datsuns130

hello everyone, i have a 81 280zx na, and i was wondering if its worth building one of these or just buy a car from the 90'S.?

I have a friend that wants his own shop to grow, so he is willing to built my 280zx for free and all i have to do it buy the parts and use his logo.

but i was wondering if it is worth it, or should i just buy a turbo 90s car and have it stock.

my budget is at 3500 to 4000

My friend is talking about upgrading the engine to a l28et with upgraded, massive Turbo, piping, intercooler, engine rebuild kit, fuel system, custom exhaust, and he told me that he is aiming for 450 hp.

so can you guys please help me.. if these cars are worth rebuilding then just getting a new car.. thanks

borini63

If am in your shoes I will go with l28et build.
I wish I have your friend here in Phoenix and he will do it for free??....man that is NICE!!

NismoPick

It will cost more than $4k to get to a RELIABLE 450hp.

And your statement about "getting a 90's turbo car" is pretty generic. Maybe a Suzuki Swift Turbo or Pontiac Firefly? They put out about 100hp.

From all your previous threads, you refused to use any internet resources to find an L28ET. So have you found one locally? Does your shop friend have experience with older Japanese engines?

FricFrac

Go for a reliable 300rwhp. It's lots and lots and lots of power.

datsuns130

well my friend found the l28et in riverside, and his parnter that he works with, worked at a z shop, and he is a specialist in building l28et engines...

datsuns130

thats whats up .. im really thinking that im gonna do this

datsuns130

and you think that could be for a daily driver??

NismoPick

Hopefully this doesn't burst your bubble, but there are MANY brand new cars today that have 300hp. BMW's, Mercedes, Porsches, Corvettes, Lexus, Ford... I think a few of those cars are even daily drivers... get the idea?

My 280zxt is right around 300hp... very fun street car. It did 14.4 @ 98mph at 250hp on normal street tires, though not great on mpg's.

lifegrddude

The key to your power will be the port work done on the head. Without the proper porting, you're going to need to throw a ton of boost at the engine to hit 450 hp, or even 350+.

A T67 isn't a street friendly turbo on an L28et, unless you don't mind 0 power below 4000 rpm. With the low 7.4:1 compression, L28's are dogs off boost. The small power band will get annoying really fast during casual city driving. I'd recommend a smaller turbo and get some decent head work done. That will get you to 300+ hp and you won't have to run close to 20+ psi on a daily driven car. Take a look at compressor maps and see which one will best match the flow of your head for street driving.

Anyway, that's awesome if your friend is giving you free labor to build up your car. That will save you a bunch.

WildmaN

I am shooting for 300hp or so with my '82 T-top in the future. Listen to these guys, they are experts when it comes to Z cars.

FricFrac

The P90 head flows pretty well. A 300RWHP doesn't need head work done. If you do make sure you get the valves unshrouded as well as port matching. The major restriction is the intake manifold runners - they are almost half the diameter of the intake valves! Take care of that before you worry about the head. Heat is the real enemy with the L28ET although the P90 has the best quench it's still susceptible to det. Invest in an efficient turbo (GT30, GT35R, etc) and an efficient intercooler (bigger isn't better, thermal mass, long end tanks, etc) and water/methanol is a good investment as well IMHO. An "A" grind cam from a NA is an awesome cheap upgrade for a turbo build.

datsuns130

yeah but you never see a bad as 280zx anymore, all you see is ricers with hondas.. or camaros

datsuns130

alright ill check that out and thanks for the advise

lifegrddude

In comparison to other vehicles, the P90 head flows poorly. A KA24DE will outflow a P90. The killer is the non-cross flow design. OP, I still believe head work will give you the best benefit along with a properly sized turbo and a tuned standalone efi setup. Talk to a guy named Blake in AZ at index. He's the one who made the DOHC L28, and he has good rates for head work too.

Regardless, you can make 300+ with or without head work, but you will need a lot more boost to get there without any head work. Good luck with your build and keep us posted.

1980zx

I dont know if your deadset on the l28et but I say forget that! Your not going to get over 300 on stock internals. Swap it for a RB25DET!!! youll get 267 hp stock and you could get a reliable 400 on stock internals. Its a newer engine and will be more reliable. The engine and TRANS will run only like 2,000 and then the motor mount kit for 500 and custom driveshaft. Youll be looking at under 3,000(if that) for everything. It will be rediculous fast (0-60 in under 5) It will blow away any l28et with only boltons. Let me know if you want links to ads for the Engines and trans' for sale or for the motor mount kit.

datsuns130

this seems like a good ideal.. but i searched and the seen that the rb25det isnt worth your money.. but at the same time it seems like a better idea for me..

