cost of rebuilding a KA, possibly for boost

[darknightMR2]

well fellas, i cant find a good motor than anyone wants to sell, or at least one that they want to get rid of for cheap. anyways, i have a KA24de that has a knock, well i was wondering:
what pistons should i go w/, or what do you guys recommend(possibly boosting in the future)
should i need to replace the rods(im boosting low 7-9psi)
what cost should i be looking for this to run

i know these are pretty vague questions, but i need to get an idea of cost, and where i should source these parts from. i don't know if it would be more cost effective to rebuild what i have, or source a drop in motor. most ive seen have 100k + and they want more than 500 bucks. i don't see paying that, if it cost less to rebuild, but i know that pistons alone could cost more than a motor. any help would be appreciated. thanks!

[Al_S14]

i spent around 2k rebuilding WITHOUT rods and pistons. doing everything myself except mashining. with all nissan parts.

[EchoOfSilence]

i spent around 2k rebuilding WITHOUT rods and pistons. doing everything myself except mashining. with all nissan parts.
holy fuck really

[Lurkable]

Check out KA-T.org. Stock rods I believe will go out at ~450hp, pistons at ~400. I know a guy who said he got a rebuilt KA from EngineworldUSA (http://www.engineworldusa.com/home.htm) for $1000.

[stillmatic]

http://www.tophatperformance.com/cratemotors_kat.html
http://www.barnettpandd.com/nissan/crate.html

[Al_S14]

holy fuck really
yeah but i went all out. cometic headgasket. ballanced crank/pistons/rods/pulley/flywheel. hot tanked block. had block and front chain cover decked. replace exhaust guides and valve job. list goes on ill have to look at my recipts to get exact number.

[punxva]

hey im looking to do mine soon too, where in Chesapeake do u live? im near greenbrier, and also where did u get the machine work done at?

[NemeGuero]

yeah but i went all out. cometic headgasket. ballanced crank/pistons/rods/pulley/flywheel. hot tanked block. had block and front chain cover decked. replace exhaust guides and valve job. list goes on ill have to look at my recipts to get exact number.
You still paid too much.

[Al_S14]

You still paid too much.
I DID not over pay for ANYTHING i got all parts from nissan at dealer cost

260 block work (had 17k so i just had it honed cleaned decked tanked)
416 head work new guides valve job. clean
100 cometic head gasket
123 ASP crank pulley
300 timing chain prats
50 EGR pipe
240 shims for valve lash. 14.99 x16(if i had thought of that i woudnt do the valve job

303 head bolts, main bearings rod bearings, rings

200 heater core hoses, egr gaskets intake gaskets, front seal rear sleal and so o
TOTAL

1994

[darknightMR2]

dang, 2000! heck, even 1000 is alot for me. i have an MR2 motor to put together before i rebuild this KA. for that price i could find a low mileage drop in! anyways, thanks for the websites to source these parts. what do you guys think, rebuild, or find a drop in motor?

[EchoOfSilence]

damnit i wanted to... but fuck for that much just for the motor plus the money for the actual turbo and accompanying things, i might as well source an fj

[NinjaGaiden]

he didn't pay too much. he went all out on his rebuild.

if you want to go cheaper, just replace what is needed, like: the rod bearings, and get new rods if needed. Dont think all that will cost more than $500

[NemeGuero]

No he didn't go "all out".. he didn't even touch pistons, rods..
if its for turbo, his motor is STILL just as vulnerable to boost as any STOCK motor is

[Yeajimi]

You can't do better than replacing with oem parts for some things.

[NemeGuero]

Yah you can, OEM pistons eat penis. The ring landings are so small/weak its rediculous. Remember, KA's weren't meant for boost.

[Al_S14]

i never said i built if or boost, question was cost "possibly for boost".

and i forgot ot include cost of balancing the engine and polishing the crank. that was another 3-4 i really cant remember cant find teh recipt.

