Just beginning and i need help with a 240SX

[JustBeginning]

Hello all I am very new (yesterday) to this topic. A little history, I own a Subaru WRX STI and my daughter has a regular WRX. It was time for my son to get a car (he is 12 ya know) and I wanted to build a car with him the way my dad did with me. So when we started looking at cars he was set on a 71' Camaro. Imagine my suprise and pocketbook happiness when he decided he wanted a 240SX instead (thanks Need for Speed). The problem is, when it comes to this type of car (tuners) I am clueless. I have built several carborated small block chevy's but a fuel injected Japanese motor I know nothing of. The Imprezza's are built already don't need much more than the occasional oil change. So with my limited knowledge I set out to buy a 240 and found a 93 with a spun bearing on Craigslist for 900.00. We bought the car and aside from the motor it's in really good condition. The guy I bought it from is a Nissan enthusiast and told me about this website so here I am. Now to the question. I have a KA24DE motor in the car and was wanting to upgrade it to a turbo. I have searched for several motors and found some reasonably priced SR20s and S13s. My question to the experts is do I rebuild the KA and turbo it, keep it and buy another SR20 or S13. Or try and find a KA to replace it with. Any help at all would be very helpful, thanks and drift on.

[jspaeth]

Hello all I am very new (yesterday) to this topic. A little history, I own a Subaru WRX STI and my daughter has a regular WRX. It was time for my son to get a car (he is 12 ya know) and I wanted to build a car with him the way my dad did with me. So when we started looking at cars he was set on a 71' Camaro. Imagine my suprise and pocketbook happiness when he decided he wanted a 240SX instead (thanks Need for Speed). The problem is, when it comes to this type of car (tuners) I am clueless. I have built several carborated small block chevy's but a fuel injected Japanese motor I know nothing of. The Imprezza's are built already don't need much more than the occasional oil change. So with my limited knowledge I set out to buy a 240 and found a 93 with a spun bearing on Craigslist for 900.00. We bought the car and aside from the motor it's in really good condition. The guy I bought it from is a Nissan enthusiast and told me about this website so here I am. Now to the question. I have a KA24DE motor in the car and was wanting to upgrade it to a turbo. I have searched for several motors and found some reasonably priced SR20s and S13s. My question to the experts is do I rebuild the KA and turbo it, keep it and buy another SR20 or S13. Or try and find a KA to replace it with. Any help at all would be very helpful, thanks and drift on.


This is full of greatness.

Your son's first car is gonna be a swapped 240 lol.

Seems inexpensive at first, but it can add up quickly if you want performance.


Given your backround with your father, you should swap an LS1 in haha

[JustBeginning]

Cost I agree with that it will be expensive but I figured the money i saved buying the car could be put in the motor, we couldn't find a 71 Camaro (not even just a rolling chasis) for less than 3K so I figure I have at least 2100 for motor and extras (least that's what i told my wife LOL). But this is going to be at least a three year project so we have time, but I would like any suggestions.

[Jonnie Fraz]

well you have a wealth of knowledge here. Spend some time reading throught the threads. While you have the motor out do your steering rack bushings, clean up the bay, check for rust& fix it...stuff like that. Being that you are in Kansas you will have an easier time swapping the motor with out having to deal with smog. One of my main thoughts on these cars is "suspention before power." So go through and replace all the worn out bushings with an Energy Suspention kit. There are several threads on how to do that here. Have fun...Sounds like a cool project.

[DrtyRat]

That's cool that you want to build a car with your son. In a matter of speaking, my S13 is being built, so that when my son turns 16(he's 10 now), I can just hand it over to him. I'll never get out of it what I put into it, and I'd be much happier giving it to him.
With that being said, take your time searching about what you wanna do with this. Being that its an old car, I would replace all of the basics, like Jonnie said, and then move on to engine performance upgrades. Also, to make your stay here a pleasant one, read the rules and guidelines located at the top of each forum, this will aleviate the normal problems that a lot of new people tend to have here. Being that you are a "car guy", I don't have to tell you that most of what people think of doing to their cars, has already been done, so before you ask a question, search first and you'll probably find your answer. As a matter of fact, here's a thread that was created, just to show people how to search:
http://www.zilvia.net/f/chat/144721-new-zilvia-read-these-search-tips.html
Good luck with your project.

