tfreer85 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Okay, this is more than common question. I'm looking into doing a swap into my 72 240Z and don't know if I want to do the RB or VG swap. I'm wanting some opinions on what you think would be the best choice for the cheapest in the US. What I was thinking with the RB swap was get the Turbo 350 tranny adapter, since its going to be my daily driver through traffic and my Z is already an auto. Also I figure I could use the transmission mount from Jagsthatrun for the transmission. With the VG I would probably use the T-5 5 speed with and do an auto to manual conversion. Custom driveshaft and transmission mount. However, with which ever swap I choose i'm wanting to reach at least the 500hp mark eventually. I don't have a whole ton of experience and the biggest con I see in the VG is that there seems to be a lot more fabrication that hasn't been throughly discussed, unlike the RB which there is plenty of information on how to do the swap. Pro's of the RB -Impressive power scale and has a good name backing it -Can easily get a lot of HP out of it Con's of the RB -Parts are extremely expensive for the States -Motor mounting location using infinity mounts lowers handling ability slightly Pro's of the VG -Parts are easier to be found and cheaper -Better mounting position for improved handling -Can easily get a lot of HP out of it Con's of the VG -Have to make custom motor mounts -Custom Transmission Mount Let me know what you think. And sorry for making this so long. Tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Something else to consider about the VG; being a V6 it is wider than the z's engin bay was designed for, and with turbos, some cutting/clearancing will probly be needed in the frame rail area. Personaly though, I'd go with the Vg for cost/parts availibility... Just going on what I've seen/read/found out. I was informed of a VG engine, harnes AND tranny (missing ECU) I could pick up for $2000 cdn. I doubt there's many RB's (with tranny, harnes) in that price range.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Where did you hear that the handleing was negatively affected with the RB???? i had the ZR200 mounts and my car weighed out at 51 front and 49 rear and handled real well. i really didnt knowtice the difference between the old l28 and the rb except the tires spun alot more I amagine some custom mounts putting the motor as far back as possible you could reach the 50 50 wieght distribution easily. And BTW you will need a turbo, and intercooler upgrade to get the vg to the same power level as the rb26 with just injectors and turning the booste up. throw upgrade turbos on the RB26 and you have to go into the vg to get the same power the rb puts out with just a turbo upgrade. Just my 2 cents. The vg swap has been done by a couple on this board. they are both decent swaps and if your looking for a economy swap ( well you know what i mean) go with the VG as there are parts in junkyards and avaiable at your loca parts store. With the RB you need friends in japan willing to send you parts when you need them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 The VG30DETT puts out stock 300hp, so I know its not a whole lot more than the RB26, but since I have no friends in Japan, considering i'm young. The VG parts are more easily accessable, but what's more impressive saying you have a skyline motor or 300zxtt motor. Definatel the skyline. Stony, you're just too convincing of a guy, I thought i had read on here that there was a noticeable difference with the RB motor in it. But has anyone used the turbo 350 transmission adapter and if so what do the think of it. And who wants economy, if I wanted economy i would buy a honda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 well, Ive heard that the stock turbos on a VG30DETT are good for about 500 flywheel hp. thats not bad for a set of T22's. you can get some full on T25's and make better power levels and still retain decent spool up, or seeing as how its going in a first gen Z and there will be lots of room up front, get a custom exhaust manifold set made for a big single and go with a T3/T04E hybrid turbo. I would stick with the VG, just because of parts availability. plus, it'll make more torque... and if you wanted to go Auto, you can just get a 300ZXTT auto, they are pretty bulletproof from what Ive read. The RB is a sick motor, but the parts availibilty would kill me in the long run. oh, and I dont think you have to do that much cutting nad hacking. there has been a few VG30DETT's swapped into first gen cars. there was a white 280Z runnign around with a VG in it a few years ago, made a few magazines and ran I think in the high 11's on all stock stuff. McAdam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnaught14 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I looked into the VG swap for a while. I knew a guy that was putting down 450hp on pump gas in a 80's 300zx.There is a problem however, with the steering shaft. The engine fits no problem, but you run right into the steering shaft, meaning you will have to not only create custom mounts for the build, but you will also have to re route the steering mechanism to a different location. This doesnt seem like to big of a deal, but it does it surley is a PITA that makes the build seem to take forever. But really, do what you want. Both swaps a unique and have high potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatRaveR Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 How's the VG swap into a 280ZX? I heard it's a real PITA because of the width, so I don't know if that means it's not practical to fit it in or not, or if it will be impossible to work on due to width and tight clearances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Thoguht I'd add this tid-bit.. A member here (ZR8ED) put a VG turbo in his Z and his words were "In the end, I could have had a V8 in there easier and cheeper. Lots of $$$ and fab work." The RB IMO would be a little easier to make 'fit' than the VG, and in the long run, is a really slick swap. BUT: Personaly, if I didn't have the funding for an RB, I would do a V8 before a VG swap (comparing esentialy stock to stock here) The ford or chev 8cyl will give more bang for the buck and be cheaper, as well as require less fab work than a 6cy turbo transplant. Figure in the extra weight/cost of the turbos, I/C, and pluming, the electrical.. eeek.. It's up to you either way, that just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 The White vg DOHC tt car is now Sky blue, and runs 10s. The VG30dett swap is definitely an awesome swap, but its a hard and expensive one. That and a RB swap are probably very close in price. vg30dett makes 300hp