83 280zx
83 280zx
hi everyone. i alway been into honda but everyone i know around my age are into nissan and i started to notice alot of teenagers are into honda so i decided to get me a nissan for a project car. at first i wanted a s13 but everyone and there mother got a s13 or s14. so i research to see what other rear wheel drive nissan there are and thats when i found datsun z. i love the way the headlight look and how the hood open and i never had t-top. as soon as i found one for cheap i brought me a 83 280zx non turbo. im here to get some advise. i found a l28et for $275 and i wanted to know is it worth it to hook up a l28et or should i just do a swap? what swap do people usually do on this car?my goal is a 350 hp daily driver and i wanted to know whats the fastest and cheapest way to get there. i know the fastest and cheapest way is just do a v8 swap but i still want at least 20 miles per gallons. so please help, any one
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blackice280zx
- Posts: 74
- Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 11:36 am
- Car: 280zx 1981 x2 1999 volvo v70
Re: 83 280zx (MC280zx83)
350hp daily driver from a Lseries motor!?!?! Lmao those 2 words never go hand in hand. Here is a link for many swaps and do some searching and reading. You will fall in love with this site.....http://www.hybridz.org/
If you want a dd keep it stock. if you want a race car get a honda because aparently honda = racecar right out of the box. joking. You can get power out of the zx but how long it will last without spending the big bucks I dont know
I have a 280zx as a daily but it is stock. I do have a project that I am currently going under way that is a volvo 850 turbo wagon. That is going to be my race car
If you want a dd keep it stock. if you want a race car get a honda because aparently honda = racecar right out of the box. joking. You can get power out of the zx but how long it will last without spending the big bucks I dont know
I have a 280zx as a daily but it is stock. I do have a project that I am currently going under way that is a volvo 850 turbo wagon. That is going to be my race car
Re: 83 280zx (MC280zx83)
Do you realize what you have? Why on earth would you want to change a thing??? My first Z car was a 1983, 280 and I kept it stock and drove it about 90 miles round trip to work every day. Keep it the way it is and restore it. You will be suprized what it will do going down the interstate or the back roads. I have a 1989, 300 now but will never love it as much as the 280. Yes, I loved the way the head lights looked on the 280.MC280zx83 wrote:hi everyone. i alway been into honda but everyone i know around my age are into nissan and i started to notice alot of teenagers are into honda so i decided to get me a nissan for a project car. at first i wanted a s13 but everyone and there mother got a s13 or s14. so i research to see what other rear wheel drive nissan there are and thats when i found datsun z. i love the way the headlight look and how the hood open and i never had t-top. as soon as i found one for cheap i brought me a 83 280zx non turbo. im here to get some advise. i found a l28et for $275 and i wanted to know is it worth it to hook up a l28et or should i just do a swap? what swap do people usually do on this car?my goal is a 350 hp daily driver and i wanted to know whats the fastest and cheapest way to get there. i know the fastest and cheapest way is just do a v8 swap but i still want at least 20 miles per gallons. so please help, any one
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Perrenial Badass
- Posts: 405
- Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:32 pm
- Car: 1973 240Z, 1986 300ZX, 1987 300ZX, 1984 Corvette
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Re: 83 280zx (MC280zx83)
I don't think you quite understand what you are asking for. 350hp is beyond the basics for... well, pretty much all the Z cars. Maybe not the Z32TTs, but I don't have any experience with those. And as it is beyond the basics, when you say "fastest and cheapest way to get there" then I for one get worried about what you will blow up.
Now to answer your swap question, either way will work. A turbo'd NA motor will boost a bit faster and have more bottom end. The turbo motor will allow you to run more boost without stepping up to an intercooler or having to run premium. Would be a good idea to have a spare block and head to build so you can take care of all the stuff that will break at 350hp before it does. Then you get to worry about the suspension and brake stuff.
Now as for the V8 swap... gas mileage wouldn't be an issue I don't think. My Vette is a 383 CFI motor with 11:1CR, 2.02 heads, and a aggressive cam. In my heavier (though more aerodynamic) car, I get 29mpg at 75mph. Gas mileage drops to like 8mpg if I get on it though, but regardless of what motor you have it won't sip gas if you drive like a jackass. My motor would put out around 350whp through a manual transmission so it would be a similar goal.
