AGRO_RB

Oh well the parts collection has begun, bought an exhaust manifold, now trying to source a turbo which shouldn't be too hard, then its time to pull the motor out and make a start...

Cheers mate, dont know if you know of StageFumer (member here and on SDU) but i've hit him up for a 20ET manifold he has, just waiting for a reply now, I honestly wish someone wouldve told me the potential of an L20ET earlier!

Been talking to a few guys on the SDU forums, the L20ET sounds like a damn good idea, also easy to get power out of using the same mods as an RB20DET, ie RB25DET turbo, 3'' exhaust, intercooler, 2.25'' piping and run it all on a Link G4 Storm (replaces AFM with MAP sensor too) and 200hp should not be a big ask. I have a friend who works at a shop that specialises in engine rebuilds who may be able to cut me cheap labour or at least parts if we decide to assemble the bottome end ourselves, not only that but with ET manifolds on my motor, with a good tune, the better flow of the NA head and higher NA compression I should (in theory) have a responsive, willing motor, the experience i've had with 20DE+T and 25DE+T builds has been great, extremely reliable with a good tune up to 14psi on stock turbos and internals and far more responsive than the factory DET motors, not saying my L20 will be the same by any means in terms of what it'll handle, but the theory's the same. The more good im hearing about the L20ET and how reliable they can be is definitely starting to sell me on one...

Just read your post, Why 200? Doesn't seem too silly for a daily driven road car but still plenty of fun, a stock standard GTS-T (RB20DET) puts out around 212 and they're great to drive, sedate enough to be driven around normally but still more than enough power to put you on the silly side of the speedo and beyond. Heard a few horror stories about the 20ET and how much of a waste of time they are, apparently it's better to use the 20E head as they flow better and even then they aren't really worth it.

The car's currently on its factory struts with King Superlow springs, needless to say its not the firmest ride in the world and I have the occasional issue with understeer due to the front being much firmer than the rear and the rear having way more negative camber than the front, not to mention cheap tires Also, being the second model from base spec, the brakes are crap, disc front drum rear so again, i'd be butchering a de-registered or import DR30 for parts, then upgrades, so thats even more money on top of a swap... I could always throw L20ET manifolds at my E, crank the boost up and hope for the best...

So basically I can rule out an L26 being an ideal choice for the power figures im after, on my budget? There's no SIMPLE ''throw it together and make it work for SFA money'' way of doing it? The FJ was always a tempting engine, requiring only a DR30 dash, engine loom and ECU, its trying to find a gearbox and an uncut loom that's the hard part, and some traders don't make it clear that the motor they're selling is an ET or just an E. I've got RB's and parts coming out of my ears and to be honest i'm a little over them, Was actually tempted to buy a complete 26DETT for $4500 and a 25DET box for $1500 and be done with it, but being a near base spec model my brakes and suspension wont cope and with me not willing to go any bigger than a 15'' wheel (nostalgia thing ) a GT-R motor's sorta out of the question as well... decisions...

I've dealt with SU's and Strombergs a bit over the years, mostly the HS4 and HIF44 carbs on Minis though although im sure they won't be too dissimilar, their construction certainly isn't anything new to me. A friend and myself sat down the other night and did a little research into the L6 lineup, and thought that being the closest to square-bore out of the lot, the 26 would be a good way to go for a good balance of power and torque, not to mention I like a motor that's quite peaky, as in, makes most of its power in the top end. NZeder, how much have you seen triples sell for over here? Last I priced up a Weber DCOE40 for my old Mini 1275 motor (wouldve been early 2008) they were around the $400 per carb mark, then another $200 (each) for the manifold but I suppose this would vary between motors and also now that the exchange rate and currency values have changed I suspect the price has increased quite a bit. Also is my $5k budget enough to cover mods?

If I can get my ute sold, i'll have about $4500-5k (NZD) to play with... if that helps.

