Hi All, I was looking at Blade II's sale of the VG30DETT (Good Luck With That Sale) a good question was raised relating to the LS1 conversion. I have Just blown the Head Gasket between the water wells in the Block to Head gasket but i would like to know if anyone has some accurate information on how this conversion can be achived as i would have both of the things i have l aways wanted - A Awsome Sports Car *300ZX* and a Blown LS1 or LS2 - I would like to look into the Economics of them both, and i already understand that Rego will go up and as will insurance but thats the price you pay for the best. .. Price Of Fixing head Gasket - $2800.00 inc Labor. Cost Of Conversion - thats what i would like to Know. thank you in advance.
Im in the same boat as you buddy Id also be interested in looking at a conversion depending on cost etc
Price of conversion is definitely more exy.. Include front cut of LS1 easily 3k plus labour and custom fabrication (engine mounts, ECU, gearbox? mounts etc.) = at least 5-6k. Plus making your LS1 blown. That will be easily a total of around 10k done properly with engineers cerificates etc. Advice, stick with the VG. If you got the money go the LS1. Or why not try an RB26 to be different
What is everyone's fascination with old pushrod V8's? Just go buy a commodore and get it out of your system. For a start you have to buy an LS1 and if you want a late model one i would guess it would be at least $2800, plus all the hassles like gearbox etc. As a very very loose rule most engine conversions to be done by a workshop that are any good will start at around $10,000. I know it is a big generalisation but crossbreading engines opens up a whole can of worms, custom tail shafts yadda yadda yadda. IMO it would be more. So if you look at it it's not going to cost you much more to pull out the engine, do some turbos injectors pistons. Now again depending on how far you go you will have a well modified VG30 that could potentially pull 300rwkw plus (at least in my opinion) to a standard LS1, supposed 300kw at the flywheel (we all know they are lying). Your rego will be cheaper too
Why spend all that extra money to put a standard engine in when the VG is not that bad! RB26 is way too over rated.
Agreed. I drive my bosses v8 commodore and statesman most days if i get sent to do an errand at work. I really cant understand the facination with them. All I can say is big, fat and slow. Built to fit big fat and slow aussies/yanks. I can comprehend that the v8 engine in a lighter better handling car will feel better than in a bloated whale, but if you look at all the costs and headaches involved in building the v8 for good power, then transplanting, tuning, licenced and insured, it seems that it would be much easier to simply re-build your current engine with the same (or less) money. Look at shifters Z. A street drivable 400rwkw beast of a vg30. Think about it. Stock gen 3 v8 has 220kw at the flywheel. VG30dett has 208kw at the flywheel at 9psi. Quick mods like boost jets, pod filter and exhaust will easliy raise the VG above this. I think that the figures speak for themselves. $2,800 to fix your head gasket VS $3,000 for an ls1, $4,000 - $??? for power mods to it, $? for it to be engineered to fit into the Z chassis, $? for an engine management system, $? for tuning.
agree with you on that one mate. one little thing though dont zed's ahve 220kw stock? 300hp = 220kw no?
One reason.. ease/costs of modding.. Cost of fitting decent turbos to a zed = engine out = custom work = big money.. And really not justified gains considering the RB can handle decent power without touching the engine. Topher I have never said lots of people have done the RB conversion. In fact probably less than the V8.. i was talking to a bloke the other day with an LS1 in his zed (orange zed, not on the forum) whereas I've never ever seen an RB26 in a zed in Australia. A guy on the forum in bris is attempting it though.. Maybe you should go blow your turbos again ay..
i would love to but i didnt blow the turbo's in the first place, sucks you have a cooler hose that keeps blowing off after you tighten it, meh new clamp fixed that up. try again please mate
So it work out pretty expensive either way I guess. What about one of those nissan v8s someone mentioned in another thread. Do the same issues still apply or would that be a better option?
Yes 220kw = 300 hp, but all the specs on the TT Z32 state 208kw and 300hp???? Possibly because the auto has 280hp? Or maybe someone involved in publishing the spec's stuffed up. Or is an idiot and can't convert kw to hp.
na i think they were rated at 206kw (along with the gtr etc) even though they clearly had more power. becuase of the gentlemen's agreement? i think that's right anyway
Thats correct As far as I know. GTRs 300zxtts and a few others make more power than is claimed by the manufacturers
The firewall needs to be moved back 3" so that shifter of the T56/M6 transmission will come through the stock shifter location in the Z. Custom engine and transmission mounts are required. You use the Z ecu to control all the interior electrics etc. A company called Painless make a wiring harness to use with the LS1 ECU to control all the basic functions like starting the car, fuel maps etc. Plan on using after market gauges, because getting the stock ones to work is a PITA apparently, and I haven't seen a swap where they pulled it off. You'll need a custom intake for the LS1 to make it fit under the hood, and you'll probably still have to modify the underside of the hood. The hood will be very close to the throttle body. The LS1 runs hot and will require an upgraded radiator. Stock LS1 will propel the Z to high 12s low 13s. The T56 weighs more than the stock Z transmission, but the LS1 weighs less than the VG30DETT by numbers differing between 40kg and 70kg that I have seen. The weight distribution is better with the LS1 due to the engine being pushed backwards and the difference in weight. /opinion time Personally, I wouldn't bother with the LS1/2/7 swap unless you are creating a track Z (the weight distribution would help perhaps), or you want to make a hell of a lot of power, and don't want as much lag as you'd have making that same power in a Z. I wouldn't bother for anything less than around 600whp. /end opinion time :zlove:
well thats pretty pointless, id rather buy some boost jets, pod filter, exhaust, fmic and hit high 12's in my zed then spend all that time and money fitting an ls1 in
and fitting either LS1 or RB26 isnt big money and you have a stock engine still the point of all our posts. And what do you call decent power? Do you have numbers? There seem to be quite a few people on twinturbo.net making "decent power" on stock engines too... *disclaimer* by stock engine i/we mean internals
