motor swap-budget-what do i do?

[82sunny]

i might have 2500.00 to go into my 1982 210, what motor swap is in my price range? what is it gonna cost what? is it possible?

[herculesinwyoming]

Briggs and Stratton? lol

just kidding, im sure the experts will know :D

[Skib]

could do an L series build or a KA swap

[82sunny]

Briggs and Stratton? lol

just kidding, im sure the experts will know :D

 

haha it might have more power than the a series lol but really i love the a series i just want something with alot of power

[]2eDeYe]

Can you fabricate? Do you have a welder?

[82sunny]

could do an L series build or a KA swap

 

are the L series really that much better to build than the A series? but i really wanted an sr20 or a ca18 or fj20

[82sunny]

2eDeYe' date='13 April 2011 - 05:57 PM' timestamp='1302746278' post='459156']

Can you fabricate? Do you have a welder?

 

im novice but im sure i can learn but i have all the tools to do so

[Skib]

are the L series really that much better to build than the A series? but i really wanted an sr20 or a ca18 or fj20

 

 

Id never use an A motor for anything :mellow:

 

 

you can pick up KA's for cheap. motors that have to be imported are gonna start costing you

[I'm BLUE]

KA swap

 

^^^ this

 

2eDeYe' date='13 April 2011 - 06:57 PM' timestamp='1302746278' post='459156']

Can you fabricate? Do you have a welder?

 

^^^ much needed ,,, start practicing ;)

 

im novice but im sure i can learn but i have all the tools to do so

 

we all start somewhere , ratsun + trial and error + patience = success :)

 

Id never use an A motor for anything :mellow:

 

 

you can pick up KA's for cheap. motors that have to be imported are gonna start costing you

 

^^^ Totally Agreed :D

[thisismatt]

For $2500 I'd say FJ and SR are out of your budget, unless you can find a really good deal on one in good condition, and you can do all your own fab work, including fuel system.

[82sunny]

what are the general going prices on these full motor swaps? -sr20 -fj -ca18 -ka24 and what is the most my stock rear end will handle

[RAlly_DatoB210]

Your stock rear end will chunk out on any of those. Your basically going to want to build a whole nother car under you 210. No chance for the fj they are pretty rare as it is but completely bad ass. Sr will put you over budget. Ca18det is a great motor from what I've read but on a budget can't beat a ka24 they sell complete drop in swap for under a grand easily. I say 700 would be over charging. Check Cl you'll find some for like 300 to 400 bucks get a decent one in that range single or dual cam and build from there. Turbo will give you nothing but tire smoke in the first 3 gears cause the car is so light. Good luck with whatever you choose

[The Dat-side]

A built up L would keep things simple. Going to fuel injection there's redoing the fuel lines and pump and such. Keep in mind what your choices are for a beefier rearend too. I would say build a sick L or drop in a low mile/rebuilt KA.

[MicroMachinery]

I wouldn't try to spend the whole $2500 on the swap alone. Other costs are inevitably going to arise. A KA motor is a good stout motor with more than enough power to get you into plenty of trouble in a 210. For a good drivetrain with all the fixin's, and depending on the scarcity of them in your location, you SHOULD be able to pick the setup up for around $500. Get that and start figuring out what kind of fabrication will be necessary. That way, you'll have $2k to play with in case you want to just go the fast route and buy custom mounts, or have someone to make them for you, driveline modification, cooling system, etc.

 

ALSO: DO NOT forget the importance of having a car that can handle the upgrade in power. What I mean is, if you're driving a car that was designed with an A motor in mind, the suspension, rear end/driveline and brake systems likely will not be up to the task of maintaining safety when a higher output drivetrain is in place. Don't put the cart before the horse. There is alot more that goes into a swap than the engine/trans alone. Do it right, and be safe.

 

I've seen it happen where people have a budget for their swap, spend all their budget on the engine, then don't have enough to cover all the costs that they didn't think of. They become discouraged and despise their project, and it just sits, never getting completed. If time and care were put towards looking at the entire picture, covering all their bases, they would have either 1)waited until they had the money to do everything all at once. 2)done the upgrades to the car one piece at a time, performing the swap last.. or 3)not performed the swap at all.

[82sunny]

cool thanks guys i really appreciate the input. i was figuring i was gonna go with the ka cause of only haveing $2000 to $2500 to spend. it just sucks ill be selling my only running car to make my 210 run. but hopefully it works out well.