It's a hard call really, an L6 will drop straight in with minimal fuss, an RB requires an R31 subframe which in turn means a conversion from drag-link to rack and pinion steering, hours of wiring, a new gearbox, custom driveshaft, and trying to find a long nose R200 LSD to have any hope of putting power to the ground. The ease of maintenance, familiarity and the fact I know an RB will make good power for next to no effort/money spent are all drawcards, but the L series is something rarely seen here, RB's are a dime a dozen, people dont dont look twice when they hear a 20DET, 25DET or even a 26 on boost, yet everyone seems to sit up and take notice when my sad little L20E picks up, its a whole different sound, plus the looks on peoples faces when they see an L series motor for the first time in the car, it certainly gives it some personality, with an RB swap, to me it'll just be another generic Skyline, i've been around and owned more than a few now to say I want something a little different. I'll definitely look into getting the head looked at, and will have a go at rebuilding the bottom end myself, the last time I put a motor together was college nearly 5 years ago so it'll be an interesting project. On the carburation side of things, are triples worth it? If 200hp is as easily achieveable as people are saying on the standard carbs then just how much can I get out of my motor with the mods most of you have thrown out there? Sorry for the million questions guys, would just rather do things once and do them right.

Interesting stuff. As i've mentioned, L28's, as much as i'd love one, aren't all that common here in NZ and the people that do have them aren't willing to part with them, and when they do, they want silly money, i'm actually considering importing one from the US Had a look at the motor today, SU's are flat tops, as i've said before i'll happily make the switch to triples and im open to anything, but if im having to spend thousands on head-work to make 200rwhp then I may as well make the switch to an FJ20, which was the original plan, a stock RB20DET or build my ideal NA, an RB30DE, which was my second option, and I already have the parts... The only thing holding me back when it comes to an RB swap is killing the cars originality, at least an L6 or an FJ is in that particular models list of factory motors...

So I presume it's not actually that hard to get power out of one then? Excuse my ignorance guys If any of you could recommend a good base build that will easily get me over the 200hp mark on carbs (Factory or otherwise) that would be much appreciated, as i've mentioned already, L-motor tuning is all new to me compared to RB's, which pretty much fit together like lego and are ridiculously easy to get good power out of. Thanks in advance

Since buying my R30 i've fallen in love with the sound of the L-series, a pissed-off sounding, dirty grumble at idle, an equally angry, lumpy sounding bark all through the mid range and the howl at the top end of the rev range is (in my opionion at least) totally unique among Nissan's 6 cylinders, it's converted me from the RB side of the fence anyway. That, and the ''what motor's that'' look of intrigue on peoples faces when you pop the bonnet, always good for a laugh.

Hey all, Will be getting stuck into my first L-series build soon as a replacement for the dying L20E in my HR30 and I have a few (well, lots of) questions regarding different aspects of the motor, seeing as i've never really worked on an L series before (too used to RB's ) First of all, carburation. The motor i'm buying is out of a friends 260Z which now has an L28E fitted, the L26 has the original SU carbs. I'd like to stick with carburettors instead of going to EFI for a number of reasons i wont go into. Ideally i'm aiming for 180-200hp from the motor (any more is a bonus), will the SU's be capable of this or am i better off switching to triple Webers or similar? If so, which twin choke carbs are ideally suited to these engines? Secondly, will the head have to be touched to get the power figures im looking at? I'd like to get a new cam ground to suit the carbs, but im not really willing to spend thousands on a head if the motor will only give me at most 200hp, I may as well go back to what I know and swap an RB into the car. Next, exhaust, what's a good header for these motors that's comercially available and what size exhaust should I go with? I have a free'd up factory exhaust at the moment (cat removed, reso's in place of silencers, straight thru muffler) which is about 2'', but still seems to be restrictive on my 20. Should I do anything internally to the motor while I have it apart? I'll be giving the bottom end a freshen up with rings, bearings, new pistons if required, new pumps etc after an acid dip and wash. I dont want to go too nuts with this engine as I want reliability and the car's my daily driver. What other supporting mods would you guys recommend, e.g. ignition, cooling, etc, and what advice can you give? Also, please dont try steer me down the L28 path as a few people have tried to do with me now already 28s seem to be a bit of a pain in the ass to find in NZ and I know the condition of the 26 i'm buying, it's also being sold to me at a great price... Thanks in advance