Who swaps their engines by themselves?

[bschiltz]

I'm on my way to the library right now (no joke), gonna try and get the basics down on engines before I start ready the books on the small block.

 

As for the sunroof'd Z, I'm not sure I'm gonna get it as its starting to bother the crap out of me, think I'm gonna start looking for one without the sun roof.

 

No, sunroofs were not a factory option. If the rest of the car is in good shape (little/no rust) just have the hole skinned over. If you get the welder, you can do it your self.

[Plague_oc]

how much would it cost to paint it over?

[grumpyvette]

Plague_oc

 

buy these, youll be FAR AHEAD

 

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/motobooks_1955_93732534

 

 

HOW TO BUILD MAX PERFORMANCE CHEVY SMALL BLOCKS ON A BUDGET by DAVID VIZARD

 

LINGENFELTER on modifying small-block chevy engines

 

SMOKEY YUNICK,S POWER SECRETS

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/103-3486570-0918205?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=SMOKEY+YUNICK%2CS+POWER+SECRETS&Go.x=9&Go.y=12

[V8_DatZun]

lol what makes me mad is making a trip to the parts store.. 2 out of 3 dont have the part you need... before hand you look at EVERYTHING to be sure you need NOTHING else... you FINALLY get the part.. get home put it on and then you're all "oh crap.. i didnt get _____ now i cant do anything else until i get it...... *DOH*" lol.. that really gets me aggravated. murphy's law DEFINATLY applies to car wrenchin'

[m1noel]

I agree with most everything said above. I have a very good set of tools, plenty of room, etc. I read and studied for almost two years, ordered stuff for 3-4 months, then started. After the first couple of long days, one to get the L28 out and prep for paint in the engine bay, and one to set the new engine in place, I only worked on it for an hour or two at a time. Just pick one thing at a time to do and do right. That kept me married and the frustration level low. And the job took about half the time I figured it would. And it is so much fun to drive.

Good luck,

Mike

[lbhsbZ]

lol what makes me mad is making a trip to the parts store.. 2 out of 3 dont have the part you need... before hand you look at EVERYTHING to be sure you need NOTHING else... you FINALLY get the part.. get home put it on and then you're all "oh crap.. i didnt get _____ now i cant do anything else until i get it...... *DOH*" lol.. that really gets me aggravated. murphy's law DEFINATLY applies to car wrenchin'

 

Here's the list I take with me to the parts house whenever I have a fresh motor/engine swap going on.....

 

Oil

Oil Filter

Coolant

Trans fluid

Vacuum line

Fuel Line

Thermostat

Radiator hoses

Heater hoses (if applicable)

Hose clamps

Gasket Set (every used motor gets the head(s), pan, timing cover, 2 rod caps and 2 main caps removed for inspection before putting it in the car...and all new gaskets)

 

Water pump

Fuel Pump (if using the stock pump)

Carb Kit (if using the stock carb)

Air cleaner element

motor mounts

trans mount

Belts

Silicone

Gaskacinch

Pipe plugs for intake/heads/block

Freeze plugs

Vacuum brake booster fitting (if your carb doesn't have one)

Cap & Rotor

Spark Plugs

Plug wires

 

 

Most of the simple stuff I keep in stock in bulk in the garage, but the appication specific stuff, I buy per job. Take this list with you to the store, and get everything on it. If you do, and you get the correct parts...you shouldn't have any stupid failures for a while.

[grumpyvette]

BTW, standard rubber fuel line and crimp hose fittings and adapters,at auto parts stores generally costs a good deal more each or per foot than a purchase of far better quality low pressure hydrolic hose of similar size when bought in bulk at hydralic supply houses and the hydrolic line generally has several layers, and is far stronger, looks better and is far less likely to leak or get cut accidently, youll need to shop carefully because some types are absurdly expensive but you can get bargins

[MrFancypants]

Two really important things before you take on any car project without experience:

 

1. Space

2. Time

 

I could add Continuum but that isnt the same conversation.

 

The Space thing is important... make sure you have room to work. Personally I dont think a single bay garage or a driveway is enough space. You need a place where you can tear stuff down and not worry about having to get it all back together and moved aside because the space is needed for something else.

 

Time is crucial because if youre under the gun to finish something (say it's your daily driver, for example) you will add so much stress to the work that it won't be nearly as much fun. Having the flexibility to put the project on hold when other priorities come up is really important to keeping yourself motivated. Of course you should still set some general time goals so you dont procrastinate, slack off or simply avoid completing your project. You'll also ALWAYS miss a part or two -- time crunches can kill you when you dont have EVERYTHING on hand.

 

Ive done a lot of car modification when I didnt have the luxury of the two things I just listed, and the stress just plain sucked. Make sure you set yourself up for success and you'll learn something while enjoying yourself at the same time.

 

Very good point about the mentor... If you're just getting into working on cars, a motor swap is probably biting off more than you can chew just yet. Gotta learn to crawl before you can walk.

