R33 Rb30 Conversion

[TTT]

lots.

depends..

if you are going for the cheapest route of stock rb30 bottom on to stock rb25de head with no forged goodies, i guess sydney kids first one is a good example.

he was getting 450hp on an egine dyno using and old to4e turbo.

no internal mods on the egine.

i'm sure someone can tell you what rwkw that is.

anyway, SK says that car is still going strong with 70,000kms+

[dnb]

337rwkw :headspin:

[predator]

the cast pistons are that good? are the rings replaced?

[Bl4cK32]

id say 250 ish rwkw using std pistons any more id be looking at forged...

Remember just cos their forged doesnt make pistons indestructible. Just means they can take a little bit more of abuse (bad batch of fuel, pinging) before they let go....

Rb30det's make power the same as other rb motors...it all depends on the support systems and how much $$$ you wish to spend.

Important thing to always remember is speed costs money...how fast do you want to go? Id budget for 10k + to even get over the 300rwkw mark.

BUT it can be done on the cheap...stick to 250rwkw and you can get away with a relatively reasonable budget. Use std bottom end (only get rings, hone and new bearings), buy head & slap it on, bingo budget motor

[GTR-Ben]

I have had several cars make good power and times on stock pistons/rods, so I am a pretty confident in the stock Nissan stuff.

Normally when they have failed due to detonation or something it has been a ring land which has done little to no bore damage. Just slapped a new piston in

[Sydneykid]

Just to clarify, 475 bhp on the engine dyno and a little bit under 300 rwkw on the DD roller, 4.5 years and 72,000k's. The secret is tuning, tuning, tuning, zero knock, keep the boost down (1.1 bar is plenty for 300 rwkw if you choose the right turbo) and service it with good oil regularly (we use Castrol Formula R Synthetic 10W60) and keep the oil cool with a cooler.

PS; did I mention tuning?

[TTT]

are you saying that "tuning" was the key?

[Cubes]

Tuning and boost levels.

[TTT]

yeh I don't plan to go over 1 bar at any time.

I wonder if $5K is a realistic budget for a CHEAP rb30 build.

stock pistons and so forth.

I figured about

$1K for bottom end and head.

$2K for turbo

$1K for labour (my mechanic said that he will let me use his tools and workshop)

$1K for ECU and tuning

possibly cheaper on some thing.. like the motor might be cheaper to purchase, the turbo might be cheaper if second hand.

labour might be less.

hmm.

We'll see in about 18 months.

damn weddings.

[OFENSV]

does anyone know what date the series 2 VL came out. i can get one from a 11/87 VL but unsure if its the series 2 motor. and is it true that all r31 rb30's have the oil line provisions?

[Roy]

Ok all this talk of RB30s is all good and well:) ... but i dont want to drive my car without a front strut brace.

So with the std inlet plenum, there is no way i can get an Rb30 to clear it...so is there a particular brand of strut brace that clears it...this is the only thing stopping me form doing the RB30 thing.

The RB26 head and inlet is an option, but it bumps up the cost and it no longer looks like an RB20 ... yeh yeh i know im a fraud, but i want to build the ultimate RB20:) Well at least thats what the coil pack cover will say:)

[TTT]

same for me Roy.

I'm even going as far as to keep the stock air box.

been told to replace the rubber hose between turbo and air box to steel.. which I will have painted black.

Couldn't you get a custom one made like those found in the corollas?

where it goes from the strut tower to the firewall, then to the other strut tower.

I'm just not going to use one but you do seem to spend a bit of time on the track so it is obviously requierd.

I figure that jap coil overs and whiteline anti sway bars with new bushes will be alot more stable than any other car I've had so it will be an improvement for me.

I've had a strut brace on my R32 and now on my S14 and have noticed no change from when there was none..

but with stockish suspension I guess it does nothing.

just do it you panzy and stop punishing (reving tits off) those poor RB20's.

hahahaha

go team-500nm-torque-@-4500rpms....

[Roy]

But with those type of strut braces, what happens to your firewall in a relatively minor accident..probably results in a lot more damage?!?

Decisions...decisions

[Alf]

does anyone know what date the series 2 VL came out. i can get one from a 11/87 VL but unsure if its the series 2 motor. and is it true that all r31 rb30's have the oil line provisions?

Only series 1 na had the coolant and oil outlets blocked off. Series 1 turbo, series 2 na and turbo had the tapped holes. (S2 na had bolts blocking them off)

If you look under the engine number there is either a 6 or an 8.

6 = na

8 = turbo

This applies for all VL rb30's.

[Alf]

Only series 1 na had the coolant and oil outlets blocked off. Series 1 turbo, series 2 na and turbo had the tapped holes. (S2 na had bolts blocking them off)

If you look under the engine number there is either a 6 or an 8.

6 = na

8 = turbo

This applies for all VL rb30's.

All R31's have the holes tapped

[Bl4cK32]

Ok all this talk of RB30s is all good and well:) ... but i dont want to drive my car without a front strut brace.

So with the std inlet plenum, there is no way i can get an Rb30 to clear it...so is there a particular brand of strut brace that clears it...this is the only thing stopping me form doing the RB30 thing.

The RB26 head and inlet is an option, but it bumps up the cost and it no longer looks like an RB20 ... yeh yeh i know im a fraud, but i want to build the ultimate RB20:) Well at least thats what the coil pack cover will say:)

Troy, ive got the std plenum on at the moment and had a Nismo front strut brace on my car before the rb31 went in. (Nismo brace is the flat tubular type brace). It now hits on the tubing that connects the j x-over pipe to the throttle body.

Only way i can see to make it fit is to make a custom front brace that goes over the engine either a little forward or backward of the throttle body. Not a difficult job (as you are handy with a welder ) Realtively cheap answer for you I can take pics, or show you when you're in Adelaide next, where it hits. Give us a pm. I should have my car tuned properly by then...

Custom motor = some custom jobs

[Cubes]

Alf,

I have done quite a bit of looking at the VL & R31's at the local U-Pull it parts.

95% of the Series 1 and Series 2 VL's I have seen have the water/oil holes tapped.

BUT The only Series 1's I have seen that don't have the holes Tapped are 100% from Victoria.. I.e Ex Police N/A cars.. Definitely strange.

R31's, All I have seen are tapped.

[OFENSV]

is it true if you o'ring the block you need to use a copper head gasket? thats wat i was told today by a machine shop. or can you use the standard head gasket with an o'ringed block?

[Cubes]

is it true if you o'ring the block you need to use a copper head gasket?

No.

[RB30-POWER]

The beauty of a proper oring setup is you can use a standard gasket but still have a reliable motor with big power.

Standard Nissan gaskets are way more reliable at sealing then the metal/copper ones are, on a street motor especially that is warming up and cooling down almost everyday.