Any 240sx owners out there?

[ModernS30]

Hey guys,

 

I own a 240sx as a daily driver. It is a 1990 with a 91-94 twin cam KA24DE swapped in. Its a 5 speed with an open differential (pre 1991 cars did not have LSD). It is an SE so it has all the power windows and locks. I find the car extremely boring to drive. It seems very under powered. It handles alright but I have either bad tie rods or ball joints. Also my drivers side strut tower has rusted and is pretty mess up. I think maybe a cleaner chassis would handle better. I also have KYB GR2 struts on the car, came with it. The car is pretty reliable, only had one issue, water pump blew. I knew it was on its way out I should have replaced it but I neglected. Replaced it no issues since.

 

I was wondering if anybody else here owned a 240sx? Whether it is a daily driver or a track car. I want to know how many own one. Maybe I am not crazy here and it is a boring car? Maybe something about my car is making it slow and boring. I think the KA24 is just an under powered engine when stock for the most part. I say this like I am not sure. If you own one tell me your experience. Maybe you have driven one? Go ahead and pitch in. I want to know what others think of the car. Maybe how an SR swap changes the car.

 

As for plans with the car. I would like to find a different 240sx. I would like to VG30et swap it. This swap should be fairly straight forward as you can use S12 200sx VG30e mounts. It would be a bolt in swap from my understanding. I figure MS and a drive shaft and you could have a VG30et 240sx.

 

Let the discussion commence.

[19762802+2]

I will post before someone says stretch the tires and drift it mad tyte yo. haha anyways my opinion is to have a decent slower car around so when you drive the datsun it seems like more of a change. If you drive two fast cars you may lose interest in the datsun and I know I couldn't afford trying to sell a 2+2 in this market. Also do what you want with it make it comfortable for what you want out of it. If you want it to be a spirited DD go for it. I can understand why you might want something a little more fun if I had a 240sx I would probably go with suspension upgrades and maybe a turbo or some more NA power, nothing extreme.

Edited September 27, 2010 by 19752802+2

[Guest El Caballo Loco]

I will post before someone says stretch the tires and drift it mad tyte yo. haha anyways my opinion is to have a decent slower car around so when you drive the datsun it seems like more of a change. If you drive two fast cars you may lose interest in the datsun and I know I couldn't afford trying to sell a 2+2 in this market. Also do what you want with it make it comfortable for what you want out of it. If you want it to be a spirited DD go for it. I can understand why you might want something a little more fun if I had a 240sx I would probably go with suspension upgrades and maybe a turbo or some more NA power, nothing extreme.

 

 

This guys has it spot on. If you can afford to have two toys, or something to mod and daily drive as well as a weekend car it makes things a lot more interesting. Plus you can sometimes get the best of both worlds depending on how you wing it.

 

I have a '98 Trans Am, heads, cam, tactfully gutted, 12 bolt rear, moderate suspension upgrades, and a th350 instead of the T56. When I get in the Trans Am, I expect brute torque and something that can jump off the line fast enough to make any STI or EVO cringe. I do not expect to take a corner at any speed that will make my anus pucker and live to see the next day.

 

I have a '71 240Z that even in stock trim is funner than the Trans Am in its own way. I can keep the RPMs up, throw it through the twisties, and bang through some gears like there's no tomorrow. By no means is it as powerful as the T/A, but it is just as fun.

 

No real point there, just my experience with two cars. I have driven a 240SX and did think it was a turd. It felt sluggish but there is plenty of aftermarket out there to bring out the beast in it.

[LoneStarS30Z]

I daily'd and tracked (drift) a S14 for nearly 3 years. Had the common SR swap with the stock turbo plus every imagineable engine bolt on besides going bigger turbo and injectors. Apex'i coilovers and Kaaz 2 way were also daily'd. Car definitely wasn't boring in any kind of way. The ass had the ability to fly out anytime you wanted, but it was docile enough not to give you any unwanted surprises in the twisties. I did alot of spirited driving on the mountains in Arizona and it was tons of fun.

 

I pretty much got rid of it because 240's were getting so run of the mill and I really started resenting the idiocy alot of 240 owners have these days. Truth be told, I loved the piss out of that car. God only knows what kind of stuff I'd have done to it now if I had kept when I started making double the paycheck I did back when I had it like I do now with the Z.

 

All in all, a stock 240sx is very much like a stock 240z. Handles decent, but doesn't have anything whats so all in the power department. That's why I'd say 75%+ of all S-Chassis and older Z's don't have the stock engines anymore.

