swapping 1983 280zx turbo engine into 1977 z

[Guest juliangall]

I have an opportunity to buy a low milage 1983 ZX turbo engine and 5 speed trans. I have a 1977 280Z without an engine, and I was thinking about putting this engine in my car. I live in California, so I have to be concerned about the smog issues. If I have all of the factory parts still on the Zx engine, and it is a stock engine, do I have to worry about anything else relative to the smog issue? Do I have to put cats on the car that adhere to the 1983 engine. Also, is this swap an easy one to do? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

Julian

[fl327]

you may want to do some more research on it, but this is what i know about the smog and california,

in order to get it to pass all the smog equipment must be there, charcoal cannister, cats, smog pump, etc, etc,... i dont think an oem cat is needed,they bug out more or less on if you have the right number, for example i know a guy who swapped a gt40 crate motor into a volvo station wagon, and in order for him to pass ref station he had to run dual exhaust and dual cats,previous he had a Y pipe with one cat. emmisions results with either system were similar. you can run a big generic cat for your turbo swap, and run every smog device that came with either car, maybe you can plug it all into the stock 280z locations? make sure it all works somehow, and throw a prayer in the air and take it in to get reffed. i think youll pass very easily, since most things in a turbo swap are very straightforward, i guess just use a zx haynes manual countereferenced to 280z manual to route smog equipment???.good luck itll be a winner.

[Guest juliangall]

Thanks very much for the advise. I appreciate all of the helpfull hints

 

Julian