1991 z32 engine question

[IntknownJSmith]

1st post guys...

Recently bought a 1991 Z32 2+2. Wanted the coupe but the 2+2 was the stick shift so...also only 2 owners and only 136k miles on the car. The timing belt and water pump had been changed - car looked to be well maintained. Good paint, good interior, all original, drove well. Bought the car to keep it, make it my daily drive and save the miles on my Infiniti.

I drove it for a while and then noticed the tires and battery were around 10 years old. Battery still had charge and tires no rot. But also noticed an oil leak when running.

Took the car to a small local shop for seals and gaskets, oil sending unit, etc...the car never drove again. While they were idling the car, the exhaust valve broke in the #2 cylinder. There isnt anything obvious in the cylinder that the mechanic dropped and caused the break - I believe that it was simply because the car wasn't run often enough to keep everything oiled and lubricated like it should have been.

Car has been towed to a new shop. They are telling me $2300 for rebuilt heads or $4800 for a 'long block' or $1300 for a 'short block' without install and without heads (basically just the lower half of the engine). None of those seem like a viable option to me.

What should I do? Ive been looking at swap ideas - the 4.5L infiniti V8 appeals to me but IDK, some people say its simple and then others say 20K+..All the swaps I read about are also very old threads....JDM orlando has the stock VG30DE for $800-$900, shouldn't an install be around $1100 to $1200? Im hesitant to do the heads, because then I have no clue what will go wrong in the bottom half of the engine. And I dont necessarily want to just cut my loss and buy another one because of the possibility of the same thing. Thoughts? suggestions?

Anyone from Florida? Shop recommends?

Sorry for the long post.

[ca18det_boy]

Hey welcome to NICO!! I'm familiar with the VH swap. I've done 3 into an S-chassis and I've done 1 in a Z32. It's definitely not a 20k swap. If you do it yourself, I would venture to guess you'd be in the ballpark of 2-6k depending on how you got it in and what maintenance was done prior to installation. With that being said....I love the VH and its an amazing motor. I get giddy every time I drive my swapped s chassis, but I wouldn't do it as a daily if you drive long distances especially in Florida. The heat, lack of A/C, and humidity are going to make you dislike your new z32.

I believe in order to get you a better answer to where your head is at, we need to get some more information. For starters:

1) What's your budget?
2) Are you doing the work or are you paying someone?
3) If you're paying someone, is it a friend and the swap will be done at a house?/If you're doing the work, are you mechanically inclined or is this your first project?
4) What is the time frame you need this done by?

[IntknownJSmith]

I didn't even think about the a/c concern tbh.

1. Ballin on a budget lol. I expected to have to spend some money on the car but the answer to that is really a matter of what is throwing good money at bad...I dont want to spend a ton but I can spend...

2/3/4. I plan on paying for a shop to do the work, if I can get what sounds like a decent shop/price - currently its at a shop. I dont drive a ton, but every day I drive my infiniti I feel like it goes down hill and will not want to keep it. So, I would like to get it done quick. But if I cant find a solution - the solution will be for it to sit in my garage and me try to mess with it...emphasis on try, it would be a first project.

[NolimitZ32]

If it's your first project car but you are addamant on doing the work yourself i would say your safest bet would be to find a wrecked TT with a good engine or a front clip from a JDM, pay a GOOD machine shop to rebuild it, one that deals with the VG30DE/TTs. And then do all the swap work yourself since everything fits. Going with a non native engine will throw curveballs at you, it all depends on how much of a headache you want to deal with. As for throwing good money after bad, if you are going to do such a sizeable job you should really get the engine rebuilt either to factory spec or whatever you are chasing, throwing a used engine in your car may end up being a time-bomb.

[ca18det_boy]

Agreed with nolimitz32, like I said the VH is an awesome motor and it's tons of fun in a Z...but for a first project I wouldn't recommend it. Your best bet would be just doing another VG and getting back on the road. On the bright side, there's this forum. I think it's www.nicoclub.com, there's a ton of knowledge lurking around there. So your first step is a good one. Keep it up man and feel free to reach out to anyone on here!