alkemyst

I need a clutch in my KA, was thinking doing a straight SR20DET swap instead...

If I did pick up a good compression SR20, I'd do the valve cover gasket, front/rear mains, water pump, etc...all the easy and cheap stuff to do when you have the engine sitting right in front of you.

I'd keep the sidemount, stock everything. Add in the mishimoto radiator and some fans.

I wouldn't mind spending $3k, but a full swap with front mount, bov, etc is coming up $6k at any shop (the labor is about $1500 so still $4500).

at a higher price I am really thinking of selling my car off and starting over. I love my car, don't get me wrong...but even if I sell my 98 SE at a freaking steal + that $6k, that puts me in the ballpark of many other cars made within the last 5 years.

What I am looking for is 0-60 around 5ish and a quarter in 13's. To me that's a really fun street car.

I have already done an 80mm catback, 3" cat and ran a 0/1 gauge wire to the back of the car. This will be my last addition to the performance of it for a daily driver. The rest would be just creature comforts.

You guys seem to be ninjas at finding cheap ways to make power and not headaches.

Å

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

Ceepo

If you want to sell it go for it, im assuming you want an Evo/Sti/WRX if you sell it? the swap is pretty straight forward as we speak right now i am doing my swap literly right this second!!! ha ha ha... wiring is the hard hardest part imo, and if you have any searching/mechanical knowledge its easy to do... there are plenty of people here on zilvia to help along the way... im in my swap about 6k thats with a fully rebuild sr20det(oem) fmic, piping, full exhaust(turbo back), nice clutch(exedy) ect... it just takes some time man, is say for now do the clutch on your ka and get the sr and everything lined up so you can do a straight forward swap one weekend.... best of luck man...

__________________
TW: http://zilvia.net/f/cars-sale/390459...d9s-coils.html

alkemyst

I like rare 2 door cars. Wouldn't want the Evo/etc even if 2 door.

I am extremely handy from boats to woodwork.

In 20+ years of cars the only people working on my cars have been autobody and machine shops (not counting tire and alignment).

I have enough time on my clutch to build up another option.

I just don't know if it's going to be worth it.

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

Javi.NES

ehhh you dnt have to spend 6k to put in pretty much a stock sr man.
If your looking to make some power, and if your not willing to spend the money then why not just got ka-t? It would be fun for what you looking to get it out of it.
Or just sell it, I mean it is your car, and at the end of the day you do what you want.

g/l on whatever it is that you decide to do man.

Def

It's pretty easy to do yourself. Just do all the maintenance on the engine beforehand and give yourself a weekend to do it(probably won't take that long). Engine hoist and load leveler that you can turn around and sell afterwards if you don't need 'em again.

I dyno'd my almost completely stock redtop SR20DET after installed, it was stock(SMIC, ECU, MAF etc.) except for a GReddy turbo outlet and downpipe, and 3" exhaust. Stock boost(8 psi with the exhaust) and it made 205 rwhp, 200 rwtq. Car weighed around 2560 lbs with half a tank of gas, and probably would have run a high 13 at the time. It was faster than my friend's '95 M3 that had full intake/MAF/exhaust mods(basically high 13 sec car at ~100-101 mph).

I put a MBC on it and ran about 11-12 psi on the SMIC and it felt like it picked up around 30 rwhp like that, but it'd definitely heat soak after a few pulls. It was still a fun ride then with every pretty stock.

I say do it. $9k might buy you a really high mileage '02 WRX or something, but that car is mid 14's with a hard launch, and the transmission could asplode at any point in time. You're looking at maybe a grand to bump up the power, and IMO they are boring to drive anywhere close to stock.

__________________
S13 Hatch - Goes around tracks quickly
DEFSPORT

alkemyst

didn't say it did...

my KA is not the best candidate to be rebuilt due to a replaced headstud. But I am willing to go that route with another engine.

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

Javi.NES

well on whatever you decide on doing goodluck with it man.

alkemyst

I may end up just doing it...the only cars I would consider out there today are at about 4000lbs...I just don't see that being as fun to drive around the way I like to drive.

The only thing that's killing me on my car is power. About 99% of the rest of the car I wouldn't change.

I have had it going on 5 and a half years now which is the longest I have had any car.

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

waynehead05

Why not boost the ka with a simple bottom mount setup? 9 - 11 pounds will get you your goals.

