silicone boy Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 Goldraven, You have a great resource nearby in Greely, but I don't see him posting much anymore. John Scott was one of the early members of this forum. His experience could save you a lot of headache and dough. I'd love to help you out as well. I also have to say that the internet, with its ability to put people from all across the world together to share their experience, has been a boon to our hobby. When I joined in 2001, I was really looking to do an RX7 V8 swap. Instead, I found this site during a random web search, and found out that there was a great deal on a V8 Z just a couple of hours away. I don't mind those newbie questions because it's creating a new crop of hotrodders. I never would have considered doing this stuff myself if I hadn't seen others doing it on the web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 Blame the 'Import Scene' and those faggy magazines going on about 'Dorifto.' Every dick is looking for a rwd car right now, the price of used AE86 Corollas and clean/straight 240SX's has more than doubled over the past year or so with D1 coming to North America. It was only a matter of time before people started looking towards the original Z cars. The upside is the price of all of your cars is going up, and there is more of an aftermarket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 Thanx to drift scene, the trueno guys are getting all the good rims off the junkyard z cars. A good thing about drift scene is that manufacturers are starting to make wheels in 17x8-9, 16x7-8, in four lug configurations that may fit with ross c spacers, the 16s ive seen thus far may work on a z without spacers, they are for trueno and celica supra fitments. Also, the drift craze is helping to bring back high perf 15" tires. Im pretty much dedicated drag racer if I have to pick one sport, but I will try my hand at drifto on a track day to see if I like it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dladow Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 I'm less than two months into my Z car. After I was able to buy a rust free car for $850, I thought I might be able to do the swap and finish the car for under $5k. Hah! But I didn't know enough to create a realistic budget. As it is, I still may be able to get the basics done for under $7500, excluding paint. I am building a street GT car with a mild SBC. I chose the SBC because it has to be the most bang for the buck of any engine on the planet. Something that has helped me immensely is that I have a friend with knowledge and tools who is guiding me through this. It has already saved me from making mistakes and wasting time going up blind alleys. Still, there are lots of compromises involved in that $7500 figure. That means the stock diff, not an lsd. It means no headers, no rear disc brakes, no cross drilled front rotors, no aluminum heads, no roller cam, no Autometer gauges, no coil overs with camber plates, no 16" Panasports, no roll bar, no spoiler or front scoop or flares ... But, it does get me a self-rebuilt mid 200hp very torquey engine, nicely dressed, a 2 1/4" exhaust with a great sounding hi flow turbo muffler, auto tranny with aftermarket shifter, decent aftermarket seats and steering wheel, new carpet & sound deadener, 4 piston front calipers and new stock rotors, new bushings all around, tokico struts, power steering, and a simple cd head unit feeding two very nice 6x9 speakers. The way I look at it, its a work in progress. I hope to get things mostly together by summer, enjoy the heck out of it, and then take my time fulfilling my wish list. I'm sure that several years from now, I will have doubled my investment, but it probably won't seem so painful since it will be done slowly over time. And it will be fun doing it. To me, the hybrid 240Z is the perfect project car. It is very good as is; the sbc is a simple and beautiful engine with tons of cheap aftermarket parts; and its all simple enough that a newbie hobbiest like me can eventually figure it out, especially with a little help from my friends and this forum. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akeizm Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 ha...hahah....HAHAHAHHAHAAHAH I now know what it feels like to have a car project's time and budget blow out on ya. Me and my dad were putting the head back on my car today, and next min, on the last tention setting, BANG! There goes a headbolt. We got it out, just. But now my car won't be going this weekend I hate my luck. Funny thing is, it was one of the good headbolts. There were some that were slightly orange and rough, but they held out better than the perfect one. I guess its not so perfect then.... Just had to vent a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Blame the 'Import Scene' and those faggy magazines going on about 'Dorifto.' Every dick is looking for a rwd car right now, the price of used AE86 Corollas and clean/straight 240SX's has more than doubled over the past year or so with D1 coming to North America. It was only a matter of time before people started looking towards the original Z cars. The upside is the price of all of your cars is going up, and there is more of an aftermarket. I thought I was imagining that!!! Used to be able to pick up a good, clean 240sx for like $2k. Recently went looking for one for my wife... MAN what a joke!!! And every single ad seemed to be talking about "great for swapping in a japanese turbo motor (sr20det)" or mentioning drifting. AE86's used to be a dime a dozen... now all their ads seem to mention "legendary hachi-roku" and prices are thru the roof.... I HATE trends. Good thing I picked up my 240 in between low points of their popularity and paid only $250 I have yet to see drifting or the import scene in general pay off as far as value of Z's going up or better aftermarket support though not that i'm looking super hard. Still seems to me that only 1 outta 20 people even knows what the damn car is, and those 1 outta 20 are the guys who had one "when they were my age". If I had a nickel for every kid that asked about my 'Porsche'... well... I have about .15c but still it just goes to show.