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What would you do?


TheGam1ngK1ng

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SO i have a 78 Datsun B210 2 door sedan with an A14 engine and a 5 speed transmission. I want a little bit more power out of my engine but I'm not sure what to do. Engine swap or rebuild and upgrade the A14? The more I keep researching, the more options there are to choose from. 

If I do rebuild my engine, would it be better to stick some A15 parts onto the A14 engine (such as the heads)? I definitely want to turbo it also.

I know a 5L V8 could fit nicely or a rotary engine or a L-series engine etc...Just not sure which one would be fairly cheap and simple. What engine would you swap in?

IDK, what would you guys say?

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I want a little bit more power out of my engine

I definitely want to turbo it.

5L V8 could fit nicely or a rotary engine or a L-series engine etc...

 

Seriously?

 

Ask yourself :

How do I want to use my car?

How much money do I have?

How much capability do I have? Tools, space, Skill, etc.

How much time do I have to work on it?

 

Answer these questions first and your path will be clear.

 

If you're just gaming, play time is over your highness

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old username...Never thought of another one.

I have a whole auto shop to my disposal and I can work on my car everyday. I am very skilled with cars in general and since I got a good amount of money to spend, I can buy a bunch of parts needed to do this.

I have been wanting a street performance car. Something I can drive everyday without the bad MPG but also something I can take to the track.

All I am asking is for people's opinion on what they think would be a good set up; more experienced and skilled people that know more about cars than I do. 

No need to hate, your Highness.

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No hate here, just cutting to the chase. If by track you mean drag strip I would say a turbo KA would be a stout platform with lots of aftermarket support.

 

If you're talking about an auto cross track, I would start with a different car. Although there are some suspension upgrades you can do, the outcome wouldn't be worth the money you'd spend. I'm not sure if the stock 78 was leaf spring or live axle, but Live is better option. Again, not much after market suppotr fot that model so you'd be doing a lot of R&D yourself.

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Forget 5L v anything way way too heavy.  Ideally you want more power but you don't want to add too much weight specially to the front end. Every pound added means more power needed to move it. Weight ruins handling. Speaking of handling, lets talk about accident avoidance. A good handling car also includes good braking performance. Between the two you can often avoid problems caused by a too fast car. The B-210s handling (springs, struts, shocks, tires, leaf and coil springs and brakes) are what? 40 years out of date. Time to get that puppy into shape.

 

Lowering the center of gravity, firming up the ride, good spring dampening and a brake up-grade are just the thing. You mentioned auto cross? or track? Well all the power in the world won't win a race. Races are won by finesse and the proper application of power.  You don't need a lot of power if you use it right. When the handling is good the car is more fun to drive even if you haven't done anything to the engine. I would suggest all of the above first before building a fire under it.

 

There are lots of 4 cylinder powerhouses that fit easier and weigh under 375 lbs.  KA and SRs come to mind and start at double your hp and a bit more. All have been turbo'd and swaps to smaller cars are well documented.

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if you want economy as well as power and have the means to do the work i would suggest a ka motor.

 

putting an a15 head on an a14 wont get you anywhere.  most of them are open combustion and have smaller intakes to reduce emissions. the a15 gets its slightly more displacement from longer strokes so without the block, there will be no gain. 

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if you want economy as well as power and have the means to do the work i would suggest a ka motor.

 

putting an a15 head on an a14 wont get you anywhere.  most of them are open combustion and have smaller intakes to reduce emissions. the a15 gets its slightly more displacement from longer strokes so without the block, there will be no gain.

 

If you go the a series route, either inject it, side draft it, or throttle body, and go h89 or ported h72 head. Gx cam and springs. Flat top pistons. That'll give you an a15stroker, I believe. Making around 100 or more hp. Or go KA.. Better option if you have money/time
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Awesome, thanks everyone. So ive decided to go with the KA24DE after lots of research. I called a local junkyard and they said they have a 98 altima engine, which i believe is a KA engine. They wanted $600 (doesnt include the tranny). It had good compession in all the cylinders and he said it didnt smoke or anything when running. Is that a good deal? And what kind of transmission would i need for my car? Thanks guys!

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definitely holdout for a RWD motor,  switching a FWD ka, to RWD isnt a straight forward swap. the dizzy will be pressed up against the firewall, the intake mani would place the airbox on the passenger side seat, the starter is located in a different place, etc. 600 is steep for a motor that is going to need to be modified.

 

you picked a good motor, but id suggest doing a little research on what this swap takes before you make any purchases

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/23374-story-time-my-1974-b210-4dr-now-very-slow-ka24e-swap/

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/42029-texas-project-1978-datsun-210-zx-w-fed-bodykit/

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Alright, thats not too bad.

SO would these be my transmission options?

80-81 510 (shortest, but won't take a lot of abuse) 

'80-83 200SX (middle length, but tougher)

'89-93 240SX (longest and toughest)

Look for a stumpy from a 720. No cutting needed. Mocks up in original shift hole.
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