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new l28e not quite sure what to do with it


Angrec

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Hello I will start by saying that, though I have been around muscle cars most of my life I have never touched an import or messed with anything electronic, so this is a brand new adventure for me.

 

That aside last fall I picked up a 260z and have been looking for an engine to swap into it. Just this last weekend a good buddy of mine came across a l28e and I picked it up for 80 bucks. Now I have this motor and have no clue where to start on it since its an e. My biggest concern right now is finding a tranny, I read that the borg-warner t5 went into the l28et and am thinking of putting that in. My question though is what would be needed for a more modern redux of the t-5 (like the ones the hotrod guys drool over not the buggy earlier models) work in the z? I imagine bellhousing but what else would be needed?

 

Also any general advice on things to avoid or keep an eye out for this motor would be appreciated. Goal wise im shooting for something that is comparable to the 05-08 mustang gt's.

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the search feature is defiantly your friend. dont get the wrong idea like some people tho, no one will tell you to search to be a dick its just most of the time the question has been thoroughly covered in the past and can be found with a little digging threw the archives.

 

whats the stang run in the 1/4?

 

:D and welcome to hybridz

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Did a search on the borg warner (my biggest question) and didnt see much about the less buggy versions the hot rod guys use.

 

I want to base it off a mustang since my family has an 06 gt (best year) and im spoiled by it. It would be hard to have an awesome car like the datsun and have it feel slow after driving the stang. Offhand i would say mid 13's to 14's quarter.

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Yeah im trying to figure up which is going to be the most cost effective. This l28e needs new injectors and a tranny. If its cheaper to go for a chevy 350 or a 1jz compared to getting the l28 ready and befed up, might have to go for it and get rid of the l28e.

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The T5 that went into the 83 turbo 280ZX wasn't your everyday world-class BW T5.. I think the entire case was different, but I am not positive. I do NOT think that using the bellhousing on another T5 variant is a simple option, because I am fairly certain if it were, it would be much more well documented. I can't give you anything more positive (sorry, this is all "i thinks" and "probablys") because I am not very familiar with the BW gearboxes (more an old-skool Datsun purist than an American Iron guy TBH)

 

 

Never underestimate what you can do in an early S30 with an L28, electronic ignition, well-built SUs with the right needles, the right cam, and a set of 3.90 rear gears. The 260 came with 3.36 rear end gears if its a 5 speed; upgrading to, say, a Subaru R180 3.90 LSD with custom CV axles would be a GREAT way to beef up the rear, give you better traction and control over your drive wheels, AND lower your gear ratio to something more typically "japanese compact" in one fell swoop.

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By moderate do you mean a turbo/megasquirt or do you mean bored out?

 

I did a 13.8 @ 99 with a bone stock l28et swap with open exhaust. Stock boost and everything. Same turbo with some upgrades got me into the 12's

 

180hp out of an all motor L28 is not hard.

 

200hp+ is a little more complicated but still very do-able. Cam, shaved head, headers, bla bla bla.......

 

If you are just looking for some cheap fun n2o would be the way to go

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Looks like my idea for a t-5 is out. Sucks though since the z32 swap looks like a lot of pain.

 

Have you considered the 240SX tranny swap? That transmission is essentially (other than gearing) the same transmission that was in the Nissan hardbody pickups; it is a fairly robust box, and all that you need to do to mount it on an L6 is take the bellhousing/front section of your L transmission, have one of the holes on the front machined out a little to accept a larger bearing or seal (I cannot recall which at the moment, search can help you more) and then put that front cover on the 240SX box. It is a firmer, more solid-shifting, more modern evolution of the gearbox that the Z came with. The transmissions that Nissan used from the 60s all the way through the 90s (at least, most likely further) were a family of evolving gearboxes from hitachi (90% they were the manufacturer, if not it was Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of Subaru) that all grew one from the next. the autos and the stick shifts were kind of parallels.. My point is, the 240SX transmission is a fairly easy, fairly respectable upgrade. Sure, it won't be as bullet-proof as the 300ZX tranny, but THAT box is just on the other side of a technological divide.. the 240 box is just on THIS side of that divide.

 

And I may be wrong about the ZX T5.... it wouldn't be the first time. I was trying to deflate your hopes a bit on that, but not quite dash them. Other than the one that was IN my dad's 83 turbo car, I have never seen one in the flesh; world class BW T5, I have seen but probably couldn't pick out of a lineup; ZX T5, I can't even picture TBH. I am simply remembering that it was written the gearbox was a red-headed stepchild of borg warner and Nissan, and not really that much akin to either... I wish I could find the thread but its long gone.

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That sounds exactly what I need, thanks a ton Daeron. The z32 does seem bulletproof but for my horsepower goals + the work it takes doesnt seem to coencide.

 

So from reading other threads (kinda wanting to double check) to do the turbo Ill need the turbo with the exhaust parts, megasquirt and better injectors/custom fuel rail. You need a different cam in the l28e to? Dont imagine ill need to do much else since it has a 8:8:1 ratio and from what im reading about turbos thats pretty good.

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