[darknightMR2]

^^thanks for the insight on this fellas! anything is appreciated. i know my way around an MR2 quite well, so this is new to me, but the basics still remain. get rods and pistons that are made for punishment, and replace stock stuff w/ upgradable parts, valves, gaskets, etc. im not worried about the machine work cause most of my friends work at an engine machine shop. im am however worried about the intial cost of a rebuild vs. finding a drop in engine that you have to replace just basic items like gaskets, water pump, etc.
i guess before i dump money into my engine, i'll shop around for a drop in motor in the mean time.
what are the prices going for a KA24DE? i've gotten quotes for like 500+ w/ 100K+ on them. is that a good price?

[breakindrifts]

I DID not over pay for ANYTHING i got all parts from nissan at dealer cost

260 block work (had 17k so i just had it honed cleaned decked tanked)
416 head work new guides valve job. clean
100 cometic head gasket
123 ASP crank pulley
300 timing chain prats
50 EGR pipe
240 shims for valve lash. 14.99 x16(if i had thought of that i woudnt do the valve job

303 head bolts, main bearings rod bearings, rings

200 heater core hoses, egr gaskets intake gaskets, front seal rear sleal and so o
TOTAL

1994


Well you still overpaid, because lets face it, the dealer still doesn't exactly charge fair prices. They give you good parts, but still they're rediculously overpriced. I mean 300 bucks for timing chain and parts? :loco:

I plan to use the oem pistons, gaskets, and bearings & timing kit from www.hybridka.com - great stuff, excellent prices.

Yeah and for a better source for KA turbo info go to www.ka-t.org. :bigok:

[Al_S14]

Well you still overpaid, because lets face it, the dealer still doesn't exactly charge fair prices. They give you good parts, but still they're rediculously overpriced. I mean 300 bucks for timing chain and parts?


Yeah and for a better source for KA turbo info go to www.ka-t.org. :bigok:

dude go on that courtesynissan parts site and see how much timing parts cost you . if youre one of those people taht use ebay chains ... good luck youre :loco: yourself.

[Johny5]

i'm working with a friend on building a motor right now

so far the costs are as follows...

felpro upper engine gasket kit/hg $89 (Shits oem quality don't care if its from vatozone or not)
decked head $35
brand new 1990 ka24e pistons $179 with rings and all that good stuff
pistons pinned to rods $13 a piece
clevite bearings $80 iirc (main and rod)
new act 6puck disk $93
resurface flywheel from vatozone $45.99
egr blockoff plate $10
1991 cams free :love:
then the cost me and my friend disputed for the build work including honing and all that jazz

the price really isn't all that bad, some people say i skipped stuff that should've been done. but i know personally that right there is a perfect motor build and will last me a long time to come.

[Johny5]

MAKOTO:

current spent of $5K:

-wastegate - 150
-BOV - 150
-manifold/downpipe - 500
-Z32 MAF - 85
-piping/intake - 145
-turbo/lines - 756
-couch - 550


--------------------$2336

needs:

-injectors 300 -150 (sam)?
-fuel pump 150 - 50 (project trueno)
-safc 300 -150 (sam?)

subtotal: $350-750

-engine $2165

(current projected total: $4851)

<[[[[[[[[[[[engine]]]]]]]]]]]>

-rods pistons 1095
-water pump 25
-starter 145
-cam 200

PARTS: $1465

labor: $700

thats one sohc thats about to rule a good amount of the ka24de and det world!

[Creizai]

MAKOTO:

current spent of $5K:

-wastegate - 150
-BOV - 150
-manifold/downpipe - 500
-Z32 MAF - 85
-piping/intake - 145
-turbo/lines - 756
-couch - 550


--------------------$2336

needs:

-injectors 300 -150 (sam)?
-fuel pump 150 - 50 (project trueno)
-safc 300 -150 (sam?)

subtotal: $350-750

-engine $2165

(current projected total: $4851)

<[[[[[[[[[[[engine]]]]]]]]]]]>

-rods pistons 1095
-water pump 25
-starter 145
-cam 200

PARTS: $1465

labor: $700

thats one sohc thats about to rule a good amount of the ka24de and det world!
Love to see the pics when its all done

[NemeGuero]

i never said i built if or boost, question was cost "possibly for boost".

and i forgot ot include cost of balancing the engine and polishing the crank. that was another 3-4 i really cant remember cant find teh recipt.
I wasn't taking shots at you, I know what you built it for.
The other members are who I responded to.

