i have just proven that you do not need

[TheSparo]

excessive knowledge about cars to swap out an SR20DET into an S13, i have an 89, i bought a red top front clip, and with no professional help, only help from friends, put in the motor, right now it is at nissan just to get the timing perfect, because it was running very advanced, now i know i researched for a long time about the motor swap, but the only other thing i had done before the swap was a brake job.
So, if you are questioning if you can do the swap, you can if you know enough about it, it took abuot 3 weeks from when i recieved the clip, w/ only a week down time from driving (my car was running to clarify) and i am so extremely proud of myself. i am writing this to not only gratify myself, but also keep others from being scared. BUT YOU HAVE to be confident that you CAN and WILL do it, you cant be like ummm i guess i will try it...
and wiring... not worth spending $200 to have someone do it, it is so extremely easy...
but i do not have power steering or a/c b/c the a/c you should know why, but the PS, i got a hicas pump w/ my clip instead of a regular one...
anyway, just letting everyone konw!!
Thank you so much for the help you all have given me!!!!!!!

and i would like to thank my dad and brad who helped me out haha

[radhaz]

Congratulations!

[fantasya98]

y no a/c? is it cuz the 89 doesnt match up with the sr? but y not use the sr a/c?

[DRFT]

How easy was the wiring for you? what exactly does shops do with it when they want $200 for it? they just extend it right? to make it run to the drivers side?

[hookedup240]

congrats, glad to know it isn't that hard to do.

[TheSparo]

the a/c has nothing to do with the year (i dont believe) its the brackets that connect to the actual compressor, on ka's there are two screw holes, while on the sr, there is one screw, and the two are so close together you cant just try to screw in one screw (there are two a/c lines)
places charge $200 for a "professional" wiring job, the only way you make it look profesisonal is to put electrical tape around it... not a lot of work, but all i did was wire it up like it says on HT, which is cut the white connector harness and hookup the sr harness w/ it, and same with battery plug wires, and extend the MAFS..., all you need is a soldering iron ($20) solder (<$5) wire (18gauge <$5) wire cutters are preferred for ease, electrical tape ($1) and some shrink tubing (<$5) for a clean safe solder job...
but if you dont get different heater hose lines, then man is it frustrating trying to rig some up, if you want to make it extra easy, buy the kit from HT which comes w/ all pre-bent heater hose lines, but i modified mine to fit...

[Bill Roberts]

So...How does the power feel??

Let us know how it seems to you once you get the timing situation nailed!

[TheSparo]

definately will do, but last nite i took it for a test drive once we got it started, and before the intercooler piping came loose, i gave it some gas, and the feel of the turbo when it spooled up was just such an amazing feeling, and the sound when you let off the gas... it was just overwhelming, but i also didnt have an exhaust on it haha, hopefully it will be even better when i get it back, that was only a drive around the neighborhood..

[fantasya98]

when i said a/c i meant the compressor, so you cant use the sr one? I remember sports compact sayin you can use the ka24de compressor cuz its diff from the sohc one. Man, you should put up a post on exact wire relengthening, im sure everyone here would love to save 200-250 dollars, myself included.

[DRFT]

your the man Sparo!

[crioten]

wow, i think thats so cool that you managed to do this by yourself. i hopefuly will be starting mine next summer, and i have about the same amount of car know-how...

mind if ask what you have totally installed? like did you go for anything extra or just the front clip?

what are some of the main concerns you faced, and what was your budget for the project, and did ya stay within it?

i know im nosy, but i am still debating on either swapping or doing a complete suspension upgrade (coilovers, strut bars, power brace, bushings, vlsd, wheels, etc...) and brakes (300zx on all 4 corners) so either way ill be happy, but one is very different than the other...

[TheSparo]

Fantasy: i had an sohc, so no help there for me haha, plus i never used the a/c, i just opened the windows and as for the wiring, HT tells you exactly what to do, it just takes a careful and patient hand, all you do is swap out a few plugs, and lengthen a couple wires... actually i found out you only needed to lengthen the MAF wire.. but maybe im missing something haha, if you want me to i can tell you exactly what to do w/ the wiring, just send me a PM

DRFT: thank ya, but once the timing is adjusted and it stil runs, then i will be happy

crioten: all i did was buy a front clip from Venus (which i highly recommend, excellent support, they sent me everything, and even little things, like a motor mount that was broken ON THE CLIP, they have been great) i didnt have to buy anything else, i still have the stock fuel pump (b/c the person i bought the walbro from is taking over a month to send it) but i did change the clutch, and im buying a dual n1 cat back in a day or 2, my budget was simple, spend as little as possible haha all i did was buy the clip, clutch, and oil.. i think thats it, besides the $10 for wiring supplies, so yes i did stay with it, i got a clutch kit for like $150 w/ flywheel resurfaced, pilot, and throwout bearing and pressure plate...
well since i havent really driven the car fully yet i wouldnt kno wut to say on suspension, but if your suspension has low enough miles, i would go for sr swap, my next step is suspension, then fmic, boost controller... so eiither way, i just got in on a group buy for the sr clips so i went for it then..

sorry so long i just want to let people know what my opinions are fully and trying to help out

... dammn that is a lot of writing...

