Thanks for the input. I think I'l do the A14/5spd thing. I asked a friend if he would sell me his sr20det silvia front clip but I received a negative responce. He needs it for a 1600 is going to build. I still can't get over that there is that sort or gear out here in no-mans land.

i agree with beattie! them engines are a joke mates dad had one years ago in a bluebird and it was poo.

I just think that anybody who's considering a CA20 should just go for the L-series. They'll go about the same stock but if you ever want to tweak it the L-series will be much better.

ON a side note my brother used to have a S3 bluebird with a CA20 stroker = CA21.5 in it which went quite well for what it was. The bloke he bought it off was an engine builder and for ####s and giggles he filled and offset ground the crank for a longer stroke. When that motor came out for the SR20 we couldn't GIVE that motor or even crank away! It eventually went out in the bin!

as beattie said, CA20E=boat anchor in my point of veiw,
my mate had a pintara with one in it and every 2nd day something broke in it and it only had about 153 xxx ks on it! with a full service history,

the ca20 is not a bad idea in itself but with the fwd one you will change the gearbox and the cyl head so your not really getting much out of it.
how fast you wanna go. if you just want a quiet smooth cruiser then a ca20 from a bbird(carb) or r31(efi) would work.get a motor gearbox driveshaft diff brakes...
BUT if you want it to go hard turbo is the go and 1.8 is your limit in a car this weight(legally).with late model engines the manifolds heads etc are hard to improve on. ive heard of guys refitting std cams to their ca18det and picking up a heap of mid range power for very little loss up top.
sr20's make good power but spit rockers out (when beaten up on),are heavier and bigger
get the a14 and 5 speed whack it in (cheap n easy) and think about which way you want to go
dazza

Thanks for the info. IT seems the pintara idea is a no go. I was just wondering because a friend has a pintara 4sale for $200. I was just toying with the concept. I will wait until I get a look at this sunny I found with the A14 and a yet to be confirmed 5 speed. As I read about the cars on this site and their various options it makes it hard to know just what to do with my coupe. Keep it stock, warm it up or go Pocket Rocket. I have the body about right now and I suppose I am up to the stage of spending cubic dollars which ever way I go. I have been out of the motor rebuild game for some time now. I don't mind spending the bucks if I am going to get quality. Are the likes of ACL, Hastings, Tighe, Alexander, Redline, Crane and Iske still good value or are there new players on the field I should know about? Back in the 90's I spent over 3k on a 265 hemi. I got a plant that wasn't much more that stock power and torque wise but it was bullet proof. I sold that car to a friend who drove it for 15years before he had to do anything with it. Spent 2k on an A15 Vanette, did the same with the mini's I once owned. I suppose it still really comes down to the money.

i got a ca18det free
harness free
hilux diff free
just got to get all the bits together
so cost of CA18DET shouldnt be an issue
just remember its a baby RB

haha beattie don't hold back, tell us what you really think. but i do agree in going ca18de instead, that's the path i think i'll eventually go.

DONT DO IT! the CA20E isnt even good as a boat anchor! Drop a CA18DE/T in it insted! Soooo much better!

my ute has a ca20 out of a pintara. it's got heaps of torque and is really nice to drive. not slow but not exactly quick either and apparantly once you start going over 5500 rpm things start breaking.