thinkin of swapping a 300zx tt engine and tranny on my 280
11-10-2005, 08:36 AM
#2
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try to get a hold of Greg Dupree, he has a 240z with a VG30dett in it. It took him quite a while to build and he still is always working on it. He had to cut the fenders and the firewall a little. It's not easy. His Z is a 9 sec Z though.
11-10-2005, 09:26 AM
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I suppose if they dedicated every working hour to getting it in there it would be possible. The only way that is really reasonable is if you find someone who has already done the swap, like mentioned above. But even that guy did it in a 240Z. Granted you'd probably have a little more room (and I do mean only a little 
) but it still wouldn't be a quick job unless someones done it and has everything needed to do it again like spare mounts and crossmembers and what not. Dropping an SR into a 240 is a weekend job and that really is a drop in job. So this is going to take longer. As for price fabrication usually costs an arm, leg and a first born. So if you can't afford to give up all 3 then it's too expensive. Your best be is to find a donar car to drop the engine into or find a temporary daily driver in the mean time and then you can just sell it when the Z is ready. But even that might be a bad idea cause you never know when all the bugs might eventually get worked out so a second car might be a good idea. I guess that s a good way to put it. IF you cant afford a second car then you probably cant afford to have someone else do this for you unless you find someone who wants to do it for fun and beer 
If you can afford it then go for it but again, don't expect it to be done in a weekend. Head over to www.hybridz.org and try to find as many people as you can that have done this swap and talk to them about it and that'll give you an idea of what you'll be getting into. IT would be an awesome swap though. Good luck and I hope I wasn't too discouraging.
On a side note: A V8 swap probably could be done in a weekend if you prepare for it and make sure you have everything neccessary to get it done. Spend a day getting everything in the car and spend another day getting it all to work right
) but it still wouldn't be a quick job unless someones done it and has everything needed to do it again like spare mounts and crossmembers and what not. Dropping an SR into a 240 is a weekend job and that really is a drop in job. So this is going to take longer. As for price fabrication usually costs an arm, leg and a first born. So if you can't afford to give up all 3 then it's too expensive. Your best be is to find a donar car to drop the engine into or find a temporary daily driver in the mean time and then you can just sell it when the Z is ready. But even that might be a bad idea cause you never know when all the bugs might eventually get worked out so a second car might be a good idea. I guess that s a good way to put it. IF you cant afford a second car then you probably cant afford to have someone else do this for you unless you find someone who wants to do it for fun and beer If you can afford it then go for it but again, don't expect it to be done in a weekend. Head over to www.hybridz.org and try to find as many people as you can that have done this swap and talk to them about it and that'll give you an idea of what you'll be getting into. IT would be an awesome swap though. Good luck and I hope I wasn't too discouraging. On a side note: A V8 swap probably could be done in a weekend if you prepare for it and make sure you have everything neccessary to get it done. Spend a day getting everything in the car and spend another day getting it all to work right
11-10-2005, 11:21 AM
#6
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Escondido (San Diego) California
Posts: 3,617
Doing the VG swap in a weekend?!?!?! Unless you had every conceivable little nick nack ready in advance... No way. You would run into so many little incidentals along the way that you would be lucky to have it done in a week or longer.
However, you could always hire the crew from "Overhaulin'" to do it for ya
Rod.
However, you could always hire the crew from "Overhaulin'" to do it for ya
Rod.
11-10-2005, 11:57 AM
#7
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Originally Posted by jfairladyz
I suppose if they dedicated every working hour to getting it in there it would be possible. The only way that is really reasonable is if you find someone who has already done the swap, like mentioned above. But even that guy did it in a 240Z. Granted you'd probably have a little more room (and I do mean only a little ) but it still wouldn't be a quick job unless someones done it and has everything needed to do it again like spare mounts and crossmembers and what not. Dropping an SR into a 240 is a weekend job and that really is a drop in job. So this is going to take longer. As for price fabrication usually costs an arm, leg and a first born. So if you can't afford to give up all 3 then it's too expensive. Your best be is to find a donar car to drop the engine into or find a temporary daily driver in the mean time and then you can just sell it when the Z is ready. But even that might be a bad idea cause you never know when all the bugs might eventually get worked out so a second car might be a good idea. I guess that s a good way to put it. IF you cant afford a second car then you probably cant afford to have someone else do this for you unless you find someone who wants to do it for fun and beer If you can afford it then go for it but again, don't expect it to be done in a weekend. Head over to www.hybridz.org and try to find as many people as you can that have done this swap and talk to them about it and that'll give you an idea of what you'll be getting into. IT would be an awesome swap though. Good luck and I hope I wasn't too discouraging.
