Quote:
Originally posted by Mesmerize
My questions are as follows:
How comparable is the US engine to the Japanese motor?
How expensive is it to get one of these engines into the car?
Should I even bother getting the J-spec engine, or can similar performance be obtained with the US engine?
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1) There is no comparison. The US 240sx engine is a 2.4 liter nissan truck engine that they shoved in. The sr20det is an engine that can push high horsepower numbers easily. How high? depends on how much effort/money you have.
2) You can get a silvia 'frontclip' for 2000 bucks. Sports compact car actually built a 300 horsepower 240sx to silvia conversion for less then 10k dollars total. A frontclip is basically the whole front of the car from the windshield to the bumper.
3) If you go the frontclip rought, i suggest getting an older model s12. Since you're getting the whole front of a silvia, you can change swap the tailights and everything. You'll save money by getting an older car, and still have the looks of a newer car. Personally though, I like the fliplights.
3b) There ARE turbo-charging kits available for the 240sx engine though. If you go this route, you'll definately max out on your potential. It's the difference between 7 psi of boost on the stock engine, or a sr20det that can handle 30psi+ of boost.
I suggest you do ALOT of research to make sure you get exactly what you want. Don't get the car expecting to do a silvia swap, but thinking that you can figure it out later. If you do that, you might get disappointed at the work you must put in.
Here's a small breakdown from the work and money involved (based on average prices).
-240sx $4,000 (you can get one cheaper or more expensive, depending on year. Mileage won't matter either since you'll be replacing the engine)
-Silvia front clip $2500 (canada will have them, or you can import from japan)
-Labor to swap front clip into 240sx $3000 (more or less depending on who you found and how much expertise they have)
There's the base 10k. You can of course get a really cheap 240sx, and maybe even instead of a front clip, just find a good condition sr20det engine and all the parts you'll need for the install.
I'd like to say that besides the engine, the 240sx has a great aftermarket for everything else (suspension, braking, rims, bodykits) since it shares the same chassis as Japanese Silvias.
Hope that helps. If i didn't answer a question properly or raised even more questions, just post and i'll answer. This is one of my favorite cars, so I've been studying it and waiting for an opportunity to build my own Silvia.