mild N/A KA build, a good exhaust setup?

[doomviillain]

im not trynna be the fastest in the world, so i choose to go N/A. i want my DD 240sx to be pretty quick, have enough power to at least slide cuz i plan to go to a track wit it a couple times. Im only looking to spend up to 1000 on mods not including a rebuild (i will rebuild it first then throw mods on). what mods would you guys recommend to get on a N/A KA spending up to 1000? Im looking to get around at least 165whp if possible

and whats the point of a flex pipe? wat purpose does it serve, im curious...im also lookin for a smooth, deep mellow tone w/ single outlet resonator tip
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j115/TheDirtyGerman/audi%20flexpipe/PICT0012.jpg (http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j115/TheDirtyGerman/audi%20flexpipe/PICT0012.jpg)

tnx guys

[twinspool]

Intake, exhaust manifold, exhaust, some cams too. I have an apexi gtspec exhaust fs that has the characteristics of what you had listed. Let me know.

flex pipe is to help when the car is bottomed out and the exhaust scrapes, the pipe will flex and not transfer that motion to the manifold thus preventing it from cracking. it all depends on the location of the flex pipe too, from the pic you have it seems like it is in the right place. You don't want one that is horizonal with the exhaust, you want it to be diverging away from the exhaust axis.

[sirfallsalot243]

For $1000 in mods PLUS rebuild, youd be a million times better off using that rebuild money and mod money to do a MILD turbo setup on a bone stock KA. You can make well over 165whp if you choose to, while remaining incredibly reliable, and if you blow the KA... you can just buy another one for $300. Its not worth it spend $1000 on a stock rebuild on a motor that goes for $200-400 all day in strong running condition. Your money would be better spent elsewhere.

Now, if you wanted to rebuild it for the purpose of going NA, thats another story. At a minimum, ARP hardware, and whatever you choose to do to bump the compression ratio up. Keep in mind if you do this, you wont be able to turbo it later on. But raise the compression, get a good quality header, and a nice set of cams. With supporting mods, that should bring you near your goal, without adding a turbo.

[doomviillain]

well said. I know i could boost it when i have the money but i want to rebuild it cuz it runs a bit like shit right now, and if i boost it the way its running now its destined to go out on me right after. I know a few ppl will tell me to go SR instead which i wouldnt mind at all, but i want to fix on a KA to see the potential it has for myself rather than hearing other ppls input. I would boost it later, then go SR later. My point in this build is to see what advantages the KA has over the SR, and what the SR has over the KA.

[sirfallsalot243]

Well thats cool, and I can respect that especially since youre on a major budget. However, that being the case, it would be much more cost effective for you to replace the KA, regardless of which direction you decide to go with it (NA or Turbo). If you had some money to throw at it, it'd be worth it to rebuild it because youd be replacing factory parts with parts that will get you to your goal (either turbo or NA parts). Youd have to decide which direction you wanted to go prior to rebuilding, or otherwise do a stock rebuild so you could go either way (but then youre no better off than you woulve been with a $300 replacement motor). If you stick with the KA, I'd compression test yours. If its under 150psi on any cylinder, just throw a clean one in. Ill be pulling mine soon, id sell it for around 300, w/ 86k miles on it (just to give you an idea what theyre worth). If yours comes back with good compression, then you could probably get away with just cleaning it up as best as possible, boost it, and pray it holds together.

But like I said, for a $300 motor, you could keep two of them around just as spares.. theyre cheap enough that you can blow one up and go *shrug* "oh well."

I think the BEST bang for your buck is a mild KA-T. Naturally aspirated setups are easier for people just getting into cars, but a real "All Motor" (read: REAL power) build is much much more involved and expensive. With a good KA already swapped in, you could turbo it for as little as $1500 and make 200whp no problem. A stock SR swap will run you at least $2500 and would make similar power. To do an SR swap PROPERLY, after everything is said and done youre looking at closer to $4000. (Thats with an aftermarket rad, clutch, fmic, wiring work, yadda yadda yadda).

The biggest benefit of the SR to me, is that its a factory turbo motor. It runs like a factory turbo motor. It feels like the "right" motor for the car.. doesnt feel like someone slapped a truck motor in and called it a day. I've never driven a KA-T though, so I cant compare. But from driving my NA KA for 2 years versus driving an SR, the SR will make more power, be more reliable (debateable), and get better gas mileage. Ive waited a long time to save up for my SR swap, and I was back and forth with that and KA-T about a million times. At the end of the day, the SR was the better choice for me, but it is also significantly more expensive.

[sirfallsalot243]

But if youre set on rebuilding now, you have some decisions to make. The best way to do a rebuild is to know what you want out of the motor later on- IE, if you rebuild it to go all motor, do it up for all motor. If you rebuild it for turbo, rebuild it to take the boost. Dont just do a stock rebuild, its not worth it. $800-1200 to rebuild a $300 motor. The only way that's worth doing is if youre doing anything other than a stock build. Either a high compression NA build, which would negate any possibility of turbo later on... or a low compression turbo build, which would make the car kind of a dog until you got it boosted. Like I said, on a budget, Id throw in a clean KA and boost it. 6-8lbs, youll be plenty reliable, wont need much for supporting mods (SR injectors, t25 [t28 if u can afford it], etc. basic setup), and it wont break the bank.

[sirfallsalot243]

Heres a thread on NA KA's. Apprently even 165whp is a difficult task with a non turbo KA.

http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/118312-high-compression-ka.html