Guest bigjim240z Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 ok i have a 73 240z that is getting its cosmedics redone right now..interior, paint, etc...it has a good running carbed l28 in it right now with a 5 speed..i will drive it with that engine trans combo for a few months after painting it..but soon as thats done im gona go v8 or l28 turbo..but i cant decide...one day its v8 the next its turbo..i need to make a solid decision and stick to it..i have done a turbo conversion on a 240z before so i know its not that big of a deal..ive never done a v8 in a z but know its not a problem..looks easier than the turbo...what should i do?i read all the post with guys running turbos going 11's- 10's and it makes me want a turbo..but i want simplicty the v8 chevy can give me..any ideas are appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deMideon Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Probably my biggest reasons for going with an SBC is that I want to have a daily driver that is reliable, and really fast. I am going to be putting out about 450hp with my 377ci. There is very little chance I could get that kind of HP reliably out of an L28, not to mention it's alot cheaper and when it starts feeling slow again I have a long way to go before it has drivability issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 The turbo swap is cheap and reliable because you have fuel injection (just ask Pete ). It is also fairly cheap to get good power out of, and you get good mileage at the same time. It's not so clear cut, Cyrus Maybe a V8 conversion is easier if you are good at fabrication (not me), but if you are good with wiring (me), the turbo wins hands down, especially at altitude (5800'), my turbo rules the V8s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Pipelayer, I feel your pain. I labored over that decision for five years - turbo or V-8. The turbo is the easier way to go, you can stick with all Nissan parts, and do it on a small budget if you just grab one out of an '83ZX and toss it in with no mods. It also retains it's reliability at that level too. The V-8 conversely, lots of pain mating everything up to ensure all the original Datsun systems mesh with the Chevy systems - but - WOW - look at the torques & HP that is very reliable and streetable. Anyway - after five years of tossing it back & forth I've settled on the LS-1 with the T-56 and a 3.7:1 R200 LSD. The car will be my daily driver when I'm done so there is nothing being done to the drive train. It will be bone stock. Another HybridZer has this engine with the 4L60E in his 240 and it dyno'd at 297 RWHP vs. about 115-120 for my stock 280. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Just my opinion id go with a carburated v8...no wiring to mess with and easy to fabricate. Just weld in two motormounts on the crossmember in the front and tranny mount after you line up engine and tranny to motormounts...then get a driveshaft made...if you have basic mechanical skills it should be a snap considering you have welding machine. Plus the power you get from a stock v8 will USUALLY out power the turbo setup depending on what components you use. Remember forced induction is the only replacement displacement, and when you run out of room on the L6 for turbo you MIGHT have more power than a built v8 but then theres always that much more displacement for a turbo on the v8. BOB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrus Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 SleeperZ, V8 LS1= 3000 t56= 1500 fab=1000 MPG= 25 Highway Turbo turbos= $? fab=? MPG=? '83@2800 lbs @ 104 mph in the quarter is 250 hp? But I will grant you, that you are correct at elavation turbos ROCK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Originally posted by cyrus:SleeperZ, V8 LS1= 3000 t56= 1500 fab=1000 MPG= 25 Highway Turbo turbos= $? fab=? MPG=? '83@2800 lbs @ 104 mph in the quarter is 250 hp? But I will grant you, that you are correct at elavation turbos ROCK! 1 wreaked '82 ZXT, runs, $7501 intercooler, piping fabbed, $500 1 clutch, $200 total - $1450 There is no fab cost if you go with a Nissan tranny. Stock turbos can do low 13s with stock injectors and pump, especially in a 240 - I took off the bumpers and AC to get my weight down. mpg varies, I get 26-27 averaging 85 mph, but I have a factory 300zx ECU. You could get 23-24 with 280zx ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 i think it depends on preference and mechanical skill more than cost, for a quick 200hp turbo is easy, because motor and trans is an R and R, and some very simple wiring, to get to start you basically just need to wire up the sensors and i believe seven or eight body grounds, click boom start, guages and lights run off whats left of original harness, and there you go. a couple bolt ons, big exhaust, and ic will give net you around 250 at the wheels at about the limit of stock injectors on whats otherwise a bone stock system, that gets some incredible mileage and has good street etiquette. you can get more, but at this point you have a really fast street car, most cars on the street dont have this much. a v8z is a nice one as well, for a bare bones conversion, you still need to get a kit to mount everything, a handful of custom conversion mounts, some elbow grease and you will have yourself a bruiser, but heres the difference, you are doing a complete conversion and basically building a kit car at this point, i think the v8 swap takes more thought, and attention to other aspects of the ride in order as nice to the driver as the turbo swap, and im not saying that this cant be done, but it will add costs to the v8 conversion, the motor and the trans are the easiest part i think, everyone i know has an sbc in their basement sleeping, and a trans to go with it most of the time, but you have to beef up everything frmo the driveline to noise to the chassis-but they are fast as hell. turbo is easier because its all nissan, and im not saying this cause i think nissan is the greatest or anyting, but everything bolts up like factory-i wouldnt even really call the turbo a motor swap, because you dont have to fab anything for the driveline to set in, the v8 though is a swap-and requires a lot of thought to be truly complete, basically, its what you want out of a car. i had a v8z for a long time and i would do it again definitely, if i had more time to address the comforts and other issues besides all out speed. The v8 car was amazing i have to say, every muscle car tire smoking move known to man was mine at my whim, smoke at speed, oh yea, smoke em in a turn, watch me, smoke em upshifting, best believe, that thing was a kick in the pants, double pumper opening up making you feel like youre in a wind tunnel, I wont ever be mad at a v8zcar, no siree, they are a blast. The choice is yours, and there are pros and cons to both, but in the end 11s arent cheap no matter what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Sleeper, What does your car look like, in case I mistake it for a pansy garden varity turbo Z when I'm driving around town. I would hate to have my head handed to me by mistake. I too worry about the problems with thin air, but my solution was stroking my V8. Only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 It's a whole lot easier to get parts for your sbc when you break down in B.F. nowhere than it is for a Z engine,that's all the persuading I needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bigjim240z Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 well i can pretty much fab up anything i want..i have access to a welder..