[Ben.R33]

Hi all, i recently bought an R33 GTS (NA) for £5000 GBP but with an RB25DET in instead of the non turbo version. Upon inspection of the gearbox today, the person that swapped the engine kept the RB25DE gearbox and so im guessing the rest off the car is still NA.
Assuming everything is still NA other than the engine, would it be worth putting the RB25DET gearbox in and what else would i need to swap? Diff, drive shafts, prop shafts...?
Or leave it/ get rid of it
Many thanks
Ben

 

[Sargara]

If it works id just leave it. If you wanted a proper R33 Gtst with the correct gearbox, diff etc then get rid and just buy a proper one instead. If things sound too good to be true (£5k for Gtst conversion) when it comes to Skylines then there's always a catch, looks like youve found yours.

 

[GoHashiriya]

Depending on what the rest of the car is like, condition-wise, I'd keep it. 5k for a good Skyline shell is cheap in itself these days, the rest of it is just a bonus. You can always upgrade the rest of the components further down the line.

I almost made a similar move when buying my R34 GTT, an HR34 GT with an RB25det swap. Honestly, it would have been wiser to do this than pay almost double for a GTT - everything will need to be replaced anyway.

From memory, and I'm not so familiar with the R33 specs, you would need to change the trans, driveshafts and brakes. I'd assume you don't want HICAS and there's a chance you don't have TCS either. Someone should verify the rear suspension mounts on your vehicle vs a GTS-T. Or you could just check the nissan epc database and compare across the different models.

 

[Ben.R33]

If it works id just leave it. If you wanted a proper R33 Gtst with the correct gearbox, diff etc then get rid and just buy a proper one instead. If things sound too good to be true (£5k for Gtst conversion) when it comes to Skylines then there's always a catch, looks like youve found yours.

Hi mate, thanks for your response, yes the bodywork is in great condition inside and out I think i am going too keep it and convert it as i go - you seem quite knowledgeable, do you know if the rear diff needs to be changed as well as the driveshafts to handle... say 450bhp?
Many thanks,
Ben

 

[sparkso]

For 450bhp just leave the box in that you have. Getting an rb25det box these days is expensive, and most of the ones that are up for sale have had an extremely hard life.......

 

[HarveyDanger85]

Agree with sparkso on this...leave the box you currently have and just be on the lookout for a spare box if ever needed. As for the diff, different story. If it’s open diff (NA sky’s usually come with open diff) then you can either find a factory lsd or buy an nice 1.5-2way LSD and have it installed in your r200 shell. Main thing is do your research. You can probably pick up a used vlsd r200 for a decent price, especially if you don’t plan on getting sideways too often. Just make sure ratio is good or you will be going slower!

 

[Ben.R33]

For 450bhp just leave the box in that you have. Getting an rb25det box these days is expensive, and most of the ones that are up for sale have had an extremely hard life.......

Agree with sparkso on this...leave the box you currently have and just be on the lookout for a spare box if ever needed. As for the diff, different story. If it’s open diff (NA sky’s usually come with open diff) then you can either find a factory lsd or buy an nice 1.5-2way LSD and have it installed in your r200 shell. Main thing is do your research. You can probably pick up a used vlsd r200 for a decent price, especially if you don’t plan on getting sideways too often. Just make sure ratio is good or you will be going slower!

Guys ive managed to pick up an rb25det gearbox for not too bad money from a JDM breaking company who said the oil looked in good condition when they drained it, so fingers crossed it is all good, I plan on installing in within the next few weeks, just waiting on the front prop shaft for the conversion now!