Wanted to do a K swap.
05-02-18, 03:46 PM
#1
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Location: CA
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Wanted to do a K swap.
So like the title says I wanted to do a K swap into a SC300. I know you guy's might hate on it but a Honda K24 can make serious power with a turbocharger. Also it'll make the car lighter, easier to work with, and more room in the engine bay.
05-03-18, 01:18 AM
#3
For this heavy RWD chassis it's an odd choice considering the 2JZ-GE that's already in the car can also make serious power at lower RPM with more displacement, two more cylinders, an iron block and a cylinder head that breathes well out of the box. Usually a K20 or K24 is swapped in when the original engine in the car it's going into is inferior (ie: K24 swaps into Honda Preludes to replace the very good but very limited upgrade-wise H22A engine).
If you were to pursue a K24 build you would be the very first to do so. Almost any swap can be done with enough time, troubleshooting and money.
In the late 90's Toyota did something similar with the MKIV Supra chassis in race trim for a short time by running a tuned up 3S-GTE with a big turbo but that was for a racing rather than street environment.
You'd need to turn the K24 into a longitudinal configuration and find a suitable transmission that will fit it with an adapter and figure what rear end ratio you'd ideally need in the stock SC300 rear diff (which is quite strong). Further, how well do K24's do with low end torque even with a big turbo? You would not want to attempt using an NA K24 in a big chassis like this.
Once I very, very briefly considered installing a Pontiac Solstice LNF 2.0L turbo engine with the factory GM tune which brought it to 290hp with a lot of torque all because it fits against an R154 transmission and would have supposedly passed CA smog. Ultimately it wasn't worth it to me to pursue due to the complexity involved vs figuring out a 2JZ-GTE solution.
As an alternative that's already designed to fit the car and which has a more rev-happy personality there is always the 1JZ-GTE, including the 1JZ-GTE VVT-i.
As a full custom job the K24 would be something different for sure. But I would suggest you do a LOT of research and start doing a build plan on paper before you turn a single wrench. Anything that custom and that has never been done before is going to require plenty of creative solutions and will encounter plenty of costs along the way.
Now one last thing concerns me about this: your location is listed as California. That alone is going to make a swap like this far more difficult since you'd have to keep everything almost entirely stock including all the evap hardware, any EGR, the location of the cats as Honda designed them from the donor car, and it never came with a turbo from the factory so that would not be a legal option to build for. And then the fact that it's a transverse engine that the Cali BAR probably wouldn't pass after being converted to longitudinal since it would affect the way the cats are set up in the Honda/Acura donor car. All of this only applies if you're a CA resident. And unfortunately options are far more limited in CA for us even with the excellent 2JZ and 1JZ.
If however you're considering this for a track-only car then disregard that last part.
The rule of thumb is that it's going to make your project easier if you stick with a RWD/longitudinal engine that you plan to swap in.
If you were to pursue a K24 build you would be the very first to do so. Almost any swap can be done with enough time, troubleshooting and money.
In the late 90's Toyota did something similar with the MKIV Supra chassis in race trim for a short time by running a tuned up 3S-GTE with a big turbo but that was for a racing rather than street environment.
You'd need to turn the K24 into a longitudinal configuration and find a suitable transmission that will fit it with an adapter and figure what rear end ratio you'd ideally need in the stock SC300 rear diff (which is quite strong). Further, how well do K24's do with low end torque even with a big turbo? You would not want to attempt using an NA K24 in a big chassis like this.
Once I very, very briefly considered installing a Pontiac Solstice LNF 2.0L turbo engine with the factory GM tune which brought it to 290hp with a lot of torque all because it fits against an R154 transmission and would have supposedly passed CA smog. Ultimately it wasn't worth it to me to pursue due to the complexity involved vs figuring out a 2JZ-GTE solution.
As an alternative that's already designed to fit the car and which has a more rev-happy personality there is always the 1JZ-GTE, including the 1JZ-GTE VVT-i.
As a full custom job the K24 would be something different for sure. But I would suggest you do a LOT of research and start doing a build plan on paper before you turn a single wrench. Anything that custom and that has never been done before is going to require plenty of creative solutions and will encounter plenty of costs along the way.
Now one last thing concerns me about this: your location is listed as California. That alone is going to make a swap like this far more difficult since you'd have to keep everything almost entirely stock including all the evap hardware, any EGR, the location of the cats as Honda designed them from the donor car, and it never came with a turbo from the factory so that would not be a legal option to build for. And then the fact that it's a transverse engine that the Cali BAR probably wouldn't pass after being converted to longitudinal since it would affect the way the cats are set up in the Honda/Acura donor car. All of this only applies if you're a CA resident. And unfortunately options are far more limited in CA for us even with the excellent 2JZ and 1JZ.
If however you're considering this for a track-only car then disregard that last part.
The rule of thumb is that it's going to make your project easier if you stick with a RWD/longitudinal engine that you plan to swap in.
05-03-18, 10:56 AM
#4
Intermediate
Yeah as KahnBB6 said, I'd be worried about the low end torque. A big turbo would probably help out but just to get this car moving along might need slightly more effort.
05-03-18, 11:19 AM
#5
Pole Position
I've owned, swapped, and loved K's for 12 years of my life now. However, unless you find a shell with a blown motor, I would not go through the effort after having owned two 2j's and a 1uz now. These cars are so heavy that they demand some extra torque, plus the noises that come out of each far surpass k-sounds (turbo K's do sound quite nice). The decision is always yours, but for less money/time/effort enjoy the wonderful power plants that these cars have to offer from the factory.
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