280zwitha383 Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Well, I'm about to get a 350 vortec engine from a guy here on the forum and I need some advice. I've looked through a good bit of the old threads and it seemed noone posted about their vortec swap after they had already got it running so I'm hoping maybe this will become something of an updated vortec thread. Anyway, my plan is to build a nice little daily driver, keep the fuel injection (which I don't have a wiring harness or computer for) and run a overdrive tranny of some sort. I have a 700r4 sitting in the garage but for a daily driver and something that I don't need to complete anytime soon I would love a manual tranny. Driveability, dependabilitly, and initial cost of the swap are my biggest concerns. What I would like to do is rebuild the engine to stock specs not even worrying about replacing the pistons unless the compression is junk (basically new bearings and rings), and maybe find a T5 that I can use as is. I'm not planning on putting this thing through much abuse. I would love to find a t56 but I don't want to shell out the cash for one. I think I'm going to fabricate my own mounts because the stuff from JTR is nice but very simple. Some of the things I don't know about are: - Does the vortec 350 clear the hood (this is a ZX)? - Should I try and find a junkyard wiring harness and computer or try megasquirt (I know next to nothing about either one and I'm definitely going to have to do some homework in this area) - What have others done as far as the cam? For $250 for a new roller cam I am very inclined to use the one that's in there but I realize the cam is for a truck and probably not best suited for a light car with 3.54 gears. Thanks in advance for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HBZ81 Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 - Should I try and find a junkyard wiring harness and computer or try megasquirt (I know next to nothing about either one and I'm definitely going to have to do some homework in this area) . Thanks in advance for any advice. lots of megasquirt info on performanceprobe.com... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getZ Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 JTR sells a book on the swap, "How to Swap Chevrolet TPI or TBI. I would go for the stock computer and wiring harness than opt for the aftermarket stuff. It kind of depends on what mods you want to do to the car later and what kind of experience you have with tuning computer cars. There may be a different computer for the later model trucks that came with the 4L60E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted December 25, 2005 Author Share Posted December 25, 2005 There may be a different computer for the later model trucks that came with the 4L60E. Interesting point' date=' I haven't thought of that. JTR sells a book on the swap, "How to Swap Chevrolet TPI or TBI. That reminds me, I was going to ask what is a good book to get. Do you have the JTR book and if so what is your opinion of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Olphart Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 For a daily driver with an OD tranny, that truck cam might be fine, and it won't cost you $250 to find out. (It also works happily without cutting the valve guides for higher lift). Here is a really neat program, if you want to check out cruise RPM: http://racingdownloads.com/racing_software-22.html At one time there was a pretty fair market in crate engine cams: New take outs, from guys going immediately to the 'HOT' cam and beyond. Might be worth looking into. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getZ Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 Interesting point' date=' I haven't thought of that. That reminds me, I was going to ask what is a good book to get. Do you have the JTR book and if so what is your opinion of it?[/quote'] I have the JTR v-8 conversion for the 240z. It's reasonably complete, but if you are looking for an exact by the numbers type book this isn't it. It will get you close, but there are still some details unique to your installation that will have to be solved yourself. Then again, that's what hot rodding is all about as well as this website. Here is short list of things I ran into doing a standard small block chevy swap, I got almost all my information from this website or links directly to others who have tried the same setup. - driveline angle and crossmember (I made my own from looking at a few other cars. - ground clearance for the 200r4. My transmission is the lowest point on the car, definitely not ideal. No fix for this one yet, just don't lower the car - heat from the headers cooking the wiring. I haven't started my engine yet by I anticipate this being a problem seeing how close it runs to the headers and from what others have said. - Upgrading fuel tank for fuel injection and installing larger fuel lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted December 27, 2005 Author Share Posted December 27, 2005 Getz, are you referring to a small block in a 280zx or in a Z? I have already done a carbed small block in a 280zx and I'm just wondering some general things about the vortec. I haven't seen the engine yet in person and I don't know about hood clearances with the intake of the throttle body being toward the front of the engine. I would be curious to know if the stock exhaust manifolds will fit but I pretty much assumed that I would run some headers (probably the ones for the ZX from JTR). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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