7MGFORCE Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 im in the market for one now but cant seem to find one. after searching people seems to find them for cheap around 200-300 but i cant even find any. my question is how much should an engine be worth-stock no rebuild with let say anywhere around 150k miles no problems. just an average engine. and lastly im looking at a 82 280zx turbo with manual transmission. 240k miles and i gues the turbo is going out. car is in ok condition. trany is good. is it worth $750? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I talked to that guy too, but I can't figure out why he's asking $750 and not trying to thread jack but i've got an L28E with only about 80,000 miles if anyones interested, it's listed in classifieds ($350 obo!) I was trying to do a turbo conversion on it but I have too many projects going on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B00STDZ Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I have two good l28et motors... 1981, turbos probably need rebuild... i would let it go for like $300 a motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I'd say $250-$500 for a complete engine is fair. Maybe a little extra for a tranny, but not much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240z!!! Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 im in the market for one now but cant seem to find one. after searching people seems to find them for cheap around 200-300 but i cant even find any. my question is how much should an engine be worth-stock no rebuild with let say anywhere around 150k miles no problems. just an average engine. and lastly im looking at a 82 280zx turbo with manual transmission. 240k miles and i gues the turbo is going out. car is in ok condition. trany is good. is it worth $750? 200-300 is junkyard prices and is a really good price for a decent running motor.....but more likely to be more if they know what they have....and if my memory serves me correctly the turbo 280zx's had cv axles with a 3.7 r200 with can be swapped in a 240z for an easy upgrade....not including the bw t5 which which is a good transmision....although 240k miles is a lot but you have all the essintials to do the swap which if you had to source those parts individually it would be a fortune....id say it worth it b/c the motor trans diff and axles...plus if any of the parts are good on the 280zx you could part it out and make some money or all your money back...my 2cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7MGFORCE Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 200-300 is junkyard prices and is a really good price for a decent running motor.....but more likely to be more if they know what they have....and if my memory serves me correctly the turbo 280zx's had cv axles with a 3.7 r200 with can be swapped in a 240z for an easy upgrade....not including the bw t5 which which is a good transmision....although 240k miles is a lot but you have all the essintials to do the swap which if you had to source those parts individually it would be a fortune....id say it worth it b/c the motor trans diff and axles...plus if any of the parts are good on the 280zx you could part it out and make some money or all your money back...my 2cents from my understang the auto 280zx comes with r180. if it came with r200 i may decide to pay it. seems kind of a waste to pay 750 and only get a motor(wich needs a turbo rebuild.) and cv's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7MGFORCE Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 I talked to that guy too, but I can't figure out why he's asking $750 and not trying to thread jack but i've got an L28E with only about 80,000 miles if anyones interested, it's listed in classifieds ($350 obo!) I was trying to do a turbo conversion on it but I have too many projects going on no prob looks like a got a competition for a local l28et lol lets go hunting:grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240z!!! Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 and lastly im looking at a 82 280zx turbo with manual transmission. 240k miles and i gues the turbo is going out. car is in ok condition. trany is good. is it worth $750? you said it was a manual trans.....why are you talking about an automatic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7MGFORCE Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 I have two good l28et motors... 1981, turbos probably need rebuild... i would let it go for like $300 a motor. ya but shipping will be to much. unless you can give me a good deal on it. if you can give me a good price shipped to california 94061. pm thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I got mine minus a turbo and valve cover for $140. Also got the afm, extra manifold, torque convertor, engine accesories, electronics etc. Ended up sell all the stuff for alot more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joela Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Hello all! A cautionary tale: We paid $450 for an L28ET "complete" about 6 months ago from a salvage dealer in the southeast. I probably wouldn't have paid that much, but the guy seemed pretty straight-up and was consistent over several conversations about how great the assembly was, 78K original (personally verified by him at time of part-out, or so he said), and how it had been stored indoors for "years" (15+?). In fact, he personally vouched for the engine's ability to "plug-and-play". When we received the engine, it looked fantastic externally, and we proceeded to do a cleanup and light exterior bead blast with the intention of a quick inspection, bottom-end bearing refit, and drop-in. During