B25 Posted October 9, 2011 Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 I would like to begin with a message to everyone who said the V8 was a bad idea: Uploaded with ImageShack.us Please note that I DO NOT mean any political message in the above picture, there are just a ton of funny pictures of Obama in google images. lets not get political. To Begin: some may remember that I posted a project log awhile ago wherein I made plans to swap a toyota V8 into a 2dr 510 sedan. I will admit, it became way too much work and money, and I have scrapped that idea. yesterday, I went and picked up a headless KA24E to begin anew the new engine plan is: a quad carbureted KA24E with Ford EDIS-4 ignition and (eventually) upgraded internals. the reasoning: I like carbs. they dont require a knowledge of electronics and a computer system to tune. yes, they require lots of adjustment, but I can actually do that kind of adjustment at home in a couple minutes. I dont like adjusting points on distributors, and the Ford EDIS is reliable and easy to understand, and also tune-able to increase performance (admittedly, with a computer, but much less complicated than a full EFI system). KA's with quad 44mm carbs have been known to produce well over 200 whp which is just fine for me. I like the idea of a simple car, where, when I do something, my movements transfer directly to an action in the machine, without a computer in between. as for the rest of the car, I have some ideas there too: here is the concept drawing: Uploaded with ImageShack.us yes, the concept was drawn when the V8 was still the plan, so just replace the V8 with a KA24 in your head while you look at it.. I drew alot of inspiration from stanced subarus. I like the idea of heavily tucked big wheels with alot of camber. the drawing is very exagerated, but you get the idea. it would be flat black, using military grade spray primer, with 16" orange wheels(ignore the color in the pic) and a trackcar rear wing. I also like the idea of running it hood-less. does anyone out there run their cars hoodless? Im afraid people would fuck around with the exposed engine... I would be using a specialty engineering front air dam, and the Bre fenders that came with the car. I have already converted the car to front and rear coilovers, and the next phase of the project will be sanding and priming the exterior and stripping and priming the interior, while building up the engine. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? bad idea? good idea? is it another waste of time, like the V8? I really like the idea, but I am completely open to criticism and comments this time. thats enough for one post, actual pics of car very soon, as well as a cool write up on how i did the rear coilovers. 1 Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted October 9, 2011 Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 Im glad you are still around. Glad you figured out the V8 wasnt a good option for the 510. So what do I think of you new ideas/mockup? Do what you want... but know this: wings of any sort dont really belong on 510s and hoodless? why? hope you have a good wire tuck going, and a nice bay. I wouldnt as the 510 has good lines, even on the hood. And you need to figure out what you want, performance or looks. Your desired "stance" will not be the best for performance. So I would hold off on the wing and hood idea, get the rest of the car dialed in how you like, then if you are still wanting it just do a mockup of a wing on your car, before you put holes in the trunk lid. Like I said before, I am happy to see that you are still around, and that you were able to see that we were not attacking you, but defending the car. 1 Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 Im glad you are still around. Glad you figured out the V8 wasnt a good option for the 510. So what do I think of you new ideas/mockup? Do what you want... but know this: wings of any sort dont really belong on 510s and hoodless? why? hope you have a good wire tuck going, and a nice bay. I wouldnt as the 510 has good lines, even on the hood. And you need to figure out what you want, performance or looks. Your desired "stance" will not be the best for performance. So I would hold off on the wing and hood idea, get the rest of the car dialed in how you like, then if you are still wanting it just do a mockup of a wing on your car, before you put holes in the trunk lid. Like I said before, I am happy to see that you are still around, and that you were able to see that we were not attacking you, but defending the car. I agree with everything you just said. the drawing is pretty exxagerated as far as stance goes. If I do stance, it will be mild and far in the future. like you said, Im trying to get it running and driving before I start spending on things like camber plates, wings, etc. I like the beater theme that the hoodless thing gives it, but again, it would be in the future. thanks Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 long post #2 engine: its a headless Ka24 I bought it because it was at $100 for everything besides the alternator, ecu, wiring, manifolds, intake and ignition. I wasn't planning on using the ecu, wiring, ignition or stock intake stuff so I bought it, planning on buying a head, manifolds and alternator almost immediately. hopefully I will be picking up a head at the columbia yard tomorrow with h5wagon. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Im not sure about the bolts and bolting locations i use on the engine.. I think they are head studs? I will buy shorter bolts tomorrow.. I was also going to post a couple pics on how I did the rear coilovers. I dont have any picture of them on the car but I'll let yall know if they fail. the basic Idea was, I bought some ebay cheapie coilovers for a 240 just because I was tired of looking at a car on jacks, and the order came with 4. just for shits and giggles I made a design for using the rest of the coilover kit on the rear shocks and ended up fabbing it as well. heres the design: Uploaded with ImageShack.us I will get a pic of the product as soon as I have access to my other computer. Quote Link to comment
