240Z Engine Prices

[Herbert7]

Hi my name is Jason, i am 16 years old and i am in love with the Datsun 240Z.

 

I also love speed, power and noise so i was wondering if anyone could help me with engines

 

Which engines are suitable for this car and what are the prices (as i am having difficulty finding prices on the internet)

 

Cheers

 

 

[redrbzed]

Well James, I think there is only one engine really.

And that would have to be the...

Damn, I think I can hear my RB26 Zed calling, gotta go!!!

[Toecutter]

Jason,

 

There are alot of engines that will fit in an S30 engine bay as it's quite roomy. Failry stock upgrade is an L28, (do some research on that). Getting into some thing more modern you can also instal a series of RB motors which are popular conversions. The Yanks do a lot of V8 conversions as have some members here.

 

Just search and you'll find it all here. Start savin you pennies!

 

Sulio

[Zedman240®]

I think it all comes down to the all mighty dollar! What type of engine you decide on depends how many pennies you have saved! or how many hard earned pennies you want to spend..

[stevo_gj]

I'm going to budget at least 10K for my RB25DET conversion. Seriously the best thing to do is read all the posts on here about engine conversions its all been discussed before.

[sexual_sushi]

whatever you do, don't crash it or we'll get Lurch onto you

[C.A.R.]

I forgot it's school holidays atm...

 

 

[stevo_gj]

I forgot it's school holidays atm...

 

 

Yeah that does explain a few things. Although I reckon young people are a great way for our forum to grow in size (yes im biased  ). Jason for example created an easy to read concise post with, well, a pretty broad question which can be answered with some research. Removed elitist sentence

 

We just need to be sure we set good examples and discourage all the behavior that other forums suffer from.

 

Sorry for going off topic, but hopefully Jason can now find the answers he seeks.

[620Z]

Jason you tell us what you want to do with your Zed. Daily driver, road/track or specialise. Also in speed, power etc. Then let us know a rough budget and then people can give you some advise.

[modular9]

<snip>

... but ultimately once he has learned how the forum works he has the potential to be a valued member. 

 

<snip>

 

And wont he be chuffed to think that he has the potential to be a valued member.

 

Coming of a wee bit elitist there dont you think ?

 

[stevo_gj]

And wont he be chuffed to think that he has the potential to be a valued member.

 

Coming of a wee bit elitist there dont you think ?

 

 

yeah you're right man that is pretty unfair. I've edited my post.

[Herbert7]

Jason you tell us what you want to do with your Zed. Daily driver, road/track or specialise. Also in speed, power etc. Then let us know a rough budget and then people can give you some advise.

 

Well, i will be using it for daily driving, but i want at least a 210hp engine.

Also, with petrol prices, i want the car to be 'fuel efficient' (in a way) so im not looking for a 5L engine.

i am willing to spend bout 5-8 grand MAX on the engine.

 

[stevo_gj]

I guess it comes down to whether you are confident doing much of the work yourself mate, as paying labor on an RB engine swap will be really expensive. For the budget you have I would suggest the L28E (fuel injected L28). You would be looking at around 11-13L/100km if my memory serves me correctly, with a decent amount of power and for between 5-8K you could include a few mods to improve the performance.

 

If you were confident doing most of the engine swap yourself and doing minor fab work then go the RB25DE route for good power, fuel consumption and reliability.

 

I'm no expert but in your situation that's what I'd go for.

[RB30X]

How much are L28 engines?? Are how hard do they go standard?

 

RB30's go for about $100 around here, or you could buy a whole VL commdore for a grand and everything you need is there apart from custom mounts. If you only want 200hp then bolt on a turbo conversion for $1000-1500 and make that power easily. You could always do this unoticed after the mod plate (if one is required?) I'm guessing they'll be more fuel efficient too.

[Zedman240®]

Remember if you go the RB way, even though the engines are cheap and you want it road reg'd as well, add aonther $800 or so on top of that for engineer's report. Plus the brake upgrade etc.. A good healthy L28 will put out as much if not more than a NA RB25DE; DET is another thing, good power for the $$you throw at it but goes back to certificates you need.

 

A standard L28 with 240Z carbs (Hitatchi's) and elec ignition will get you around 90Kw at the wheels. Install some triples and a cam, and that should go to around 120~Kw; what a standard RB25DE will get you with aftermarket efi setup and lots of $$$. As with any engine setup Kw=$$$

[.]

here here. I don't mind the idea of a conversion but the cost spirals quickly out of control unless you can do a lot of it yourself. The ECU is the biggest hurdle. Long live the L28! Anyway outright power is not the be all and end all. There are so many other mods that give more bang for buck.

[Herbert7]

The Labor work will be done very cheap as i have got a friend who is a mechanic.

il research more about the engines that have been spoken about.

 

Thanks for all your help.

[C.A.R.]

