txbeaux Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I have owned Z cars for 28 years but never another type of Datsun/Nissan car or truck. Here's the deal. I had a barnfresh 1966 Datsun 411 Wagon kinda fall into my lap and I'm looking to put a more modern drivetrain in it. Does anyone know anything about what will fit and work the best? It has a J13 engine & 4 speed. I read elsewhere that the "L" series would be a good candiate. I'm a little interested in Megasquirt so even something newer might be of interest. Ofcourse I don't have a unlimited budget and am more interested in economy and the nostalgic aspect. Anyone??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 CA18DET. small, light compact and powerful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdizzy204 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 ka24de- cheap, widely available and can be boosted relatively easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 GA16DE if it's a reliable engine you're looking for. Just get a complete refresh kit and replace the rings. Should outlast the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMWHYR0HEN Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 KA24E or DE for a budget, SR20DE or DET if you wan't to go fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensaf Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 KA24DE just because it's easily available in America and easy to mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txbeaux Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 CA18DET - 173 hp KA24E - 140 hp KA24DE - 155 hp GA16DE - 115 hp Very interesting. Dual cams seem to be very popular. What about the cost for complete engines and what 5 speeds fit? Dallas is 45 minutes away and there are several companies selling JDM engines/transmissions. Don't know if they are complete or not, probably don't include electronics. Checking craigslist, all cheap complete cars seem to have bad motors. Where are they found....wrecking yard, pick & pull??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30TRBO Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 ~FJ20E 150hp OR ~FJ20ET 190-205hp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 The GA16DE is a front wheel drive motor, might have problems adapting it to a rear wheel drive setup as the distributor will end up at the back of the motor facing the firewall. Other than that it is a great little motor. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 The GA16DE is a front wheel drive motor, might have problems adapting it to a rear wheel drive setup as the distributor will end up at the back of the motor facing the firewall. Other than that it is a great little motor. Wheelman Yeah it would be a bit of work to get it to sit right. I'd consider a CA20 with a CA18 transmission if it's at all possible. Probably a bit more durable than the GA16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 CA18DET is a great little motor, but it was never available in the US. Even though most parts (like crank and block) are identical as in the CA16DE, I wouldn't choose this one. SR20 is a nice engine, very popular too - but there are SO MANY OF THEM, I mean, I haven't seen a car that it hasn't been swapped into (maybe except for a Civic)! Plus, the DE motor that was available in the States was used in FWD platforms, which means that it has a different block than RWD cars and the S13/14/15 transmissions won't fit without an adapter. KA24DE looks like the best option here - it's tough as nails, parts are plentiful, plus it's relatively easy to find one, because almost everyone change them for SRs. Dunno why, really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 CA18DET is a great little motor, but it was never available in the US. Even though most parts (like crank and block) are identical as in the CA16DE, I wouldn't choose this one. SR20 is a nice engine, very popular too - but there are SO MANY OF THEM, I mean, I haven't seen a car that it hasn't been swapped into (maybe except for a Civic)! Plus, the DE motor that was available in the States was used in FWD platforms, which means that it has a different block than RWD cars and the S13/14/15 transmissions won't fit without an adapter. KA24DE looks like the best option here - it's tough as nails, parts are plentiful, plus it's relatively easy to find one, because almost everyone change them for SRs. Dunno why, really... The 200SX turbo from 84-86 had the CA18ET here in the united states. It's not the DOHC, but it's still a CA turbo engine. The CA was used in FWD application in several other cars in the USA, so finding some parts shouldn't be TOO hard. But I'm gonna have to side with the many others here and say the KA would be the way to go. It's got quite a lot of displacement to play with, and there's lots of parts availble for these engines. They have quite the selection of turbo manifolds to choose from "over the counter" so to speak, more than you can say about any L series... And as 1 fast Z has shown, their DOHC head flows pretty darn well. Just get the air in and out, tune it and