KA24 Turbo Or LS1 ?

[Dat Lurka]

I'd take that dime to hell and back sideways in 2nd at 5k with two bitches in the back.

[72240z]

I'm sure you would with a kat or ls1 dime too lol thats besides the point lmao

[bonvo]

well think about it even if weight isnt a factor the ka is so much easier to install then an ls1 not to mention the torque of an ls1 will twist a stock/ non reinforced 510 into a pretzel

[M240Z]

http://youtu.be/S_x1Zq8dYQI

 

Both a great swap I would swap, LS would be epic but kat would be a lot easier and still get a ton of HP out of it.

 

But if you got the $, LS 510 ftw

[Dat Lurka]

I'm not a purist. I just get irritated when people put a fucking chevy 350 in every god damned project with wheels.

You know, when you go to a car show, and there's this fucking gorgeous 50's ford with a chevy 350 under the hood... I tell those motherfuckers how i feel.

Couldn't be bothered to put a 351C in it, nope, saved 500$ and put an ls1 in it.

 

Look, put what you want in your car. 5 minutes browsing ratsun and you should know what to expect when asking if you should put a chevy motor in your 510.

If you want to do a power swap, do something original. I can't tell you what, because then it wouldn't be original.

[72240z]

You would need a ton of support mods thats why the disclaimer was if he had the money lol. Suspension, brakes, steering.... shit just about the entire car would have to be modded to properly accommodate a lsx. Again for balls out track or as a toy a lsx cant be beat, if the cars going to be street driven its going to get annoying pretty quick though.

 

There is a whole thread about uncommon engine swaps lol.

 

I honestly dont care what people do so long as its done well. I dislike rotaries and this stupid trend of slamming and fucking up z's along with a million others swaps or trends but w/e cars are for personal pleasure so long as it snot half assed I can appreciate the effort and love...

[Dat Lurka]

Like the one guy said

 

It's your car, just don't fuck it up.

[bonvo]

i agree man but do you know why the 350 is swapped into everything? because chevy stuffed it in every vehicle they could till the mid 90s a running 350 can be had for cheap my uncle bought a beat 87 suburban for 50 bucks cause it ran good there a cheap easy option for almost any project

[IRISH DIME]

Thank you much for the input . Im gonna sit with my fab guy and discuss the cost differences etc and pick one. The drivability seems the same between the two. Seems to me that with proper fab work and the $ the LS1 is the way to go, just need to figure out how much more $ vs the KA. I never got a response as to why people who have an ls1 would prefer to drive dimes with the KA.

[72240z]

No way is driveability the same. The KAT will be way more fun to just up and drive. The tq that lsx puts down make the car almost a burden to drive. On the track when you are trying to go balls out thats fine but on the street it becomes a chore keeping it in check.

 

Thats the response to why and the reason a lot of lsx z owners in our club(and all over really) also have L series z's because on the street for shows or fun runs the more balanced tamer car is just easier and more fun to drive.

[Dat Lurka]

Uh yeah, you got plenty of responses. The KA is a Nissan engine, it's smaller, it can put out the power of an ls1 and still be efficient, and it's not a chevy motor.

[IRISH DIME]

I think I will go with the KA. That will leave me the $ to do the rest of the car right. Thank you all, I'm sure ill be looking for more input in the future.

[72240z]

lsx is going to beat out a ka-t all day long power wise. Idk why everyone hating on lsx but drooling over a vg boat anchor. The right power plant depends on the goal of the car, set by the owner. I'd love to see a ka-t even come close to keeping up with a lsx on the track. Where as again no way a lsx is going to be as street driveable as a ka-t. They are such extremely different power plants I feel this has been beaten to death.

 

Fuck who makes them, nissan or chevy good is good. This is so not the forum for purist shit.

 

All track go lsx

Street go ka-t

Street and track go ka-t

 

Just mho

GL

Make sure you do a build thread.

[Dat Lurka]

There's no purist shit here, just being sensible.

