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I Need 1997 Nissan 240SX / LS-Swap Advice

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Old 03-15-2010, 02:59 AM
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Default I Need 1997 Nissan 240SX / LS-Swap Advice

I've been eyeballing imports for a while because I want to do an LSX swap. I stumbled across a 1997 240SX that might be a good candidate. The car is a red, automatic, SE, with 145k miles, and no sunroof. Price is about average at $4500. Very clean interior, above average body and paint, engine has a pretty serious oil leak, and rear end looks a little "wet" with oil. Seems like all the important parts are in good shape.

Here are my main concerns:

-How hard/expensive is it to convert the car from auto to T56? Would I be better off holding out for a manual car?

-Is it really necessary to spend $4200 on a kit to get the car rolling? Are there any cheaper routes available?

-How are you guys beefing up the rear ends to handle the additional power?

My plan is to lowball the seller about $2500 due to the oil leak (and the fact that I only need the body). I would really like to stay around a $7000 budget. Can it be done? I'll probably have to spend a little more because I would really like to use an LS2.

Okay gents, the floor is yours. I'm all ears.

Old 03-15-2010, 08:04 AM
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There's absolutely no reason you need to buy one of the kits as long as you know how to weld and read wiring diagrams. Head on over to silviav8.com for some very good info, including motor mount setups, header ideas, wiring help, etc. You can also check out the swap forum at nicoclub.com.
Old 03-15-2010, 01:21 PM
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It will get expensive. There is a ton of little things you will need to take into account.

I am in the planning stages to get mine going and by budget is around $13K and that is on a cheap side.

Here is a repost from silviav8forums.com with all the options and necessary things to make the install. Make a list and add it up.

Engine and Transmission Options:
The Engine is what you really came here for right? The LS engines are all very similar in terms of their construction and how they fit in the car. Any of these options should be treated the same way when swapped into the car.

Engine Options
LS Engine Specs

-Any Gen III or Gen IV small block chevy will work. they all have the same dimensions and mounting points, and will all accecpt the same transmisison/bellhousing equipment. That includes the L33, L59, L76, L92, LC9, LFA, LH6, LH8, LM4, LM7, LMG, LR4, LS1, LS2, LS3, LS6, LS7, LS9, LSA, LSX, LQ4, LQ9, LY2, LY5, and the LY6 among others.

exceptions:
*Accessory configurations don't always fit however, most of the truck configurations will be problematic, F-body, Corvette, and GTO accessories have been proven to work.
*Intake plenums/throttle-bodies are sometimes too tall to fit under the stock hood, this is usually only problematic with truck motors again the f-body/corvette setups have been proven to work, GTO throttle bodies are a tight fit
*the only factory oil pan confirmed to work is the GTO oil pan (again any Gen III/Gen IV motor can have the pan swapped), using one will require notching of the sub frame for clearance, also the factory front sway bar will not fit around the front of GTO pan without mount spacers.

When buying an engine make sure it includes the following
-Complete uncut Wiring Harness
-PCM (powertrain control module aka ECU)
-Throttlebody
-TAC Module (if it's from a drive by wire car)
-Gas Pedal (if it's from a drive by wire car)
-Coil Packs
-Waterpump
-Alternator
-Power Steering Pump
-A/C Compressor (if you plan on hooking up AC)
-A/C lines/sensors (highly recommended though often not included)
-MAF (Mass AirFlow sensor)
-IAT (Intake Air Temp sensor
-Starter Motor
-Fuel Rails
-***Transmission. Not required but you're life will be easier if the transmission is already installed

In general you'll want a motor that will not need anything extra to get it running.

Transmission options
Manuals
-T-56, Found in: 98-02 Camaro, Firebird, GTO*
-Others, there is no other known stick shift that will just drop in and work with one of these motors, most will require a bell housing and input shaft swap, which will drive the price up above that of a T-56

Exceptions
* the GTO shift-assembly sits farther back than that of F-bodies, a GTO transmission will work but the shift-assembly may have to be swapped out for proper fitment. T-56s out of other
*T56s sourced from Corvettes, Vipers, Cobras, Austin Martins, etc. will not work with these motors without modification.

Automatics
-4L60E*, Found in: 97-02 Camaro, Firebird
-Other Automatic, there are lots of automatics out there that will work, typically there are problems with tunnel clearance as well as header clearance which can make them difficult, do your research if there's a particular automatic you'd like to use.

