Bang for buck, wat is the best engine to put in a 280z datsun?

[joey nguyen]

I've been debating on whether I should stick to my L series original engine and upgrade my pistons, rods, and add a nice turbo. I mean why down grade to a 2.0 liter engine sr20det. Rb26dett is an aweson motor but i don't think i really can afford it. Is it possible to put in a VQ30de because not a lot people seem to do it. All the swaps i see is either sr20 or rb26. Well, hope to hear your opinon.

[Bronze MFP]

best bang for the buck would probably be a rb20 as long as mount kits arent too expensive. you can pick up a motorset for around $1400 shipped these days.

[evildky]

actually bang for the buck would be the L28ET, you can ofter find running but wrecked roseverly wrecked 82-83 280ZX Turbo's for under $500, I've bought 3 in the past few years myself never paying more than $350, anyhow, 180hp stock, add an intercooler turn up the boost and you cna have north of 200hp at the wheels with what is basically a bolt in, all you gotta do s wire a few wires and your done

[bigred240sx]

hmmm i think im gonna go with evildky routesavin up for that now

[Bronze MFP]

i stand corrected!

[NSR_s30]

actually bang for the buck would be the L28ET, you can ofter find running but wrecked roseverly wrecked 82-83 280ZX Turbo's for under $500, I've bought 3 in the past few years myself never paying more than $350, anyhow, 180hp stock, add an intercooler turn up the boost and you cna have north of 200hp at the wheels with what is basically a bolt in, all you gotta do s wire a few wires and your done

[Bleach]

I'd say the L28ET as well but that depends on your HP goal and how much you intend to invest.

Do you want the best bang for you buck with $1200 or with $12,000?

[evildky]

if he's got 12k to burn he's probably not worried about bang for the buck

[Bleach]

I guess you're right. If he's considering an RB20DET then 600whp is not his goal.

L28ET! plus I know the L-series already. I'd be comfortable maintaining that engine vs an RB series. RB 'looks' better under the hood

[Pharaohabq]

Here's an interresting question on Engine swaps. I used to have a 280Z, L28 engine, and all, and it was fine, powerful and all till it rusted out, but I'm looking at buying a 260, or a 280, but I was wondering, has anyone put an AMC 232 4.0L HO EFI engine in a Z? The engines look to be basically the same size, and I can get a 97+ engine for less than 500 bucks with computer and all, as that's what I swapped into my YJ. but has anyone done this in a Z????

[Banging 6 in a row]

Heres another intresting question. suppose you could get a vg35 motor from an 05 infiniti coupe for 100 bucks. would putting that in a z be bang for your buck?

[evildky]

crackhead deals will make anything a bang for the buck swap, but generally speaking a RWD VQ35 with trans is gonna cost you around 3 grand

[Banging 6 in a row]

What about the drive by wire throttle? how do you over come that? and can you just plug in only the systems needed into the stock ecu and leave the other harnesses unplugged?

[MaxFNPower]

Question: My dads got a 260z with an L28 and i was wondering, is it a sin to put carbs on a L28, because I know its a sin its been sitting for the last 16 yrs. (Not much longer if I can help it.) Oh, and ya they were on there when he bought the car.

[Banging 6 in a row]

No way man. carb add alot of power on to an l28. i was gonna do that to mine for a while but then decided to go with a motor swap my self. which lead me to a g35 motor for 100 bucks, which lead me to the problem of an electronic throttle...

[MaxFNPower]

Electric throttle? Good luck with that man.

[evildky]

why does everyone see that as an issue? all you gotta do is replace the tb with one from oh say a Q45, then add a stand alone, I just don't see the stock electronic's being desirable, if you absolutely must keep it you can take the pedal and the additinal wiring from the donor, for that matter you could swap the entire harness, frotn to rear as well as the column, etc, I just don't see it being worth it

[EENK S30]

im in the process of swaping a L28et into mine, Ill let you know the outcome. I plan on running stock engine, with bolt ons and slightly larger turbo.

[MaxFNPower]

Neat keep us posted.

