kaito Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Hello, Ive been hanging out on hybrid z for a little while, mostly on the megasquirt forums but now that my l28et swap is done I dont like it. Its ok I guess but I want something more. As I went to buy a Z32 tranny from a guy on craigslist he showed me something pretty cool and underrated. A turbocharged 5 speed swapped Q45. Needless to say I found the motor amazing. I have been reading up on sbc options as well and I have narrowed my research down to two motors. An LT1 or a VH45. I can get both for the same price but for the vh I would need a T/B and injectors as well as an adapter for the z32 trans( I think I can make one and I already have the trans)and for the LT1 I would just need a trans but good ones are expensive. Im also not opposed to putting in an auto but would prefer a manual. Well what do you guys think? I can fab most everything 'cept the driveshaft so just want to compare american apples to japanese apples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger280zx Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 What are your power and performance goals? For the money you would spend swapping and modifying a vh or lt1 you can pretty easily achieve 400-450 whp with gobs (likely more than either v8) of torque. For a bit more money 500-600 whp are not at all out of reach. If I had a z32 gearbox and MS I'd be getting a NEW precision turbo for $650-900, a NEW greddy or equivalent FMIC for $400, injectors $250-350 and put some time in your tune and I don't think you'de be disapointed any more. If you have the fab capabilities you could make/modify the intake mani cheaply... and there is a lot of power to be had there. So for $1-$2k you have 400+ hp and only modify a few parts which is much less time consuming than a motor swap IMO. If you HAVE to have 4 digit hp the l6 is not the right platform, but for fast, streetable, trackable hp these little engines are often underestimated. I know it isn't the answer your after, but I'm a big proponent of keeping the car on the road as much as posible. So I guess to answer your question directly the LT1 is a cool engine, but the VH is lightyears ahead of it from a performace standpoint, and if its about cost per dollar the LS annihilates both of them. But I'm not a V8-Z guy anyway, and if I thought I needed 1k+ hp it would be with a 2j, but it would be useless for anything under 130mph that wasn't sitting still on a dyno. This is all just my slanted and biased opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexter72 Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Ditto, Upgrading the turbo swapped L28 would bring about a lot more power. No reason that you can't have an 11 second car with a few mods, Remember the old saying there is no substitute for cubic inches. Well the substitute is called a Turbo. Like what was said earlier, Upgrading to what you have will be cheaper then swapping either engine, plus trans, plus drive shaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 For sure fellas it would be cheaper to modify what I have. Totally agree. Its just a thought that I have for the near future. the reason I brought up those two specific engines is they are plentiful in the junkyards and Im pretty sure I can install either one for under $1000. Im definitely not looking for 4 digit hp numbers in a z car thats for sure. Thanks for your inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 To me personally, the LT1 is kind of a bastard child. It doesn't really offer enough improvements over the old school SBC motors to really interest me, and isn't any cheaper to build, while the slightly more expensive LSX platform is infinitely better all around. Swapping one for less than 1k would be a stretch, but 2k would be a breeze if you do it right. The VH is a great motor, but I've never been a fan of motors that you can buy for $500 then have to spend at least that, if not double getting a good transmission onto. The VH was never equipped with a manual so adapting a manual takes work. Just be glad it's easier than mating a manual to the 1UZ. These aren't "budget' motors. Any time I price out a dream VH or 1UZ build it quickly escalates to stratospheric levels. Think about it this way, for the price it takes to build a VH45 to 400wheel HP NA you could just buy the 420hp ford coyote 5.0. IF you want to run stock power, then it CAN be a "budget" platform, but for those power levels there's a million other motors to consider and the VH just doesn't keep my interest. If you want to swap one in and do a budget force induction job, then you're still looking at 5k probably by the time all is said and done, and you'll be limited to stock internals, at which point I suggest there's plenty of other motors with similar internal power limits that can be built for similar prices. Either one is "fine" and I don't have anything against them, but if you go with one make it because you CHOSE to, not because of some false sense of being "better" than other options. Any option is only as good as you make it, and there is no magic bullet for speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 I chose the vh platform. Just picked one up for $100 last night. I didnt know the transmission mounting bolts were gigantic m14 bolts. I have to wait till monday to