Q Hey Super Street, I've read articles on 240SX's and their problems and thought it was kinda funny how such an awesome car could have so many. So, to test out my theory that it isn't hard to tune one, I'm asking a question regarding my 240SX hatchback. It has a 2.4L KA24DE DOHC and four speed automatic transmission. It is absolute fun-ass to drive and I still love the car. Problem is that the car only has four speeds. My question is if there is a way to get more gears on the car, or even better, a cheap way to get an automatic to manual transmission swap? Can you give me any ideas as to if or where this is possible? Thanks for the great mag.
Steve Manzo
North Olmsted, OH
Q I have a question that I can't get anybody to answer so maybe you guys can help me out. I'm swapping a manual trans into my 240SX. My 240 is a '91 and the trans is from an S14. So will it work in my car? I know I'll need a new speed sensor and I know there is a difference between ABS and non-ABS drive shafts (I can't find one in my price range for the life of me). Other than that, what am I gonna have to do to make it work? Wiring mods? Do I really need a dust shield? Will the S14 bell housing work on a S13? If you can help me I'd really appreciate it, love the mag.
P.S. Keep up the good work. I've never seen better in coverage, car, girls or race days. Cheers.
Nicolas Arias Denardo
Via the Internet
A Well guys, this is your lucky day. We just covered the auto-to-manual conversion in the January/February issue of our sister publication, Project Car magazine. Project Car is a sister magazine of ours that spawned from Super Street. Its focus is on showing the readers how to modify their car in a step-by-step DIY manner. So go to www.primediabackissues.com and order your copy before it sells out. It's the one with a budget-built S13 coupe drifter on the cover.
So to answer your questions, the easy way to swap from auto to five-speed is with used junkyard parts. You can use either an S13 or an S14 transmission in an S13. The bellhousings are the same with the exception of the S14 having a hole for a crank angle sensor at the top of the bellhousing. Other differences are the speed sensors, but you can drop a five speed S13 speed sensor into an S14 transmission to correct the speedo gearing. As for the driveshaft, you'll need a non-ABS five-speed driveshaft if your car doesn't have ABS or an ABS driveshaft if your car has ABS. S13 and S14 driveshafts are different, so get the correct one for your car. There are several other parts needed for the swap which are all covered in detail in the Project Car tech article. As for wiring mods, it involves rewiring the neutral switch, reverse switch, speed sensor, and bypassing the neutral safety circuit. It's actually much easier than it sounds and is also covered in a step-by-step manner in the same article. So get rid of that power robbing auto and transform your wannabe Silvia/180SX into the spirited drifter that it was meant to be.
Q Your mag is like how Paris Hilton says, " that's HOT." I have this project I am working on, it is a 1996 Nissan 200SX B14. I was wondering what was the best engine to drop in it without changing the motor mounts. I was thinking the SR20VE. Is there a bigger engine that will still fit the motor mounts and that could still utilize the VVL tech.
Jorge Cruz
Via the Internet
A If you want variable valve lift and timing (VVL), Nissan's version of VTEC and you want a drop in swap, your options are the SR16VE (173HP) or the SR20VE(187HP). Some of the less common versions of the engine are the race tuned SR16VE N1 (197HP), the later SR20VE "20 V" (204 HP) and the AWD turbo SR20VET (276HP). As far as we know, the largest displacement for this engine family was the 2.0 liter. For more info on this swap, check out the Spring '09 issue of Project Car magazine. We dropped an SR20VE into an Infiniti G20 (P10 chassis) and ran it against an LS/VTEC powered Honda Civic (EG chassis). The final results will surprise you. Copies of this are also available from www.primediabackissues.com.