 

Here's how it looked before I sold it.

 

Edited September 27, 2010 by LoneStarS30Z

[ModernS30]

Well, I don't want SR20. It seems good-ish, but bandwagon. I liked the 240sx because it looks decent when cleaned up. Mine in no way is like driving a z. You can't feel the steering like a z. I was considering ridding of the power steering and the clutch fan. The car actually has 2 fans, an electric and a clutch. I don't know why or if both are needed? My car has some crappy rice boy home grown 2 1/2 exhaust with a 20 dollar cherry bomb muffler. I figure it is good for about -30hp or so! The muffler actually seems to really restrict the exhaust past 3k. Thanks for the input guys. Everything is helpful. For some reason I have a nissan problem. I really like Nissans and Subarus. I just want to liven the car up a bit. Maybe a LSD would help? One thing I can say is factory 240sx brakes are amazing. You can really get at them. 100-0 almost hurts if you really stand on the brakes.

[260DET]

Sounds like it needs to be put into good mechanical condition first, then see what you think. They have a great chassis and very tuneable suspension, the main problem is their image (in AU anyway) due to them being popular with wannabe drifters and others on the less well mechanically and socially educated scale.

[ModernS30]

Sounds like it needs to be put into good mechanical condition first, then see what you think. They have a great chassis and very tuneable suspension, the main problem is their image (in AU anyway) due to them being popular with wannabe drifters and others on the less well mechanically and socially educated scale.

 

I think that isn't a bad idea. I need to get the car back on a lift and check out the front end. I need to tackle the strut tower and soon. Its one of those jobs where I am going to have to take the strut out of the way. Then get all of the extra crap inside the engine bay off. Clamp it all right and patch it up. If I was to do a VG30et swap I would just find a cleaner chassis because I know I can compared to what you find with z's. There are still 240sx's that people actually have taken care of.

[Tank]

I had an S13 5spd that I drove for 3 or so years and drove the absolute dog **** out of. I kept in mind that a 4 cylinder will never have whiplash torque. It was peppy and good for wet drifts and fun e-brake turns. No matter what that car kept going. A turbo on the KA motor would make it a really fun car and would cost less than a swap of any sort. That's my experience.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Tank

[FlatBlack]

Do a K/A-T

 

[/thread]

[ModernS30]

Do a K/A-T

 

[/thread]

 

FAILZ! LOL. KA-T builds are fairly cheap. The biggest problem is fuel management. In the rain the car feels to snappy at the rear end it want to come around to quick. That is why I think the car would benefit from not having power steering. I can get it to hold sideways even in the dry and it does a smokey one tire fire drift. I had considered welding the diff but seeing as how its the daily driver, that seems like a bad idea. It seems I just have my hopes to high or my car isn't running properly? My car doesn't really feel peppy at all. I would almost rename my car slow40sx. Now I have had the car up to 110mph before. It feels more planted and solid than the s30 does at 100.

[19762802+2]

I had an S13 5spd that I drove for 3 or so years and drove the absolute dog **** out of. I kept in mind that a 4 cylinder will never have whiplash torque. It was peppy and good for wet drifts and fun e-brake turns. No matter what that car kept going. A turbo on the KA motor would make it a really fun car and would cost less than a swap of any sort. That's my experience.

 

Wat.

 

 

(4 cylinder supercharged honda engine.)

 

Also I think if you going to do a swap into a 240sx do something that will piss off all the ricers like a 350 V8 swap or you could always put a L28ET in it if you like the L-series that much haha.

 

P.S I'm also in no way a 4 banger lover, just thought I would give the little guys a chance.

Edited September 27, 2010 by 19752802+2

[Tank]

Wat.

 

 

(4 cylinder supercharged honda engine.)

 

 

BBAAAAHHH, that's awesome! I meant compared to a V8 or maybe an inline 6 relatively speaking

[Cutlass372]

I don't really see what you're expecting here... You say it needs a tie rod and/or ball joints and say the handling isn't as good as the 240z.. Might be a good starting point. A 240z with shitty front suspension isn't going to turn well either. A well maintained stock 240sx handles pretty nice for what it is. The Z just feels tighter because of the lack of power steering. 260DET pretty much hit the nail on the head with his comment and it seems that the same applies in the US. It has a 150hp 4cyl truck motor, it's not going to be a rocket ship and neither is a stock Z. KA-T would probably be my choice as it is cheaper then the SR and Ka's are available if you pop them. Look for the Boba Z car I think it is that used a KA-t on a $1500 budget. It made good power and on the cheap. I'm sure he had some of the stuff already, but if you look around you might be able to find some deals. Basically... Fix it first... then worry about making it faster.