[Pharaohabq]

So I'll ask again... How about an AMC 232 4.0LHO engine. has anyone heard of swapping one of those into a 280? they're pretty similar in size, but I don't know how close.

[Banging 6 in a row]

nope, never heard of it, sorry man. you could probably fab up some mounts if you have a donor car. a drive shaft might be hard though

[MaxFNPower]

You can get drive shafts made pretty easily, as long as you know a place to take them.

[evildky]

the jeep ^ has been discussed not sure if anyone bothered, the problem is they are low n power high on torque and slow to rev, just not the kind of motor you want to put in a sports car, if you want a giant inline 6 the Ford 300 is nearly 25% larger than the jeep 6 but more powerful, still not a worth swap IMHO

and of course none of them bolt to the trans you you have to fab everything, the driveshaft of course you have made, which is not a big deal

[Pharaohabq]

yeah I could see the slow to rev part. I was thinking to take the whole engine and transmission and swap it in. a HO 4L AMC 231 is about 210 HP to start. that was my attraction. but You're right, it would likely take too long to rev. but it would be great for burning out because of the low end torque...

[iCapture]

I am also curious what motors I should be considering for my upcoming build. I was planning on going with the SR20DET but from reading this thread it doesnt seem like thats a very popular way to go? Why is that? I had a friend with an SR in his 240sx and he loved the thing.

My only two requirements are that its turbo and that it can keep up with new 911's in the quarter mile...I want it to be fast

[evildky]

the SR is just a bit overprices and the power si all tp no bottom, you can make mroe power for less $ with the L28ET, if SR's are your thing, have at, but you're reducing displacement and loosing lots of low end grunt

[reggiegsd]

For what its worth, I vote for the L-28 Turbo or a Ford small block.

The l-28 turbo is by far the easiest conversion. It is almost a direct bolt in. With the appropriate bolt-ons you can get close to 300hp. Tons of info is available at many forums on the net. The only negatives are keeping the turbo alive (think of it as a consumable item), finding a doner car (they get rarer each day), and rebalancing the car due to the added weight up front. Not much to worry about considering the ease of the swap.

The sbf is the engine the car was designed for. I've done two of these and the car LOVES this engine. Its about the same weight as the original L-24, it balances the car better when matched with the WC 5 speed, '91 - '93 Mustangs are a dime a dozen, and easy 300 hp on regular gas. The biggest negative is no kit. However, all the info in the world is available at HybridZ.org.

Repeat after me: "Yea though I walk through the valley of rice, I will fear no turbo, for torque is with me."

[Banging 6 in a row]

300 hp with what kind of bolt ons? that seems pretty lofty considering the lack of dohc and ever more primative design. and what i dont understand is why people dont just buy the turbo zx? wouldnt a tune up and matinance on an old car be more cost effective than a motor swap?

[reggiegsd]

You don't need dohc if the heads are well designed and the L-Series heads are generally very well designed and optimized for their purpose. There have always been arguments about the relative advantages of round ports verses square ports and exhaust sleeves verses no sleeves.

Put any L-Series head on a flow bench and you will find these heads flow well in stock condition. A little porting and polishing and contouring the valve seats and these heads are as good as they can get.

You can't spin an engine to 7000 rpm if it doesn't flow well.

[evildky]

actually the L series suck at least their combustion chamber does, and I believe a centered valve would flow better but to get the most out of the L28ET in pretty much stock form, add and intercooler, a RRFPR and a boost controller and you can get arouns 260 hp at the rear wheels, at that point the injectors, fuel pump, turbo, HG and ECU are all pretty well maxed out, upgrade all those and the stock internals will give up the ghost somewhere near 400 whp

the big benefit to twin cams si you cna put the spark plug in the middle and get a more even burn, less chance of detonation and more even pressure on the pistons and rod, they will alow you to put the valves int he liddle of the cylinder and across from the other for improved exhaust scavanging, and having the inltake and ehaust port seperated will allow for a cooler intake runner also a good thing, lots of benefits tot he twin cam but finding one for an L6 is dificult and expensive, I heard of OSG heads selling for more than a complete RB26 swap, just to gain an extra 20-40 hp