in its sleep and I know at least two z32 owners with 400 or more hp as daily drivers. the v8 swap will always be cheaper, shoot you can score a run of the mill sbc and automatic combo for less than 1k sometimes. JTR book and if you run into any other issues, the answers probably on this bb. The vg parts are probably just a little cheaper than the RB, but more easily available. The oh shoot factor is what comes into mind here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtcookson Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 I'd personally go with the VG30DETT just because I'm a VG fanatic. Those things are absolute torque monsters. A while back there were a couple dyno charts showing a nearly equally modded RB against a VG (both setup by the same company having nearly identicle parts as much as they could). The RB produce 10 more hp than the VG (a bit over 700 hp) however... the VG produced over 300 ft. lb. more torque than the RB (VG over 800 tq and RB over 500). Most of the fastest Nissan powered cars are powered by the VG. From what I hear the top speed records are set with the VG, as is highest power output, and fast drag car. Search for Jorge Lazcano and you'll find what I mean on the drag car. That thing is suhweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted March 2, 2005 Author Share Posted March 2, 2005 When you guys are saying I have to modify the steering column, why is it that you have to do it with at V6 but not a V8 or do you have to do it with the V8 as well? I'm thinking the VG30DETT(though it could change by tomorrow) just because its cheaper for parts and repair things. For my install I was thinking about cutting out the inner fender behind the strut towers (closest to the firewall), installing the motor then put in a new inner fender molded in. What do you guys think of this way of installing it? And also does anybody know it the whole drivetrain will fit properly, ie motor, tranny, driveshaft, and rear diff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 It'S becasue of where the turbos sit. they sit low and towards the back of the motor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violacleff Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I contemplated this swap a few years back and decided to go with the setup I have now after seeing the white car that datsun restore did, and after hearing that it took a year long to be completed. OK I get the part about the motor being too wide because of where the turbo sits, but if you were to go single turbo up front would this not make the clearence issues the same if not less than a v8? Or is the motor itself really wide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I contemplated this swap a few years back and decided to go with the setup I have now after seeing the white car that datsun restore did, and after hearing that it took a year long to be completed. OK I get the part about the motor being too wide because of where the turbo sits, but if you were to go single turbo up front would this not make the clearence issues the same if not less than a v8? Or is the motor itself really wide? I think that would cure your clearance problems. there should be plenty of room up front for a huge turbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted March 2, 2005 Author Share Posted March 2, 2005 I understand the whole single turbo situation but the motor i'm looking at is a twin turbo situation. The only thing i'm really concerned about is the steering column modification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violacleff Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 Ok, if thats the case, is it safe to say that the swap would be as simple as making custom motor/tranny mounts and driveshaft? basically the same fabrication it would take to do a v8 rb or sr20? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtcookson Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 personally, i'd make some custom exhaust manifolds to clear the steering stuff but also run up to the front for a large single turbo.... that would be suhweet. twins just don't do it for me considering these days there's not really any benefits of twins over a larger single. with ball bearing technology and all that spooling is nearly equal and it seems most turbo setups tend to be more power with a single over a twin setup. (my personal guess is this is due to singles usually putting out more pounds of boost compared to a twin setup which in turn almost always equals higher torque). the higher torque from higher pressures is due to the displacement basically being higher when more air is put in. basically, for every 14.7 lbs of boost you run through the motor, you're basically putting in the equivalent amount of air that an engine two times that size could take in normally aspirated. so, 14.7 psi on a 3 liter engine would basically be equal to a 6 liter engine... damn i love boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobcat Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 I was wondering, long being a fan of the v8 swap I have recently been looking into other options (I love turbos, experience comming from a z31). What kind of plumming can you take off of these engines? I know some of the newer engines will not run with out all the extra crap they have due to sensors and such. I looked at an rb swap on the website and was suprised at how clean (devoid of crap) the engine looked. I assume everyone is getting engines from jspecautosports.com right? They seem cheap to me, all the well built v8 I have seen cost the same, and with these engines as people have said all you have to do is crank the boost a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackhouse Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I am attempting to do the swap. I've posted some pictures on image station, but I don't know if you'll be able to see them. Here's a link anyway. If you can't veiw them, I'll have to find somewhere to post them. You can do the swap without notching the frame rails. It's a tight fit, but it will work (the waste gate on the driver side is 3 mm from the rail). The biggest issue is the steering, which I have yet to tackle, but I think it could be easily done with a couple of U-joints, some 4130 rod, and a welder. http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2129655111&code=14937001&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtcookson Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 is that all the further back the engine will go? other than that... looks like its definitely going to be badass. can't wait to see that thing running! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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