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L28ET vs V8 vs RB etc, etc, etc


SuperDan

What conversion have you done, doing etc.  

175 members have voted

  1. 1. What conversion have you done, doing etc.

    • GM V8
      180
    • GM V6
      5
    • Ford V8
      22
    • Nissan RB series
      92
    • Nissan SR series
      17
    • Nissan L6 Turbo
      296
    • Other not listed
      72


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  • 7 months later...

I am fairly new to the boards. But I voted for the L28ET conversion. I am slowly piecing the parts needed for the project. I am turning my '82 280zx N/A into a '81 1/2 Turbo clone. Eventually I will start a project thread. And update my progress as I go.

 

Oh and this will not be your typical 280zx turbo. I am customizing things here and there. It is going to be one of a kind. That is what I always strive to be. (different) ;)

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Boosted VH45DE(TT) in progress.

I wanted to do a maximum effort L30ET but the "could have had a V8" bug was going to bite bad.

I figured I'd get a "less-archaic" version of a V8 while I was at it.

 

Why I chose the VH45:

6 bolt mains, forged crank and rods, main cap girdle, hyperetutic alloy block, DOHC, Variable intake cam timing, 32 valves, 6900RPM OE rev limiter but able to go to 7500+ with extra balancing/head work, the sound of a deadly efficient V8, same weight as the stock L6, can be adapted to a Z32 trans, etc...

 

Downsides:

Came with auto 4 speed only.

bulky

small aftermarket (but growing quickly)

1996 model deleted variable cam timing and thus the dual torque peaks which became one peak at ~4000RPMs.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

I say take the money you will spend on any of those engine you mentioned and put it into the 7m. ie rods pistons head gasket and turbo kit then put that in the car.

 

 

Its a coin toss when buying any motor from an importer on weather or not it will be good. The 7m is a decent motor and has parts available in the US.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have done sr20det, rb20det, rb25det, l28et , l30et, l30e, l32e, ls1, 350sbc, 7mgte swaps in 240 260 and 280z's. The turbo swaps were always fun because you can turn up boost tune it and get that like feeling of acceleration. The 350 sbc was fun but not practical for the person they ended up selling it because they said the fumes were to bad lol. The rb people seemed to like there cars and loved the smooth sounds and revs over the l28e or et. The sr20det I did was nice .. alot of room to work with and basically made it a mid engine car. The rb/sr conversions made it easy to use 240sx dash and clusters with these engines to have a modern speed sensor and tach. Water temp as well as cel were able to be used as well. Ls1 was one of my favs because of the instant trq it produced andthe smile it put on my face when i first rolled on the throttle. Got to love the 6 speed and decent gas milege. i ono i fee like im taking to much BYE.

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  • 1 year later...
2JZ >

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Why?

I understand that it has rather malleable forged bits in the bottom that allows it to hold lots of boost inspired ego boosting dyno numbers.

 

Being better than something does not simply stem from the big number at the end of the graph.

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Gen I SBC 350, .030” over bore, 2 pce rear main, flat tappet.

Cheapo $99 Silvolite flat top cast pistons. Stock 350 crank. Stock 5.7 X-cap rods w/Pioneer rod bolts. Hamburger oil pan, Melling M55 oil pump.

 

041 casting iron heads ported be me, 1.94"/1.50" valves, roller tip 1.5 ratio cheapo rockers. Basic Edelbrock Performer dual plane intake, Holley 650 double pumper carb, (bought used, no jet changes, only idle mixture adjust). Hi-Tech Tork Link cam flat tappet cam, 21x/22x @ .050", 46x/48x" lift, 112 LSA. Glass smooth idle at 750 RPM, Hooker 1 5/8" primary shorty headers, dual 2 1/2" exhaust, (cheesy $19 glass packs had only 2" ID). Stock HEI with performance coil and mild module, Jacobs wires, NGK spark bolts. Trans was a W/C T-5 from a '91 Firebird, Centerforce-II clutch, GM lightweight flywheel, R-200 3.90 welded diff. Engine was nothing special, but ran hard.

 

Car was a daily driver '75 280-Z, full interior, chassis set up for Street Prepared, with the V-8, car ran OSP-O. Weighed 2950 lbs with half tank of gas and driver, (1400 on the front, 1550 on the rear, rear weight biased). This set up was daily driven for over a year in this configuration, ran consistent 12.3 @ 113 MPH at Wood Burn Drag strip with cheesy 195 60 HR 14" all season street tires, factory ZX 14” x 6” six spoke wheels.

