looking for a new project

Spin Doctor

Active Forum User
Hi all. Im new here and new to the 240 .260z that said i have had three 300zxtt over the last ten years and currently own a very nice 300swb man tt wide body. The reason ive come here is though i have hade a calling for the sexy 240z for years now. So im on the hunt. Im also after some advice. My question is because i will be turning to the dark side, what would you say would in your opinon be the best engine to put in a 240. Bassically i think im going to go out and buy a early skyline r33 or 32 and use as much as i can in the 240 .i think this should be easyer and cheaper knowing that from the start i have a reliable car and engine.
i know nothing is never straght forward but what in your opion would be the best car for me to use for this build.
Oh ps because the lack of rust free shells over here thinking of buying one from the states and going fro lhd to rhd. Or does this caues issues and problems before i start.
Thanks guys and all comments and remarks welcome.
 

johnymd

Club Member
The 280z is the strongest shell to start the build with and also probably the cheapest. Autos are aparantly cheaper ove there so probably the way to go. If you buy a GTR then the only thing you can use from the car is the engine so you may be better off buying that separately, although I do like the idea of being able to drive it so not a bad call. If your happy with a gtst then you can also use the box as well. Still may be an expensive way to just get an engine and box though. You should put some serious thought into what you want the car to be at the end because this will help in engine choice. IMO a standard engine with ceramic turbos and factory ecu will produce the best allrounder and would be my choice. It will still be reasonably quick, even with only 350ish hp. One of the things I love about my car is its drivability due to the factory turbos, ecu, injectors, ect. It may have a lot less power than all the other hybrids around but I can make full use of the power I have and cover a quarter mile in a pretty good time.

The main thing is to build a car you can use and enjoy as much as possible. Don't be tempted to build a monster.
 

Mr.G

Club Member
When you say you want a reliable engine, the original unit is exceptionally reliable and in L28 guise gives you a good base for further tuning..

There is no 'best' engine but for me an L28 bored and stroked for NA power can be quite a beast, or lower the compression quite easily and run boost, these engines are very robust.
 

Wyn

Club Member
What John said more or less sums it up but don't forget the brakes and suspension
Other then engine n box not much else from the skyline will fit anyway
Saying that if you can get a rotter for cheap it makes it much easier n cheaper as you'll have all them engine bits n ansils you need to get it going
Don't be tempted to buy in kit form else you'll prob end up spending a whole load more
Look on the net to see what mount kits you can get as that may also save you a lot of grief in the long run
Good luck and may the forze be with you :thumbs:
 

Spin Doctor

Active Forum User
No comp. But am use to driving a four hundred brake car. So thought itll be nice to have the 240 retro look car and with at least 300 ponies to get a giggy on. Want yhe modern day feel with the retro look. Thats why i thought whitch is the best way to go with the engine. Dont want a rover v8 as there lame unless you have deep pockets
But thats why i was thinking alone the lines of somthing out a skyline. But dont know whitch is best to transplant and use most use of the bits as i can. Or am i going in the wrong direction
cheers guys
 

Wyn

Club Member
But thats why i was thinking alone the lines of somthing out a skyline. But dont know whitch is best to transplant and use most use of the bits as i can. Or am i going in the wrong direction
cheers guys

R33 GTST 2.5 series 1 Skyline will do just fine imo
Plenty about as are the engine mount kits to fit your Z car
Fit and forget ... unless you like to tinker then it's fit and fortune :D
 

johnymd

Club Member
If your into reliable power and need 350 - 400hp they hybrid is your only option. To build a car with all the right bits to go round corners and stop is not cheap. I spent 4 years doing mine and to build it again would cost over 30k. I would think most people with hybrids have spent a fair bit more than this on theirs cars so its not cheap HP to do it well. Don't let that put you off though as you will end up with the best looking classic on the roads that performs like a supercar.
 

datsfun

Club Member
what would you say would in your opinon be the best engine to put in a 240. Bassically i think im going to go out and buy a early skyline r33 or 32 and use as much as i can in the 240 .i think this should be easyer and cheaper knowing that from the start i have a reliable car and engine.
.

Don't overlook the 1JZ equipped cars. ;)..in many instances a much better proposition than the RB units:smash:
 

johnymd

Club Member
Check out my times.

11.20@132.5mph

1jzgte, factory standard turbos, ecu, injector and all internals other than mild bc264 cams.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
If your calling is truly the dark side or that is because your heavyweight Z32 calls out for more power and you translate that into a 240Z then decide whether you want an N/A or not engine. Terrys' orange one here could be a great base upon which to start.

Otherwise, I agre with George except why even go bored out !

I think that you need to drive a simple L24 and L28 engined 240Z before going all Darth Vader on us.....
 

ZedsDead

Well-Known Forum User
Spindoctor, there are lots of good points above already but as I'm 50-60% through this build process myself I thought I'd give you a few comments.

You say "what in your opion would be the best car for me to use for this build.", but this is something really only you can decide on. Do your homework (which you're clearly starting to do) and decide for yourself. Don't go to great lengths and expense to build yourself a car based on other people's opinion. There are plenty of really friendly people in the Z community who I'm sure would give you a passenger ride in their cars so you can see for yourself what the options are. With a bit of research you'll soon work out what the best option for you is based on what you want to achieve.

