fwd vs rwd

11842 Views 20 Replies 12 Participants Last post by eiuolboogers, 2 mo ago

sergofast

Discussion Starter · Dec 8, 2004

whats the difference in sr20s in a FWD vs a RWD car? I have a 510 that I want to put a sr20de into (turbo later). It already has a 280xz transmission, and I understand that if you change the bellhousing then the sr20 will bolt to it. And, I have a couple extra sr20s from various b13 SE-Rs that I could use. From what I can tell, the intake manifold is different and the distibutor is on the side instead of the end of the head. Is that the only difference and if so, can i get a FWD sr20 head and use my bottom end? By the way, the 510 kicks butt and people stop and look with the blank expression, "what the #$&^ is it :rofl: Im giving it to my dad for Christmas (he is always bragin on his 510 he used to drive).

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SHAWNATGERBROCK

· #2 · Dec 8, 2004

You will need a RWD SR , The FWD can be made to work ... But without a ton of custom engine parts , your intake and Distribitor will go through the firewall, ... For the same $$ You could get an S13 SR20DET and Trans and be done .... And even then its a serious pain , I know of one being done and its 2 years in the making ... a ton of fab work !!

Stirpicult

· #3 · Dec 9, 2004

segofast...i am in richmond and i REALLY REALLY want to see a 510. anyway we can set something up so i can see it? id appreciate it.
feel free to email me at [email protected]
oh, and it would easier to just go ahead and get the rwd s20.
ben

edit: how did you find a 510 in va??

compression

· #4 · Dec 9, 2004

sergofast said:
whats the difference in sr20s in a FWD vs a RWD car? I have a 510 that I want to put a sr20de into (turbo later). It already has a 280xz transmission, and I understand that if you change the bellhousing then the sr20 will bolt to it. And, I have a couple extra sr20s from various b13 SE-Rs that I could use. From what I can tell, the intake manifold is different and the distibutor is on the side instead of the end of the head. Is that the only difference and if so, can i get a FWD sr20 head and use my bottom end? By the way, the 510 kicks butt and people stop and look with the blank expression, "what the #$&^ is it :rofl: Im giving it to my dad for Christmas (he is always bragin on his 510 he used to drive).

The 280zx trans will not work, whoever told you that is smoking crack. You can use a KA24DE transmission on a RWD SR engine however(I dont know about FWD). But SR/KA transmissions are not hard to come by so it is a mute point.
In addition, the FWD engine does not have the alternator in the right spot, and the oil filter would get in the way of the RWD intake manifold.
Dont bother trying to make a FWD engine work, it is way too much work and will end up costing more than just getting a 180sx front clip. The RWD engine is better anyway, piston oil squirters, low compression, sodium filled exh valves, shot peened rods, etc, etc...
If you are really serious about the swap and not just blowing smoke up our asses, you have the MONEY, time, skills, resources, tools, Fabrication knowledge, then I can help.
I did the swap into my 510 and did everything myself, EVERYTHING!
I must say that it is incredibly scary fast. The tires break loose at any speed when it gets up into the boost and the rear end fishtails around. You need some serious tires in order to put any power to the ground, like at least a 225 wide Toyo T1-S or RA-1 tire. I have T1-S's on the rear that are 215 and I find it spins them all the time when I try to run high boost, 17-18psi. Your quarter mile times will suck because of this.
Besides the engine swap, you are going to need upgraded brakes, roll cage/bar, at least a 4-point harness, rebuild the front suspension/steering,descent seats, limited slip diff, and anything else that has to do with safety.
I have a write up on how to do the swap, like mounting the engine, etc.. that I am working on. contact me if you are interested.
It is a lot of work and very expensive to get it going. Lots of custom parts...
I am just warning you before you throw a bunch of money at it and expect it to go smoothly.

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sergofast

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 10, 2004

thanks for all the input. Not blowing smoke, but this sounds like a HUGE (but cool) deal to swap a sr20. Definatly saving for a future project. Ill just have to put up with the 1.6 untill I get all the body work finished. Compression, I would love to see some pictures of that 510. and stirpicult I got it from NY and drove it home its a blast, Idd be happy to show it off, I just have to get it titled and tagged first PM me.

compression

· #6 · Dec 10, 2004 (Edited)

sergofast said:
thanks for all the input. Not blowing smoke, but this sounds like a HUGE (but cool) deal to swap a sr20. Definatly saving for a future project. Ill just have to put up with the 1.6 untill I get all the body work finished. Compression, I would love to see some pictures of that 510. and stirpicult I got it from NY and drove it home its a blast, Idd be happy to show it off, I just have to get it titled and tagged first PM me.

here ya go.
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/729955/4

You should start buying the hard-to-get and rare parts for the swap as soon as possible. I started obtaining parts about 1.5 years before I had the SR engine.
Here are the hard to find things you will need:

-reversed steering drag link
-custom front swaybar
-custom front crossmember/engine carrier.
-start thinking about how to get an intercooler in there, take measurements and start shopping as soon as possible.

