4.6StangRage Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 I have been thinking of an eventual swap for my '76 280Z and many different things have been going through my mind lately. One point in time i decided that the VQ35 is the swap i want to do, then especially lately I have been thinking that I may want to try to be unique. I have been thinking of these engines to swap into my Z 1988-95 SHO 3.0/3.2 (can use a M50D-R1, or a T-5 with a special adapter as a N/S trans) I have also been thinking about the Duratec Family of Engines. It seems like they work with a Miata trans or a Ranger duratec 2.3. SHO V8 (which is of the Duratec Family) would be cool because a small nice revving V8 would be unique but the output is not quite what i would like. Again this would be very unique but I would have to get some solid opinions on this particular engine. Duratec 3.0 would be pretty damn cool, it has decent power if the right 3.0 was found, it would be light and inexpensive. --->> Here is a swap someone did which uses a miata http://www.miata.net/news/v6.html The Duratec or Ecoboost engines are an awesome idea but It does not seem like the engines would be affordable. Anyways what do you guys think about my assertions about these swaps? I think the 3.0 is a pretty good candidate however i may be much better off aiming to the VQ as a goal for my Z. I think ultimately it would come down to what i can find for the least amount of money at the time when i am ready to do the swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 When it comes to V6s I always thought an older Ford 3.8 would be cool, the ones that look like a miniature 5.0 Windsor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4.6StangRage Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 I would go with a 3.8 out of a Thunderbird super coupe but i am thinking all aluminum, i am thinking of a lightweight and compact setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Remember that even though weight is king when it comes to pure grip, weight placement combined with the right tuning is what will give you the actual FEEL of the car, and if the FEEL is right then you'll GO FASTER thanks to confidence in the corner. Ideally you want the weight as low as possible, behind the wheel centerline, with just enough at the ends to give predictable inertia. I've been eyeing the ford 3.8 lately too. It's INSANELY compact. It's most certainly NOT a windsor motor in the slightest, other than the fact that it shares bell housing patterns (yummy trans options for such a dirt cheap motor). These V6's have a smaller bore and smaller bore centerline, so they're quite a bit shorter than just a 5.0 with two cylinders lopped off. And since it's a pushrod motor the heads are teeny tiny. The engine you want is the later mustang engine (99+). Comes with revised heads to fix gasket failures. Also has a main girdle for main caps. It's basically a stouter bottom end than what came in the supercoupes. The heads suck billiard balls dropped from the empire state building... But nothing that some force induction can't fix. And since you can get spare heads for FREE, go to town learning how to port!!! I'm sure a little warming over, more cam, and retune the EFI and you'd get a good bump. They're never going to be high revving motors though. That doesn't stop people from getting 500+ from these motors, and they'll produce that power for a good 30% of their RPM band when done right. OH, and did I mention it's Ford EDIS EFI!!!! Tweecer is compatible with most ECU's you'll find. Megasquirt is a piece of cake to convert if you go that route. And coming full circle, if you're concerned about weight... don't. This motor isn't going to be more than 50-75 pounds more than a VQ and if you had them next to eachother it'd look like the 5.0 compared to the 4.6 And guess what? You'll probably SAVE weight in the trans department... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Oh, and the ford 3.8 is 90 degrees. This will make it wider than the 60 degree VQ or VG down low, but this should be seen as a benefit in many ways. This puts the heavy part of the engine as low as possible without being a horizontal engine which wouldn't fit in a stock S30 engine bay. And check out ZR8ED's thread if you haven't. The ford 3.8 should be more compact than the VG, which is smaller still than the VQ. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/73970-z31-vg30et-into-an-s30-project-outline/ Downsides? 90 degree V6 motors run a little rougher and as such usually aren't designed to be as rev happy. Again, not an issue for some of us. Also not a huge issue if you're not looking for 700hp like some of the VQ guys are looking for, which puts you in a whole different wallet range which changes everything I've said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4.6StangRage Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 See i really do like the 3.8, i can even get a displacement bump with a similar engine which is a 4.2 out of the f150 pickups. I am definitely looking for a light weight setup (all aluminum) which can rev good. I want a good power band and and for cheaper than a VQ setup. Quite a bit of fabrication would need to be done but it may be needed so i can have a unique setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 If you want to be unique, the ford Taunus V4 is out there too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 See i really do like the 3.8, i can even get a displacement bump with a similar engine which is a 4.2 out of the f150 pickups. I am definitely looking for a light weight setup (all aluminum) which can rev good. I want a good power band and and for cheaper than a VQ setup. Quite a bit of fabrication would need to be done but it may be needed so i can have a unique setup. I kinda wish you hadn't just said that. The 3.8 is NOT a rev happy engine. It's a low RPM brute. It's a 90 degree V6 which means it's inherently imbalanced. Combine that with the fact they just plain never built them to rev and you've got an engine set against you when shooting for high RPM. The stroke also isn't the shortest in the world, but that's not necessarily a problem that can't be overcome with good pistons. There's also a common "long rod" swap to use longer rods with pistons that have a shorter pin height. Helps reduce stress on the rods and will help the engine in the upper RPMS. But it'll still make 500hp before 5,500 with force induction, and lemme tell you, that's FUN! I still hold that the 3.8 would be lighter than the VG30, and the VG30 isn't far off in weight from the VQ at all. It'd definitely be more compact than either. But if you want something that revs to the moon, is small and compact, and affordable.... ...it's called the L series. You can even build a 170ish rwhp motor for under $1,000 if you're really careful and take your time. And no swap costs... They aren't REALLY that heavy since it has a teeny head. Not extremely unique though. Now that you threw the rev argument in there it'll be a tough nut to crack. Lemme think about it and come back to this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zgeezer Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 If you can afford a newer engine and are committed to Ford Blue, then the newer v6 (Ecoboost) truck and Mustang engines are a good fit with great power. There must be a few thousands of newer base mustang engines (Rated around 305 hp) in the junk yards. They fit, they're light, and you don't see them in 3 out of 4 engine swaps at the local car show. g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4.6StangRage Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 I have thought of the Ecoboost engine, the 3.7 out of a mustang would be pretty awesome also! This is a long term thing i am thinking about; I plan on using the L28E or L28ET for some time until i get the money to do the swap. I hope the engines will be more common in the junkyards by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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