Hi Guys,

So. My whole plan was to sell my Datsun 280ZX. I sat in the car today, and started her up. As I watched the engine sputter and cough smoke, I ran my hand over the cracked and sun burnt dash and my heart started to ache. Could it be I have found a car I truly love?

I head into the house and just on a whim, look for an L28 engine in Alberta...and... WUNDERBAR! I just found a guy with an N/A engine for $100.00 and it has just under 60,000 miles on it (100,000 KM). I really just want to buy that engine, drop into my car and keep it!

Question is, can you do a straight swap of a 1981 engine into a 1982 chassis? He has JUST the engine, will all my parts hook up properly? What am I looking at as a fair price to do that engine swap?

Thanks guys... and before you push me to the curb as someone who wanted to sell their 280ZX Give me a chance, this baby is coming back!

 

Yup no problem. Your problem may not be the engine but the stuff that supports it

 

are you swapping NA to NA motor? also make sure the motor is off an automatic if yours is automatic or 5 speed to 5 speed. (knock sensor location differ,however this problem can be overcome)
if so yes both engines are L28. they may have different heads but that should not be an issue. you can always swap parts from the two motors if something does not match..
regardless of miles you should rebuild the motor before installing it. the only exception to this rule in my opinion is if you got to run the motor or drive it before you swapped it in.. or else you may put all that work swapping to end up with another boggy motor.(your worst enemy can become doubt)
but you could always rebuild yours ...

 

Wrong. The NA doesn't have a knock sensor - manual or auto. Different heads - unlikely and even if it does it doesn't really matter. Also doubtfull that you would need to rebuild the engine if it has 100K Km on it.

 

if his car is auto and he gets a 5 speed motor with no kock sensor the car will not run unless those 2 wires are plugged into a knock sensor. (my auto z wont start 101)
and i mentioned that the heads may differ but wont matter. he said L28 motor not ZX motor which can cover many diff. head codes over the years..
and just to be safe man people say thier motors have low miliage (sales pitch) but unluss your yanking it out of a stock car there is no way to be sure of miles.
"better safe than sorry".

 

First off I understand what your doing $$$ is tight and you wanna run her ok. "What they wount tell yea". #1. Forget the miles! Check the oil on the dipstick does it look like a milkshake? Smell the oil does it have a smell of antifreeze? Feel the oil is it like sand paper? #2 bring a 27mm socket 6 in ext and ratchet and plug socket is the motor free? Does antifreeze dribble out of the plug hole? . NO? Then you should be ok! Also if the engine looks like its been dunked in grease well you know its not the truth. Err commen sence people! #3 heads don't mean a F%&king thing ! I put a n47 in a P90 car! There will be a head temp sensor down on the battery side of the block. There will be 3 sensors on the thermostat here's the tricky part idiots wount tell yea ! Take the thermostat housing off your engine bolt it right oon the new engine or wait! Swap intakes boom. So ok here's your list. . . . Intake manifold gasket. . . . Thermostat housing gasket. . . . . Collector gasket . . . .new belts hoses. . . . Point is to EVERYONE ! The L2.8 is the same dam engine same dam bolt patterns the heads changed internal not bolting on exterior the only change is the head temp was read from the thermostat housing then in 80 they went to the rear of the head. So it may be a tiny bit different hmm swap the intakes with the one from your car and well I promise the wires will match your car

 

Hellooooooo - NA doesn't have a knock sensor....





Sure pull the oil pan and plastigauge the crank/bearings and visual but I probably wouldn't bother with any more than that myself. I had over 300K km on my first 280ZX never rebuilt and it didn't push blue or burn oil.

 

Thermostat housing? Intake manifolds? No. The CHTS is on the turbo and the NA...

 

Lol well the lil doo dad thingy on the rear of the block. . Either way any 2.8 will go into any Z that's the beauty of the old school z's As long as you run the intake that came with your car your golden! Belive me My Red 81's engine has gone into the 79 Now its in my T Top I did both swaps with basic skills and harbor feight socket sets Bottom line is Just swap your manifolds. Don't have to change computers or anything crazy there may be some tiny changes "some of you may be hung up on " But the manifold gasket should be changed anyway since its a 20 min job with the engine out. Or you can go threw total hell for 4 hours once its in the car.

