mikito98 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 hi, my name is mario I'm 17 years old and i know nothing about car mechanics. I really want to do this project on my own and i was wondering if anyone could help me so what parts to buy, where ,and what i need to do etc. If anyone can give me a step by step guide on how to things like wiring and connecting anything . Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajien2 Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 haha.... brace your about to be blasted for not searching...... Second back away slowly from the idea of doing an engine swap without any car mechanics experience. Do you know anything about fuel injection systems or ECU controls? The RB engines are extremely digital controlled worked of art, this would not just be a drop in and plug and play. I sure know at 17 I did not have $10,000+ laying around... Also keep in mind your car will not be operational for weeks if you know what your doing and have the money, month if not years in your case. Sooo.. With that said why are you swapping this engine, what is the current state of the car, are you prepared to pay a pro shop to build this for you? Will your parents let you destroy their garage for months with a non operational car? For more details on the RB swap look at this post. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/13076-so-you-wanna-swap-an-rb-eng-here-ya-go/ Now I have not seen a step by step guide for any engine swap for the RB engines, if you find one props to you. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 The build threads would be a good place to start. Find someone who has done a similar build and make lists of all the parts that were needed. I think mckinley motor sports has a swap kit that you can purchase, although I'm not sure if the RB20 and 25 were similar enough, that will take some researching. Your best bet is to find a mentor that is close by, family or friend who has experience with cars and has a car of a certain build quality you aspire to. Most people don't mind questions as long as they are polite and reasonable. Read up on general mechanical knowledge. It was and is very brave of you to want to do this, but depending on your learning curve this can be more then you can chew. It might be best to lay out your resources, how much budget do you have to do this, how much time, what kind of tools you have access to, etc. If you are leaving for college in a year or live in an apartment complex with no room to work on the car, this may be very difficult to pull off, but if you have access to a full mechanics shop with air tools and a hoist, this would be relatively easy. If you really want to do it yourself, research and make a list of the steps from start to finish. If you want a step by step guide, best bet is a really well written build thread. Basic steps. 1. Acquire Z car 2. Go over Z car 3. Remove driveline 4. Repair/replace worn parts fix rust 5. Acquire half cut or drive line 6. Install new drive line 7. Plumb motor 8. Wire up electronics 9. Check over all work 10. Start up There can easily be 10 sub steps or more for each of those, it is up to you to outline all of those. Just keep in mind this can be quite pricey so be careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I will add that you should read as much as you can. I spent YEARS just thinking about what kind of project I wanted to do because i was obsessed with Z's from the time I was about 12 or 13. Back then I really really wanted an RB swap (still kinda do...), but now that I'm older and smarter I understand better just how much work and money is really involved in even the "easier" swaps. I learned to do my own car work in high school and have always had an older brother who studied auto mechanics mentor me when I couldn't figure something out, and I still seriously debate even the most common (read: heavily documented) engine swaps. Trust me when I say this most likely is NOT a project you want to get involved in at this point in your life. Dreams are dreams of course, and if you still really want to do it, make sure you go into it with a clear head, READ as much as you can, learn about how repair/maintenance as a whole before you even get started, and then decide whether or not it's worth it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1969honda Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 +1 to what others have already said, also enroll in a local career college and learn how to do basic auto, welding, and any other related trades that apply to the parts of a car build/restoration that you after interested in (composites, interior, machining, etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikito98 Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 haha.... brace your about to be blasted for not searching...... Second back away slowly from the idea of doing an engine swap without any car mechanics experience. Do you know anything about fuel injection systems or ECU controls? The RB engines are extremely digital controlled worked of art, this would not just be a drop in and plug and play. I sure know at 17 I did not have $10,000+ laying around... Also keep in mind your car will not be operational for weeks if you know what your doing and have the money, month if not years in your case. Sooo.. With that said why are you swapping this engine, what is the current state of the car, are you prepared to pay a pro shop to build this for you? Will your parents let you destroy their garage for months with a non operational car? For more details on the RB swap look at this post. