Iowa280zx Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I have a n/a 83 280zx that i've been thinking about doing a 302 swap on for awhile. Today i found a running 302 with tranny for 50 bucks that a friend wants to sell but that catch is that it came out of a 84 marquis, isn't the HO version that stangs have and I've read that these are a clunky v8. Any truth to this or should i be ok to do the swap? I don't care about my car being god awfully fast, I just want the v8 power because the motor in my car drives fine but is showing it's age. Anything you guys tell me would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 According to wiki (which has been known to be wrong sometimes) the 83-86 Marquis only had the HO 5.0 in Canada. The US models had a 4 cylinder lima, inline 6 mileage maker, and the V6 essex. At any rate, these ARE good motors, as far as the block goes. The 302 of the windsor family has a slew of affordable go fast parts of them, and 300hp is perfectly realistic on a very tight mod budget. With some good aftermarket heads 400hp should be relatively easy. If it has the nice 87+ mustang EFI (which I doubt since it's an 84') keep it and tune it. If it's carb'ed then just dump that carb and get a new intake + carb for it. With free flowing exhaust it should be putting out 220+ hp. Main limitation should be the stock heads which are most likely iron. Even some cheap used aluminum heads from edlebrock or trickflow should do wonders. Cams are cheap too. E303 and X303 are crowd favorites. If you can make your own mounts and are able to do the entire swap yourself, I'd say go for it. If I didn't have to deal with smog testing I'd be working on a 5.0 powered 280ZX myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iowa280zx Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 I ended up finding a full turbo motor for my car in a junkyard for 300 bucks. Finally found the specs on that engine and they are rated for 160hp. I figure the turbo swap will be 100% easier, alot less custom fabbing stuff + more horsepower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I can tell you from experience, it's no picnic. Easier than most yes, but that doesn't make it simple, especially depending on the year of the engine versus year of the car. Since your car is a 83' it shouldn't be too bad. Did you pull the driveshaft with it? Was it the same seat count as your car? (both 2 seaters, or both 2+2s) You'll want that driveshaft at any rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iowa280zx Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 everything is the same on the car and i have access to the loom, ecu and complete engine. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I was doing the ford 5.0 swap into my 280zx, but my neighbors friend offered me an awful lot for the motor/trans/ecu/harness, so i sold it on the spot. Its a great setup, small...light, have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMedic331 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I would try to find a 302 out of a 89-92 mustang. The came factory with roller cams, and trw forged pistons. Stock block 302's will hold up to around 500-550 hp, and they love nitrous/boost! And either the AOD or the T5 are great tranny's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Funny you mention nitrous... A lot of the cracked blocks I've seen on the net have been nitrous motors, or rev'ed too high. I've seen guys pushing well over 500hp on stock internals though. The key is to make the power via quality heads, and keep the RPMs low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockr69 Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 the engine in an 84 Marquis essentially is a detuned H.O. They do have roller cams and pretty good heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 That year of Merc with a 302 has the CFI injection, a version of throttle body injection with two injectors mounted to the TB 4 barrel style. It is not a HO engine, and does not have a roller cam. Later years '87 or so, had the familiar 5.0 SEFI intake everyone knows from the Mustangs. And "pretty good" is not what I would call any production SBF head until the GT40's. Having had an '84 Grand Marquis and several Mustangs, I'm not just talking trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 You can change the heads, you can change the intake (and most do), but it's not always so easy to change to roller lifters. Hang in there for an HO motor IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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