I want a V8!!

[240zJon]

i have a 240z and my motor is dying on me, so im seriously thinking of putting in a v8. i think a 350 will be the best there are a lot of posts on here and i plan on buying the jtr conversion kit will all the needed parts. my big Question is what is a good v8 carbed or FI? What year is the best v8? Any certain car or trunk should i get it out of?

[dan5138]

*cough* vh45 *cough*

[trippintl0]

sorry to have to do this to ya, but...

 

quote from Rules:

 

4. There is no Best! No best tires. No best engine. No best shock. No best big chrome foot gas pedal. Every car builder and driver is in a different situation. What's good for one might suck for another. The decision on what is "best" for you and your car is completely up to you. As with any decision time, effort, and research is needed by the decision maker - you! Instead of asking what is "best", do some research, explain your situation in excruciating detail, and describe what alternatives you're considering in your decision. Posting a thread with "What's the best..." in the title it is a sure way to get that post tossed into the Tool Shed.

[skib]

yes, there is no best. but Im sure someone can make a useful suggestion based off a bit more info.

 

what kind of budget are you looking at?

time?

mechanical skill?

are you daily driving? track car? weekend toy?

ect?

 

 

I dont have a V8Z so idk all the important questions to ask for having a V8 but that should at least get a start

[PanzerAce]

*cough* vh45 *cough*

 

Might want to hold off on that. Seems like a fair number of people have been spinning bearings on these motors even with mostly stock ones. Current thinking on NICO is that clearances are too tight on the BEs of the rods, and that more space there + heavier oil is a possible solution.

[240zJon]

well my budget is tops 2000 and i'll be having a family mechanic help me do it. i mainly want it to be a daily driver but still have the power when i want it... im needed a "suggestion" on what motor i should look for to purhase since there are so many different types, mainly the year and what car i can get it from.

[jt1]

A $2000 budget is going to be tight, but can probably be done if you shop carefully and do most of the work yourself. A carbed 1st gen sbc is going to be cheapest. Look for a 70's or 80's motor with the trans you want and try to buy the combo. You won't be able to get much of a hot rod, just look for a good running motor with as little smog stuff as possible. All the little stuff is gonna add up real fast, so spend lots of time with the jtr book and plan out your project as much as you can. You can do this and shop for a motor and trans while still running your current motor. Don't buy the first one you see, shop around, and if you think somebody is BS'ing you, walk away.

 

jt

[strotter]

JT1 is dead right - but I'd amend that the most cost-effective method is to find a damaged but running car. Something that has been bent up in some way that has not greatly affected the drivetrain. As a general rule, a good running, intact donor car will be much cheaper than the sum of its' parts. You'll need to park two cars in the yard for a while, but we're all rednecks at heart, aren't we? In my part of the world, you can find damaged cars by getting on the 'phone to tow-truck services. Find something fuel-injected if you'd like, but there'll be more wiring to worry about. Expect to run an automatic, which is OK with these swaps as you don't really need 6 speeds with a V8 in a 2500 pound car (despite what I did). Pickups will be more available in the correct configuration.

 

You'll still need some other items, things like the JTR kit AND THE JTR BOOK, probably a radiator (though a junk yard piece would work just fine), and you'll need to have the driveshaft shortened ($150 or so?), possibly mufflers (unless you can use the donor unit) as well as having the exhaust assembled and welded up ($300, $400?). You'll need radiator hoses and wires and fixtures and a hundred other things. Try to find buyers for your left over Datsun (Classic! Rare! Hard-to-Find!) parts.

 

Leave the rear end alone for now, leave the instrumentation alone for now, don't do a dual exhaust, and do not do not do not get caught up in the "while I'm doing this I might as well do that" syndrome, there's a slim chance you could bring it in that cheap.

 

Finally: don't think of this as a car; instead, think of it as a project. Why? If you think of it as a car, you will have an expectation of its' moving over the ground, carrying you around in grand style. This will not happen for a long time, and only then after much sweat and labor and cursing and depression. Swapping a motor into a vehicle is a lousy way of getting a car, but it's a great project (that will ultimately end up as a car). Think of it as a "project", as your "car hobby", as the work itself being the goal - that way you don't get sad because the dead car is sitting there sucking up the days of your life, you get happy because there's a really cool project waiting for you whenever you walk out to the garage.

[deja]

All good advise. I went the wrecked but drivable donor car route and don't regret it. I was able to sell what I didn't use for more than I paid for the car......drive drain free. Trust me, those while you are at it diversions will eat up your budget and time line. Some are necessary as you get deeper into the project but most can be put off for another time. Get the car running and safely streetable and do the other things when time and money allow. I didn't listen to people about the while your at it stuff and my "3 month project" ended up taking me a year. Because it took so long there were times when I thought about giving up, sure glad I didn't, I love the car.

