How much did everyone spend on their V8 Conversion?

[lbhsbZ]

Back from the dead...here's my list, and I'm sure there's plenty missing from it.

 

Car3500

used brodix heads1000

350 core (1st one)200

forged crank390

Rods400

Pistons780

pushrods120

roller rockers250

roller lifters300

Head machine work500

Block machine work900

Solid roller cam300

Plug wires80

Plugs30

Water pump80

Oil pan195

Oil Pump50

Valve covers150

Holley 850hp750

Fuel Pump140

Fuel Cell600

AN lines800

MSD distributor280

MSD 6AL200

MSD timing control139

AEM wideband250

Timing set100

Bearings150

Gaskets150

intake manifold235

Headers300

Radiator200

Elec. Fan50

Rad hoses35

Belts35

TKO 600 trans1980

Flywheel135

Centerforce clutch240

ARP hardware300

Wheels600

Kumho V700 tires1025

OBX diff375

R200 diff50

4.64 gears300

3.90 gears150

Front Brakes400

Rear brakes200

Cage tubing460

Autometer gauges240

B Master cylinder80

C master cylinder40

C Slave cylinder60

Motor/trans mounts100

G machine bushings200

Air cleaner30

Kirkey seat179

Simpson harness120

Oil cooler130

Catch can 60

Tokico Illuminas250

Coilover sleeves120

EMI camber plates600

driveshaft300

Electrical components150

Nickel and Dime1500

 

 

GRAND TOTAL...at least $25366

[LS2 V8 Miata]

I haven't posted in quite awhile either, I'm at about $25,000.00 not including the 300M axles I just had made for my Ford IRS and I still have a lot of other goodies like a Racepack GX2 digital dash and stuff like that.

 

I just got it still goin' on, you guys all have a great 4th of July.

 

Regards

 

- Lee

[The Chiropractor]

Bought my entire car for $6300 as seen (+ about $600 in upgrades) in pics that has super T10 4spd w/327 SBC (supposedly w/365hp) and Scarab style conversion. Am doing T5 upgrade with JTR conversion changeover with lots of goodies and have about an additional $3000 in it so far. Not really counting on purpose! www.cardomain.com/ride/2886421/1

[SSflyer]

Currently sitting at about $32.5k. What a stinking money pit. (Stinking, but fast!)

[280zwitha383]

Good God. I like these cars but I can't imagine spending 20k or more on one of them...

[LS2 V8 Miata]

It's really hard to imagine staying UNDER 30K if you build an LS V8 based car and use all NEW parts.

 

Besides your car wouldn't be very fast with that roll-away fulla tools and the all spare parts you have to carry around in the back just to go from point A to point B.

 

My experiences with used cars have been that you're usually inheriting somebody else's problems. 40K miles driven on any high performance vehicle (or drive-train) by one guy can be dramatically different than 40K miles driven on the same vehicle by somebody else, in terms of wear, damage and remaining life.

 

After all this work and money if I'm gonna be going really fast in a GM V8ed Jap Pocket Rocket, it's gonna be with my butt ridin' on new parts.

 

Generally speaking; REALLY SICK INDIVIDUALS LIKE ME, DON'T KEEP ACCURATE COUNTS ON COSTS (maybe by design)!

[COZY Z COLE]

Good God. I like these cars but I can't imagine spending 20k or more on one of them...

 

 

LOL.. with the new draglites and MT ET streets I'm at 35K and after they kick me off the track for no roll bar Fri. it will be "here we go again billfold" with still no end in sight....

 

 

LARRY

[dustin280zx]

I figured it up and my over the summer turbo conversion cost 7900. If I would have stayed NA with some nitrous which I almost wish I did with 14000 a year going to college it would probably have been 3000. But turbos get me off.

[Slammed68]

Im $1015.64 in mine!!!!

 

$1000 price paid for basically mint car.

$10 gas to get me home.

$5.64 pint of body filler.

 

No LT1/T56 yet..

 

Planning on keeping the budget under 4K

 

I dont understand how all of you guys are going insane with your budgets..

 

Ive built many budget vehicles and this one doesn't seem like its going to be any different from those, 4K sounds like a reasonable peak for a running driving LT1 280Z.

[SSflyer]

I felt bad about how much I've spent until I compared it to the price of any other new car. My 'budget' was $10k, but it got to a point where I didn't want to put 30 year old parts back on it. In the end I have essentially a new car. The engine had only 8k miles and everything else is new. The one plus is that it's all paid for, one piece at a time...

[COZY Z COLE]

Im $1015.64 in mine!!!!

 

$1000 price paid for basically mint car.

$10 gas to get me home.

$5.64 pint of body filler.

 

No LT1/T56 yet..

 

Planning on keeping the budget under 4K

 

I dont understand how all of you guys are going insane with your budgets..

 

Ive built many budget vehicles and this one doesn't seem like its going to be any different from those, 4K sounds like a reasonable peak for a running driving LT1 280Z.

 

 

:lmao:

 

 

LARRY

[Slammed68]

Thats what everyone said about my past 6 cars. ^

 

Ill tally up the receipts when im done, then I can laugh.

[getZ]

You have to figure out what your objective is. If it is to stay withing budget then of course it can be done. Most people like myself or more interested in building or improving the performance of the car.

 

Are those non-vented rotors going to brake well enough for you?

 

Will that open diff get enough traction for you?

 

Will those 14" slotted mags hold the performance tires you want?

 

The list becomes almost endless and so we do what we can, save up some more cash and spend it on the z car again.

 

Somebody around here has a signature. "If I had all the money I spent on cars, I'd spend it on cars"....and speed costs money.

