how do you feel your engine swap changes the character of your Z?

[thedarkie]

I've been pondering this topic lately for no particular reason... maybe its all the Petrolicious-type youtube stuff I consume on a daily basis, who knows.

 

I've had my 260Z for several years now with a Ford 5.0L (carb'd, with flat tappet cam) and T5 trans. Early on I felt like it might be better with a hotter, more modern engine... perhaps an LSx with EFI, maybe 400-500hp, etc. But as this driving season starts up, I'm falling in love with the car again as it sits- I feel the engine, with all its 'vintageness' (Im copyrighting that one!) really suits the S30. The car makes all the right noises and has all the right smells that I would expect of a 70s sports coupe. I'm liking the carb again and all the nuances it brings to the driving and general ownership experience. In my bubble, the car feels as if it could've left the factory this way in 1974. A couple of extra cylinders, but still very mechanical by nature. 

 

I've never driven another Z, stock or otherwise, so I have nothing to compare mine to. Those of you with RB/JZ/LSx/whatever swaps, do you find your Z still has that vintage soul? Does it still feel like you're driving something old? Share your feelings with me.    

 

[rturbo 930]

IMO the engine is gives the Z a lot of its character, and a modern motor especially will ruin that character.

[RebekahsZ]

Come to ZCON in Memphis in July and you can drive my car to find out. Airline tickets to Memphis are reasonable. My vintage L24 was slow, didnt start well cold and stunk. My LS is fast and reliable with none of that classic Z car stink. I would never go back to the way it was. I don't understand the romance with slow cars. I hear people use terms like "I love the way it revs!" I mean, what the heck does that mean? I like the way it hauls ass-and the sound is awesome at 5-6000 rpm. But you better listen fast cause its on to the next gear!

Edited May 29, 2015 by RebekahsZ

[thedarkie]

A mighty fine offer, but with a pregnant wife at home it's not gonna happen this year

 

I don't particularly romanticize old slow cars, and my Z isn't slow by any margin. It's just not a 500hp beast with a modern V8. I haven't dyno'd it in these years but with the particular build and mods I'd have to estimate it at around 280-300whp. It lights up the tires (205s LOL) readily in the low gears, but isn't unmanagable or out of place in the car. The carb and the flat tappet cam are positively old-school and I feel they contribute to the vintage feel of an old sports coupe.

I'm sure your LS is smoother and more refined than my carb'd SBF... do you find it uncharacteristic for the car? Or does it feel right?

[whatnow123]

I'm with Rebz. The car is cool but slow with the stock engine. I'm running a 5.0, aluminum heads, full roller with fuel injection, AC and power steering. I'm guessing it's around 325+ hp but I don't really know. I'd bet it runs low 13's with little effort, has great street manors, I'm averaging around 20+ mpg and I could drive it daily which really was what I was after. The nice part is it weights less than it did stock (my car is a 280z with 240 bumpers).

 

I would have gone the LS route if a completely rebuilt (and rebuilt right) 5.0 short block and Z spec T5 didn't fall into my lap!

 

But overall, the car is awesome! It's comfortable, very fun to drive and I get comments every time I drive it. I wouldn't change a thing! It's how the car should have been built.

[PLATA]

As mention , the LS1 with the T5/6spd on a Z is the recipe of choice IMO, CLASSIC looks with a modern reliable mill. My Z has lots of"character" in fact lots of it.

Edited May 29, 2015 by PLATA

[terse]

I'm with the "want-more-power" crowd but at the same want to keep it within the family, so my personal options were l28et or RB25/26.

I have a L28et ready to go in my early 260z but there's always something in the back of my mind wanting to go the RB route. or maybe it's the 3x cost factor keeping me from "modernizing"

[RebekahsZ]

With a pregnant wife, it might be the perfect time to get out if the house! I kinda understand what you mean. I wouldn't do a motor swap on an old Ferrari or Jag.

Edited May 30, 2015 by RebekahsZ

[malibud]

Ya if i could change out my l28et for a modern LS, no fumes and turn key i would be all over it but $$ kinda holds me back plus I still dream of an XKE...I think thats what Mr. K had in mind just at a fraction of the cost..

[Chaparral2f]

When I put the small block in my Z31,  it made it a lot  more powerful, and the tired rear suspension squat a whole lot more.  I've since set the engine back about 4"  and changed everything in the chassis and suspension. Since then I've only driven it in and out of the garage.  

[zeeboost]

I've thought about this before, but I think it's part of the canvas that the Z has become to me. I like the old school L28 engines along with many other modern engines, which is why I typically build the Z to fit my engine swap.

 

1970 240z, will have 15x9.5 wheels zg flares and coilovers, BRE front and rear spoilers, completely gutted out and aiming to be under 2000 lbs. It's a modified stock look so I'm keeping it a modified high cr cammed L28 with either triples or ITBs, I figured it would be the super spirit of the original. 

 

1972 240z turbo - Stock body and paint, aftermarket wheels and coilovers, drives and sounds like a stock engine until you mash the pedal.

 

1975 280z widebody - Full tilt fiberglass front end, 3" cowl hood, shaved everything including door handles and drip rails, molded flares with 315/35/17 555r in the back with 275s in the front, molded 3 piece spoiler, roll cage with no windows / wipers / etc. Only seems fitting to throw in a F1x procharged 370ci / t56 / R230 combo.

 

1977 280z terminator yz - Going with yz front and rear flares with 4.6 terminator swap (and will do everything I can to make sure blower is sticking out of the hood mad max style), which seemed appropriate for a lowered midnight blue 280yz with deep CCWs powdercoated black. I think the whine of the blower mated with the amazing exhaust note of the 4.6 dohc will fit the car yz like a glove

 

1982 280zx v8 swap - has some big body modifications that IMO are only merited by the sbc under the hood. I doubt I would enjoy that one if it was still the factory inline 6.