[jspaeth]

well you have a wealth of knowledge here. Spend some time reading throught the threads. While you have the motor out do your steering rack bushings, clean up the bay, check for rust& fix it...stuff like that. Being that you are in Kansas you will have an easier time swapping the motor with out having to deal with smog. One of my main thoughts on these cars is "suspention before power." So go through and replace all the worn out bushings with an Energy Suspention kit. There are several threads on how to do that here. Have fun...Sounds like a cool project.


That's what I did, and I am so glad.

At a minimum, upgrade to coilovers and upgrade the stock sway bars and replace bushings.

For all out, replace the tension rods, toe rods, rear upper camber arms, etc etc etc with pillowballl joint aftermarket beefiness.

Oh yeah. wheels and tires.

I hope that $2100 is just your initial amount, because that won't get you far....enough to do suspension or maybe just the motor, but enough for both or extra goodies :goyou:

[SochBAT]

Or, if you want something fun to do with your son, you could piece together the custom Koni Yellow setup that is really popular.

It gets your son to help find and source the parts, and you to buy (knowing full well how awesome the setup is.)

Here's the link.

http://zilvia.net/f/chat/270829-writeup-custom-koni-ground-control-coilover-setup-assembly.html

[JEDIs13]

I have searched for several motors and found some reasonably priced SR20s and S13s. My question to the experts is do I rebuild the KA and turbo it, keep it and buy another SR20 or S13. Or try and find a KA to replace it with. Any help at all would be very helpful, thanks and drift on.

if you wanna go turbo the cheapest way to do it is go with a SR or an RB motor. if you are trying to stay around the $2,000 on the motor its gonna be hard to turbo the KA. search around im sure you can find a complete SR within your budget.

by the way s13 is not a motor its a chassis.

[SochBAT]

Reason #1 why we're not flaming you

You're doing something integral to childhood development. I'm sure any of us would have been thrilled to have our fathers feeding the flame of desire at such a young age.

Wanna adopt a 23 year old child? LOL

[DALAZ_68]

OP-

you have 2100 and 3 yrs

if anything...turbo'ing a KA would be pointless for the amount of time you have, if u want to go turbo go with a motor thats turbo from factory. an SR sounds pretty much like what you should go for...

search: its your friend...wether for info or parts...it can help alliviate headaches

if anything drop the motor, sell it for parts, and spend time first prepping the chassis...arms, suspension, paint...

go from there

[JustBeginning]

Thanks for the info so far. See how much I don't know, S13 is a chasis.... As far as the 2100 it is just a starter for cash flow, my wife (hey we all answer to someone) gave me a 3000 cap to start with. We are planning to do upgrades paycheck to paycheck, year to year. Thanks.

[DALAZ_68]

Thanks for the info so far. See how much I don't know, S13 is a chasis.... As far as the 2100 it is just a starter for cash flow, my wife (hey we all answer to someone) gave me a 3000 cap to start with. We are planning to do upgrades paycheck to paycheck, year to year. Thanks.


and you have 3 years to do it...take your time...and good luck...once you get started, take pics of progress and make your build thread...should be a good watch...

[JustBeginning]

BTW does anyone recomend buying off Ebay, i have found several SR20DET motors for under 1800...and thanks for not flaming me Sooshi, but my wife would yell if she had another, "grown kid" to support...LOL

[R33E8]

if you wanna go turbo the cheapest way to do it is go with a SR or an RB motor. if you are trying to stay around the $2,000 on the motor its gonna be hard to turbo the KA. search around im sure you can find a complete SR within your budget.

by the way s13 is not a motor its a chassis.

How is buying a completely new motor and swapping it cheaper than turbo'ing a KA??? Are you serious???

For $2k and doing all the fab yourself you could make some serious power with a KA... with the sr20 you are spending 2k for the swap and will only make like a little more hp.. How does that make sense??

Btw, I am biased.. I have a gt35r KA-T... If you want to make more power for less, get the KA... If you want less issues and cheap parts, get the KA.. If you want to spend more money, more problems, have a lighter engine, and rev higher, get the sr20..

[DALAZ_68]

BTW does anyone recomend buying off Ebay, i have found several SR20DET motors for under 1800...and thanks for not flaming me Sooshi, but my wife would yell if she had another, "grown kid" to support...LOL


NO!....fuck that mess...you want to deal with a local supplier that you can check the motor out urself, compression, condition etc...

check out our market place and read some reviews on some distributers we have here or any local forum to your region...


check the regional section of this forum and ask there...

