Guest Anonymous Posted April 13, 2002 Share Posted April 13, 2002 I have an 89 Honda Prelude Si, and a while ago I posted on the hondaprelude.com forum "what is a good 6 cyl RWD car under 3000lbs" A Datsun is the answer I got back most. So I've been searching the internet for Datsun and here I have come. What are the differences between the Z's? Is there a "best" one? How much would it cost me to buy one and put a v8 in it? What kind of HP and quarter mile times can I expect? Just a few of my questions... Thanks! -Tanner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the_dj Posted April 13, 2002 Share Posted April 13, 2002 Welcome to the forum. I'm pretty new here, but I'm the crazy one up late to say Hi! I'm new to the V8 scene, but my V8 is my 3rd Z. If you're looking to build a V8 Z car, I'd say DEFINATELY look for ALL of the following in a Z car: A) Check with your state/county department of transportation and see if there is an age limit for emissions testing, IE, in Houston, TX, all cars 25 years old or older are exempt from emissions testing. That means '77 and before, or '78 and before if you don't have it on the road until next year. Get a '70 to '78 240Z, 260Z, or 280Z. These are the easiest cars to do a conversion on, and they are the lightest, and therefore quickest, of the conversions. There are kits and much information available for the '79-'83 ZX's as well, but not as much. C) Find a car with LITTLE to NO RUST. V8 = massive torque. Massive torque + rust = ....car parts all over the ground. If you can find a Z that's already been converted to V8, that'd be the way to go unless you have a VERY large budget for unexpected expenses. Sure, you could build a V8 Z for $3000 plus the price of the car, if you are lucky. It won't turn out like you'd want though. Find a conversion that's road worthy (not necessarily completely finished) for $4000-$8000 and get it instead. Then you can spend money as you choose to fix items or make it run better/faster. V8 Z's have 235 - 800+ hp. The most common ones fall around 275-350, with several stretching into the 400's. A few of the members here have streetable Z's with 500 or more horses and running 10s in the 1/4. I expect my moderate (300hp) conversion to run mid 12s at best in the 1/4. Maybe low 13's. A V8 Z isn't like a car at the dealer. There are no two alike, and they can be built for whatever application you want, whether it be a daily driver to work, a show car, or a race bred drag car. To put it in perspective, I have been looking for a V8 Z since Mid-2000, and just found one this month. Many of the guys here are in the middle of long term projects that stretch over the course of many years. Tip: Have another car for an indefinate amount of time before expecting to drive the Z around. DJSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted April 13, 2002 Share Posted April 13, 2002 Welcome Tanner, DJ's advice is all good. You have to ask yourself what you want to do with the car. You also need to know your limitations mechanically, financially, and motivationally. Swapping a V8 into a 1st gen. Z is not brain surgery, but it will require a minimum of wrenching prowess. The older the car, the more potential problems it may have to begin with. But the older cars are simpler. Later cars may be in better shape, but the electrical side of the conversion gets more complicated. Smog requirements are also a big issue. Either way the rule of thumb applies to all swaps, "It will take twice as much money and time as you think it will". If you allow "scope creep" to enter in you will need to multiply that factor. Some guys here with good mechanical skills and lots of knowledge have found solid, good-working donor cars cheep. They installed good used motors and have done all the work themselves. If you can do that, and stay committed to just the conversion, you could conceivably have a V8Z for <$3000. These guys also get their cars on the road sooner and enjoy them more, IMHO. The longer the project takes the greater the risk of disillusionment. Pete here is our hero. The marathon man. We all say to ourselves, "If Pete can go 11 years, I can go one more". I have talked to guys that have done FI swaps in a few weeks, but they are rare. Well, this was longer than I planned. Buy the jtr book and read. Good luck, we are here to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 13, 2002 Share Posted April 13, 2002 The above info was excellent and right on the money. I did the swap working just 4 hours maybe tops a day over a 5 week period (so 20 hrs for one guy) to do a carburated 350 265hp (there abouts) 6sp Z. Had I done a automatic it would have been a tad faster because my car was originally a automatic, so I had to drop in clutch linkage which meant the dash had to come out in order to have a chance at getting my meaty hands/body in there. As far as swaps go, this one is as easy as it gets (well not as easy as the Astro Van conversion JTR does its all bolt in), depending on the transmission it may require some massaging (hell pounding with a bloody hammer is more like it) of the firewall area. Drill some holes for the crossmember and its mostly bolt on stuff from there. It helps ALOT if you can weld, just from a standpoint of fabricating brackets and such that pops up. Read JTR's book, and use they're kit or MSA's and if you have any mechanical ability at all, with the help of the guys in this forum who have been there before, you can pull it off I'm sure. Good luck with your project. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsumner Posted April 14, 2002 Share Posted April 14, 2002 Hi Tanner, I would add use the search engine or just start reading all the old posts.There is an amazing amount of info available. Later,Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 14, 2002 Share Posted April 14, 2002 what other cars are you considering? (i tried to find the post you mentioned but couldn't) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 14, 2002 Share Posted April 14, 2002 Originally posted by FrostByte:what other cars are you considering? (i tried to find the post you mentioned but couldn't) The only other cars really mentioned were the 300zx, an RX7, or a 240sx(Sylvia). But none of those seemed economically obtainable. Because I'm 16, and I think I just lost my job at Papa Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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