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ZmeFly Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Or do I seem to be the only one thats poor around here. I hear you guys tossing around 10k+ figures, hell im happy I was able to spend a 1 or 2 K on my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akeizm Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Hahaha, my budget again and time became even longer, we got some bolts the same day we broke one, boltin the head on again. And SNAP, we thought another bolt went, but pulled the head off and now I have a stripped hole in the block what next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan280zt Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Ohh god i dont even want to think about this crap right now but since its already here i might thorow in my experience so far. first of all i dont have set budget so i cant blame myself for that plus one less thing to worry about. so far i think that i have about $15k in my z but that does include the car. now while back i had headgasket let go and any normal person would go and get new headgasket take the head to shop get it cheaked out but this is when our worst enemy comes into the play yall know him as "while i am at it" 8) so instead only spending about $200 to get my car on its happy trails you think hmmmm.... its time for better tranny, new bottom end, put that i/cooler on, hide the wiring in engine bay well hell while i am at it i might just go and prep and paint the engine bay.....blah blah blah..... so instead $200 now i need $1000 crap it just keeps adding up and the way its going it will wont stop any time soon . our z cars are never ending battle...... sorry for the rant i kinda needed it lol. Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted February 15, 2004 Author Share Posted February 15, 2004 Its ok for them to ask questions about swaps...but I still find it hilarious when newbies want to do the rare swaps on the cheap because they have access to some cheap donor or wreck.. If it was easy "even when the engine is free", then I think there would be a lot more 7mgte, vg30et, rotories, etc... lots of those in the Junkyards...but there aren't too manyof those swaps driving around..heck even with the internet as a resource, there aren't that many to find... I'm glad people are using the net to research and get info before starting, its a great idea...I wish I had it when I started playing with Z's...I had been actively searching on the web for years for any/all kinds of Z info. It was the web that opened my eyes to the possiblilities of engine swaps that didn't require the reinvention of the wheel to be successful.. In my case it was my access to parts, cars, info, knowledgeable Z mechanics, my own experience, love of Z cars, time, money, and understanding the magnitude and unknown variables that would drastically increase the difficulty and cost of a swap that has been done very rarely and with no known documentation to help that allowed me to take on the challenge of my swap. (I recieve emails regarding my swap "how to's" and "difficulty and advice" every month since I posted about my swap.) I originally posted this topic to point out what I've been seeing.. Maybe we should have some of this learned info, budgeting, experience, ideas etc in a sticky called..."so you wanna swap an engine into your Z" and have some helpful tips...regardless of it being a common swap or a rare swap...anyone who has not turned a wrench would likely be surprised at the difficulty of "bolting" on a simple upgrade in a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobythevan Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 heh heh, anybody that thinks an engine swap is easy should have been out in the garage the last 5 weekends helping me with frankenford. This is a straightforward swap, not a performance car. Just swapping a ford diesel V8 to a chevy V8 in an F350. Lots of straightforward fabrication, engine mounts, power steering mounts, etc. I agree it is a lot easier to talk up swaps. Somebody remind me of this the next time I decide to do a quick swap. Kind of fun to apply all of the knowledge in fabrication and swapping I have learned over the last three years. BTW, I'll have my V8 datsun running in 2 months or maybe 2 years, something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Every time I work on the car, I remember the line in the JTR manual that says "the swap is for someone who has considerable experience working on cars"--I'm paraphrasing and I know I'm not even close, but it said that this was not for amateurs. This makes me laugh because just the other day, I discovered a site called Hinsonsupercars.com which makes a kit for putting an LS1 into a 3rd Gen RX7. The site said that swap was easy, a direct drop in. Much as I would like a Corvette motor under my hood, I need another project like I need a hole in the head. I don't believe all the hype either-they say it's not difficult, reliable, and weighs less, and handles not differently. Even I am not that gullible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buschj Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Give me a break. These newbie’s who ask weird questions, and have wild ideas, will be responsible for most of the patents issued in the next 50 years. Maybe you should create a sheep forum, for all of the followers. I hate to see new member have their first post get a reply like “Don’t you know how to searchâ€. I’m sure that you “experts†can trace your mechanical roots back to where these newbie’s are today. Try to remember the kindness you received when you asked, “Which way do you turn to tightenâ€. As far as I’m concerned, all under funded dreamers are welcome here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick