KraZeeZX

Oh man! I love that video! I just have to watch it twice everytime I play it! For those of you who can't seem to get ahold of it, try it off my site at the link below! The best Datsun animation movie EVER! (Right click & 'Save Target As' PLZ to conserve bandwith )

So far, $3400, but I haven't even started! That was just for my engine and tranny. I'm also going to be buying a T56 tranny (if anyone knows where I can get one for a good price, let me know!) to replace the 4L60E. So add about another $1000 to that. Then the price of a new radiator, some new gauges, the custom exhaust I'll have to have made, and oh... did I mention I'm planning on adding a turbo too? It'll be pricey, but damn will it be worth it!!! Christmas is almost here!!!! I cant wait!!!!!!

that's pretty dang nice... but i dunno, check out this one! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1872271515

Geez, I know how you feel man. Except, I'm not being asked if I've got a 350 in my car. Everywhere I go I'm constantly asked, "Is it a TT?" And naturally I say no, so then they ask, "Well, why don't you put a turbo on it? Or why dont you sell it and buy a twin turbo?" People like that aggrivate me for a couple of reasons: A) My car is my car, if it's not what they like, screw 'em, they can go bug someone who has what they're looking for. I'm going to do the mods I want to do, and they'll be done wher they're done. I'm not going to take sterotypical suggestions from creatons. C) Maybe I don't want a twinturbo! I'm throwing an LS1 into my Z and it'll still be NA! So next time someone asks me if it's a TT, I'll simply say no as usual, but then I'll say, "It's NA and you still can't keep up!" Don't let that stuff bother you. Granted, it can be frustrating when you are going to do a huge modification and all you have to do is wait until you can do it. (i.e. me being at school and having to wait until christams for my swap) Just tell the people that you have "plans" for your car and if they want to know more, keep the information basic and let them find out how it runs when it's done! I'm looking to turn some heads, and I know that 396 stroker with the j-spec styling is going to REALLY get some attention! Good luck to you, and dont let the aggrivation of those people get to you. I'm used to the whole, "Is your car a TT?" question, but now I know I've got BIGGER plans that will really make those people look at my car and say, " " LaterZ! -Vann

Yup, I'm pretty happy. No more dragging the Z around to do dirty work and I dont have to worry about another break in up here at school. Thank goodness I've got another car, now I'll be able to drive to local shops to pick things up for my swap rather than pushing my Z there! Got the greatest deal on this one... - 1986 BMW 325es - All documentation possible. - One owner (1986 - 1997) Sat for 5 years prior to my ownership. - 135,000 miles; all maintenance done regularly - New radiator and muffler - Only 3 eyesores (scratch, dent, and busted fog light) - All for only $2000 I think it's one hell of a deal, I mean, look at it... $2000 for a perfect beater car. WIth a little bit of touching up and a few small parts she'll be nearly as good as new. Wish I coulda gotten ahold of a Datsun, but this will have to do for now. My plan is to fix this one up and sell it for a small profit to buy a decent Datsun later on. If not, then I'll keep it and save up extra cash to buy a Datsun anyways! I guess it's a good thing that I like it... my Z's gonna be parked in that garage until December! Than it's SWAP TIME!!!!

ShortyZ.... I recently bought a 1998 LS1 engine & 4L60E (automatic) tranny combo for $3400. -Only 42,000 miles -Engine & Tranny -Complete ECM & wiring included - Exhaust manifolds and DP's included I think I got one hell of a deal... look around, they sell pretty cheap every now and then.

Good job Sam! Great to hear the car's running hard now. Must have been fun to smack that Ferarri driver around, too bad I had to miss that. Why dont you keep me posted anymore??? Still going to the meet in Austin this weekend???

Yes, it's been done... a guy by the name of Greg Dupree has a Z32 TT engine in a Datsun... pretty sure it's a 240 with some 280zx wheels, if he can do it, so can you! Here are some pics that I found... It's a quick little Z, I'm sure you'd have fun with it! -Vann

BEAUTIFUL 280zx!!! I've never seen one so nice!!

