Hey guys, been browsing the forums for a few months and definitely learned a lot. That said, I've got a pretty in-depth question about engine swaps for the 240z. Reason I'm asking is I'm 23 years old and really want a great DD/track sports car while I'm still single and don't care too much about lumbar support. I'm absolutely in love with the 240z, but am concerned that it might not measure up to newer sports cars without throwing down some serious money. I fully realize this is an apples-to-oranges thing, but I specifically have the Honda S2000 in mind.
SO... before I get a 240z I'd have to settle on an engine swap, and here's what I'm looking for:
1. 275-350 rwhp. The L24 may have been great in 1971, but it's really old and woefully underpowered in 2012 (even by BRZ standards). On the other extreme, 400+ hp seems excessive for a 2400 lb street car.
2. 6 cylinders a must. Being made by Nissan or being a straight-6 would be cool too. I like the idea of staying true to the 240z's roots, whatever that means.
3. 25-30 MPG. I'd want to keep this car for a while and am pretty darn sure gas is going to $8 a gallon in the next decade.
4. Handling. Higher midrange torque is nice, as is an engine that sits further back and helps with weight distribution.
5. Fuel injection. Kinda necessary given my horsepower & gas mileage expectations, but I also don't want to have to warm my car up every cold start.
6. Ease. I'll be doing most of the work myself and would want to get the swap done in 6 months tops. 2 or 3 months would be great.
7. Low cost. As in I don't want the entire swap+upgrades to cost more than $10k. I also don't want something that breaks down a lot or is expensive to get parts for. A great engine is important, but I'd rather save as much money as possible to put towards handling upgrades. While I'm on the subject, I'd prefer a NA engine. The way I see it, turbos are just a $1,000 expense waiting to happen. You can baby it to delay that $1k service bill, but that's no fun. In short, I'm strongly against turbos for everyday cars.
8. 5 speed transmission. 6 speed would be better. Also, the stick should definitely be able to fit in roughly the same spot as stock.
9. Room for A/C. I've heard this is a problem with the VQ series. Is that still the case with an entirely new system? (Like a Vintage Air unit?)
From research I've done already, there aren't any engines out there that fit the bill perfectly. I'm also somewhat aware of the pros/cons of the most common swaps. My big question is which engine do you guys think BEST fulfills the above requirements? L28? RB25? RB30? VQ35? VQ37?