Hey guys.
I'm new here.
I registered here as I bought a CA18DET as a replacement motor for my Hardbody bakkie.
Many thanks to Skippy for putting me on to the sale, and to nirvash for the great deal!
As yet the work hasn't started yet.
I had to wait a little longer than I had hoped for my NP200.
This is my Hardbody, affectionately known as BigZ...
This is the new heart...
Can't wait to get started!
Hey Welcome!
Very interesting conversion you're doing.
Is there any specific reason you decided to go for a CA18DET. Im just thinking that space shouldnt be a problem in a Hardbody etc. What is the weight of the hardbody?
Thanx fuzz!!
Space looks not to be a problem no...
There wasn't any specific reason at first why I went for it.
Lots of guys say the 1800 turbo won't last long.
But comparatively, it makes more power and torque than the Z24.
That's the motor that's in the bakkie now.
And it makes torque low down enough I believe to carry the bakkie.
BigZ weighs 1400kg.
Any thoughts?
Welcome Mister Swartz
Can't wait for BigZ to be completed 😁 :200sx_200sx:
P.S
You can give the fmic to me 😛
Mister_Swartz wrote:
Thanx fuzz!!
Space looks not to be a problem no...
There wasn't any specific reason at first why I went for it.
Lots of guys say the 1800 turbo won't last long.But comparatively, it makes more power and torque than the Z24.
That's the motor that's in the bakkie now.
And it makes torque low down enough I believe to carry the bakkie.BigZ weighs 1400kg.
Any thoughts?
Well 1400kg really is not as heavy as I thought it would be.
Im just thinking that for it to drive okay as a bakkie you will need to have that turbo kick in very low down. These engines can be quite sluggish before boost kicks in and if your going to throw a load in the back and get a bit of a uphill in front its going to be a battle.
As for reliability, nothing will last long if you push the engine to its limits the whole time(as we are known to do) but keep it running standard and it should last long.
Are you going to keep the old gearbox?
The Sx's gearbox are basically the same as the hardbody's. The diff is where the difference come in. So in the bakkie 2500rpm should come a lot quicker. A bit less timing will also help.
@Skippy...
Yep, I'm so much more excited seeing how your SX goes!
Lmk I'm planning on cutting the bumper for the fmic!
When it's done... you know...
@fuzz...
Gonna take it easy in BigZ. Cruising mostly...
She'll have very little load time, as I now have the NP200...
I'm gonna look at how early it has to boost. Thanx for the headsup there!
At this stage, I'm using the Z24 box yes. Apparently it's an easy fit...
@Charl...
I have no idea about the boxes, other than what I was told.
I've been told they should be interchangeable with minimum effort.
Also, it'll be able to handle the weight and power I guess...
Nirvash also said the VG30 box might fit easy. And we know those don't break!
January must come now!!!
Welcome and looking forward to seeing this build
Thanks Hotstuff!
Will post and keep updated soon as it starts!
i cant believe i havent seen this thread yet 😮
very interested to see how this turns out,
how things progressing?
nirvash wrote:
i cant believe i havent seen this thread yet 😮
very interested to see how this turns out,
how things progressing?
+1 update time
Hey guys!
Sadly, work has not commenced as yet.
Other things (the wife lol...) have taken preference for the moment...
Also, BigZ might be sold...
The NP200 has made her obsolete...
But I've also been Datsun hunting now. Big fan of the 180U...
Going to see one today. So depending on that, we'll see what happens next! So many moves to be made!
Fingers crossed!
So fiiiiiiinally the work has begun.
I had started on stripping the motor a couple of weeks back.
Sister's wedding now done!
Thanx to Skippy and the cars.
New work contracts signed.
So I'm free to move forward with the project.
Motor came out just an hour or so ago.
Odd things I found:
1 - motor was 'resting' on the left hand side mount...
It wasn't tied down. When I jacked up the crane I watched it slide off.
2 - there are quite a few 'fixes' on the motor...
Things that looked mcguyvered and lots of red gasket sealer...
3 - Branch had cracks in all 4 primary headers...
Just as they joined into 2... 6 or 7 cracks...
4 - a nasty rust spot under front passenger seat...
But hey.
Tomorrow we're gonna find out if the box and CA18DET are compatible. Will be a most interesting day!
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/John_Swartz/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_00000704.jpg
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l536/John_Swartz/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_00000703.jpg
So all was going well.
Gearbox came out easily enough.
First snag - the bellhousing currently on the gearbox doesn't work.
So I need to find a CA18DET RWD bellhousing.
My bakkie has a 5W71C gesrbox in.
From what I researched, this box is common through many variants of Nissan setups.
Z24, KA24, CA18DET, some SR20's, VG30.
The only differences in the different setups is the gear ratios.
I'll only truly know once I have a CA18DET bellhousing.
From there on, we'll see what happens!
nice progress dude keep it up!!
Finally in progress 😀
Got a ca bellhousing for you
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Big thank you to Riekert for the bellhousing!
Had some good time to fit and compare, check and recheck.
So the research proved to be true. I'm glad it did.
The 5W71C box was used on a few different motors.
All that was changed was the bellhousing.
The bellhousings don't even differ in length!
With the rain yesterday I got a little moody, and then a little lazy lol...
I got the old bellhousing separated from the gearbox. I then checked all the fits. Motor to new bellhousing, new bellhousing to box. Today or tomorrow (off till Friday) I'll have the bellhousing fixed and sealed on the box, and joined to the motor. Then by tomorrow afternoon it should be in the bakkie.
Then the next mission is to see where it mounts, get mountings, check if firewall needs adjustment, and then do that. After which it's an auto electrician's turn lol...
Time for an update:
So yesterday I had the time to progress with the project.
Firstly, I had to take the sump off the motor.
As with most turbo motors, I discovered that the sump's 'deep end' is at the belts, which made it impossible to fit as it fell on the bakkie's crossmember. That was the first problem.
Once I had the sump off, it was easier to get the motor in.
Ran into another small hitch. Pushing the motor all the way back to where the gearbox originally mounts, would mean I would have to move the clutch's filler and pipes, cut the firewall, move 12/13 other things as well.
So I decided I would mount the motor more forward.
That worked like a charm. The driver side mounting has 3 positions for the bracket. One was an awesome fit. The passenger mounting was useless as it didn't have a bolt in even for the motor to tie down onto. Luckily, nirvash had thrown me an SX mounting in the sale. Dream fit. I screwed it in with the bolt on the bottom, and the motor is now fitted.
It also works quite nicely for the sump.
I now only need to shave 20mm off the deep end, and I can make the entire sump the same depth front to back, meaning I won't have oil deficiencies.
What it means, though, is that I need a longer prop shaft, and I need to fabricate a new cross member for the gearbox. Also meaning that I have to make a new hole for the gearbox in the interior.
So those are the next missions.
Today I must take the motor out again. Need to fit the starter, sump and support brackets.
Then I mount it for good.
Making progress.
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