bm3r

Hey everyone, coming from an 04 M3 with $30k plus invested, im ready to start a new project with a budget. Ive been doing tons of research, check out my I have below:

-98 S14: Check
-Staggered Nismo LMGT4's: Check
-Tein SS C/O's: Check
-OEM front lip: Check

Now for the $6000 max budget w/labor (on the road):

1. S14 SR20det Black Top w/VTC (engine tranny ecu)
2. Labor cost
3. 3" down pipe
4. FMIC-Greddy
5. Apexi N1 exhaust
6. s14 install kit for fuel pump
7. Walbro 255 fuel pump
8. Auto to manual swap-pedal asembly, clutch master cylinder,etc (my car is Automatic)
9. Clutch lines and fittings
10. Battery relo kit to trunk if needeed
11. Short ram air Intake
12. Air conditioning to work
13. AEM Uego/gauge controller
14. AEM boost gauge/controller
15. Dyno/Tune with stock ECU
16. HKS SS BOV Series 3
17. Competition stage 4 clutch
18. Competition clutch lightweight flywheel
19. s14 Greddy intake manifold/plenum
20. Fuel rail and injectors
21. Turbo timer
22. Koyo radiator


What I have listed is more than $6000, but I need to know which I can eliminate etc.? Remember my car is an Auto.

Would you go with a different SR swap?

I plan to keep the stock turbo, stock head, stock block for now.

My WHP goal is 275-300

Ive read that with the setup above ranges from 230WHP-260WHP?

TIA for your help!

Bonus pic-made 310WHP All motor:



In with the New:

T chop

If your keeping stock turbo etc. I wouldn't spend the money on a Greddy intake and you could also save money by getting a cheaper rad (PBM or Mishimoto etc.)

rican_nick

Labor is gonna eat the most of it up. if you have space/skill I'd recommend knocking it out urself and save the money. The rest could be done within ur 6k budget.

what happened to the m3??

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Nick O.
97 240sx

My Seller's Review Thread

mugendork

For 6k you could buy someone's project that has 10+k invested and just part their car out to build yours.... I am a big fan of taking people's unfinished projects. Excellent bang for your buck. Something else for you to think about.

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FRpilot

you went from e46 M3 to s14!?

hope you still have the M3 and the s14 is an additional car.

at least the s14 is clean. with $6k can be blown fast, you could get an sr with some minor mods and suspension, or you can get suspension and exterior, or go almost all out on motor with sr and turbo upgrades.

i would get suspension and exterior mods and keep the ka, unless this is for off road use.

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NISMO_tuner

Exactly what I was going to say. Labor costs will take up most of your budget. From what I saw on the list, everything would cost less than $6k if you knew how to do it yourself.

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Check my for sale thread for S13 parts

drftwerks

sell those wack ass coils, so your total budget will be 6.2k after.

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jr_ss

The S14/S15 swap is the easiest to make good power in "stock" trim on because of the larger turbo and the VTC. However, the S13 SR is capable of making slightly more power up top when heavily modified. I think you'll be happy with the way it turns out with BPU's and a tune myself. It's a very responsive setup and a lot of fun to drive. But you'll always end you wanting more power, just make sure you have the supporting mods.

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My SR20VET

DataXUnknown

A mod just closed a thread just like this from another user saying "You need to make this decision yourself". Just a heads up...not going to mention who, but I believe he was wrong to close the thread.

Anyways, to give my input on it, if your looking for the 300whp range, you can buy knockoff greddy intake which I know many people are against, personally I am too but I'm just going with your budget. The radiator, although Koyo is so big name brand, I know from experience Mishimoto works excellent and I hear good about PBM.

The FMIC can also be replaced with a much cheaper brand, I know there are plenty good ones out there that are cheaper than Greddy, but work just as well. And like others said, many labor parts can be done on your own, even if you don't know how to do it, just ask around.

rican_nick

I'll trade ya my s14/sr for the m3 .. PLENTY of parts you can put on your s14.. haha

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Nick O.
97 240sx

My Seller's Review Thread

S14DB

SR is going to suck when you have to get emissions tested.

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Comments should be taken as Opinions not as Statements of Fact

landins13

heres an idea open up 4k worth of cash by selling the lmgt4's

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cc4usmc

On behalf of the members of this site who don't want it cluttered with useless threads by people who don't know how to spend their own money, I hereby nominate you for the "Useless Moderator" position. You'll be tasked with responding to every single useless thread that pops up just like this one. All in favor of DataXUnknown's promotion, say "NICO". That is all.

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DataXUnknown

Thank you for your kind words sir. I understand now that I am wrong and I will willfully admit to being wrong and agreeing with your statement.

PS I really do hate NICO.

Oh and selling the LMGT4's would be an excellent idea to open up some more cash for your budget

Om1kron

You're broke... Probably slightly over thanks to the dyno tune.

