David's CA18DET build-up thread!

Hey whats up guys? Just kind of excited because in a few hours im getting my motor. I got things straightened out with the shipping company(s) and its scheduled for delivery tomorrow morning (July 13 2006).

I went to go see it today and all i can say is "wow!" It looked real nice and clean, and most of all, looked really complete. This was my first time seeing it up close in person and it actually looked kinda big. I think it was because it had everything on it, like AC compressor, PS pump, Alternator, Water pump, some intercooler piping w/ intercooler, etc. Ill post pictures as soon as i get a chance. :bigthumb

Meanwhile heres the stand i bought it! :pface






Modified by davidricardo86 at 4:31 PM 12/9/2006

Here it is. Got here this morning. Looks like i gotta get a hold of them to find out whats up with my ECU. $1350.00 shipped from http://www.jdmsource.ca w/ whatever i got. Finally i can begin my project.


























Modified by davidricardo86 at 7:08 AM 7/13/2006

fucking nice

i have the same engine stand

cant wait for CA18 updates.

Heres some better views of the turbo, transmission, etc.

Without the heat sheild. Notcie the PS pump is very clean and also doesnt appear to be leaking. The stock fan viscous clutch does feel raspy/rough and has some slight resistance to it so i think im going to have to toss it for an electric fan set w/ thermometer. Also the engine was very clean.


Stock turbocharger. "A stock CA T25. CA T25, SR T25, SR T28 have the 3 bolt compressor outlet.
The difference is the compressor inlet. Also you can tell by the wastegate actuator if its a SR t28
" says UMS_CA18DET.



Closer view of the compressor wheel. It looks really dirty in there. Ill have to take a better look later.
".48 A/R = CA T25" - 89'ClubK's



Here is Drift Ready's trubo. Looks a little different doesnt it?




Whats up with that fuzz in the clutch plate? I think its just clutch disc material.

"About the turbo... there is always a slight amount of play ( up and down/ side to side) on non ball bearing turbos. Now if it has any in and out play chances are that it'll smoke pretty good and possibly need a rebuild, Also you need to get that flywheel resurfaced, I would suggest pulling out all of the dowel pins and using a ka clutch ( rps, centerforce, act etc...) something good. Also you may want to get a stainless steel clutch line as ( depending on miles) the stock rubber one will most likely swell a little and cause hard shifting once hot." Reply from kapower06.



Some more fuzz and dirt/crap inside the CA bellhousing. No signs of a front oil seal leaking. A new throw out bearing and a Nismo pivot bolt will replace the old one. Also gotta remember to replace the Pilot Bushing in the Crankshaft!

its clutch... u need a new clutch... congrats on ca

Some more good stuff!

Clutch disc and clutch pressure plate assembly. Apparently it is not an OEM unit according to Drift Ready on NICO. Look at how worn out this thing was! The material is completely gone and it seemed to have fuzzed up and magnetized?! Weird. My theory is that it was abused too much and was overheated.



Stock flywheel, atleast i think its a stock one. Havent massed it. Someone else on NICO, Drift Ready from california said it looked like the NISMO version, not like the OEM unit. I included the picture he took of both.



Nismo vs ca18det oem. Notice the diagonal down slope from the surface area towards the middle of the flywheel. The ca one is just recessed straight down. "The stock flyweel does not gruve in on the side... its flat and very very heavy!" says Drift Ready.



OEM unit pulled off of Drift REady's engine.



Heres the clutch disc. "It was brand new... less then 500 miles on it... gave it to homie that fryed his" is what he said.



Ghetto-man's Tranny Transport aka my old skateboard! 5-speed transmission cleaned up and looks to be free from leaks with no obvious signs of damage. The shifter feels solid and rigid. Everything checks out ok.

[img][/img]

Nice job...keep us updated.
Ive been playing with the idea of a ca.

but umm....

Quote :

scheduled for delivery tomorrow morning (July 13 2006).

yea ive seen this topic like couple month ago on 240sxforums.com...

