Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Hi, I'm a high school student looking at swapping an SR20DET into a 1600 roadster for a summer project and have a few questions.
How difficult is this conversion? Is it possible for two relatively inexperienced people to do in about 12 weeks?
I know that I need to modify the front crossmember and the cross brace, is that possible for someone with litte experience with power tools to do, or is a fairly difficult modifcation?
How hard is it to fabricate the motor mounts? Is it possible to have this done by some sort of metal shop?
Are there any other major modifications that have to be done to the chassis that I should know about? Thanks.

A simple answer is there is no better way to learn than to dig in...

This might not be the best project to start with, though. It took me about a year of Saturdays to do all of the fabrication and countless other hours planning and purchasing and researching...I didn't work every weekend, and my one day on, six off schedule made the project move along slowly. Others have progressed at much faster paces.

As for the technical details, the cutting required is simple enough. It just takes a bit of planning and some doing. Welding requires technique that must be learned from practice. My welding improved a LOT during the year I worked on my car and it was a long time ago that I took welding in shop! The motor mounts and frame must be properly welded, but sizing is not extremely critical so this is something that can be done as a learning process. If you are not sure about welding, cut all of the pieces and have a shop or experienced friend do the welding.

A much, much easier swap would be a SR20DE. The non-turbo version does not require the custom exhaust manifold, intercooler, intake plumbing, etc. Everything is much, much easier. If you must have the extra power, you can add nitrous or make the SR20DET swap later based on the groundwork of the SR20DE swap. I was given this advice, but didn't listen...I would have really enjoyed being able to drive my car sooner, but the SR20DET is a lot of fun, too!

I assume you already have a roadster? I'm thinking that a swap into a 510 might be a lot easier and may be a better starting point for a learning experience...Hope all of this helps! TR