 

1983 280zxt - Factory turbo but I've always loved the 2jz, hence I added an exotic paint scheme and large exposed fmic so that the 2jz seems to fit the spirit of the car much more than the stock l28et. 

 

Out of all the Zs in the stable so far, the 1970 240z seems to get the most positive feedback from people. The only one that I have that seems to be mismatched is my brother's 77 280z 2+2. It has an L28et but an old small block chevy would've been better suited for it...though I doubt the car would've still been in one piece. However he loves the sound of the old turbo L so I guess to him it fits the spirit of the car better. 

Edited May 30, 2015 by zeeboost

[Phantom]

I drove my '77 280Z for 11 years with the L28. Part of the time with a 4-spd and 3.54 R200 and part of the time with an '83 ZX 5-spd and 3.90 R200. It was fun with both but more fun with the latter. I could floor it and go flat out thru the gears and not get into trouble.

When I had over 200k miles on the car I decided on a motor swap. My self-imposed options were a stroker L28, a turbo L28, or a V8. I wanted at least 250 reliable rwhp. I spent a lot of time on HybridZ and other sites and finally settled on the LS1. My reasons were pretty simple. I could get 325 rwhp out of a totally stock, OEM reliable, motor. The L28 options had me pushing the envelope of the L28 and having to run a non stock aftermarket ignition and fuel delivery system which was more than I wanted to sign on for.

It took me a year to talk John Radevich at JCI to do the conversion. As we went through the process I had two primary requirements:

1) Keep Chevy, Chevy and Datsun, Datsun with as few custom parts as possible.

2) have the installation as OEM looking as possible with reliability and ease of maintenance imperative.

We accomplished all of those and, in the end, the car gained a total of 30 lbs and that was all on the rear wheels. Because the LS1 sat physically further back and lower than the L28 the handling actually marginally improved. It allowed me to throttle steer too which I couldn't do with the L28. The LS1 has wonderful linear response to the throttle and the flat torque curve makes it very smooth, not peaky. It is a great daily driver than responds enthusiastically to the throttle and definitely requires me to stay alert.

Exhaust note is in the ear of the listener. Some guys love the sound of the six, others like the note of a Ford V8, and some of us get goosebumps when an LS1 comes on strong. To each his own.

Edited June 25, 2022 by Phantom

[z mouse]

I Feel My Engine Swap Really Changed The Character Of My Car.I Show It A Fair Amount And A Lot Of People Walk By It, Then Do An Abrupt Turn to Look At The Chevrolet Motor In It. Some People Recognize It As A ZCar They Had Or Someone Else Had Years Ago.Never Heard One Negative Comment About Originality. Most Seem To Appreciate The Modern Improvements I Have Done To It.Then There Is How I Feel About It , A 45 Year Old Car With 450 HP,Modern Suspension And Electronics , Etc, What's Not To Like? Always Loved These Cars Growing Up As A Teenager In The Seventies Owning Muscle Cars Back Then. The Urge To Build A High Performance Sports Car / Hot Rod Hit Me 5 Years Ago, So Why Not A 240 Z ? The Great Looks, The Performance And The Ability To Upgrade The Car Whenever I Want To Are The Things That Changed The Character Of It For Me. Each Time I Drive It, It's Like A New Experience. Probably Would Not Feel That Way With The Stock L24 In There.

[jhm]

Love the torque of the V8, and still able to get decent highway mileage.  Hate the heavy manual steering at low speeds (especially with sticky track tires), but small price to pay for all the other good stuff with a V8 swap. 

Edited June 1, 2015 by jhm

[ktm]

I had an L24 for a few years, swapped it out for a built L28ET, and finally went LS1.  Each one has their pros and cons.  An L28ET sounds nothing like an N/A inline 6, which has an intoxicating buzz at 5000+ rpms.  My LS1 sounds like my old L28ET at idle, but once on throttle there is no mistaking that there is a V8 under the hood.

 

To each their own.  This is HYBRIDZ, not Classiczcars.com (which is not a knock - they are MUCH more informative than this site when it comes to stock issues).  The only thing stock in my car now is the shell.  If you are worried about the purity of the Z, you are on the wrong site.

 

Phantom, as much as I love the LSx series of motors (and Chevy V8s), the Ford V8 have ALWAYS sounded better.  The current batch of Mustang's just sound so damn nasty (in a good way).

[Phantom]

KtM - I hear you. I don't think I've heard a V8 that sounds nicer than a Ford V8. Now if they were just cheaper, not so wide, got better fuel economy, and had more HP more folks would use them.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Phantom

[thedarkie]

 

To each their own.  This is HYBRIDZ, not Classiczcars.com (which is not a knock - they are MUCH more informative than this site when it comes to stock issues).  The only thing stock in my car now is the shell.  If you are worried about the purity of the Z, you are on the wrong site.

 

 

Err, my Z has a V8. Just felt like having some car-guy talk... 

Edited June 3, 2015 by thedarkie

[noser7]

Im in the procces of swapping a 302 into my 78.

 

I think a 331 stroker revving to 7400 would give a real nasty bite to the bark

[RebekahsZ]

So would a rod going thru your block!

[thedarkie]

You can spin a properly built 331 to 7500rpm all day, no big deal. Start with a good block and a solid valvetrain, the sky is the limit........ but, ya gotta pay to play $$$$$ lol

 

I'd kill for a high revving SBF in my Z. Might eventually swap in a roller 347 for more grunt, but who knows. I'm still considering tossing my 4bbl carb and getting some quad IDF Webers on top of the 302. If for nothing other than the response and the noise. I think it would suit the car really well from a vintage perspective.