 

 

 

 

- Greg -

[Teekass]

But once u get a welder and realize how fun it is, u'll want to make everything u can, lol.

 

Man, that is so true. Also, once you have a welder, it opens opens up more ideas when fabricating. I've turned into a "weld-nut" junkie (you know, the nuts that are welded to the bracket, panel, body, etc. so you don't have to hold the nut on the back side while you put the bolt through).

[1 tuff z]

mine was done all in my smallish 2 car garage. no power tools, no welder, no lift. did it over the winter of 2005-06, when the z is normally off the road anyway. i did have; an LS1 expert that did an initial tune to my pcm then later tuned it on his new dyno [i also sourced many parts from him and bugged for much advice], wiring guy-he did the work to adapt the pro-comp gauges and tied the datsun to gm harnesses together, welder guy-basically built the exaust system [had the z flatbedded there after it was 'fired up']. all in all, very satisfying to know that i [pretty much] built it myself!

 

remember, it always takes longer than it does...

[danj]

Plague oc

 

You are receiving some good nuts and bolts advice from the respondents to your thread. Many of the HybridZ guys have been there and done that, and are a valuable source of tried and proven advice. (trial & error too)

 

It really does pay to take your time and read all you can, put together a complete plan based on what you want your final result to be.

 

I thought I would short cut the process by employing 'skilled' hot rod mechanics to assist with the plan and the fabrication when I had my 83 280ZX converted to a 383 stroker with 700R4 tranny, and Edelbrock Pro Fo EFI. The biggest problem I ran into was that every hot rod mechanic has their own idea about what you should be building and how it should be done, and few of them agree on anything. Even fewer really understand the Z cars. If you don't have your own plan and understand what's involved, you will end up spending a lot of money having someone else build their dream instead of yours. Worse yet, you won't know how to do any serious trouble shooting and refinements once the car doesn't look like anything in a shop manual and you aren't familiar with what all was done to the car.

 

These are highly specialized projects that take a lot of knowledge, time, money and experience. There are few short cuts. Nobody will understand or appreciate your vehicle as much as you, especially when something goes wrong.

 

In the end I spent more time, money and frustration working with the hot rod mechanics than I would have if I had done everything I could according to a complete plan of my own design and labor. There are some things you will need help on since you won't have all the tools or perhaps the facility to do all the work yourself, but if you learn all you can and do as much of the work as you can on your own, and put together a solid plan from the start, with the help of tried and proven Z car nuts, you will be miles ahead.

 

Good luck with your project.

 

DanJ

[Cable]

I've done all my swaps myself, usually without any help at all.

 

The exhaust and engine/heads machine work is the only thing I can't/don't do 'in-house'.

[Michael]

Returning to the original question in this thread....

 

The choice comes down to this: doing your own engine swap belongs to a particular lifestyle. Does that sound like your sort of lifestyle? If so, then any alternative to doing it yourself will be unsatisfying and will leave the proverbial poor taste in your mouth. If not, then by doing it yourself, you’re setting yourself up for frustration - or worse.

 

So the satisfaction of building your own car is not to be denied, but be wary of the flip side: many years of toil with no completion in sight --> dejection and self-doubt. And ask me how it feels when you’ve been working on an engine for 7 years, then drive the car for 40 miles, open it up for minor tuning and find significant internal damage…

 

There are so many disparate yet related aspects to this hobby - the craftsmanship, the engineering, the sport, the camaraderie. Achievements in many of these is possible even if you never finish your car. Still, it’s hard to be proud of a project with recurring setbacks, like blown engines or broken suspension parts. And it’s hard to maintain motivation when seemingly even the simple things backfire (such as the carburetor ).

 

But hanging out with knowledgeable people is a rewarding experience in its own right - whether in the car hobby or essentially anything else. In hindsight my own project has many regrettable aspects. Strictly in the practical terms of owning a fast car, I would have done far better by either buying an OEM sports car and leaving it stock, or performing minor bolt-ons on such a car, or buying some one else’s complete or nearly-complete project car. Going your own way as an engineer/hobbyist has an ineluctable romantic pull. I couldn’t resist, to my detriment in practical terms. But only in practical terms! The emotional and intellectual rewards defy quantification. They will remain even if the engine’s oil pan doesn’t get reinstalled for 20 years.

 

Welding, cutting and measuring, fabbing parts etc. are often regarded as the tough part of a hybrid engine swap. This is not necessarily true, depending on one’s mix of skills and one’s experience. The tough part can be the “routine†auto mechanics - keeping a high-performance engine together.

[pparaska]

Good points, Michael. BTW, I had to look ineluctable up: "Impossible to avoid or evade; inevitable." LOL

[dr_hunt]

I swap engines by myself, that way I know it's right the first time. But I guess it depends on your level of knowledge, skill, tools, shop space, time and $$$.