__________________
Who in their right mind would want to lead this nation of Me-First Right-Now Do Nothings??

SilviaAura

hey bro i have a pretty much stock redto sr20det in my s13 and i love it...
it give up good power and all i have is a greddy oil pan lol and the apexi ebc wich i use to boost around 13-14 pounds...the engine pulls hard enough to go out and have some fun...it even pickus up speed nicely going uphill...so if u really want another engine id say go wit the sr...but if your engine can handle more of a beating then u should go ka-t...

mewantkouki

Buy the cx-racing turbo kit from ebay. Sell the shitty china turbo, buy some nismo 555cc injectors, buy a garrett t3/t04e or equivalent non shitty turbo, buy an enthalpy tuned ecu. (dd on 7 psi, run 12 as your high boost) If your ka has consistent compression above 175 psi across the board, you should be fine.

Tom25666

i really don't understand why they don't make more rwd 4-cylinders. stock sr in a s13 is pretty damn good on the "bang for buck" scale, and you can always build the sr over time. go for it and do as much as you can yourself!

__________________

ixfxi

stock sr is great, i love it.


just clean up the motor with a fresh gasket set, some basic things like gauges and a nice clutch and youre good to go.

upgrades are only good if you spend good money on proper parts. i'de take stock sr ANYDAY over an improperly boosted/built/modified motor.

MADE

IMO stock SR's are not fun and unless you get a good deal or have a bad KA just wasting money. At least moderate tuning and you would be happy. When I first did my swap I noticed it's faster than my KA but not monetarly justified to me. It wasn't faster than my 5.5 Maxima. Now after a bit of work I want to drive my S14 move than my daily.

__________________

alkemyst

I would need to replace my head or modify the new turbo manifold for a 12mm stud and even then I question how reliable that stud is due to the fact that I made the mistake of bringing it to a pro that butchered it and 'glued' in a 1/2" stud ... I ended up doing what I should have from the beginning and drilled and tapped the bastard except now I had to go up a lot in diameter and about 4 threads deeper than needed.

So by the time I find a KA to put in I am looking at only saving a bit.

I know many here have bragging rights to falling into a $1000 turbo setup, in reality I am looking at $3000 just for the turbo side of things and hoping the block I get hangs in there.

I am building a daily driver. I am a older professional that needs reliability. If the economy recovers and I can go to having a weekend warrior it would be a lot different.

Out of the $6k I am looking at for the SR20DET, $1500 is labor and probably another $1000-1500 of stuff I really don't need (BOV, FMIC, etc)...I may just pick up a cherry SR20 at $2500 and do it myself keeping it all stock right down to the SMIC to start. I am looking at that alone probably being 100hp more than I have now.

I want to avoid buying any kind of stolen stuff as well...around here I have seen things that are just too good to be true.

my car is my main money pit...my wife and I do things at home, I take my dog to the park at night and do side work with my tools for friends and family on the weekends mostly.

Nothing is better than heading out at night jamming to some great music and just cruising around 'spiritedly'.

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

turboboost12004

just stop wasting monney and get a v8....more power than you can handle...and american

__________________
Sieze the day or Die regreting the time you lost

steve shadows

A stock SR swap with the boost turned up will get you

0-60 in 4.8 Seconds
1/4 mile time of 13.2 Seconds

done and done

__________________
Like Me on FaceBook !

alkemyst

My first car was a restored 1966 Mustang GT. My second was a 1988 GT with T-Tops and the full motorsports catalog .

I have thought about an LSx, but that's about $6-10k to do right and there are still things that are half-assed in my opinion in the kits.

I am still open to that option though.

I don't want to buy another mustang or modern V8 though at that price range...they are far too common.

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

Touge Noob S13

Yeah, fuck them jap crap and buy American. America, fuck yeah! [sarcasm/]

__________________

turboboost12004

just get a fox, get your self some gt40 heads and intake..like 400 bucks, you should be putting like 300 whp and like 350 trq. cat back, intake, 3.73 or 4.10s and you should be good to go for a nice street legal set up....and you wont break your bank while doing it.....
i had an s13, back in the day, with the money i spent on the turbo and engine alone. on the s13. i had a nice fox with far more power than a stock sr or ka...with not spending hundreds.
alot of horsepower upgrades can be had from the junk yard. and if you go on half off sales then you save even more.......

__________________
Sieze the day or Die regreting the time you lost

alkemyst

my goal is not just a race car though.

I'd really like to keep this 98 SE...if I did change it it would have to be to a much newer car.

The only old guard I'd consider is an Impala SS but that's $20k for a 96. I hate 4 doors, but those cars just have a look that's bad ass in black and with a 6 speed, some cheap engine mods, some not so cheap suspension mods...a real beast...plus you don't see them everyday. I don't want a car that everyone has. I have not seen more than a half dozen like my car in the 5 years I have had it.

