CaliforniaDays Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Wanting to do an engine swap for my 510, not quite sure what to do. From what I've read about the swaps I want to do either an SR20DET or KA24DE, any suggestions? Looking for something I can use as a daily driver while having performance. Wanting to be able to toying around with it while I go to college. Quote Link to comment
thatguy Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 How much money, free time, and fabrication skills do you have? Quote Link to comment
CaliforniaDays Posted October 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Tons of free time, I don't have a ton of $$$ but enough to get by, and my dads a pretty skilled fabricator. Quote Link to comment
Tristin Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I don't have a ton of $$$ Then you dont want to swap it with anything but an L20. Every swap out there takes money. Engine, trans, harness, crossmembers, and all the supporting mods. Just install an L20 and you should be happy for awhile while you go to school. Then once you get out and get a good paying job do a more involved swap. 1 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 SR20DET will be $2,500 plus from an engine importer. When all said and done an equal amount to get it in and going. You can't seriously be thinking of tripling the hp on a car with 45 year old brake and suspension technology? Hopefully the brakes and suspension have already been up graded? Mista Grind is so right. Build up a nice L20B or for almost the same amount a hybrid 2.2 or 2.3. EASY to build, maintain and best of all easy to figure out what wrong with it and fix it on the side of the road. Engine fits with no mods. 2 Quote Link to comment
CaliforniaDays Posted October 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Ok cool, thanks guys Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I take it that's not what you want to hear? Based solely on your post you have to be young and looking forward to collage or just going, so late teens maybe 20-ish? Collage is not the time to be working on an old car so if it's running well leave it alone and it will be reliable transportation, or at least cheap and easy (compared to the crap they make today) to fix. That or an old Toyota Corolla. Part time job won't work for this. G/f will take up your time and any money left not used at school. Now if your dad's rich just have someone else do the work. I don't know if you have ever done a swap before. I'll assume your skills are pretty much none. You need a safe secure place to do this, preferably an attached garage on your house. Driving 3 miles to a place is bogus. Metal working tools for fabricating.... welder, grinder, drill press .... Time about 3-6 months at least. Money, ready and in advance so you are not held up over some small thing needed.. A sensible plan for costs and parts needed.. including lots of research. You will need a new Rad for this motor, probably with electric fans. Inter cooler, I assume? Flipped or modified cross member Custom exhaust that clears the steering box and the full length of the car Custom motor mounts Custom transmission cross member and mount Shortened and balanced drive shaft An R180 or R200 differential preferably with LSD. Your R-160 isn't going to handle the power. A high pressure fuel pump. A Can/Am box to speed up the wiring of the EFI and the ECU into a 45 year old electrical system. Convert the external regulated charging system over to use the SR20 alternator. It better come with an alt. as I don't think the 510s alternator will be the best for sensitive EFI circuits when the heater/wiper and headlights are on. Still think a 45 year old brake and suspension can handle a 200+ hp drive train? It's a scary thought. Anyway there's at least a couple of months of evenings and weekends and (at the very least) $1,500 spent if you do all the work.. and we haven't addressed getting this thing to stop yet. Quote Link to comment
CaliforniaDays Posted October 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Turning 18 soon actually, pretty young. Finishing up my last year of highschool before I go to a mechanics tech school, was going to do the swap before then. Already have the new radiator, I have to do some custom fab to get it to fit in, and my rear differential is actually a 4.11 LSD already. Replaced the master cylinder and the lines so they work alright for now. I agree with you guys after having to think about that, before I do a swap for a SR or KA i would have to replace the whole braking system, (280z disk all the way around is popular correct?) so if I did a swap before then Id do the l20b. I just wanted a fuel-injected engine as most of the ones I'd be working on in college would be fuel injected, are l20b's hard to come by as injected? and lastly, would i have to take a transmission that the l20b came with or leave mine in? I take it that's not what you want to hear? Based solely on your post you have to be young and looking forward to collage or just going, so late teens maybe 20-ish? Collage is not the time to be working on an old car so if it's running well leave it alone and it will be reliable transportation, or at least cheap and easy (compared to the crap they make today) to fix. That or an old Toyota Corolla. Part time job won't work for this. G/f will take up your time and any money left not used at school. Now if your dad's rich just have someone else do the work. I don't know if you have ever done a swap before. I'll assume your skills are pretty much none. You need a safe secure place to do this, preferably an attached garage on your house. Driving 3 miles to a place is bogus. Metal working tools for fabricating.... welder, grinder, drill press .... Time about 3-6 months at least. Money, ready and in advance so you are not held up over some small thing needed.. A sensible plan for costs and parts needed.. including lots of research. You will need a new Rad for this motor, probably with electric fans. Inter cooler, I assume? Flipped or modified cross member Custom exhaust that clears the steering box and the full length of the car Custom motor mounts Custom transmission cross member and mount Shortened and balanced drive shaft An R180 or R200 differential preferably with LSD. Your R-160 isn't going to handle the power. A high pressure fuel pump. A Can/Am box to speed up the wiring of the EFI and the ECU into a 45 year old electrical system. Convert the external regulated charging system over to use the SR20 alternator. It better come with an alt. as I don't think the 510s alternator will be the best for sensitive EFI circuits when the heater/wiper and headlights are on. Still think a 45 year old brake and suspension can handle a 200+ hp drive train? It's a scary thought. Anyway there's at least a couple of months of evenings and weekends and (at the very least) $1,500 spent if you do all the work.. and we haven't addressed getting this thing to stop yet. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 L20Bs were not fuel injected. Your stock 4 speed will fit the L20B. You current 5 bolt flywheel will not so you will need a six bolt one. Quote Link to comment
CaliforniaDays Posted October 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Oh I read some l20b's were fuel injected, and are 5-speed's stock for a 510? I have a 5 speed, just curious Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Maybe EFI in Japan but never here. No 510s were 5 speed but the '77-'79 S10 (200sx) came standard with an L20B and a dogleg 5 speed. That's a reverse above first shift pattern. It's most uesful feature is that it fits the 510 without having to shorten the driveshaft, speedo cable in same location and has the same ratios 1 through 4th. Quote Link to comment
CaliforniaDays Posted October 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2013 Oh yeah thats the transmission I have, musta pulled it off one of those years. Quote Link to comment
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