The engine that you recieve is going to determine if you have probs later on or not. Ths install is straight forward. Some things to think about is...if probs arise, do i want to pay someone to figure it out, do i want to get educated on cars and engines in general while saving money and possibly learn how to troubleshoot just incase something does happen? There are way more reasons to do it yourself provided you have the tools, time, and space to do it. Knowledge is something you can gain along the way (you can thank the many people before you for asking the questions on that one.) Besides, you can't beat the personal satisfaction you get from doing it yourself. Maybe that'll help the decision making process. :thumbsup

 

Do the swap your self and you won't regret it.

 

Check out the link in my sig... thats how bad it can get, but 90% of the people who do it themselves don't go through that. You drive a 240 so you need to learn to accept that they are ALL constant pains in the ass, but doing the swap yourself will help you learn how to deal with those pains.

As Rusker said, do it yourself and you'll never look back.

 

i figure that i will have some problems if i do it myself. Its just something that will probably happen. What i would really like to know is what problems you guys have had while doing your swap? If im aware of some of the problems that could occur than i can fix them quicker if they happen. I really do want to do the swap myself and learn from what im doing, im just worried of something going wrong. I might do the motor swap and send the harness out to get done. Ive never worked with too much electrical work on the car except for when i did my Auto-->Manual swap and that was just wiring up the reverse lights and the starter together.

 

i'm in the same boat as you. i'll most likely have a shop do it because i don't want to run into any problems. they're gonna put in new oil pump, water pump, fuel pump, belts, gaskets, etc. if i had more time, space, and another car then i would do it myself.

 

don't pay to have a shop do it!!!!! it was the easiest swap ive done...it is sooo straight forward, the only confusing thing is the wiring. and if you go by HT then you will have no probs. i had a problem getting it to start and finally after trying everything it ended up just being that i forgot to wire up the 6 wires inside the car from the ECU and i had a bad MAFS, but you'll regret paying to have something so easy to do.... i pulled my KA and put in my SR and had it wired in one day(one long day but..) , not including accessories just the motor and wiring...


like rusker said do it yourself and you won't regret it...

 

Ballr, how much is your shop charging you to install the SR with all the new accessories? Im going to Mid Atlantic Motorsports tomorrow to check out what they charge.

How often do you guys come across SR motors with bad seals, pumps, gaskets, etc?

I was either going to get a motor swap from Heavy Throttle or check out the prices of Venus Auto for a clip if i do the swap myself? Heavy Throttle is in New York so shipping it would be cheaper than Venus i would imagine plus i have heard good things about boths companies, especially Heavy Throttle.

 

its actually going to be more expensive in my case to do it myself... but it will end up being cheaper in the end. if i run into probs when i start ill come to you guys and ask questions. after taking out my ka and researching i think i am in really good shape. hahah i have been reseaching for like 6 months mainly cause of lack of funds lmao.

 

they'll be charging $4000-$4500 for motor and install. i'm still thinking about doing it myself. i work a lot, so either way i'd take at least a week off to get it done. one main thing i'm worried about is WHERE to do the install.

if there's anyone in san diego who's done the swap and would like to help me, that would be more reason for me not to have a shop do it. and as a lot of my friends know, i'd hook it up with food, drinks, and even some cash for helping out. damn...am i jacking this thread or what?! i should make my own thread.

 

I'm having a experienced shop do my swap for me. This car is my daily driver and I can't afford to be missing work to fix my mistakes

 

Dopple...did you call Mid-Atlantic Motorsports yesterday around 4:30-5ish in the afternoon? I got your pm about you considering a front clip from them and Brian was on the phone with someone asking about front clips just as I walked in.

 

no i didnt call Mid Atlantic yesterday. Im going to ride down this afternoon to talk to them on what would need done. I do feel im in the same boat as Spanish because im going to be daily driving this 90% of the time. And i cant miss work because of problems either.

 

so i went to MA Motorsports today and they gave me a quote of $3450 for a S13 Redtop Front Clip, Install w/ Wiring is $1500, Greddy 3in Downpipe is $160, and an ACT Clutch from them is $389. All total being $5500. Im definitly going to do it myself by buying a Front Clip from Jarco or Venus Auto and maybe have the wiring done by them for $150. I can get just about all those parts shipped to me for cheaper. I though maybe it would run me about $4000 at the most for them to do the swap for me but oh well. Its gonna be a learning experience. So wheres a good place to order gaskets, belts, and other stock parts for an SR if i tend to have to replace stuff?

 

I was either going to get a motor swap from Heavy Throttle or check out the prices of Venus Auto for a clip if i do the swap myself? Heavy Throttle is in New York so shipping it would be cheaper than Venus i would imagine plus i have heard good things about boths companies, especially Heavy Throttle.

Heavy throttle is good as anyone will tell you but basic install rates are 1750 and their motors start at 2500, but then again they choose them so bad gaskets, seals and problems are less likely to occur..dont they offer a warrenty also? They had a deal for feb march installs 250 off, id ring em up soon to get the 1500 deal.