I've seen <1000$ 500 hp turbo ka engines and >3000$ 500 hp carbed ls1 engines. A TT 4.3 vortec would be my choice if I was looking to swap a chevy motor.

You're absolutely right, an ls1 is too much for a 510. But, if that car ends up on the track with 1000 lbs of rollcage and racing gear, then the ls1 is absolutely the better choice.

I've driven light cars with big blocks, heavy cars with 4 bangers, go carts with r1 motors, racing bikes with 70cc two strokes... There is such thing as too much torque.

[jser12]

ever consider the CA18DET.... weighs about 270 and would be a shit ton of fun

just slightly harder to locate then an LS1 or a KA24-T

[yellowdatsun]

There's a few advantages to the VG30, it's very compact, and it sits very far back in the chassis. Weight balance would be way better than an LS1. You'll have a lot more weight hanging over the front wheels with the V8, regardless of how much each engine weighs.

 

You'd never be able to use LS1 power in a 510 anyways. It's be useless, just spinning the tires all the time.

 

If you had to choose LS1 or KA, I'd choose the KA.

[NWOleman]

go with the v8! if it weighs even close to the same. More power is always the answer 4me!

[skyblue]

[01gmc5.3]

I would not run the KA I dont like the power range on it. The VG is heavy as hell trust me I own a 300. if you get an aluminum LS motor no what what cubic in wise it would be power off idle. it would be fun ass hell just dont know if you would want it. I like the SR or CA18det. I believe either one would be a good option and the less torque would help in the small option. this is coming from an LS guy too if you would like a good company to buy one from I would use these guys http://www.osakajdmmotors.com/jdm-engines/ I bought a VG30DETT from them and they are great to deal with and you can also buy small stuff from them also

[62 bugzilla]

I would go with the ls1. There is no substitute for hp in the fun factor. I have driven many LS motors and they are very driveable but when you do get to the larger cams you do have a pretty rough idle and off idle transition but the power is still there all the way thru your rpm range. They make good torque down low which makes for a wide range in power. Any turbo 4 with a cam is going to have a more drastic peak in power when boost comes on which should make it less driver freindly. Lets say you made a LS1 with 390 hp which is a stock 5.7 with headers. and computer curve would drive like a stock vette on a severe diet in a 510 . ( FAST AND FUN AND DRIVABILITY AND MPG)

Now build a 2.4 t with 390 hp and see how drivable it is since it would need some serious boost to get there.

I do think all cars have threshold of hp they can handle without going over kill but one persons max isn't the same as another. I've been in 1000hp LS1 TT offroad cars and they are overkill but still a blast to try and control it but owned a 550 hp LS1 that would get from point a to point b faster sometimes just because it was way easier to control the power going down. 1000 hp car scary fast and fun 550 hp car still fun and fast but less scary. I like both drives some don't.

 

I'm putting in a sbc in my 510 right now and will be converting it to aluminum heads and block over time to help my weight issue but should make 350 plus hp with minor mods and go up from there. I like the ls1 but I'm an old school sbc guy at heart.

[Dat Lurka]

Lets race.

We both get a quart of gas.

[bonvo]

I would go with the ls1. There is no substitute for hp in the fun factor. I have driven many LS motors and they are very driveable but when you do get to the larger cams you do have a pretty rough idle and off idle transition but the power is still there all the way thru your rpm range. They make good torque down low which makes for a wide range in power. Any turbo 4 with a cam is going to have a more drastic peak in power when boost comes on which should make it less driver freindly. Lets say you made a LS1 with 390 hp which is a stock 5.7 with headers. and computer curve would drive like a stock vette on a severe diet in a 510 . ( FAST AND FUN AND DRIVABILITY AND MPG)

Now build a 2.4 t with 390 hp and see how drivable it is since it would need some serious boost to get there.

I do think all cars have threshold of hp they can handle without going over kill but one persons max isn't the same as another. I've been in 1000hp LS1 TT offroad cars and they are overkill but still a blast to try and control it but owned a 550 hp LS1 that would get from point a to point b faster sometimes just because it was way easier to control the power going down. 1000 hp car scary fast and fun 550 hp car still fun and fast but less scary. I like both drives some don't.

