1986 nissan 300ZX-V8 Swap

[Slofarmtruck]

I was told I should start a build thread in here so here goes. Most pics are just copied and pasted from the local nissan forum I post on. After heavily searching for originally a Datsun 240 or 260, I realized I wanted a more comfortable interior with some newer amenities. Being the 80's fan I am the Z31 fit the bill of fun RWD car with great creature comforts. I stumbled upon this gray 126,000 mile, 86 turbo, one owner car just a few blocks from my house. A week later and she was mine. Quick mods were Tokico 5 way struts, K&N filter, Boost gauge and Manual Boost Controller, Gutted Cat, and removed the stock muffler. The car is a blast to drive but still needs more power. Therefore this winter the stock drivetrain is being yanked for a much larger engine. My engine of choice is the 472 cadillac power plant. With an aluminum intake this motor only ways 40lbs more than a sbc. This thread will of course document the entire build as the budget allows. For now here are some current pics.

[Slofarmtruck]

the beginnind of the swap... The motor I chose is the 472 cadillac.

[Slofarmtruck]

I know its alot of pics so I will sum up a little here. The complete caddy motor has been stripped of the A/C, and transmission. The oil pan has been changed to a rear sump pan which should clear the crossmember. My next step is to remove the upper bar in the engine bay that holds the hood latch which should give me enough room to negotiate the large caddy motor into the engine bay. So thats it for now. I am planning on being back in the garage this monday to proceed with this wonderful project.

[NONHOG]

Note to self "invest in tire stock" Can't wait to see how it works out.

[68C15]

hell will freeze over before I turn a blind eye towards this build!!!

so, what frame mods do you have in mind? for that matter what do you have in mind for a rear end? I seriously doubt anything Japanese will ever hold up to a Caddy's torque.

[1971gmcshortbed]

Wow. Are you doing anything to the motor to get more horses out of it?

[Slofarmtruck]

The motor will start with just an intake and depending on clearance some shorty headers. Nitrous will of course need to be installed just cause I like it. For a trans I was planning on running a Muncie but due to cost a TH400 will be the trans of choice for now. The rear end is definitely an issue that I have a few ideas of. The mid 90's 300zx twin turbo rear will handle the power, its the axles that are the week point. There is a fella with an 800 hp 2jz swapped 300 on the stock lsd rear. He only roll races and the rear has held up so far. The chassis will be stiffened with a roll cage at minimum. The basic goal is to just get the motor and trans in and functional than go from there. I would be happy with just putting around this summer with that combination and next year working on the rear and chassis. Thanks all for the comments. I will keep you all updated as I go along.

[68C15]

I'm just sayin'

these things make TORQUE

YouTube- HOTROD CADILLAC

IIRC my 68 472 is rated for 535 ft/lbs net

[Slofarmtruck]

I love that video! I am very familiar with the power capabilities of the caddy motors as I had, depending on which week it was, a 472 or a 500 in my 84 C10. That truck was more fun than any other vehicle I have ever owned. I will build another one someday. I had posted these pics and vids elsewhere on this forum but they work here also. I didn't have a digital camera when I owned this truck which I greatly regret as many fun times were had in it. In the end the 15 lb nitrous bottle was hidden behind the seat and it was very common to run through the whole bottle in a night of playing around.

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/kingpincc/v...

[IMG]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/kingpi...

I also help my friend with his caddy powered wagon that he runs in the local 10.20 class. Total he owns at last count 3 caddy swapped vehicles that are for sure driveable. 2 are G bodies and the other is the 94 Chevy extended cab long bed 2500 that is the tow vehicle. Now more pics.

[Bus Ted Knuckle]

good lord man, put in a good seat belt!

[Slofarmtruck]

Well after much trial today. I have come to the conclusion that the big caddy motor will not fit in the engine without alot of modifications to the chassis of the car. These are modifications that I do not want to make to the car. The transmission is a whole nother issue in not even being close to fitting in the tunnel. The motor just plain sits up too high. So I have already sourced a very mild 350 sbc that will fit and my plans of keeping a manual trans in the car will be definite. We are down but not out with this project.