With my build I wanted to have something which looks fairly classic on the outside but with modern, reliable engine & running gear on the inside. I also wanted to use as many modernish parts as possible so that I could replace them easily when needed. I also wanted the power to be scaleable in case I wanted more in the future and I prefer the characteristics of a turbo engine over N/A. I don't intend to compete in any motorsport and I want the car to essentially look like a classic but feel and drive like a modern supercar.

With that as my starting point I had two obvious potential donors: Skyline or Supra.

This really translates into 3 main engine options: 2JZ, RB26 or RB25.

I was really tempted to go with a 2JZ but I wanted to mainly use Nissan parts to keep closer to the Datsun lineage. Whilst the RB25 makes a great donor, I went RB26 to account for the scaleability I wanted whilst maintaining a good level of all round usability as per johnymd's suggestion.

There are loads of other engine options. No one is "better" than another really, it just depends on your aims, budget and competencies.

Based on my choice of engine, here is a list of parts you'll need in order to do a similar build:

RB26/RB25 engine. (Mine is a 26 from a late R34).
RB25 gearbox. (RB26 gearbox is 4WD and won't work)
Custom/modified sump. (Neither engine has a sump that doesn't hit the subframe/steering rack. Off the shelf items are available from the States but are really expensive.)
Custom/modified prop. (The new prop needs to be the right length for your diff/gearbox choice. Off the shelf items are available from the States but are really expensive. If you can spec your own you can get them made for a good price in the UK.)
Custom exhaust. (Off the shelf components exist but again are expensive.)
Custom engine mounts. (Off the shelf components exist but again are expensive - see Wyn's link.)
Engine loom.
Fuel pump. (Lots of options here.)

That's really just the start. Here are a list of things I've done in addition:

Brake upgrade. (transferring the Brembos from my donor skyline. They're huge and there's really good parts availability for them.)
All suspension components upgraded and replaced. (Largely going T3, some custom).
BMW power steering conversion. (PAS is something which is much argued over on Z forums but again, make your own mind up.)
Skyline LSD conversion.
Uprated driveshafts.
Custom machined front hubs. (Allow fitment of standard Skyline brake components for better part option and availability).
Chassis strengthening (The standard frame rails aren't full length, nor tie into the rear end).

These are just the first things that spring to mind, there are easily more to consider.

Another question is "what can you swap from the donor car and what donor cars are available?".

I have just finished stripping my donor for parts so can tell you what you can swap. I had an R33 GTR with an R34 GTR engine already installed.

R33's are, at present, the cheapest option. R32's are becoming more sought after as classics and R34s are yet to depreciate to the same level as 33s.

Here's the parts list I took from the Skyline:

Rear driveshafts.
Rear 5-lug hubs, wheel bearings and handbrake assembly.
Rear brake discs & calipers.
Rear diff.
Front discs & calipers.
Engine.
Engine loom.
Fuel pump.

Bear in mind that none of this will bolt straight in and custom parts/work will be required to use them.

I've taken a few other parts which I'm also working on fitting into the 240 although have yet to complete, largely the aircon and automatic climate control system although this is quite challenging to fit due to space constraints. I'm also hoping to use the heater blower and wiper motor due to better performance and parts availability.

It's worth adding up the price of the parts you want to use vs the cost of buying a donor car. I bought a donor car because I was initially worried about the wiring and because I got a really good deal. Subsequently though I would be reasonably confident I could make most of the wiring from scratch and am thinking I probably will just make completely new looms for the whole car.

LHD to RHD

I'm really glad I bought a US shell. It's in astonishingly good condition for a '71 car. It was ziebart'd from new so even the inside of all the chassis rails and wheel arches are near enough perfect.

There is already a recent thread running on this site regarding the parts list needed to do the RHD swap so I won't go over it again. That said though, I'm halfway through making a solution to this which I think most people will find preferable to the conventional swap. I'll document it on my blog once I've finished and know it works.

Cost

Take whatever you've got in your head and at least double it. It would be possible to do the whole thing on a budget but the car you'd end up with would be quite different. I think it would have been cheaper for me to buy a mid range BMW and drive around throwing £20 notes out the window then it would be to complete this build. The point is that before you spend all that time and money, just be really sure you're building the car you want.

I have my own lathe, mill, welding gear and other workshop equipment. Don't underestimate how much custom work needs doing and how much it costs if you can't do it all yourself.

I also have a friend who's been really helpful and supplied me with a lot of the Datsun parts I've needed. Without him I'd probably still be looking for a lot of them. Don't underestimate how long it takes just to acquire all the parts you need either.

In spite of all the obstacles above, I can say that the whole build hasn't been particularly difficult and the end product should (hopefully!) be pretty awesome! I've tried to give you the benefit of many hours of research which is possibly the most time consuming part. There are quite a few people on this forum who have completed their hybrid builds who will probably be better placed to advise you than me but I'm happy to help answer any questions where I can.
 
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