sell or donate them to my cause? :-D

[Drahzzel]

I need some of those z20 rods, would you be willing to sell or donate them to my cause? :-D

 

Unfortunately the Z20 is still in the car. I'm trying to save money to get a ka24de. Until then it's my current motor, sorry.

[Drahzzel]

So my driver seat is completely thrashed to the point that it was uncomfortable to sit in. From the collective experience we have here does anyone know what kind of seats will fit into it? I really wanted a set of 240sx or b13 Sentra seats, but after checking them out at the JY it doesn't seem like they will work as they are side mounted. If anyone knows of a way to get this to work, please let me know. The spacing is perfect on these, but do not believe they will work...please correct me if I am wrong.

[Master-O-Turbonics]

Early 90's eclipse/talon seats are easy to adapt to most older Nissans and they are quite comfortable! I got a set that looked almost new for $40 from the junkyard.

Talon seats are basically the same as Eclipse seats but they have an adjustable lumbar support on the driver seat and they are different colors. My talon seats are grey/black fabric.

[dennis]

I like the older 200sx, we have one on our local craigslist that has been for sale for 2 years

 

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/2045318277.html

 

Nice car but damn they want too much money. It started out as 6900, maybe in two more years it will hit 1500

[Drahzzel]

I've been searching around here on the forums but have yet to find the answer as I cannot narrow the search enough for what I want. What I'd like to know is, aside from obvious reasons, what would be the difference in using the KA from an Altima as opposed to the 240 or Hardbody. I know I will need the ECU and wiring from a 240 most likely, but is there anything specific that makes the Altima KA unusable?

[izzo]

isnt the altima front wheel drive?

[Drahzzel]

isnt the altima front wheel drive?

It is, but when i get can get a deal on a super cheap wrecked Altima with a good motor is there anything that should keep me from passing it by in favor or a 240sx or Hardbody motor?

 

 

 

[rusty12ver]

Well if the obvious is intake manifold may face the wrong way, possible difference in water pump (fwd sr's vs rwd's are different) or w/p housing exhaust manifold difference, in the end it may be cheaper to just hold out for a 240sx set up. There was an issue of importuner a while back where the mag featured a 200sx and it had a ka swap and used various s13 suspension components to drop it into the weeds. Cool stuff, article might be found on line and possibly give some tips

[Skib]

isnt the altima front wheel drive?

 

 

^^ this.