Anyone w/ alum. Buick 215 v8 install into Z experience?

[Guest Chez Roban69]

Hello - I'm in the parts collecting stage of my next project: installing an alum. Buick 215 into an early Z. Anyone out there have any knowledge, experience or info. on this swap? Thanks for your input, Robin

[gene_w]

Any particular reason this is posted in the FORD V8 forum?

 

Gene

[Heavy Z]

Hi Robin, welcome to hybrid Z. Try posting this in the chevy forum and you will probably get some info. Good luck with the 215,

 

Brett

[Dan Juday]

This swap has been done. There are a couple of Australian guys that post on this site that you should talk to. The motor down there is 4 litre Rover motor (Land Rover?, something like that). I even saw a site once where a guy must have spent something like $20K to get 300 ponies out of one. Doesn't make sense to me, but to each his own.

[zcarnut]

I helped a fellow club member install one in his '73 Z car several years ago. He used a kit from someone in the northwest. The kit was neat in a way because it allowed you to retain your stock Z transmission (custom bellhousing adapter). The starter of the Buick 215 is on the same side of the engine as the Nissan L6 as well as the alternator and lower radiator hose outlet. We kept the stock Z radiator. Overall, it was a fairly easy swap!

 

I do remember after the swap how much higher the front end of the Z was because of the lower weight of the engine compared to the cast iron block L6. We had to change out the front springs to fix this.

 

From what I have read the engines are fine as long as you keep them under 4500rpm.

[Guest Zcarsmakemyheadhurt]

We did some machine work for a guy and he speeks very highly of them, they are real strong hi reving engines. He doesnt push the HP's with it because it is in a very light Altered race car that halls some butt. We are thinking of turbo charging one and putting it in a Nova but most likley will go SBC.