Guest Yellownor Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Hey guyz, im new to this site as a member but i have visisted it before. I own a 71' Datsun 240z, four speed, and I was looking into a engine swap for the reliability of a new engine and for a little more "umph". I have spent time researching the L28ET and SR20DET. I was wondering how managable an SR swap was. Now i know that an RB is probally a better swap but i am a high school student and 1. my dad wont let me put that much power into the car, and 2. i dont have nearly enough money to purchase the engine and everything i will need to make it functional. I am fairly familiar with an SR swap into a 240sx, but i have never seen one done on my car, other then things i have seen online. Any information relating to the subject would be most appritiated, any websites would also be nice, and i am located in northwestern Florida, so anyone selling an L28ET or and SR20DET, i would like to talk to. thank you for your time, Alex. Its not that im really low on cash, its just i dont want to have to spend alot more money if there is not alot more gain. I have used the search tab on the website, and i found useful information but nothing extremely specific on pros and cons of the two engines. also if someone near northwestern florida, has done the swap and would be willing to talk about it over the phone, could you leave a post saying on how we could get in touch, because i would raelly like to talk to someone who has done the swap themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I'm not an expert here, as I've never seen one for real either but, from what I've read, I think the major problem with the SR swap is that the engine sits right on the crossmember. Thus, I "THINK" that the aforementioned crossmember needs to be modified or it'll leave the engine at an odd angle which would be hard on the driveshaft's U-joints. Nowadays, I think that an SR20 isn't that much cheaper than an RB25... I would stay with the L28ET until you finish school, as it's WAY easier (read bolt in) to fit. + you'll probably be able to sneak in more power out of that old engine since it'll probably bring less attention from DAD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR240Z Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 for the sr20 swaps, the engine sits behind the front crossmember. Almost even gives you enough clearance for those big greddy oil pans (at that point just need to notch the crossmember). The sr20 initial cost is a bit cheaper than the rb25 as well as aftermarket parts. Because of the rb coming from a "skyline" the parts tend to be more expensive. Some parts for the SR20 you can get from the B13 sentra SE-R if you are going to rebuild a motor (i.e. bearings and such) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hun! I guess there's no arguing on that subject, with a guy named SR240Z LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yellownor Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 haha, ya, well i guess that is true. if i were to do the sr it would be newer for one, and lighter for another. i also have a resource for making the mounts (old friend, hes a retired avionics mechanic). so i was getting most of my research from the price of things. And the aftermarket is great for the SR, and im also a bit more familiar with the SR20DET, then the L28ET. But i am open to any suggestions. Another thing is that im happy with any amount of power, as long as it is above 150whp, 150tqu, For those are my figures (supposedly) now. My biggest concern was the custom driveshaft and the bonus of having the engine sitting so far back, i was told by a friend that it would handle much like a midengine car, if i did use the SR. I have contacted the owner of Z-Barn, and know for a fact that he could locate me a complete 280zx turbo setup, so that is a perk. But im sure that there has got to be some kind of reliable JDM engine dealer, that has a nice SR20DET with my name written on it. If it was your car and you had to engine swap, and you had a budget of around 6000, what would you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Sr20..... they are 200+hp stock and good for 400+ without going internal. and im guessing that it would be pretty easy to get it done for under 6K, If the car is allready prepped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I hadn't realised that you had a considerable budget, therefore... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Find an L28ET engine/trans/harness for $500. It bolts right in and will fill your hp/torque requirements right out of the box, then you'll have money for all the other crap that needs doing like suspension/brakes/etc. After you get done with all that you might still have the cash to add an intercooler and some other go fast goodies. Lots of guys making 300+ whp on junkyard L28ETs. Read the FAQs on L28ETs to see what you can do cheaply and easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True School 240Z Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 L28's suck, just kidding! really I'm kidding. I'm not trying to start another engine versus engine bias-fest. I'm actually back to my humble beginnings with a stock L24 (I got my first Z back). My SR20DET powered Z will be going up for sale soon (I'm in escrow for a condo and need