[D-Rat]

Originally Posted by Slofarmtruck

The motor will start with just an intake and depending on clearance some shorty headers. Nitrous will of course need to be installed just cause I like it. For a trans I was planning on running a Muncie but due to cost a TH400 will be the trans of choice for now. The rear end is definitely an issue that I have a few ideas of. The mid 90's 300zx twin turbo rear will handle the power, its the axles that are the week point. There is a fella with an 800 hp 2jz swapped 300 on the stock lsd rear. He only roll races and the rear has held up so far. The chassis will be stiffened with a roll cage at minimum. The basic goal is to just get the motor and trans in and functional than go from there. I would be happy with just putting around this summer with that combination and next year working on the rear and chassis. Thanks all for the comments. I will keep you all updated as I go along.

Kind of a shame to gut a good running turbo car for the swap, but hey, I understand the need to tinker.

The mid 90s tt rear end is still an R200 LSD rear diff, probably just like the one you have in your '86, so you're not gaining anything by swapping that over. The diff itself is plenty strong for the weight of the car, but halfshafts could be an issue, depending on how sticky a tire you use. Keep the V8 low and as far back towards the firewall as you can so the car maintains some handling. That part is tricky with the rear distributor on a SBC.

As for the 'can anything japanese hold up to that torque' argument, the Nissan H233B rear end found in V6 pickups, Pathfinders, Xterras, etc. is about the same as a Ford 9" with a slightly larger ring gear. Plenty strong to hold up to V8 power. That's a solid axle though. The 300ZX is an IRS, but the diff center section is roughly Dana 44 sized.

[Slofarmtruck]

The GM T5 trans is held up by the crossmember just not centered or bolted to it. I might be able to make it bolt in as if it were stock!! Next test fitting will be with the engine attached to it.

[dammitmitchell]

NICE BROTHER! NICE!
im putting a 480 hp 4blt main 350 into a 78 280 2+2....

it's gonna take me a minute mines in much worse shape then yours =-)

click sig for details

[Slofarmtruck]

Thanks!! I originally was leaning towards a 240z v8 swap project but couldn't find a clean enough shell for the right price locally. I do live my Z31's comfort though. My engine is just a stockish 4 bolt main GM Goodwrench crate from a freinds defunct project. I have no idea whats in the motor and don't care! I already have a few ideas on how to run my hydraulic clutch lines just need my budget to increase as the C10 daily driver has sucked up most of this projects money.

[dammitmitchell]

Oh and to aderess the "torque and rear end" issues...

running the STOCK rear end for the turbos (which is typically the R200 series with LSD)
can handle OVER 1000 hp, it's a 200 MM ring gear with some dang good treatment on it.
it's the half shafts that break on occasion..
a area of concern is the neck for the differential, the stock sheetmetal it's mounted to in the cabin can use a thick reinforcing plate welded or just bolted into place on the inside under your rear seats. I also reccomend a energy suspension (or any good poly kit) replacement, it will help stiffen up your rear end.

If you stay with a GM overdrive (R4 usually) or a 5 or 6 speed manual (typically stolen from Camaros) your gas mileage at a 300 plus HP application stays over 20 MPG..
at 480hp and a 700R4 im estimated to be getting 23 mpg (due to a similar almost exact same build) this can be pushed to close to 30 depending on tire size and weight of my right foot.

these cars were meant for chevy small blocks! or big blocks.!


also weight is no longer an issue, your car will not slow down at roughly 3200 lbs "wet" and 4 passengers, stereo, interior matting, a full meal.... foggy day...
only issue known really is... traction...
that's just my two cents. PM me if you would like a reccomendation for some interior liner, dynamat style stuff but the guy LOVES "z" cars and cuts us all a good dicount

[dammitmitchell]

OH also.. there's only a 100 lbs weight gain on an iron on iron motor.

