300ZX with KA Motor

[Matt @ Skye Service]

If any of you people have worked on a VG motor you know its HELL!!, I had an idea to swap the VG with a KA Motor and turbo it. Something a little different. What are peoples feelings on this swap, and does anyone have info on the KA motor?

[ex1z7]

You're referring to the KA24DE/E right ? The lil 240sx engine? I'd say if you're going to go 4 cyl route, go SR/CA or RB considering non-turbo engines (like the KA) aren't as friendly to boost as factory turbo engines, they aren't designed for it.

The KA hauls with a turbo and it's reliable if tuned properly and not bagged to shit 24/7.. but the cost and effort to turbo a good condition KA24DE .. you could get an RB25DET..

[Lo)2enz0]

autodream swapped a sr20 into a 300 and damn. specs are on their website I believe

[SpeedyZ]

the VG motor is better then the KA motor, seems like an unnecessary swap

[finboy]

Originally posted by SpeedyZ
the VG motor is better then the KA motor, seems like an unnecessary swap

ever tried working on a vg?

the rb won't fit w/o some customization to the hood.

sr seems like a good swap, but the ka has more displacement, is cheaper, and i'm sure you could just find some nice forged 8.5:1 pistons and make it pretty strong.

[Inthered]

Couldn't you get alot more room under the hood by removing the clutch fan and replacing it with a electric one? Also, I'm sure a single turbo swap would do wonders for extra room. Arn't the CA and VG under the same engine design, with the KA and the SR under another one?:dunno:

[2.4l]

Originally posted by Matt @ Skye Service
If any of you people have worked on a VG motor you know its HELL!!, I had an idea to swap the VG with a KA Motor and turbo it. Something a little different. What are peoples feelings on this swap, and does anyone have info on the KA motor?
i think that swap is shit personally, and if you cant deal with the minor problems of working on the stock tt z motors dont take the project upon yourself.. i just dont understand why someone would swap that motor which dosent even compare what is suposed to be in that car.:dunno: .. the skyline swap isnt a bad idea though

[vietdood]

someone on 240sx.org broke 500whp with the ka24det. if you're looking for power then there's no replacement for displacement.

[finboy]

Originally posted by Inthered
Couldn't you get alot more room under the hood by removing the clutch fan and replacing it with a electric one? Also, I'm sure a single turbo swap would do wonders for extra room. Arn't the CA and VG under the same engine design, with the KA and the SR under another one?:dunno:

even with pulling the clutch fan, it would still be a bitch to work on, its just not a really big engine bay, but nissan decided putting a really wide motor in there was a good idea :dunno:

[Matt @ Skye Service]

i think that swap is shit personally, and if you cant deal with the minor problems of working on the stock tt z motors dont take the project upon yourself.. i just dont understand why someone would swap that motor which dosent even compare what is suposed to be in that car. .. the skyline swap isnt a bad idea though

Yes true, but it is nice to be able to work on your own vehicle as opposed to paying a mechanic to do it. Its not that the vg can't be worked on, but for the horse power it produces its not nearly enough to compare with the time it would take to fix pretty much aything on it.

[joegrang]

I have been researching on the sr route in a 300zx and it really depends on the gen if you are talking about z32 then forget it.. the torque on any of those 4 cyl motors just won't cut it.... I don't know if there is any truth to this or not but I was told this

[finboy]

Originally posted by joegrang
I have been researching on the sr route in a 300zx and it really depends on the gen if you are talking about z32 then forget it.. the torque on any of those 4 cyl motors just won't cut it.... I don't know if there is any truth to this or not but I was told this

with a 2.4L it wouldn't be as bad, i could see it being a bit of a problem with the sr20, but autodream's was still pretty quick (13's i believe).

[DeathBy240]

Hmm this has got me thinking... Should I swap out my SR20 for my honda lawnmower engine? Imagine all the room it would free up... and rebuilds on those tiny engines are so cheap that I could boost it and blow it up on a weekly basis.

[crazydave]

go to KA-T.org, there is guys making over 600whp on there ka's. if you build your own motors and do your own work, it wouldnt be that bad of an idea at all.Thats just horsepower wise. i think over 600whp and over 500wheel tourqe would be more than enough.ka24de's are cheap motors to buy aswell.

[heavyD]

If you like to work on your own car and find the 300ZX engine bay cramped my advice is to buy another car. The KA engine is a truck engine and is the main reason 240's sold so poorly in North America. Putting that engine in a 300ZX is a retarded thought but to actually go through with it would be just plain stupid.

[90Tegra]

Originally posted by heavyD
If you like to work on your own car and find the 300ZX engine bay cramped my advice is to buy another car. The KA engine is a truck engine and is the main reason 240's sold so poorly in North America. Putting that engine in a 300ZX is retarded thought but to actually go through with it would be just plain stupid.

straight up:werd:

[BlkMaxima]

Autodream Put an SR20 in a Z32 Convertible. I think it ran mid to high 13's last summer!