Looks nice and clean let me know when it's ready. So we can cruise down Cermak I'm located in cicero to. Are u doing the swap?

looks nice... i'd be worried about if the motor was abused... as the clutch/flywheel were. that's why i paid extra to get very clean non-abused clip.

Thanks for the comments. If you guys have advice or anything that you'd like to say then let me know! Well im trying to post everything i have done since i got it. I got it back in July thats why the date is old and i make reference to back then.

Hey chitown240sx, what are you driving right now? Anything done? It probably wont be ready till after winter though. Moeny is tight and i got other things to pay for aswell, like the most of us trying to tune our cars.

And actually the clutch and flywheel were some of the parts that were actually messed up. Everything else checked out ok, remember it is an engine from late 80s/early 90s and not too many people take good care of their cars.

davidricardo86 wrote:

And actually the clutch and flywheel were some of the parts that were actually messed up. Everything else checked out ok, remember it is an engine from late 80s/early 90s and not too many people take good care of their cars.

true... another reason for most ppl here (us) to go KA-T...

cuz who knows if the engine was serviced beat on ect...

FusionR300zx wrote:

true... another reason for most ppl here (us) to go KA-T...

cuz who knows if the engine was serviced beat on ect...

Only 2 of us are Ka-t/ka-t ready

Nice engine.

Cute turbo 2

It should be fun when it's done!

P.S. I have the same engine stand 2

HOw much u get ur's for?

The engine stand was like $40-50 bucks from Murray's. I dont remember exactly buts its not a bad stand for the price.

Actually before i decided to go with the ca i was actually going to go with ka24de-t. I finally chose the ca because of price, engine design, and it was more advantageous towards what i want to mostly do. Weight, engine bay placement, and the fact that its alittle bit more challenging. I would still want a built turbo ka because of the torque and engine strenght, etc. It'll mostly be a street car with occasionaly runs at a track. We'll see once it starts coming together.

Im currently driving a stock auto 1997 S14. Wil be going SR or turbo my KA after winter.

Update: September 13 2006

Well guys its been a while since i posted but ive got news and pictures for yah! First off is some new pictures that i hadnt posted up because of a missing camera cable and just was too lazy to find a way to upload the pictures. Theyre actually a lil old but i know i havent shown them to anyone. Theyre of the engine practically dissassembled. Enjoy, and comments are welcomed! Also i will be posting a vid of the engine on my profile so check that **** out too.

Forged crankshaft, forged rods, and oem cast aluminum piston all within a stout cast iron block cool by the oil squirts ready to take a beating. Some new pistons, bearings, and some machining will help out the bottom end a bit.


Heres the head. DOHC with a camshaft directly on the hydraulic lifter, RB style baby! I know the KA sports this aswell which is a plus in my book! Some slightly-bigger-than-stock cams and stiffer springs would be real nice in here.


From when i took this picture, it appeared like the headgasket was leaking in some areas. There wasnt any actual leaks on the out side but between the head and the block something was going on. Perfect time for a rebuild!


The cylinder walls were in good condition! You couldnt even feel the piston ring ridge at the top of the cylinder and appeared to be relatively low mileage engine.


Lots of carbon build-up and gunk everywhere. This needs some serious cleaning.


Next is news! The CA is gone! Thats right, gone! No, not gone forever but for a few days or maybe weeks as it has been taken to the machine shop! Not the entire engine but the block, crank, rods, and pistons. Oh yeah! Its gone in for some cleaning, honeing, bearings, new pistons, etc. Im doing it this way because i am not rich so the most logical choice was this. After a few weeks, i will be taking in the head. Ill keep yous updated as they come.


Heres the shop i took it to. P.E.R. in Plainfield Illinois. Theyre shop was phenomenal and they had a lot of great things like, equipment, cridentuals, and know-how! We'll see how great they actually are once its done!



Heres my engine sitting along some other engines at the shop. Get a load of that Viper V10 on the bench! Makes my engine look like a lawn mower engine! lol. Hey its not the size, it's how you use it that counts!



