Rb26 Conversion Tutorial - How To Do It!

[CruiseLiner]

ok since ive had a few requests for detailed info and to stop others asking the same q's here is the run down on whats needed for the conversion to put the gtr rb26 and 5 speed into a rs four stagea.

heres the first part and ill add bits as i remember.

rb26 conversion parts needed...

rb26 engine -any model doesnt matter which, the later the better and low km's even better, the r34 has the ball bearing turbos standard, 32 and 33 are ceramic.

rb26 5 speed gearbox - i used a r32 gearbox as it suited my twin plate clutch setup from my previous setup (rb26/gts-t 5 speed/vl calais). there is 2 types, r32 has one type and the 33/34 are the other type, push and pull are the 2 types but im unsure which is which.

rb26 clutch/flywheel/pressure plate - i'd be using an aftermarket clutch for sure, even a single plate is fine, as the original one would be almost stuffed totally by now, and u dont wanna have to remove the gearbox a few weeks after the conversion as its a heavy heavy sucker. Jim Berry is a well known shop who makes strong single plate clutches, or i'd even go a twin plate if u plan any future mods above 350-400rwhp.

gtr pedal box/clutch master and slave cylinders/vacuum booster setup/vacuum canister/one way valve/clutch hydraulic line - depending on your choice of whether to use the vacuum assisted clutch master cylinder setup from the gtr's then your other option is the stagea rs four S setup without the vacuum booster. the gtr vacuum canister and one way valve is needed for the vacuum master setup only, and helps it have vacuum on boost and the one way valve stops the booster blowing to bits when it comes onto boost. this is mounted in the engine bay up in the drivers side corner closest to the windscreen area.

stagea front and rear tailshafts - both fit straight up without any problems

r32/r33 handbrake setup - with short cable section still on the end as it fits perfectly in length when connected onto the stagea rear cable sections. need some pics to explain it better. also mounting of the handbrake assembly is pretty simple, needs drivers seat out of the car to drill one of the two holes, as its down the side of the gearbox tunnel abit. i actually made another large bracket off the handbrake brackets to spread the load onto the floor panels abit more, using thick bar and making 3 mounting points and now its strong as hell compared to the initial little brackets on it. this means no welding is required to strengthen the floor area.

stagea 4wd sump/front diff - the stagea diff and sump arrangement is exactly the same as the gtr's. except the stagea diff has different ratio gears in it (mine were 4.3 compared to gtr's 4.11), i'd strongly reccomend a baffle setup of some sort on the sump and a capacity increase as well, as they are well known for the oil surging problem in 4wd applications because of the high g forces compared to 2wd cars which struggle for traction. i'd go the trust sump extension and extended oil pickup with baffles and trapdoors if any sort of spirited driving is planned, and track work it is a must if u want the bearings to last.

rb26 engine ecu - this is the part im not familiar with as mine was done with an aftermarket ecu setup from the beggining, but the gtr ecu and loom is required (if u dont plan on running aftermarket ecu setup) and requires the removal of the rb25 engine loom and untape it and remove all the NON-engine related wiring, such as passenger gaurd indicator, abs plugs, under dash big main plugs for heater/air con etc. then attach this to the gtr loom and run it through the firewall and connect up all the sensors onto the engine and also the other car accessories just mentioned. thats all i know with this setup so best to talk to someone who has done it themselves.

gtr radiator hoses - straight fit with no mods required

gtr intercooler - fits up perfectly between chassis rails, and not sure if gtr pipework will fit as the stageas chassis is wider than 32/33 gtr's im pretty sure. so therefore custom piping is needed and either aluminium or stainless steel is the options, mild steel is just plain rubbish and will rust away inside eventually causing big problems.

rb26 air flow meters/air filter ducting setup/air filters (pods or panel) - only require afm's on cars running stock ecu or power fc setups. and requires some pod filters or a custom air box setup unless u can make something from the tiny stagea airbox setup.

more to come when i can...

cheers

Brad

[beastien]

Any chance of gettin some pics of the handbrake mounting Brad?

[Mr_RS4]

What did you do for engine mounts and crossmember. If i'm going to go ahead with this I will buy a front cut so from what you've listed with exception of the clutch and rear end I will have all the parts I need. And I would be able to swap the front brake setup over as well (rotors could be stuffed and calipers may need to be rebuilt though). Great info so far keep it comming.

[CruiseLiner]

What did you do for engine mounts and crossmember. If i'm going to go ahead with this I will buy a front cut so from what you've listed with exception of the clutch and rear end I will have all the parts I need. And I would be able to swap the front brake setup over as well (rotors could be stuffed and calipers may need to be rebuilt though). Great info so far keep it comming.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i have no where near finished the list dont u worry, thats only the basic basics i can think of in the 5 min i had.

engine sits str8 on the stagea x member no worries about that using the gtr mounts.

u will need a gtr fuel pump in the tank i reckon, and gtr brakes, gtr axles, gtr diff, etc etc etc the list is long... virtually u need a full gtr to strip for the parts.

ill post more tommorow guys and rough prices of everything, plus a few photos of the handbrake bracket/mountings.

hope it helps

Brad

[gzzmos]

any chance of a update for this... photos would be great too

[Ska]

Thread made Sticky.

[CruiseLiner]

hey guys ill update it in the next couple of days as i havent had time lately

[TurboX]

If you are replacing your perfectly good RB25DET complete, with a GTR RB26DETT, I am interested in buying a good condition low K's Stagea RB25 without Gbox to fit to my HR32 GTS4 as the RB20DET is stuffed.