3. 3" down pipe (200-500 dollars)
4. FMIC-Greddy (400-1200 dollars)
5. Apexi N1 exhaust (550 dollars)
6. s14 install kit for fuel pump (wtf?)
7. Walbro 255 fuel pump (150 dollars)
10. Battery relo kit to trunk if needeed (100-200 to do it properly)
11. Short ram air Intake (not necessary)
13. AEM Uego/gauge controller (not necessary)
14. AEM boost gauge/controller (not necessary)
16. HKS SS BOV Series 3 (if you keep the stock turbo, this really isn't necessary)

if you must have this. youre looking at 6-800 dollars.

The stock manifold is good up to 500hp, why do you need this?

20. Fuel rail and injectors - not necessary until you have real money to play. Like I said you're already broke.

21. Turbo timer - 60-150 bucks

22. Koyo radiator - 200-300 bucks

What I have listed is more than $6000, but I need to know which I can eliminate etc.? Remember my car is an Auto.

If you're hard up on cash you can go with an s13 redtop swap but I would recommend having a godamned wiring genius do the work for you.

The s14 swap is damn near drop in from what I hear.

Then you don't need any of the shit outside of the engine swap.

my girlfriend also added, for every car part you buy make sure to do something nice for your girlfriend since she will have to put up with your piece of shit car.

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Wayne

FairLady_JDM

it obvious you just pay people and drive your car.

if you want to start a project, DO IT YOURSELF.

if you have a brain and 2 hands then your set.

try learning how to fix your own car and for the more experienced things ask people or google!

Team DET

buy tool's and do the labor yourself

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94cc0rd

Hmm... why did you get rid of the m3? One of my favorite cars still.

Anyways, there's some good responses in this thread.. and some not so good...

good luck with the build.

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bm3r

ok Ill pass on the Greddy intake manifold

which is better PBM or Mishimoto etc.?

I wish I could do it on my own, I have friends that can do it but I want a reputable shop to do it. Sold the M3 a few months ago it was a very sad day.

Took me a while to find the my s14, so I want to build it from the ground up


Its going to be my DD, the M3 is gone. Ill have one again one day. Suspension is on the way!

I wish i knew how to do it myself, but dont have the time, patience, and cant even change a light bulb

Ive been doing alot of research on Coilovers, and most people like the SS, Flex etc. I want to keep the budget for coils under $1300 and want a smooth comfortable ride even if I cant slam the car

Thanks for the info, im hoping to hit very high 12's with the setup. Ive seen varying #'s out there. We'll see...

Where can I get the replica intake manifold and who sells it? Also, do you know of any good FMIC kits out there besides the Greddy?

M3 is sold!

Yeah, im pretty sure I can pay a yearly fee to postpone the test or something like that

paypal me the $4k cash and you have a deal!

lol

Buy them from me?

haha nice! my g/f is cool, Ive had 15 cars ranging from bmw's, porsche, land rover, acura, etc etc.

bm3r

I can barely change a head light bulb, so yes I do pay people to work on my cars and just drive them. If I had the talent then I would definitely do it myself

see comment above

I wanted a turbo car and no monthly payment. To Supercharge an M3 is very expensive. To turbo an M3 is just insane. Just way to much money over what I had in it, and it was time to go.

I never had any push back from the bmw/porsche forums on any questions I had but its all good

drift freaq

And you bought a Kouki S14? God you really must love S14's. LOL enjoy yourself. Though a 6k budget is gonna be tight to do it right, especially if you cannot work on it yourself.

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allntrlundrgrnd

This...will make you unpopular very quickly here.

reported*

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Kouki for sale!!

allntrlundrgrnd

your in maryland! I will trade you my turbocharged 240sx and you can pay a shop to make it faster. link in my sig.

done deal, pm me

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Kouki for sale!!

bm3r

Ive always wanted an s14

im sure im not the only one

thanks for the offer gonna pass

g6civcx

If you just want a car that looks nice and doesn't cost much money, I STRONGLY suggest that you keep the drivetrain stock and invest your money on cosmetic mods.

Ask around. Modding 240s get expensive really quickly. $6k is not even a drop in the bucket.

If you just want a nice daily driver just keep the drivetrain stock and do maintenance stuff.

A good SR swap will cost you $6k alone in parts and labour

Yes, I would go with an S13 blacktop. You do not want VTC. Ask anyone who has an S14 SR.

Stock T28?

At minimum you have to clean up the engine as much as possible to hold 300 at the wheels.

g6civcx

S13 SR is really easy to wire IF the car is stock and the engine harness is stock.

I'm no wiring genius, and I can do one in about 2-3 hours with labeling every connector given stock engine and body harnesses.

0wn3r

whatever you think the project is going to cost, multiply it times 1.5.

Check how emissions will deal with the OBDII not working. If you don't have emissions in your state you're golden.

If you still prefer SR over something like KA-T, then I think it's cool to go with the S14 SR.

Now, if you're on a budget you obviously need to start with the basics.

