Well I went to my buddys house to check out the Turbo engine, tranny and rear end that he "wanted" to sell me real cheap. When I got there he had a 1981 T-toped coupe sitting there...minus the engine, tranny and rear end...how convenient!!! Said he picked it up for $500...gonna make another road racer he says...bla bla BLA!!!!!!! The little jerk!!!

After I left his house I went to a local yard to see what they had "in stock". They have a 1983 L28ET already pulled and sitting on a shelf. No ECU, no wire harness and no damned TURBO!! Other than that it looked in good shape and was complete...- the turbo. They said it has 53,XXX miles on it when it was pulled. I then ask if they had any 280's in the yard and they did...one. 1980 coupe slick top with 5-speed made on 02/80, complete engine that looks like it would run. I did not check the mileage. I am torn, I want the 5-speed from the '80 but I want the '83 L28ET which is from an Auto. The guy said he will sell me the tranny, pedals, non turbo exhaust manifold, driveshaft and rear end and mint condition aluminum sail panels for $350 and they will pull it all. $400 for the L28ET, again with no turbo, harness or ECU.

Well guys what do you think? I like my L28E but I don't like the auto. I can get a perfect exhaust manifold which would fix the leak, 5 speed which would fix that also...pedals and all the other little things for a decent price. But then there is that L28ET for $400, I don't see any of these parts going anywhere anytime soon. Man, what do I do.....no I am asking, what do I do? The turbo engine will bolt right up to my car as is right...because it is an automatic and the engine is from an auto? Right? Would you all put the 5 speed on the engine I have now or turbo the auto and down the road get a 5 speed?

 

Check out bleach's turbo swap thread. Turbo swaps are no walk in the park. Even for someone as knowledgeable as bleach. Plus I would recomend pulling the parts yourself if you can. The yard guys tend to cut, bend and brake things to get them out faster.

 

get the turbo, work on it for a while and save up the money for a 5-speed then swap it all. You can get a ecu and harness from ebay...

 

Ok, since what I have in the car is actually working I may just go ahead and get the L28ET and tear it apart, rebuild it and save up for the T5. Hunting down all the little things will be like a treasure hunt so I may enjoy that...till I can't find what I am looking for then I will go POSTAL!!! So $400 sounds like a decent price for the engine even though it is without the turbo? 53,XXX miles.

 

I would say, that is probably the best way to do it. If you don't have all the cash, and resources. Then you challenge yourself hunting down all the parts and such. For your turbo motor, sounds like fun man. When I am ready, I am buying a complete one from the Z wrecking yard out here. And I will make sure I get all the accs, I need to have a complete turbo swap. It is down the road though. I have other stuff ahead of that. Good luck to you though bro'. And keep us updated.

 

Hey Wildman Must Be Nice To Have A Yard What Has Turbo Z's None Of Them Here Ever Get Any.

 

Get the Turbo motor AND get the center console, drive-shaft, tranny, pedal assembly and master cylinder from the 1980 5-speed.

You don't have to put an automatic tranny onto an engine that came with an automatic. The tranny's are interchangeable you just need to use the flywheel from the 5 speed. There's a dowl pin in the Auto's that isn't in the manuals that you have to either remove or grind down.

The fact that your car is functional gives you a lot of time to build the motor and tranny on the side. You can also take your time to find a turbo and exhaust manifold at your leisure.

While you're looking, go to: http://www.megasquirt.info/

And make your own ECU and wiring harness! It's not as hard as a lot of people think.

Good luck!

 

I really do want the 5 speed AND turbo engine. The turbo itself is all I think I would have to look for as they left the manifold on the car and it still has the 4 studs and a gasket lol. No ECU = no AFM right? You know, if I go with megasquirt? So would the pipe be From the turbo directly to the TB? As for the tranny...I can put that in here soon then just swap in the L28ET after it is rebuilt...or is it easier to combine the two and put in as one unit? Mind you I really dislike this auto trans. OK, well peace and chicken grease and thanks for pointing me in this direction.

 

Excellent! The manifold is harder to find than a T3 turbo anyway. And if you save up the money, you can buy NEW one for nearly the price of a rebuild. (NOT FROM eBay!)

Correct! Buy you will have to find a MAF sensor. These are all well documented at megasquirt.info and for specific installations in Z cars, check out: http://forums.hybridz.org/forumdisplay.php?f=88

Save some more money and get an intercooler.

It's usually easier to line things up if the tranny goes in mounted on the engine.

 

lww you are the man, that was the most complete response I have understood. I actually have an intercooler from a 1986 Thunderbird Turbo coupe just laying around. It is not big though and I think it is like 2 inch in and out on it. It was meant to be mounted so the hood vent supplies the air to it...not the best for heat soak. Thanks man....you rock...no really you rock!!!