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/13076-so-you-wanna-swap-an-rb-eng-here-ya-go/ Now I have not seen a step by step guide for any engine swap for the RB engines, if you find one props to you. Thank hi Im sorry that im answering really late but yes lol i do have 10 dollars lying around i saved up 5000 dollars and parents are giving me 7000 now im not a total idiot with mechanics but i never done such a thing the only trouble ill have is with the ecu like you said if you have any tips on that , that will be great . thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikito98 Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 i have a question do i need to replace timing belt cause i was reading and it said i should but i read some more and it doesn't even mention it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikito98 Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 also i have another question do i need a new fuel system and if i do can you tell me where to buy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annunaki Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Do you have a car yet? 75ish -78 Z 's are fuel injected, maybe thats where you shohld start. Yes, you need atleast 255 wallbro inline pump. You can stick with stock ecu and run the car as is with stock electronics. You will need to read the Rb forum. Find a car Buy the complete Rb swap Buy mounts from Mckinney Buy 255 fuel pump Convert to rear sump oil pan Buy plug n play harness Read, read, and read some more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyellow zee Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 This kid will kill himself in a highly modified car if he even has a car. I smell bullshit here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetsaz Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 This kid will kill himself in a highly modified car if he even has a car. I smell bullshit here. I'm trying so hard to be helpful but.... hi, my name is mario I'm 17 years old and i know nothing about car mechanics. now im not a total idiot with mechanics but i never done such a thing the only trouble ill have is with the ecu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Timing belt is going to depend on the condition of the motor you get. That is up to basic maintenance. If the motor has documentation and a good quality timing belt, then no, but if it has sat for an unknown amount of time and cannot be verified, yes. Word of advice, leave your pride at the door. You came into this clean admitting you have no knowledge. No knowledge does not mean you are an idiot, it just means you don't have any experience with it...yet. You are an empty bucket, ready for filling, if you close that bucket with a lid of pride, you can't fill the bucket. Happened to me before and all said and done, I finally put my pride down and learned a lot about something I thought I knew about, but didn't. There is some genuine concern some members are raising. You can't really take shortcuts here. Dropping the motor, or loosing a wheel is indeed a way to not only kill yourself, but others. If you don't know something, then read and search until you know the facts by heart, then find someone who can show you the application, as knowing and doing are also quite different. Relax and stay with the facts. Facts are hard to contradict. You want a 280z 2+2 with an RB20DET swap. You have saved up 5,000 and your parents may match 7,000 towards your goal. You have a budget of 5,000, tentative 12,000 You want to do this yourself. Unfortunately with cars and swaps, it is not a case of Lego's, you can have an instruction manual, but you need to know the basics to understand how to put things together. There are no easy tips and tricks here, just careful planning and attention to detail. So take some advice and read and plan. There are basic components to most cars as well as basic maintenance. Asking questions about timing belt replacement makes people worry about you taking on such a big project. That doesn't mean never ask a basic question, that means exhaust your resources first. That also means don't preface all your statements with "I searched" if you did search, it would show quite evidently. Now we need to get down to some hard details. Why do you want a 280z 2+2? You are limiting yourself to one body style of one model. Why the RB20det? Why not RB25DET, why not 2jz, why not 1jz, why not L28ET, why not LS1, etc? Why the specific engine choice? What is your time frame? Summer project? College project? Life long project? What is your space? 4 car garage? Car port? Street parking? What are your resources? Tools? Skills? What are your financial resource? You said you have 5,000 saved up. Is this all going to be for the car? You said your parents will give you 7,000. Is this something they mentioned? Or is this for a running car? Can you use this for parts? Is that the total budget you will have? Do you have additional income? There are things to consider here. Once again, quite brave of you to want to do it yourself, but there is a fine line between brave and unreasonable. Also note, we have rules on the forum regarding capitalization and punctuation. It helps others read your comments and makes it more pleasant to read. So take heed. Also just a very good habit for later in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.