When buying a transmission separate from the motor should include the following:
-Bellhousing
-Shifter Assembly
-pilot bearing
-Slave Cylinder (this mounts INSIDE the bellhousing surrounding the input shaft)
-output yoke (not often included but helps keep the transmission sealed, and can save you over $100 on your custom driveshaft)
-** Pressure plate/Clutch (and all related bolts and clutch tool)
-** Flywheel (only necessary of the motor was original mated to an automatic transmission)

If anything on these lists is missing you will need to buy them separately

*These transmissions can be found in other cars and model years as well however they differ in their setup depending on the application they were original intended for, you should seek transmissions designed to be paired to an LS motor and used in a Camaro or Firebird Chassis (even the GTO, Corvette and other GM applications are different). You can make the other version work but be sure to DO YOUR RESEARCH to determine the differences so you know what you're getting into.

**If the Transmission was purchased separate chances are you will have to buy a clutch and pressure plate before you can mate the two. The best cheap setup is to get a Z06 Clutch setup... you can get a new Exedy clutch pressure plate, and flywheel designed as a direct OEM Z06 replacement for around $350.

Mounting Options:
Mounting an LS motor in your S-chassis is fairly straight forward, the engine bay is quite accommodating. In generally you're looking at engine mounts as well as a transmission mount and a transmission cross member.

The biggest problem is how the engine's oil pan fits around the 240sx's front sub fram (aka engine crossmember). You can either modify the sub frame to accommodate the oil pan or modify the oil pan to accommodate the sub frame.

In general you will not need to modify the firewall or transmission tunnel to fit the LS engine unless you are using a custom setup. Worst Case scenario is a minor amount of hammering at the front of the transmission tunnel with certain kits.

Mounting/Fitment Options:
Daft Innovations
http://www.daftinnovations.com/s13ls1/index.html
--For S13 or S14--
-Uses GTO oil Pan (purchased separately)
-Includes custom (CNCed) engine mounts
-Includes modified Subframe (no core exchange necessary)
-Includes custom (welded) transmission crossmember & energy suspensions transmission mount.
-Swaybar Spacers (needed to work with rest of kit) (purchased separately)
-Driveshaft (one piece Steel, aluminum available at extra charge)* (purchased separately)
-Long Tube Headers (purchased separately)
-Requires transmission tunnel hammering

Hinson Supercars
http://www.hinsonsupercars.com/
--For S13 or S14--
-Uses GTO oil Pan (purchased separately)
-Uses Corvette Engine mounts (purchased separately)
-Includes Subframe Modification (core exchange, or buy the template and do it yourself)
-Includes Subframe Spacers (needed to work with Corvette Engine mounts)
-Transmission crossmember & mount (must be built custom)
-Driveshaft (one piece purchased separately)*
-Long Tube Headers (purchased separately)
-Requires transmission tunnel hammering

Otto Factory
www.ottofactory.com
--For S13 or S14--
-Uses modified GTO oil pan and engine crossmember (purchased separately, also modification of your GTO pan and crossmember are available PM Otto347 for details)
-Includes custom CNC laser cut/braked engine mounts available in black powdercoat only.
-Includes custom (welded) transmission crossmember in black powdercoat. (Must use aftermarket polyurethane trans mount)
-Driveshaft (one piece Steel, aluminum and carbon fiber available at extra charge)(purchased separately)
-Custom headers (purchased separately)
-Requires transmission tunnel hammering
-Locates the engine and trans as far back as possible without getting into heavy firewall modification
-Retains factory shifter location
-Modification of the lower heater hose on the firewall is required if you are planning on keeping the heating system. It just needs to be bend to clear the back of the head.

PX Racing
http://shop.pxracing.com/main.sc
--For S14 only--
-Uses GTO oil Pan (purchased separately)
-Includes custom (welded) Engine mounts
-Includes Subframe Modification (Core exchange)
-Includes custom (welded) transmission cross member & mount w/urethane cushion
-Driveshaft (purchased separately)*
-Headers (required but not offered as part of the kit)
-Requires transmission tunnel hammering

Sikky
http://www.sikky.com/products/mount_kits/ls1__s14_240sx
--For S14 only--
-Includes custom (welded) Oil Pan W/Oil Filter Relocation kit
-Includes custom (CNCed) Engine Mounts (solid or with urethane cushion)
-Includes custom (stamped) transmission cross member & mount w/urethane cushion
-Includes Custom Driveshaft (one piece Steel, aluminum available at extra charge)*
-Custom Long Tube Headers (must be purchased separately)
-Requires transmission tunnel hammering

Completely Custom
-Use of GTO oil pan recommended or build custom
-Expect to modify cross member or oil pan for proper fitment
-Recommended to use CarShop LS1 mounts as a starting point.
-Built custom Transmission cross member and mount
-Order Custom Driveshaft from a Drive shaft shop (shaftmasters or driveshaftshop recommended)*
-Will likely require transmission tunnel hammering or cutting depending on placement

*Keep in mind that the factory vLSD requires a driveshaft that is .75" shorter than a Factory Open-Diff. Also if using alternative drop-in options such as a Kaaz or J30 diff the required drive shaft size may be different. I've heard that the size difference is typically inconsequential however if you're ordering a custom shaft anyway, it's something to keep in mind.