I am thinking to just pick up a nice SR20 and do a major maintenance on it...stick it in, turn the boost up and call it a day.

I can always add the FMIC, BOV, bigger turbo, bigger etc later if I find it really sucks.

__________________
Now my Kensai, I curse you to be a Ronin and with the my remaining spirit I, beseech Chimata-No-Kami, to have you wander through time and distance lands, seeking a new master.

turboboost12004

or just keep the car, and drop a v8...lol...but then you wont be emissions legal...well at least here on cali. dont know about your emissions laws

__________________
Sieze the day or Die regreting the time you lost

jspeedm

reman KA24DE- $2300
Greddy turbo kit- $2500
combination= $4800=reliability=fun=quick=easy to swap for emissions(maybe two hours)if need be.

__________________

Touge Noob S13

The guy is in Florida, he could give two shits less about emissions.

__________________

ixfxi

did you just say maxima?


get the fuck outta here dude, you have no clue what youre talking about. stock sr and i was smoking exotics in the canyons here in LA, and giving supras a run for the money on the track (not drag racing).

upsdude

sounds like sticking with the ka would be your best bet...if you're only looking for a dd i dont see the point in dropping 6k on an sr. but it all boils down to preference. i'm piecing together turbo kit for my dd...do i need it? hell no but i want a turbo :P if you just want a reliable dd then it would probably be cheaper to rebuild your engine with oe parts and keep it stock...'cept for the intake/headers/exhaust *shrug* good luck with whatever you decide

p.s. i drove around in my friend's s14 today (first experience ever w/an sr20)-he's got an s14 sr with an s15 turbo. nothing major in terms of mods, except a blitz intercooler and a greddy bov...so it's pretty much stock, he doesn't even have any boost controllers/timers/gauges, etc. in my humble opinion, it's a fun engine to have but i had to floor it to like 5-6k before the turbo really kicked in. so unless you like hammering the gas constantly when you go to work, it's not gonna be worth it if you just want a reliable commuter car. rebuilt ka with mild mods will probably serve you better...but i'm biased towards the torqie ka.

clark

you had to hammer the gas pedal because he didn't have a boost controller. if you had an EBC you could control the boost at lower RPM and it'd keep the wastegate shut early int he RPMS so it'll spool faster.

i have had a stock SR for 2 years now. i don't get sick of the power. usually i get sick of power and feind for power upgrades, i haven't even done any power upgrades in over a year. I've been upgrading brakes and suspension. i'm satisfied with the power, my estimate is around 230whp with no tuning. my car looks like ass and you cant' see the intercooler, it's fun to see the look on evo owners faces.

either route, i don't know why you're saying you don't need a bov or FMIC, they will make things much better. lol i have an SMIC and no bov (capped off pipes) and am realizing that i do need them so those are my next upgrades.

i just have an MBC, boost to around 13-14 psi, occasional spikes higehr than that. but i have a toda flywheel and 1pc steel driveshaft, exedy stage 2 clutch, and s15 helical lsd.

thing is a BLAST to drive, i had to build this car tot he way i want it because there is nothing available like this car. well except now the hyundai genesis.

from yoru postings, it seems like you don't EXACTLY want to do it yourself to get this experience under your belt, but it you're lookingl ike a simple bolt in, yeah SR is the way to go. if you want to learn alot, and piece together a turbo kit and buildup your stock engine, and spend basically the same thing it'd cost for an S14/S15 sr engine set, then do it.

i say s14/s15 engine set because they're newer, will come with a bigger better turbo, would have less mileage, and you already have an s14 chassis. sure you can get an S13 redtop or typex blacktop, if you do, make sure the mileage is proven.

JRex

Why spend $1500 in labor when you can easily do it yourself?

Csomme

Seriously. wtf? 6k for a decent SR swap? lol.

We did mine 2 weeks ago. Rebuilt s13 SR with around 55,000 miles, brand new exedy stage 2, FMIC with old school HKS BOV, Cuircut sports pulleys, Greddy rocker arm stoppers, Mishimoto SR rad, electric fans, and nismo T-stat.

Came out spending right around $3200 including gauges, lines and fluids.

maybe 6k in '02, but damn, just look around and you can find some deals.

ixfxi

like i said, THIS is why you stay away from motors that arent assembled/built/tuned properly.

S15 turbo making power THAT late? someone either doesnt know the meaning of having their car tuned or has a shitload of boost leaks, i dunno. something aint right, thats for sure.

2.5-3k... thats boost.