Guest Benito Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I've been poking around on this board for a bit over a week and noticed that a lot of you guys already have, or are in the process of having an RB 25/6 swap in your z-car. I have recently inherited 2 z's, both 83 zx non turbo m/t's and was looking at a stock restore for one and a 25 swap for the other. I'm NOT on a tight budget, but, of course, want to save money. Can you guys give me a ballpark figure as to how much you've spent for MOTOR/CLIP and INSTALL alone, basically just to get your car up and running and in drivable condition? Just weighing my options and wanted some input. In the past, I've owned a '95 300zxtt, (a total peach-white with basic bolt ons, rims, skyline brakes-I can post pics if anyone's interested) and now I have a ZR-1 ('91 stock with under 30k) but I never drive it because I have it in storage. But since I have gotten rid of the Z, I've always had a craving for Nissan turbo power and the opportunity has finally raised it's head. I'm hoping we're talking under 10 grand here? I was leaning towards the 25 so I can play with more power-adders and do the swap right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellraiser Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 depending on how much power u want out of it and how good u are fab' work u should be well under the 10k mark even if ur not you'll still be around that mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JAMIE T Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 $7500-$15,000 if you do all the work. And, do it right. Do'nt kid yourself into thinking this is an easy "bolt-in". Believe me, a small block chevy is a whole lot cheap. I've got $25,000 in parts, no labor in my 240Z. Granted, I bought 2 RB26's and HKS turbo's. Those items were the big ticket items. One engine is going in the car with just bolt-ons and the HKS turbo's. The second one is getting fully built for serious power, as in over 800 hp to the wheels. A quick run down on items you'll want or need: Motor and trans Engine mounts fabricate a trans mount custom driveshaft improved differential a big brake kit suspension bushings wheels and tires boost gauge boost controller exhuast(don't skimp here) Also, depending on the condition of the cars, you'll want to basically restore it to prep it for the engine swap. Hope this gives insight to the REAL cost of doing an engine swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellraiser Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 im doing the swap r8t now and so far ive spent 1450.00 motor and 5 speed 450.00 race exhaust manifold and intercooler will spend about 1700.00on gt35r turbo and stand alone comp and harness, if u just do the basic swap rb25det are on ebay 4 about 2500.00 with all the bits u'll need for the swap less the mounts and oil pan which will be about 500.00 i dont see why it should take u over 10,000.00 with the good bargains going on r8t now, take ur time and u'll be fine as these motors gain popularity here in the u.s it'll get easier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Benito Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Thanks for the insight. I plan on making the car able to handle the extra power before I take the plunge, anyway, so it won't be for at least 6 months or more that I even start ordering parts. I want the suspension and brakes DONE by the time I do the motor. I may even go with a cage, too, as I had a nasty rollover in Jan '04 and have since promised never to drive a fast car without a cage again. As far as bodywork goes, the Z that is getting the swap already has a 90% (which is all it will ever have) restore with custom color metallic blue paint. It would've been 100% restored, but I only helped with the restoring process, I wasn't in charge (car wasn't mine at the time) This Z has 365k on it, but has never been driven hard, as it still has the original clutch with plenty of life left. O yeah. I am the second owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Complete Motor + Trans $2000 Oil Pan $175 Intercooler $200 Intake Manfold $600 Flywheel $379 Clutch $300 List goes on and on and on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Benito Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 The intake mani wasn't a "must have" for the swap though, was it? I would much rather have the engine in the car and running before I put mega bucks into mods. I'd just drop it back out to mod it out at a later time--aka when I have more money to do what I want to do. If there's one thing I've learned over my short 5 or so years of tuning cars, it's that if you aren't thorough and don't do a near perfect job, it will ALWAYS bite you in the *** at the end... I mean, getting a nice front mount with custom piping and a bov alone is going to be over a grand itself. A custom mandrel bent 3" turbo back will probably be about the same. Costs add up quickly and it sucks running out of money halfway through a project... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZXRockie Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Complete Motor + Trans $2000Oil Pan $175 Intercooler $200 Intake Manfold $600 Flywheel $379 Clutch $300 List goes on and on and on... Man! rb25det + that greddy manifold + one more grand and you get the Rb26dett... Better motor in every single way... I did my math after getting a Rb25det, which I sold, and I'm just going to do the GT-R Stock Engine. Enough power, strong enough, and it is just a legend. My recomendation: save money and be patient, get everything you need before start the swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 The RB26 seemed to me like a good deal, but it was way too expensive. MAINLY because after getting the 26, I would have to go find the RB25 transmission which would be roughly a grand, sometimes more. (That would be about 4K+ for Motor and RB25 Trans) I bought my RB25 for 2K. Also, my reason for getting the RB25 was the fact that it came in ECR33's (1995-1998). Most RB26's that are stateside come from BCNR32's (1989-1994) [Please correct me if I'm wrong]. I didn't want to put myself in the situation of having a motor from 1992, so I opted out for a newer RB25DET (not that much newer, but still newer). The GReddy manifold is not a needed part, but I like the fact that it's a huge plenum that doesnt wrap over the valve cover. Reduces a lot of piping to increase throttle response. So yeah, I probably could have done other things... but to each his own Z. -Cheers P.S. - I'm also saving up and buying all my parts before putting them into the car. Very good idea saves money and time in the long run. Especially clutch and flywheel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Benito Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 The GReddy manifold is not a needed part' date=' but I like the fact that it's a huge plenum that doesnt wrap over the valve cover. Reduces a lot of piping to increase throttle response.QUOTE'] O yeah. I forgot about the silly intake mani on the 25. I think I'll break for the mani... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 This has all been covered a bit, but what the hay! Man! rb25det + that greddy manifold + one more grand and you get the Rb26dett... Better motor in every single way... Er... not quite. I can almost gaurantee you that any RB26 you get for $3600 will NOT come with a tranny. So you'll have to hunt one down and can expect to pay anywhere from $1000 - $1200. And you'll need an oil pan' date=' fabricate a pickup...etc. There are several advantages to going with the RB25 and, depending on the power output desired, [i']could[/i] be considered a better swap than an RB26. Notice I said better swap and not better motor. 'Better' is subjective and sometimes depends on personal factors... not HP, not # turbo's, not 'GTR'... etc. Even thought the price of the '26's are falling (Although I seriously question the condition of some of these motors) the '25's are still cheaper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Oh... and that being said... RB26's Rule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I'm also thinking about the ATI Dampeners. But I need to see if the ones off the RB26 will fit the ones off of the RB25. I need to remove mine to compare it to the 26's. My crank pulley is a bit damaged and I'm affarid of balance issues, also it's nice because it removes all the extra pulleys I don't need (A/C and P/S). Anyone know if the BCNR32 or the BCNR33/R34 crank pulley is interchangeable with the ECR33? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JAMIE T Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 If the balancer in the your picture is of a RB25 unit, then it looks nothing like the one for my RB26. Checkout the pics in the thread "When in Doubt, Bling it out" for comparison. FWIW, I agree 100% with Zhadman. For $3600, you will get an RB26 and maybe an AWD tranny. You'll still need to get a tranny. Then plumb the freakin' thing. Anyway, I saw good freakin luck to anyone thinking they can swap and RB anything into a Z for under $7500, and I don't mean halfassed approach, I'm talking about a complete system. Like savageskaterkid, his intentions were good, but he was talking about not installing an IC. He said he would do that down the road. Not the way I would approach such a swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 If the balancer in the your picture is of a RB25 unit' date=' then it looks nothing like the one for my RB26. Checkout the pics in the thread "When in Doubt, Bling it out" for comparison.[/quote'] That is just a general picture I think just go to give people an idea. ATI makes two dampeners, one for the R32 RB26, and one for the R33/R34 RB26. The R32 and the 33/34 are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 . Anyway, I say good freakin luck to anyone thinking they can swap and RB anything into a Z for under $7500, and I don't mean halfassed approach, I'm talking about a complete system. Like savageskaterkid, his intentions were good, but he was talking about not installing an IC. He said he would do that down the road. Not the way I would approach such a swap. I did mine for under 5500 but i was in japan and had help with some very very reasonable prices (thanks MATT) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 I did mine for under 5500 but i was in japan and had help with some very very reasonable prices (thanks MATT) Yeah, there may be some exceptions... but average is a bit more than 5500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Yeah, there may be some exceptions... but average is a bit more than 5500 Dont get me wrong i was trying to show i was an exception and it was because i was in japan at the time. 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.