KA24DET Build Preparation

[Civillized]

Hey guys, I have a bone stock 180k KA24DE and rebuilt transmission in my S13. It is my daily driver and I plan to turbo it in the very near future my goal is 300-350whp about 15psi. My price range is about $5,000. This is my first project car so I have a few questions.

- I'm planning on buying ARP Head Stud Kit, OEM Nissan S13 KA24DE Full Rebuild Gasket Kit, Water Pump, Oil Pump, Wiseco Piston Set, Eagle Forged H-Beam Connecting Rods, and Clevite Rod & Main Bearings. Overall $1,400 for parts. (Haven't decided on a clutch I'd appreciate any recommendations)

- My plans for turbo would be a bottom mount T28. Supporting mods would be 550cc injectors, Walbro 255, Z32 Maf, Nismo FPR, FMIC, Z32 Fuel filter, and Nistune or Enthalpy tune

- Am I forgetting anything such as machine work or anything of the like? How much should I expect to pay for this? And how much does a rebuild typically cost? Any recommendations on shops in SoCal?

Please correct or suggest anything, Thank You. (I think I should have posted this in the Tech Talk section my apologies)

[Hoffman5982]

You're going to need a 2871r and much larger than 550c injectors. I made 292whp at ~10psi on a twisted motion 2871 turbo and was nearly maxing out my sti 525cc injectors. Also ditch that mailorder tune idea. Get nismotronic and plan to schedule a dyno session. Instead of z32 maf you can run speed density.

[s13 @ fullboost]

I would highly recommend setting it up for E85. Bigger injectors (1000cc) & re hose on all soft fuel line for E85 rated. Ditch the H beams & go with I beams. What compression ratio are the pistons? Make sure to do a proper catch can set up. My shop is in so-cal I can definitely help you. If you P.M. me I would be happy to give you my shop phone number & go into further detail. I also have a dyno & offer tuning services.

[NukeKS14]

Machine work will depend on what you have done. My machinist charged about $600 to do what I consider to be a fair amount of work to my block. Youll need to have the girdle line honed if youre switching to ARP main studs. I had him balance the rotating assembly as well so you'll need your clutch and flywheel by that point if you're doing the same. I'm running a white bunny setup from competition clutch and am very happy with it so far.

Rebuild costs vary widely depending on what needs to be done. I only had my machinist assemble the short block and I did the rest so take my pricing for what it's worth. That included a .020 overbore, minor head work, line boring the mains, milling the head and deck for flatness, and balancing the rotating assembly.

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by s13 @ fullboost

I would highly recommend setting it up for E85. Bigger injectors (1000cc) & re hose on all soft fuel line for E85 rated. Ditch the H beams & go with I beams. What compression ratio are the pistons? Make sure to do a proper catch can set up. My shop is in so-cal I can definitely help you. If you P.M. me I would be happy to give you my shop phone number & go into further detail. I also have a dyno & offer tuning services.

^This. Also you might as well retap the block for 11mm head studs and use Evo headstuds.

[tuzzio]

All of these guys are offering good input, but what are you goals with the car?

Based on putting such a tiny turbo on it, I'd say you're definitely headed down the right path. In my opinion, i'd have the block machined .020" over to begin with, then do the forged pistons. its not worth spending the money for after 10-20K miles the cylinders are ovals because they have 180K on them and you threw boost at it.

The parts you picked out (maybe with the exception of that baby turbo and injectors) should make you a happy camper. A 2871R or a 3071 are great turbo choices, as I personally think a T28 is too small for a forged KA. Also, stock size ARP head studs are definitely fine for your assumable power goals.

Spend the money on getting a better form of tuning as opposed to a mail order tune.

[collegekid]

I have several questions

1. Do you have another car in case things dont work out the way you plan?
2. Do you have that $5,000 at this very moment?
3. What tools/skillset do you have? Do you have access to a vehicle repair shop? Do you have a garage where you plan on doing this work?


My impression is that:
-you got a car fairly recently
-did some light reading on ka-t.org and here
-saw some builds that piqued your interest and saw old dates on those threads so you made a new thread.
-you priced out a build from frsport/enjuku by filtering for your 240sx/ka24de in a similar fashion that people "build" gaming pcs using PCpartsPicker

Don't start spending money yet. I assume you will be going to college or some kind of tech school? Don't tie up all your money in your car, don't take out student loans for car parts.

From you asking about machine work/rebuild costs it tells me that you should not be walking into a machine shop at all anytime soon. They will gladly take your money.

My advice:
Buy a spare daily driver that is going to be good on gas, reliable, comfy, and boring enough that no one wants to steal it. Keep the 240 as a fun weekend car. As you get older, weekdays start to fly by and the weekends are gone in an instant.