1980zx

It really is worth your money. I was set on doing the l28et swap but after extensive research realized the rb25det is the way to go. think about it, a 1981-83 turbo engine is gonna be kinda whack. once you get the engine in, you will be constantly switching parts out due to the age. and besides if you want any kind of power or speed youll have to put a better turbo on but then its harder on the internals etc... the 90's skylines were beasts! its up to you but rb25 all day!! let me know if you have any questions.

NismoPick

RB motors are dope, but it's far from an easy swap.

This statement is 10000% ridiculous:

Age because of old technology? Because the RB25DET is now pretty old technology as well. If by "age" you meant mileage, then are you saying you can find a 0 miles RB motor?

flores21

hahah shut down lol

1980zx

Me and you both know the Rb25det is a faster engine stock and more reliable to upgrade. Or maybe you dont know... and its not really hard to mount right in. All you need to do is to buy those motor mounts and a new driveshaft. anyone can do it unless there stupid. just sayin

1980zx

I know the RB isnt NEW technology but its alot newer then the l28. If your going through the trouble to do a swap and you specifically want more power then why not do the RB?[QUOTE=NismoPick;313943]

Age because of old technology? Because the RB25DET is now pretty old technology as well.

FricFrac

Lol RB.... First of all there's hardly anyone here on the forum that can use 400RWHP. You show me some vids of your 400RWHP car on the track or AutoX laying it all down smooth and I'll be impressed otherwise it's simply bragging rights. Secondly why would you put in an RB when you could put in a 2JZ that makes 600HP on a stock bottom end.

Ever built an RB for 400rwhp? I would be interested in seeing the bills for a "cheap" RB build. RBs are not a cheap build nor are they a cheap swap. Lets say you do a $3K RB swap (which I'd like to see.) That's going to be doing all the labour yourself of course because there is way more labour to do an RB swap and that's big $$$ when you're paying a shop. For $3K the L28ET build will EAT the stock RB swap for lunch with no leftovers for a midnight snack.... RB more reliable than an L28ET... hmmm.... that's not the impression I get from all the local Skyline guys around and there are a LOT of RHD Skylines around here...

Everything's got an RB swap into it around here..... cool but overdone.

FricFrac

Drop a stock KA into an S130 and let me know how awesome that flow works out compared to a stock L28ET.....

... and in comparison to other other vehicles the P90 flows great. I wasn't saying that the P90 is the best flowing head out there I was saying that spending money on head work isn't worth the expense if your goal is 300rwhp on a budget. Personally I think head work is a good idea but it's the icing on the cake so long as you have an icing budget....

Speaking of KAs check out the runners on the KA and compare them to the turbo manifold....

It's not more boost. It's a better tune and a more efficient turbo system that makes the difference especially on an engine prone to detonation.

lifegrddude

Lol, a stock KA24DE makes more power than l28e, n/a for n/a, and put a turbo on that motor and it will make more power than an L28et. An L28 with no turbo is slower than a KA24DE. My point is if the OP is going to have his friend assist him on rebuilding the car from the ground up, do the head work. A head with decent port work will make more power given its higher efficiency than a stock head.

Why throw more boost when you can run less boost and stress the motor less? Take a look online at BigPhil's friend with the worked head on his L28et. 9 pounds of boost and he was around 300 hp. To get nearly the same amount of power took me ~17 psi on a T3/T4 with a stock head using JWT's 4bar ecu setup. If it is about efficiency, then head work should be a priority and not one of the last things to do. Ask TonyD on Hybridz of the importance of head work on a Datsun. It's the biggest key to unlocking the potential in the L series along with a tune to match it.

Don't get me wrong, the L28 is a great all around street motor, but it isn't the best bang for buck motor around. That would be a small block Chevy like the LSX series.

OP, if you're going to stick with an I-6 and don't want an L-series, go Toyota 2JZ. The parts are much easier to source due to the Supra being sold in the U.S. RB parts are still pretty easy to come by, but general maintenance is made a lot easier if you go JZ. But that swap is no walk in the park either, and you will have to fab up a lot of custom stuff. Anyway, at the end of the day it's your car so you should do what you think will leave you happiest.

datsuns130

what i swear me that my bro's friend were just talking about this.. im just gonna built the ka.. so i can be at 2 something or 300 hp