Best route to 400HP?

[Joeman]

I'm at the point of either selling the 240 or modding it.I bought this car with the idea that it would be cheap to make fun and fast. But since then I've become disabled with a possibly permanent back injury so now it would be going to a shop for 100% turn key transplant. I live in a condo complex so I can't have junk lying around waiting for install. I dont want to go find an engine separately.I could care less about being involved in the build right now. I want to simply fork over about $4g or less to a RESPECTED shop and have my car returned potently powerful (300-400HP) with OEM driveability, good reliability, all sensors, gauges, and A/C working properly and...able to pass smog, or at least swap a couple things in to pass.. Simple, proven, reliable power. I don't want to monitor laptop diagnostics just to drive the car.


Basically what I have to work with is a black stock 5 spd LE model hatch KA24DE (91) with the good cams. The engine is 190,xxx miles and everything seems stout except for it needs a tune up to correct misfire and it needs and muffler.The engine is great for the mileage, It hardly even leaks oil on full synthetic. The suspension, brakes, body, and even the leather interior are all in great shape too. The 3 owner car was grandma driven till 150k, and responsibly driven after that. I've only driven this car 8k miles in the last 3 years of ownership because it's been primarily a "back up car". It's all stock except for a CAI, c/d Brembos, ceramic pads, 1-2 inch lowered eibach springs, pivot control+battery wired H4 Euro spec conversion. It's a great starting platform for any type of build.

I recently bought a full front/rear set of z32 brakes with 30mm aluminium calipers and considered the 5 lug swap but everything is still in boxes. I'm waiting to see if I decide to sell the car it's whether it's worth doing the conversion.

So now I'm at the Crossroads to just sell it, buy a nicer SUV or sedan for $6g or put this money into the s13 and be done with it.


what's the best option for this much money? Where can I get it done in northern Virginia?
1. Sell the car? How Much is it worth? What's a better car under 6g? (Sedan or SUV...I already have a 99 3000GT VR4)

2. Keep and Turbo the KA? Stock bottom or built?

3. swap in an SR?

4. RB? Of course I want an RB26 but I only have 4g to work with including engine, install and tune so what can I expect for my money here?

[sr20boostn20]

if you sell the car what color is it, what condition is the body in, and how much do you want for it?

[Joeman]

Originally Posted by sr20boostn20

if you sell the car what color is it, what condition is the body in, and how much do you want for it?

It's original black paint, overall the body is GREAT. the right front pass fender is dented in, one headlight cover is dented, various tiny dings, there is SLIGHT rust around the rear sponge spoiler.It has a new windshield. The front seats are recovered factory style leather before I got it, but the rear leather is original and torn with glue stains where somebody tried to fix it. I took the back seats completely out and it looks great inside. The paint is fair with some discoloration and light scratches everywhere. The front and rear bumper is pretty faded, but It looks awesome clean and from 6 feet away. I have good replacement headlight assemblies with black covers but they are also faded paint. It needs little things like wiper blades, hatch struts etc... The clutch is a little noisy when it's cold, and it misses until it's warmed up but once you get warmed up everything works smoothly.

I haven't even decided whether to sell it, it depends on if I could get a decent looking reliable family car for 6g (and only if it's better than a modded s13)

so I don't even know how much to ask. I will post some pics for you. It will be a FAIR market price for its condition and current mods. The z32 brakes would be separate.

[Joeman]

That's what I DIDNT want to hear. So selling it might make more sense because I wouldnt be satisfied with a stock SR nor would I want to have over $10g-$15g wrapped up in an s13 after all the suspension and paintwork. I'd just as well put my money in something more valuable... I really love the tax and insurance break from having a cheaply valued car though.

[Joeman]

here are some pics of the car from 2 yrs ago. The car is still basically in the same condition because it has been parked/ garaged most of the time since then. It's in such nice shape compared to most 240s, so I hate to get rid of it.

[Joeman]

you can see the front right fender really isnt too bad. I just never had the initiative to remove the fender and pound the dent back out. Theres not enough room in that little corner to get to it installed. There arent any SERIOUS problems with the car, just nit-noid stuff because of its age.

[redsuns3838]

Originally Posted by Joeman

It's original black paint, overall the body is GREAT. the right front pass fender is dented in, one headlight cover is dented, various tiny dings, there is SLIGHT rust around the rear sponge spoiler.It has a new windshield.

OK thats not "Great". Great is like no rust, fresh paint, no dents. but car looks clean.