 

id like to get a Front Clip so i know the motor is protected and will come with everything needed. Im looking at Phase 2 and there clip is 3150 with all new gaskets, plugs, hoses, etc... so i can do the swap with no engine problems except for maybe my personal problems. That and Plan B has front clips that come with good Silvia Panels for $3500 that seems to be a nice deal in the end so i can do my Silvia Front too.

 

I don't have the time to do the swap myself, but I chose to do it anyways. Since I've started on it, it's been about 6 months and I'm no where near being done. Which is fine because if I don't have the time to do the swap, I don't have the time to have fun with the car anyway.

I've helped friends in the past with other swaps, but this is the first redtop swap I've done, and the first swap I'm doing myself. If you do ALOT of research you can basically walk through the installation process, and then figure out if your capable of doing this. This also goes for the wiring, although I haven't done it yet, it doesn't seem to be very complicated if you take your time and do it correctly the first time.

The only problems I've had so far while pulling my KA out, is rusted or broken bolts. Anything I've pulled that I need to keep was put in a bag and labeled. I'm trying to be as organzied as possible to avoid forgetting how this shit goes back in the car. :rotflmao

All I need to do is get the damn pass side motor mount bolt to come off and I can pull my KA out. :thumbsup

 

If it's not coming out it could be because the way you jacked it up or set it down. Try supporting the other side equally and it should come out easily. I had the same problem.

 

between me and my dad, were capable of doing the swap no problem. The reason why i originally wanted to get it done by a shop was they knew exactly what they were doing and i wouldnt have any problems after the swap was finished. But after finding out the price, i decided to do it myself and deal with what could happen. Im gonna work on pulling my KA out either this week or next week and start looking for some stuff like 91+ Power Steering Lines, Walbro Fuel Pump, ACT Clutch, and Nismo Motor Mounts. I also bought a SR20DET swap video from Drifting.com just so i have an exact walkthrough on how everything is done. Ive heard it to be very good so i figured it wouldnt hurt to buy the dvd and learn exactly what to do.

 

Yeah definately go with Heavy Throttle. I had my SR delivered a few weeks ago and they have been kick ass with customer service and getting parts that I needed to complete the swap. These guys are hands down the best. The engine itself was clean as hell and doesn't appear to have had a rough life. I even found a 3 puck aftermarket clutch when i broke it down to take a peek. The clutch still has about 80% of its life left. I've got nothin but good things to say about them.

 

Yeah definately go with Heavy Throttle. I had my SR delivered a few weeks ago and they have been kick ass with customer service and getting parts that I needed to complete the swap. These guys are hands down the best. The engine itself was clean as hell and doesn't appear to have had a rough life. I even found a 3 puck aftermarket clutch when i broke it down to take a peek. The clutch still has about 80% of its life left. I've got nothin but good things to say about them.

What parts has Heavy Throttle needed to replace for ya so far?

 

do w/e u can urself first, there's nothing you cant fix if you fuck up, just make sure you have a way to get around for it might take awhile. if you cant do something or figure it out, just send it to the shop, and see if you can get some sort of a discount for having done some of it.

 

I have nothing but good things to say about HT. Although, I work for a company that imports ALOT of stuff from japan and just because something looks "clean as hell" doesn't really mean anything. I've seen spotless motors, that turned out to be complete junk.. and motors that looked like they had been pulled from the bottom of the lake run perfectly.

I'm sure HT spends alot of time cleaning up their product, which is really nice. I just can't justify the price for my budget I made.

240manic: Why didn't I think of that? Hmm.. I'll reset the car on the jacks and see what happens. Thanks!

 

Yeah definately go with Heavy Throttle. I had my SR delivered a few weeks ago and they have been kick ass with customer service and getting parts that I needed to complete the swap. These guys are hands down the best. The engine itself was clean as hell and doesn't appear to have had a rough life. I even found a 3 puck aftermarket clutch when i broke it down to take a peek. The clutch still has about 80% of its life left. I've got nothin but good things to say about them.

Hmm.. seems many of the SR's have that clutch.

I'm assuming mine doesn't have much meat left as yours does.

Dopple: Takes alot of pics and update us on your install process. It's always interesting for me to watch someones swap in progress.

 

if i get a Front Clip, i shouldnt have to look for Power Steering lines from a 91+ since it should be in the engine bay of the clip, Right?

Do you guys think that a motor set from Heavy Throttle, Enjuku, Phase 2, or 240sx Motoring would be enough for me to do the swap without to many problems? Or should i just be safe and stick with a clip.

Sorry if it seems like im asking a shit load of questions guys. I just want to get all my facts straight before i go out and spend alot of money on an SR20.

 

Yeah, if you bought a clip it will come with the lines.

However, getting a motorset isn't a bad way to go. You save money compared to a clip, and you save on shipping as well. The clip with come with the SR20 rad, and stock SMIC w/ piping. If you don't plan on using these and going with a Koyo ( which I recommend doing ), and a FMIC.. then it's seems pointless, unless they are in good condition and you could make a few bucks.

Just as long as you get everything with your motorset, you'll be fine.

engine
tranny
turbo, etc
wiring (engine, lower, tranny)
ecu
MAF
coilpacks

Am I missing anything guys?