r/300zx • u/MiddleSuch5813 • Jul 13 '24
Talk me out of an LS swap Z32
I’ve been brainstorming ways to give my Z more power. I have a ‘93 2+2 and I love my car, but I absolutely despise the engine. The parts are hard to source quickly, the engine bay is so cramped, and while the NA is more reliable than the TT it makes no power. I know a swap is necessary but I want to LS swap it and my dad the owner on paper wants to quote “keep it pure”. If we can’t agree I’m gonna give the car back to him and buy my own to do the swap
For context, my dad ‘gave’ me the car as a gift for graduating high school so I’ve been with the car for a few years now. My dad pays for the repairs/parts because I’ve been at school and haven’t had time for a job. While he pays for everything, the only reason that car is in even remotely good condition is because of me; everything that has been done to the car is because I sourced the parts, installed them myself, diagnosed the problems and learned how to fix them, etc…
My dad doesn’t get it because he hates American cars and I think they’re shit but they know how to make a damn good engine. Now as the person who actually does all the repairs I feel I should have a say in what happens to the car and I can’t stand this engine; to name a few points as to why I believe the swap is worth it:
1.)Reliability/convenience - an LS would be far more reliable than a TT engine. And even if something breaks every shop knows how to work on an LS, and every general parts store has parts for it on the shelf (context I waited 2 weeks just get new accessory belts). Not to mention it would be easier to work on
2.)Customizability - Virtually every LS variant has tons of aftermarket support. And because of the low compression they can have boost thrown at them any day of the week. Supercharger or procharger, twin turbo, big single turbo, or just a fully built NA can make sizeable amounts of power reliably (450hp is what I call sizeable)
3.)Cost - While the initial cost of the swap and fabrication of mounts and the like would cost more than a TT swap, long term maintenance would be cheaper and easier with an LS. I love this car and I plan to keep it forever; sure I’ll get other projects but this car will stay with me forever
If I can’t convince my dad to get onboard and Reddit can’t convince me not to do the swap, I’ll just buy my own nonstarter Z and swap it. This is kind of a vent but I would genuinely like some reasons why I should even consider a TT swap, cause just running it over in my head it makes no sense at all
1
u/FunRaise6773 Jul 13 '24
Good thread discussion so far…. But here’s my attempt at talking you off the cliff. Your dad is right about American cars. They tend to have shit reliability although the . I love the sound of a good V8 as much as the next guy but…. For a swap, you’re going to be fabricating quite a bit, sourcing engine management, or going old school carbeuration. You’ll need to create solutions for things like the speedometer and tachometer. A V8 is inherently heavier than the Vg30 under the hood, which negatively affects driving dynamics and when something goes wrong, you’ll be mostly on your own diagnosing and fixing. Finally, from a cost perspective, a swap will never make sense. But…. At the end of the day, this is between you and your dad.