Regardless if you buy a separate daily or not:
Buy a spare set of wheels (oem) with a spare set of good tires. Keep a full sized tire in the trunk.
Make sure all your tires are in good shape.
Next is brakes.
Next make sure your car is running nicely so take care of all leaks/driveability issues regarding the engine and electronics of the vehicle. I would get water temp/ oil pressure/ and oil temp gauges
Suspension bushings/mounts/struts
The rest is optional, like interior/exterior accessories (wheels, seats etc)

Once you've taken care of all the bullshit with these 22-31 year old cars, then you add power.


Download the factory service manual, look at youtube videos for engines in general and how they work, and above all, READ. Reading old build threads and creating your own notes from them is whats important. Learn from the mistakes that other people make.

[CalebS13]

im running a 2871r and 1000cc (e85)and aeromotive 340 pump on my forged Ka. im at 18 psi making 360wtq and 350whp. i was also getting close to running out of injector.
i bought the block assembled fresh from the machine shop from another zilvian for 2.5k. receipt from shop was 2.6 iirc.
As for clutch i have the white bunny 6 puck with fly wheel. awesome clutch for the price and good for power way past your goals.
As for tuning, stay away from the mail order tunes.... im running a MSPNP2 tuned by tony at AED. for the price, megasquirt is an awesome standalone ecu.(ditch the MAF too)
I also recommend searching up deleting all the unecessary crap on the KA intake manifold, such as the TB coolant nipples, PCV Tree, butterflies, etc. There was a few threads that had alot of information regarding this.
Good luck and remember theres 20+ years of information on the internet.

[Civillized]

Originally Posted by collegekid

I have several questions

1. Do you have another car in case things dont work out the way you plan?
2. Do you have that $5,000 at this very moment?
3. What tools/skillset do you have? Do you have access to a vehicle repair shop? Do you have a garage where you plan on doing this work?


My impression is that:
-you got a car fairly recently
-did some light reading on ka-t.org and here
-saw some builds that piqued your interest and saw old dates on those threads so you made a new thread.
-you priced out a build from frsport/enjuku by filtering for your 240sx/ka24de in a similar fashion that people "build" gaming pcs using PCpartsPicker

Don't start spending money yet. I assume you will be going to college or some kind of tech school? Don't tie up all your money in your car, don't take out student loans for car parts.

From you asking about machine work/rebuild costs it tells me that you should not be walking into a machine shop at all anytime soon. They will gladly take your money.

My advice:
Buy a spare daily driver that is going to be good on gas, reliable, comfy, and boring enough that no one wants to steal it. Keep the 240 as a fun weekend car. As you get older, weekdays start to fly by and the weekends are gone in an instant.

Regardless if you buy a separate daily or not:
Buy a spare set of wheels (oem) with a spare set of good tires. Keep a full sized tire in the trunk.
Make sure all your tires are in good shape.
Next is brakes.
Next make sure your car is running nicely so take care of all leaks/driveability issues regarding the engine and electronics of the vehicle. I would get water temp/ oil pressure/ and oil temp gauges
Suspension bushings/mounts/struts
The rest is optional, like interior/exterior accessories (wheels, seats etc)

Once you've taken care of all the bullshit with these 22-31 year old cars, then you add power.


Download the factory service manual, look at youtube videos for engines in general and how they work, and above all, READ. Reading old build threads and creating your own notes from them is whats important. Learn from the mistakes that other people make.

1. I do not have another car, my S13 is my daily.
2. I do not have $5,000 at the moment, I have $3,500 so far put aside for my plans. I work two jobs so I'm able to have money when I need it.
3. Only skillset I have is whatever I have learned so far working on my own car lol I'm not gonna claim I know everything/anything tbh. I don't have access to a vehicle repair shop. I do have a garage with a lift where I plan to do this work.

Your impressions would be semi-correct. I got this car a year and a half ago, I originally wanted to go CA18DET and did tons of research but I tried weighing the pros and cons and I concluded that even with the better center of gravity and lighter weight, the KA would be better fitting for what I want to do especially since I could rebuild the KA for the same price as buying a CA. As much as I want to be unique it really isn't worth an extra $2k. I did price out a build on enjuku but I came here to ask questions because I enjoy feedback. Since my S13 is my daily I do not want to skip any corners which is why I want to rebuild it to be reliable and also why I don't want to go for any crazy power or big turbo, I won't be street racing or doing drift events but I will have some track days, I want the power for myself to have fun when I want. And yes I am turning 20 this month and I'm going to college, I try to spend my money responsibly and obviously if I cant afford this build then I have no problem doing it later down the line. I have done everything I can to the car regarding leaks, power steering, Mishimoto Rad, Stock Clutch fan, Koni Yellow Suspension, 5-lug conversion, Z32 Brakes + E-Brake, 17x9 +22 RPF-1, Yokohama Advan Sport A/S 245/40/17 all around, Whiteline bushings everywhere, Aluminum One Piece Driveshaft, and S15 HLSD. My main goal is a clean OEM+ reliable daily S13.