[SoCalJack]

Strotter put it perfectly. Your signature says it all. I am in the process of doing a swap myself on a low budget. It sucks because I get impatient sometimes and just want it to be done. But I think the key to low budget is patience and time. If you have plenty of those youll be fine.

[240zJon]

thanks for all of the input it seems like i have a lot of work ahead of me. i was planning on going the donor car since it has all the little bits and pieces i'd need. I think i might go carbed since its more simple and less time consuming. i just want it as a commuter car that has the power when i need it so im not looking for anything fancy.

[deja]

i just want it as a commuter car that has the power when i need it so im not looking for anything fancy.

 

LOL, that's what I said too. But once you feel the power of a V8 in these little cars you just want more! Good luck on your swap.

[Michael]

Actually, there is a "best". The best engine is the one with which you are most familiar, from your prior hot-rodding efforts and experience as a mechanic. If that's some compact 4-cylinder with a turbo, then that's the best engine for your swap. If it is a pushrod V8 from a major American manufacturer, then that's your engine. If it is a Toyota or a Jeep or a Packard L6, then that's your engine.

 

From my experience, the hard part is not the swap itself, but the care and feeding of your engine. No "stock" engine will ultimately be satisfying, so plan your swap around your engine upgrades, rather than around the vehicle into which the engine will be swapped. Knowing your way around that particular engine will make the swap smoother and more satisfying, even if your preferred engine is not the most powerful or the most-supported by the aftermarket.

[dan5138]

Lots of good info and advice, I wasn't trying to say the VH is the BEST engine. I appologize if anyone took it that way... It's just a fun swap if you like to do fab work and keep everything Nissan.

 

Interesting tid bit about the bearings though. A possible solution to this would be just to machine the rod journals down just a bit right? As well as ensuring you have the correct amount of oil pressure for whatever RPMs you may be running.

[JDTIPPIT]

I had an LT1 with a 4l60e in one of my cars. I drove it every day. Got pretty good gas mileage too. Especially when I did not get into it too much. The fuel injection was great and it was pretty easy to work on. I actually just pulled that motor and tranny out for a 327 I came across at a real good deal.

 

So if anyone wants an LT1 and 4l60e for a cheap price....

[Pyro]

forget the V8. it is a much tougher swap than you think. plus it will cost much more than 2000.00.

 

Buy a complete, running, rusted out 280zx turbo car for 1000.00 and swap everything over to your car. It will be faster than a cheapo V8 conversion and will take 1/4 as much time and will be a much better daily driver. Plus there is a lot of room to grow with a turbo setup.

[dexter72]

I am with Pyro, Turbo swap your car and you will have the best of both worlds in my opinion.

[JDTIPPIT]

forget the V8. it is a much tougher swap than you think. plus it will cost much more than 2000.00.

 

Buy a complete, running, rusted out 280zx turbo car for 1000.00 and swap everything over to your car. It will be faster than a cheapo V8 conversion and will take 1/4 as much time and will be a much better daily driver. Plus there is a lot of room to grow with a turbo setup.

 

I don't agree. It may not take quite as long, and cheaper to do the initial swap. But, parts are more expensive, they are a little more difficult to work on (in my opinion). Finding one that runs good enough to just put in a car without rebuilding and is cheaper than a sbc might be a little bit of a challenge too.

 

I still say the V8 is the way to go. I'd like to see your 1000 dollar turbo car motor keep up with my 1000 V8

[rsicard]

240zJon: If you find a donor at the right price you have the start of a project.

[Pyro]

a friend of mine just dyno'd a junk yard turbo engine. Just pulled it out of the junk yard, changed the head gasket, and ran it. He made 200hp and 240ftlbs of torque with 7 psi of boost with a used IC. Turning up the boost to 12 psi should yield 242hp/290ftlb at the tires or 290hp/350ftlbs at the crank. A $1000.00 small block conversion will not make that power. Plus the chevy would still need a transmission, drive shaft, mounts, and all the other stuff to get it in there.

 

My turbo will out run my friend V8 conversion, mostly due to more gears on my car versus the automatic. His engine is making the same power as mine (330hp at the crank) using dart heads and a mild cam (260 degrees).

 

However, my v8 conversion is faster than my turbo. Crazy fast. Actually too fast, but that is another story. But it isn't nearly as nice to drive as the turbo (ac, smooth idle, quiet, ect) and the V8 took a lot more time and money to get it going.