I have a Automatic 94 Sentra "Limited Edition" which, of course, is slow as hell. Currently it has 108k miles on it which is nothing for a Nissan. The body is in excellent condition, I can't find a spot of rust anywhere.
I have quite a number of mechanic friends, including one who has performed 7 or 8 engine swaps on his own cars. (He's a domestic nazi though). Anyhow, I was talking to him about helping me swap an SR20DE into my car and he will basically do it for me in exchange for my help with some computer stuff he needs done.
As of right now, I don't have the money purchase all the stuff I need, and I probably won't have it until at least this winter. I still want to do stuff to my car, I have already dropped 2k into a sound system. I also have the JWT POP charger.
My question is: What mods can I do on my car right now that won't be worthless when I swap in an SR20 later this year? For example, will a cat-back exhaust for the GA16 also bolt on to the SR20? What about sway bars? I'm getting sick of doing interior and cosmetic mods and I'm looking for something different.
I'm not particularly interested in building up the GA16, as spending thousands of dollars in return for a 16.5 second car is not acceptable to me.
I would focus on the suspension: springs, struts, sway bars, they all cost some good $$ but the results are terrific. I'll take a slow car with incredible handling over a powerhouse with crap control any day.
I also have a question about rims and tires. I bought some 16 in Konigs that were previously on my friend's 95 Altima. The offset is 4x100 and it fit on the studs fine, but the tire would hit the top of the strut and refused to go on.
Do I need to add aftermarket struts and springs to fit rims on a Sentra? I hate the wheel gap on this thing, and I want some better tires than the $90 Pep Boy specials I have on the car right now.
Hey LeathalSentra, for the rims, the biggest you can get without any modifications is 215/35/18. I have 205/40/17 on my 92' SER. About the wheel gap, you will definitley need to drop that ride with at least a 2 inch drop, should take care of the problem. However, the wheel base of this b13's is bigger at the front than it is on the rear, so to try and equal things out (the wheel gap), you might want to do the 2 inch at the front, and 1.5-1.8 inch on the rear.
For 16's to fit, they would have to have a profile of 40. By the way, it's not necessary to add aftermarket springs or struts to fit any of the rims i mentioned above, however, the bigger you go the car will appear to be higher of the ground, and possibly your wheel gap might also increase so you will need to drop the ride.
Air intakes, headers, sway bars, strut bars, cat back should fit into the SR20DE motor.
How soon do you plan on getting the motor? I have one i will be selling soon complete with hot shot headers five months old. However, the motor has 115k miles. It's 140 horsepower stock, and the headers are good for another 10. I will be doing an engine swap real soon to the SR20DET.
Air intakes, headers, sway bars, strut bars, cat back should fit into the SR20DE motor.
Maybe, no, yes, yes and maybe. Air intakes for SR20DE's should be 3" while GA16DE's should have 2.5". Headers for a GA16DE will not work on an SR20DE. Sway bars and strut tower bars will work, and the catback if it's the right diameter might work, but I'm not sure if it will bolt up to the SR20DE cat or not.
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Rob '93 SE-R
PM or e-mail me for Progress swaybars $190 shipped, B13 Progress coilovers $1300 shipped and B13 Progress LCA brace $160 shipped.
I think the catback should fit wth minimal modifications. LethalSentra I think you should get your motor swap first and go from there to avoid any dissapointmets.
Just noticed that your ride is auto, my motor is 5 speed- my bad.