mrgoochio

Although I don't own a Z, I've had a long time to think about it. I love cars and love working on cars (or as much, or as little.., as I have). If I had a Z, I'd love to swap a L28et into it. BUT, to be honest.. as much as I would love to think I am mechanically inclined enough to do it, I have doubts that I will succeed. I'm afraid I'll end up with a big pile of junk if I attempted to do it. I like to take pride in my car but it crosses my mind that some of us (mainly myself haha) may just not be fit to be swapping motors, swapping trannys, etc. Since I like to take pride in my car, it just doesn't feel right to pay a shop to swap a motor in for me. I can understand paying shops to build motors, but for some reason its hard to accept them doing the swap work. I would feel sort of embarassed (is that the right word?) if I popped the hood and couldn't explain to a fellow car enthusiest what I actually did to get the modification done. It just wouldn't feel like the car is my accomplishment.

I'd really like to hear everyone elses in-depth opinions on it..

Aside from that, paying a shop to swap a motor is expensive! BTW, does anyone know what something like that would cost in SoCal?

Daniel

NismoPick

Do whatever toots your horn man... if ya don't have time or the skillz, have a shop do it. And you can simply tell them what you want to do, or they can tell you... it's not like you'll be in the dark about your motor if you have a shop do it.

snwbrderphat540

its not so hard, i done it and im 19.... lol. i did it the hard way of coarse and im sure if i used just an actual full turbo motor my car would be running a good bit better, but i like my slightly higher compression motor. lol. if you know how to mark wires and unplug them, thats all you need to do then remove 4 bolts from the driveshaft and drop it, get an engine hoist, undo the 2 bolts in each motor mount which is also only 2, then undo teh 2 bolts holding up the tranny cross member adn the one nut holding the cross member to teh tranny, and pull the motor and trans out, and the reverse order to put it in the other car, then you can get away with hooking up the motor to teh stock harness of the s30 you choose only on the passenger side (will requir switching the oil pressure senders but aint no thang) and tehn putting in the ECU and harness which takes only 4 hours just cause soldering is slow going. at least for me.

BoulderZ

Don't get too intimidated, I bet you could do it. It's really not that hard, in the big picture. The main things are preparation and personal interest. For example, if you've got, say, a toilet that doesn't flush right, but you fix it yourself rather than deal with a plumber, then you're mechanically inclined enough to do your own auto work. If you're not that interested in mechanical stuff, you might not be motivated enough to go all the way through with it to the finish, because it'll be unpaid work instead of fun.

Just make sure you've got the garage, money, time, manuals, and at least most of the tools to start out with. Lacking in any of those departments doesn't mean it's impossible, it just means you pay a little more in frustration and time. If the time/aggravation look like a pain in the butt rather than a fun car project, then definitely go the shop route. Nothing wrong with a good shop-done motor job.
Either way, make sure it's the enjoyable choice for you!
Dave

jfairladyz

well where are you moving to when you get to the states? Cause chances are unless you're in the middle of no where like I am, you'll be able to find members of this or other Z sites willing to help you get a motor swap done.

EDIT: saw the thing about SoCal, so I can almost guarantee there will be enthusiasts down there that would be willing to help if you ask nicely and provide the proper beverages An engine swap is only a few hours if you've got someone thats done it before. Most of the time is spent disconnecting and reconnecting wiring/accessories. Swapping the engines themselves can be done in no time.

260zturbo

here i am at 21 and iv been owning and working on my z since 19. she is a you know what at times and a jessica alba at times. ill try to chime in my .02 cents. no matter what you do their will always be someone out their with a bigger and faster car. so the best thing to do is sit down and make a goal. by that i mean what kinda of hp u want and what kinda of times you want. some people just like to be a spiritual driver.= a healthy cam fine tune up with goodes. if u want to be a something more and be a red light to red light ***** upgrade the diff to a 3.7,3.9, 4.11. if u want something to kick you back in a seat turbo is the way to go. if u want ***** to the wall v8,rb, sr are good. no matter what u are going to spend money. another thing u need to sit down. how much money u want to spend. but truly how hard is it to use a l28 slap on a turbo exhaust manifold. u can use turbo ecu but why when for 250 u can have ms and get the most out of a engine. going to have to do some electrical work but their are HUNDREDS of post on people doing it. i did and i doubted myself bc i really had no clue what to do. but once u bust *** you can get it done. but personally i would worry about suspension and cleaning it up b4 i touched another engine. i would like to enjoy the ride while building a sick motor on the side. i finished my build but that means i cant have another l28 on the side again u gotta figure out what best fits you. maybe once u get idea what u are looking for someone can lead u the way. can only hold your hand for so long at some time u gotta get your hands dirty. i first started working on my z with little know how and now im in Collision repair school