 

I'm putting in a sbc in my 510 right now and will be converting it to aluminum heads and block over time to help my weight issue but should make 350 plus hp with minor mods and go up from there. I like the ls1 but I'm an old school sbc guy at heart.

 

your not reading the other points that have been made here to build a v8 510 it would cost a shitload more because you have to reenforce everything otherwise you will just twist it into a pretzel the suspension has to be completly gone threw as well as the diff and half shafts

 

the best BANG FOR THE BUCK is the ka because its alot easier to fit into the car suspension doesnt need anywhere near as much work and its not going to twist the crap out of the unibody

 

unless you have a small fortune your prepared to dump into your dime an ls1 really isnt worth it

[72240z]

Actually a lsx with a 6 speed behind it is more fuel efficient then the ka-t making the same power through a 5 speed. I'm noticing most people who knock the lsx option dont actually know anything about it lol.

 

Guys in our club are getting 30+ mpg with lsx s30's. Its laughable to think a ka-t going balls out to match the power would even come close to that.

 

Not that mpg has a thing to do with this topic. Who in their right mind is swapping a lsx or ka-t for good mileage? lol

 

How about only people with actual lsx AND ka-t ownership or direct experience can comment lol. I bet there would be like 4 posts.... Everyone who doesnt qualify is just talking dodo they read on the interwebs somewhere or made up

[62 bugzilla]

Lets race.

We both get a quart of gas.

 

 

I've seen 27 mpg from 500 hp in 2300 lbs kit cars which I understand is just a bonus with the conversion.

 

 

your not reading the other points that have been made here to build a v8 510 it would cost a shitload more because you have to reenforce everything otherwise you will just twist it into a pretzel the suspension has to be completly gone threw as well as the diff and half shafts

 

the best BANG FOR THE BUCK is the ka because its alot easier to fit into the car suspension doesnt need anywhere near as much work and its not going to twist the crap out of the unibody

 

unless you have a small fortune your prepared to dump into your dime an ls1 really isnt worth it

 

 

I guess I was assuming he was comparing the motors figuring they were built to the same hp and torque in which case it would need close to same money.

 

If they are close to same weight then why does one need suspension work and other doesn't? If they are both 300hp and 300 ft lbs of torque then they both need equal amount of work to unibody, suspension, half shafts and etc... Maybe you already mean the ka will make 300hp and the ls1 will make 400hp.

 

I know there are more troubles with the firewall since it should be set back and possibly steering link depending on oil pan used. There are some challenges with the ls1 fittment but that was stated in begining of the question..( I know the LS1 is a bigger project but is it worth it with the extra $ etc...? ) There are a couple things with less mods like intercooler fittment, turbo misc.

 

To me I like the ls1 being it can be a stock 5.3 and make 350 hp and be a rocket or build up a 2.4 kat quite a bit to make 350 hp and be a rocket. (Both rockets and smile on your face)

[yellowdatsun]

If you want the V8, put it in a Z.

 

The VG30 isn't "heavy as hell". I have one, and have had it for years. Sure it's an iron block, and not a lightweight, but it's not a boat anchor either. The 300ZX *itself* is a heavy car. When you strip off all the unwanted junk from a VG30 it's not bad. I believe last time we did a weight check, the VG30 was 100 lbs heavier than the stock L-16.

 

The engine bay on a 510 is not designed for such a large engine. The VG30 leaves you with plenty of room for a radiator and fan. Even with the KA, there's not a lot of room up front, and the V8 will be even bigger. With the V8 you'll need to do a crap ton of work on the firewall and engine bay for it to fit correctly, and then, you'll be left with a 510 that few people want. It's hard to sell a 510 that's been butchered so much. Keep that in mind when you build it.

 

The guys are right about the reinforcement comments, a V8 will twist the 510 shell like a pretzel. You had better stitch weld the chassis and install a good cage.

 

A VG30ET will easily make 350hp. Enough to light up the tires on the freeway.