get some bolts to mount it to the engine stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I chose the vh platform. Just picked one up for $100 last night. I didnt know the transmission mounting bolts were gigantic m14 bolts. I have to wait till monday to get some bolts to mount it to the engine stand. Congrats! I can't wait to see where you go with it. Just keep up updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 bogus... the motor I bought has metal chunks in the oil pan and one cylinder is dead. I always have bad luck with craigslist. The search continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Hey, ya only paid $100 for it. Find another and sell what you can, I bet you can make that $100 back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Ok I have a few questions about mounting this beast. I would like to use the aluminum oil pan but I cant find andy pics of a vh mounted in an S30. (closeups)Will it clear or would I be better off welding on the steel pan. I can handle modding the pan. I plan on picking up the vh45 I should have gotten at the junkyard in a few weeks and Ill probably end up using the 41 block due to the alternator config. This leads me to my next question. I dont have the vh41 intake so will the 45 intake bolt on or should I grab the 45 heads and intake as well? Actually my real questions is which heads are better? Im thinking of fabbing my own intake out of steel but that may be later down the line. Thanks for the help in advance and Im very surprised that there are not more vh swaps on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I can pick up LT1 and VH45 all day long for less than 200 bucks at the yards around here but a LSX will not be found anywhere near those prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 I like how one poster said that the motor is cheap but it cost 500 to adapt a Trans to it. Z32 Trans are cheap, I'll say 500 and that's being steep. Add a mazworx adapter for 400 and you have a Trans option for less than $1000. For an ls swap you would NEVER find a manual Trans for under 2 grand. That's TWICE the price of the other setup. Crazy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I like how one poster said that the motor is cheap but it cost 500 to adapt a Trans to it. Z32 Trans are cheap, I'll say 500 and that's being steep. Add a mazworx adapter for 400 and you have a Trans option for less than $1000. For an ls swap you would NEVER find a manual Trans for under 2 grand. That's TWICE the price of the other setup. Crazy!!! Really. because I found a 60k mi LS2 + T56 + Wiring harness + Sensors + PCM for $2500 shipped to his door, half way across the country. Not just a pipe dream, I found it for a friend who actually bought it. Motor checked out fine, tranny drove fine. Nothing wrong with either. Deals DO exist. And $1,400 to get a VH+trans isn't extremely attractive to me. More attractive than the $2k you're almost guaranteed to spend on a 1UZ+manual trans adaptation. Let's not forget that donor LS1 vehicles can be found for similar prices these days... In fact, I'd say that mile for mile, condition for condition, year for year, a LSx donor is not too much more expensive than a VH or 1UZ donor. The difference is that a VH can be found in the early 90's, which gives it a good half decade depreciation advantage. I hear your point though. MOST T56 trannies will set you back $1500+, but if you search craigslist there's plenty for $1k or even a bit less. The only place I've seen the T56 for over $2k is when buying one NEW, or freshly rebuilt. The Z32 tranny is generally "cheap" because you're buying a unit that's freshly pulled. I guess I'm just saying that it should all be put into perspective. Yes the Z32 is an affordable tranny, yes the T56 is a more expensive tranny. But don't forget that spending $400 to adapt ANY tranny is something to consider in ANY budget. It's also something to consider spending almost what you paid for a motor mating it to a transmission, not including cost of transmission itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedBeauty84ZX Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 At this point in time, LT1/LSx swaps are nothing special anymore. A VH45 is a much cooler swap and is capable of making decent power as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 (edited) Zombie thread! Sorry for bringing this one back from the dead, but I too am installing a VH45, and it's the better way to go. plus it's still Nissan. I picked up mine for negative $150 (I sold the scrapped car, and some parts, and gained money). the 1/4inch steel adapter plate was machined for $200. new clutch kit for ~$200. I have 4 spare turbos laying around - may have some fun with them too. Kaito, keep that dead VH45 block - it'll have sensors and coil packs etc that are expensive to replace if you don't have the spare. Sim Edited December 3, 2012 by Sim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpuga Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 (edited) over at v8nissans.com there is a guy building a vhpowered 240z ive been watching this for a while... http://www.v8nissans.com/forums/showthread.php?733-240z-vh45de-450z Edited January 19, 2013 by jpuga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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