[DrtyRat]

BTW does anyone recomend buying off Ebay, i have found several SR20DET motors for under 1800...and thanks for not flaming me Sooshi, but my wife would yell if she had another, "grown kid" to support...LOL
Stay away from ebay. The only one that I've heard good things about is jarco. There are plenty of vendors that you can buy from on here. Remember the link I gave you:http://www.zilvia.net/f/chat/144721-new-zilvia-read-these-search-tips.html
Use it often.

[SochBAT]

Can't blame me for trying.

Finding a good vendor in your area would be the hardest part, but, since this is your sons first car, I'd say find another stock KA motor and throw it in. Heck you can do that yourselves. More power to ya!

[g6civcx]

I recommend a carbureted small block Chevy swap.

The fabrication will be high, but the powertrain will be cheaper.

[JEDIs13]

How is buying a completely new motor and swapping it cheaper than turbo'ing a KA??? Are you serious???


think about it.. his ka has a spun bearing, it would need to be rebuilt. if you can do that yourself you are looking at around 500-600 for a complete rebuild kit. then your looking at about 1,800 just for a turbo kit if you do it right and buy it new. add it up. that is more than 2100 with just a rebuild and turbo. and that isnt even everything you need, there is still the matter of a new intake, cold range spark plugs, 255 fuel pump,bigger fuel injectors, the ecu would need to be tuned, the list can go on...

i love the ka-t just as much as the next guy. i would go ka-t all day over a sr, but if you dont have the budget to do it right then dont do it at all.

[R33E8]

think about it.. his ka has a spun bearing, it would need to be rebuilt. if you can do that yourself you are looking at around 500-600 for a complete rebuild kit. then your looking at about 1,800 just for a turbo kit if you do it right and buy it new. add it up. that is more than 2100 with just a rebuild and turbo. and that isnt even everything you need, there is still the matter of a new intake, cold range spark plugs, 255 fuel pump,bigger fuel injectors, the ecu would need to be tuned,

i love the ka-t just as much as the next guy. i would go ka-t all day over a sr, but if you dont have the budget to do it right then dont do it at all.

Nvm... A complete rebuild kit is like $1800 from AMS.. includes everything..

[DALAZ_68]

i love the ka-t just as much as the next guy. i would go ka-t all day over a sr, but if you dont have the budget to do it right then dont do it at all.

my thoughts exactly

[R33E8]

I guess I just don't understand why someone would pay $2000 for such a small increase in power.. $2000 in a KA will have you over 300whp... If it blows, just buy another full KA for like $500...

[ryguy]

Nvm... A complete rebuild kit is like $1800 from AMS.. includes everything..

Thats because AMS is ridiculously expensive.

OP, Research is your friend here, no matter which route you go, start reading up, there is a wealth of information here about the KA-T, SR20, and LS1 options, almost enough to make your head spin, but definitely enough information to help you make an informed decision.

[jspaeth]

I recommend a carbureted small block Chevy swap.

The fabrication will be high, but the powertrain will be cheaper.


That's what I said, especially since OP has background knowledge already on those kinds of motors.

[DALAZ_68]

I guess I just don't understand why someone would pay $2000 for such a small increase in power.. $2000 in a KA will have you over 300whp... If it blows, just buy another full KA for like $500...


and then there goes all your effort. youd have to start over...

to build a propper turbo modified KA takes money...more than 2k i would say

mind you its pointless since his son is the one whos gonna drive it and he wont be needing anything above 160 hp to get around town...

he doesnt need a fully built motor, simplest solution would be buy an SR, gasket rebuild it, and hell be good for a while till he does events and needs modifying

[ryguy]

I knew this would turn into another KA-T vs. SR argument.

We're never going to reach a consensus, so I think it's up to the op to make a decision.

[mehsilvia]

If i lived in KS, my VQ35DE and 6-spd would be in and running RIGHT NOW

I would strongly recommend the VQ35 for your build.
The HP range that a Turbo would provide you, with all the reliability of keeping it NA.
Not to mention you would be buying a 2-5yr old motorset rather than a turbo'ing or buying a 15yr old motorset.

[g6civcx]

That's what I said, especially since OP has background knowledge already on those kinds of motors.

Is the LS1 you recommended carbureted?