On a side note: A V8 swap probably could be done in a weekend if you prepare for it and make sure you have everything neccessary to get it done. Spend a day getting everything in the car and spend another day getting it all to work right
) but it still wouldn't be a quick job unless someones done it and has everything needed to do it again like spare mounts and crossmembers and what not. Dropping an SR into a 240 is a weekend job and that really is a drop in job. So this is going to take longer. As for price fabrication usually costs an arm, leg and a first born. So if you can't afford to give up all 3 then it's too expensive. Your best be is to find a donar car to drop the engine into or find a temporary daily driver in the mean time and then you can just sell it when the Z is ready. But even that might be a bad idea cause you never know when all the bugs might eventually get worked out so a second car might be a good idea. I guess that s a good way to put it. IF you cant afford a second car then you probably cant afford to have someone else do this for you unless you find someone who wants to do it for fun and beer If you can afford it then go for it but again, don't expect it to be done in a weekend. Head over to www.hybridz.org and try to find as many people as you can that have done this swap and talk to them about it and that'll give you an idea of what you'll be getting into. IT would be an awesome swap though. Good luck and I hope I wasn't too discouraging. On a side note: A V8 swap probably could be done in a weekend if you prepare for it and make sure you have everything neccessary to get it done. Spend a day getting everything in the car and spend another day getting it all to work right
11-10-2005, 11:58 AM
#8
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Originally Posted by RodMoyes
Doing the VG swap in a weekend?!?!?! Unless you had every conceivable little nick nack ready in advance... No way. You would run into so many little incidentals along the way that you would be lucky to have it done in a week or longer.
However, you could always hire the crew from "Overhaulin'" to do it for ya
Rod.
However, you could always hire the crew from "Overhaulin'" to do it for ya
Rod.
11-10-2005, 12:05 PM
#10
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Location: Salinas, CA
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ok, there's no possible way you anyone could do it in a weekend. Maybe a month if you worked sun up to sun down every day and were profecient. If you want good top end power too, bo with an LS1. Really though, I don't want to be discouraging, but if it's your only car, it's going to be hard. A V8 swap won't easily be done quickly. Any swap wont be unless you want to go with an l28et....which I think is your best bet.
11-10-2005, 12:15 PM
#12
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Originally Posted by emo236
ok, there's no possible way you anyone could do it in a weekend. Maybe a month if you worked sun up to sun down every day and were profecient. If you want good top end power too, bo with an LS1. Really though, I don't want to be discouraging, but if it's your only car, it's going to be hard. A V8 swap won't easily be done quickly. Any swap wont be unless you want to go with an l28et....which I think is your best bet.
11-10-2005, 12:20 PM
#13
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11-10-2005, 08:22 PM
#14
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Lets put it this way. You definitely do not have to worry about top end with the V8. Especially the LS1. It's about the best small block you can get for the money. Sure the LS2 has a couple more cubic inches but so what? It's a lot harder of a swap with all the extra electronics plus the extra cost of an LS2. So I'd stick with the LS1 or earlier. That engine you got listed there on ebay is perfect. Just remember one thing: Make sure you know everything you're going to need for the swap before hand. It's easy to overlook certain things when you don't have the whole car in front of you, just the engine. Get yourself a Corvette or Camaro/Firebird service manual. If you do the swap it'll come in more handy than a Z manual will at that point. The LS1 will put out far more horsepower and torque at any RPM then the L will. Remember, RPM's are only important if you need them to make power. The Chevy can make the power at a lower RPM so you don't need any extra. Plus the LS1 will wind much higher than the older V8's would. And it doesn't weigh any more than the L does cause it's all aluminum. Of course if you go with the T56 (6spd) then it'll add a little weight but the weight will be in the middle of the car so its not that bad at all. Plus with all the extra power you'll be making you won't even notice the extra weight. YOu could probably add 1000lbs and not notice it with all that power. Plus you will reliably be putting out almost 400 horsepower (400 with a few mods) on pump gas and still getting better mileage than most of these Z's do anyways. Its a win win situation with the LS1. Sure some people frown on the "Idea" of putting the chevy in the Z but the when you look at all the benefits and the complete lack of negatives it's really a no brainer if you've got the money to do it. Plus what it would cost to get an L to put out that kind of power (reliably or not) would probably end up being more than the V8 swap anways. If you can hook up with someone near you that has done the V8 swap before then you could probably knock it out in a short amount of time. The