Heres the site with some pics!

http://www.autodream.ca/gallery/s14.htm

[finboy]

Originally posted by heavyD
If you like to work on your own car and find the 300ZX engine bay cramped my advice is to buy another car. The KA engine is a truck engine and is the main reason 240's sold so poorly in North America. Putting that engine in a 300ZX is a retarded thought but to actually go through with it would be just plain stupid.

the 240 sold poorly because the KA wasn't turbo, lower the compression and put a nice turbo on it and you have a pretty good motor to move around a vehicle.

[SpeedyZ]

Originally posted by crazydave
go to KA-T.org, there is guys making over 600whp on there ka's. if you build your own motors and do your own work, it wouldnt be that bad of an idea at all.Thats just horsepower wise. i think over 600whp and over 500wheel tourqe would be more than enough.ka24de's are cheap motors to buy aswell.

or you could stay with the VG and make 600whp and around 590 torque, stay with the engine and suck it up princess theres a reason Nissan put the VG in the 300ZX and the KA in the 240SX

[finboy]

Originally posted by SpeedyZ


or you could stay with the VG and make 600whp and around 590 torque, stay with the engine and suck it up princess theres a reason Nissan put the VG in the 300ZX and the KA in the 240SX

lol, i think he's only shooting for 300-350 rwhp, not 600

[Matt @ Skye Service]

or you could stay with the VG and make 600whp and around 590 torque, stay with the engine and suck it up princess theres a reason Nissan put the VG in the 300ZX and the KA in the 240SX

seems like someone has a little built up anger. Gotta love those people who get so up tight and cut down other people because of a simple thread.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by finboy


the 240 sold poorly because the KA wasn't turbo, lower the compression and put a nice turbo on it and you have a pretty good motor to move around a vehicle.

No. The 240 sold poorly because if the KA engine which made the 240 the slowest car in it's class in a dead heat with the equally underpowered Celica which also sold poorly in the 90's. The highest selling cars in the segment were the Eclipse, Integra, & Prelude by no small coincidence happened to be the three quickest in the class.

The KA was not designed by Nissan to be used for forced induction hence the SR20DET. It was designed to be used in their small sized trucks and vans. If Nissan would have put in a black top SR20 in the latest model 240's we wouldn't be having the discussion about poor sales.

[finboy]

Originally posted by heavyD


No. The 240 sold poorly because if the KA engine which made the 240 the slowest car in it's class


i don't disagree with you there, w/o a turbo they are crap




The KA was not designed by Nissan to be used for forced induction hence the SR20DET. It was designed to be used in their small sized trucks and vans. If Nissan would have put in a black top SR20 in the latest model 240's we wouldn't be having the discussion about poor sales.

it seems from the power levels that a lot of guys on http://www.ka-t.com are making, that the motor has no problem making 3-400 hp :dunno:

[heavyD]

Originally posted by finboy
i don't agree with you there, w/o a turbo they are crap
99% of car buyers don't plan on turbocharging their N/A car so I'm not sure what you don't agree with.



Originally posted by finboy
it seems from the power levels that a lot of guys on http://www.ka-t.com are making, that the motor has no problem making 3-400 hp :dunno:

Guys are making 300-400 in turbocharged Miata's, 420 powered DSM's, B-series Honda engines, what's your point?

What I'm saying is if you want to go through the hassle of a swap, and there is an engine already available from the factory that is turbocharged (SR20), why would you swap in the company truck engine and then turbocharge it.

It's like DSM guy with the 1.8L swapping in a 420 and turbocharging it when he could have put in the 4G63. Pretty dumb.

[Zephyr]

KAs also cant boost high without running into trouble. im planning to do a sr swap with my 240 because the truck engine sucks. only reason nissan north america used is because the rival celica at the time was only 2.0 and the KA is 2.4. the engine doesnt have all the potential it is hyped up to be. sure people can push high numbers with it, but reliability and longevity is questioned...

it belongs in the trucks, go with a more boostable and agile motor..

[finboy]

Originally posted by heavyD

99% of car buyers don't plan on turbocharging their N/A car so I'm not sure what you don't agree with.




Guys are making 300-400 in turbocharged Miata's, 420 powered DSM's, B-series Honda engines, what's your point?

What I'm saying is if you want to go through the hassle of a swap, and there is an engine already available from the factory that is turbocharged (SR20), why would you swap in the company truck engine and then turbocharge it.

It's like DSM guy with the 1.8L swapping in a 420 and turbocharging it when he could have put in the 4G63. Pretty dumb.

1 - typo, i'll edit in one sec

2 - the reason he wanted to go with the ka is more torque offered, i've been in an sr and a ka-t car, you can definatly feel more low end pull with the ka-t

[Primer_Drift]

Meh.. toss a Rb26 or 25 in there and call it a day :D..

orr if u want to make it easier to work on.. tube frame the front half .. either way the 4 bangers dont compare to a V6, and in a heavy car the torque really matters. Thats my $0.02