I personally think that 350hp is a bit much for a 280ZX that isn't going to be seeing pretty regular track use. My suggestion is to drive the car stock for a while while you refresh the turbo motor (and turbo if needed). Drop it in over a long weekend or vacation, break it in, and see if that much power satisfies your needs. If not, get intercooled and up the boost a bit. If that still isn't enough, then things start to get expensive. At that point I'd build up the suspension and brakes, get a nice set of wheels and really sticky tires. And if that still isn't enough, then you can build that NA block. If it turns out to be just what the doctor ordered, sell the NA block to offset the intercooler.
People seem to get too caught up in numbers when they want to tune up a car, particularly when they don't have much experience with the car or a general understanding of how the chassis behaves.
Now to answer your swap question, either way will work. A turbo'd NA motor will boost a bit faster and have more bottom end. The turbo motor will allow you to run more boost without stepping up to an intercooler or having to run premium. Would be a good idea to have a spare block and head to build so you can take care of all the stuff that will break at 350hp before it does. Then you get to worry about the suspension and brake stuff.
Now as for the V8 swap... gas mileage wouldn't be an issue I don't think. My Vette is a 383 CFI motor with 11:1CR, 2.02 heads, and a aggressive cam. In my heavier (though more aerodynamic) car, I get 29mpg at 75mph. Gas mileage drops to like 8mpg if I get on it though, but regardless of what motor you have it won't sip gas if you drive like a jackass. My motor would put out around 350whp through a manual transmission so it would be a similar goal.
I personally think that 350hp is a bit much for a 280ZX that isn't going to be seeing pretty regular track use. My suggestion is to drive the car stock for a while while you refresh the turbo motor (and turbo if needed). Drop it in over a long weekend or vacation, break it in, and see if that much power satisfies your needs. If not, get intercooled and up the boost a bit. If that still isn't enough, then things start to get expensive. At that point I'd build up the suspension and brakes, get a nice set of wheels and really sticky tires. And if that still isn't enough, then you can build that NA block. If it turns out to be just what the doctor ordered, sell the NA block to offset the intercooler.
People seem to get too caught up in numbers when they want to tune up a car, particularly when they don't have much experience with the car or a general understanding of how the chassis behaves.
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evildky
- Posts: 14225
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87 Nissan 300ZX N/A-T
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the L28ET swap is a cheap and easy way to get around 260 whp, thats north of 300 at the crank, but the cost goes up exponentially to excede 260 whp, to get up to 260 whp you need free flowint intake, exhaust, intercooler, boost controler and a pipe plug, to get north of there you need larger fuel injectors, bigger turbo, upgraded engine managment, head studs, MLS headgasket and forged pistons to be safe
you said "just do a swap" you didn't say swap whay, SBC? SBF? RB, VG? ther all come with their own challanges, the RB25 for example requires the rb +trans, custom mounts, custome intake and exhaust piping, intercooler, harness, maf, ecu and to get the hp you want will also require ecu remap, larger injectors and bigger tubo, it's a higher initial investment of time and effort, but gets you more hp to start but after speiding 3k on the basic sap you are still only going to get around 300 whp, to get more the turbo and injectors need to be upsized and th eecu remapped to allow for the added fuel managment so in the end it will cost more than the L28ET
ultimatesly, build what you are most confirtable with, some gues are comfortable with pushrod V8's and carbs, and they would have a much harder time trying to build an overhead cam turbo's fuel injected engine, me I like overhaead cams, turbo's and injection
you said "just do a swap" you didn't say swap whay, SBC? SBF? RB, VG? ther all come with their own challanges, the RB25 for example requires the rb +trans, custom mounts, custome intake and exhaust piping, intercooler, harness, maf, ecu and to get the hp you want will also require ecu remap, larger injectors and bigger tubo, it's a higher initial investment of time and effort, but gets you more hp to start but after speiding 3k on the basic sap you are still only going to get around 300 whp, to get more the turbo and injectors need to be upsized and th eecu remapped to allow for the added fuel managment so in the end it will cost more than the L28ET
ultimatesly, build what you are most confirtable with, some gues are comfortable with pushrod V8's and carbs, and they would have a much harder time trying to build an overhead cam turbo's fuel injected engine, me I like overhaead cams, turbo's and injection