Found a stroker for sale, should I?

[studioti]

There's a craigslist ad near my house for a short block 3.1L stroker engine. Apparently its already built, i just need to add my head and some other bits.

I have a 77 280z that's running well, but enough is never enough.. right? I already have a P79 in my car. I'd like to get some of your thoughts on whether or not i should go for this deal and what i will need to finish the swap.

I've copy and pasted the text from the AD for easy reading:

"What I have for sale is a 3.1L stroker short block. The engine started its life as a 2.8L from a 280Z. The block was bored and honed to receive 89.5mm 240sx pistons. The rods are from a 240z with 9mm ARP rod bolts. The crank is from a diesel maxima held down by ARP main studs. All components including pistons, rods, and crank have been balanced within .5 gram. All the engine needs is a head and a few other small items and your Z will be a tourqey monster. It will fit in any 240Z 260Z 280ZX or any other vehicle with a Nissan L series engine."

So what do y'all think? He's asking $1000...I was thinking of offering $800 and see if he'll bite.

Thanks

[zKars]

The Grand is a steal if the work was done right. I'de ask to see receipts for the machine work, especially the balance. If you don't detect any hanky panky while talking with him and your visual inspection of the block looks good (like verifiying the crank is V07) then do it!

Jim

[FHPTOM]

Your offering price is what I paid for mine in the same condition as the one you are looking at.

[conedodger]

Careful. Craiglist is a den of thieves in some cases.

[tlorber]

Is the seller in Sylmar? If so, I bought a ZX dizzy from him and it worked fine. The guy I met with had built the bottom end of a stroker but then opted to put in a Skyline motor into his project.

[John Coffey]

Measure the bore (should be 89mm), measure the stroke (should be 83mm), and remove one rod bolt and measure to be sure they are 9mm.

[studioti]

Thanks for all the advice gents. I will definitely not follow through with the deal if he does not have supporting receipts.

I've been doing a lot of reading and it seems like he went the correct route with all the parts. The only thing he does not mention is the block. I'd prefer it to be an F54 since there is more support between the cylinder walls.

Does anybody here have an opinion on whether or not it is a deal breaker if he DID NOT use the F54 block?

BTW, he lives in Lake Forest which is the city i live in...i'll swing by and take a look this week.

[John Coffey]

N42 block is fine for a 3.1L.

[Diseazd]

$1,000.00 is a steal.......Get the number of the machine shop to verify the work. Here's a good thread to help..........http://www.geocities.com/inlinestroker/index.htm Good Luck.

[Oiluj]

If you go with the 3.1 stroker, add the expense of adding stich-welds to stiffen the chassis to your project. Otherwise you risk twisting the chassis it out-of shape. If this happens, you risk being unable to align the wheels or have alignment issues with the drive train. Knew a guy who learned this the hard way...

[studioti]

Thanks Oiluj, good point. I am a believer in making an all around balanced car. Some people focus so much on making the engine fast, but forget brakes, drivetrain and suspension.

This ad just seemed like a good catch while its still for sale.

On a side note, I dont plan on racing this car. Not on the track nor on the streets. I enjoy cars that move well, but i have no interest in racing testosterone loaded muscle heads or rice rockets on the street.

I just want my Z to get me from A to B with a smile and a low end torque stroker sounds like the ticket vs a turbo setup.

[studioti]

I've read quite a few buildups now and still have one more question before i buy this short block. (BTW: my goal is to reach 250RWHP and 250LBTQ)

Can i build this stroker in 2 stages?

• 1st stage being simply to swap my stock block with the strocker block (use 2mm head gasket if i need to) and use my stock EFI setup?

• 2nd stage once i have more funds to get my custom headwork done like port/polish, aftermarket fuel delivery and hopefully a Ford EDIS system.