You guys are commended for setting me straight. I edited my above/original post. What was I thinking?!? Throwing away a perfectly good LS1 engine that'll make me pee my pants once it's in my car!! That was waaaayyyy too dramatic for me. Maybe school and stress is getting to me and causing me to get moody, lol. Oh well, there will be a swap for Christmas! BTW, if anyone can let KennyGZ know, I'm interested in buying his car for my second one to use while I'm doing my swap!!! -Vann

SC/turbo, lol.... I'm a poor college student, you wanna give me the money to fabricate all of that??? If so, then SURE! I dont have any more money, I'm stretching right now to buy a second car IN CASE I end up doing the swap so I'll be able to get around. But now I may not have to.

EDIT: You guys are right. I'm over it now and see that having that swap would definately be beneficial no matter what. Initially I was a bit, well, jealous and with me being an EXTREMELY competitive person, I overreacted. Oh well, I'll still be doing my swap at Christmas and I will provide complete documentation including text, pictures, and video for some of the REALLY cool stuff. For the guys out there trying to do V8 Z32 conversions, GOOD LUCK! And if you get them done before me, more power to ya! I'll have mine soon enough and at least I'll be the first one in Texas . Sorry to have to whine, but I can still be a baby sometimes, like I said, what do I know, I'm only 18. But at least my B-day's comin up soon. Thanks for giving me some realistic insight guys. Time to get crackin on getting my beater car bought! -Vann

"For the shifter, is the Z an auto? You may be able to just use the current shifter if so. And don't under-estimate the fatness of that 4L60E." I currently have the 5-speed Manual Tranny, So that'll all have to change. Hehehe, I was waiting for you to mention something about the size of that tranny, I read on your site about how much of a PITA it was. Ok, so it looks like keeping the electronic gauges is definately the best route to take. If I decide to use corvette or f-body gauges, wont I have to get ahold of an entire cluster? I guess it'd be easiest to find one at a salvage yard. I'll probably end up shipping me ECM to John around thanksgiving so it'll all be ready to go in on Christmas break. I think the vette gauges will look awesome, not to mention the Chevy Flags, and the 200mph speedo! I've decided to wait on getting any performance parts into the engine until the entire swap is performed and is a success. Those Stage II heads and cam will probably go on during Spring Break seeing how I'll end up waiting on a list to get them from MTI anyway. BTW Jeromio, you do some amazing fabrication! Awesome job with your swap! Thanks again!

Ok, I wanted to replace the gauges because it seems like it would be a PITA to mate the hernesses of the Z32 gauge pod to the Trans-Am ECM. I guess I'll just stick with the r200 till it breaks like you all say. That's save me a little bit of money. Btw, the NA Z32's came with the r200, the TT's have the r230. As far as measurements go... the only thing I can see having trouble with MAY be the shifter placement.. as far as space for the LS1 in the engine bay.... there's plenty. That Z32 v6 is MONSTEROUS and takes up a vast amount of space. I've seen a few pics of a 350 sbc inside a z32 engine bay and oh man it was like a little dwarf gokart engine compared to the size of the v6. The LS1 isnt much bigger proportionally from a sbc 350 from information that I've gathered so far, so fitting it in shouldn't be an issue. The stock tranny is massive as well, so I'm pretty sure the 4L60E will fit just fine as well. I'll be sure to make measurements anyways just as a precaution once I get back home and have the chance. Sam keeps telling me to get a beater car, well... if you want to Sam, go ahead and spot me some dough for a car and insurance... geez. I don't have moeny to spend on a second car when I'm buying stuff to do an engine swap.. besides, you know how my parents are. Once I actually get the LS1 and my Z side-by-side I'll be sure to take TONS of pics and measure everything just right to avoid any pain after we get started. As far as gauges go... I didn't know that the ECM could be reprogrammed to accept the Z32 values so that may be a route to take.. however, my gauges are starting to fade and look nasty (some aftermarket white ones I bought with red characters are fading pink!!! I may also just find a Vette cluster and use that.. it'd look great as long as it fit in the dash. I've been wanting to upgrade my radiator anyways and I think the v8 is going to need more cooling. I didnt mean starter.. I was referring to the ignition switch.. I just dont know my terminology when it comes to ignition. Looks like I'll be sending the ECM to John at least to reprogram the theft stuff... if I ended up getting a gauge pod out of a corvette, would it still need to be programmed for the Z? Thanks for the help, this is great help guys! Keep it comin! :thumbup: -Vann

