Guest Anonymous Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 I have a 1989 nissan 240sx coupe. I really want a v8 setup but not sure which v8 to pick. It's between a 302 and a 350. I want to know how much money i well spend and also the mental pain i well have going through this setup. I hear that the insurance will rape you afterwards? please help-i've tryed search but i need more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 With 176K on my '92 240SX, this subject is near and dear to me. I cannot help you much though, because I've not done it on my SX (YET). First of all, I'd go with the lightest package possible. This is because, unlike the Z, the engine cannot be placed behind the front axle, but must instead straddle the middle of it. So wieght will need to play a more important part here. Aside from that, the R200 behind the engine should hold up fine. The SBF (with tall valve covers) is 22" wide (not including headers, which being they are further down and inboard will add maybe 2" at the most to this. With the OEM exhaust manifold it will only add 1" wide at most. The sideways room on an SX (brake booster and MC and lines is the contraint here) allows 24". So width wise, the SBF is good. The SX OEM motor mounts will be placed very closely to the OEM locations on the SBF block, which is convenient. The double hump oil pans on the SBF will appear to have the right shape to fit over the crossmember too. The down side: the SBF block length alone is the same length as the KA motor. Now add another 8" for the water pump, and the pulley is within 1" or less of touching the SX radiator. An aftermarket electric water pump would fix this problem being they are flatter. The SBC I believe is about 1" shorter, but about 1" or more wider and a bit heavier than the SBF. So there you have it. All the info I investigated about using the SBF in my SX when the KA motor goes south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromio Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Three little words: Ell Ess One The LS1 is light, compact, very powerful and becoming more and more plentiful. I've not heard of anyone doing any kind of a swap into an SX, so, You'll be breaking new ground no matter what motor you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lsb4life Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 I've not heard of anyone doing any kind of a swap into an SX, so, You'll be breaking new ground no matter what motor you choose. You should put a rb26dett in there out of a skyline. if you goto unstable-hybrids.com they make a kit with everthing you need to do the swap. plus that motor can handle 600 hp before you need to do internal mods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dp351zcar Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 I know a guy that is putting a V8 ford(Yamaha built) from a torus(sp?). I will Email this to him and hope he adds info to this. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 if you go with an rb26 i have an extra oil pan to mod for teh install. email me if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rlrl Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Apologies in advance for the lengthy reply. The V8 solution that offers the least work (some boltin elements) and quite a bang is the Q45. Very nice power and torque (something like 280+) and can retain stock ECU and emissions if that is important. It is heavier than the stock 4 cylinder by a considerable margin--probably 150lbs + dressed, though it is all alloy and a very handsome engine underneath the factory intake plenum. Details like stainless exhaust manifold/headers are an indication of the quality of the components used. It is mated to a 4 speed automatic which should bolt in. This tranny is in no way up to drag racing though as they are prone to failure in Q45 form. Later automatic trannys were improved over the early ones. One concequence is that there are plenty of good engines out there! There is even the potential for a manual transmission option but it entails using a V6 manual transmission out of another Nissan or Infiniti modely (Don't recall which right now). I have not seriously researched the Q45 to see for example if the front crossmember is usable. Similarly clearance for oil pan is unknown. But there is a lot of parts swaping possible among the Q45/Z32/Skyline and 240sx/Silivias so the Q45 is a contender. Items like power steering and A/C might even hook right up. For detailed investigation check out the OEM manuals. A good source is Books4cars.com (where I sometimes work) Firewall limitations prevent serious relocation of the engine aft to help mitigate some of the effects of a heavier engine. The generous overhang of the 240sx means that items that are well forward such as the battery and bumper reinforcement have a considerable influence. A carefully thought out relocation and lightening effort could go a long way to mitigate the use of a somewhat heavier engine. V6's work alot better in the 240sx due to their shorter length and opportunity to retain or even improve stock weight distribution. However I went V8 route as described below. The engine that I fell for installing in my 240sx is the Yamaha built SHO V8 that came in the 96-99 SHO Taurus. Very light (400 lbs in stock dressed form, probably 340-350 in my application) Lighter than the stock 4 cylinder! (and very compact as it is a 60 degree V8) It never was used in a RWD application, but can be made to work (I am about halfway thru the drivetrain build up) Many Ford SVT Contour items can be used, such as aftermarket aluminum flywheel and clutch. For pictures of one of these torn down you might check out link below. It should bolt up to a Jaguar S type 3.0 or Lincoln LS 3.0 Getrag 5 speed too, but the gear ratios are chosen to fit a very low numerical rear end (3.07) This is much lower than is available for a late model R200. Too bad as used Lincoln LS trannys are available for $500 on up.... Darn. I plan to use a T5 built off of the Z31 turbo cars as it is the longest of the T5 housings you can get. The stock 240sx tranny is very long from bellhousing mating face to the shifter so take that into account. The SHO V8 does have a camshaft gear swaging problem that must be addressed to prevent disasterous results. And unfortunately there is virtually no aftermarket items for it. http://www.mercurycapri.com/projectrsx/v8sho/teardown.html I will post photos as I make progress. Zenit Seattle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 I've got a 1989 240SX as well, and did some research online a while back. The most popular swaps are the RB and the Z31 V6. I considered doing the GNX powerplant in it, but since my 15 year old JUST GOT his learners permit and will be driving within the next year, I guess I'll let him destroy, 'er I mean Learn in this car . When he is through "Learning to be a good driver" in this car (Stock motor and auto trans) I'll either rescue it or salvage the rear and disc brakes from it... GNX would be a beast in that car... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sultan Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 sopdadope test fit a VH45DE (Q45 motor) in a 240sx. it's posted here in the high tech forum, but he said that the stock exhaust manifolds will not work, custom ones will have to be made. As for a manual tranny, a Z32 tranny should fit with a custom bellhousing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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