Considering 302 for Z31

[Spykce]

Well since I have finally paid off my daily driver, finished high school and have the summer to save up some money I decided I am going to do a v8 swap like I wanted to into my old 280zx I had. My dad however didn't feel this was a practicle car for Michigan, so I sold it for my 200sx.

 

Anyways I'm planning on getting a z31 and I want to put a 302 in it. From what I have been reading about the swaps in the older Z's I need the following parts from the same car to do this:

 

Engine

ECU

Wiring Harness

Transmission

Clutch

Accessories(power steering, etc.)

 

Does that sound right? Am I missing something? I've noticed that swapping a v8 in the z31 is somewhat new, let alone a SBF. I want to end up with somewhere between 300-400 HP. Does that seem reasonable to you guys? I still have tons of research to do but after looking through the forums the past 2 weeks I finally joined to start asking opinions.

[Trevor]

Spycke,

Just some ideas off the top of my head......

 

Motor, transmission mounts - your own design and fabrication, consider adding a U-joint into the steering column for header clearance

 

Exhaust - will require catalytic converter(s) (and maybe air pump)

 

Driveshaft - Altered Ford or custom length with 1310 U-joints. Search for the R-200 to 1310 U-joint flange adaptor Spicer/Neapco part number, Z31 should be the same as S30 R-200.

 

Brake upgrade?

 

Speedometer cable

 

Will the stock in-tank fuel pump keep up with a 400 hp V-8? Consider replacing it with an external pump.

[Spykce]

Thanks for the reply, I had wondered about the fuel pump but wasn't sure. I'll do some more searching on all the new stuff. Also what about suspension? Wouldn't you want something quite stiff to hold the back end, I mean a V8 is going to put the nose in the air a lot more than the 160hp v6. Think a good aftermarket coil-over kit would work with that? I don't know if the SS springs are stiff enough or not.

 

Thanks again, off I go to more searching

[Chaparral2f]

I don't believe that the in tank pump will give you enough volume for a v8. I changed to a holley red pump for my swap (currently mine is carbed).With my Chevy the exhaust will clear the steering though it is pretty tight. I don't have any experience with a sbf, but if the sump on the oil pan is at the rear, there should be a ton of room around it. As for the rear end, my z31 squats enough to drag the exhaust from a dead start, but the wheels barely break loose. however when it goes into second, it does have a tendency to get sideways. I'm not crazy about it squating so here is my solution. I plan to put in an 8.8 inch Ford irs from a t'bird or a mustang(if I ever get the time) . There are pics of my sbc in my gallery if you are interested.

Joe

[Alf]

Here is a list of things I needed when I did my Chevy v8 swap into my Z31:

 

custom fabbed engine mount brackets, only after tons of figuring, measuring, and mocking

 

modified tranny crossmember and mount

 

custom driveshaft with replaceable u-joints and the adapter yoke(mine was neapco)

 

custom fabbed p/s pump mounts and pressure line for Nissan pump

 

custom alternator mount and wiring

 

full custom exhaust system

 

if you go manual transmission you may need a hydraulic throwout bearing with custom plumbing. you may also need to customize your shifter and/or shifter handle to let the shifter come through the stock hole in the floor

 

If you reach your goal of 300-400 hp your fuel system will need a total redo. The factory pump wasn't even sufficient for my 150hp 305. Either go mechanical or external electric and plumb it for 3/8 line, you will need to make a new sump too.

 

All Nissan wiring must be adapted to your new engine.

 

 

Didn't mean to discourage you, just giving you a heads up. Good luck.

[Guest TheJollyGreenGiant]

Is there a large (sticky) thread on swapping a 302 or 351 into a Z car? If not, I'm sure at least a few people have done the swap (I'm new, excuse the ignorance, lol) so why not sticky a step by step topic on what that person did? If I had the money and the Z to do this, I would...but I'm still in debt from a recent shopping trip for a bass amp and new bass.

 

 

EDIT: Even after searching for about 10 minutes, I was unable to find a good thread taht outlined any Ford engine swap from start to finish, Hopefully someone can make a thread taht shows how extensive of a swap it would be and any problems they encountered.