rb swap

[jackw2]

hey guys, I have been researching for a while now and still cant find a clear answer. so I am soon buying a s13 hatch and am going to do a swap. I am not that mechanically inclined but I have people to help me out. so I am going to be daily driving this car and keeping the motor somewhat stock and was wondering what would be best for both power and reliably. so are rb25's more prone to break than rb20's (if installed correctly)? I know obviously the rb25 will have more power but being that i will be driving it everyday would the rb20 be a better option? I am not looking for huge power gains but something to have fun in and maybe track once in a while.
thanks

[mike_holes]

ive got an rb20 and i love it... its my daily driver and track car... that motor takes a beating...

[jackw2]

awesome! have you had any problems so far?

[sleeper108]

It wont matter much (reliability) between the RB20, or the RB25. you'll have better mileage with the RB20, but more fun with the 25.

20 will be TONS cheaper compared to the RB25 swap.

to do a RB25 swap correctly, youll end up spending around $5k
to do a RB20 swap correctly, you'll end up somewhere in the ball park of $2500-$3500


this is all assuming you get a motor in good condition requiring only a little bit of work.
Im personally in the middle of an RB25 swap which I received completely dissembled and Ive already spent $2400 (i bought engine for $1300) and I have another $2k-$3k to go

[sickrbs14]

go rb25 from what i hear rb20s trannys are weaker then the 25s

[jackw2]

okay thank you,
I have never driven in a car with a RB20 only RB25, would I still be able to go somewhat fast with and have fun with a RB20?

[jackw2]

I want to do a RB25 its just to expensive for me right now, so I kinda have to get a RB20

[faze2]

just go sr20 lol

[jambadre]

^^^^ agreed with what jackw2 said.

I personally chose to go with the rb20 mainly because its so cheap to get it running reliably, and its a great high reving engine, tons of fun. And since you are not worried about tons of horse power rb20 sounds like it would suit your needs. And in my opinion the rb20 its waaay more worth your time compared to an sr20, i have owned both engines, i just prefer the smooth torque from a straight 6 any day, not to mention how awesome it sounds.

[jackw2]

I dont want tons of horse power but I want to be able to have fun and build it later. and i know a couple people with sr20's and they say that there not that reliable. Im not great mechanically but Im getting it done at a shop where i know a couple people but I dont know anyone really at my school(which is where my car will be) so I want something thats least likely to have problems with lol

[sleeper108]

I dont want tons of horse power but I want to be able to have fun and build it later. and i know a couple people with sr20's and they say that there not that reliable. Im not great mechanically but Im getting it done at a shop where i know a couple people but I dont know anyone really at my school(which is where my car will be) so I want something thats least likely to have problems with lol

like i said earlier, the 20 will be reliable. It is plenty fun, and definitely upgrade-able.

get a Series 2, or RB25 neo turbo, and it is a direct bolt on to the RB20. get a standalone, or piggy back unit, and some simple upkeep stuff. replace gaskets, new oil and water pump, and belts.

get a nice aluminum radiator, and I would suggest the powered by max swirl pot to help with temperatures (RBs are known to have heat issues, but nothing that can't be cured easily).

Join up on skylines australia (http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/forums.html), and research what they have done. It will help you get a clearer understanding of what is reliable, what is pushing it, what is a cheap, good upgrade, and what is an expensive totally not worth it upgrade.


hope that helps some

[jackw2]

thank you that helps a lot! ill start looking into prices for all of that to see about how much i SHOULD spend to get running

[kikcaffine]

FIgure about 1500 for the motor set w/ trans wiring and that shit, 200 for fmic, 250 for ems( safc) 500 for water pump, timing belt, oil, filter, plugs, then another grand if a shop is putting it in. Figure about 3000-3500 to get it done correctly.


You would probably be better off with an SR honestly.

[DDB240sx]

I'm not too up to date with the rb20's, but I didn't think they were a straight drop in like the sr20's. An sr is a lot easier to work on. Parts more available than any of the rb stuff. Plus quite a few of the parts you'll end up needing over time can be bought at a parts store cause of it's compairability to the sentra se-r motor. If you want to be different, that's all you dude. But if someone's telling you that sr's aren't reliable, it's because they're beating the piss out of them and not maintaining them properly. I've been dd'ing my sr powered hatch for 2 years now. The majority of the problems I've experienced have come from having an 18 year old shell. I've been around for swapping a few sr's, it's decent for someone that's not mechanically inclined like you said. But if you're bent with going rb, get a 20 unless you got the coin and the time to get it done properly.

[HS13KLS]

or.. go the cheapest route. and make a garage turbo set up on the KA and only put a few pounds of boost on.. as long as you arent slamming the rev limiter you should be good..

i suppose i just say that because my buddy threw a rod at the last event over the weekend (rb20)

[mkezzo16]

Go RB25..RB 20 parts are much harder to come by. If your on a budget I'd say sr20 or KA-T ..Ka motors boosted are torquey and as long as you run low boost you'll be ok until you can build the top and bottom end

[nyc240sx]

pm'ed you about rb information

[blkkouki]

I have an RB20 in my daily and I love it. The only thing I've had to do is replace the alternator when it went out, and it uses a KA24 alternator. I've taken mine on several trips and haven't experienced a single problem. Parts aren't hard to come by like most ppl would think and most of the parts cross-reference with the USDM 300ZX. If you should need any parts www.rawbrokerage.com (http://www.rawbrokerage.com) will square you away.