Automatic to Manual Conversion
If you're converting your Automatic S-Chassis to a Stick shift at the same time you do your engine swap you will need the following parts
-240sx Brake pedal assembly (from 5-speed car)**
-240sx clutch pedal assembly*
-240sx Shifter Trim (plastic interior surround
-240sx Shifter Boot (leather or vinyl to mate shifter to trim)
-240sx transmission boot/rubber seal (seals the interior from the exterior)

Your best bet is to find these in a junk yard, on ebay or a forum BST. Failing that these parts can be purchased new from:
http://heavythrottle.com
http://courtesyparts.com
Old 03-15-2010, 01:21 PM
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*S13 clutch pedal can be used on an S14 but it needs spacers on the mounting bolts to sit properly (29mm worth to be exact), s14 clutch pedal cannot be used on S13 because the spacers are welded in place from the factory.

**if you can't find a brake pedal assembly or maybe you just want to save some cash, you can take a hack-saw and cut off part of the pedal to make room for the clutch. cutting it and placing a factory rubber pedal cover from a 5-speed it will look and feel like a 5-speed pedal. this will only work on an S13 though, an S14 will need to have the pedal swapped for proper spacing.

Clutch Parts:
you will need to replace the clutch master on your 240 with something stronger and you need to make sure it works with the T-5 or T-56 transmission.

"Custom Kit
see this article: http://tech.240sxone.com/186/lsx-clutch-hydraulics/

Daft Innovations Clutch Kit [$165-$195]
-CMC 3/4 bore
-daft Innovations CMC adapter plate [$45]
-1/8 pipe to -3 or -4 male
- -3 or -4 steel braided clutch/brake hose
- -3 or -4 gm hydraulic clutch slave fitting with seal and roll pin.

Hinson Clutch Kit
-Wilwood .875 Master Cylinder (modified)
-Adapter Plate
-Stainless Conversion line
***this kit is reported to have fitment issues

Fuel System:
An LS1 requires better fuel delivery than the factory system can handle There are two good options available. This is one area where you should buy everything new, don't worry though, it's rather inexpensive

"Custom Fuel Kit"
-Aftermarket Fuel Pump for 240sx
----- Walbro, or similar brand [$100 New]
-Fuel Filter/Presure Regulator from 98+ corvette with fittings
----Purse Choice Motorsports
----- an all in one unit [$54 New]
-Adapter and hose to hook up Nissan -6AN lines to the LS1 3/8" fuel rail
-----Adapter: http://www.purechoicemotorsports.com [$12 New]
-----Hose: (Jegs/Summit/wherever)

Daft Innovations Fuel Kit [$275]
-Gm fuel filter with built in fuel pressure regulator
-Single -6 steel braided feed line from fuel filter to LS1 Fuel rail.
-**Walbro fule pump required but sold separately [$100 New]

Hinson Fuel Kit [?]
- Walbro fuel pump
- High flow Fuel Filter
- Pressure Regulator
- Stainless Fuel Lines
- Replacement Fuel Rail for LS1

Power Steering:
Your Engine should have come with a power steering pump, this is adequate to run the power steering system in your car you simply need to adapt it with some conversion lines.

*Note: you should consider using a Power Steering Restricter from Turn1 (http://www.turnone-steering.com not listed on their website, just call) as the LS pump is too powerful for the Nissan Rack and steering can feel "disconnected" without one.

Stock Nissan PS lines will work with the LS pump
- http://www.silviav8forums.com/forum/...pic.php?t=1299

FujiiSPL High Performance Lines
-http://fujiispl.com/products.html [$109]

Daft Innovations PS Conversion lines
-Power Steering conversion lines [$120]

PX Racing PS Conversion lines
-Power Steering conversion lines [$100]

Custom (find someone who can make conversion lines
-http://silviav8forums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=791 [??]

Radiator:
-Any Radiator for 240sx (Koyo/other) [$300+ New]
-Electric Fans (from 93-97 Altima or Tarus w/Shroud)* [$150+ New]
-Radiator Piping (click for info) [~$40]
-Heater hoses see this thread: http://www.silviav8forums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=986

*The LS1 computer is capable of controlling electric fans so you'll either want to have the computer programmed for this and wire it up or you'll want to setup a stand-alone temperature probe and relay to control the fan, or go uber ghetto and just have the fan run 100% of the time while the car is running