[NemeGuero]

^^thanks for the insight on this fellas! anything is appreciated. i know my way around an MR2 quite well, so this is new to me, but the basics still remain. get rods and pistons that are made for punishment, and replace stock stuff w/ upgradable parts, valves, gaskets, etc. im not worried about the machine work cause most of my friends work at an engine machine shop. im am however worried about the intial cost of a rebuild vs. finding a drop in engine that you have to replace just basic items like gaskets, water pump, etc.
i guess before i dump money into my engine, i'll shop around for a drop in motor in the mean time.
what are the prices going for a KA24DE? i've gotten quotes for like 500+ w/ 100K+ on them. is that a good price?
I picked up my blown KA for $100, but since its for a rebuild, its perfect.
there are pre-built motors ranging from $1-$2k. do a quick search

[NemeGuero]

MAKOTO:

thats one sohc thats about to rule a good amount of the ka24de and det world!

Not really, that's the average build of most KA-Ts

[Johny5]

HA! are you fucking kidding me? 2 out of 3 ka-t setups are fucking ghetto. just because people like you me and makoto do not do shit half-assed doesnt mean most everyone else does. more than half the ka-ts do not even change internals.

[breakindrifts]

dude go on that courtesynissan parts site and see how much timing parts cost you . if youre one of those people taht use ebay chains ... good luck youre :loco: yourself.

Ebay chains? I was talking about what www.hybridka.com offers. THe upgraded OEM timing chain guides are included and its quality stuff for 85 shipped. A timing chain is a timing chain, I can understand why e-bay might be crappy quality, but the fact that even most auto-parts stores offer them for less than 100, 300 is just yea a little too much :rolleyes:

Oh and if OEM nissan shit was so great you wouldn't be having to replace the chain in the first place. :wavey:

[Al_S14]

Ebay chains? I was talking about what www.hybridka.com offers. THe upgraded OEM timing chain guides are included and its quality stuff for 85 shipped. A timing chain is a timing chain, I can understand why e-bay might be crappy quality, but the fact that even most auto-parts stores offer them for less than 100, 300 is just yea a little too much :rolleyes:

Oh and if OEM nissan shit was so great you wouldn't be having to replace the chain in the first place. :wavey:
dude oem chains are not made to last forever. 120k+ is more then enough life span.
i can proably stretch my limits and use aftermarket chain but rest i'd never trust... even tho its only around 50 that will be saved

Timing Chain Tensioner-Lower for 2.4-liter DOHC (KA24DE) engine$57.48
13070-00004 Timing Chain Tensioner - Upper
$57.48
15066-00001 Front Cover Oil Seal for 2.4-liter DOHC (KA24DE) engine
$9.44
13091-00001 Timing Chain Guide - Slack Side for 2.4-liter DOHC (KA24DE) engine
$74.20
13085-00001 Timing Chain Guide - Tension Side for 2.4-liter DOHC (KA24DE) engine
$13.51
13028-00003 Timing Chain-Lower for 2.4-liter DOHC (KA24DE) engine
$45.96
13028-00004 Timing Chain - Upper - for 2.4-liter DOHC (KA24DE) engine
$31.87
Total: $289.94

[NemeGuero]

HA! are you fucking kidding me? 2 out of 3 ka-t setups are fucking ghetto. just because people like you me and makoto do not do shit half-assed doesnt mean most everyone else does. more than half the ka-ts do not even change internals.
You are right, I may have been a bit over-zealous.

[SimpleS14]

Is a heated battle about to go on about parts and cost?......














....stay tuned to find out





To stay on topic: Top Hat has a good price for a built longblock KA. I say its "good" because it minimizes downtime and provides convience.

[darknightMR2]

who's Top Hat? does he/they have a link?

[NemeGuero]

Yah, here it is
http://www.tophatperformance.com/

[decollation]

a friend of mine got one of tophat's rb intake manifolds. they're a really great company from what i hear and ive heard really great things about their bult motors, just fyi.

[darknightMR2]

nice set ups on that website, just too much for my wallet right now!