fact that someones selling a kit to swap it eliminates most of the fabrication time. The key is to be prepared. Talk to as many people as possible who have done this swap cause they'll know the things that can be overlooked and they'll know what was difficult and how to make certain things work. Knowledge is you best friend at this point cause like I said, the parts are available. Oh and did I mention that parts for a Chevy motor are relatively inexpensive and available everywhere? Win-win baby. I'm going to be doing the LS1 swap in the near future as well so I'm doing as much research as possible. Of course time is not a problem with mine so working through problems isn't really a big factor for me. Try to find someone to carpool with or something incase the swap runs long or something goes wrong. And if it must be done over the weekend try to wait for a four day weekend Good luck with it though. Check out JTR for most of what you'll need to get the engine into the car. The electrical is another story. But if you aren't color blind then that shouldn't be too difficult. For JTR check out DotheDrew's other post in "motor mounts" (I think it was him anyways )
Good luck with it though. Check out JTR for most of what you'll need to get the engine into the car. The electrical is another story. But if you aren't color blind then that shouldn't be too difficult. For JTR check out DotheDrew's other post in "motor mounts" (I think it was him anyways )
11-11-2005, 07:54 AM
#15
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Originally Posted by jfairladyz
Lets put it this way. You definitely do not have to worry about top end with the V8. Especially the LS1. It's about the best small block you can get for the money. Sure the LS2 has a couple more cubic inches but so what? It's a lot harder of a swap with all the extra electronics plus the extra cost of an LS2. So I'd stick with the LS1 or earlier. That engine you got listed there on ebay is perfect. Just remember one thing: Make sure you know everything you're going to need for the swap before hand. It's easy to overlook certain things when you don't have the whole car in front of you, just the engine. Get yourself a Corvette or Camaro/Firebird service manual. If you do the swap it'll come in more handy than a Z manual will at that point. The LS1 will put out far more horsepower and torque at any RPM then the L will. Remember, RPM's are only important if you need them to make power. The Chevy can make the power at a lower RPM so you don't need any extra. Plus the LS1 will wind much higher than the older V8's would. And it doesn't weigh any more than the L does cause it's all aluminum. Of course if you go with the T56 (6spd) then it'll add a little weight but the weight will be in the middle of the car so its not that bad at all. Plus with all the extra power you'll be making you won't even notice the extra weight. YOu could probably add 1000lbs and not notice it with all that power. Plus you will reliably be putting out almost 400 horsepower (400 with a few mods) on pump gas and still getting better mileage than most of these Z's do anyways. Its a win win situation with the LS1. Sure some people frown on the "Idea" of putting the chevy in the Z but the when you look at all the benefits and the complete lack of negatives it's really a no brainer if you've got the money to do it. Plus what it would cost to get an L to put out that kind of power (reliably or not) would probably end up being more than the V8 swap anways. If you can hook up with someone near you that has done the V8 swap before then you could probably knock it out in a short amount of time. The fact that someones selling a kit to swap it eliminates most of the fabrication time. The key is to be prepared. Talk to as many people as possible who have done this swap cause they'll know the things that can be overlooked and they'll know what was difficult and how to make certain things work. Knowledge is you best friend at this point cause like I said, the parts are available. Oh and did I mention that parts for a Chevy motor are relatively inexpensive and available everywhere? Win-win baby. I'm going to be doing the LS1 swap in the near future as well so I'm doing as much research as possible. Of course time is not a problem with mine so working through problems isn't really a big factor for me. Try to find someone to carpool with or something incase the swap runs long or something goes wrong. And if it must be done over the weekend try to wait for a four day weekend Good luck with it though. Check out JTR for most of what you'll need to get the engine into the car. The electrical is another story. But if you aren't color blind then that shouldn't be too difficult. For JTR check out DotheDrew's other post in "motor mounts" (I think it was him anyways )
Good luck with it though. Check out JTR for most of what you'll need to get the engine into the car. The electrical is another story. But if you aren't color blind then that shouldn't be too difficult. For JTR check out DotheDrew's other post in "motor mounts" (I think it was him anyways ) so i have 5 full days to work on it, plus the friday afternoon, now i know what engine to use (the LS-1) i need to find a newer tranny and rearend drive train, should i use a newer Z tranny or is there any other type of tranny i should use?? or is there a way to make my tranny stronger and get the gear ratios matched up?? i dont think i have much of a problem with the engine installation, but when it comes to the tranny i get lost...
