L28 swap with V8 going from AT to MT

[Guest michanic220]

well, i wanted to mod my L28E stock engine up and get atleast 400HP or more, but i dont think the engine is capable of it and i dont want to bolt on a turbo, so i want to pull it out, sell it (nice engine only 20,000 miles)

and put in a small block V-8. i want a engine where its STRAIT HP, not bolt on. altho i probly will bolt on stuff down the road to the V8, im not sure what kind of V8 i want to put in it tho, i want something i can build on and build on and not run out of stuff to gain more HP for a long time ( not alot of money but it all goes into the car so it will be gradually not all at once) i also want a 5 speed tranny. or 4 speed, doesnt really matter but perfered a 5. right now it is the L28E with a 3 speed automatic tranny. i want to go from that to a 350 5 speed, or a 454 or something. what all V8's will go into these things? still kinda experimenting, my dad has a 280zx with a L28ET 2+2 and i just bought mine which is a L28E 2+2 so just getting into the Z cars as im only 17 but open minded:ugg: thank you for all help-jt.

[Gollum]

That was a tough first post to read. A little bit of punctuation can go a long way.

 

Welcome to HybridZ though.

 

The L series engines max out around 300hp and are not cheap to get there. So no, 400 is quite out of the question.

 

So when you say you want an engine "where it's STRAIT HP, not bolt on" you mean you want an engine that can do around 400hp right out of the box right? You never really specified this point.

 

LS2 has 400hp stock.

 

LS1 can reach 400hp with a cam

 

Small block chevy (like a 327, 350, etc) will only be reaching 400hp with a bit of work.

 

Ford 5.0 is about the same in HP potential as the small block chevy except the blocks have been known to crack when pushing more than 500hp and you abuse it with NOS or high RPM.

 

351W Ford is nearly bullet proof when built right. Unless you buy a crate engine you won't be near 400hp though.

 

Which brings up a good point. Almost any of the old american V8's can have 400HP "out of the box" if you're buying a motor from a place like summit racing. How much potential it still has will vary a lot though between engines. Very few V8 engines come with 400+hp stock, so it's not like you'll be able to find a CHEAP 400hp engine you can then start bolting parts to.

 

And before you start shooting for 400hp, do us all a favor and go dyno your car. Sure, your engine was rebuilt 20k ago, but I'm betting it'll only put down around 100hp, and that's being generous. What year is your car? 75-83 had the L28E, so that's quite a window we're looking at here.

 

If it's an earlier S30 car, the weight should be around 2800 in full trim. If it's a later 280ZX S130 chassis, then it's probably closer to 3100+.

 

If it's a 75-78 280Z, then you'd be amazed what 200hp would do with some minor weight reduction. My engine only has around 200hp and I could easily put down a mid to low 14, possibly a 13. Until around 80mph I can almost keep up with my friend's STI... Not bad for a stock engine from the 80's.

 

400hp isn't fast in a Z. It's silly.

 

At 2600 pounds (which should be atainable easily enough in a 280Z 2+2) with 300 WHEEL HP you'll be doing the quarter mile in the high 11's. That's enough to slaughter almost any production car, and hang with exotics. 400 crank HP would put you around 350 wheel HP, and put you well into the 11's.

 

I suggest doing some light modifications to the current engine, then drop some coin into redoing the suspension, brakes, wheels and learn to drive the thing. That'll pay off with much greater rewards in the long run. Once you have a different engine in there you'll already have the suspension, brakes, and grip to match the output of the engine giving you a well balanced car.

[Guest michanic220]

sounds good to me, im not planning on pulling the engine for a while. and i only know what the guy has told me, the engine looks brand new, im replacing the starter drive gear, pulled it out and there is bearly any wear on the starter drive gear, or the flywheel. pulled valve cover, really nice and clean with no wear inside of it either, compression is really good and seems to be level on all 6 cyl. so yea im gonna beleive the guy when he says its a new engine. its a 1982 280zx 2+2 fastback, i read there around 2800 stripped and 3000 fully equiped. the engine is a L28E. my dad just totalled his, he was giving me his L28ET but went off the road. but im looking to do all this over time, pulling it and putting in a 350 small block. 400 HP is a good goal to hit, but i didnt mean right out of the box. i want something i can build on, and still have room to give it more power through the years as i grow tired of its speed. if that makes sense? im also going to upgrade all the necessities to keep me on the road. sorry for my spelling to by the way, when i type 130 words a minute, its hard to keep track on the spelling.

[lgoodson@pacbell.net]

Gollum, That was a geat post. A lot of info and in a real consise manner. I wish more were this good, Thanks

[Gollum]

lgooson - Thanks

 

michanic220 - If you want an engine that will have room to grow, I'd recommend as many cubes as you can afford. Obviously how easy the swap is changes cost, not just the cubic inch of the motor, but I think you get the idea.

 

No matter what people try to say, more cubic inches are a GOOD thing. The only reason this ever WOULDN'T be the case, is if the motor in question just didn't have any good cylinder head options. If you can't get a good cylinder head then power will be hard to come by. But nowdays once you reach the limits on stock heads of most american V8s you can take your pick from various head options for a higher power ceiling.

[Guest michanic220]

alright, i did alot of research and i can get a good 350 for about 250-300$$ from craigslist. putting down around 250-300 HP. some a little more or little less. i was either thinking a 350 or a 383 stroker but i heard the 383's werent the best of all engines. but thats only what i hear. i've never owned one. any oppenion? i just dont care to have a ford engine, thats all.

[David K]

Gollum has some great points...

 

BUT

 

I would recommend swapping your auto for a 5 speed manual before you do anything else to the car. A manual trans will really wake up that L28 and make you say WOW. A manual would really change all aspects of the car. Braking, turning, just driving in general will become very stimulating.

[Guest michanic220]

i know, thats why im putting a 5 speed in along with the 350. my dads car was a turbo 5 speed 280zx and that thing was beasty but i want more power then that because im going to be running quarter mile. and i wanna run atleast a 12. stock datsuns N/a run high 16 low 17 from what i hear.

[Guest michanic220]

btw, thats the first thing going because automatics are no fun to drive. they drain power from the rear wheels and you have no control over the gears and that can win a race.

[Gollum]

That turbo motor your dad has should push a S30 Z (240Z, 260Z, 280Z) well into the 14's stock. Lots of guys out there are going 12's without ever opening up the longblock, some on the stock turbo.

 

That alone doesn't make it a great choice though.

 

If his car was unmodified, then the tranny is a T-5. Stronger than the nissan unit, but not very fun to shift.