Engine Swap

[unarmed_skyline]

everyone on the n/a secton alwayz mentions get a turbo engine and swap it into your n/a but how hard is it??

What needs to be done other than the obvious?

i have a series 1 r33 -- are the engine mounts the same between the turbo and non turbo??? is the gear box compataple?? does it line up?? i have been told the n/a box is strong than he turbo box is it really??? how much needs to be done to your clutch are they the same??? wiring wise what else needs to be wired in and how hard is it?? will the stock gtst ecu plug straight in??? what sort of prices do rb25det go for (complete with turbo)??? and how much can you get for your n/a engine

i think this information would help more than just me, i have tryed to find the info on the info but everyone just says to do it and doesnt expand

thankz everyone

[GTRgeoff]

Jarrod, while I am not absolutely certain, my experience across RB's you will find that most of the items are compatible, but given the much lower spec of the running gear and brakes it would be much more intelligent and possibly even cheaper to just move the NA and go with a turbo model.

[meggala]

ok n/a box will work fine with stock rb25 turbo( even if you wind the boost up to 14 psi) you should upgrade brakes and rear end and have reasonable suspension.

it a conversion done by a number of people and is worth doing if you like your car and plan to keep it.

meggala

[Greg]

what needs to be upgraded in the rear end? diff?

[Forged]

ok n/a box will work fine with stock rb25 turbo( even if you wind the boost up to 14 psi)

meggala

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

but how much power can the n/a box handle? more than 200rwkw? i dont think they are as strong as the turbo version, at least needs a better clutch?

[meggala]

its as strong as the rb20 det box so around 200-220 rwkw which is enough for most peoples need. bear in mind the s13 sr 20 box is very similar execpt for different bellhousing

[meggala]

re the rear diff you can use the stock one its fine but lsd is preferable

[LO_R33]

Rear diff there is no way will hold up, my cars rear diff is gone now and thats just after a heavy duty clutch went in and after a couple launches. Bare in mind, my gearbox has been rebuilt once before too.. safest option, replace diff, replace gearbox, replace brakes, and definetly replace clutch while your at it.

The best bit about mine is, i know that my gearbox is good, i know my clutch is good, and i will soon know my diff is good:P so the conversion is 1/2 done.

Dayne

[unarmed_skyline]

i've already upgraded my clutch, n i havent ever had any problems with my diff, i think it has stock lsd as on the diff housing it has a viscous lsd sticker on it, although the lsd light on the dash has never light up, i also think it might have lsd cause it's defonatly dual spinners, doesnt seem like there is any gearbox prob's, the cars done 40,000 km's n as far as my 3 very good mechanic friends they say the car cant have done more than 60,000 if it's been wound back but it most likely hadn't been, so i'd be right to say i would be able to do the conversion only with the engine and a new computer right?? im not looking to do it anytime soon if i even do it, finishing off my look's before i get into any engine mods just trying to decide the best way to go,

[LO_R33]

It doesnt matter if they dont 'seem' to have any problems. Nor did mine till on saturday i was driving along at 60k's in 4th gear and it decided to make a knocking noise? Nothing can be assumed unless both items have been opened, and examined. What im saying is, you can't complete a engine conversion with a budget of $x amount of dollars, and not cater in for, engineering, gearbox, differential, tail shaft, brakes, etc. You need to make sure even if you just go the engine, ecu, and engineering approach that you have money there for everything else just * in case * something goes wrong.

Also, question for you, how come you had to replace the clutch, because you wanted to or..?

Most clutchs i know dont wear out with less then 40,000kms on them, and if it did would of ment it had a kaining, and was totally abused, wouldn't that mean that there has been some stress on your gearbox or diff..?

I would say depending what engine you wanted to upgrade to, rb20det,rb25det, or rb26dett that it would cost atleast $3000 to get the car going... thats probably with a Rb20det, ecu, and installed and engineered. $1000 for engine, $1200 for installation, $600 for engineering and $200 for anything else that might need changing. So obviously the fee's will vary from shop to shop, but basic rb25dets these days with ecu are around $2500 mark.

Dayne

Edited November 13, 2005 by LO_R33

[meggala]

he is looking at converting to rb25de the non turbo option a budget of 2-3k will see him through. its different if you are going to turbo's.

the rb25de engine swap is the best performance mod you can do to a car with an rb20e on a reasonable budget motor cost 800-1k fitting aroudn 1k with all wiring. call sam from dr-drift.com he did mine and does quite a few engine conversions. he can also get the wiring sorted properly etc.

0425818755 he is in brooklyn and defiatly worth having a chat to.

cheers

meggala

there is no point doing any mods to the rb20e seriously.