hobbes_the_cat Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Glad to see your still here too. the KA will work out way better for you i'm sure. Quote Link to comment
bananahamuck Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 l the basic Idea was, I bought some ebay cheapie coilovers for a 240 just because I was tired of looking at a car on jacks, and the order came with 4. just for shits and giggles I made a design for using the rest of the coilover kit on the rear shocks and ended up fabbing it as well. heres the design: Uploaded with ImageShack.us I will get a pic of the product as soon as I have access to my other computer. Here`s more ideas on this subject if your not finished with yours yet http://community.rat...rear-coilovers/ 1 Quote Link to comment
BURLEIGH Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I do love the look and sound of a carbed 4banger, but you will be worlds ahead in the reliability dept. with the EFI system. Don't be fooled into thinking that mechanical (carbed) fuel induction is easier to tune either. On the contrary, there is much more to think about and requires an ever dying skill to perfect. Especially when you are talking about a custom system that wasn't particularly designed to go together... YOU have to do the thinking to make work right and effectively. Not saying it won't run, but will it run well??? EFI is far easier IMHO. Go with some ITB's if it's the look you want... Good luck! HOpe to see some progress soon! Quote Link to comment
BRYAN503 Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 long post #2 engine: its a headless Ka24 I bought it because it was at $100 for everything besides the alternator, ecu, wiring, manifolds, intake and ignition. I wasn't planning on using the ecu, wiring, ignition or stock intake stuff so I bought it, planning on buying a head, manifolds and alternator almost immediately. hopefully I will be picking up a head at the columbia yard tomorrow with h5wagon. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Im not sure about the bolts and bolting locations i use on the engine.. I think they are head studs? I will buy shorter bolts tomorrow.. I was also going to post a couple pics on how I did the rear coilovers. I dont have any picture of them on the car but I'll let yall know if they fail. the basic Idea was, I bought some ebay cheapie coilovers for a 240 just because I was tired of looking at a car on jacks, and the order came with 4. just for shits and giggles I made a design for using the rest of the coilover kit on the rear shocks and ended up fabbing it as well. heres the design: Uploaded with ImageShack.us I will get a pic of the product as soon as I have access to my other computer. The only problem is most shock are made from steel, so welding an aluminum tube to it is going to hard unless you have a fancy welder... Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 The only problem is most shock are made from steel, so welding an aluminum tube to it is going to hard unless you have a fancy welder... I finished the coilovers last month. I ended up using DOM steel tube. there is more than enough room in the design to slam the car. i got my jack stuck under it for the night trying to see how low it would go. they work just fine, but I will probably upgrade to ground control sleeve kits in the future. I will post a pic as soon as I get around to working on the rear suspension again, as there isnt enough room to take a pic with them on the car. should have them off over the weekend. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I do love the look and sound of a carbed 4banger, but you will be worlds ahead in the reliability dept. with the EFI system. Don't be fooled into thinking that mechanical (carbed) fuel induction is easier to tune either. On the contrary, there is much more to think about and requires an ever dying skill to perfect. Especially when you are talking about a custom system that wasn't particularly designed to go together... YOU have to do the thinking to make work right and effectively. Not saying it won't run, but will it run well??? EFI is far easier IMHO. Go with some ITB's if it's the look you want... Good luck! HOpe to see some progress soon! thanks! yeah Im gonna give the carbs a go and see if I cant handle them. If I cant I will run megasquirt. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 mini update: got the front up on jacks yesterday in a torrential downpour. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Im working on getting a head for the engine, and then its on to a bushing kit and paint. Im at school as I write this, as soon as I get out of detention I will head home and start stripping everything off of the front. I need to flip the crossmember, and repaint everything, as well as add new bushings. after that I will do the same to the rear, and then finally i will strip down the interior to redo the floor pans and repaint. this is all while finding time/money to build the engine and keep up with school. stay tuned... Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 gettin' some head ... Uploaded with ImageShack.us took a trip to the columbia yard with h5wagon this morning the head turned out to be $86 with cams, due to a bullshit "environmental" fee at Pick N Pull. I got some engine cleaner at freddies earlier, so Im gonna see if I can clean the engine exterior up a bit and make it look nice. I decided not to refurb the suspension until next summer, so the plan is just to prime and get it running before winter hits. I might do bushings, but definitely not stripping and repainting until the car is running and driving exactly how i want it. these are the wheels Im gonna go with: http://www.nlmotorin...p/52268087n.htm they really only look good with at least a bit of camber, so I will have to buy some camber plates, but thats not too much of an inconvenience. stay tuned... Quote Link to comment
