Guest Anonymous Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 There are tons of 240Z's for sale around here. I shoul dbe able to get one with a good body/frame and maybe a running engine for 1500, right? I think the engine I would want to put in would be something like the 383 Stroker from enginefactory.com. Its got 450hp out of the box. Now, no matter what you say, I will not be doing the conversion myself. My driveway/garage is already full of my parents cars, and my current beater (I'm keeping it until the Z is driving, then selling it to pay for paint on the Z). There is a local shop that says they actually let the customer watch/help out if they want. I'd probably do this, since I don't have any tools and at least I might know how to fix stuff if it broke. The question is, how much is fair to pay the shop to install the 383, and hopefully a t56 (it should work right?). How much is a t56, the engine is 5300. So I'm figuring 5300 + 1500 + Labor + Cost of Headers, Exhaust Anything else I need (Engine comes with Holley 750cfm Carb, supposedly it runs out of the box). My question is, how much would labor be (approx.) and what extras am I going to need, and how much will they cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jwelch Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 bluesiren, I looked into having my conversion done before I bought the car. I was quoted $3k and up. The problem is that most of the places (only 2 I found in Phoenix) are HotRod installers. No offense to them but none had ever attempted a V8 conversion in a Z. I got lucky and bought my car converted and then changed things like the tranny etc. IMHO you will have way too much invested in this car just from the numbers you are talking about. Unless you are wealthy I would try to find one converted. I would sell mine for about the cost of your engine. Let me know if your interested and I can send you pics. I'm converting to rear disk brakes this weekend (Ross C. brake package) I've had 3 Zs and if you know you can't do or don't have the space to do the work, buy a converted car it will save you a ton of money and you can spend that extra cash on all the bells and whistles. Just my 2 cents. Best Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 The place I would use is a performance shop. They do mostly older muscle cars, but they now do imports too. I mean, isn't there a kit or something, that comes with everything you would need to do the conversion. It has motor mounts, tranny mounts, etc right? If people say any Z owner with a little car knowledge can do this, I would hope a hot rod shop with many years of experience would be able to do it. I'd say the whole conversion would have to cost me around 16-17 grand. Is that reasonable, or what. I'd like to have a new engine, tranny etc, so buying one that's already been converted is out unless I find out I won't be able to get the conversion done with 16-17k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 look here under conversions http://www.gmsportssalvage.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 You need to check out www.johnscars.com and Jags that Run... www.jtr.com before doing any kind of conversion... ps I agree with the other post that recommends you buy one already built and go from there, so you'll save thousands... too bad Dan's car is already gone... that was the best deal in the country...still kicking myself for not buying it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 Grumpy, I don't see any relavent info on the site you listed. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place? So I guess this is the question - will I be able to convert a car for under 17k assuming the car cost 1500, the engine costs 5300, and the labor is about 3300? I'm not sure what else is needed, and I'm still unsure of the cost of a t56. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danj Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 I am having a 383 installed in my 83ZX 2+2 and 700R4 tranny at this time. I agree with the advice that it is probably best to locate a converted Z with most of what you want and upgrade from there. The numbers you are quoting are expensive but realistic if you start from scratch. The reason I am doing the same thing is that I had already owned the ZX, which I purchased new in 83 so it had some family heirloom value. I am in the same boat as you without the tools, space, time, or know-how and could not find anyone in my town that knew anything so I drove the car to Phoenix to a Z-car specialist to have the work done. The fabrication work is labor intensive and expensive. I had an engine builder in Phoenix build basically the same 383/450 HP engine as the Engine Factory for $4,500. Estimated cost of fabrication labor will be over $3,000, cost of all other parts including ignition, carb, cooling, wiring, guages, tranny, driveline, LSD rear, exhaust system, suspension, brakes, etc, etc, will be at least $7,500. All new stuff but very expensive. When I get the car back I'll be into body, paint and stereo stuff, more $$$$$$$. So, my cost will be at the numbers you are looking at. My only justification is that instead of giving away my money to the stock market I thought I'd rather have something to show for it that I could have some fun with. I think if you could find a converted Z you will probably save $10,000 and months of fabrication time. The Z guys that post to this site know what they are talking about and are very helpful. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience. Good luck on your choice. DanH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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