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HybridZ

V8 CHEVY MOTOR


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

I have been thinking about putting a chevy motor in my 260Z, but I'm not sure which one. What would be my best bet to get around 200-300HP? I was thinking like a 305 or a 350, but I'm not too sure. What kind of money am I looking at to transfer a Chevy motor into my Datsun?

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Guest Anonymous

By all means go for the larger 350 SBC unless someone gives you a 305. A very VERY and very resourceful fellow could probably scrounge together a conversion for a little over $500.00. and really be disatisfied. I have probably have close to $2000.00 in my unfinished v8 JTR conversion and I hear a cash register ringing daily because I am changing everything.My advice is to find one with a V8 and improve upon it.

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"My advice is to find one with a V8 and improve upon it."

 

Good advice, but beware. These projects have a way of spinning out of control. I bought a great conversion for just over $4000. Real clean with a decent engine. Then, I decided I needed a world class suspension and brakes. I've become intimately familiar with the Z suspension over the winter, having ordered a couple grand in parts. It'll go on soon and I can't wait. I got so Mustang Cobra wheels cheap, but I expect to spend a pretty penny on tires. This summer, I'm looking at putting in a 383 with a T56 behind it and fuel injection on top. Seems these projects never end.

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Guest Anonymous

I agree, for some reason if it can be changed/upgraded we must change it, It is the whole nature of the beast. If you really scrounge and you have tools you can do it really cheap. I bought a donor car for 200 with no engine, I made the conversin parts myself and I'm still into it for 2 g's

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Guest zthang43

yes, it does take money, but I don't think we need to be pessimistic about it. After all, a SBC swap is very simple in an early Z car, and anyone who is mechanically inclined to a practical degree can do it. It just might take some people longer than others. I ended up spending about $1500 on my swap but I used a 4.3 chevy which is more expensive to buy parts for.

Then again, anybody who is mechanically inclined wouldn't bother with a 305 either. They are a pitiful waste of cast iron. A 350 will be cheaper to build, make more power, and is just as easy to find as a 305.

If you want cheap; but still want some power, do this: get a 350, strip it down, have the cylinders bored, and get the complete rebuild kit from Northern Automotive Wharehouse for $155. For $18 more, they will give you a performance cam upgrade. Spend $80 for a set of headers from the auto parts store, $100 for an Edelbrock performer intake, and find a good Quadrajet from the wrecking yard. Holleys and Carter/Edelbrock carbs are great too, but the Qjet is actually much more refined, and just as tuneable, despite what most people think.

If you want to get fancy, get some good heads or port the ones you have. Good heads come up for SBC's all the time on Ebay.

If you do all that, you will have plenty of power in your Z, and should be able to run low 13's on a pretty low budget.

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