which nissan turbo motor for 510?

teddatsun · November 19, 2011

hey there, i am contemplating doing another engine swap possibly next year. i am currently driving my 70 510 wagon that recently had a rebuilt L20 put in, 5spd, gas struts, all wheel discs. i am wondering which turbo motor is best? i drive alot and enjoy rallying so dont want to lose to much ground clearance. i have always leaned to twards the sr20det.

and does the stock rear end blow up if you drive nutty?

thanks ted datsun

HRH · November 19, 2011

This is kind of an open-ended question. Here's a thought: You can turbo any Datsun motor, regardless of whether or not it came turboed. If you want ease, go with an SR20. Harder than that, VG30ET, or any VG derivative. Basically it comes down to choice. Search through google and add "ratsun" to your search string, this topic has been covered multiple times.

Laecaon · November 19, 2011

I would love a VG turbo but that is a decent amount of work.

SR's are nice. A KA-T is very doable... And the CA-T is my favorite but import only. They all have their trade offs.

qwik510 · November 19, 2011

I would love a VG turbo but that is a decent amount of work.

SR's are nice. A KA-T is very doable... And the CA-T is my favorite but import only. They all have their trade offs.

I am pretty sure the US got a CA18 turbo in the 1984-1986 200SX? Not easy to find but not an import. Weak on power IIRC but can be built up. Cast Iron Block can handle lots of boost.

Zfighter76 · November 19, 2011

im not sure if the ca did come here. maybe you're mistaking it for the ga? i know in my school auto shop we have a sentra and two pulsar nx's and they all have ga16 engines. ive always heard that they were not from the states

Rockatansky620 · November 19, 2011

The 200SXs came with a SOHC CA18DET.

datzenmike · November 19, 2011

The single cam CA18ET was available in N Am in the S12 from '84 through into '88 ? I stripped one for parts. Skib got the 4.11 R-200 from it. Supposed to make 125-130 hp.

thetimanator · November 19, 2011

im not sure if the ca did come here. maybe you're mistaking it for the ga? i know in my school auto shop we have a sentra and two pulsar nx's and they all have ga16 engines. ive always heard that they were not from the states

I think you guys are getting the ca18et and the ca18det confused. The sohc ca18et was available in mid 80's 200sx's here is the states. The dohc ca18det was never available in the states but can be found through importers pretty easily.

ca18et - 135 hp and 141 lb·ft

ca18det - 169 hp and 166 lb·ft

I'll been debating between the ca18det and sr for my 510 in the spring :)

Rockatansky620 · November 19, 2011

Whoops, sorry yeah i meant CA18ET.

DISLEXICDIME · November 19, 2011

Ca18et are week engines they tend to brake when you up the boost.

Sr20det's are fun but sticking one in a 510 is a lot of work. You have to build the car to that engine.

Suspension has to be beefed up so you don't get wheel hop. You need better brakes . wider tires . A r200 lsd rear end . Then if you turn it up your going to start braking dog bones. So you will need cv's . You need to modifie the fuel tank with a in tank pump or a sump set up. Change fuel lines to 5/16 get a bigger el fuel pump like a bosh o44 or a walbro etc... then flip the x member build rack and pinion set up or get a manifold that will clear the steering box if you use the steering box you have center link issues to adress . Then pull out the rear x member and cut out the whole weldin 4" pipe so your 3" exhaust can fit through . Then strip down the sr harness and extend some of the wires( this takes 4 hours) . Switch to a cable throttle set up. Make a new trans mount shorten drive line. Figure out inter cooler and rad fitment. Figure out rad hoses. I am sure there is more I am forgetting.

But being able to woop on vets in the 1/4mile with a t25 at 8.5 pounds is bad ass. Driving a sr20det 510 with its power to weight ratio is like driving a blown 68 camero

compression · November 19, 2011

Go with the SR20DET.

It has potential to make gobs of power should you want to later on. It has tremendous aftermarket support. It is well documented and proven.

