[Alf30DET]

I picked up a 33 GTS25T with a blown motor (ringlands) for cheap.

After driving a 5.7L NA CHEV the skyline motors don't seem to be the same down low. (not enough low down torque) yes I'm aware that the "25" has VVT but it's not quite the same.

For those who don't know much about RB30's, here's some back ground. RB30E's & RB30ET's (single cam) were sold In Holden VL commodores and R31 Skylines in Australia and new Zealand, I'm not sure where else in the world they were sold. Maybe something can add to this..

The RB30ET is certainly no slacker, their are cars with these motors running high 8's consistantly on street tyres. The design of the bottom end is very similar to other RB's.

Pic of an RB30E, it makes a whopping 114kw in stock form :loser:

My plan is to use the RB30E bottom end, bolt the 25 head on, fit a decent size turbo and numerous go fast bits. The big advantage from the extra 500cc's is not large increases in hp but more so in torque. This car is a daily driver so having huge amounts of hp and lots of lag is not ideal. A perfect combination of torque and hp is what I'm aiming to achieve. Both 25 and 26 heads have been used before on the 3L block successfully for street, strip and the track, particularly here in Oz.

I'll keep you guys updated with pics and info and welcome any suggestions and questions along the way. :thumbup:

Cheers,
Alf

 

[Alf30DET]

There are 3 types of RB30 variants, the first being a Vl commodore RB30E S1 na which has the oil and water return lines capped, a VL S1 turbo motor which being turbo has the holes in the block for water and oil lines to connect. The third is R31skyline/VL commodore S2 where both turbo (VL only) and NA have the holes in the block for oil and water. S1 blocks can be easily modded to suit.

RB30E's here in Oz can be found for dirt cheap, complete motors that still run can be bought for $100-$200 AU. I picked up a VL Commodore series 2 NA RB30E for nothing. After ripping it part I found that the bores were in excellent condition, the factory nissan main bearings had hardly been worn. The big ends did have some wear but for a motor that's done over 230 000 kms it's in excellent condition.

RB30 pistons are not the strongest among other RB's but they can withstand up to approx 450bhp with the right tuning. The stock rods if prepared properly can hold a little more. I'm not keen on using parts that are over 10 years old so i bought new ones.
Q:How do you make a jap motor go faster?, A: Fill it with parts from the US. ARIAS make RB30 forgies for the 25/30, 26/30 hybrid motors, the set i'm using are 20tho and come complete with rings , pins etc.. using a stock RB30E head gasket the compression should be around the 8.6:1 mark but like every engine, every measurement must be double checked.

The piston on the left is a stock RB30, even though it comes from a single cam motor and has 2 valves per cylinder. You can see that Nissan had their thinking caps on when making these engines. The one on the right is the ARIAS RB30 forgie.

The pic above is the factory rod vs. SCAT. The difference in size is obvious, the SCAT rods are powercoated steel and are commonly used on SBC's but with a few mods to the crank and the rod itself it can become a cheaper alternative to other brands. The rods on a SBC are rated at 1000bhp, since only 6 are being used that would make it 750bhp. That's definitely cheap insurance. :cheers:

If you guys are not quite sure on these hydrid RB's this PDF should run you up to speed, info gathered from more than 20 hybrids.

http://www.geocities.com/r32_jjc/rb30det/rb30_dohc.zip

 

[B. J.]

ALF, Good to see someone in the US is upto speed on the RB30 series engine that Nissan Australia made, if you want more info on the RB30 or the Rb30det conversion try www.r31skylineclub.com its an Australian based webpage but most of the information is univesral and very helpful.

They tend to talk more on rear wheel kilowatts rather than bhp, but I there is a member that has just completed an RB30det conversoin and is raking in 226rwkw (300Hp + @ wheels) on 8psi with no BOV and a stock RB30 bottom end. very very big potential

I believe the Rb30 came out in the petrol or diesel powered Patrol of similar age (86 to 91) in the US but I cannot be sure, you guys would know more about that than me.

In closing, the RB30e is a very very amazing engine...I had one in my R31 skyline which i sold not too long ago it currently has almost 300 000 miles. and its still going strong and crisp as ever.


ROFL - ALF mate didnt even realise you were a Sydney lad!!!