I'm looking to buy a pick up truck and with power in mind, I'm woundering wat modle/year truck I need to get in order to swap in a different motor to make more power..I dont have much money so I kinda want to get an older truck.. Please give me ur ideas i'm new at this
The answer to your question depends on where you live and what kind of interior ammenities you want. On one extreme, you can go to the junkyard and buy a frame and put a V-8 and a seat on it -- that'd be the absolute cheapest route. Or, you can go find a truck with a nice body and a blown engine (probably hard to find), but that'll be more expensive. Your solution will probably be somewhere in the middle. The answer is pretty simple -- buy whatever truck you think you can live with on a daily basis. I've seen them for $450, but that includes a busted radio, seats with springs popping out of them, and windshield optional. I got mine for just under $4000 -- it's a real clean truck -- just has lots of miles. The engine's still good on it though.
You'll also have local and federal laws that will (or should) regulate your actions as far as engine swapping goes. In general, swapping an older engine into a vehicle is illegal (it's against federal regulations, which supercede any state or local regs). Likewise, taking off the cat and other emissions devices is a federal offense, even if they don't "sniff the tailpipe" in your area.
It sounds like you want something older you can wrench on and not worry about it. I'd suggest something pre 1975, so you don't have to worry about pollution prevention devices.
If you don't own anything yet,there are 2 very cheap solutions which are not Nissan's.If pure power to weight ratio and cheapness are your priorities, then you can't go wrong with a Chevy S-10 with a 350.The other option would be a 302 powered Ford Ranger.The Nissan options would cost much more than either of these.Don't get me wrong, I would love to build a SR20DET powered Frontier out of my truck,but I have no illusions of it being inexpensive to do.I would probably budget $3-5k for it whereas, I can build a V8 S 10 for under $1500.
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1998 Nissan Frontier XE/2wd/5spd 1 owner, 264k miles
1985 Olds Cutlass, 350 Chevy, owned for 14 years
WANTED: 1968-1973 Datsun 510 or 1991-1994 Sentra SE-R http://www.myspace.com/junkyardengineer
Originally posted by torquemonster sounds good. I have a couple questions then:
1) So your saying an Nissan pickup can be swaped with a sr20det with little frame modification??
2) I need to know wat modle and year will be the easiest truck to work in a new motor.
3) How much do these trucks weigh.
4) I perfer a RWD truck vs 4X4 or can you switch from rwd to all wheel drive?
sorry new at this shit
thanks
No, I didn't say that at all (about the SR20DET swap). I'm sure it could...with time and money. With a gas cutter and a welder, you can make anything possible, but not if you're "new at this shit". It'd take some experience. I know I wouldn't try something like that, because there are so many unknowns you're going to run into.
Himile had a great suggestion -- V-8 S-10 or V-8 Ranger. Those swaps are pretty common and there might even be kits out there for those swaps. Big engine (or even non-stock Nissan engine) swaps into Nissan trucks just aren't that common and you'd be on your own for the most part.
Find one of the earlier style Dodge Dakotas - go with a regular cab, short bed, 5-spd, six-cylinder. Cheap, ez to work on, stock, can probably keep up with v-8 S-10s
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Current Wheels: 86 SVO 1E, 89 Nissan D21 VG30E, 50 Fleetline Cpe
Past Wheels: 94 Vette LT1, 01 Vette Z06, 87 Vette L98, 80 Vette L48
ok i like the sound of the V8 S10.. Its stright bolt on with kits right?? and what type of power are we talking about.?? 1/4 mile time? and gas milage??
Well, putting a V-8 engine were a 4 or 6 once was will never be "bolt in", but a kit will make it easier. Do a search on the Internet. I'm sure you'll find kits and people who have done it before. It'll take some research on your part.
1/4 mile time...probably in the mid to high 15 second range for an average 350 in a pickup truck. If you put a lot of money into it and build the engine right and get you some traction aids (traction bars, slicks, posi traction, etc.), you'll get into the 14s probably. The old saying is always true -- speed costs money...how fast do you want to go?
Gas mileage...probably horrible, but it all depends on how you build the engine. Build it for low-end torque and your mileage will be good (or better than average maybe). If you build it for high rpm horsepower, your mileage will probably be much worse. Expect anywhere between about 10 and 18 mpg for average driving, but that obviously depends on more variables than I could list probably.
Do some research on the Internet and go to places like gmforums.com. You'll be able to find lots of information out there.
Remember to that the SR20 is a front sump engine and the KA used in the truck is rear sump.Also, the SR pan is cast aluminum and hard to modify.The only option for a rear sump pan is one designed for a SR swap into a Datsun 510.The 5.0 Ranger has the potential to deliver decent fuel economy since most 5.0 Mustangs get around 20 mpg city.Plus, the KA24DE 4 cyl trucks aren't that great on gas-only 20-22mpg city,and you are adding horsepower and using a thirstier engine.The S 10 swap is almost a boly in using 4.3 V6 parts and aftermarket mounts.The fit is tight and requires a set of pusher fans instead of the stock puller fan.If you are interested in these swaps, try Advance Adapters or JTR(Jaguars That Run).Both these companies have resources to help you .
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1998 Nissan Frontier XE/2wd/5spd 1 owner, 264k miles
1985 Olds Cutlass, 350 Chevy, owned for 14 years
WANTED: 1968-1973 Datsun 510 or 1991-1994 Sentra SE-R http://www.myspace.com/junkyardengineer
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