[goodoldjam]

Maybe it isn't running as good as it should. Not 1 KA I've driven felt like it had the same amount of power.

I read a article in a drift magazine, basically about drifting a stock KA. Well they got the car setup suspension wise and brought in some Japanese drifters. Well the first run was total crap and the Japanese guys said right off it felt like a dog. They actually took it to a dyno and it put out something like 110whp. After getting the timing adjusted and they actually advanced it. They brought that car up to something like 140-150whp. They did have a couple cheap mods done prior.

You gotta figure most 240sx's have changed hands to many times, there could be a number of things wrong.

 

My brother has been through 3 or 4 so far.

Out of those cars my brother had owned only one that felt like it had some power. Which could be a result of the mass beatings these cars more than likely had gone through. Try and squeeze out as much as you can cheaply. I do like KA24's but they are worth very little ATM, also that makes them a good budget platform.

[wigenOut-S30]

I have a 93 vert and will be my daily driver as soon as the 5psd swap gets done. I plan on keeping it simi stock as far as engine goes.. maybe eventually header, full exhaust or KA-T at like 6-8 psi. It only has 114K miles on it and is in great shape. For sure will be doing suspension and some wheels. Then just rock out and have a nice vert to cruise around in with my wife and little girl on sunny days..

 

[datsun280zx]

I just bought a 89 240sx its got the ka24e that i plan on turboing and making it into a daily driver/drifter. I heard the ka24e is better than the de since it has lower compression? Can anybody confirm this?

Edited September 27, 2010 by datsun280zx

[iHeartTouge]

My 2nd favorite car I've owned/driven (next to my 280) was my POS stock '93 240sx. The clutch master leaked onto the carpet, occasionally would throw codes preventing it from starting but was easy to bypass, door locks didnt work so I had to crawl through the hatch every time I bothered to lock it, and had been through a hail storm making it look like a giant golf ball. I loved that POS. It was probably my most fun daily driver of all time.

 

Sliding in gravel, dirt, concrete lots and not giving a **** how it looked. Easy and cheap to work on. Ramming shopping carts in the Wal Mart parking lot. Getting a little air borne in a local construction site that never saw any progress. Easily having 9 or 10 240's + an FC (88 RX7) in front of my house most friday and saturday nights was awesome too. They're really great, fun DD's if you abuse them a little. I think it helps to be young and dumb. I had this car when I was 16-17. The track car I got rid of in January of this year.

 

My SR20 was really finicky. If you do go the SR route, I'd recommend rebuilding it or staying away from Canadian importers, I can't remember the name but they spoke a mix of French and English and shouting if that helps anyone remember dealing with them. These cars can easily turn into an enormous money pit but it's so worth it. They can handle amazing and bringing power out of the SR or anything else commonly swapped in them is very easy.

 

Picture from inside my POS s13 of my buddy's POS s13.

 

After being kicked out of a local lot for sliding, we went to another and messed around. Mainly laying on the roof with the car in 1st and steering from there. Yes, there are two cars in that picture. I think it was cold, hence the terrible quality.

 

And the track car I shouldn't have given up on.

Edited September 28, 2010 by iHeartTouge

[ModernS30]

I just bought a 89 240sx its got the ka24e that i plan on turboing and making it into a daily driver/drifter. I heard the ka24e is better than the de since it has lower compression? Can anybody confirm this?

I am going to be replacing the tie rods. I didn't say it had horrid handling, Its just eh. I think you guys are missing the point here. I was asking experience with the cars. Some of you are actually starting to flame on me for "expecting to much" or something along those lines. I don't want/need a full built daily. KA-T is obviously the easy way to gain some power while staying cheap.

[LoneStarS30Z]

KA-T is the ONLY way you'll make decent power out of that engine. I've read a couple threads of people trying to extract every bit as much as N/A power out of that engine and it still barely got them close to a bit under 200hp.

 

Have you ever driven a well maintained SR? I wouldn't let the 'because its bandwagon' excuse drive you away from the idea. Honestly, I don't know how a factory equipped engine (albeit not in the US) is bandwagon, especially since it has a very good reason behind its popular following.

Edited September 28, 2010 by LoneStarS30Z

[iHeartTouge]

This is where I got a lot of my info for my original plan to turbo the KAE. My friend used the same forums to turbo his KAE for 500-1000ish I think.

 

http://www.ka-t.org/forums/