11-11-2005, 08:11 AM
#16
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You are going to have to use a Chevy tranny. The Nissan tranny will not hook up to a Chevy engine of any kind. You can keep the stock Z rear-end but you will need to have a custom driveshaft made. I don't want to be rude but do you realize how much work and money a V8 swap is going to require?? I don't think you fully understand what is involved in a project like this. There a TONS of little details that will snag you along the way and for someone who has never done an engine swap of any kind, it will take awhile. I've done L28 swaps on Zs about 20 times or more now and it still takes me about 3-4 days to get and engine in, hook everything up, and get the car running decently and thats with the engine that belongs in the car. Im just trying to say, do a lot of research before you get yourself in over your head. I highly suggest going to www.hybridz.org and SEARCHING through the forum. Get as much information as you can find, then start ordering all the parts you will need. Once you have all the necessary parts and have a plan of action then think about how long it will take you to complete the swap.
11-11-2005, 08:42 AM
#17
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Originally Posted by DoTheDrew888
You are going to have to use a Chevy tranny. The Nissan tranny will not hook up to a Chevy engine of any kind. You can keep the stock Z rear-end but you will need to have a custom driveshaft made. I don't want to be rude but do you realize how much work and money a V8 swap is going to require?? I don't think you fully understand what is involved in a project like this. There a TONS of little details that will snag you along the way and for someone who has never done an engine swap of any kind, it will take awhile. I've done L28 swaps on Zs about 20 times or more now and it still takes me about 3-4 days to get and engine in, hook everything up, and get the car running decently and thats with the engine that belongs in the car. Im just trying to say, do a lot of research before you get yourself in over your head. I highly suggest going to www.hybridz.org and SEARCHING through the forum. Get as much information as you can find, then start ordering all the parts you will need. Once you have all the necessary parts and have a plan of action then think about how long it will take you to complete the swap.
Last edited by gabrielzzz; 11-11-2005 at 09:08 AM.
11-11-2005, 09:04 AM
#18
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If you want the ultimate trans then get the T56 out of the last of the camaros/firebirds (that came with the LS1). There is also the T5 that came in the generations with the LT1. I'm pretty sure the tranny will just bolt up to the LS1 but you'd better make sure. JTR (well stealth conversions to be more accurate) has a kit for installing the T5 and pretty much any of the desirable auto trans. The T56 kit they say is a prototype and I don't know if they sell it yet or not. If you read through their site you can see that it wouldn't be too hard to convert their tranny mount to accept a T56. The mounts are very flexible in their placement of the engine and can compensate for slight miscalculation in mount placement. The tranny mount looks to be the hardest part and will probably require the most work. Depending on where you place the ECU you should be able to use the stock LS1 wiring harness and I would definitely recommend using the stock ECU to get you started. I didn't notice if the engine you saw on ebay came with these but definitely try to find one that does. Good luck with your swap and let us know when you do get around to doing it. I'd be interested in seeing it happen. The SBC is really common. Not too many ZX's running around with LS1's though
11-11-2005, 09:14 AM
#19
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Originally Posted by jfairladyz
If you want the ultimate trans then get the T56 out of the last of the camaros/firebirds (that came with the LS1). There is also the T5 that came in the generations with the LT1. I'm pretty sure the tranny will just bolt up to the LS1 but you'd better make sure. JTR (well stealth conversions to be more accurate) has a kit for installing the T5 and pretty much any of the desirable auto trans. The T56 kit they say is a prototype and I don't know if they sell it yet or not. If you read through their site you can see that it wouldn't be too hard to convert their tranny mount to accept a T56. The mounts are very flexible in their placement of the engine and can compensate for slight miscalculation in mount placement. The tranny mount looks to be the hardest part and will probably require the most work. Depending on where you place the ECU you should be able to use the stock LS1 wiring harness and I would definitely recommend using the stock ECU to get you started. I didn't notice if the engine you saw on ebay came with these but definitely try to find one that does. Good luck with your swap and let us know when you do get around to doing it. I'd be interested in seeing it happen. The SBC is really common. Not too many ZX's running around with LS1's though
then the final thing to do would be changing the interior from tan to black with leather seats..... *drule* so many things to do, such little money, if only i won the lottery, this would be done in a month max
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