Ca18det Into Ke20

Hey guys and girls,

I'm sure this has been covered in some way, shape or form before, and I have done a little reading/searching. I'm no stranger to the general tasks involved in a major engine conversion, but I'm a total noob when it comes to KE20's specifically, and any advice, warnings or tips would be great. My girlfriend "ashie" and I just bought a KE20 off of a mate, it's defected for chassis rust and has basically seen better days. It's far from overrated, so rather than restore it we've decided to do something different and turn it into a track-only drift project. I've been asking her what she thinks of the sounds of various engines, and although I'd love to keep it Toyota, she says she likes the sound of CA18DETs, and they are a great candidate due to relative cheapness, availability of parts, easy power, and being relatively compact.

The situation is... The KE20 was auto, so no clutch pedal. I'm pretty sure CA18DETs are all hydraulic clutch, would I be best off doing the AE71 hydraulic clutch conversion? Would a manual pedalbox from any later Corolla fit? Or only KE20?

Space - will a CA18DET fit in the engine bay without too much major work? Are the manifolds, turbo etc likely to clear the struts/inner guards? Is the sump likely to clear the xmember? Will the CA's gearbox have a hope of fitting in the trans tunnel? Bashing is fine, but I'd prefer not to cut into the car's structure.

What will be needed - so far I'm thinking CA18DET+gearbox+ECU+loom, exhaust (mostly custom), custom engine and gearbox mounts, custom tailshaft, EFI fuel pump+reg... Is there much I've missed? Is the shifter going to hit the handbrake or anything crazy like that? I know I'll have to cut a new hole for the shifter, I just want it to clear stuff..

Next, I'm thinking about drivetrain and brakes. I was thinking a locked KE30 diff (will it fit? I have a welder and some imagination..) until it breaks, then forking out for Hilux. Front brakes sound pretty hard for the moment... Although I was considering attempting an S13 strut swap, even though it's likely to require quite a bit of welding. Feasible? Or stupid?

I know I'm ignorant, I know this is a BIG project... But I've got three other big projects as it is, I'm not completely new to all of this. Any vague opinions and thoughts would be great! And if you're going to turn around and flame me and say "you're a noob dreamer" etc... This is still an idea. It will be a track car, and it will make good power. If this idea is too difficult, we'll work on a new one. But for the moment, this is what we're working with.

Cheers,

Eli