the motor swap and the birth of "smokey"

In 2005 the time came for me to begin my motor swap. The engine I was replacing was very high mileage and very weak. The new engine is the engine that comes in my car but in Japan. This engine was not brought to this country in its turbo form so they have to be brought over to the states. My engine was a sr20det from a 1994 180sx with 79,000 miles. The clip I had purchased was fairly stock except for a cone filter. Being stock means that the previous owner was less likely to be trashing and beating on the motor. This also means that it will be more likely to be in good condition. Here are some pictures of when I received the clip and how it looked.





Here's the clip with the hood open. Mint condition




Close up of the engine.





It looked so nice and clean in there but we had to start tearing it out.




Almost have the engine out here.




My friend mike at the helm of the forklift.





The motor is out and all wrapped up.




Then came prepping the motor to be dropped. We installed an equal length tubular manifold, changed plugs and valve cover gaskets, both coolant temp sensors and the thermostat while the motor was out. I also installed a Fidanza flywheel and a 6 puck sprung clutch to put it all down to the ground through an aluminum driveshaft.






In the time the motor was getting prepped I landed a set of Enkei racing S wheels. These are very nice two piece wheels with a nice lip. I love them.




Then on April 17 the swap was underway. First order of business was to take out the old ka24de out.










I cleaned the engine bay up because we were going to paint it so the cleaner the better.



And at the end of the day this is what the car looked liked.



Two days later it was time for the new heart to go in.




Here we see the motor going it. It had to go in at an angle so the transmission would clear. My friend had to stand on it to get it to clear the firewall also :)





With the motor in it was just a matter of making all the wiring connections and putting the pipes for the turbo and intercooler and radiator.


She looks cool like this right? Who needs a front end?....well we all do so we dont go to jail :(




3 days later the engine was running and all the connections where done.



After putting the new front end from a Japanese Silvia on the car it really looked the part.




Though the car was looking great the motor wasn't running 100% at first. I had a lot of stalling issues to deal with which made drivability harsh. This is around the time that the name "smokey" came about because of the black smoke coming out of the exhaust for the boost leaks. After asking around on the forums I came to the conclusion that I had boost leaks everywhere. To solve this problem I got myself a set of t-bolt clamps to replace my old worm clamps. These clamps have been on the pipes and have not loosened up not once. After the t-bolt clamps the motor started to run great.

The motor swap was great. Me and my friends had a great time doing it and we learned a lot. The power the car makes gives me goose bumps every time I accelerate the car. After almost a year after the swap I still have no regrets. I have had no problems with it and the car is a force to be reckoned with.