TENDRIL Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 not bad for a hundred dollars :cool: Quote Link to comment
H5WAGON Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Gettin it.. Pistons looked good! Short Block...lol Stoked...!!!!:D 1 Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 not bad for a hundred dollars :cool: very true. it was a great find. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 been busy with school, still managed to spray bomb the car black and get a few other things done... Uploaded with ImageShack.us this obviously isnt the final paint job or the final coat of the current paint job, I was just tired of looking at a discordant mess. I will do another coat just to seal it up, and then next summer I plan on a professional semi-gloss black job. the gasket kit I ordered came in, and I went to start building what I have of the engine, and realized the harbor freight torque wrench I had was a dud...I think... so Im going to take it back tomorrow and see whats what. I also bought poly gasket replacement instead of regular gasket sealer, so that will be replaced as well. tomorrow I plan on installing the head and the oil pan and throwing some oil in it to check for leaks. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us If Im running distributor-less ignition, how do I setup the cams for the install? I know how to put the pistons at TDC, but I have no idea what to do with the cams... thanks!! Quote Link to comment
philcas1987 Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Get a better head gasket. A NEW Japanese timing chain kit. How do you set up for distributor less?? You set it just like you would I'd you were running a dizzy. Do you have a manual? You're in over you're head Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 I swear every time I pick up a wrench someone says im in over my head. I got the head on, Im beat to hell, and I dont feel like working on it more tonight. tomorrow Im going to figure out why the chain isnt letting the timing gear back on the cam.. is it normal for the gear to need to be forced back on the cam, once the chain is around it? I feel like it isnt... more pics tomorrow. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 I figured out why the chain was giving me trouble. I installed the guides before the chain, and it got tangled up somewhere inside the head cover. I read an article which said I should install the chain, and then the guides, and then the tensioner and then the cover, I'll take it back apart tomorrow and do it the right way. Quote Link to comment
philcas1987 Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Good for you. That's how you learn. From the sounds you got a new chain at least. But why go distributorless you have some fancy set up? Quote Link to comment
ZackTheImpaler Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Don't listen to the haters kid. You know better than me and I've got two over my head projects going. I'm broke all the time, and always seem to need another tool, learn about a new thing. But I love it. If you want to learn a new language immerse yourself in it. And half the people hating have cars that they've been working on for YEARS that haven't moved, so good on you for that much work in a short time, and not dropping off for fear of being flamed! 2 Quote Link to comment
MicroMachinery Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Hey man, all the info you should need is in the Factory Service Manual(FSM). There's a few online here: http://forums.nicoclub.com/240sx-fsm-full-service-manuals-s13-s14-ka24e-ka24de-t311075.html My advice, is find the info you need, read straight through it once, then go back to the beginning and follow it step by step. Good luck 1 Quote Link to comment
Boaty Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Ah hell man you're doing just fine. Just takes some trial and error, and then it's like riding a bike. I could tear down and rebuild an L-series without any difficulty. I couldn't do that 8 years ago when I started this Datsun thing. I'm just now getting my KA24DE swap finished up. I have no clue 'bout KA engines.n, but - with a little extra help (Ratsun), some prior knowledge of mechanics (seems you have this already), and some willpower (sissy, get back out there and WORK!)... you'll get it done in no time. And don't even get me started on timing chains... no idea how many times I had to rip the front of my engine off to get to that stupid tensioner! So I know your pain with chain woes. I'll be a followin' the thread. :) Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Ah hell man you're doing just fine. Just takes some trial and error, and then it's like riding a bike. I could tear down and rebuild an L-series without any difficulty. I couldn't do that 8 years ago when I started this Datsun thing. I'm just now getting my KA24DE swap finished up. I have no clue 'bout KA engines.n, but - with a little extra help (Ratsun), some prior knowledge of mechanics (seems you have this already), and some willpower (sissy, get back out there and WORK!)... you'll get it done in no time. And don't even get me started on timing chains... no idea how many times I had to rip the front of my engine off to get to that stupid tensioner! So I know your pain with chain woes. I'll be a followin' the thread. :) Good luck! thanks brother! inspiring words! I appreciate the follow Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Good for you. That's how you learn. From the sounds you got a new chain at least. But why go distributorless you have some fancy set up? thanks! Im going distributor-less because Ford EDIS is simple and reliable and I have the parts left over from my failed V8. Quote Link to comment
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