Ok, well the time is slowly inching closer towards my engine swap! For those of you who dont know, I'll be putting a 1998 LS1 V8 into my 1991 300zx. Now I'm posting here to make sure I get all of the little odds and ends sorted out before the time comes to get down and work on my swap. I know you guys know just about everything there is to automotive mechanics so I feell this is the BEST and ONLY place that will be able to help me out. This is going to be the first ever swap of an LS1 into a Z32, so I am venturing into some pretty dangerous uncharted territory, that's where you guys come in! The entreprenuers of engine swaps and enlighteners of the unknown. I'm going to give you guys a list of what I have, what I'm going to buy, and what custom work needs to be done. Essentially, I need to have you guys look it over and see if I've left anything out and if so, tell me how I can get it accomplished. ------------------------------------------------- So here's where I stand... 1991 300zx NA w/~100,000 miles Here's what's coming out: - Engine w/ all belt-driven accessories & Tranny - ECU - Complete Intake - Radiator & Fans - complete exhaust - gauges - Fuel System (pump, filter, regulator, lines) ------------------------------------------------- Parts collected to use in my Z: - Complete 1998 LS1 V8 Engine w/ ~44,000 miles - 4L60E Automatic Tranny - 1998 Trans-AM ECM with wiring ------------------------------------------------- Parts that I am purchasing for the initial swap: - Custom engine and tranny mounts - Custom Driveshaft - Heads/Cam package - r230 rear diff. (if i can find one) - Full custom exhaust system - 3" Koyo Radiator - Some sort of fan (suggestions??) - Individual gauges for custom install (tach, speedo, fuel/temp) - Fuel pump, regulator, filter, SS braided lines - Battery moved to the trunk - B&M Megashifter Ok, that's what I have on my list so far. Does everything look ok? ------------------------------------------------- Now for a few questions that I am going to NEED some help with... - What am I going to need for ignition? Do I just keep the 300zx starter? I am clueless about this stuff so I need to know exactly what I would need to buy in order for this LS1 to start and power all the gauges, etc... ------------------------------------------------- - Will it be somewhat simple to wire in the gauges (probably mechanical unless someone on here says otherwise)? I need to know if I'll run into any problems with the fuel gauge/temp/tach/speedo and I'd need to find some sort of guide on how to do it. ------------------------------------------------- - Will that r230 rear end hold ~450rwhp/400rwtq?? ------------------------------------------------- My main concerns are with the electrical system. Wiring is definately not my strong point so any helpful information will be greatly appreciated. I plan to use the Trans-Am computer and just put it in the same place as the Z32 ECU. It appears that the AC/powersteering/wipers electronics are all held in a seperate control module near the ECU, but I could be wrong. What electronic components am I going to have to keep in the engine? What kind of wiring should I expect? ------------------------------------------------- Now I know some of you are probably shaking your heads and saying, "Geez, if he's asking us all of these questions, how does he ever expect to do this swap?" Well, that answer is simple, I'm hoping for some feedback from you guys! The swap should go smoothly until I get to the electronic part of it, then I'm hoping to either get lucky or have a friend of mine who owns a TT Z32 help me (he knows the Z32 inside and out). Well, please give me as much information and opinions as you can come up with! I REALLY appreciate it! Thanks so much! -Vann

