maxtor Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Has anyone put a FE engine in a 240Z? I have one 427 and five 428's that have to go into something. I have a 240Z, C6 trans, 4spd. toploader and 9" Ford differential. If only it would fit. I know that the R180 and R200 differentials would last about 1/2 a second with either engine, so how difficult is it to install a 9" ford posi rear end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubin Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 dont know if the engines ever been done but you should find lots of info on the 9inch in the driveline section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3079893 Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Where did u get all the mtors from? I know alot of guys running the high torque rb turbo engines through the r200 without a problem, what sort of power/tourque are u getting with these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BOOMER-Z Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 The thought of swapping in an FE big block has been raised several times, but I don't think it's been done...yet. Hopefully your budget is as rich as your collection of these desireable engines. I'm finding all the "little things" pushing the cost of my 5.0 swap much higher that I anticipated. As for fit, your problem is going to be with the cross member and steering rack. Since there's no readily available rear sump oil pan for these engines (to my knowledge, anyway), you'll need to use a dry sump oiling system. Dimensionally, it should fit since there are several on this forum who have installed big block Chevys, and the FE is narrower. You'd obviously want to use aluminuinm heads and intake to chop the weight down. As for the R200, there's plenty of evidence that it's tougher than you think. You might at least want to try it if you have one anyway. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtor Posted May 3, 2006 Author Share Posted May 3, 2006 They do make a rear sump pan for the FE. I would think that the hard part would be getting the headers to pass by the steering shaft. My 428SCJ has been built up to 660 hp. I have not had the torque checked. The 427 is stock at 425 hp. I have been playing around with the FE engines for many years, and I really do not think the R200 would make it past the first run. I have twisted 28 spline axles in half with a moderately built 428. Thank you all for the information. I might just try to get it to fit, but probably the headers will have to be custom made, with some sharp bends. I do not want to hack on the body unless absolutely necessary. Thanks again Maxtor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest early240 Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Maxtor, any chance you have a good cj or maybe even hp390 block you want to get rid of? I'm sure your keeping the 427, I would. I'm just looking for a block, or maybe a short block. I have a bunch of FE and Z stuff and the thought of combining them has crossed my mind on a few occasions. Thanks, Ron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtor Posted June 14, 2006 Author Share Posted June 14, 2006 Hello Ron; Yes I would be willing to sell one or two 428 blocks. 428 blocks $300 428SCJ compete $5,500 427 complete $8,000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackeye Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 I'm in the progress of puting a 390 FE in my 79 280zx, but funding is low right now so it's slow going. I didn't plan on using such an uncommon engine at first but my friend had it lying arround so I bought it off him for $250. I haven't ever heard of an FE in a z before eather so this is turning out to be a very interesting project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtor Posted June 18, 2006 Author Share Posted June 18, 2006 I hope you get it to work. 352,360,390,406,410,427 and 428 engines all are the same outside dimensions. The difference is in the bore and stroke. The first challenge is to get it to fit without to much cutting on the chassis. The second challenge is to make the drive train live. The FE has a tremendous amount of torque. It will make your 280Z very very fast if you can keep the body and drive train from tearing apart. It is easy to make 500+ hp with the 390, and 600+ hp with the 427 and 428. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aarc240 Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 The second challenge is to make the drive train live. The FE has a tremendous amount of torque. It will make your 280Z very very fast if you can keep the body and drive train from tearing apart. It is easy to make 500+ hp with the 390, and 600+ hp with the 427 and 428. Do you seriously believe you can actually get sufficient traction with anything short of slicks to get a 1 ton car to hook up hard enough to break a diff renowned for strength? If you intend running slicks, why would you run an independent rear end anyway? Just a four bar, Watts linkage and live 9" rear axle then stick to the drag strip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aarc240 Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 I forgot about the 28 spline axles you mentioned twisting. In Australia these are widely regarded as licorice sticks - we could and frequently did twist off the splined end with 351C engines. They wouldn't have even been considered with anything hot or bigger - 31 spline or