My Plans....need help

Alrite guys, I'm working my ass off right now to get some money, and this money will amount to between 6 & 7 g's by the end of the summer(August). Most likely it will be around $6400. I have two possible plans:
1.) Get a black-top s13 SR installed by XAT in FLA for $4400.
2.) Get a RB25Det installed by Barnett P & D in Nashville for $6000
With that said, there are some stipulations. One, I am going to college next fall and I would like to have a bit of money so that I may survive. Two, I live in MD so traveling is a bitch(I dont kno if this can be considered as such). Three, I have 300zx calipers and rotors and lines, and one set of pads. What should I do about my engine, and should I buy another set of pads, pay for calipers to be powdercoated, fluid, and ZX MC for $100, so that I can install my new brakes, or should I wait until I get the engine squared, making sure I have enough $? Holla back

how are you gonna pay for gas if you spend all but $400 of your summer money?? get the sr if you're gonna swap to save money..
for your brakes, don't pay for what you don't need.. screw the powdercoating.. don't need it.. don't worry about the extra set of pads either.. you can always get them off nissan parts sites.. do the brakes and if you can get the mc for $100 then jump on it.. you'll need the brakes if you're gonna have more power coming from under the hood.. i have the z32 calipers and they're awesome..

as for which one to do first.. i'd say do the engine.. its always good to get the more expensive things out of the way so you know you can afford it.

just go to autozone and buy a 3$ can of super high temp spray paint and do your calipers with that

it lasted for like 1.5 years on my sentra when my sentra got wrecked and it was still in perfect condition

I see what you mean, the SR is already gonna be enough (money, power wise). BUt if im gonna do my brakes, i have to powdercoat them, they would look so much better being red than being bare aluminum. Its only $80 anyway.

Fuck, I just answered my own question. But what do you think of the RB25 for $6000, installed, FMIC, fuel pump included? Does anyone know or heard of Barnett Performance and Development in Tennesee?

sr all the way. and where do u live why would u get the sr put in in fl but the rb put in in nashville?thats a bit strange to me

and is that ur car cause its pretty clean looking

I live in Maryland. Its $2g cheaper in Tennessee. Btw, does anyone know of a good tuning shop in MD or VA?

I see what you mean, the SR is already gonna be enough (money, power wise). BUt if im gonna do my brakes, i have to powdercoat them, they would look so much better being red than being bare aluminum. Its only $80 anyway.


i would spend the 80 bucks on gas and paint the calipers like i said earlier.

they sell red too...

i like the aluminum.. but if you want to have them powdercoated and its cheap then go balls out.. but the RB for 6g's is pretty expensive.. i'd say you could have it done for less but not much.. you'd be much better off with the sr

I dont kno, Ive seen too many calipers painted red, and fading real quick, not looking too good. I just figure the powdercoating is a sure bet with a nice finish. I work at Brandywine AutoParts, its a hugeass salvage company on the east coast, I dont kno if anyone knows of it, but they do installations of engines(Mopar, Chevy, bs like that) for the general public. Should I buy a SR or other kind(RB) motorset and pay around $750 for them to install it, or should I install it myself, or should I pay XAT Racing in Tampa or someone else(suggestions) to install it?

if you think you can do it then give it a shot..

The only thing Im not sure about is retaining power steering and a/c, as I heard that its tricky, XAT makes a point that they can retain these, if only theyd tell me how, lol

when i did the sr swap i got rid of A/C and power steering. i live in Fl so no power steering sucks at times but i just always go windows down and i actually like not having power steering better

Ever thought of KA-T?

I"ll powder coat your calipers for less then $80 also... I'll do it for $45 plus shipping here and back

and logik beats me to my idea again.

id say go ka-t. 4gs should be plenty for a good amount of hps. You said the sr swap would cost you about that much. And alls your getting is a sucky stock sr correct? So you would have a sidemount and shit still? With the ka, you would have fmic, aftermarket mani, turbo, fuel shit, bov, safc or fmu, etc etc. It really depends on what brands you decide to buy from, because some mani's cost more than others, some turbos cost more than others. It just depends on what parts you would want. It would come out to about the same price. ANd also you wouldnt have to drive/ship the car to where ever, so you save some there too. I dunno its up to you.

Maybe his KA is in crappy condition....even though he should have fixed it before adding all that crap on his car (CF hood, S15 lights, blue paint), but wtv, it's his car.

i'm with them ^... seriously, you could rebuild your engine with nice rods, pistons, cams ect, plus a turbo kit for less than 6's... and have a 11-12 car. but that's my opinion.

the RB sounds a little overpriced... rb25's aren't that expensive in Japan... they are just as common as sr's.... well almost.

Seems like you could benefit more from the money you are planning to spend if you used it differently. I'd say go with the ka-t idea like they said... if your ka is in decent condition and mileage isn't TOO high...

The $4400 for the SR includes: low mileage SR20DET full clip (uses stock side-mount intercooler and JDM radiator), Walbro 255 fuel pump, GReddy 3" Downpipe, all fluids, plugs, working and charged a/c, power steering, and installation of motor and all parts.
I could also get a SR for around $2500 plus shipping and install my self.
Does anyone know how to install and retain a/c and power steering?
My KA has 100,000 miles on it. Its a '96, runs really well, but I dont know how sure I would be about turboing a car at 100k, especially one that isnt stock turboed, the SR would be like a nearly new car with the engine being around 40-60k.

100k isn't bad... mine has 105k and i'm going to turbo it.. that's why you do a rebuild with nice internals... but it's more up to you, everyone is just giving there opinions... I guess it kinda depends what you're going for, like drift, or drag.. or just a daily driver.. and how much power you're wanting to acheive.

check compression on your ka.. its probably in good enough shape to turbo..

haha ive heard of brandywine i think my parents' shop gets parts from there... haha random thought sorry

How do I check compression? Does anyone know a method of retaining power steering and a/c after swapping?

take it to a garage and they'll do it for you.. look for minimum 175 across all four cylinders

I was thinking about doing a compression test as well to see how my internals are holding up. Is 175 the acceptable level, as far as tuners will accept? Or is it just a solid number as to what internals should be putting out?

Can you check comp yourself? I mean don't you just stick this thing in the spark plug hole and check the number? I was thinking of doing it when I go look at a car for sale.

lol im gonna boost on 160,000. Im going to compression test and shit first though....if its good then bam 8psi for now or until the engine craps out.


and yes logik you can.

logik, you can but i don't remember how.. nissanfanatic explained how (i think it was him) but it doesn't give you numbers.. best way is with the tool.. it screws into the cylinder head where the spark plugs go and then you crank the engine 4 times and it'll show what psi you're at.. and for reliability, i'd say no less than 170 in any cylinder.. if mine are less than 175 then i'm buying a new ka.. plain and simple.. ask nissanfanatic, he's been boosting 6psi for a while on 135000 miles or somethin like that.. i've got equivalent of 124000 miles and as far as i know my comnpression is good but i still have to check to be sure