can a L26 be resurrected?

[reverendzed]

I'm right in the middle of making big decions (at least for me) as to what to do engine wise.  I have a current l26 that is a little tired yet amazes me what she can still pull off on the highway!  Some have said the only basis for a rebuild is an L28 because of the added displacement.  I have 2 X L26 Motors and I guess i figured that if the L26 is still a good prospect to do up a bit (not sure what that means yet) then I could be working on one while still driving the other.  I am keen to get underway with this project as I also want to be converting to 5 speed when I do the job.  I have appreciated all the feedback so far since joining the forum and I hope that the knowledge out there can help me in this decision. Thanks

[Lurch]

If you can't be bothered tracking down a L28, then reco. one of the L26's.
For a road car I doubt you'll notice the difference

[reverendzed]

Lurch, it's not about whether I am bothered or not to find an L28 I am simply trying to ascertain what the options are! thanks (i think) for your thoughts.

[gav240z]

Lurch, it's not about whether I am bothered or not to find an L28 I am simply trying to ascertain what the options are! thanks (i think) for your thoughts.

The L28 is a better motor overall for a few reasons. First and foremost engine head and combustion chamber design. The L28 heads tends to have larger ports which breathe better than the E88. However there were two versions of E88 the earlier 240z one and the later 260z one. The 260z one had an open chamber where as the earlier 240z one had a peanut high quench design giving higher compression.

It's far easier to switch to an L28 for the added benefit of the larger displacement and the better cylinder head design. Generally speaking other benefits on an L28 motor are electronic distributor and fuel injection although most opt to go for 240z carbs with good reason.

At the end of the day it all depends on what you would like to do. You could always stick an earlier 240z head on the L26 block and see how that goes, but you would need to check clearances with the stroked block of the L26.

It all comes down to how much work your doing to the motor and where you want to go. It is far cheaper to start with an L28. I'd recommend the N42 head and block combo for a naturally aspired set up myself.

[maddos]

If your car had original motor (as mine did) I'd pull the lot, sit it in the shed and do a rebuild at your leasure while still having fun with an L28 in the car. i was lucky, my parts car had a strong L28 and didn't have to do anything to it except change the oil and wack on the 240 carbs. Now I can give it a bit of a hiding without worrying about blowing the original motor. Took me and mate Friday night and then by lunch time Saturday we were driving, this was engine swap and manual conversion. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[NZeder]

Have both - The L26 and L28 share the same crank/rods. The difference is the bore and pistons (well the block is different too) but you could always do what others have done before (I know of 2 that have done this). That is have one of your L26 blocks sonic tested to see if they can take a 3mm overbore (Nissan state any of the L6 series can take 2mm without sonic testing - however do to age of the block sonic testing any 2+mm is recommended if used for racing - however for a road car you should be fine but best you find a good engine builder and get their advice as I work in IT and no nothing of rebuilding an engine so this is just info I either know or have read in books)

So L26 block with a 3mm over bore = L28 spec ie 79mm stroke, 86mm bore and 130.3mm rods is another option however not the cheapest and this is one of the reason some say get a L28.

Now with that said - there is in the UK? A 240z or 260z 2 seater? (I can't recall) but it has a L26 block with a 2mm overbore = good and save the very very rare Nissan FIA rally LY hemi head, triple carbs (not sure of the cam etc) but the engine put out 270HP (I assume a lot and I mean a lot of this is from the that rare head). From the reading and talking to people who build engines for a living the problem with the 240z/260z/280zx engines is the heads (not really a problem) what I am trying to say is performance gains come from the head first then any extra cc for the big HP.

If you zed is a road car and you are happy with your stock L26 performance then why not just do a fresh'n up (depends on the buget) balance, and some head work then stick on some triple 40's (45's would be too large for a L26 with mild work for a road car + the 40's will give better MPG for a road car) + 40's are cheaper to purchase with a good cam for this setup your car will go very well - won't be the fast zed on the track but it will be fun to drive on the road.

[dazzed]

absolutely right on mr b