[gzzmos]

i would sell it to u dude but im in New zealand lol plus it'll be mostly striped

Edited May 1, 2006 by gzzmos

[Ska]

Please this thread is specifically for anyone who has had swapped thier RB25 for an RB26 in thier stagea, keep the chit chat either PM or another thread.

Thanks.

[CruiseLiner]

hey guys im currently workin on installing a r32/33 gtr pfc djetro (non-AFM version) and im sorting all the wiring and what needs to be hooked up etc.

ive spent 2 full days workin on the wiring diagram from a gtr to track down the 4wd wires, air con, and all the non engine related plugs and find what to hook them too in the stagea harnesses.

ill update as i go and when i finally sort it all ill post a guide on installing it if i feel like giving away all my hard work and info i find

the joys of workin things out yourself without asking people, and no one in perth has stagea wiring diagrams so im left using a multimeter and spendin hours under the dash area tracking whats what under there. also my autronics smc ecu thats in at the moment was hooked up by a butcher and i have about 20 wires just not connected to anything so i gotta sort them out too.

fun fun fun

cheers

Brad

[munchstagea]

Nice work Brad,

I am sharing the wire chase experience, only on a much smaller scale, installing an alarm in my S1. If you have any of the wiring written down I love to know where a few of the suckers I am looking for are and what colour they should be?

Just working through the indicator stalk/dash loom looking for Indicators left and right, Parkers, then on to dome (interior lights) rear dome light, central door lock trigger and power windows (have a lift kit to go in)?

Starter Motor and Fuel Pump should be able to pick up from the fuse panel but that is looking a little scary also...

Only if it's easy, let me know if there is anything I might bump into that might help you out, probably way to simple for where you are up to though.

Cheers

Luke

[CruiseLiner]

Nice work Brad,

I am sharing the wire chase experience, only on a much smaller scale, installing an alarm in my S1. If you have any of the wiring written down I love to know where a few of the suckers I am looking for are and what colour they should be?

Just working through the indicator stalk/dash loom looking for Indicators left and right, Parkers, then on to dome (interior lights) rear dome light, central door lock trigger and power windows (have a lift kit to go in)?

Starter Motor and Fuel Pump should be able to pick up from the fuse panel but that is looking a little scary also...

Only if it's easy, let me know if there is anything I might bump into that might help you out, probably way to simple for where you are up to though.

Cheers

Luke

hey luke, i have an alarm installed in mine actually so ill check what wires r connected, and ill have a look for the wires u said.

heres the colours i know at the moment from the wiring harness. (i dont know if they are the wires u need though)

black/pink - fuel pump relay

grey/red - ignition switch start signal

thick green - Ign switch + Ign power supply

i havent really got in the car and tracked any non engine/ecu related wiring because i havent had too yet. ill have a look as i said and get back to ya in a few days or so as im really busy on mine at the moment

cheers

Brad

[munchstagea]

black/pink - fuel pump relay

grey/red - ignition switch start signal

thick green - Ign switch + Ign power supply

Thanks Brad,

I pulled the "starter motor" fuse out of the under dash fuse panel last night (according to the fuse diagram translation on here) and it still cranked over so not sure if that is correct... It is only a 7.5A fuse too so that didn't seem right?

Cheers

Luke

Edited May 31, 2006 by munchdesign

[Ska]

I would like to add a link to this thread in the "Stagea Diy's, How To's, & Fyi's" thread here:

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...howtopic=102808

And then unsticky this thread, any objections?

[AlexCim]

No, I think it would be good to have it all in one spot rather than 10 sticky threads.

Maybe rename it to "ULTIMATE reference thread" or something.

[CruiseLiner]

yer i dont mind, i think its been said time and time again than your better off buying an autech 260rs anyway, as it cost me more in the end doin it into a rs4

i'd update it abit more but i never get time and it was over 18 months ago now that i damn well forgot most of the nitty gritty details, but if anyone wants to ask questions i can answer them best i can

and yes alex is right, the billion sticky threads gets annoying as it takes up half the page before the actual latest threads show up

Edited June 27, 2006 by CruiseLiner

[STA63A]

I am currently doing an RB26dett manual transplant to my previously RB25det s1 auto Stagea, here's a few pics, let me know if you need any more pics (R33 handbrake mounting, R34 clutch pedal & master install etc.) and I'll try and post them as it's still in the process of conversion........

so yeah I have a whole heap of parts spare if anyone is looking for anything for S1 Stagea RB25DET auto or what's left of the donor R32 GTR front cut, just let me know what you're after.....

[STA63A]

yer i dont mind, i think its been said time and time again than your better off buying an autech 260rs anyway, as it cost me more in the end doin it into a rs4

i'd update it abit more but i never get time and it was over 18 months ago now that i damn well forgot most of the nitty gritty details, but if anyone wants to ask questions i can answer them best i can

and yes alex is right, the billion sticky threads gets annoying as it takes up half the page before the actual latest threads show up

G'day Brad,

I am currently doing the same conversion, Rb26 to S1 RS4, can you tell me if you used the GTR power steering pump assembly or did you find a bracket / pulley or other alternative to mount the Stagea RB25DET pump?

Cheer,

Jon.

[Oki34]

I used the Stagea pump, bracket (I slotted the rear-most mount bolt to make it easier to install with the twin turbos), and crank pulley. Seemed like the easiest solution and has worked for just at a year now without problems.