 

Oh and if you are truely going threw z withdrawl Go buy two cans of the head gasket repair. I have a Camp 60 miles south of pittsburgh "Deep creek maryland" All mountians and a lake. Well the t top had 2 cylinders pumping antifreeze out the tailpipe. I put it in there and drove through mountian roads back home not a drop lost then on a lil hell ride it let loose and started pumping oil and antifreeze again. 46.00 gets you a weekend of cruiseing VERY CLOSE to home .

 

Well thanks guys!

So. To be crystal clear... I need to keep the intake manifold system from my car and put it on the new engine when it is installed into my car.

Also. I should mention the engine is coming from a 1981 Naturally Aspirated 280ZX, black and gold coloration. The same mechanic who is doing my swap is the same mechanic who pulled that engine out. He assures me there is nothing wrong with it. The guy who pulled the engine did so to do an RB20 swap into his car. I am pretty sure his car was standard.

Very small world that we both know the mechanic (one wizard of a young dude, he's known for being able to do just about anything with a car). I'm working on getting a quote from him for the swap, hopefully it shouldn't be too expensive (I'm hoping around 1500 at max). It's basically an engine replacement rather than a performance swap. Step 2, if I like the engine, is to turbo it perhaps next year. New clutch and diff possibly as well. Few small other issues (Alberta, Land of Trucks and Rocks = New Windshield Req.)

Anything else you guys know about doing this kind of engine swap before I go with it?
Btw, the reason I am switching engines is due to my current engine pushing loads of white smoke out the tailpipe, my sparkplugs looking black/charred with broken and half melted electrodes, and the fact my oil turns black after about 3 weeks after an oil change. Not to mention I am burning that oil like a madman (from full to empty in 2 weeks? WOW)

 

No you don't need to keep your intake manifold. The idle air control valve, etc may be different so you might want to swap the whole manifold over but it's more likely than not the same.

$1500 is a complete rip off. For a mechanic it should be maybe a six hour job.

 

Wicked. Thanks for the manual there! I'll be sure to talk to my mechanic soon and we can get this done. It's a simple swap so it shouldn't take more than 6 hours you say? Interesting. New hoses and belts should be there too, and the timing will have to be adjusted as well.

I'll see how much he'll charge me for the swap, realistically. Has anyone done this kind of swap before? Any things to look out for, or issues that may crop up?

P.S. I noticed my fuel pump has been going as well, sometimes cutting out entirely for a couple seconds. Yes, tank has gas in it!

 

Wicked. Thanks for the manual there! I'll be sure to talk to my mechanic soon and we can get this done. It's a simple swap so it shouldn't take more than 6 hours you say? Interesting. New hoses and belts should be there too, and the timing will have to be adjusted as well.

I'll see how much he'll charge me for the swap, realistically. Has anyone done this kind of swap before? Any things to look out for, or issues that may crop up?

P.S. I noticed my fuel pump has been going as well, sometimes cutting out entirely for a couple seconds. Yes, tank has gas in it!

 

Yes I swapped my '81 n/a into my '82 n/a. I had to change a few things, nothing major though. Granted it took me about a month to do the swap. But I did it at home, and working two jobs at the time. There were times I wanted to give up. But people on here kept me motivated and going. Hopefully we can do the same for you. Good luck man.

 

Hey WildmaN, what exactly were the "...had to change a few things, nothing major though."? I am counting every dollar here (working a full time job, just got out of school, payments, new apartment etc). My mechanic is not too "up" on these older Datsun cars, so ANY advice or "you have to change this and this, that and that" would be super welcome!

Hoping to have this car back on the road by July. Wish me luck!

 

I'm not following...

So your mechanic is an expert and can do anything with a car, but he is not too "up on these older cars" ? But he already did this swap??? So... he is or isn't an expert mechanic who can do anything?

And you are paying ~$1500 and still have to give advice to this mechanic on how to do it?

I'm with FricFrac... either find another mechanic, or do it yourself as a learning experience.

 

From what I can remember. Just changing the ICM (ignition control module) The '81 had less connectors going to it. (1 if I remember correctly) So I just had to swap that, other than that, I believe everything else was pretty much the same. I had the same block, cylinder head, manifolds etc..

 

You know the manual is available at XenonS130 right?

 

Yes. And I quoted 1500 as an insanely high number so I still have money for lunch after

I just called my mechanic, and he said the entire job, including fluids, will be $1200.00

I'm told that is very fair, and to NismoPick:

He IS up on these "older cars", but he does not LIKE working on them as much as 1990's Nissans. He says the technology is just "archaic and not as efficient as the 90's". Each to their own.