[Rustina 510]

I agree, the Ka is your best price, power, and dependability option for your price range.

[Rustina 510]

Or a lz22 hybrid. I love those

[INDY510]

.

$3,000 would be a cheap KA swap if you do all the work yourself,,,,, and only buy cheap used parts

 

 

....... but time???? ......... . how much time do you have??? ......... ... I spent 3 months on my wiring harness...... :o

[Radim]

If you have that much money, Turbo L-Series with Sidedrafts!!!

[datzenmike]

I wouldn't try to spend the whole $2500 on the swap alone. Other costs are inevitably going to arise. A KA motor is a good stout motor with more than enough power to get you into plenty of trouble in a 210. For a good drivetrain with all the fixin's, and depending on the scarcity of them in your location, you SHOULD be able to pick the setup up for around $500. Get that and start figuring out what kind of fabrication will be necessary. That way, you'll have $2k to play with in case you want to just go the fast route and buy custom mounts, or have someone to make them for you, driveline modification, cooling system, etc.

 

ALSO: DO NOT forget the importance of having a car that can handle the upgrade in power. What I mean is, if you're driving a car that was designed with an A motor in mind, the suspension, rear end/driveline and brake systems likely will not be up to the task of maintaining safety when a higher output drivetrain is in place. Don't put the cart before the horse. There is alot more that goes into a swap than the engine/trans alone. Do it right, and be safe.

 

I've seen it happen where people have a budget for their swap, spend all their budget on the engine, then don't have enough to cover all the costs that they didn't think of. They become discouraged and despise their project, and it just sits, never getting completed. If time and care were put towards looking at the entire picture, covering all their bases, they would have either 1)waited until they had the money to do everything all at once. 2)done the upgrades to the car one piece at a time, performing the swap last.. or 3)not performed the swap at all.

 

 

.

$3,000 would be a cheap KA swap if you do all the work yourself,,,,, and only buy cheap used parts

 

 

....... but time???? ......... . how much time do you have??? ......... ... I spent 3 months on my wiring harness...... :o

 

Yes to the above. The KA is going to weigh about 350 lb or I'm guessing about 150 lb more over the front end. The H-150 isn't going to survive 3X the hp through it so you will need something stronger. Maybe an H-190 from an S110? Has rear disc brakes too. All this added weight is going to require more brakes. You should be able to stop much faster than you can accelerate. Front struts/brakes from the same '81-'82 200sx??? As you can see going fast is easy but if you want to go fast more than once you have to be able to stop too. It's going to cost.

[FoxyRoadster]

I vote turbo/supercharged ka swap.

[82sunny]

so maybe 2000 or 2500 wont be enough for the whole ka swap

[82sunny]

.

$3,000 would be a cheap KA swap if you do all the work yourself,,,,, and only buy cheap used parts

 

 

....... but time???? ......... . how much time do you have??? ......... ... I spent 3 months on my wiring harness...... :o

 

 

that might be a problem cause im in indiana and i ask my boss if i could stay up here a little longer if i do a swap so i dont want to spend alot time on it

[metalmonkey47]

Id never use an A motor for anything :mellow:

 

This^^ LOL They're great for forklifts I hear :rofl:

 

 

 

 

Seriously though, go L series. It's MUCH simpler and cheaper then the KA. The KA is a great engine, but if you have no fab skills, then it won't be easy. Your diff is only rated to 200lb-ft of torque, so if you go SR or CA you're gonna kill the diff QUICK!

 

L motors are a dime a dozen and I hear that they make a nice improvement over the A.

 

if i do a swap so i dont want to spend alot time on it

 

More of a reason to do the L.

Edited April 15, 2011 by metalmonkey47

[HRH]

If you have $2500, buy a decent used 240sx or other Nissan product that has the power and motor you want to begin with. An '82 210 needs too much work to accept a bigger motor without breaking things. Rock it as is, buy something more powerful that you can have fun with. Watch cl, I'm sure you can get a 240 or something rwd that's in really decent shape for $2500. Plus then you have two cars in case you want to work on one and have it non-operational for a few days.

 

EDIT: I see you have a 280z, rock that. If it needs some tlc, give it some tlc. Otherwise, do a quickie rebuild on the current A series and call it good. Get another 20 hp out of it with better carbs and a block hone, maybe some new pistons. Still fun to drive, still economical to run, yet better. And you don't have to piss all your money away. You'll have some left!