But with your budget you cant get anything that will hit 250whp let alone 400whp. You want 400hp on a 4cylinder turbod motor but you dont want to monitor everything? 400whp is pretty rough on a motor that came out of the factory doing 200whp (assuming you put in an SR) Its considered a pretty highly tuned motor at that point, and things do go wrong and things will need to be monitored.

Dousans estimate of 8K for a 400hp motor is probably even a bit low. Especially with the labor costs of a shop doing it.

I guess you should just buy a sedan or SUV.

[Joeman]

Originally Posted by redsuns3838

OK thats not "Great". Great is like no rust, fresh paint, no dents. but car looks clean.
I guess you should just buy a sedan or SUV.

Well that would be a re-paint which would be $3g. Great is my subjective opinion for it being all factory original body and paint. I havent seen an all original normally driven 91 car of any make without dings, and I havent seen a Nissan paintjob that old without sunfading either especially black blue or silver. . Come to think of it I havent seen too many sponge spoilers without rust at the mounts unless they were refurbished at some point. Especially in the realm of 240's where they are mostly beat to death. So in my opinion, still, this car has survived the elements just "great".

Youre probably right I am considering buying a cheap SUV and just dumping my cash into the VR4 instead, at least there's some collectibility. Either way is a losing battle, cuz I dont want to end up with an outdated $15g beater car with no value in the end. (no offense to s13 owners, I still like the car)

[kuramaya]

SR Swap
Full Intake and Exaust
FMIC
Radiator
TD06 25G
Tomei 1.1
HKS 272's
Power FC
Walbro Pump
850's

yeah that should do it

[kerosinek]

$4k will get you a stock SR swapped in. Which isnt even close to 400hp.

[EAGLE 5]

heh dump in an LS2. Already comes with 400HP but it won't be 4K though.

I'm not sure that budget will allow you that power figure, at least not for more then a few seconds before going BOOM!

[j20accord00]

its a clean car man, I say swap an sr or just build your KA, (KA-T) and have fun with it. I was at the same "cross road" about 3 years ago when I was like 17-18 and I ended up selling it, 3 years later bought another one and did the SR swap..havent looked back since. great car, fast, sporty, plus you have a really clean donor. good luck in whatever you do.

-Evan

[johngriff]

SR swap
Upgraded turbo
cams
injectors
ECU (tuned rom)
Nitrous

Barely scratching at 400hp.
If you find someone to do it for free, you could probably get it done on a little over 4k.

Sorry to hear about your injury.

[Dousan_PG]

4k for 400 reliable hp?
hahaha keep dreaming.
shit wont last that long
if u arent doing it yourself and paying a 'reputable' shop. try 8k and then u got 400+ and not nearly as many worries.

[Full-Lock]

why not sell the VR4, buy another car really cheap in like the 1k range, and put the rest of the money toward the S13?

[Joeman]

Originally Posted by TOPSECRT88

why not sell the VR4, buy another car really cheap in like the 1k range, and put the rest of the money toward the S13?

Haha, HELL no! I love my vr4 plus they are rare for 99. I did say between 300-400hp range even though the title of this thread is 400. I just want serious potency... whatever range that may be.

[HalveBlue]

I'm gonna have to g with what everyone else said: fuhget aboud it.

$4000 isn't going to get you even close to 400 horses.

Either sell the car (which would a shame, 'cause it's so nice and clean) or keep it and a) keep it stock or b) increase your budget.

BTW, why are you so bent on getting 400 hp? Have you ever driven a 400hp 240? Is your goal to achieve some specific lap time or track time? Or do just want to tell people that you drive a 400 hp car?

[ThatGuy]

Cheap-Fast-Reliable
Pick 2 and start doing your homework.
There are plenty of build threads and Tech threads about different engines and modifications.

[j20accord00]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Cheap-Fast-Reliable
Pick 2 and start doing your homework.
There are plenty of build threads and Tech threads about different engines and modifications.

very well put. I like that way of looking at it.

[GSXRJJordan]

Yup ThatGuy hit it right on the head - and as far as power figures, JohnGriff has the right idea, except I KNOW it can't be done in a shop for even $6k. Assuming you bought a shop's SR swap for $3k (a low average, only R&D Factory is cheaper), GT2871 .86 used for $600, Megan exh mani/elbow/dp $300, exhaust for $200, use your old intake, FMIC $200, High Pres FP $100, Radiator $200, and free fans, you're at $4600 without tuning - and that's with rock bottom pricing. If you're not doin it yourself, it's not gonna happen.