[clark]

Hello all I am very new (yesterday) to this topic. A little history, I own a Subaru WRX STI and my daughter has a regular WRX. It was time for my son to get a car (he is 12 ya know) and I wanted to build a car with him the way my dad did with me. So when we started looking at cars he was set on a 71' Camaro. Imagine my suprise and pocketbook happiness when he decided he wanted a 240SX instead (thanks Need for Speed). The problem is, when it comes to this type of car (tuners) I am clueless. I have built several carborated small block chevy's but a fuel injected Japanese motor I know nothing of. The Imprezza's are built already don't need much more than the occasional oil change. So with my limited knowledge I set out to buy a 240 and found a 93 with a spun bearing on Craigslist for 900.00. We bought the car and aside from the motor it's in really good condition. The guy I bought it from is a Nissan enthusiast and told me about this website so here I am. Now to the question. I have a KA24DE motor in the car and was wanting to upgrade it to a turbo. I have searched for several motors and found some reasonably priced SR20s and S13s. My question to the experts is do I rebuild the KA and turbo it, keep it and buy another SR20 or S13. Or try and find a KA to replace it with. Any help at all would be very helpful, thanks and drift on.

OP. wanted to offer my opinion.

I'm an SR owner and i currently daily drive one.

BUT given the situation, if i were you, i'd keep the KA and build it. the reason being it will be a great learning experience for your son. an SR really wont' need the internals built. if you go the KA route, you'll completely build the internals, upgrade the valvetrain, all new gaskets, tuning, everything.

plus, given your experience building carbureted engines, there really isn't htat much difference my friend. the KA and SR are not complicated engines. same rules apply my friend.

if you choose to build the KA, you'll HAVE to buy a turbo to your liking and won't get stuck with the crappy T25 lol. if you go KA, you'll basically be able to choose everything you want beacuse all fuel components will have to be upgraded.

for both engines, there's a TON of aftermarket parts and support.

both engines are great and easy to work on. either route you go, you'll definiltey both learn alot.

[Ali 556]

OP,

For KA info Go to KA-T.org...if you ask me KA-T > SR $$$/HP wise,

Full rebuild FORGED internal kit is 1200$ (undergroundmotorsport.com) And A T28 Set up is like 1K MAX,

S14 T28`, S15 SR Inj (480cc) or RX7 Injectors 550cc And Safc II or A rom tune...or heaxk go with NISTUNE the whole thing will cost you around 400$ and you can tune it YOURSELF,

From there Get coilovers , Slivia front (less wight then pop-ups) And Z32 brakes all around And you wil have a FAST and reliable car...Around 250-300 WHP on this set up is easy,

From after getting used to the car Buy A T3 mani And Go With GT3076R And you will have a 400whp car (way toooooooo much for the kid)

Or search here some dude Swaped a 355Ci SBC into his S13 and he made a kit...

LS1 Is another Idea too (will run you around 5-7K)

Need more info PM me

Regards,

Ali

[xplicit240]

well with your cap for 3k, you can go to JIS Engines. they sell a fully rebuilt ka for 1400, if you send the old motor back they give you a 400 core exchange credit. just google them. they are out of texas. then piece a turbo kit together. stock KA's can handle alot of abuse. one of my co workers did this route. he has been running on a greddy turbo kit with one a JIS rebuilt engine for a season already and its great. you wont have to deal with worrying if the motor is good or not, with an SR its pretty much a crap shoot. if you or your son need some help you can pm me. ill gladly provide some more info. but this website has everything youll need.

im glad to see that you are doing this with your son. i wish i had a father that did this with me. good luck and dont forget to take pictures and document the build. good luck!

[trsilvias13]

Try to find a sbc and do a swap. There are company out there that sell kits. If you dont mind minor fabrication you can do a diy using some chevy van mounts. There a thread floating around (nico or silviav8) that using oem chevy van mounts will place a sbc motor right in without modifying the cross member. If you are highly interested check out silviav8.com. It's mostly LSx motor there, but there are a few sbc guys on there too. Good luck on the chasis and post updates.

[epics13]

My sugestion would be to find another ka rebuild that one n then turbo it, my friend has a KA-t and it produces much more torque than my sr

[JEDIs13]

and then there goes all your effort. youd have to start over...

to build a propper turbo modified KA takes money...more than 2k i would say

mind you its pointless since his son is the one whos gonna drive it and he wont be needing anything above 160 hp to get around town...

he doesnt need a fully built motor, simplest solution would be buy an SR, gasket rebuild it, and hell be good for a while till he does events and needs modifying

QFT.. couldn't have said it better myself. :bow:

i say go sr. any left over money should be put into suspension. once he gets used to the power then you can upgrade with some bolt on mods.
good luck with your build. i wish i had a dad that supported my love for cars instead of bitching every time i pull the car in the garage to work on it.