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Q I have a B18C1 block with PR3 pistons, ported B16 head, OEM head gasket, 70mm throttle-body, Skunk2 springs, retainers and valves. My question is: can I run Skunk2 Stage 3 cams without having any problems, like bent valves?
Jurgen Miranda
AThat's a great question. Bigger cams will cause the valves to come closer to the pistons. While your B16A PR3 pistons have a higher dome than any B18C piston, the valve reliefs on top of the pistons are the same. It should be okay, but it comes down to what valves you're running. Skunk2 valves come in standard OE size and oversized. The oversized ones definitely have more of a chance of slapping the pistons. We suggest you call Skunk2 directly and see what they say. Don't forget to tell them if the head has been milled before or not. And if you don't know how to tell if your head has been, it's in the Helm's Manual. If they can't tell you, then you'll have to resort to taking the head off and doing a clay test.
Q I own a 1996 240SX with basically a stock motor. It seems lately a lot of people are swapping out stock KA motors for the ever so popular domestic LS V8 motor. There is no question why, but a question of how. My questions are: Is there a company out there that makes a swap kit? Can the stock 240SX rear end handle this kind of power? Could it be that everyone has openly embraced the idea of domestic powered imports? I remember years ago that this would ultimately mark your ride as the bastard child of cars. Now it's somehow accepted.
KJ Hardin
A The how part isn't that hard anymore. Years ago the only option was making your own custom mounts. Nowadays there are complete kits that allow you to bolt in an LSx engine into any S13 or S14 240SX. One of the kits we do like is the one from Sikky Manufacturing. It doesn't require you to cut or modify your crossmember, keeping its full OEM strength. The stock 240SX rear end can handle the power but if you want some more reassurance, you could swap it out for the Z32 300ZX rear end and '5-bolt' axle setup. American torque and power with Japanese handling is hard to not embrace. Drive one and you'll understand!
Q My 1993 Nissan Altima overheated and shut off on me. I checked for radiator leaks and it still had coolant in it. I was wondering what the problem could be? I was told that the head probably cracked but I want a professional opinion.
Reggie Williams
A Well if your car isn't leaking coolant at all, then the radiator and hoses are fine. There are three other pieces in the cooling system that can be faulty; the thermostat, water pump and fan. First test the fan to see if it's functional. Find the two wires coming from the fan and disconnect them. Then put power and ground to the wires and see if it comes on. Make sure you're doing this to your normal fan, not the AC fan. If that works out, you'll need to take the thermostat out to see if that's broken. The water pump will usually leak when it's bad, but it could also be bad without doing so. Once you've fixed the cause of the overheating, then you can drive it and see if the head is still good. If it's cracked, warped or if you have a bad headgasket from the overheating then your car will continue to overheat and run like poo.
By Henry Z. De Kuyper
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