what are your plans for radiator, clearing the dizzy..
who is making your conversion kit for the motor mounts? with a JTR (jags that run) kit you can .. well research it and you'll know =-)


stock Z radiator typically is not recommended for keeping during the swap due to the V8 flowing much more fluid and having a higher heat then the 6cyl you removed, a good dual core meant for a 80's camaro can handle this and are avail for under 200 bucks at napa summit etc..
electric cooling fans, i would recommend stealing from a jeep (high volume single fan) or the typical dual coolin fans from a taurus.

now this i sjust from my experiences and research, if you have not yet I would encourage you to check out WWW.hybridz.org
BUT BE WARNED
they are not as friendly as this forum... ive been banned before.... =-)

[Slofarmtruck]

WOW! ok well I do already have a build thread going on Hybrid Z in the Other V8 section since I was originally doing the caddy motor. I picked up a welded R200 diff that I will play with until it or something else explodes. lol. I am planning on running the HEI distributor and understand that some firewall hammering is required. I will be fabbing my own motor mounts like the pictures below. That owner ground off the stock mounting tabs and welded on the sqaure steel tube which seemed to line up perfectly. He is also running a camaro T5 trans. My setup will be identical to his. For a radiator I will end up ordering a custom aluminum from the speed shop I work for part time as well as a SPAL electric fan with a remote temo controller. For fuel I am hoping to run the stock in tank fuel pump with an aftermarket FPR to reduce the pressure for the carb. I have heard mixed results when doing this and will see for myself how it works. Poly bushings are on my list of must haves for the whole car, as well as a big brake kit. Main goal for this year is to just get the car driveable in its most basic form.


pass. side mount

drivers side mount

modified tranny crossmember and custom rubber mount

pic of mounted tranny

[dammitmitchell]

zip ties yaaay hahaha... =-)
is there going to be a gusse on the steel tubing at all?
a small one will be enough to prevent any twisting
i dont knwo the torque difference between the bigun and the little un with turbo..
just wondering.

that's pretty neat the PO did all that with the previous engine.. it just saved you a BUTT ton of time!..

[dammitmitchell]

next major "issue" will be wiring,
have fun with that it's easy as eatin pie if you are wire savvy... you can lose a few good pounds of wire and the ECM etc

a fre place to resell all your stock or previous motor install is zcar.com

so wheres the progress? it's been 12 hours get to it dangit!

[Slofarmtruck]

All stock parts have been sold already, the ECM is removed and gone and I just gutted any and all un-needed wires from the car. I love wiring so that will not be an issue. I figure by running an HEI distributor my wiring will be that much easier. To be clear, the pictures of the V8 Z I posted are a different car. I will just be duplicating his procedure. Which does make my life a lot easier. Only difference is I may end up making the motor mounts solid since my car will be more purpose built and I don't mind the harshness associated with that direct connection. No pics until monday most likely as I work all weekend. Just seeing the transmision in the car has me extremely motivated!!

[Slofarmtruck]

Removed the turbo crossmember since its more rare and am trading it for a non turbo one as I need to modify it anyways. Also pulled the radiator since its not up to cooling the V8. Re-test fit the complete assembly and have a bit of trimming to do on the firewall. Well on to more pics.

[dammitmitchell]

are you setting the motor far enough back to get that shifter hole lined up?

was this car ana auto or stick to start?

those brake lines 9as per the manual) can be bent a lil bit at you move around the metal to prevent them from hitting the intake bellhousing area, without effecting your braking capabilities.

im in the process now of dryicing my stock flooring up so i can por 15 it all...
got a **** ton of welding to do also!

[Slofarmtruck]

The assembly will go back far enough to line the shifter up nicely. It was a stick car already and one of the lines accross the firewall is for the hydraulic slave cylinder, so that line will be removed and rerouted since the GM T5's clutch fork is on the drivers side. The brake lines should only need to be bent slightly if any at all for fitement but I will know more once I get my proper engine crossmember installed. The orange cable is for the speedometer and that will be removed also as the new trans has an electronic output and I will just end up running a GPS speedometer to simplify things.

[dammitmitchell]

the stock Z cable dosent meet the GM adapter. so BAM! that solved that issue =-)
im soooo jealous your making mroe progress then me!
i havent even painted my engine bay yet!