nthiogen

A 500whp Z is not a "weekend driver/occasional track car." It is, in my opinion, a "useless for ANYTHING but drag racing" car. You will need to reinforce the s**t out of your chassis, because you seem to be forgetting that you are putting well over 4 times more power into it than it was designed to handle. Expect to pay in excess of 5k for that level of preparation unless you want to twist the chassis and tear the driveline to pieces. You should put in your 1JZ STOCK and just get it running first. If it's not enough for you as is, go from there. It doesn't seem like you understand how a car with 500hp that weighs less than 3,000 pounds made out of sh--ty paper-thin steel 40 years ago (that's likely rusting in a few places) with no power steering, brakes, or ANYTHING-- is going to act. No offense intended, but there is a LOT more to consider than you seem to be aware of.

FWIW: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/89959-ideal-power-for-a-s30/ One of the best threads I've read for quite some time. Some very long and detailed info from very experienced people. Sticky worthy imo

And, at the end of the day, if you searched and researched enough, you could easily find the answer to all of those questions. Try searching google like so, I've found that it works better than anything else: ls1 swap +a/c +heater +p/s (or whatever search terms in whatever way you want) site:hybridz.org The "site:hybridz.org" is the crucial part. This directs google to search only within that domain, giving you the power and flexibility of Google search indexing but narrowed down to a particular site. Not sure if you knew this trick-- IMO it's the best thing Google offers and is the only reason I still use Google search more than DuckDuckGo, for example.

I agree with this. The M45/Q45 motors can be had for cheap and have nearly that much. If you can fab or have the money to do it, I think it's an awesome swap. I don't think the small block swap has been beaten in terms of cost effectiveness before the stock motor. Turbo S52/M52 (95-99 M3; 328is engine) is an easy 400 on stock internals (with proper tuning) while preserving the deliciousness of a straight 6. You should Youtube some E36s with exhausts. It's one of my favorite sounds. But when it comes to FI, almost any engine you can fit in that bay will be able to make 400hp with modification. You didn't mention a budget- your question can't really be answered without that information, IMO. Have you considered how you're going to reinforce the chassis to handle over 400tq? I'll admit I haven't researched that either, but I don't want 400 horsepower. And your drivetrain will need considerable strengthening as well.

Not bad for 1000! Seems like it would look pretty good with a thorough wash. Do you have higher res pictures?

I'm looking for Z's around the 2k-8k range. I'll take any S30 Z as long as it's '75 or older (basically, as long as it's smog exempt it's fine). However, it absolutely must have a manual transmission. The car must run and drive, and the motor/transmission combo is not all that important. It just needs to run and shift well, and have as little rust as possible. The only thing I want to emphasize is that I'm looking for something that was clean and well-built. Half-finished projects with gutted interiors aren't my aim, as the car will be a daily driver when needed (though I don't currently need a car for daily transit). I am more interested in stock or lightly modified Z cars than all-out, small block swapped monsters. I wouldn't pass up a well-sorted swap, though (who would? ). The more paperwork available on the car, the better. I would love nothing more than to rifle through your 300-page stack of receipts and service records! I am located on-campus at San Francisco State University. I can arrange to borrow a car for long drives or take the BART/Caltrain. I can be contacted through PM, email (n.theorygen@gmail.com), and by cell at 818-667-5399. Thanks! PS- I guess this is my first post. So, hello!

I suppose it does, but it looks really bare. No spark plugs, wiring harnesses, transmission, etc. I'd really like to see this swap happen as I was kinda considering it myself once I got a Z. Those VK45's are hot!