RacerX Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I hope this is the appropriate place for my inquiry. In regards to building a Zcar for more street use than track use; For those of you who have already completed their Zcar project - if you were to do it again, what would you do differently in the engine capacity? For those of you who are in the process of, OR contemplating an engine for your project, what have you decided on and why? This is my inquiry. Would you prefer to have the extra cubic inches, extra cylinders and horsepower that comes with it though there is some weight gain to the car OR would you prefer to have a lightweight engine and make up horsepower by power adders and keep the car as light as possible? Why and how did you come to your decision? I would prefer that this doesn't get into a discussion about using specific engines please. Thanks for your thoughts! RacerX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjc5500 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Personaly, i would go v8 if u want to go straight racing/power. 2 heads are better than one when it comes to power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.INSANE Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Great Topic Ill Spell out what type of setup i want to be running The motor im choosing is a CA18DET its slightly lighter than the sr20det 20 pds ive heard and can make only slightly less power. The reason i choose the motor is it will be able to make my hp requirements 340 HP and will also be light and be behind the cross member. The motor also should have a redline of around 9k which is excellent for a track car. For the motor setup its going to be a bit expensive. I want to run a COP setup or something with a coil for each cylinder. The car will also be running on race gas only so this should help somewhat. I think when you look at a motor you should think to yourself what do i want High hp? Low Weight? Reliabilty? this should make choosing a engine much easier becuase theres a large list of vehicles oh and btw i would not recommend the CA18DET for a daily driver im building this z strictly for track use i cant say anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Hm... lets not get engines involved... Well I think the maing goal here is to improve upon the stock L6, otherwise there is no point in swapping it out in the first place. There are several engines that can produce more power than the l6, with a lighter overall weight. When I consider an engine swap for my car, I think of a more compact engine than what is in there. But I am biased towards corners, not straight line acceleration. It has alot to do with what kind of racing you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I'd of gone more cubes myself. 406 isn't bad, but I think I'll bo 414 or 421 here pretty quick. Yeah, If I had all the money I spent on motors back, I'd go aluminum V8 block like brodix, dart or rodeck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I'm running 3 liters with turbo and plan to go bigger, 4.5l also with turbo in the near future. I'm a hair over 2500lbs with a/c, bumpers, ect. Unless one can get the weight under 2k I wouldn't go down on displacement. Torque (off boost) is a good thing on the street. You need cc's/ci's to get that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 http://www.worldcastings.com/prods_pages/108052.htm how about an all aluminum 572 bbc?? 700hp/700ft lbs in an engine that weights less than an iron sbc?? and thats well before adding a mild dose of nitrous that could easily jump the power noticably THOSE ALL ALUMINUM 572s go for about $15,700 DELIVERED TO YOUR LOCAL AREA FREIGHT DEPOT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 What you (Ernie) needs is folks that have been on both sides of this fence and can say which was best for them. In my case, I am about to find out. For the last 15 years, I've had the 289/302/289 (yeah, I liked the 289 better). Even though it was down on HP as compared to those larger, blown, heavier cars I've run against, the lightweight Z chassis let me take the lead. Now in the works: I have a 383 (shortest of the 351W stroker kits) being machined for installation this winter. It will add about 75 pounds to the car, about 100 cubic inches, additional stressing to the drivetrain, a little more HP, and GOBBS more torque as compared to the high reving 289 (The 383 still should rev fine with the set-up I'm using though). Hopefully, by next spring I'll find out whether I made a mistake or an improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Grumpy... what's the price for the all aluminum 572 BBC:confused: It looks very promising for those who can afford one:wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Hey CLIFTON, I've been gathering all my parts for my 7MTswap when I retire from the MIL. in 3.5 months +- a few days,hours,seconds but who's counting. I hope you're not saying I would be better off using the 1991 5.0L I have sitting on my garage floor as it will be a street car only. I know you can't make this call for me but do you have regrets concerning the 7MT as a daily driver vs a 5.0L with It's low end torque. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Just a word of warning, if this thread degrades into the 4 cylinder vs. V8 arguement, I'll shut it down, stomp on it, piss on it, crap on it, and say bad words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 johnc... I can understand why you posted the caveat... but how can we "completely" avoid 4 vs 8 when weight is the issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 duplicate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 THOSE ALL ALUMINUM 572s go for about $15,700 DELIVERED TO YOUR LOCAL AREA FREIGHT DEPOT, you could build it yourself only slightly cheaper, and Id bet 90% of the guys would be far ahead both in cost and time buying the crate engine the block costs about $5000 heads about $3000 rotating assembly about $2500 cam, valve & train accessories /misc parts necessary about $2000 intake about $400 oil system/gaskets about $1000 carb about $1000 so your just not saving a great deal building it yourself BTW ask several of the twin turbo guys what they have invested in getting to 700-900hp and youll soon see how that aluminum big blocks just not all that expensive in comparison to building a intercooled twin turbo combo making similar power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 572 All Aluminum Stroker... If I only had $16K (plus another $1K for N2O) to play with... I could kick the crap out of ALL those little light-weight engines. A BIG aluminum V8 is the way to go, IMO (if you can afford it). DAMN the weight... full speed ahead!!! johnc... you'll notice I'm talking WEIGHT here... NOT V8 vs L4/L6/V6/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinOlson Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 What you have to remember is a straight 6, will generally have its mass center further forward then a v8 and 4 cylinder. I'd either go to a all aluminum v8 or I4 (sr20, f20c, ls1, 1uz...ect) Regards, Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 johnc... I can understand why you posted the caveat... but how can we "completely" avoid 4 vs 8 when weight is the issue? Simple, focus on the BENEFITS of each. What's good about the engine you are proposing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 well you could get crazy and put it on the little plastic card, have it installed , tear up your drive train,sit around wondering how to build a roll cage and drive train to work with that 700-1100 ft lbs of torque once the nitrous systems installed,and make exorbidant payments for the rest of the decade..PLUS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_V Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Thats why I like 6cyl's. Example. Stock 240sx engine, the KA24E or DE. Weighs about 300lbs. its an iron block 4cyl and makes decent power when turbo'd. Stock 95+maxima and various nissans VQ30DE. 3L v6,300lbs, revs to 7200-7500 reliably (with a modified ecu) and makes plenty of power NA or turbo. Even with 10:1 cr lots of people are pushing 400WHP on stock blocks and sometimes stock cams. No VTC or anything, just a varible intake manifold. (its alu block/heads) They weigh the same and the VQ sits further back, revs better, is just as cheap, and has more potental.(PS the 3.5L version VQ35DE also weighs the same and has a ♥♥♥♥ load of support from the 350Z's and G35 market) Now nissan does have I6's and V6's that weigh 500-600lb's (RB,VG,L) but were talking about advantages. ~Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Sounds like fun:wink: well you could get crazy and put it on the little plastic card, have it installed , tear up your drive train,sit around wondering how to build a roll cage and drive train to work with that 700-1100 ft lbs of torque once the nitrous systems installed,and make exorbidant payments for the rest of the decade..PLUS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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