(neighbor)..i am a mechanic so the swap should be fairly easy...if i do it i wont use a ls1..only because i want to keep the price of the swap under a few grand...i was thinking about buying a 88-89 camaro with a 350 and t-5 and put everything in the 240z...the only thing i cant make myself would be the drive shaft..then again i could build it but it would be far from balanced...lol..i think the v8 is gona be the way to go for me..and ive already built a turbo 240z..it was a blast..it was super fast and when the boost came in it sounded wicked...so now i need to try smothing different and the v8 will be somthing new!..thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awd92gsx Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 I know a guy that knows a guy that had a complete running 305 for "less than $100" If he still has it, I'm going to pick it up. I have a built turbo engine that's just about ready to go in...but...I sincerely crave the sound of a V8 in there =o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrus Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Come on man... This is really not a hard questions the v8 is; 1. mo relible 2. mo powerful 3. cheaper 4. easier 5. does not have turbo lag I have no idea why some one choose the turbo unless rules or something dictated it. As far as weight goes all alumin LS1 v8 are LIGHT. If any can see what I am missing please point it out to me. PS. Things like coolness, etc are not related to performance and originality does not have a place at Hybridz... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pvtkary Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 please dont mind my spelling,lm working with a keybord that isnt in english right now. I gone through the same delima. We all have. To help me get through college i bought cars at auction, and resold them. In Ohio you can sell six in any rolling 12 month period without a dealers licens. I ran accrost a mint 72, and picked it up for $600. I have this notion that if you have a performance car, and dont drive it hard, it is like having a beautiful girlfriend, and not F*&%ing her to death. The end result, a smoked motor in about a month. Droped a valve into the motor at high RPM. A little later I did a clutch in a Nissan maxium, added $500, and got a 72 race car, and a whole lotta of parts. I warmed up the motor a little more, and about 27 days later once again I had a boat anchor for a motor. It is verry dissapointing to go out hunting, and becoming the prey, instead of the predator. Now that my life has settled down a bit I dont see any other way than a V8. Any project will go further than you expected. Life is short would you rather spend alot of time, and money to produce lackluster results. From the short time Ive parosed this board it has been obvious that this is for the searously adicted to horsepower. dont sell your self short. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Originally posted by silicone boy:Sleeper, What does your car look like, in case I mistake it for a pansy garden varity turbo Z when I'm driving around town. I would hate to have my head handed to me by mistake. I too worry about the problems with thin air, but my solution was stroking my V8. Only time will tell. Well, it ain't pretty. It was originally forest green, and had a cheap black paint job added before I got it. I've done nothing for it body-wise since. I took off the bumpers and rock panel facia, so there are green and rusty stripes around the bottom edges. Ride height looks stock, factory 6 spoke alloys (very light), and a 2-1/2" muffler. I spray painted my FMIC flat black, so it's hard to see. Maybe you've seen me? Give a wave if you do - I'm at Bandimere tonight for tuning, and that may be it for the drag race season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 280ZXT83 Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 I played the debate question over in my mind for a couple of years and took this approach: I got one of each!! I took the carburated V8 approach with an SBC 350 with my 82, and the stock turbo approach with my 83. And I did not consider myself a "car guy" prior to these projects. I had never welded, pulled an engine, or done even moderate repairs. It just takes patience, a GREAT support network (including this board), and ability to bounce back after you do something stupid (which will happen). But if I didn't have the luxury of 2 project cars, it would be V8 all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Well said Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 build a 406 sbc, build a 406 sbc, trust me here youll need a blow torch to get the smile off your face when the projects complete, if youll tell me your goals hp wise Ill help but most of the guys here can do a search and find a good 425hp/450tq combo that will live damn near forever and kick butt on the street! you really don,t need more than that to have loads of fun embarasing the more expensive muscle cars. look at combos 68,70 ,101,103 http://www.ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos1.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 I'd have to agree with Pete on the gas station looky loo's. If mines running, I'm always talking to someone asking about it. Another factor is torque and this is a opinion, but nothing has torque thats as streetable in the 2000-4500 rpm range as a mild to streetable V8, no waiting for spool up, instant punch and well even with a chevy motor, it gives one the feeling of ace cobra like torque even if its not as light or as powerful. Mine handles fairly level around 90 deg turns at scary speeds and the accelleration out of the corner even with my mild motor is just this side of brutal. Was mine the best dollar for dollar punch, probably not considering what I spent, but it has a satisfying urgue off idle to 5k and a shift only drops the r's maybe a thousand rpms or a tad more, making it right back into the fat part of the power band. Well thats my take on my feeling on my car, it isn't high tech, it doesn't make cool whooshy noises yet (when it does it'll have a V8 rumble on top of it!) but it starts pretty much every time, the heating problems are behind me and for V8 car gets reasonable gas mileage. Thats my experience for what its worth. Would I do it again? Yeah probably, but probably with a LT1 or minimally a TPI motor. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 my old v8 car was a kick in the paints, man it was great. but im in love with turbos, the attention you get in a v8 was great, i do remember popping the hood evertime i came into a gas station, but i just fell in love with this turbo stuff, i do it again, its gonna be a factory turbo motor with more boost, a 2jz or 7mgte,but not an rb26-kragen dont likem. if i were to do a v8 again it would be a four barrell hollied 355 with a big shot, and "suprise" a four speed manual, that trans put me on top and its the only manual you can see me use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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