Turbo Kit vs SR20DET swap

[matt23b]

I'm new at all this car stuff and I really wanna do it, so I decided I'm going to buy a Nissan 240sx and I wanna do some aftermarket stuff too it primarily engine work. A friend suggested a SR20DET swap right off the bat but thats like $3,000, so I decided that maybe a turbokit would be easier and cheaper and come to find out its not cheaper lol. So I'm just wondering money aside which is the better alternative just keeping the stock KA and adding a bolt on turbo kit or is a SR20DET swap the better route? If anyone could just let me know pro's and con's of each option that'd be really helpful.

[S13Driftfiend]

first off.. your friends an idiot. second, you cannot just go and bolt on a turbo kit, but im not going to get into that. do yourself a favor and do ALOT of research before even thinking about buying a car, let alone a 240sx. you have alot of research ahead of you, but the best place to start is in the faq sticky on the main 240sx page. also search past pages. ask your questions after you have searched for the answer and not found it.

[matt23b]

thank you. Ya I planned on doing a lot reading up before i actually go and buy the car, and even then it'll still be awhile but I was tryin to plan out stuff to do to it and see what its gonna take. I hope when I come into a problem workin on it in the future I get as quick as a response as I did.

[MetalHeadZaid]

yeah man, do your research. enough of that and you'll know what you want to do.

[slideways...]

it always confuses me how people who dont even know how to change their own oil think they can buy a 240 or really any import, and do the latest thing to it(i.e. SR swap). modifying a car is something that only people who know a good deal about how to work on cars should even attempt. im not saying you cant, just that youll blow it up or fail and move on to the next fad if you attempt this project with your current knowledge level.

[SilentNIght1647]

Way to discourage the kid, be nice man. You were once the same as he was and I can guarantee you, myself, and anyone else who has worked on cars for any length of time has blown up a motor so don't accuse him of something you've done as well. And what does the car being an import have anything to do with it? So he'd be better off bolting a blower on a 350 than putting a turbo on a KA? Cars are cars they all go together a little different but they are all nothing buy parts. Anyway I am strong beleiver in the turbo KA's they displace more than a SR20 and are cast iron which makes them infinetely more durable than the SR, plus you've got the best thing in world going for you with the KA, you've already got it. By the time you buy a SR and swap it in you could've rebuilt the KA and make more HP and torque than a stock SR. I would look into turboing the KA but do some research and decide what is going to best for your particualr circumstance, but make sure you don'y bite off more than you can chew either way it is going to be alot of work.

[matt23b]

Thanks, ya Ive def started reading alot about nissan motors and jus in general, and I've talked to several ppl I know who have 240's and 350's whove done swap and turbo's so Im def gonna make sure im prepared for whats ahead before I decide. And to the other guy who was nothing but useless...if you dont have anything that helps me out then dont post anything. I garuntee that you werent born with all the knowledge you have. So I don't appreciate being belittled just because I'm new at this and I'm not already expert. but thanks to everyone else you all have been really helpful...and btw I can change my own oil

[MetalHeadZaid]

it doesnt matter how you interprete what slideways says, hes right. we tell this dude to learn and he says hes learning, so he's on the right track. end of discussion. and it's not just about research, its working your way up in the "food chain" of difficult installs. i started out with strut/springs, then oil change, then diff and am progressively working my way up to a DET swap. the little things you learn cant be described in words, you need to work in the environment.

[slideways...]

thank you. all i was doing was trying to convey the amount of learning hes gonna have to do to pull off a successful swap. the whole import thing was brought up because i see so many more imports falling into neglect because some idiot 16 yr old ricer thinks he can do an SR swap because they had it in super street step by step yo. at least domestic and euro owners pay shops to do their work they cant do. that may be a pussy as hell way to do it but it gets done. sooooo in conclusion, way to be a jackass silentnight.
oh and matt, good luck with all that swappage. its harder than SCC makes it look.

[XeVeNskyLiNE]

Me and a roommate have down the swap in the parking lot of our apartments, the only out of the ordinary tool/equipment we needed was ofcourse a cherry picker. It can definitely be done with just a couple of people GRANTED you have the knowledge, experience and helping hands. He's yanked his previous KA completely out twice, rebuilding it one time and had it KA-T'd for a short period, though he did blow it up due to a bad headgasket, lol. He even had the SR on engine stands in our living room rebuilding it, kinda made me mad, but whatever....

Bottom line, I think you should spend some time in the modding game first. Like MetalHead said, just work your way up the food chain. Best advice is to just get a S-Chassis car first and then communicate with other owners. Chances our is that you'll find a guy who's been where you are and is leaps and bounds in front of you in terms of experience and will more than likely will be glad to help you as it seems most S-Chassis owners are generally good people. Just don't bite off more than you chew, nothings wrong with planning for the future, but if you're not absolutely sure what you're doing, have someone else who does help, or just don't do it all until you know you're ready. Try to find someone who's going to do a swap and maybe just watch and/or help out. Best way to learn not to screw something up is to watch other people fuck up their own stuff, lol.