Arthur,
The FJ 20 was a production motor in Japanese and limited European market
Skylines and Gazelles (200 SX for the U.S.) from roughly '83 to '87. They
were at one time relatively easy to get from any of the Japanese engine
importers. Though now they are somewhat more difficult to find. Soko in
Illinois is one of the best places I know of. They had four of them when I
called a little over a year ago. Prices can vary drastically though. When I
called they were asking only $450 for one. At other times some importers can
demand up to $1100. The other option is to look through the classifieds to
see if someone might be selling one. I would just keep calling a few
importers over a couple of months. One is more than likely to turn up. No
"kits" are available to the best of my knowledge. I had my mounts fabricated
by a local welder using a set of prototype mounts that Les Cannaday had at
his shop as a model. These worked perfectly, incorporating the stock tranny
mount from a four speed. But they were a bit spendy, costing me about $230.
Horsepower can vary depending on which motor you get. There are two
naturally aspirated versions out there. They are identical except for the
compression ratio. The one from Japan has a 9.1 ratio while the
European/Hong Kong version has a ratio of 9.5. It's a minor difference, but
still noteworthy. Power is in the 170 to 180 hp area. There are then three
turbo versions to the best of my knowledge. The power on these are 195, 215,
and finally 235 hp. I'm not exactly sure if these different power outputs
were dependant upon which car the motor was in or if they were simply the
extra goodies you could put on any car from the dealer as an option.
Similiar in some way to buying a regular 1.6 liter Roadster or opting for the
2 liter. As for experience, the FJ was designed first as a race motor,
secondly as a street motor. They were used primarily as a rally motor in
overseas use and were brought to the U.S. by Nismo solely for the purpose of
powering the Stadium race trucks in the '80's. They were then superceeded by
the introduction of the VG 30 V-6 somewhere around '86 or '87. There use in
racing here is the only reason parts were available from Nissan Motorsports.
And after a decade, not much is left on this side of the Pacific. Plenty of
tuner parts are available in Japan though. Manufacturers are still
advertising hop up components in Japanese magazines. As for personal
experience, I love the motor. There is little that can compare to it.
Placed into a Roadster it completely transforms the car. I find the look on
the faces of other "sports car" owners to be a constant source of
entertainment. My little 30 year old "rice burner" is more then capable of
holding it's own against even the mighty Z-28 Camaro. Not too bad for barely
1/3 the dispacement. I'm quite interested in seeing what the turbo FJ will
be like when I get it into the 510. Hope that answers most of your questions.
Brian
'67.5 w/FJ20
'71 240Z turbo
'72 510 (soon w/FJ20 turbo)
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