16yo (17/18yo by the time he gets his licence) + Turbo = Illegal.

Also, having a Zed at 17/18 is a big gamble - you WILL crash it.

 

For heaven's sake Jason, get yourself a manual RWD car (like a Commo/Falcoon/Skyline) for the first few years of having your licence.

Then get a Zed when you have more experience under your belt.

The last thing I want to hear is a Zed that's been written off by a 'P' plater...

[Jospef]

The last thing I want to hear is a Zed that's killed a 'P' plater...

 

Fixed .

[.]

I agree with the comments. I am the first person to admit I was a useless driver at 20. Once I had 3 accidents in one week (I was working way too hard and was over tired). But I haven't had another accident since.

 

I would say this though. Years and experience can be gained the long way. Or you can short cut the circuit by getting defensive driving lessons and getting out on the track as much as possible. Its one thing to know how to drive a car under normal circumstances, any schmuck can do that. When most people get into trouble is when they are surprised by something, they over-react and wonder why the car acted in unexpected ways. Get a car on a track and take it to the limit and even past the limit. It is a sure way to learn how to handle a car and what to do if you encounter a surprise.

 

Also I'm no prude. I speed as much as the next person. But I drive to the conditions. Speed is for the open road. Running red lights, tailgating, lane jumping, show boating etc are sure ways to scrap a car and maybe a life.

 

OK Now who is sounding like a Mum

[Jospef]

The guy is obviously keen on the zeds, and he has come here for advice on engines. He might be more mature than you think, he might be a better driver than the lot of us. I think it's good that a few younger guys are getting into the classics. I don't think we should be discouraging him from building a nice 240.

[Zedman240®]

I still remember going around the Winton circuit in pissing down rain with my L's!

 

Like Jospef says, he could be a champion behind the wheel and we don't know it..it is good to have a shit box runnabout as well (helps with the parts collecting you WILL be doing when its time to rebuild the zed!) and to leave in suspicious places and not having to worry about it. Join a club and do some sprints and that shows you and everyone else who does it, we are all not experts but we try hard!

[C.A.R.]

The last thing I want to hear is a Zed that's been written off by a 'P' plater...

Fixed again.

Pleanty of 'P' Plates out there - but there's not a lot of Zeds left!

(And yes, I realize we're getting sidetracked).

[gav240z]

16yo (17/18yo by the time he gets his licence) + Turbo = Illegal.

Also, having a Zed at 17/18 is a big gamble - you WILL crash it.

 

For heaven's sake Jason, get yourself a manual RWD car (like a Commo/Falcoon/Skyline) for the first few years of having your licence.

Then get a Zed when you have more experience under your belt.

The last thing I want to hear is a Zed that's been written off by a 'P' plater...

 

I agree with the comments. I am the first person to admit I was a useless driver at 20. Once I had 3 accidents in one week (I was working way too hard and was over tired). But I haven't had another accident since.

 

I would say this though. Years and experience can be gained the long way. Or you can short cut the circuit by getting defensive driving lessons and getting out on the track as much as possible. Its one thing to know how to drive a car under normal circumstances, any schmuck can do that. When most people get into trouble is when they are surprised by something, they over-react and wonder why the car acted in unexpected ways. Get a car on a track and take it to the limit and even past the limit. It is a sure way to learn how to handle a car and what to do if you encounter a surprise.

 

Also I'm no prude. I speed as much as the next person. But I drive to the conditions. Speed is for the open road. Running red lights, tailgating, lane jumping, show boating etc are sure ways to scrap a car and maybe a life.

 

OK Now who is sounding like a Mum

 

I don't want to discourage anyone from getting a Zed either. As I loved them when I was 17-18 and bought 2, a 240z and 260z. I couldn't find any other job than pizza delivery at the time and as a result some idiot pulled out in front of me and well see the pics below:

 

http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=57&uid=2

http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=59&uid=2

http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=60&uid=2

http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=61&uid=2

 

If you do buy a Zed, get yourself a cheap run-about while you fix it up over a couple of years. It will be the best thing you can do. You will learn to become a defensive driver over the first couple of years and realise that idiots are everywhere and they seem to be magnestised to my 240z when I'm on the road. Honestly its as if people are going for you when you drive your Zed .

 

Best of luck!

[Herbert7]

Well this has all been very interesting, (and a bit depressing)

 

BUT,

 

i agree with the what has been said about P's driving Zeds and i will probably buy a Cheap Z and save money for the cars performance once i have;

1- gone for defensive lessons with the car

2- had the car for about 2-3 years

 

what I'll do for the time being is make the car into a sex machine with nice rims, great paint job, leather interior etc.

 

BTW: are zeds hard to drive (iv never driven one)

 

Id like to go on a circuit one day, can L's do that?

 

and where can these circuits be found?

 

thanks again for all the help