this process we quickly discovered a fantastic amount of endplay in the crank, and upon pulling the crank found a completely trashed wristpin and piston. I don't need to go any further into the woes of finding new (quality) pistons, cranks, and periphinalia for these units these days at a reasonable cost on a one-off basis. Hence, this project has become much more involved than initially projected. Lesson learned: junk guys are always (still) full of crap (excepting only, of course, those few zcar specialists remaining; this was not one of them), and you should buy short and push at every opportunity. They just don't look at the stuff like they did even ten years ago, and they will lie like dogs to get a deal done (well, now that I think about it, I guess that part isn't really anything new...). Your mileage may vary. Just some words to the wise. Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 All turbo 280zx's came with a R200 3.54 rear end and with the cv's If you have an early 260 or 240 you can even use the companion flanges. If you have a late 260 or 280 you will have to use Modern Motorsports cv adaptors. so to recap. All 280zxt's have a 3.54 R200 in them. Oh buy the way i got my whole turbo 280zxt for 200 bucks!!!!!! lol but i got lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh buy the way i got my whole turbo 280zxt for 200 bucks!!!!!! lol but i got lucky.And I thought I got a good deal at $600 for the whole running car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Ya the guy gave up on trying to get it started. I bought it as a non runner with the gas tank out. Cleaned it out a little bit and got fresh fuel to the injectors and it fired right up lol. He was going to scrap it and thats what the scrap yard told him they would give for it. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 All turbo 280zx's came with a R200 3.54 rear end and with the cv's If you have an early 260 or 240 you can even use the companion flanges. If you have a late 260 or 280 you will have to use Modern Motorsports cv adaptors. so to recap. All 280zxt's have a 3.54 R200 in them. Oh buy the way i got my whole turbo 280zxt for 200 bucks!!!!!! lol but i got lucky. Crap, I should of gotten that rear out of that pull and save car I got my turbo engine out of. I ASSumed it was a r180 and never even looked! Mine is a na with 3.9, stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vspec Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 i traded a quad that i got for free for my 280zxt. the guy said it had starting problems and all it needed was a fuel pump and sending unit. started right up after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglist Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 from my understang the auto 280zx comes with r180. if it came with r200 i may decide to pay it. seems kind of a waste to pay 750 and only get a motor(wich needs a turbo rebuild.) and cv's The auto 280ZX Turbo's came with an R200 and not an R180. I know this because I pulled my R200 from an '82 280ZX turbo automatic that I bought off a guy on craigslist for $400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeerari Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I paid $550 for a whole auto 280zxt that was supposedly an abandoned s30 swap project. Turned out it runs like a top and I don't regret it a bit but holding out for a manual car would've saved me the $150 I spent on a T5, the $210 I spent on a flywheel/clutch combo, and the $75 I spent on a manual ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 $500 is the average going price for a complete engine. There are those who will say that you can find them for $200 to $300 (and they do exist), but I would budget for $500. I picked up my complete engine, harness and ECU for $500. The engine, while unknown mileage, was in good condition. Many of the parts still had almost factory condition plating on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 FYI, whenever I get an engine from an unknown source, I already have a pan gasket ready. The thing gets to my house, it goes on the engine stand for an inspection and cleaning. The top end is flushed clean and the cam components are cold-set to tolerance as well as cam break-in lube being applied. The thing gets inverted, and a similar perusal of hte bottom end is done along with sludge being cleaned out. Depending on what I find in those two places, I may even pull the intake manifold off and regasket it along with attending to the studs on the head that hold those parts on. This is what I would do with any unrunning motor that I did not see running at one time in the past. Unless there is a seal on the oil pan for some sort of warrantee, that baby is coming off unless it's really clean (and not steam-cleaned clean...steam cleaned engines get the same treatment as they usually were poorly maintained while being run...hence the need to steam-clean them!) In SoCal, I parrot KTM, around $500. Sure, you can pull on complete at a PYP for $275 if you know where to go, and one with a trans attached complete for $400 in some cases...but find it and be there before some group of mauraders comes to take the fuel injectors, or opens the valve cover and then leaves it off for who knows how long... For an unopened L28ET (with a turbo I would not really rely on being good for any length of time...) yeah, $500 is a good round number to expect. Sometimes, a car with a bad turbo is available for that price, and if it runs, that is a better deal IMO...but again, it's finding it and getting there quick enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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