LS1 S14 240sx Swap
02-02-2006, 03:04 PM
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LS1 S14 240sx Swap: IT RUNS! Hello all,
I don't post here much but do read what's going on in this forum. I'm the one that started the post on freshalloy.com showing my S14 240sx swap. It seems like here would be a more appropriate place to make my updates. Here is a link to the original thread at freshalloy.com
Freshalloy 240sx post
I wasn't able to post pictures of the final engine placement and shifter location but I will do so this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to start fabricating the mounts this weekend and post pictures of them as well. As stated in the freshalloy post I'll model them in Solidworks and post drawings of the mounts for anyone interested. I'm getting really excited about this swap. Look for updates this weekend! Here is a summary of what I have purchased and completed to date:
As of 1/29/06
1999 LS1 out of a Z28 w/ t-56 transmission
RPM2 cam
Corvette manifolds
'05 GTO oil pan and pickup tube and windage tray
Thunder racing pushrods
Chassis modifications:
MINOR clearancing of firewall
small notch on top of crossmember to allow engine to sit as low as possible.
That's all the chassis modifications that I feel will be necessary to allow the engine to fit! The oil pan sits between the sway bar and crossmember very nicely. After notching the crossmember I was able to push the engine back further and I feel that larger front aftermarket sway bars will fit.
I don't post here much but do read what's going on in this forum. I'm the one that started the post on freshalloy.com showing my S14 240sx swap. It seems like here would be a more appropriate place to make my updates. Here is a link to the original thread at freshalloy.com
Freshalloy 240sx post
I wasn't able to post pictures of the final engine placement and shifter location but I will do so this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to start fabricating the mounts this weekend and post pictures of them as well. As stated in the freshalloy post I'll model them in Solidworks and post drawings of the mounts for anyone interested. I'm getting really excited about this swap. Look for updates this weekend! Here is a summary of what I have purchased and completed to date:
As of 1/29/06
1999 LS1 out of a Z28 w/ t-56 transmission
RPM2 cam
Corvette manifolds
'05 GTO oil pan and pickup tube and windage tray
Thunder racing pushrods
Chassis modifications:
MINOR clearancing of firewall
small notch on top of crossmember to allow engine to sit as low as possible.
That's all the chassis modifications that I feel will be necessary to allow the engine to fit! The oil pan sits between the sway bar and crossmember very nicely. After notching the crossmember I was able to push the engine back further and I feel that larger front aftermarket sway bars will fit.
Last edited by kenm240; 04-22-2006 at 07:43 PM. Reason: title change
02-04-2006, 05:26 PM
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Thanks! Hopefully I'll start on the engine mounts tonight. Here are the pictures of the crossmember notching and tranny tunnel clearancing. You'll have to excuse the messy engine compartment. The old KA was leaking oil and it got all over the place. I'm going to clean up the notched section for the sake of cleanliness and then box in the notched area to regain most of the lost rigidity. For the tranny tunnel you will only have to clearance the area from the front of the tunnel to the first sheet metal overlapping portion about 12" back. Then pound down the overlapping lip. I had to pound the tunnel up about a 1/2" all the way around.
02-05-2006, 11:59 AM
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That is some great work. Why did you notch the X member so you could lower the engine more? Can you measure from the distance from the front swap bar to the crossmember? I think S13's and S14's are a lil different and you may have more room. Good stuff keep us updated. Mine is the Green S13 a couple threads down. Hit me up on AIM when you get a chance - DaDvSAzN
-Alex
-Alex
02-05-2006, 12:16 PM
#7
Thats the coolest LS1 swap into an import that I have seen, I love the look of the S14.
Any guesses as to how much heavier the new drivetrain is? IIRC the S14 is 2800 lbs, which means that thing will be a blast to drive!
Any guesses as to how much heavier the new drivetrain is? IIRC the S14 is 2800 lbs, which means that thing will be a blast to drive!