The rear end durability is more affected by the tires you use. If you make 280 ft-lb of torque and you drop the clutch with 165 wide tires, the rear end will not get loaded because the tires will slip. If you do the same with 225 racing slicks...then you will be stressing the diff much more.

From all of my experience with engine swaps (sr, KA, KA-T) I have never seen a rear end failure. There are always R180's out there should you need one.....

ggzilla · November 19, 2011

CA18DET has all the advantages of the SR20DET, but weighs less so it makes a 510 handle better. In stock form it can handle 300 HP worth of boost, no need to change cams and no need for aftermarket parts, since the factory parts are very strong. But if you want to make 400HP, aftermarket parts of every type are available.

By contrast the CA18ET or CA20E is not very strong.

OR... just add a turbo to the USDM CA18DE, as you would add a turbo to the KA24DE. But it'll cost more for the turbo parts than for a good running complete CA18DET from the import engine sellers (which includes 5-speed, ECU and harness).

CA Engine Swaps

teddatsun · November 20, 2011

thanks i appreciate the feedback, an sr20 will be the motor i go with eventually. hopefully next year. right now mustang motors goin to the shop for a rebuild any time now just need to get it dropped off.

is there a six speed transmission that bolts to the sr20?

DAT510 · November 20, 2011

FJ20DET!

Laecaon · November 20, 2011

CA18DET has all the advantages of the SR20DET, but weighs less so it makes a 510 handle better. In stock form it can handle 300 HP worth of boost, no need to change cams and no need for aftermarket parts, since the factory parts are very strong. But if you want to make 400HP, aftermarket parts of every type are available.

By contrast the CA18ET or CA20E is not very strong.

OR... just add a turbo to the USDM CA18DE, as you would add a turbo to the KA24DE. But it'll cost more for the turbo parts than for a good running complete CA18DET from the import engine sellers (which includes 5-speed, ECU and harness).

CA Engine Swaps

Exactly why I want a CA18DET. Glad someone else thinks the same way.

Though I wonder if the pistons or heads are different in the Turbo vs NA

510can · November 20, 2011

IM sure this has been pretty much said already but here it is hehe. All three engines mentioned KA,CA,SR above will require almost as much work as the other one except for the KA for one simple reason, no IC or piping to fuck with,

Let me start with the CA. CA is by far one of my favorite Datsun motors, Iv owned both the ET, and DE-t, and both are fun little motors but love to blow HG's, and they are one of Nissan older motors so parts can be harder to find, especially if you don't really like DIY too much, in which case this engine swap shouldn't even be attempted, but at the same time with a lil snooping around you can find boat loads of after market support for it, especialy around the forums. This is also the swap that falls in the middle price wise.

SR20, this motors is super fun and also has tons of aftermarket support here in the US. It is somewhat a pricy swap, but if money is not the issue then this is a fun motor to put in a 510, and pretty much on the same difficulty level as the CA.

With these two you also have to fuck with IC piping, inter cooler, of course wiring and redoing the fuel tank a bit.

Now to my favorite swap, the KA. Theoretically speaking the KA swap is probably the easiest of the ones mentioned above, and also the speed of a 510 with a KA to a SR stock for stock the KA can pull on it, except fo course its easy to turn up the boost on the SR a bit and bam. I know that my 510 with my KA-E, I walk on cars that I thought would never be possible, and since I didn't feel like fuckin with fuel lines, and wiring and shit shit. I build a intake manifold and slapped some crabs on it. This is also the cheapest of the three. You can pick up a running KA for under 300 bucks with wiring and ecu almost all day long hehe.

Now for all these swap, I do recommend a better rear end like a Subie one, I run a 3.70 LSD Subie rear end, and they can be get pretty much anywhere and aren't too expensive at all. You can pick one up on the Subie forums for well under $500.

You will also have to flip your cross member so the oil sump on these three engine clears it, and of course a new sway bar for that same reason as flipping the xmember.