[Bbandit]

congrats man!
but yea the swap is fairly easy
a friend of mine (240keyy = hes on this forum) did the swap for less than a week.. (5 days i think)
and that was his first swap with just engine hoist and basic tools..
no power tools at all
his wife did the wirings and both of them never did any swap nor wirings before, and back then, he still lives in an apartment and did the swap at a friend's shop..
if you pm him about sr swap.. i know exactly what he will say
"dude, just swap the motor yourself! its easy! dont waste your money on labor!"

so basically.. all you need for the swap is just front clip, a 240sx, and a garage(or a place to work on it).. and of course.. a couple of little stuff ( cables, etc )

since then, we've been dropping our trannies here and there.. and im pretty sure we'll be doing this a lot more (a couple more sr swaps, ka swaps, tranny swaps, etc)

for me, im going to swap a 96 KA block into my 91 240 in 2 weeks hopefully..
(with help from 240keyy and fastpace, hopefully more)
so yea when you do this kind of things, just try to keep telling yourself that you will save a LOT of money if you go with DIY..
it'll take time but you will save money and learn at the same time

[crioten]

i think that its the whole reliability thing...i can afford the money for the clip and all, its just that being 18, if something goes wrong, i may loose my wheels for a while, i dont have an emergency bank account to tap into. and i need them to get to work...thats what im stuck on...someone tell me that sr's never die lol...

id love to do the swap myself, i basically have everything i need, tools, a big garage, and tons of friends to help... except for a hoist, and with alans help (if hed help me lol) it shouldnt take too long to get going...

i think i just convinced myself, the only thing holding me back is just not hearing people say how well their swaps go all the time, and how reliable they are stock...lol, all we hear are all the problems people have and rarely how well the motors doing...

[toreno]

Sparo will you make a wiring diagram anytime soon? or where did you find yours at?

[TheSparo]

crioten i too am only 18, i paid for it all myself, as well as the car, and as for the wiring diagram, go to srswap.com and on the menu in the left, click on install faq, then go to wiring... tells you everything you need... if you still have quesitons PM me
later

[Stee Flo]

Just FYI i think the latest issue of Import Racer has a how-to on the swap. It might be a helpful thing to have around for anyone who is considering doing the swap.

[four]

hey congrats man!

that's great news.

i'm in the process of goin SR also and thought about doing it myself (with some friends ofcorse)

Any way, i reached the conclusion that it wouldnt be possible since i work full time (9-5) then I go to school two nights a week. With that pace, I wouldnt be finished with my swap for 1 month. 1 week down time I can deal with, 1 month, its impossible!

Anyway, I'm probly getting my swap from CarLuch over here in Jersey. He's had a pretty good rep all over the local boards, and I've seen cars he worked on.

Again, Congrats!

[TheSparo]

holy ****ing **** licking mother ****ing power batman, this thing is amazing, i never thought i would have this much power in here, yea people who have modified ones will be like i feel sorry for you if you think it has that much power" but ggoing from <140hp to >205hp in a turbo car is amazing, i dont regret one thing at all!! i just cant beleive it, at 2500rpm im like holy ****!!
just lettin you konw... o by the way, i got my timing fixed

[DRFT]

Originally posted by Stee Flo
Just FYI i think the latest issue of Import Racer has a how-to on the swap. It might be a helpful thing to have around for anyone who is considering doing the swap.

Is it the issue w/a focus on it? because i didnt't see it on there. Maybe i gotta take a closer look?

[Maeda]

Congrats! (although I just proved an idiot that knows nothing about mechanics will have a hard time doing KA-T, I think SR20 sounds tougher, so more props to yah!)

[azn_romeox]

How much did you pay venus for your clip. I'm not sure weather to get a clip or motorset just due to budget.

[jenne313]

Originally posted by fantasya98
y no a/c? is it cuz the 89 doesnt match up with the sr? but y not use the sr a/c?

BECAUSE, it adds 65 pounds! Who needs the weight??

ps - also: Sport Compact has a long-running series about Project Silvia, the first article in which makes the Project become the Silvia, it also has some useful information. This month - tuning to get into the 12s.

Congrats!

[DoriftoSlut]

The Import Racer article how to is sooo vague and is chock full of inaccuracies. use heavy Throttle webste as a guide and call them for any questions. They are a great help, even for me with a Kouki 180sx blacktop (slightly different wiring, sensors, ecu, etc..).

Anyway, use the HICAS rack. It has a higher ratio (quicker turning) than the non-hicas. So consider yourself lucky to have stumbled upon such a thing in your clip.

[TheSparo]

i paid $2640 shipped form CA to TN.. it was a GB so i saved a few hundred

[nrcooled]

Yeah, I remember the good ol' days when the stock SR felt like a beast. Then I got bored and started to upgrade. I am done upgrading due to the purchace of the Mazdaspeed and the upcoming purchase of a house. Anyway sorry to bore you with my life.

Just remeber to keep a close eye on her for the first month or so because I can almost promise you that you forgot to tighten something etc. So just keep an eye out for rattles or exhaust leaks and the like. Congrats on the instal and have fun with the SR! (I know I do everyday)

[TheSparo]

haha yea im keepin a lookout but i cant help but give it some gas, i went from 60-115 in a few seconds, i didnt even realize it, i was like f'ing shlt, but yea for now i am soooo happy, i know i will later be like hmmm im kinda bored w it haha

[Stee Flo]

Originally posted by DRFT
Is it the issue w/a focus on it? because i didnt't see it on there. Maybe i gotta take a closer look?

I dont have it but i think it has the signal auto s15 sil80 on the cover.