[dustin280zx]

You have to figure out what your objective is. If it is to stay withing budget then of course it can be done. Most people like myself or more interested in building or improving the performance of the car.

 

Are those non-vented rotors going to brake well enough for you?

 

Will that open diff get enough traction for you?

 

Will those 14" slotted mags hold the performance tires you want?

 

The list becomes almost endless and so we do what we can, save up some more cash and spend it on the z car again.

 

Somebody around here has a signature. "If I had all the money I spent on cars, I'd spend it on cars"....and speed costs money.

 

 

I personally like "how fast do you want to spend?" I thought I could keep my my budget under 1500....until I was thinking...do I just want this motor to run or do I want it to last and not have to do it again for a while. I sure could've came close to my budget if I would've skimped out like using a 6A instead of a digital 6, using steel wheels instead of the sportmaxx, using street tires instead of drag radials, using a used turbo compared to a new, using stock rods with arp bolts, ect. ect.

 

OH I just wanted to let you guys know that the 1500 was on top of an almost complete NA motor.

[janaka]

I spent about $8k on the car itself. Totally rebuilt bottom up, new floors, fenders,hood, interior is basically new, new paint, new wheels, rebuilt L6 w/cam/header/exhuast/SU's etc etc, all new suspension, sways/springs/struts/bushings etc, R200 rear w 3.90's so that "maintenence" part is done

I'm hoping the go fast of the SBC 383 stroker with tranny comes in at or under the same price as what I paid for the car. This is allow me to have a totally running entire SPARE drivetrain which I could swap in if needed.

If I have a 11sec daily drivable car for under $20k I'll be extremely pleased.

[m1noel]

Boy, I've looked at this thread from time to time, but haven't really wanted to do the math for fear I'd be laughed at. But now some of you have posted that are probably, well maybe, more invested than I am.

So here goes.

 

$2300- 4 year old 78 280 purchased in 1982

$500- paint job a couple of years later.

$250-Sway bars

$750-Tockico springs and adjustable struts

$1300-ported 260 head, 71 SU's, header

$125-83 280ZX 5 speed.

 

Drove it like that for another 15 years or so.

 

$700-Power Brute LSD and install.

-$250-Bought 72 240Z for $250, stole the roll bar, sold 240 for $500

$8000-Strip paint, body work, new paint, weather strip, carpet

$1500-Corbeau leather seats (gift from my wife)

$0-but priceless-1000's of hours doing research mostly on Hybridz

$200-JTR books and Helms manuals

$9200-05 GTO LS2/T56 with all accessories, pedals, computer, etc.

$2200-Mounting kit, ac kit, fan, cableX, drive shaft, box from JCI

$600-header and radiator from JTR

$2000-4 different sets of wheels over 25 years (shopping again)

$400-wiring parts for LS swap

$400-programming ECU and Predator

$100-air filter and plumbing

$200-Misc adapters, nuts bolts, etc.

 

Thats $30,475 and I still need to upgrade the brakes!

 

BUT, that is only $1219 a year for the last 25 years, to drive a car I absolutely love.

And that is PRICELESS!

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Mike

[love-my-V8-280Z]

If I think back 7 years ago.. I got a 280 for almost nothing.

Than I thought a little paint and it would look great! Than how about a cool engine? Lets do it right.

Found rust, needs of new rubber everywhere. It did not take long and I desired a well built, done right job.

I just kept picking away. I added my receipts and I'm at 13,000. I even hate to guess how much on the little extras that I did not track. Sand paper, primer etc...

Probably $14,000 and I have a lot left to go.

In hindsight, I love the car but I would have been a head to buy a old camero or vett with a real good resale.

I'm sure no one wants to hear that but its true.

I have not even gotten the chance to drive my car.

I hope it’s all worth it...

[Jay Hitchcock]

I can only make a guess so here it goes.

Found the Z from original owner..needed work 1700.00

Grabbed the motor from buddy (had 15k on it) 1000.00

TK0 600 Trans and clutch from Keisler eng. 1900.00

Chromoly tubing, aluminum and steel sheet 2500.00

Engine acc(W.pump, alt, pulleys, dist, covers) 1500.00

Radiator and twin Spal fan assembly 600.00

Brake and suspension upgrades 3500.00

Custom axels and half-shafts 1100.00

Wheel and tire package 3000.00

Wide body kit and fiberglass supplies 1500.00

Sparco racing buckets..on sale 960.00

Sparco harness(2), pedal and steering wheel 800.00

Power steering rack, pump, canister, pulley 1000.00

Kaas LSD R200 with 3.70 gears 1200.00

Chromoly rear control arms 650.00

Replacement front glass and Lexan 480.00

Interior material and work 520.00

Fuel pump, filter, plumbing, etc. 475.00

Misc, bolts, harware, and whatever else 1000.00

This keep in mind is an approximation over the

course of five years..but don't tell my wife 25,385.00

[The Chiropractor]

Don't worry, Love-my-V8! Just wait until one of those Camaros or Vettes tries to flex and go around you on a freeway onramp and you launch past them. You will experience the wonder and joy of what happens when tears roll down a surprised face. When you let them get back next to you, notice that most of them will not look at you. Smile and wave anyway. Just make sure to keep it around the speed limit, right?

[deja]

Don't worry, Love-my-V8! Just wait until one of those Camaros or Vettes tries to flex and go around you on a freeway onramp and you launch past them. You will experience the wonder and joy of what happens when tears roll down a surprised face. When you let them get back next to you, notice that most of them will not look at you. Smile and wave anyway. Just make sure to keep it around the speed limit, right?

 

And if they ask you what you have in it tell them its stock!