the extra money, click the vildini link below) Yellownor you'd probably be better off with an L28ET being your first swap in the S30 and all. Good luck with whatever you go with. -Scatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yellownor Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 thank you alot guyz for all the informayion but before i start scavenging for L28 resources, does anyone have any good recommendations for sites, companies, or the such related to L28 swap, parts, and all that jazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Search. theres planty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsun_Mike Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 sorry guys but I've been searching for 30min and no luck. I don't have my Z where I'm at so I can't measure the demension where the intercooler will be placed. So my question is what is the size of the intercooler on your Z. I'm going SR so I'm just looking for an intercooler. Oh and can I use a 240SX radiator(probably easier I think) since I'm going SR. Oh and will there be any problem with the driveshaft. In my 510 when I swapped in a KA... I had to shorten the driveshaft. Will it be the same with the SR20DET in the 240Z? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar240z Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 i'm using a 24x12x3 intercooler. and you'll most likely need a custom driveshaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR240Z Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 you will definitely need to shorten the driveshaft, and the 240sx radiator wont be useful since its too wide for the Z engine bay. Aluminum radiators are all over the place on summit and ebay for around $200 so it shouldnt be too big a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsun_Mike Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Thanks Lunar240Z and SR240Z. I appreciated! So what kind of driveshaft do you have on your Z SR240Z? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR240Z Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Stock driveshaft was cut down to spec with all new joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z U L8R Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 the last driveshaft price i had done was the stock 240z driveshaft, cut shorter, and welded an rb25det yoke on the front, then balanced it, it was only $60. after that the initial measurements turned out to be too long so we took it back, they cut it shorter and rebalanced it for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosquattro Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 or maybe try the adapter plate of using a FWD SR20 block and a L series tranny. No need to touch anything behind the engine blockbell. Now everything infront of it...check out the swapping in a FWD SR20DE engine thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduner Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Pshyea i personally am in the same page as YELLOW im planning on turboing my 71 240z and ive writen and writeen pros and cons on these twon engines the L and the SR and well its pretty much of a B@#$ to find parts for the L28ET specially if any of the sensors go bad ECU. MAF etc.... good luck finding them. now... an SR... people have SRs left and right nowadays with the discovery of the engines BALLS also take in consideration the major difference in these two engines WEIGHT! the Z is a known car not only for its looks but for its feather like WEIght compared to other cars. so think about it.. lighter engine with MORE power... or heavyer engine with less power. ofcoarse the cost of these to are also a big chunk of difference but i say the SR20det is worth every penny. I myself am going SR i thought about BR20det for being inexpensive but thought about the difficulty of locating parts IF anything were to happen. so i stayed with SR.. now i jus tneed to know WHAT i need for the swap besided the full swap as in mods. motor mounts etc etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Maudlin Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 At one time, I listed my full swap including prices. I have since switched to the Power FC D-Jetro. A standalone is expensive, but I spent a lot more trying to keep from using a standalone. I should have done this from the start since it did away with the recirculation from the BOV, the MAF and the O2 sensor. I was happy to just throw the MAF out entirely. A MAP based standalone is the only way I will go in the future. My swap is a daily driver SR20DET with 350-400hp at the wheels. I get 30 mpg during normal daily driving. The boost is set at 18psi for daily driving. In regards to the initial comment that the RB is a "better" swap, I do not understand what the person means by better. That probably depends on his goals. I think the SR20DET is the perfect swap for my goals. I wanted a driver that I could commute to work in at 70 miles roundtrip a day, that would not bankrupt me on gas, that was extremely quick and would likely run a 12 second quarter on street tires. So my goals were: 1. reliability 2. speed 3. gas mileage. In theory with real tires and a decent driver, my car should run the 1/4 in the high 10's or low 11's with the boost turned up a little more. 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.