Serious newbie question concerning a Na to turbo 300zx swap

[10secondr33]

Yes yes, I feel stupid for asking this question, but here it is anyway.I have a '90 Na 300zx with 160,000+ miles on it and was looking into maybe doing a VG30dett swap. First, is this a possible swap (I know nothing about 300zx's)? Second, is this an overly expensive swap?Third, are there alot of turbo Z motors floating around?Any help is appreciated:D

Kurt-

[APEXi240]

Yes, Yes (possibly no, but if you are asking then its yes), and Yes.

[10secondr33]

When you say "yes" it's expensive, got a ballpark figure? I'm by no means a cheapskate but i'm not trying to get screwed here.Thanks for the quick response.

[NISTECH]

I dont feel its even worth it unless its a manual trans. No idea on a ball park figure. but you will need a complete engine and the ecm. and possibly the harness.

[10secondr33]

No no, it's a manual, I forgot to mention that. There has to be someone out there that's done this swap, right?Thanks anyways.

[300zxna]

its a pretty hard swap theres a guy i know who did it and he had a bunch of problems. you will need the harness. check out cdmotorsports.net its a red 300zx.

[Pdfflyer]

I believe that you could check that out on hybridz.org in a forum there called technical. They keep a response posted at the top of their list and this particular posting response has had over 1667 hits to date. It is fairly expensive and involved. But it has been done and is well documented. Space for the intercoolers becomes a prime concern.

[10secondr33]

Cool, thanks for the replys everyone. I have decided to go another route and just rebuild the NA motor. Thanks again everyone.

[boileralum00]

Check out twinturbo.net, use search on there and look in the FAQs and you will find a very good writeup of what all is involved. Generally, if you aren't going to do the labor yourself, it is cheaper to sell your NA and buy a TT. The only NA chassis I would consider performing the swap in would be a slicktop or a convertible.

[k6kicker]

i've done it, i rebuilt my block tho i didnt swap in another vg i sorta upgraded mine, see what you can do about finding an ecu frmo a turbo or you can get a stand alone piggy backer (not the best way to do it)...i did the work myself and it was about 3 grand but i went overboard on some things

[k6kicker]

Its very worth the while...the n/a z is a great deal lighter (no hicas or other annoying piggies) has better gearing (4.06 as opposed to the 3.4 on the tt)and its far cheaper to turno your n/a instead of selling and buying a tt and with the rebuild method you get new (and stronger) interals and whatnot...its like ahve a new motor

[10secondr33]

Please tell me more because i'd like to follow in your footsteps (kinda like Jesus, your not Jesus are you? J/k). I'd appreciate any advice and help you can give me. BTW thanks for the replys.

[k6kicker]

well first you must walk on water............just kidding, actually there was an execellent website that had step by step pictures and diagrams for this....let me see fi i can find it

[k6kicker]

not the one i was thinking of but a good start

[boileralum00]

Its very worth the while...the n/a z is a great deal lighter (no hicas or other annoying piggies) has better gearing (4.06 as opposed to the 3.4 on the tt)and its far cheaper to turno your n/a instead of selling and buying a tt and with the rebuild method you get new (and stronger) interals and whatnot...its like ahve a new motor

The TT has 3.69:1 final gear ratio. Also, the weight difference between the two cars comes largely in the form of the turbocharging system - 2 turbos, 2 intercooles, and about 8' of extra piping that the NA doesn't have, in addition to the HICAS system. Granted, the hydraulic HICAS can be annoying on the earlier models, but I hardly ever notice the electric setup on my 95. Also, it is a hell of a lot easier to do a rear end swap on a TT to eliminate the HICAS and get the NA diff than to do the motor swap. If you haven't worked on a Z32 before and/ or don't have a *lot* of patience, I would *highly* recommend another path.

[k6kicker]

most of the stock tt guys talk like that...trust me theres more bulk to the car then hicas....and if a 19 year old kid (did it when i was 17 in fact) could get it done over a long weekend then it couldn't be that bad....sure the z32 is cramped butt hat just emans you ahve a even lesser chance of putting something where it doesnt belong...like i said, use the vg block you started with, buy some nice forged internals, manifolds, injectors and everyhing you need is listed on that website, you can have a 0 mile engine with stronger then stock internals and better then stock turbos and you will shoot of the line like a rocket......make sure you convert to a sparco front mount ic so you dont ahve to replace your stock front lip

[Dragonsi]

i have a VG30dett from a 1991 300zx TT with 120k miles, was running when taken out, great to rebuild, i'm selling it cheap, let me know, e-mail me

Howard[email protected]

[boileralum00]

most of the stock tt guys talk like that...trust me theres more bulk to the car then hicas....and if a 19 year old kid (did it when i was 17 in fact) could get it done over a long weekend then it couldn't be that bad....sure the z32 is cramped butt hat just emans you ahve a even lesser chance of putting something where it doesnt belong...like i said, use the vg block you started with, buy some nice forged internals, manifolds, injectors and everyhing you need is listed on that website, you can have a 0 mile engine with stronger then stock internals and better then stock turbos and you will shoot of the line like a rocket......make sure you convert to a sparco front mount ic so you dont ahve to replace your stock front lip

Besides the weight added by the turbo system and HICAS, the only difference between the NA and TT is the adjustable shocks, which add at most 2 pounds of weight from the 4 actuators and the wiring and switch.

[jdmfreak]

Ok so how easy is it to add a single turbo to the N/A Z and what problems should I look for? The reason I wanna know is that I doubt my parents will allow me to get a Z, but if I get one they wont let me get the TT plus I wont be able to afford the insurance of the TT.

[boileralum00]

A single turbo swap would be a highly expensive undertaking. You would have to have a custom manifold setup ($$$$), and would probably have to give up your A/C to have room to put the turbo in the engine bay (and even then it would have to be a pretty small turbo to fit there). There is a guy in PA who did a single turbo setup on his convertible, and even he agrees that it is simply not worth the time, effort, or money. I believe his website is http://www.z32power.com.