Hey everyone, this is my first post. i wouldn't really say that i'm new here because i've been reading in these forums for a while now.

there's 3 cars in my family and only 2 drivers. a ford ranger that's stick, an auto camry and mdx. and i've driven all of them and i mostly drive the camry now.

i've read the new car sticky already and i plan to get my first tuner in about 2-3 years. i'm planning on getting a used s2k for under 15k. or a eclipse gsx but those are hard to find. if i were to get the s2k i'd probably start out with the arc induction box, dc or buddyclub headers, a magnaflow hi-flow cat and probably tanabe medallion touring exhaust to keep the noise down because i live in san francisco.

and then maybe a couple years after that, i'll probably get something old like 240sx hatchback to learn drifting with.

i'm taking classes at the community college too, next semester i'm taking engine repair  

any advice?  

the 240 is a great base tuner.  

if i do get a 240sx, i'd probably use it as a daily driver for awhile. would it be more cheaper if i keep the ka engine and slap a turbo on that? instead of swapping a sr20det?  

itll be the same price. the sr20 will be easier. a good sr20det is about 2gs. a bad sr20det is about 800 but to rebuild is about 1500. the 2.4 rebuild will be about 1500, not includin the turbo. i have no idea how much that will run. these amounts are if you do the work yourself.  

my advice for the 240 would be to save up for a sr20 swap, and drive the KA till it dies  

thanks, ill probably buy one later. i'll try to look for one that's hatch/fastback and i'd also like to do the jdm s13 front end swap.

btw what's a msd 6al?  

90% of 240's are hatchback (at least around here) I looked through 30 ads for 240's while car searching and only found 1 coupe (and 1 convertible)  

theres a convertible in my town for sale with teh jdm front end. the guy wants 9gs for it. that is way to much.  

it's about 50/50 here between coupes and hatchbacks.

i also got tons of questions about stuff.
what's a msd 6al? i know it has something to do with electricity.

and lightweight pulleys? how do those work?  

Msd usually makes ignition stuff, not quite sure what their 6al is.  As far as lightweight pulleys go, they take rotational mass off the engine the same way lighter rims do.  The less mass the engine has to power to keep spinning, the more power goes to the wheels.  For instance, take an A/C system.  When the a/c is going it'll rob a couple horses, because thats more stuff the engine has to spin.  I know its a crude comparison, but thats what the lightweight pulleys do.  

what do engine torque dampers do?
and what's a good lightweight performance battery?
i know that there's optima's, oddysee's and braille. how about buddyclub ones?  

i've been learning about the tuner industry for a couple of years now too but i can tell i still have plenty to learn so can anyone explain wat a sr20 is? i understand that its a nissan engine but wats special about it?  

an sr20det is a 2.0l DOHC engine from nissan from the later generation 240s (mainly from japan) they push more power, more torque, and overall are more reliable as a power platform over the stock KA engine that came stock in most if not all 240's.  sr (block) 20 (liters) D(DOHC) E(fuel injected) t(turbo)  

sr20's are from silvia's which are the japanese versions of the 240sx. all of the silvia's have their own sr20 turbo engine. the states got the other end of the stick, we have naturally aspirated KA engines.

what're engine torque dampers?