Yup, it can be done.. it'll take work. I'm planning to do one soon. (Actually I was supposed to do it next week, but it's been delayed until Christmas) I've got my LS1 engine sitting in a warehouse waiting to be unleashed Its gonna kick! Good luck! And if you do plan to proceed, just dont make it nicer than mine --Vann

Well, to make this simple, here are the basics: -LS1 engine and tranny are on the way -1991 300zx NA is dying for an upgrade Progress will be fully documented here at my website. Should be fun and exciting, I think I should learn quite a bit throughout the experience. Sam (The_Dj) will be participating in the project as well. --Vann

Yes.. what year??? Cuz I'm about to start a 300zx v8 swap.

Engine comes with everything I need to hook it up. I'm buying the tranny and having a driveshaft fabricated seperately. The tranny is for a C5 which wouldn't work (already mentioned) and I've already got an r200 diff. I think it's a great deal for what it is, and it'll be one hell of a project. Any other opinions before I commit? Thanks for all the info. --Vann

I just recently won a bid on ebay for a 2000 C5 Corvette LS1 engine. It has 30,000 miles on it and comes with everything except the driveshaft and tranny. Only problem was that the reserve price was never met and I ended up offering the company $3500 for it. They responded stating that $3800 is their asking price. Is it worth it? Here it is... What do you think??? Thanks -Vann

Well, like the post says, I'm pretty sure that I'll be dumping a v8 into my Z32 sometime in the relatively near future. In a few days I'll be purchasing a 1976 280z that has a Modified Chevy 305 in it with a Chevy Turbo 350 tranny. The owner says it produces around 275 hp right now. My original intentions were to buy the 280, sell the 305 and tranny, then build a 355 or 383 for it and put in a T-56. (All in the Datsun) My Z32 is inching towards the 100,000 mile marker and I have been wanting to swap engines in that car when it got to 100k. I had planned to do a TT Z32 engine, but now that I'll have an extra v8 I see a golden opportunity to do a better/less expensive swap. I do realize the magnitude of fabrication for such a swap and that's part of the reason why I want to go ahead with it. Instead of selling the 305, it would go right into my '91 Z. I'd sell the Turbo 350 and buy a T-56 for it as well. Once the 305 is in, I plan to turbo it since that seems to be the easiest route to more put power out of the 305. I posted here to get a few opinions on some topics: - Would it be worth it? (I do have a good idea of what work needs to be done, but any critical comments are appreciated) - Would the Turbo be a good idea? If not, then what would? (Shooting for roughly 400rwhp, more preferably ) - How original would a v8 Turbo Z32 be? - The 305 would have to be fuel injected for the Turbo installation to be easier/work right? - Any other info you'd like to add? I would REALLY love to have a Turbo v8 in my Z32. I just want to get some professional opinions on the whole thing before I just jump right in and mess somethin up. Also, what about this... Once the 305 is taken out of the Datsun, that Z is going to have to sit there until a new engine is built for it. That may (and probably will) take quite a while from the time of the initial swap. SO what about dumping the z32 engine into the Datsun and actually SWAP the engines? It would all be done pretty close together timewise. Just take each engine out with needed components and just put one in after the other one's done. I do realize I'd need a LOT of space and 2 engine hoists. I know that it would be a whole lotta extra work, but why not do it when I'm working on engines anyway? That way I'd have 2 running cars and the Datsun wouldnt be collecting dust. Opinions on that idea too please. Well, I am very anxious to get some sort of huge project underway. I just want to get a good idea of what is possible and which things I should just ignore. If you think I'm nutz please feel free to let me know , I have no clue as to how ridiculous this project may sound to some of you, but hey.. if it works, and I get it done, that would be extremely bada$$ eh? Thanks for any help... -- KraZeeZX

Yup, It's been done and I'm about 75% set on doing the same thing with my '91 Z32. The DJ will be helping me too. I'm planning on using a 275hp 305 out of a 280z that I'll be purchasing soon... who knows what's gonna replace the 305 Good luck with your transplant bud.