Old school Engine Swaps
 

Hey all i was wondering if there was anyway you could swap an old LT1 ( none of you in here have probably heard of this but it's an old small block chevy {350 V-8} making about 300 HP to the wheels ) engine into the fairly small 240sx engine bay ... S13 or S14 ...i've heard of this same swap with a 280Z but i'm assuming that that would have a slighty larger engine bay .... any help is appreciated

i really doubt that the LT1 will fit without a significant amount of body work. the 280z has much more room under the hood cuz it came with a v8...

It will fit.

I know someone who swapped one in. Swap an OLD LT-1 in? Damn, you think we're young and you're calling the LT1 an old motor? ;)

The motor he swapped in was not actually an LT-1, but it was a small block Chevy just ther same. He was running a carb.

If I remember correclty, there were no serious clearance issues in the engine bay, but there were a couple of issues with the hood. I don't know if a fuel injected setup would sit closer to the block.

He did develop another driveline problem and I wish I could remember this one. I know it was either with the rearend or the tranny - but the rearend seems unlikely... and I can't remember if he used the KA transmission (if so - that's an obvious weak point).

It can be done - good luck!

-Justin
http://www.saltgod.org

why do that when a sr with some work can push more than that..
costs maybe less..
and will be lighter and more manageable

Re: Old school Engine Swaps
 

I have downloaded three vids of a 280z with an LT1 in it. The car is awesome. Rolling down the road in third the thing can lay rubber down.

Search for 240sx and you will find the vid.

The only swap I want is a 20B rotary in a rx-3. that's all i want for christmas:D

Please stop it you know I want an old school car.

Datsun 510
Mazda RX3
Toyota Starlet

It is the damn PR in me. I have to have one of those cars. I must continue the legacy.

actually small block 350s (which are LT1's) are a very common swap in a 280z. I have seen some crazy ish with those cars, I once saw a 280z with a brand new corvette motor from the dealer with a supercharger on it pushing like 500hp, it was SICK!

I saw one of the craziest swaps rolling down the cruising strip at Lake George NY.

Sounded like a V8 but it was a first generation rx7 sporting a carbureted small block. The air filter was raised out of the hood. My jaw dropped.

i dont know if i could picture that, but i bet that car hauls a$$...i dunno rx7 with small block, something just doesnt seem right about that picture

Not all CHevy 350's are LT1s. The LT1 is a relatively recent version of the motor (considering Chevy's been making 250's since the 60's). Probably developed in the late 80's - and most commonly installed in Caprices, Camaros, Firebirds, and of course Corvettes starting in the early 90's.

V8 swaps are all over the place. People even put V8's in Harley's over here. V8's are available and cheap. It's relatively easy to make big, reliable power.

Forced induction is a way for a smaller engine to act like a bigger one (by forcing a large volume of air/fuel into a smaller cylinder). So basically, just for a 2.0 liter to be on equal ground with a 350 (5.7 liter), you would need to run 2.8bar (40.3psi) through the entire rev band.

My numbers are probably BS (5.7/2.0 x 14.3) but it just gives you an idea of how a smaller turbo motor compares to a larger displacement V8. I don't know of any turbo that will generate that kind of boost just off idle.

Personally, I like the I4. I'm probably going to end up with a turbocharged version of the KA eventually. But it a lot of cases, there's something to be said for old tech pushrod brute force!

-Justin
www.saltgod.org

The old tech is definitely not my flavor. Pushrods seem so veryyyy old technology. When cars like the supra and porsche were using cams and multi valve engines way back in the day. Don't know why American technology believed in 7.0 liters of fun when it could have been had in only 3.0 A lot of wastefule processes in those pushrods IMHO. THey should have changed with the time earlier.

Because we never had to!

Gas is cheap here compared to the rest of the world - especially Europe.

And for all the knocks on pushrods, they can still push a stock Camarobird to 12's in the 1/4 mile, and will probably still have their motors outlast the cars they're installed in.

When it comes to making power - there's no REplacement for DISplacement.... unfortunately, displacement is heavy. :)

-Justin
www.saltgod.org

I say an OHC V6 in a first generation Firebird. It was the original motor (think it was a '69 model).

People didn't want technologically advanced engines. With gas prices low, se didn't have to wring 200hp from a highly strung complex 2 liter. We could just accomplish the same with a cheap, simple V8 and then use the V8 to sell the car!

-Justin
www.saltgod.org

This is true. More Gas = More Power, no doubt about it. But how about we do some conserving of energy and move into a more smoother flow of power. The pushrods are by no means smooth. Here in the Import Side of things, we have power, conserve gas and have some comfort doing it.

How often can you drive a 10 second camaro down the block versus a 10 sec supra?