And theres a close up of my engine. Wont look like that after i get it back!

Nice how much are they charging you?

chitown240SX wrote:

Nice how much are they charging you?

Never got an actual qoute. Brought the block in because all places are going to tell you that they need to see what they are working with. My guess was around $500-600. I actually ended up having a few things done to the block and it went to a price i was not expecting.

i did the same thing when i brought mine in llo

Yeah the total price SHOCKED me but of course the machining and work was worth it! I'll post some more stuff like the finished block and prices later.

Well the moment i have been waiting for for almost a month finally came, the day my block came back from the shop! Thats right, after all that time its good to have it back especially with all the work done to it. As i mentioned before the block, rods, and pistons basically the short block, were all taken to Precision Engine Rebuilders in Plainfield Illinois. After some cleaning and machining, toss in some fresh new pistons and a few other things here and there and viola! Yesterday (10/04/06) i went and picked it up, not to mention the bill! Ouch! Ive taken A LOT of pictures of it to show some of the machining and work that was done. Enjoy!

Fresh from the oven!


Bottom end is coming together now.


Old cast aluminum pistons. They look like they're still in good condition so i am going to hold on to these incase i ever need them in the future. The rings look good aswell but id probably change them if i were going to use them again. :geek:


Old vs new, cast vs forged. Ready for added boost and increased cylinder pressures


There i am trying to get the engine back on the stand. The bottom end looks really good after the machining. New pistons, balanced, decked and cleaned.


Stock forged crankshaft and rods still being used but balanced.


Lookin a bit naked but a few parts are on their way like an new oil pump, water pump, gaskets, oil seals, idler and tensioner pullies, and an engine enamel coaiting.


Oooooh shiiiiney!!!


Still looking kind of dirty but im going to "spruce up" the block with a nice engine enamel.


Block surface ready for a Multi Layered Steel headgasket. Head needs to have this done aswell.


A look into the deep firey pit of doom!


This is one of my favorites! I like how the camera captured so much detail and quality.


Stock 83mm bore and stock 8.5:1 comression ratio CP pistons with matched rings, pins, and hardware. My machinist said he wasnt surprised that i chose the CPs because he knows that theyre really strong and a smart choice. Expensive but worth it in quality and craftmanship!


Get a load of that cross hatch. My engine shares the garage with my dad's Maxima. Nissan ftw!




Beefy girdle, bearings caps, and crankshaft held in place by two bolt mains.


The forged piston has a better material and design. Its been said that these stock rods dont break or snap, but rather will bend if and when too much pressure is exceeded. They are sufficient for my build-up so im going to use them.


Pauter and a few others make steel billet rods and similar rods to provide an even stronger and lighter setup. I think Toda, HKS, Tomei, and Jun also make CA rods. I'll probably try those sometime in the future but for now ill just use what i got. Somewhere in there are four factory oil squirters to help keep cylinder and piston temperatures down.


I like how i got the "CP" logo here. Theres a lot of other good ones out there like Arias, JE, Weisco, Toda, HKS, Tomei, and Jun. MLS headgasket and ARP head studs are next in line.






Me and the CA representin'.


And finally, how much was all this you ask?

pressure wash block - $90.00
deglaze hone 4 cyl (upto .030) - $90.00
deck straight block - $100.00
balance crankshaft (internal) - $160.00
change pistons (4 cyl set) - $58.00
standard short block assembly - $325.00
tear down short block - $40.00
rod bearings (clevite) - $31.88
main bearings (clevite) - $49.95
sales tax - $5.32
freight - $13.57

TOTAL - $963.72

CP Pistons (pistons, rings, pins, clips, and shipping) - $570.34

TOTAL w/ pistons - $1534.06

Now im broke for a few months! hahahahaha...

nice but you should have built it urself! lol

Wow pricey but nice might just do the same for my ka but not sure yet might be going SR

Any pics of your car?