I have acquired a damaged manual Zed for this project. It is drivable and the motor is strong and the box is smooth. The original plan was to pull that motor and gearbox out and take my time to do a full rebuild before swapping out the auto engine and box. Now I am thinking perhaps I should rebuild the current auto engine rather than the manual one to retain the original engine number for the car. Quite apart from keeping it all original which appeals, I understand changing engine numbers can be quite a hassle with the traffic authorities. Anyone done that (in NSW)? Was it a PITA? What is the difference between auto and manual engines anyway? - I have heard the turbos are smaller and the cams are different. Anything else? ECU? If I was upgrading the motor anyway - bigger turbos, stronger internals, some head and manifold work - should I change the cams for a manual set or would any difference in a modded engine be only marginal? I wuold appreciate any advice.
I had to change numbers in a previous car and it was pretty straightforward, just drove it down to a blueslip shop and then dropped the paperwork in at the RTA. I can appreciate the desire to want to keep your matching numbers engine, I don't think our cars are classic enough for it to add any value but I get where you're coming from. As you said if you're a big rebuild with new cams, turbos, and (I'm assuming) management then you're swapping out all the different bits anyway.
Yeah the only difference is the cams and turbo's. Manual cams have slightly longer duration. If you have them sitting around, put them in.
No point in worrying yourself about matching numbers Barry, the numbers that correspond to the type of transmission you are putting in for a start won't match.