This is a good place to start:
http://www.maddat.com.au/engine-fittingkits.htm

They dont show the steering link, but you need it. Here is a pic of how it looks on my car. Notice how the link bends forward and avoids the transmission, on a stock 510, it bends backward and would hit the transmission. THe people at Maddat made this one, they take a stock link, heat it up, and bend the ends the opposite direction. This kind of work best left to professionals. let me know if you have any other questions.

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SERprise In WV

· #7 · Dec 10, 2004

Ever consider getting a RWD SR20DE (naturally aspirated) engine instead of a DET? For a project like yours, it would make pretty good sense. The DE is a distributor engine, meaning no coil packs and the wiring that goes with them.

The DE engine is less expensive (about $7-800 total price) and is available from most importers. It will handle enough boost to make your 510 scary fast, and all DET turbo bits will just bolt right on.

Take the $2,500 you'd pay for a DET front clip and put it elsewhere.

JMHO. YMMV. Smiley here:

compression

· #8 · Dec 10, 2004

not a bad idea, those swaps are gaining popularity due to the reduced complexity.
I have seen two fellow 510 owners who were swapping in DE's, whan halfway through they decided, "If I am going to do this, I might as well go turbo.." and the are both doing the turbo version now....
I, on the other hand, never listen to reason. Over 300 RWHP in a 2,070 lb RWD car is addicting. I also love the way a turbo engine drives, pulls hard all the way to 7500 rpm.

Nismo_Freak

· #9 · Dec 14, 2004

compression said:
The 280zx trans will not work, whoever told you that is smoking crack. You can use a KA24DE transmission on a RWD SR engine however(I dont know about FWD). But SR/KA transmissions are not hard to come by so it is a mute point.

SR and KA transmissions only interchange if you switch the housings. You can also take the gearboxes out of Z31's, Hardbody's, etc. for different ratios and they should interchange into the housings.

sergofast

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 18, 2004

thanks for all the input guys, you have been a big help

sergofast

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 18, 2004

i found that a company Maddat that makes engine conv. kits. they are in austalia though. http://www.arcomnet.net.au/~maddat/enginefittingkits.htm

NissanTuner

· #12 · Dec 19, 2004

N/A RWD SR20's? Who the hell does that?

Rittmeister

· #13 · Dec 19, 2004

NissanTuner said:
N/A RWD SR20's? Who the hell does that?

Every Silvia and 180SX that wasn't turbo'd, and didn't have the CA18. They have different trim levels in Japan too, you know.

NissanTuner

· #14 · Dec 19, 2004

Doh, Ritt i was poking fun! I have a N/A SR myself.

newsr20de

· #15 · Dec 23, 2004

Alright, in the above thread, I read two conflicting statements about whether a ka24de transmission would bolt to an sr20de motor. Basically, will a ka24de tranny bolt to a JDM sr20de RWD motor?

P.S. - You can't switch bell housings on the manual trannies because the bellhousings are cast as part of the transmission. I read somewhere that some guy cut his off and welded on a different one. Unless he was ungodly lucky, that was just BS. The alignment has to be good to within about 0.001"; an adapter plate is the only way to go unless you want to go with the auto tranny (those bellhousings are removable).

P.S.S - I've only seen about 15 or so RWD SR20DE trannies ranging from the early '90s to just after 2000, so there might be a couple versions that I don't know about where the bellhousing is removeable.

P.S.S. - Does it really make sense to keep adding S's to the original P.S.?

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Rittmeister

· #16 · Dec 23, 2004

The KA and SR bellhousings are NOT interchangeable - you cannot bolt your stock KA tranny to an SR engine, period.

The guts are the same - I've been told you can pull them out and interchange them. I believe Shoes59 did this very thing - used one gearset, but sent the other out for rebuilding to have as a spare.

SHAWNATGERBROCK

· #17 · Dec 23, 2004

I have seen a few Datsun Roadsters and 510s with the RWD SR20DE .. Still a pretty quick setup ...

Shoes59

· #18 · Dec 23, 2004

newsr20de said:
P.S. - You can't switch bell housings on the manual trannies because the bellhousings are cast as part of the transmission.

Completely false information. I know because I've done bellhousing swaps from KA to SR and back again more times than I care to remember.

hpro123

· #19 · Dec 24, 2004

newsr20de said:
P.S.S. - Does it really make sense to keep adding S's to the original P.S.?

Certainly NOT.
PS stands for "Post Scriptum", so you should be actually adding Ps before the PS, as in PPS (post-post scriptum)....

Chris

eiuolboogers

· #20 · 2 mo ago

SHAWNATGERBROCK said:
You will need a RWD SR , The FWD can be made to work ... But without a ton of custom engine parts , your intake and Distribitor will go through the firewall, ... For the same $$ You could get an S13 SR20DET and Trans and be done .... And even then its a serious pain , I know of one being done and its 2 years in the making ... a ton of fab work !!

So what would it could you do for an 85sentra it would be cool to put in manual trans it's stock2.6

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