I am still trying to learn about machining work and I don't plan on stepping into a shop until I know 100% what I am talking about and exactly what I want. If anyone wants to educate me on this then please do or suggest what I would need to google search to learn on my own, Thanks!

Thank you for advice, I need to take more notes on people's builds and mistakes!

[s13 @ fullboost]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

^This. Also you might as well retap the block for 11mm head studs and use Evo headstuds.

This is a very good suggestion I would also highly recommend doing this. L19 4G63 ARP I have in stock if you are looking for a local resource. Time certing 1mm over is a very "bullet proof" way of doing it.

[mewantkouki]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

^This. Also you might as well retap the block for 11mm head studs and use Evo headstuds.

I'd just have it drilled and tapped for 12mm studs and run rb26 hardware. People running re-tapped 11mm studs have had issues with thread engagement. The correct way would be a timesert or something along those lines.

[s13 @ fullboost]

Originally Posted by mewantkouki

I'd just have it drilled and tapped for 12mm studs and run rb26 hardware. People running re-tapped 11mm studs have had issues with thread engagement. The correct way would be a timesert or something along those lines.

If you do that you will have to clearances on the oil feed hole in the center of the head. That hole will need to be drilled out to maintain the same factory clearance. Factory head bolt size is 10mm

[Ichi-Go]

Originally Posted by mewantkouki

I'd just have it drilled and tapped for 12mm studs and run rb26 hardware. People running re-tapped 11mm studs have had issues with thread engagement. The correct way would be a timesert or something along those lines.

Do you have a machine shop you recommend in Florida?

[mewantkouki]

Originally Posted by Ichi-Go

Do you have a machine shop you recommend in Florida?

I'd take it to Mazworx. A friend of mine had his engine machined to accept rb26 arp studs and the associated head modifications done there.
I have also used them for a number of years with my own personal engines. SR & KA.

[Kingtal0n]

rebuilt engines and forged pistons are kind of the opposite of a reliable engine.

Its more for racing and abuse.

I don't know many engines at all of any make or model with forged pistons and high mileage. There might be one on the entire forum thats gone 20,000 miles I think.



If you need a reliable engine you want a factory cast piston or a factory alloy forging. I don't think the factory ever put typical low silicone forged units into anything reliable, ever

sorry if this sounds harsh but somebody needs to. I think it's a really really dumb idea to use the KA engine when there are so many other superior performance models available.
Any other swap engine would be a better idea. Throw a rock, flip a coin, get a used OEM engine from one of the big three and keep the OEM internals and it will be reliable.
Continue with your current plans and it will start with you getting fucked by a couple machine shops and end with you wasting all your money and having nothing to show for it, and parts that nobody wants to buy. Even if you beat the odds and get it together properly and in good time, chances are you lack the patience and understanding that a loose cold forged piston requires along with the finesse of oil control system maintenance to keep it together.

I've had forged pistons in almost every kind of engine and the one thing I learned is that you don't use those in a reliable daily driver type of application unless you are masochist and money to burn.

[silviaks2nr]

I have a built bottom end turbo ka I've easily put that mileage on in the last 10-12 years. I'm sorry it sounds like you got burned, but I never had a problem, and I don't believe I am in the minority. I do agree there are much better options for making "real" power reliably though.

[hatch4life]

I'm surprised no one mentioned cams? I did not do cams on my ka-t but I wish i did for the chops and more than 300hp

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by mewantkouki

I'd just have it drilled and tapped for 12mm studs and run rb26 hardware. People running re-tapped 11mm studs have had issues with thread engagement. The correct way would be a timesert or something along those lines.

Ahhh yes, somehow I forgot about this. Might as well do 12mm if you have the cash for machining.

Originally Posted by hatch4life

I'm surprised no one mentioned cams? I did not do cams on my ka-t but I wish i did for the chops and more than 300hp

Yeah I think that's just because 300whp is attainable on stock cams and he seems budget limited. Cams are always a great idea, and really open up the powerband on all these older engines.

[silviaks2nr]

What also really changes the motor is a short runner high volume intake manifold. I made peak power at 6200 redline (367hp) 15psi with this custom q45/sheet metal intake. I really should have revved it out more and I would have got to 400 at that same boost level.

Whole setup is for sale if anyone is interested, but I'm on the other side of the country from the OP so it's not much help to him.

[TKILGORE757]

Originally Posted by silviaks2nr

What also really changes the motor is a short runner high volume intake manifold. I made peak power at 6200 redline (367hp) 15psi with this custom q45/sheet metal intake. I really should have revved it out more and I would have got to 400 at that same boost level.

Whole setup is for sale if anyone is interested, but I'm on the other side of the country from the OP so it's not much help to him.

How much did you want for the full swap? I'm definitely interested

[TKILGORE757]

also do you have an instagram or something I can message you on about it? I'm on the east coast as well

[silviaks2nr]

It's long gone man sorry