about how much $$ for an l28t swap into an l28n/a? Turbo ide

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey zedders

I have a compression problem in my n/a 79 280zx, so I need new pistons + rings, I am currently looking at a few other options. I'd like some better performance.. say 200 + hp, but I don't want to spend more than about 2000 (or rather, I can't afford to...)

I understand that a lot of people have swapped zxt motors into 240-280zx's fairly easily. What I'm wondering is those people ended up paying for the donor turbo motor, ecu, etc. For 2000 I could probably find a decent donor 82-83 5 spd zxt... so I could pull everything from the hood vents to the 3.9 rearend (possibly a nice '83 Borg Warner t5 even), and put them in my '79 280zx. The sbc 350 is a very yummy swap.. well documented and so... but I figure the cheapest I could do one would be ~3000 $$ for a t5 and a decent 250-300 hp lt1 or ls1 350/305. Another reason I'm not really considering the v8 swap into my zx is because if I was to put a v8 in any Z it would be a 240.. much lighter. I didn't originally buy a zxt because of insurance, it would have been another 60-some a month for me. I had originally planned to swap a zxt with my n/a 280zx. I've looked on ebay (nothing), and locally (I'm in sw WA), no turbo motors with a good ecu to be found. Plus it would be good to actually see the turbo motor running before I swap it.. to make sure everything works. If anybody has any input for me... shoot!

Thx

-980mak

[scottyMIz]

Hey mak i did a swap into my 76z and it cost me 100 bucks for the whole donor car and another 250 for parts to get it running.Now i have it all in bigger exhaust and bigger injectors added an ic and turned up the boost my results where 12.97@105mph my clutch was slipping too and it was on street tires and pump gas.The zxt engine is very strong and has alot of potential.I'm still running the stock t-3 turbo too.In all to get my car where it is now i can safely say so far i've spent about 8-9 hundred on it.The best thing i've done in along time i should have done it sooner.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey I wondering about this aswell, I have a 82zx na, and would like to drop in a l28t or turbo charge my current na, I always come across l28t's but I'm wondering about the wiring...I need a totally differnet wiring loom?? as well as computer??

and how much are these Items usually?

[Cody 82 ZXT]

It all depends on the cost of the donor car and how many things you decide to replace. Don't forget the donor car will be cheap for a reason and will need some things to get it going. If you have a $2000 and plan everything out you shouldn't have proublem. I did something similar to an 83 na that I used to have and was very happy with the results. You won't believe how much better and funner the car will be.

[Guest Anonymous]

Well, this all sounds like some pretty good testimony. I figure most people who do cheap-successful swaps have two things

a)area to find cheap parts or "hook ups"

b)the know-how

I live in sw washington (near portland, OR) so I should probably come across a decently priced donor car within the time that I can get the money that I need. I would just sell my n/a zx, but I'm sure in time I'd save on insurance in doing the swap. This is my first swap, so I'll probably be needing the assistance of friends (too bad don't know anybody else with a turbo Z). I figure that the stock turbo's running at stock boost (..7.. 8..psi ?) can last a good 100-150k miles, but the actual condition of the turbo doesn't mean much as I'll likely be replacing it a year down the line, just the f54 block in good condition. Will I need to do any rebuilding of the engine to be able to sustain higher boost (I'm not talking about the turbo or intercooler, I'm talking about the actual block)? I know a bit about the science of turbo's and I definitely know the basics. I know plenty of people who have and enjoy them, but I've never owned or modified them myslelf. I know only what I've read in articles, books, and these posts. Really I'm not going to get into modifying a turbo l28, until the turbo l28 is in my car

Thanks Zeds

[Drax240z]

My 'cheap' swap passed the $6000 canadian figure a while back. Its really easy to get carried away, as well things almost always cost more than you expect.

 

On the other hand, I'm taking the time and money to make sure I don't have silly, nagging, problems later. (or at least as few as possible) Sometimes its worth paying a little more...

[Cody 82 ZXT]

It kinda depends on if it's your daily driver or not. If it is then you will really need to go through everything and make sure that it is doing it's job right. If not repair or replace.

 

The block--How fast do you want to go? Thats the most important part of the project; money with standing. That will determine if you need to rebiuld the block or not assuming you get one in good condition in the first place. I'm running mine at 14 PSI with a few mods and it runs like a champ(estimated 320hp at the crank). With a aftermarket computer I could make a ton more power. I would make sure the block is sound and just upgrade the turbo and ad a good intercooler set up with this alone (fuel ofcourse)you will have a car that is real hard to beat on the street.

[Guest Anonymous]

I just want to run some things by.. some things of interest that I've researched.

As far as turbo's go, I'd probably shoot for about 250-300 hp if that's attainable for 3000-4000 $$. I don't want to get too into the project.. I mean too expensive, too time consuming. I will probably budget a max of 4000 (I KNOW that you will always overrun your original budget) to my 3000 budget, and a time of 2-3 months of hard work and shop machining. Anyway, the ideas...

well, I'll probably get the p90 head done at a local shop.. 3 angle valve job, general cleaning up.. new seals. I certainly can't afford JE forged pistons, but what about some other decent turbo pistons, rods.. etc. Well, also an SDS efi (em-3 e..?) system would be nice, I'd kinda like to avoid any malfunctioning stock ecu adventures. Plus I understand that sds systems are great. This will be a daily driver, although not a mile mule. What other investments should I look into when doing this swap, besides the complete engine, tranny, cv joints, 3.9 r200...

an isuzu npr intercooler.. or something cheap that I can hook up to run 13-15 lbs boost (or just to get me to the 300 rwhp mark)..

clue me.

Thanks!

980mak