S13, Hatch, 1jz-gte

ret

Geekin out
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So I found a cute little 91 s13 hatch not too far away, good condition in every way minus a couple minor dents that I was told were left over by the spoiler, which it is currently without. Odd, but onwards. The car has peaked 175,000 miles on that Torque-y KA Monster, which I know is really just being broken in. I know because I test drove it and mechanically it felt like new. Well, it drove better than my friends 350z I drove last fall, given that was his first manual and he broke it in a little bit. :biglaugh:

Anyways, I'm pretty much sold on the car itself, but being the good little insightful boy that I am, I'm looking towards the future. Obviously turboing the KA is out cause of the mileage, so I'm left with the oh so popular sr20det for some mediocre power and even poorer torque numbers, OR I could drop in the 1j from my supra. Tough choice, right?

Yes, I know it's been done before, many times, and it's not anything new. My biggest concern doesn't lie in, "am I being original?" I think it's blatantly obvious that you can't really be THAT original with a 240 at this point in time.

MY concern is in the balance of the car. I know the KA is relatively heavy, for a 4-banger. But add a couple cylinders, a couple turbos, an intercooler, transmission, etc. and I fear my ass end will be floating a couple inches off the ground if I so much as tap the brakes.

So what does Supramania think? Is the 1j a practical swap for an S13 Hatch? Or is it more of a "I did this for the story" swap?
 

ret

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That's what I'd do if I had balls. :D

On a side note, how would a W58 hold up to a 1jz? I won't exactly need that much power to get an 8 oz chassis up to speed. Again I know this has been done too, but I don't remember seeing any actual numbers. I wouldn't mind a smooth throw. :)
 

WhtMa71

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Apr 24, 2007
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A better idea would just be to turbo the KA. Im helping a friend do that now. It'd be a lot cheaper and if you blow up a KA they're everywhere.
 

ret

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I could do that, but I figure not only would it be short lived compared to the alternatives, but also boring. I'm not really looking for alternatives, just facts. Is the added front end weight from a JZ swap practical, or will it cause problems for handling?
 

WhtMa71

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Apr 24, 2007
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I don't see how that would be boring...

Yea the balance will probably get thrown off..Or not..the KA block is cast iron as well and I don't know how much a KA weighs.

It all depends on what you want to do with the car really..
 

ret

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WhtMa71;1216048 said:
I don't see how that would be boring...

Yea the balance will probably get thrown off..Or not..the KA block is cast iron as well and I don't know how much a KA weighs.

It all depends on what you want to do with the car really..
Found something that said the KA Weighs around 370 lbs - just motor.

Looking for a street car that can hold it's own on the occasional track days (Road racing, not so much drag).
kabanimk3supra;1216077 said:
Just swap in an rb25det instead, that what my younger brother did.

Then get stance coilovers, and you'll be set.
I own a 1jz, why pay a couple thousand more to get a rb25?
 

kabanimk3supra

kabanimk3supra
Apr 11, 2007
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ret;1216092 said:
Found something that said the KA Weighs around 370 lbs - just motor.

Looking for a street car that can hold it's own on the occasional track days (Road racing, not so much drag).

I own a 1jz, why pay a couple thousand more to get a rb25?


Trust me, you'll be the cool kid on the block because you have a skyline engine in your car!!:sarcasm:
 

WhtMa71

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Apr 24, 2007
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1jz>rb25...I think the cool kid on the block would be the guy with the Toyota engine in the Nissan rather than the guy with the Nissan engine in the Nissan..

If you already own a 1jz then I say go for it!
 

ret

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WhtMa71;1216243 said:
1jz>rb25...I think the cool kid on the block would be the guy with the Toyota engine in the Nissan rather than the guy with the Nissan engine in the Nissan..

If you already own a 1jz then I say go for it!
I'm really leaning towards it. Seems like the most practical engine to use to make a reasonable amount of power without relying on a big blurbo. :icon_razz
SURUKO;1216274 said:
show us some pics ............... and just swapped it ......picsssssss
Have to get the car first, then probably going to track it stock a few times to get a good feel for it, but you can count on a build thread once the ball gets rollin. :naughty:
 

swapinthedark

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Jun 16, 2008
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1JZ into S13 is actually EASIER than RB into one and that is already pretty easy, lol.

I have a JZ in my R32 and love it. I have had RB20 and 25s in a BUNCH of S chassis, and I would never use another RB again.... 1-2JZ is the way to go. No more worrying about breaking crap all the time... (I loved my RBs, but seriously, apples to oranges).

...as for the W58.... if you stay under 350-375whp and dont make a 2900lb pig of a car, you should be fiiiinneeeee. That is for a drift car, I guess you could blow up a W58 quite easily on some drag radials or slicks at a strip. I HATE the way my R154 shifts, but love not worrying about it going boom.
 

foreverpsycotic

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Jul 16, 2006
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Aristo motorset, with the auto transmission gets my vote. stock twins @ BPU would be awesome in such a light car.
 

Isphius

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May 30, 2006
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I wouldnt worry about the balance too much. the 1jz cant weigh a whole lot more than the KA motor. Even if it is off a little, its not going to be as bad as you imagine. The 1jz cant weigh any more than a RB. And remember....displacement is empty space! even the its only 100cc bigger...
 

ret

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swapinthedark;1216486 said:
1JZ into S13 is actually EASIER than RB into one and that is already pretty easy, lol.

I have a JZ in my R32 and love it. I have had RB20 and 25s in a BUNCH of S chassis, and I would never use another RB again.... 1-2JZ is the way to go. No more worrying about breaking crap all the time... (I loved my RBs, but seriously, apples to oranges).

...as for the W58.... if you stay under 350-375whp and dont make a 2900lb pig of a car, you should be fiiiinneeeee. That is for a drift car, I guess you could blow up a W58 quite easily on some drag radials or slicks at a strip. I HATE the way my R154 shifts, but love not worrying about it going boom.
Can't imagine I would need any more power than that for a car this light. Since I'll be tracking it I don't really need 4 billion horsepower.
Poodles;1216614 said:
Leave the 1J in the supra? :dunno:
It will stay in the Supra until I blow the KA, but after that I'll need a new engine for my 240. :biglaugh:
Isphius;1216811 said:
I wouldnt worry about the balance too much. the 1jz cant weigh a whole lot more than the KA motor. Even if it is off a little, its not going to be as bad as you imagine. The 1jz cant weigh any more than a RB. And remember....displacement is empty space! even the its only 100cc bigger...
It's not the tenth of a liter that concerns me so much as the two additional cylinders. But in any event, according to all the numbers I've come up with the 1j is about 115 lbs heavier, but I don't know if that includes turbos and IC and all that fun stuff. Oh well, I got some time to plot it all out before I do it so we'll see.