phillips Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 it is possible to spend thousands of dollars on these cars, as we have seen from some of the cars on this board. but it is also possible with careful planning and spending to build one on a budget. my 77 280 w/350 and 350 turbo was built for less than seven thousand dollars including cost of the car. its not a show car and its not the fastest car around,but it is a clean, safe fun car to drive. my point is don't change someones mind by telling them the only way to build a z is with thousands and thousands of dollars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 There is a scripture in the Bible that says to "count the cost..." which is also a basic rule of project management. There is also a saying: "Ignorance can be fixed but stupidity is forever". A newbie that asks questions is trying to cure his ignorance - that's smart. If he gets good information in return then it is up to him to make wise decisions based on his interpretation of that information. That is why I think about anything I do to my car - literally for years - and evaluate the advice I receive because it is tempered by the givers personal experience which may not directly apply to my specific conversion or long-term goals for my car. Considering the fact that my local Nissan dealership confessed to me that they thought that they probably couldn't get parts for my car and definitely had no one that could work on it it should come as no surprise. There is a tremendous amount of ignorance in respect to our vehicles. As HybridZ masters/guru's/whatever we have a repsonsibility to do what we can to alleviate that whenever someone asks sincerely. If it is a hassle to do it for the 20th time then just don't answer - let someone who's not burned out on the question yet do it. mIght even give a relative newbie a chnace to impart a "lesson learned". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Personally I wish I'd known about this site before I started, but I was just dreaming about making my stock Z faster, and what about a L28 turbo? I'm old enough to remember Nissan's marketing campaign in '80 (Awesome!!!!) and I also remember hearing the engine was the same, so it must just drop in. I bought myself a donor, swapped it all in, drove it to Arizona and back, and then discovered zcar.com, followed by hybridz. I was amazed at the popularity of engine swaps into the first gen. Zs. Anyway, I like cheap and fast, so my car is not a show car. It's not so cheap as to be unreliable though, just ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedWild Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 I'm a newbie on this board (even though I have been driving a sbc 280Z for two years), and I would have given half my tools to know of this site before then. The point is (yes it has been said) we were all once newbies, and the joy of a internet forum is the collection of knowledge. We have all made $$$ mistakes when building these cars, if I were to do it again I could save plenty of green stuff. The joy of this is learning from each others mistakes. Yes it is sooo annoying when you get the general questions of "what is best" this question is flattery some complete stranger is going to look at your car and assume that you have all the knowledge needed to answer the questions in their head. The point is they need direction, but they need to know WHAT they want. Most of these questions deserve answers of personal preference not exact diagrams. Hell if there were one answer to what is the best engine to shove in a Z there would be no need for this form. We are pushing the limits of this platform in every direction and some of us have found it's limits, and some of those limits are expensive to find. I would love to know what is the torque limit is of the R200 rear end and unibody are. If I cross the threshold of the unibodies limits, there is no going back, there is only "well I need a new chassis. I'm getting ready to take my car to the next level, and that involves something that has become a hot topic in the Chevy forum, turbo V8. I am enjoying the updates of the progress so far and hope to apply what has been learned to my Z next year. In the mean time I'm building the engine to handle the forced induction and play with some laughing gas (I'm thinking of a 200hp fogger plumed under the intake manifold). I by no means have anything ground breaking done on my car in comparison to what is out there, or what has been done on this board. But I'm learning allot from you guys and I still have allot to learn, so I'm a noob. Besides you should see the type of automotive ignorance I have to deal with on a daily basis running a quick lube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metro Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 I'm a n00b, well, I know enough to be dangerous but the whole reason I got a Z car was to do an engine swap. I thought, well they're cheap, look great, rear wheel drive, and have a huge engine bay. I found this site and started reading it daily months before I even had a Zcar. Well when I started out, I wanted to do a swap right away, but now, I think can wait a while. Right now, I'll just be happy to drive it one of these days. It's been bodywork hell for months now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKDGabe Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 ...and have a huge engine bay Ha! You and I have differing opinions on that. It's a relative thing obviously... my first vehicle was an '83 Chevy truck and with a little planning you could have fit two 350's under that hood because there were so few accessories. A Z engine bay is quite small compared. Of course when you compare it to a Honda... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metro Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 hey! I'm going from a s10, how ppl cram a v8 in that hole.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.