[unarmed_skyline]

i already got a rb25de, i'd be looking at either rb25det or rb26dett, although rb26 doesnt seem very feesiably, i replaced the clutch cause it burnt out which was wierd at 40,000, and as it shattered and not just burnt out we checked out everything else n nothing else was dammaged or in bad condition, we think the the jap owner was female as there were a few indications left in the car, they must have ridden the clutch a lot cause it hasnt had any dammage to anything else, unless ofcourse there were a lot of replacments

[MR R33]

everything lines up, gear box works fine but will not handle big power, but will last if u do not snap gears all the time, the clutch will need upgrading as it will start to slip. the diff works fine, but you will find that the na diff is only good for top end power, so if u replace it witha turbo diff there is a differnce in the acceleration.

the brakes are also good, as long as you do not plan to do track work, as they will start to fade.

wiring you can get your NA computer remapped so that saves you having to get a wiring harness and turbo computer.

the best way to do it is get a half cut and just put everything from that into your car, it is alot cheaper. then all the na parts put that in you half cut shell and it will sell for maybe 2k. a gtst half cut starts from $5k, and the rb25det motor on its own goes for $3.5k from wreckers.

it depends on how much you are looking to spend and it is definately worth doin if you keep your car. people talk about its not worth doing, but if you know your car is in good condition you mite as well just do it on you current na car.

if its all done properly, no body will be able to tell the difference.

[shorty_01]

Hello!

I have R33 96 GTS4 auto

I wanna turbo charge it. As its a GTS4 and uses the Attesa system some1 suggested using a Stagea RB25DET coz it uses the same Attesa.

Should i do that i just bolt on an after market turbo kit?

I really dunno atm coz im not sure if the stock internals of GTS4 can handle he turbo. I believe it can but can run mroe then 8psi.... which is gay.

So i believe the engine swap is what i need.

Can i use RB25DET from R33 GTST or only Stagea GTS4 due t Attesa?

Suggesttions ppl be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Shorty

[shorty_01]

"I really dunno atm coz im not sure if the stock internals of GTS4 can handle he turbo. I believe it can but "canT"run mroe then 8psi.... which is gay.

hehehe corection^_^

[shorty_01]

ok i just confussed myslef.

The stock R33 GTS4 internals can run wth bolt on turbo but not run more than 8psi

Third time lucky

[Eug]

ur drop in engine options are limited to the RB20DET (R32 GTS4), the RB25DET (Stagea) or the RB26DETT (GTR).

Or you could turbo charge it, and yes you will only be able to run lowish boost due to higher NA compression, etc etc... refer to DAN666's thread - even though his was on an R34 GT, the same rules still apply

p.s - u can make corrections to your post by clicking the EDIT button

cheers

[meggala]

the other option is to fit the turbo to the n/abut rebuild the motor with either of 2 opitons

rb25 pistons only

or the rb26 crank rods and piston they do fit.

the stagea motor will drop in and quite often they are cheap the othr hassel will be the auto most stagea's were auto .

if you car going to convert to manual you would be better off selling the car etc.

I dont say sell the car lightly as I have done an n/a to turbo conversion

and can justify the cost most times. with the gts4 it becomes more complex hence my recomendation to sell the car the start afresh. cost to convert to turbo and change to manual would be easily 10k may be more for the gts4 auto.

lastly with a well set up and tuned na/ motor you could probalby see 160-170rwkw. unopened. the key is in the tune. water methanol injection would help alot as well

meggala

Edited December 1, 2005 by meggala

[shorty_01]

Thanks for the reply MEggala & Eug,

The GTS4 is actually very fast STOCK, well... faster than i thought. I beat my cuzons Magna Ralliart:

Yeh i think im gonna take the 2nd option but not going to do it until i got enough dosh.

my car has 120,000k on the clock so maybe mid next year ill do a complete engine rebuild with the r25pistons etc.

Would u say 3-4g will be enough to cover the cost (excluding labour)of parts inc breaks, fuel pump. Most of products will be after market i.e turbo,breaks etc.

Thanks guys

Regards,

Shorty

Edited December 1, 2005 by shorty_01

[Warpspeed]

I have been through all this drama myself, and would strongly recommend selling the car and buying the real thing.

It looks easy, just fit the turbo, ECU and injectors, but it never turns out quite that way.

The problem is that things start going wrong. First the clutch slips, then the gearbox let's go, then the brakes start to become hairy. It may even begin to overheat if the radiator has not been upgraded.

After a huge amount of work and money, you end up with a highly modified car that is neither legal or easy to sell. A roadside check by the cops or EPA could put the car off the road, and it would be rather difficult to return it to standard.

Sure, lot's of guys do it, but it is not going to be as cheap and as easy as it looks initially.

Save up, sell the car and buy a GTST or GTR. It will be fast, reliable, and legal. And it will still be worth something when you try to sell it.