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02-05-2006, 12:37 PM
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As far as added weight goes, the old KA24DE was a heavy engine for a 4-cylinder (cast iron block, aluminum head.) The LS1 weighs approximately the same as the KA did. Where the extra weight comes in is from the T56 transmission. I believe it weighs ~140lbs vs the 75-85lbs the Nissan transmission weighed, however, that's weight low and towards the center of the car so I don't think weight distribution will be hurt. I had a turbo setup in the car before and when I sold the kit and had it mailed all of that stuff weighed about 70lbs. Most of the turbo kit weight was added high (top mount turbo, stainless steel manifold) and at the very front of the car (intercooler and associated piping) so if anything, the LS1 should be an improvement over the old KA turbo setup that I had!
I notched the crossmember so that I could get the engine lower and further back in the car. By notching the crossmember the shifter location lined up much better with the stock shifter hole AND I was able to use the LS1 -> SBC adapter plates! I'll get measurements of the distance from the crossmember to the sway bar later today. I believe the distance should be identical for the S13 and S14, both engines are the same and the KA oil pan sits between the sway bar and crossmember on both chassis.
Last night I decided to make my own LS1 -> SBC adapter plates with some 1/4" thick steel plate from Lowes. Anyways, I'm using a combination of the adapter plates, SBC solid mounts and stock KA mounts to mount the engine. I wanted to keep the stock KA mounts because I am very picky (or a wuss, whatever you want to call it) about drivability issues. I don't want the car to shake and vibrate all the time due to engine mounts being too stiff. Everything is coming together great! To finish the mounts I'll need to make a small spacer to join the SBC mounts and the chassis side KA mounts together. Real simple stuff. I'll probably have the engine mounts finished next weekend and will post a drawing of the SIMPLE spacer needed. The rest of the engine mounting system is made from off the shelf parts! Enjoy!
I notched the crossmember so that I could get the engine lower and further back in the car. By notching the crossmember the shifter location lined up much better with the stock shifter hole AND I was able to use the LS1 -> SBC adapter plates! I'll get measurements of the distance from the crossmember to the sway bar later today. I believe the distance should be identical for the S13 and S14, both engines are the same and the KA oil pan sits between the sway bar and crossmember on both chassis.
Last night I decided to make my own LS1 -> SBC adapter plates with some 1/4" thick steel plate from Lowes. Anyways, I'm using a combination of the adapter plates, SBC solid mounts and stock KA mounts to mount the engine. I wanted to keep the stock KA mounts because I am very picky (or a wuss, whatever you want to call it) about drivability issues. I don't want the car to shake and vibrate all the time due to engine mounts being too stiff. Everything is coming together great! To finish the mounts I'll need to make a small spacer to join the SBC mounts and the chassis side KA mounts together. Real simple stuff. I'll probably have the engine mounts finished next weekend and will post a drawing of the SIMPLE spacer needed. The rest of the engine mounting system is made from off the shelf parts! Enjoy!
02-08-2006, 10:05 PM
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The previous setup that I had in my car was a turbo KA24DE (or KA-T to Nissan people) so I upgraded my fuel pump to the Walbro 255lph unit. Walbro doesn't make a specific application for the S14 ('95-'98) despite what some dealers will tell you. The pickup/sock unit that comes with the 240sx Walbro kit is for the S13 and will point the wrong way for the S14 which could lead to fuel starvation issues. If you have an S14 just reuse your stock sock on your Walbro pump, that's what I did and it worked just fine.
As a side note, I just purchased a set of LS2 manifolds from a C6 'Vette off of E-bay and I have a strong feeling that these will fit in the S14 and negate the need for custom exhaust manifolds. I'll try these on after they arrive in the mail and let you guys know how they work out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...I'd rather not build custom headers if it wasn't necessary.
Also, if there was enough interest I think I may offer my version of the mounts for a pretty cheap price for people who don't have the resources to build their own.
As a side note, I just purchased a set of LS2 manifolds from a C6 'Vette off of E-bay and I have a strong feeling that these will fit in the S14 and negate the need for custom exhaust manifolds. I'll try these on after they arrive in the mail and let you guys know how they work out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...I'd rather not build custom headers if it wasn't necessary.