Intake:
-see this article: http://tech.240sxone.com/81/lsx-intake/

Exhaust:
For the Exhaust the recommended sizing is dual 2.5" or a single 3.5" a single 3" will be overly restrictive, You will also need 2 CATS (one for each cylinder bank) for a legal OBDII compliant setup.
-headers
----- OEM C5/C6 Corvette Headers
----- Daft Innovations Long Tube Headers
----- Hinson Long Tube Headers
----- Sikky Long Tube Headers
----- (Custom) [??]
-Cat(s) (Catco/Magnaflow/etc.) [$60/piece New]
-Y-pipe (Flowmaster/Kooks/custom) [??]
-Catback (custom/other) [$400+ New]

Air Conditioning:
-Conversion Lines (PX Racing/Hinson/custom) [$450 New]

Electronics:
-Speed converter for speedo/odo (Dakota Digital/other)* [$80 New]
----Dakota Digital
-Wiring harness modification for dashboard compatibility http://www.silviav8forums.com/forum/...pic.php?t=1367 [$250 or DIY]
-ECU reflash (removes unneeded variables/tunes to new tire size, transmission, etc.)

*Tach conversion is not necessary if your car is equipped with a DOHC (KA24DE or SR20DET) gauge cluster

Recommended maintenance before installing
-new Timing chain (LS2)
-new Gaskets (headers, intake manifold, etc)
-new serpentine belts
-Sparkplugs (NGK TR55, TR55ix iridium)
-Oil Pump (LS6)
-Head Gasket (if applicable)
-Change all fluids (transmission, oil, etc.)

Recommended upgrades before installing:
-rod bolts (ARP) (especially if you're using a 1998 motor)
-oil system improvements (ACCUSUMP/dry sump/other)
-Valve springs/retainers/seals (Patriot gold dual springs/other)
-more aggressive cams
-Z06 Clutch
-Underdrive Pullies (ATI super damper, ASP)
Old 03-15-2010, 11:20 PM
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One thing not listed is rear ends. The stock rear end will hold quite a bit of power as long as you limit wheel hop and don't hook hard at the strip. I found my stock 4.08 gear a bit low for the T56 though. I went with an early (1994) Q45 rear end. It has 3.54 gears but there is more to it than that. It will bolt into your subframe but you will need a Z32 TT drivers side axle and a Q45 drivers side axle. The TT goes on the drivers side and the Q45 goes on the passenger side. You will also need Q45 or TT hubs. The advantage of this setup is the bigger axles (30 spline) and the better gearing.
Old 03-15-2010, 11:30 PM
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red Kouki =
Old 03-16-2010, 10:36 AM
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Lots of good info here. Guess I need to break out the calculator and see what the damage is.
Old 03-29-2010, 08:18 PM
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Originally Posted by CS Vette
Lots of good info here. Guess I need to break out the calculator and see what the damage is.
lol, yeah these engine swaps can really ad up.

but just think of atleast 400-500hp in a 2700 pound car(at most). its gonna scream!
Old 03-29-2010, 08:20 PM
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oh yeah, can anyone mention any After-market LSD's?

not j30's or anything stock, but aftermarket performance.

lots of good info here!
Old 03-29-2010, 08:56 PM
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I just weighed my car and with the Silvia body kit, leather interior, sunroof, A/C and a small sub box and amp in the back my car weighs in at 3000lbs. Not bad with 530hp under the hood and comfort for daily driving.

BTW I have about 40K in parts, paint, and body work in my car with me doing 95% of the work minus the paint and body. However nearly everything on my car is new. All possible wear items in the suspension and drivetrain was replaced. It can really add up fast. I strongly recommend starting with a really clean car.

On a side note if you want one already built mine could be purchased lol.
Old 03-30-2010, 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by sierrac3_s2000
.

On a side note if you want one already built mine could be purchased lol.
how much u asking?

do u have pics?
Old 03-30-2010, 06:11 PM
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the kaaz LSD is great, i built the ls1 s14 that was in last months modified mag, and we used a stock rear end with the kaas 1.5 lsd. no problems. although the car is a professional drift car, they dont see any traction time. BUT my rotary rx7 has a kaas, and it does 1.5 60' and hasnt broke. and thats what i am using in the newest rx7 ls3 swap im doing too. s13-s14 rear diff + kaas = LOVE!!!
Old 03-31-2010, 02:20 PM
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you want to get the swap bought and DIY installed for $7000, plus about $2500 for the car to total about 10 grand right?
you can do it.

I did my LS1 FC for under 10grand and people have found ways to cut costs since then (vette FPR, clean but junkyard rad/fans, etc.), so you can do it. but you may be limited budget wise to an LS1 and to parts like oem radiators, fans, steel driveshafts, etc, this does not suck but its not the blow-your-mind kind of parts that people LOVE to use during LS1 swaps, so know what youre getting out of your "limiting" budget before you start.

rock on man great project idea, I was almost doing a 97 black kouki but its long gone now.

theyre great cars and besides the header fitment being tight around the steering shaft its a simple swap now that so many guys have figured out easy cheap DIY ways to get the swap done.



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