Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Hey, a Z newbie here...I'm currently looking for a third generation Camaro, but I've always liked the looks of the Z cars and would love to have a V8 Z car... I want T-Tops....what car should I look for? I want to swap a LT1 and T56 six speed in...are any years easier to do this in than others? Assuming I've got all the tools required and do all of the work myself (including exhaust), how much should it cost to swap in (not counting the car or the engine/tranny)? If I can afford to do this and have enough money left over to clean up the interior and maybe a DIY paint job, I'd rather do this and have something uniqe (around here at least) than a third gen.... Thanks for the help...Hope this isnt a very common question, cause I tried searching in this board for "Cost" and "Price" and found nothing. -Chris 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 If you want T-tops then your going to have to get a 280ZX, a 300ZX(Z31) or a 300ZX(Z32 2nd gen 300ZX). Well all the LT1/T56 have the same mounting points but the 95' LT1 is the most desired because it has the updated distributor, you can use LT1 Edit on it, and it is still OBD1 so you dont have to deal with the extra 2 o2 sensors. How much is it going to cost......yeah thats pretty much different for everyone. I have over $15,000 invested in my swap but I have a lot invested in rebuilding the motor and warming it up a little bit, not to mention all the extra stuff like gauges, wheels, body kit, paint, etc. If you just want the stock LT1/T56 then you could do if for way less. I would say if you had a car(rust free!!) with a newer suspension(if you have original it wont handle the V8's power very well) and you already had the engine/tranny.........you could do it for $2-3K pretty easily. But it all depends on what you want for a car. Do you want a fast car that looks alright...... a fast car that can win car shows...... or a car that wins shows but isnt really all that fast....? Granted most Z(X)'s with V8's are pretty fast even with stock motors. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Well, I've got about 6 grand to work with right now....once I find a job I'll probably be making about 500 bucks a month (in highschool), and I probably wont be starting the swap (if i choose to do this) till December/January, so well just say I've got 6k to work with (Leave the rest of the $ for insurance/gas/etc) I want something thats fast, looks good, doesnt need to win shows, but I'd like it to look neat..... I do like drag racing and I'd like to get low 13's/high 12's, with or without nitrous.... was the 2-3k including the engine or what? Thanks, -Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 You are looking at $7-$10k minimum. There are lots of small things that you will need that adds up.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanomon Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Chris, Tim is right. It all boils down to how good you want to look going fast. I haven't even fired-up yet and I'm aproaching the $10k mark. What started out as a simple swap, has swiftly snowballed into a complete renovation. Welcome aboard and good luck to you. You have definately found the right site. Tons of great info and expierence in the Forums. (using the search feature) These guys here on HybridZ, are the bomb! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 shit so it really takes 7+ thousand bucks? if thats the case, i'm back to my third gen. camaro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 You can do it cheaper with a carbed engine and auto tranny.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Well heres what I was thinking....I could buy the LT1 and T56, and what else would I need? Wireing harness, transmission crossmember maybe....custom driveshaft? What is it that makes it more expensive than just the engine and tranny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Fuel system Cooling system Exhausts and headers intake PCM programming (either buying the software and cable and doing it yourself, or paying someone to do it for you) Brake upgrade the list goes on and on and on....if you find some sterling deals, then you may be able to do, but it will be tough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 i guess.....back to thirdgens Oh well, was worth a shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JAMIE T Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 But the Z is far cooler than a 3rd gen Z28. IMHO, the 70-78 Zcars are anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6187&item=2488074274&rd=1 LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Yeah I was talking with the engine bought already. If you get an LT1 out of Caprice or Roadmaster it will be a lot cheaper but it will have iron heads and no T56. Auto is deffinetly cheaper. Heck just about every other tranny out there is cheaper than a T56! I think you can do it for $6K if you bargin hunt and dont go crazy with making it look great(just look good). The tricky part is finding a rust free car! That alone will really eat up those $$$. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 Just got back from a little mini-vaction to NY/NJ.... If, for about 6k, I can have a V8 car that I can drive around and stuff in, I'll be happy if it doesnt look great..... How bout if I used a TPI engine with a T5 transmission? Would that cost enough less to be worth it? Would it be less expensive/easier to find a hardtop car (not t-tops)? After looking at more pics, vids, cars in person, etc., I'm really thinking that I'd rather have a v8 z car instead of a third-gen, cause the z's look better and you dont see them everywhere you go..... Are there any other good v8 z-car sites with info and stuff? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 TPI's are know for low end torque and not being able to "breath" at higher RPMs. So if you dont rev real high it could be a good engine for you. But most guys will say stay away from this engine if you like to race. Yes it will be cheaper than a LT1 but it wont have nearly as much power or the potential for power as the LT1. Like I said before you can get an LT1 out a Caprice, Roadmaster, and the Impalla SS for about half the cost of an LT1 out of an F-body. Do you want to keep the engine stock or open it up and modify it? Is finding a hard top easier? Well that depends which Z car you are talking about. A lot of the 280ZX's and 300ZX have T-tops. The 240,260, and 280Z's did not have t-tops. The 240, 260, and 280Z's are going to cost more than the ZX's because everyone wants them(especially the 240's) The best bet is to get a 280Z(cheaper and still a Gen1 body so there is more info on the swap than the ZX's) and put a LT1 in that. If you do start looking for a Z car just be sure to check for rust. Rust is very time consuming to fix and very costly. So its ALWAYS better to pay a little more for a clean car than it is to pay less for a rusty car. As for other Zcar sites that have info on V8 swaps....I think(gaurantee) this is the best site for info on that subject. If you want to know about stock componets go over to zcar.com or gotz.com But dont go over to zcar.com and ask about V8's in Gen1 cars, cause if you do you will be flamed big time. They pretty much hate what we do! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedingpenguin Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 lol yeah I've realized this site is the best forum for swapping other stuff into z's, but i was wondering more about conversion pics and stuff. As for the engine, well, I'd probably be happy with stock for now, but eventually would probably get the heads ported, a bigger cam, etc. I still dont know what I should do though....I dont wanna spend all the money and still not have a decent car....lol know what i mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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