Also, if there was enough interest I think I may offer my version of the mounts for a pretty cheap price for people who don't have the resources to build their own.
02-13-2006, 04:27 PM
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Any updates? I am putting in the roll cage in mine so I haven't even started on putting the powertrain. Plus, I need an oil pan so thats holding me back... Should be ready to go in this weekend though.
-Alex
-Alex
02-13-2006, 06:31 PM
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Sorry guys, no new updates for this weekend. This upcoming weekend is a 3-day weekend for me so I plan to get a lot done. I should have the engine and transmission mounts finished this weekend and maybe even start on the wiring. I hope to have this thing up and running in about 1 month.
Slo_240sx, try contacting this person for your GTO oil pan, I purchased mine from them on E-bay. They are very pleasant and professional, a good company to to deal with. When I purchased my pan at the end of December they had 4 left in stock with pickup and windage tray. I paid $150 shipped for everything. They are a shop that does alot of work with the LS1 so I think you'll have a pretty good chance of finding an oil pan:
Nickens Racing
Karenina, 936-756-1131
Slo_240sx, try contacting this person for your GTO oil pan, I purchased mine from them on E-bay. They are very pleasant and professional, a good company to to deal with. When I purchased my pan at the end of December they had 4 left in stock with pickup and windage tray. I paid $150 shipped for everything. They are a shop that does alot of work with the LS1 so I think you'll have a pretty good chance of finding an oil pan:
Nickens Racing
Karenina, 936-756-1131
02-21-2006, 09:27 PM
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Here's my update for the week:
Here are the pictures of the engine mounts that I made...my TIG welding is a bit rusty, it's been about a year since I fired up my welder. Keep in mind these are ones that I made with limited material selection..the drawings that I made are of what I think would be the best design, which I'll probably make in a couple of weeks. I just wanted to keep the project moving along.
I got about 50% of the tranny mount done...I used the stock 240sx tranny crossmember and am in the process of creating adapter plates. I think these will be a little trickier because the mounting point on the t56 is a couple of inches behind the 240sx mounting holes. I think extra reinforcement will be needed because I do not want to create a large moment arm around the 240sx mounting holes...but I"m not concerned and the tranny mount will be pretty easy to make as well.
The final positioning of the engine is lower than I wanted (but I do not feel dangerously low) but it was necessary to allow the engine to pushed back far and low enough to clear the stock hood and for ideal shifter location. I also measured the final driveline angle and it came out to approximately 3.5 deg (anything between 0-6 deg is acceptable.)
Anyways, enough talk, on to the pictures.
Here are the pictures of the engine mounts that I made...my TIG welding is a bit rusty, it's been about a year since I fired up my welder. Keep in mind these are ones that I made with limited material selection..the drawings that I made are of what I think would be the best design, which I'll probably make in a couple of weeks. I just wanted to keep the project moving along.
I got about 50% of the tranny mount done...I used the stock 240sx tranny crossmember and am in the process of creating adapter plates. I think these will be a little trickier because the mounting point on the t56 is a couple of inches behind the 240sx mounting holes. I think extra reinforcement will be needed because I do not want to create a large moment arm around the 240sx mounting holes...but I"m not concerned and the tranny mount will be pretty easy to make as well.
The final positioning of the engine is lower than I wanted (but I do not feel dangerously low) but it was necessary to allow the engine to pushed back far and low enough to clear the stock hood and for ideal shifter location. I also measured the final driveline angle and it came out to approximately 3.5 deg (anything between 0-6 deg is acceptable.)
Anyways, enough talk, on to the pictures.
02-22-2006, 04:08 AM
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I haven't had a chance to test fit the LS2 manifolds yet....the guy I bought them from took his sweet time to ship them (I bought them 2 weeks ago.) Hopefully on Friday I'll get a chance to test them out. I'll be sure to post results then.