I do not have to give any advice to him, he has only pulled this engine out and swapped in an RB20. He's very good, and when you pay for 12 hours of his time, you know everything will work very very well.

I will help him with the little things and learn through observation and hands-on.

Anything else?

 

The mechanic doing the job told you that it's a fair price, or someone else?

That doesn't make any sense at all. I've worked on many Datsuns / Nissans from 1970 - 2000 and they are all engineered virtually the same. The bolt & nut sizes are all the same... the wiring is very similar for all models.

I pulled, rebuilt, and reinstalled the KA24DE motor on my brother's 92 240sx and it was a piece of cake because it was engineered the same as the Z.

Anyway... enough of that. I just can't stand some people's absurdly wrong opinions. If that guy is "choosy" about working on cars because the older ones are "archaic", then he's in the wrong business. The swap is straight forward and minimal rewiring needed. Any and all info needed is found in the FSM.

 

to be honest dude 1200 estimate is not bad. ive built my own z's and have paid to have them built if im workin two jobs.. and yeah, 6 hours, naw man things break while your pulling out an old motor, wires crack, connections come undone. the motor transplant no problem. im sure he wont let it leave the shop unless it runs great.
while they will be dealing with a huge headach of the oldness, we at home dont count the hours spent fixing wires, brokrn bolts, and trouble shooting why it wont run right .. a shop with integrety and passion wont charge full hours for the nonsense however they do have to get paid..
and mechanics can be picky ..three things most pro mechanics hate
1)old cars that have 30 yr stock motor and rusted bolts
2) the z31 and z32 they hate when u bring them these cars (no working room) and u can even be turned away
3)people who dont understand what it takes to be a mechanic and what it cost to keep your hands grease free

 

Sorry dude but you're getting raped. 12 hours is insane. You see in the manual what needs to be done. Most hobbiest do a turbo swap two guys in a day and a case of beer. There is maybe $50 worth of fluids so you realize he's charging you $1150 for what would take a decent mechanic 6 hours maybe - That's almost $200 an hour. I'm working at the wrong job....

But hey it's your money right?

 

I completely agree. I have a lot of respect for my local mechanics, some have been in business for 25+ years, some are just starting out. I do not have the time, space, nor facilities to do any "major" work on my cars. I live in an apartment and have to park on the street.

I find some people don't realise the expense of the cost of the house + garage, tools, time and costly mistakes while learning on their own.

I admit, some people have thousands to throw at various projects, others are happily retired with tonnes of time on their hands. Kudos to you folks. But young guys like me, trying to keep the classic car genre alive, have a hard time of it. The economy isn't good at all, most of the older "classic car junky" mechanics have retired or are passing away, and the cost of becoming a mechanic these days is prohibitive. Cars also are not built to last as long these days, IN MY OPINION.

You get what you pay for, regardless of direction. I'd rather put the money in the hands of a schooled, licensed and trained professional who I can work with and learn my car, without making very costly mistakes. I believe I've picked a good, solid car and engine to start with.

Well, enough of that rant! Anyways, my engine swap is scheduled for June, so I will be keeping you updated!

One funny thing... that last 2 foot or so part of the exhaust that looks like a snake? I found one for $178.56 + shipping. I swear, I will NEVER pay that much for a 2 foot hunk of metal that's mostly hollow! I'm in the works to find someone who can bend pipe to fit or find a cheaper source. I am hoping to go headers back in aluminium. Thoughts on that? Are there any bolt on kits for such?

To FricFrac: Perhaps in the land of totem poles and unemployment. Over here, I called 6 different mechanics and all stated the same price or more. Too many boys walking into their shop every few days, throwing 20, 30 or 40 grand down on their lifted diesel Ford F350s. Oil Patch money. Too much money, and well. What middle class right?

 

yeah, well.. kinda msa has one and pacesetter, acually they may be the same thing. lol at Nismo fiesta i saw one guy with the ceramic coated headers from "zmotorsport" he said they bolt on.the same headers are available on Ebay for less so your call..
\and you should just get the pipes bent and welded with 2 flanges so u can can atleast have a 2 piece exhuast as you'll probably have to weld the headers to the exhaust pipe.(or more flanges)
and same thing here man my mechanic guy always has some crazy swap or build going on and he quoted me a grand for a z toz swap for labor.
and dude there are plenty of texas university boys here who also take thier college loans and tweak the hell out of a desial truck lololol