To be honest, all those same parts would be necessary for a 300whp build, except you could run a S14/S15 T28 instead, and possibly save a couple bucks, and tuning could be done much easier. Still not even a sure thing for $6k. And after suspension and paint, yes, you will have spent over $10k just like the rest of us. And you will love your 240 more than your right testicle, just like the rest of us.

Sell the heavy ass 3000GT - if you need help getting convinced, go find someone with a 300hp 240 and beg em for a ride.

[Tenchuu]

for around 4K you could DIY a RB25 (260HPish). i was less then impresses with SR20. for 400HPish you have to 1. build the hellout of the engine ($$$$) or 2. go with an LS ($$$$$)

just a thought, but where would you get a clean reliable 400HP car for 4K-6K?

[kerosinek]

Originally Posted by Tenchuu

for around 4K you could DIY a RB25 (260HPish). i was less then impresses with SR20. for 400HPish you have to 1. build the hellout of the engine ($$$$) or 2. go with an LS ($$$$$)

just a thought, but where would you get a clean reliable 400HP car for 4K-6K?

Did you even read the OP?

[Tenchuu]

Originally Posted by kerosinek

Did you even read the OP?

did you even read the thread.

it has been discussed that that he isaogin to have to do one of 3 things

spend more
deal with less hp
sell the car

and since the RB option was in his origional thread, i was sinply giving him a price figure for that idea for him to consider.

also the SR that you can get installed for cheap must be a higher mileage S13 SR.

[Full-Lock]

i dunno man..

i still think the best route to 400hp is to sell that land yacht 3000GT

my $.02

[240sx_RB26DETT]

with 4grand you could probably drop the RB26 if you do it yourself, rb26 has lots of potential tahts what i am going to do, if yo have time save up for the RB26 and some mods for it but if you need money i would sell the car i dont think its worth it to keep and try to get 400hp out of 4 grand well good luck

[Full-Lock]

^^if you could drop an rb26 into an s-chassis for that price there would be a lot more rb26 swapped cars around. you should double that number and that would be the typical price, even if you did the swap yourself.

But 4k for an RB26 swap? not happening. even if you have maddd hookups out the ass and every other hole in your body, it is still really not possible for 4k

[bardabe]

Originally Posted by TOPSECRT88

^^if you could drop an rb26 into an s-chassis for that price there would be a lot more rb26 swapped cars around. you should double that number and that would be the typical price, even if you did the swap yourself.

But 4k for an RB26 swap? not happening. even if you have maddd hookups out the ass and every other hole in your body, it is still really not possible for 4k

yeah agreed. the motor alone is 4K.

back to topic if you want 400HP under 4K? I would say KA-T is your best bet. after market bottom end. top mount GT3071 or GT3076R, but then that is already 2K down the drain. and u still got other things to look for. such as stand alone, fuel supply, cooling, drivetrain upgrades. etc. if you do enoguh research im sure oyu cna pull about 450hp out of the KA with 4K.

[Joeman]

Originally Posted by bardabe

yeah agreed. the motor alone is 4K.

back to topic if you want 400HP under 4K? I would say KA-T is your best bet. after market bottom end. top mount GT3071 or GT3076R, but then that is already 2K down the drain. and u still got other things to look for. such as stand alone, fuel supply, cooling, drivetrain upgrades. etc. if you do enough research im sure oyu cna pull about 450hp out of the KA with 4K.

What's the max you can go on stock bottom? Piggyback instead of Standalone and the price should be well in my range for supporting mods. I don't know of any dedicated s-chassis shops around here to find out. The only one was Redshift and they dropped off the planet.

[Joeman]

even if I were to run out and get an SUV...what the hell is there decent for $5k??? I looked on autotrader and its all just early 90's Exploders & Jimmys, CRYSLER built "cheap" Jeeps, & broken down Discoveries. I was hoping for maybe a 96+ 4-Runner or Pathfinder,QX4.Anything midsize,4x4 or AWD, well built with some luxury that will last 300k miles... or a diesel. It doesnt have to be an SUV maybe a nice looking AWD sedan,like Subaru would work, but all I see is JUNK for the price... as in no better than the s13 I already have. So why bother trading?

[Joeman]

What about the ebay KA24 T25 turbo kits? Are they junk? And what about this "complete" T04B H-Trim kit for sale? Is that a solid kit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissa...QQcmdZViewItem

It looks as if I can run that kit entirely as bolt on (all included), or would I have to buy fuel upgrades etc outside of the parts listed in the sale? How much output could be expected from the above listed KA kits? What is a typical shop install fee for the whole kit?