wreckedj30

a what part of socal you in...i'm here and available....i live in Riverside. You buy some drinks i'll bring the fire...oh and i've done the swap to...b4 18 i might add. So how much you looking at spending...cause i'm in 1700, and all it needs is fuel lines run, gas in the tank, and some gauge splicing...oh and a new radiator..

NismoPick

man... you live in Riverside & couldn't make it to the MSA show?! pft...

wreckedj30

haha very funny. and you couldn't make it down??? Anyways so whats crackin long time no see. if i would of shown up i would have only embarresed you...lol, i mean with my mustang....lol

NismoPick

Ha... I drove by Riverside at about Midnight that Sunday night.

wreckedj30

you didn't give me a jingle....what are you getting at?

snwbrderphat540

did you live in friggin idaho? whats up with that

mrgoochio

Damn I've been out of this thread for a while.. anyway...

I'm pretty close to Riverside, I'm from 818. How much am I lookin at spending? Well I've saved up about 12K since I've been on the job in the last year. I think I'll be moving back around August 20, school starts Aug 27 . At first I was thinking about buying a really nice conditioned Z and making it a sweet reliable DD with a nice L28et swap, but now I'm thinking about a nice body Z with little/no rust and stripping it and making it a weekend warrior. I have a Honda Oddyssey Van I really don't mind driving as my daily . I think 12K is a good chunk of change for a pretty nice S30..

Daniel

scott_91tt

I'll share my Z-swap story with you... hopefully you'll see how easy the work is: I had a 1977 L28 with an Auto Trans. I bought the drivetrain from a 1983 280ZX (transmission rearward) and plumbed the clutch hydraulics, rebuilt my motor etc, etc. And can tell you in hindsight, that it was easier than any Small Block Chevy V8 I ever pulled/worked on with a buddy (firebird, camaro) back in the day. The 280 was so easy to work on with so much space it was actually fun!

My Z32 is a different story (at my skill level) and I defer to the professionals for most of the work.

NismoPick

EDIT

WreckedJ30 lived in Idaho... moved to Cali in December.

mrgoochio

But youre in Utah now..?

Daniel

NismoPick

Snw was talking about WreckedJ30... he lived in Idaho. I'll edit that post to make it more clear.

snwbrderphat540

but why!!!!! and how?

duowing

The way I look at it is, if you can wire up a stereo system, such as a headunit or after market speakers. If you've ever replaced parts on your engine, or on your car, you're more than likely able to do it. The only difference is there's a bit more and the parts are a good bit bigger. I'm planning to swap my L28ET into an S30 sometime in the near future, but by just trying to figure things out and doing things myself I have my car finally running better than ever, I've saved a lot of money, and now I know a lot about the engine, the electrical system, how it works, and how to do so much with it. That really an engine swap really seems like it shouldn't be a big deal other than unbolting the engine from the mounts and mounting it to the other car.

jfairladyz

that about sums it up. I mean ur just removing parts, then pulling the engine, then putting the engine and all those parts you removed back where they belong. As long as you can remember where all the parts go (or take pics before hand if ur in doubt) that you're removing its just about being patient with getting the engine back in there if ur doing it yourself. Having a helper will make it easier. It is after all a direct swap

snwbrderphat540

patience is what the swap is all about, but mine has been a little too, umm..... fickity. so im not sure if its the wiring harness, ecu, or jsut a CHTS but the car just doesnt run the way i like it to, and with its occasional sudden death, im updating the ECU and wireing system, aka megasquirt. im sick of this stock crap

duowing

It helps too if you have the whole car available and you make sure the engine is running correctly before the swap. Which at least for me is why I've really liked working with my L28ET. That way I know what's been done, I know how it's running, and I know how the engine goes together so a swap should essentially be a lot smoother because I know the engine well and how it's running beforehand.