Need Advice

[Guest Anonymous]

I have a 1981 280zx and I want to convert to a V8. I need advice. I have no clue where to begin or if this is even a viable project. I have looked at the JTR page and that looks like the best place to start but I saw nothing that mentioned the ZX. Also emissions seems to be an issue. Is this something that can be overcome? Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Dan Juday]

Welcome Reese.

Yes, you have come to the right place. We have people here who have done, and are doing that swap. Utilize the search function and you should find a wealth of info. In the threads you find you should also find links to personal pages that can give you even more info.

As a foundation, all here will encourage you to buy the JTR book. Though it is a manual to convert the '70-'78 Z, much of it will help tremendously with your swap. The $35 you spend will quickly be recouped by avoiding common mistakes.

To answer your question, yes, it is a very viable swap. And yes, emissions can be overcome. But be prepared, almost every first time swap takes twice as long as you figure it should, and costs twice as much as you budgeted.

So dive in and read, read, read! Ask all the questions you can think of (after you have read all the search results).

 

Note to the moderators: maybe you should consider a ZX/V8 forum?

[DavyZ]

Welcome, Reese. I'll echo what Dan said to do and that is to use the search function at the top right corner of your screen to look up the threads on what is involved. One of our members, Ross Corrigan, comes immediately to mind that has this conversion. If you feel that you would like a kit to do the swap, try checking with MSA (Motorsport Auto) and take a look at what they offer. HTH

 

Davy