it should make decent power for the cam profile and displacement. As far as where to get one? I see the DOHC engines nearly every visit I make to the junkyard around here. Don't forget they came in the Xterra and Frontier too. It really shouldn't be too hard to find one for a good price. Tranny wise, I think the older SOHC engine used the same tranny as the L28E. Not sure if it's the same bellhousing though. I've seen people mate the Z31 tranny to them though, and those are stout enough for the torque the motors make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtle_driver Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 ka24de with a custom tuned ecu from e-mance.com will get you 300-350 hp from a stock block, 400 with e85. and a t3/t4 turbo. just need injectors/wg/re-curculation valve/walbero pump/intecooler etc.... or build a ka block, get over 700 hp. some 1200hp examples exist but are not practical for street. 500-700 is the most i would go for street. my best friend has a s14 with a ka24de and has never been beat by a sr20 swapped car. why? because sr's are ghey and small and aluminum and have a horrible valve train. thats my opinion. so many s13/14 guys are swapping in sr20's, its funny, kinda like having a ss Chevy with a 350 and swapping in a smaller engine. i have a ka24de turboed with a holset. its pushing 320hp ish, at 14-15 psi. and i daily drive it for 2 years. the motor has 180k on it. and has 175psi accross the board. its all in the tune!!! thats the secret! get a tuned ecu and save yourself a headache, you don't need a fpr or fmu to get it dialed in. any setup is possible with stock ecu, just send it in to get chipped for anything you want. the stock tranny for the ka24de is the same for all the years of the 240sx. they are pretty strong, basicly the same as a rb20. they can handle 300ish hp for a long time. but you can get a kit to install a z32 tt tranny and use an rb flywheel and 350z clutch. that will handle 500 or more hp. go to ka-t.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nismopowered Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 sr20det, very easy to get. bullet proof. My wife drove one for over 4 years 60 miles a day with no problems. I dynoed mine because it wasnt running enough power when I put it in a g20, 258.7hp, 258.2 trq. at the wheels(about 310 crank) and that flooded itself. by 2krpm it was under 10/1 and never came back. Turns out the return line was smaller in the g than the sentra I had! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Ofcourse I don't have a unlimited budget and am more interested in economy and the nostalgic aspect. Anyone??? KA's are dirt cheap thanks to sr20 swapping nuts:mrgreen: My Frontier has 205k miles on it and runs perfect. If you are going to stay n/a more cc's = more torque= more fun in traffic and easier to drive. There's a reason Nissan used them in everything that was heavier than a Sentra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nismopowered Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Well they are both good engines. Nissan did use the SR in other cars heavier than the Sentra. They were produced for differnt applications. The KA is a torque engine, hence trucks. It makes good torque but doesnt have the higher rpm rush the SR does. In a car that light anything would get it to go! A stock KA is cheap. If you want uncommon go with a CA engine. Big in Japan but not here. What about an L20B from a 200sx? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtle_driver Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Well they are both good engines. Nissan did use the SR in other cars heavier than the Sentra. They were produced for differnt applications. The KA is a torque engine, hence trucks. It makes good torque but doesnt have the higher rpm rush the SR does. In a car that light anything would get it to go! A stock KA is cheap. If you want uncommon go with a CA engine. Big in Japan but not here. What about an L20B from a 200sx? have you ridden in a ka-t with a larger turbo (that suits the bigger displacement, not a tiny t28)? they rev to 7k rpms and with a good tune and a cam swap it revs higher than a sr. and safely, it has better valve train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nismopowered Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Yes I have, but your right. BTW stock SR's rev over 7k(91 Sentra 7200redline) http://www.se-r.net/multimedia/pictures/national_convention_99/turbo4dr.jpg RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I have a Van... Nissan Serena with a SR and Auto, RWD with VLSD stock from factory. it redlines at 7. I've ripped off dickheads att he lights who wanted to drag the guy in the big ol van with mummys civic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR240Z Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 stock sr20dets from japan redline is set at 7500rpm. we are reving our 510whp sr20det to 7800rpm with stock hydraulic lifters and no issues whatsoever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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