 

280Z1.jpg

 

280Z2.jpg

 

280Z-V8Custom.jpg

 

paulr101098best.jpg

Edited by BRAAP
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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Had a 75 280z never drove it. Planned on an ls1 t 56 conversion, as a daily driver. Junked it cause unknowingly, i bought an unsalvagable car. Then I bought my 72 240z, thought about the stock motor totally built as far as I could go, then the thought of the RB engines crept in, then I realized I am perpetually broke, on a fixed income, and stuck there till 2015, the army sucks by the way, and have decided finally on an ls1 with t 56 because of the compromise between performance, reliability, and a seemingly pretty easy install, just waiting on money. Its gonna be a long wait. Oh yeah, i have never even ridden in a z car before, but what got me going on it, was the video on youtube of the totally wicked 280 with the lt1 supercharge, spinning the tires at like 50 mph. wanted one ever since. So anyone near southeastern alabama wouldnt mind taking me for a ride. I just want to ride in one, inspiration you know.

Edited by angry_dave24
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  • 3 weeks later...

Wow, have I really not posted in this thread? Thought I had. I'm kinda glad I haven't though, as opinions tend to change. Good thing they're opinions, and not reality!

 

As much as I hate to admit it, I think the most logical all around swap for just about anyone, is a LSx swap. Affordable, good starting hp, lots of potential, decent on gas for the hp, tunable, low weight, compact, etc, etc, etc, etc.

 

Those that really know me know how much it almost hurts to say that. But it's the truth. As LSx prices drop and drop every year it gets hard and harder to imagine putting a SBC or SBF into a Z, unless you really want that retro factor.

 

That being said, one of the cars I admire the most on here is ZR8ED. I love the VG. Makes plenty of power. Sits way far back. Very light. Very small for a OHC engine. Overall it's a very neat engine that's too often overlooked. I guess I just don't have the stones to actually do it.

 

And here I am driving a L28ET... There's something wrong in this world.

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I voted L28ET. This is totally personal preference, but there is something about swapping a non-Nissan motor that just bugs the hell outta me! It may as well not be a Z car, you know? Personally, I like the fact that you can throw an L28ET in a 240z and run with the modern motors of today and still keep that nostalgic inline L motor in the car. This is off topic, but I just saw a Viper roll up to an intersection outside the window of my work. Anyways, another thing I like about the swap is that so many parts are interchangeable between the L series motor, its great! It is true the LS motors are the best bang for your buck...but why!? Obviously the guys that do it are looking at power to weight ratio, but man, what a slap in the face to Nissan! Just my opinion :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I voted L28ET. This is totally personal preference, but there is something about swapping a non-Nissan motor that just bugs the hell outta me! It may as well not be a Z car, you know? Personally, I like the fact that you can throw an L28ET in a 240z and run with the modern motors of today and still keep that nostalgic inline L motor in the car. This is off topic, but I just saw a Viper roll up to an intersection outside the window of my work. Anyways, another thing I like about the swap is that so many parts are interchangeable between the L series motor, its great! It is true the LS motors are the best bang for your buck...but why!? Obviously the guys that do it are looking at power to weight ratio, but man, what a slap in the face to Nissan! Just my opinion :)

 

Personally, I think you are being silly. Do you really think that "Nissan" has an opinion on this? Do you really think anyone at Nissan is offended by someone using a non-Nissan engine in an old Z car? NO THEY DON'T. Mr. K loved my car when he saw it with the V8, signed the visor too.

 

This is the silly attitude that got HybridZ.org started years ago, and here you come onto HybridZ with this silly nonsense.

 

Come up with a GOOD, RATIONAL reason and I'll listen. Irrational crap like "a slap in the face to Nissan" doesn't belong on the lips of anyone who actually uses their brain, or on HybridZ.org.

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Yea, Slap in the face to Nissan was what did it for me... :rolleyes:

 

Take that chit to Zcar.com. Some of the "old" staff are back on a more frequent basis, here on HybridZ. Refreshing to some, pissing others off by the minute! :lol:

 

Don't get me wrong... There are any number of ways to achieve what anyone wants to with their respective "zcar". I'm a fan of everything on the list. But anytime someone wants to give me the cash I have invested in mine, you know the one I've been pushing around by hand for 10 years, then you can dictate what I put in it. Until then, Nissan can suck it! :lol:

 

Mike

Edited by Mikelly
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I voted L28ET. This is totally personal preference, but there is something about swapping a non-Nissan motor that just bugs the hell outta me! It may as well not be a Z car, you know? Personally, I like the fact that you can throw an L28ET in a 240z and run with the modern motors of today and still keep that nostalgic inline L motor in the car. This is off topic, but I just saw a Viper roll up to an intersection outside the window of my work. Anyways, another thing I like about the swap is that so many parts are interchangeable between the L series motor, its great! It is true the LS motors are the best bang for your buck...but why!? Obviously the guys that do it are looking at power to weight ratio, but man, what a slap in the face to Nissan! Just my opinion :)

 

 

Rule #7....

 

7. Remember, this is a Hybrid site. Do not ever get on the purist Datsun/Nissan soapbox or promote Datsun/Nissan only swaps. The Admins/moderators will not tolerate this. The mere mention of keeping your Z "all Datsun" will be frowned upon. Several other sites exist for this mindset.

 

 

Make those comments somewhere else, please.

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