Engine swap into 260z

[zx260]

Hey everyone,

Im new here but i been a big fan of Zed cars for a long time now.

I live in Sydney Australia and as eveywhere those cars are very rare here as well.

Im planning on getting a 240Z and 260Z to do a complete restore.

The plan is to keep the 240Z in its calssic form as they are pretty much collectable items but 260Z will be modified with Turbo engine of some kind.

So the question is which one is faily easy to transplant into 260 engine bay ... considering the engine bay is so big in these cars you can put pretty much anything in there ... but where are easy then others?

Will the Turbo 2.8L engine form 280zx fit into 260z without major modifications? I been told they used pretty much the same block from 240 up.

Or how hard would it be to tranplant a Sklyine engine R32/R33/R34 turbo and twin turbo engines into the 260?

RB20DET/RB26DET/T?

This is a long term project so the money is not an issue...

What sort of performance could i expect from 280zx turbo engine in the 260z?

Currently im driving a Ford laser TX3/Mazda Familia GTX which does low 14s 1/4 in pretty much stock form so anything quicker then that would be nice.

Sorry for the long post and thanks

[Zed]

All Z-Car L6's are interchangable.

check out www.hybridz.org for more exotic engine swaps for the Z car.

[drunkenmaster]

http://www.fullboost.com.au/cars/readerscars/sinisha240z.html

http://www.geocities.com/spized1969/

The L28 is a bolt in fit, the RB series will require custom engine mounts, gearbox mounts, tail shaft to name a few.

I bought my Z with the intention of an RB swap but I currently have an L28ET waiting to go in, it came minus the manifolds and turbo but I will have a new manifold made up locally.

The RB swap was a bit beyond my expertise (ie. none) and i priced the swap at around $8000-$10000 not including motor. The L28 swap I will be doing myself.

You should use the search function on these forums and hybridz.org forums to get other information and other peoples points of view. quickfitmotorsport.com.au have done this swap in NSW and they quoted around $4k for the swap alone but not including anything to get it engineered

[Gee]

I was in the newsagent yesterday and noticed there was a new issue of that classic car advertisement mag there (can't remember the name, sorry). Anyway, it has Jap stuff at the back and there was an RB20 zed for sale in there for about 10 grand or so - resprayed black too. Maybe you'd consider that rather than doing it all yourself. I think it may have been in Sydney...

[zx260]

Thanks guys for the reply,

The thing is ... I think i enjoy more building/transplanting the car then having the final result...

I built my TX3 Turbo from the ground up (which is for sale now for $6000 atm).

So i would rather get the zed and restore it from the ground up and i know that i did all the work ... also 10ks sounds like bit high to pay in one go.

[26ounce]

Hey James, where did your obtain your L28ET from? Or are you modifying a NA L28E into a turbo? Just weighing up the options myself - with my 260 sitting in the garage with an empty engine bay it is very tempting to look at other options apart from putting the L26 back in there.

[drunkenmaster]

Well, I call it an L28ET, I dont know if everyone else will :cheeky:

I had a discussion on here a while ago about a parts car I was going to buy, you can check it out on my website or search in here somewhere.

It was advertised with a 2.8 EFI motor and when I checked it out he told me he got the motor from a import wreckers and I had a look at it and sure enough it was a P90/F54 L28, the US turbo combination. Sure it doesnt have a turbo on it yet, but thats nothing a custom manifold and turbo wont fix.

I dont think you need the turbo motor to have a successful setup, but call me finicky, I only wants a P90/F54.

I have been in an comprehensively built N42 L28 turbo before with around 180rwkw and it was very quick also...

[26ounce]

Sounds like an L28ET to me! Should be a fun project, I'll make sure I follow your website.

I'm in no hurry to start working on the motor myself, still caught up in the bodywork phase and getting nowhere fast. Glad I pulled her apart though, any longer and the rust would have become a serious issue.

[drunkenmaster]

Well technically I am still in the body work phase myself, but I cant help but keep getting a head of myself. Had to refrain from buying engine management this week when i barely have the funds to complete what I am doing now.

One thing I wish I had done is get in under the flat shelf on top of the tail lights and also inside the "rocker" panels...I am so sick of the tedious grinding off undercoat/deadener that dreaming about more productive things like doing the motor and EFI keeps me going.

I would definately put an L28 in over the L26 unless your a matching numbers man, its no more effort and more displacement/power, seems crazy not to. There are a few P90 heads floating around and I have been told the F54 blocks are not THAT hard to find (but i havent seen any) or you can just keep an eye on the trading post. About a month ago there was a L28ET for sale in there for around $900 but again minus the turbo.

[26ounce]

The numbers definitely don't match so no issues going with an L28, in fact my Z appears to be a bit of a frankenstein with the panels varying from red to blue to black in original colours. It put me off doing an original resto because the value will never be there in the long run compared to a matching numbers example.

I'm about 90% sure I will go carbed L28 though. Less cost/hassle and means you can do other mods (brakes, suspension etc) over an extended period instead of having everything sorted out for the licensing. But F54 is a good idea so I can keep my options open for later.

As for the rocker panels, sometimes I wished I had never looked inside them on mine:ermm: Not pretty!

[nixcars]

Hey zx260,

I have a RB25DET manual engine for sale, $2000.

It was from SSS automotive & has done 90,000kms.

Nick.

[HKSZ]

Drunkenmaster I've got a turbo manifold for a L series for sale, in fact I've still got the turbo and "turbo" rocker cover parts if interested.

Steve