theultimatehero Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I have a 1986 N/A 300zx. I want to attempt at swapping my N/A engine for the turbo version. What i want to know is what would be involved in doing such a procedure? Is there anything i would have to fabricate or modify? Any snags you guys can let me know about? At this point i don't have another engine to put in but i want to know the degree of difficulty involved before i go ahead and buy one. I'm not a trained mechanic and i am not looking for a project that is over my head. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaggyZ Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 You're obviously welcome to get help here, but I would check out a site like http://www.z31performance.com for your Z31 specific questions. I know they cover this specific swap in a FAQ or something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayZee Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hey there, where abouts in the Great White North are you eh? Although I don't have direct experience in your exact swap I do know a bit about Vg30's and their electronics. I would have to say that you need turbo manifolds (or possibly just the left side) The turbocharger of course, turbo oil pan (or modify yours) oil line and fittings, some plumbing for the air intake and the pressure pipe (or custom intercooler) and exhaust. You will also need a turbo ecu. I have one if you are interested. There should be no wiring mods needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theultimatehero Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 You're obviously welcome to get help here, but I would check out a site like http://www.z31performance.com for your Z31 specific questions. I know they cover this specific swap in a FAQ or something similar. Alright I'll post a thread there as well as checking for this FAQ you speak of. Hey there, where abouts in the Great White North are you eh? Although I don't have direct experience in your exact swap I do know a bit about Vg30's and their electronics. I would have to say that you need turbo manifolds (or possibly just the left side) The turbocharger of course, turbo oil pan (or modify yours) oil line and fittings, some plumbing for the air intake and the pressure pipe (or custom intercooler) and exhaust. You will also need a turbo ecu. I have one if you are interested. There should be no wiring mods needed. I live really near to Calgary. Also im not sure if you know exactly what I'm asking about. What i plan on doing if at all possible is getting a full and working VG30ET engine so it should already be running and working. Im more concerned with connecting it to my transmision, mounting it in my car, and having the space for it all to fit. The ecu would of course have to be swapped out so i will definilty let you know if I am in need of one. Sure would be convenient to get one in canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayZee Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 It will bolt up to your transmision just fine, however I do remember that the turbo z31 has the left front engine mounted further forward on the engine. (perhaps the crossmember is different as well then?) Also I think the alternator might be in a different spot... I'm going back about 4 years on my memory though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Yep. The drivers side motor mount is I think the largest hurdle. The turbo crossmember is different than the N/A one. It is done this way for clearance of the turbo. Depending on the year of engine, there may be minor differences, and I do recall that there are differences in early 1986 and late 1986 300zx's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 As was said, the crossmember is different, but I recall some modified the nonturbo one with relative ease. On ours(also an 86) I recall we had to mount the alternator on the opposite side and had to extend the wires to it. Also depending on what year ecu you use, you may to need to modify the turbo downpipe and use a different O2 (unless you get it all from the same car, or buy a specific year downpipe/ecu) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianz Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hey, if youre looking for a VG30et we have one for sale out of an 84 ae parts car. Ran well and laid rubber great, it was pulled out of the chassis around christmas and has been sitting in our shop since. Im not sure where youre located, but if youre in Ontario then PM me, we also have the crossmember and pretty well all the accessories for the turbo swap, such as ecu etc. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeleriousZ Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 http://redz31.net/pages/turbo.html'>http://redz31.net/pages/turbo.html for future reference. http://redz31.net/ is your source for all things basic z31, along with: http://xenonz31.com/ everything to complete a n/a to turbo swap is listed in the above redz31 link. all z31 transmissions bolt up to the vg30e/t, there are no bellhousing differences. there are different mounting points for the different transmission crossmembers, but from what i've seen, all of the mounting points on mine are drilled/tapped already. for headgaskets, any engine can use a W-series (87+) head gasket, but the W series cannot use a A/B series gasket (earlier gasket on later car) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 +1 for CanadianZ. good guys, good prices, and I'm craving the custard cake-type-thing that I had at their house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theultimatehero Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hey, if youre looking for a VG30et we have one for sale out of an 84 ae parts car. Ran well and laid rubber great, it was pulled out of the chassis around christmas and has been sitting in our shop since. Im not sure where youre located, but if youre in Ontario then PM me, we also have the crossmember and pretty well all the accessories for the turbo swap, such as ecu etc. Rob I can't explain how nice that would be. But i live in calgary. Just out of curiosity could you tell me how much you would have wanted if i could pick it up? You can PM me if you want. http://redz31.net/pages/turbo.html'>http://redz31.net/pages/turbo.html for future reference. http://redz31.net/ is your source for all things basic z31, along with: http://xenonz31.com/ everything to complete a n/a to turbo swap is listed in the above redz31 link. all z31 transmissions bolt up to the vg30e/t, there are no bellhousing differences. there are different mounting points for the different transmission crossmembers, but from what i've seen, all of the mounting points on mine are drilled/tapped already. for headgaskets, any engine can use a W-series (87+) head gasket, but the W series cannot use a A/B series gasket (earlier gasket on later car) Awesome man, thanks for the info and links. Greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeleriousZ Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 wtf Careless you were out in calgary?? when!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianz Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 could you tell me how much you would have wanted if i could pick it up? Well these engines are pretty cheap, I mean we're looking for about 250 bucks... If I were you I would try to find a local one, and any small parts you need we would be happy to ship out to you. +1 for CanadianZ. good guys, good prices, and I'm craving the custard cake-type-thing that I had at their house. haha thanks man, you and me both! Unfortunately that trifle seems to only appear around christmas... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 wtf Careless you were out in calgary?? when!? lol I was? I wanna know when too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 haha thanks man, you and me both! Unfortunately that trifle seems to only appear around christmas... Rob well If I ever get one of those 6-wheel-drive thingies you guys had on the field, I'll definately look into swinging by Norfolk via highway around Christmas... 6 wheel style! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Is there anything wrong with your current engine? The reason I ask is that a lot of the guys on the z31performance.com site seem to prefer turbo charging the N/A engine for better off boost performance due to the higher compression. Obviously an intercooler will be a must for this setup, but you probably planned on doing that anyway. It's not an ideal combination for a maximum effort performance set-up, but should work very well for a moderately modified street driven car. You will still need to swap the crossmember and change all of the other parts necessary for the NA2T swap, but you can at lease save a bit on the engine this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theultimatehero Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Is there anything wrong with your current engine? The reason I ask is that a lot of the guys on the z31performance.com site seem to prefer turbo charging the N/A engine for better off boost performance due to the higher compression. Obviously an intercooler will be a must for this setup, but you probably planned on doing that anyway. It's not an ideal combination for a maximum effort performance set-up, but should work very well for a moderately modified street driven car. You will still need to swap the crossmember and change all of the other parts necessary for the NA2T swap, but you can at lease save a bit on the engine this way. Yes there is some things wrong with the current engine. Not the most major things but they are things that will cost some good money to fix. I have fully taken apart my engine. The main rod bearings need replacing as well as my oil pump. Plus putting it back together will require a full gasket kit. All of that combined is going to cost $600-$1000(CDN) to buy. That's the main reason i want to do the swap. If i could find a nice turbo engine that is in running order for the same price as buying the parts for this one, why wouldn't i do that? But yes if i end up buying another car or at least get a turbo engine, the crossmember, etc. then i will try to just turbo my N/A engine. Its will end up costing more money in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Ok, that makes sense. I don't know if this will help, but I seem to recall seeing a rebuilt VG30ET on usedvictoria.com for cheap...not sure if he is willing to ship to Calgary or not but worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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