steal my nametag Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 if you're serious about getting a crate engine IMO your best bets would be: http://www.GMperformanceparts.com http://www.summitracing.com http://www.jegs.com http://www.coasthigh.com since this is your first time and all i recomend getting a replacement 305/350 instead of worrying about a high end engine. i've heard great things about the ZZ4 350 crate from GM performance and the install is supposed to be remarkably easy as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaosdrifter06 Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Okay, glad to know I'm not the only one in stockton with a Z. I own a 78 and after reading all these replies, I gotta hand to you because you have a lot of work to do. I graduated from Franklin and I drove to and from there on a 91 non turbo 300ZX so I have a little bit of history with the car. So now I can give you two possible options you can take. One, go for the swap. Now that you have month long breaks next year, if you can take the car home to continue working on it, this swap could be finished well before the project should be due but just make sure your body will be ok like everyone said. You're in CA so I wouldn't worry about rust as much but you never know. Restoring the body can take up a lot of time which you don't have. As for the engine, go to pick n pull. You never know u might strike gold and find a working 350 SBC and if you do, thats only $350-$500. How's that for your budget? The other option is to stick with the engine. L6 are not bad engines. Simply making it turbo should be good enough and upgrading internals should be enough for the teachers to give you a good grade. So as everyone said read the manual and do your research over the summer. Keep in touch and we'll do our best to try and help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 It sounds as if you lack a lot of understanding concerning what you are about to take on. First I'd like to make a few points: Any crate motor worth its salt is gonna cost you at least $3500, and the carb/distributor/all the rest of the pieces to make it run will probably end up being about another $750-1500. There goes your budget, and you don't even have the car yet. After you do your research and decide which transmission you'd like to use....you should be able to find a used one for under $500, unless it's a T56, then double or triple that number. Most people getting into this think that to do an engine swap, all you need is the engine and transmission....this is what kills most projects. You will also need to buy a new/different: radiator, driveshaft, fuel line, fuel pump, clutch, flywheel, fan, belts, hoses, plug wires, plugs, brackets, headers, exhaust, mounts, wiring, nuts, bolts, other little widgets, etc... which generally amount to several thousand dollars in the end. In order to properly budget for this project, browse classifieds, catalogs, and whatever else to price out whatever you KNOW you will need to do the project, then add 10% to that number to cover shipping on everything, then double it and add $1000 for good measure. Thats what it will cost you. Now for the time budget. If you think it will take you a week, budget 2 months. If you think it will take you 2 months, budget 4 months, etc... I managed to do mine in 2 weeks, working 18 hour days on the weekends and until 1 or 2 in the morning during the week after work. Keep in mind that all I've done for the past 10 years is build and work on cars...I've done this stuff before, and still came across plenty of problems that I hadn't expected. That being said, the swap is possible with your budget, but not with your level of knowledge at your budget. If I had $5000, this would be my course of action. Find a 3 or 4 used 350 engines for $200 or less. Pull a cylinder head, main cap, and rod cap before you hand over the cash to check for cylinder wear and bearing wear. Take the best one you find out of all that you looked at. For under $500, you can do what I call a quick and dirty rebuild (rings, bearings, gaskets, cam and lifters, oil pump, lap the valves....just the cheap stuff). Now you've got a servicable longblock capable of about 250-280hp, for less than $700....which is more than enough for a 17 yo kid. Browse the classifieds and find the rest of the goodies....an aluminum intake, a holley carb, go to ebay and buy a $50 HEI distributor. All the OE brackets/engine sheet metal can found a the local junkyard for cheap. You should be able to assemble a ready to run complete engine for under $1000...if you take your time and search for the best deals...they are out there. Pretty much everything you need to do the swap can be found used, and at great prices if you are not in a hurry to get them. Research, learn, and get an understanding of exactly what you will need to make the thing run, then make a list. Every night, spend an hour or so browsing craigslist, the recycler, ebay, and other classifieds looking for everything on your list. Get an idea of going prices for all of the parts, so you know when you've found a deal. When you're not searching the classifieds, find a car and work on it....or find a friend who has a project car and go help them. The best way to learn this kind of stuff is by hand-on experience, and it can't be learned overnight. The more experience you get working on cars, the better your chance of success doing the swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 RsxTypeSlow, Really consider what lbhsbZ said. Your project is definitely doable, even with an LT1, but it will take large amounts of time on your part to pull it off with your budget. Can or will you put in the required time and effort to complete it? Are you driven and ambitious enough? As for all you guys recommending a carb motor, shame on you!!! The wiring for the LT1 is actually very simple, it just takes a little time studying wiring diagrams to realize that. Combine that with the general lack of knowledge regarding carb tuning and an EFI motor is really the way to go. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 As for all you guys recommending a carb motor, shame on you!!! The wiring for the LT1 is actually very simple, it just takes a little time studying wiring diagrams to realize that. Combine that with the general lack of knowledge regarding carb tuning and an EFI motor is really the way to go. Wheelman Yeah but, the wiring for a carb motor is: 1 for the alternator....and 1 for the coil. Also, to the OP... if you want to see what happens to lots of people that think they can do this but don't have the proper dedication, search the classifieds on this site and other classifieds for "project cars"....all those guys sank all the money and time they had into the cars before running out of both, and now selling it for 20-30% of their monetary investment after putting in all their time for free. Its happened to all of us at one point or another.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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