forget it even in the hotter Ford 351C production cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtor Posted June 22, 2006 Author Share Posted June 22, 2006 If you are using a Fe Ford engine, in a 3000 lb. car (1.5 tons), and plan on going to the drag strip, slicks are a must. Therefore as I said earlier, if you are using the FE engine in a Z car, good luck with the differential and drive train. I think that it will be a fun project, and after working out the bugs, It should be a great running car. If you do not use slicks, all you are going to do is burn up your tires, while the other guy is going down the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 I have never been a fan of big blocks in the nose of a Z car. If you are not emotionally tied to those engines, consider sellng them and use the funds to build a 427ci engine based on a 351 and maybe have $$$ leftover for a solid rear swap. With this you get the best of both worlds: the big cubic inches and smallblock weight that will help with F-R weight distribution and better traction and maybe even funds for a rear end that can hold up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3079893 Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 didn't the mark 4 gt40 run a 427? Sure the book im reading this out of quotes that it had 510bhp and only 347 Nm @ 5000rpm. running quick calculation, tourque at this rpm would give about 181kw which is hardly 510hp. Anyway the point im making is that this car weighed only 1000kg and was an awsome track car. I say forget building a drag car, rather build track car, way more fun. If you have to gut the wheel wells to fit the engine in, you might as well gut the firewall back a bit so you can mount the engine further back and achieve a better weight distribution on the rear. You could also run a lower ratio gearbox to reduce the amount of tourque through the rest of the driveline, then i reackon you could easily get away using just the r200 diff and IRS. The car wouldn't be as much of a pig, but the fact that the gears are so long would be really cool. Lets face it you probably wouldnt even loose any acceleration through 1st and 2nd since you are totally traction and not power limited anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtor Posted June 23, 2006 Author Share Posted June 23, 2006 Yes the mark iv did have the 427 engine, which spanked ferrari and the rest of the world for four years straight, until ferrari had the officials ban the Fe 427 engine. A 427 small block does not have near the torque as the 427 big block has, although the weight saving does make it more appealing to some projects. Shelby made well over 600 hp with his 427's. A all aluminum block is being made at Shelby in Las Vegas, so you can have a all aluminum FE engine that weighs about the same as a small block Chevy that has aluminum heads. I saw one recently at a car show. The guy says that he paid $13,000 for the engine. Not to bad a price for a complete aluminum engine. Buying the big block chevy 571 engine that makes the same hp and torque, costs more and is heavier, but might be easier to install in a 240Z or 280Z because of the rear oil sump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aarc240 Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 in a 3000 lb. car (1.5 tons) Dang, you mean to say that someone has found a way to remove a heavy six cylinder engine from a 2300 lb car, slip in a slightly heavier FE big block with a somewhat heavier auto and add SEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS ?!? Trust the 'engineers' to do the impossible!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aarc240 Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 Sure the book im reading this out of quotes that it had 510bhp and only 347 Nm @ 5000rpm. running quick calculation' date=' tourque at this rpm would give about 181kw which is hardly 510hp. Anyway the point im making is that this car weighed only 1000kg and was an awsome track car.[/quote'] The figures given are a long way from accurate, just as the racing version of the 427 is along way from the production FE. If you ever get a chance to see the heads used (and I have), the ports are simply amazing. Without the valves, a golf ball would roll straight through! btw, what's so fantastic about a 1000kg car? A 240z in stock form is only 1030kg, even less if in JDM format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3079893 Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 the point i was making about was a huge engine in a 1000kg car can work (as seen with the gt40). I wasn't trying to say that a 1000kg was fantastic although it is fairly light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3079893 Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Typical South Australian comment by the way ;> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtor Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 Well lets see,, 700 pounds extra weight 500 extra horsepower I think the FE wins...... weigh a C6 automatic compaired to a stock 240Z tans... Big difference,,, not slight increase..... Also extra weight in beefing up the suspension to hold the extra horspower.... 240Z 15.3 lbs per horsepower 150 hp at 2300 lbs. FE 240Z 4.6 lbs. per horsepower 650 hp at 3000 lbs. Are you beginning to see the picture AARC240 ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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