CA18DET into KE20.......price for conversion!

[ke2nv]

i know ill probly get some abuse for this, haha, but i have the idea of putting a CA18DET into one of my KE20s. I understand its done quite alot in Australia, so it couldnt possibly be too insanely complicated?? Now i understand the firewall will more then likely have to be chopped, the gearbox tunnel enlargened and the gearstick moved back. And all the usual custom driveshaft, diff, fuel system, mounts etc. But the point of my question is..........am i correct in thinking the conversion would cost approx $7 - 8 thousand (done professionally), excluding the price of the engine and gearbox? Any help would be mint!

[Burning Angel]

my whole project is gunna cost me about 10k
im putting an sr20de in my starlet.
thats including engine, gearbox, ecu, diff driveshaft gearbox tunnel etc.
plus a roll cage and seats and tune etc.

thats with me doing all the work myself.

it really depends on how much custom fabrication is needed as labour is the killer on cost.

i don't see that being an unreasonable number discounting the engine.

is this just for an engine/drivetrain upgrade or brakes and suspension too?

[ke2nv]

i reckon thatll be just engine/drivetrain. i talked to a couple of guys from turbo shop and they said theyd do it for me. price of labour is really guna kill it as im a panelbeater apprentice not a mechanic apprentice haha. and im also told that ca18s are quite alot cheaper then sr20s?

[Burning Angel]

yea sr20dets go for like $3K+

ca18det much cheaper.

theres not much mechanical work in it. if your a panelbeater you should be able to do it better than me. the fabrication isn't hard it just takes time.

if you can weld decent enough engine mounts would only take a day once all the prep is done(ie firewall etc)

just gotta work out all the little things like clutch cylinder, radiator and wiring

u in dunedin?

[ke2nv]

yup i live in stafford street. I want to try do alot myself but dont really have access to hoists and stuff.

[ke2nv]

anyone?

[RS13]

You'd be looking at around $1800 at least for engine and gearbox, they're becoming quite sought after now, which has bumped the price up. Add to that the loom, ECU (assuming you're not willing to fork out $2000-$4000 on an aftermarket ECU and tuning), intercooler setup, redoing the KE fuel system for fuel injection, then the little random parts like getting the hydraulic clutch setup, bigger rear end, bigger brakes, then cert.

And then add the labour. I'd budget $4000 for labour at least, if you've got hookups and can get mounts etc fabricated and the engine/box/rear end in, you'll save yourself a LOT of coin. If I was in your positon, I'd have a nudge at it myself, its' really not as hard as you picture it to be if you've got someone to provide advice, and the right tools.

So yeah, $7,000 to $10,000 at least to get it done properly by professionals.

[ke2nv]

sweet cheers man . if i can get myself some tools together and some decent lights for my garage i think ill have a go at some things myself. Hopefully i can get someone down here in dunedin to help me out with a few things!

[big_boy]

Hopefully i can get someone down here in dunedin to help me out with a few things!

like sed above Burning Angel is doing a simular transplant iv also done a couple & were both in dunedin HRT knows is way arround a car well & is in dunedin so theres a few of us arround that will be able to give ya a bit of a hand if you ask when you need it i for one dont mind at all helping altho im mainley in to eletrical & a bit macanical when i want to not a fan of welding ect but sureley you can do that if you a pannel beater so you shouldent have any trouble doing the work at home ect aslong as its not your dailey

[ke2nv]

Thatd be awesum First things first, i have to buy the engine. Having a look at a guys S13 this weekend, said hed be keen to sell me its CA18DET, with dyno sheets to prove 200KW at wheels. Not too sure if id be able to afford the thing, haha, but even so, the daily driver will sadly be going up for sale this weekend. Ive only had it for just over a month and im already attached to it!

[ke2nv]

So if anyone is interested in a totally original Jailbar grille '72 KE20, PM me!