1) Turn the engine on to make sure nothing is broken

1. S14 SR20det Black Top w/VTC (engine tranny ecu) (MAF, ignitor...)
2. Labor cost (find a GOOD shop to do it, the project typically takes 2.5 times as long as you think it will no matter what)
3. 3" down pipe (sure, get it w/ exhaust)
4. FMIC-Greddy (ok)
5. Apexi N1 exhaust (if you like it..)
6. s14 install kit for fuel pump (should come with the fuel pump..)
7. Walbro 255 fuel pump (ok...and it doesn't cost $150 btw)
8. Auto to manual swap-pedal asembly, clutch master cylinder,etc (my car is Automatic) (good time to do it w/ 5-speed swap..the cost of the trim piece is expensive and hard to find used...you can try making your own boot for the automatic piece)
9. Clutch lines and fittings (ok)
10. Battery relo kit to trunk if needeed (ok)
11. Short ram air Intake (Apex'i is one of the best rated intakes...I could sell you my used one which is only a year old unless you plan on going Z32 MAF right away)
12. Air conditioning to work (if you're current A/C works, then just search for the bracket on the forum, should come w/ a belt too I think)
13. AEM Uego/gauge controller (why?)
14. AEM boost gauge/controller (why?)
15. Dyno/Tune with stock ECU (you don't tune a stock ECU unless you already know of someone that can mod it)
16. HKS SS BOV Series 3 (up to you i guess?)
17. Competition stage 4 clutch (I wouldn't keep stock but..why this?)
18. Competition clutch lightweight flywheel (if you have the money for one then go for a lightweight, otherwise you can resurface it and wind up regretting it later haha)
19. s14 Greddy intake manifold/plenum (why?)
20. Fuel rail and injectors (why fuel rail?)
21. Turbo timer (no.)
22. Koyo radiator (ok, you can keep stock fan shroud to save $ too)

just keep in mind all the stuff you SHOULD do in the beginning to cut down on as much labor cost as possible. Some of the other stuff you can throw on later.

if you plan on getting all that stuff up there it'll probably cost you around 10 thousand installed.

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97 240sx se

jr_ss

What's wrong with the VTC? The fact that things wear out and you have to replace them? If the S14 didn't have the VTC it would be a dog. The VTC improves the lowend trq quite nicely. I'll take my VTC over an S13 SR anyday...

The stock T28 can handle 275whp max. He needs to focus on the fuel delivery aspect of things. I'm not sure what a clean engine bay has to do with 300rwhp?

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drift freaq

There is nothing wrong with S14SR's or S15SR's for keeping with a relatively stock engine with minor bolt ons, its quite easy to get 275 or over 300 HP.

In fact I know quite a few experienced drifters and tuners here in socal that love their S14SR/S15SR's and these guys have been in the game a long time and owned pumped S13SR's as well.

Fact is the only time the S13SR is better is when your going for a 375-400HP plus SR. g6cicx's response is typical of most people who are A: either trying to go for high numbers on a SR or B: listening to what all the other people say.

Its really just a matter of what you prefer, more bottom end with a broader flatter torque and power band or less bottom end with a sharper torque and power band that comes on in the mid range and hits hard late.

Its like comparing a 4 stroke motorcycle to a 2 stroke. S13SR's are like 2 strokes nothing nothing bam insane!
S14SR is more of a pull from the bottom on up like a 4 stroke bike.

I think he meant cleaning up the engine as in doing gaskets, seals and possibly rings and valve job. Again if you get a low mileage engine with verified mileage its not a a necessity.

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SuicidnS13

For 6k I would honestly just concentrate on cosmetics and restoring the old car. If the car is going to be your daily driver you need to really make sure that the swap will be reliable enough for it. That means you definately need a low mileage s14 motor. Then you will need to pay someone to tear it down and go over the whole motor. Nissan motors are not any where nearly as reliable as other japanese brands. Have your mechanic change out all gaskets(head gasket definately), seals, and at the least your waterpump.

So figure just in labor and parts cost alone to REFRESH (not even a rebuild) would be roughly 3k with the install and wiring. When you dont know how to do your own work you have to pay for quality work. And labor is on the average about 80.00 per hour being fair. So just an engine swap and no parts with labor and your allready at your budget.

This is budgeting out a reliable daily driver. Most people on this board literally throw SR swaps into their cars. Ive seen swaps done with old waterpumps and heck even old spark plugs still being used in them. Even your parts list is seriously lacking the important maintenance parts.

Ie-
Waterpump
Engine Gasket Set
Head Gasket
Oil Pan gasket (actually most of the time you have to change the pan too)
Nismo Thermostat
New Hoses (Rad + Vacuum + fuel)
New FPR (or adjustable plus required fittings)
New Clutch Slave


This list could go on and on forever really. So definately use the money towards reconditioning the actual vehicle. New brakes, all suspension components (bushings, ect) paint, carpet, seats....ect...