MIBPreacher Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 For those who have done this before, I had a couple of questions. After reading all the stories of the V8 motors and how fast everyone runs, and how much it costs to purchase and install the turbo equipment... I wanted to consider a small block v8 from ford. 289 or 302. A junk yard motor, pull it and have me and my son work on it together. I have a Nissan 5 speed, from an 84 300zx to swap into my Z. Its the FS5W71C. What I was thinking was this. 1. Has anyone ever attached a V8 to this tranny? Im not looking for a ton of horsepower, mostly like 200 or 225 range would be fine with me. 2. Can someone recommend a motor out of a certain car that would offer the easiest effort to swap? I could then wait for 1/2 price days at the picknpull. 3. The Z31 already has a cowl hood shape, so I dont expect it to be a problem with height limitations. Is there a particular store that sells the motor mount brackets? 4. How hard would you consider the electronics part of the swap to deal with? I want to go carburated to make things simple. 5. I was underneath my car the other day, I didnt see alot of room for dual exhaust on the passenger side? any recommendations on that? I already have the electric cooling setup with the Taurus fan. I wish someone would post a "how to" to get things rolling for us in the Z31 generation. Thanks for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIBPreacher Posted May 26, 2006 Author Share Posted May 26, 2006 OK I did some googling, and I see that the 289 is a longshot to get and wouldnt be cheap. I think this summer I am going to look for a mid 80s crown vic or conty and see if I can get it cheap. Pull the engine and its accessories, and have someone tow the car away. I read that the early 80's conty had throttle body injection. Would that be easier then a carb setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsil Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 As far as I know, there are no Z31 / SBF swaps (I could be wrong)... as far as crossmembers / motor mounts, no one makes them that I know of either. The engine bay on the Z31 is smaller than even the 280ZX bay - so I'm not sure how it would fit. The engine is a little narrower and slightly longer than a SBC, so length and height will be the biggest hurdles to overcome. For mounting the trans - find a SBF with a T-5 already with it. the stock 5-speed would take a bunch of mods to make it fit (adapter plate, etc) plus would not be up to the task Torque-wise. The 3.0 Z motor doesn't make a ton of torque, while the SBF makes over 250 lb-ft in stock form. This would shred the 5-speed quick. Even the T-5 they put behind the 5.0 motors doesn't handle much over 300 lb-ft very long. There's always the WC T-5 which is rated for 325 lb-ft (If I remember right), but that's not much of a step up. if you're just going to drive the car around and have fun the stock T-5 would be fine. Remember though, that going with a carb changes the output of a stock 86-93 SBF from 225 hp to around 255-260 (with a dual-plane intake and 600 CFM carb, the stock EFI intake is VERY restrictive) so you're starting with a medium strong engine from the get-go. If you do wind up doing the swap, post pics and info here so others can benefit. Keeps people from making the same mistakes others have already made!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIBPreacher Posted May 26, 2006 Author Share Posted May 26, 2006 If I am understanding correctly, the T5 also came in the 300zx. Would Nissan have made different driveshafts for the 3 different transmissions they used? I am wondering if I could reuse my current driveshaft? Yeah it would be a daily driver, just around town, no racing other then to get to work. I now figure based on what you said, I am kind of limited in my search for a donor vehicle since I think on the Mustang or a pickup might have had the 5spd and the 302. (Now I am looking at more $ for parts... ) Length considerations I dont think will be a problem as with my current setup, and no stock fan, I believe i have about 10" to 1 foot of space before you hit the frame. It looks like I will try and reuse my original cross member and have someone fab the motor mounts? I did read in '85 ford beefed up some internals on the 302 which increased the HP. So I want to go with a 2 barrel as I would prefer gas mileage over extra HP. Mostly stock equipment, manifolds, etc to keep cost down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alf Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=108812 http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=107661 Check these out if you havn't already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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