302 swap into '90 240sx...

[j-z]

hey guys i appreciate every bit of input! after a lil thinking, im just going to do a stock rebuild and throw a b303 cam in it along with some shorty headers that i can eventually flip sides with and weld some 4 bolt flanges on the end. then have them Y together into a single t4 flage im sure with a CAI, exhaust, and b303 cam i will be more than happy for starting out.

after i boost it with the stock intake and heads im sure ill be puttin down atleast 350 conservatively close to 400. i just need to source a t5 and a front sump, so i can start fabbing my mounts.

btw, does anyone have any info on using the gm t5 tailhousing on the ford? i know of a few 302 swaps in 240s and the shifter is way far forward of the original shifter opening in the 240. with the gm tailshaft, it should place it perfectly in the opening.

i also believe i have the motor with the stock forged pistons in it. if so, ill be a happy mofo. can anyone verify what years the fox came with the forgies? yeah ill be tearing it down and find out for myself, but i was just wondering so i know what year this motor is, or a way i can find out. there are some markings stamped on the heads. can you tell by looking at the stamps?

 

[Black1987Stang]

There's a number on the block under where the oil filter goes is i believe, you can figure out the year with that......Private message me what parts you need I have tons, like flywheel, harmonic balancer, stock maf, Mint lower intake, upper, throttle body, stock alternator and more...

 

[ninety15.0]

Alright...i guess because you have built and installed a motor you must be "really capable" so we'll let that go.

If you want to go with a turbo install (Which i actually think is a good idea) you are going to need to consider the following:
- Y pipe for headers and turbo flange....you must consider your space constraints for the hot side piping. Do you plan on intercooling it?
- You will def need bigger injectors, MAF, and a TUNE.
- What size turbo do you plan on running? What usable power band do you need? with one large turbo you are going to narrow your power band significantly...especially if you are going to use the stock heads and intake.
- Like you said with your old motor...all that turbo equipment adds weight...and adds it in the worst place. Just something to consider.

If you want to go turbo i would take a little time and money and fix some of the inherent weaknesses in the stock motor. For about 400 bucks you can find a set of gt40p heads from an explorer. For about 250 bucks you can find the matching intake manifold (upper and lower) and possibly get the 65mm throttle body with it. At that point you have a much better breathing motor for short money that will not only make more power...but extend that usable Rev range up to about 5500rpm.

 

[65ShelbyClone]

1.) headers that i can eventually flip sides with and weld some 4 bolt flanges on the end. then have them Y together into a single t4 flage

2.) btw, does anyone have any info on using the gm t5 tailhousing on the ford? i know of a few 302 swaps in 240s and the shifter is way far forward of the original shifter opening in the 240. with the gm tailshaft, it should place it perfectly in the opening.

3.) i also believe i have the motor with the stock forged pistons in it. if so, ill be a happy mofo. can anyone verify what years the fox came with the forgies? yeah ill be tearing it down and find out for myself, but i was just wondering so i know what year this motor is, or a way i can find out. there are some markings stamped on the heads. can you tell by looking at the stamps?

1.) If you still want to save money while turbocharging it......keep a carburetor in mind as a possibility. A Holley 4 barrel can be modified at home for blow-through boost. Don't get a B-cam if you want boost later. The F-303 is more popular for that.

2.) I have zero experience with GM transmissions, but there is an aftermarket option for moving the T5 shifter further back from Mustangs Plus.
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=463049&highlight=shifter

3.) 1985 to mid '92 5.0 HOs have forged pistons. If your engine has a gray painted oil pan instead of black, there is a better chance it has forged pistons. Don't get hung up on this, however. The hypereutectic pistons are still tougher than the block as long as the tune is plenty safe. '85-86 don't have valve reliefs, so that limits cam choices.

'87-95 have the better E7TE heads. The head casting numbers are on the underside of the intake runners in the lifter valley.....under the intake manifold.

 

[j-z]

awesome.... this is the kind of info im looking for! i wont be boosting it till waaaaaaaaay down the road when the cash flow comes and when i feel like i need the extra power. but for right now i just want to prep the bottom end for boost. intake and heads i can easily change out with the motor still in the car. i just want to get the neccessay things to get this motor in and running. ill post up when i get home what the numbers in the casting say.

thanks guys, john.

ps. i havent looked into anything specifically turbo wise yet as i havent visited that turbomustang site just yet. i have no idea what size turbo im going to get. i know ill def need upgraded maf and injectors without a doubt and something to tune with as well. not familiar with what i can use to tune on a domestic v8 motor. btw, carb is completely out of the question now. i already have everything for FI so im going to use it. thanks again.

 

[RWDtech]

people race and drift RX-7's with LSx motors and seem to be doing fine...and a 1.3L wankel weighs even less than the 4 cylinder in the 240. you can change your shocks and springs accordingly. if i were you, i wouldnt care what these people think of your project. create a different user name and pretend u are putting this motor in a fox body....OR pick up some 302 build books...theres gotta be tons of them out there.

and about the rear end, not that nissan builds ****ty rear ends, but i wouldnt trust it for long with the torque of a V8 motor. can you swap rears with a 300zx or something?

btw i thought that body style started in 93, please correct me

anyway, good luck with your project, it seems like an awesome idea. i have a pretty open mind when i comes to cars, im not a chevy or ford zealot....as long as its RWD and not a truck, im all for it

 

[2000xp8]

If you try and get 300rwhp with crummy parts, i can damn near gurantee it costs you more in the end, to get less.
Besides if i was you i'd want to lose the 50lbs by using aluminum heads.

BTW, most off the shelf cams for a mustang peak around 5500rpm, 6500 is a longshot for any mild combo.

And as far as turbos go, you try and use a stock setup with a turbo and beat the crap out of it, and you'll have a pile of junk after probably 1 day on a road track with it.
At least you'll be super efficient at replacing head gaskets.

I don't disagree with your project, i like the idea of a 5.0 in anything.

 

[j-z]

good news and good news.... i just checked the stamping on the heads and theyre the e7te heads, and the pan is painted grey as well. the NA 300zx rear end is the same thing as the 240 btw... the z32TT rear end is different though. its alot more heftier and bigger in size= harder to work with. if mine isnt a factory lsd, then im just gonna arc weld that bitch.

the body style of my s14 pictured that i sold started in 95 which is what year that one is. the car i have now is a 1990 s13 hatch. not near as beautiful, but still hotter than a fox lol.

 

[j-z]

heres what a s13 hatch looks like... obviously this ones not stock, but sexy as hell!

it belongs to bomexs13 on nico...

and heres another with stock body lines which looks exactly like mine minus the horrendus spoiler...

 

[cenok is family]

good news and good news.... i just checked the stamping on the heads and theyre the e7te heads, and the pan is painted grey as well. the NA 300zx rear end is the same thing as the 240 btw... the z32TT rear end is different though. its alot more heftier and bigger in size= harder to work with. if mine isnt a factory lsd, then im just gonna arc weld that bitch.

the body style of my s14 pictured that i sold started in 95 which is what year that one is. the car i have now is a 1990 s13 hatch. not near as beautiful, but still hotter than a fox lol.

pssh...i think this is a sweet project. i love s13's. but i'm gonna have to disagree with you on that point. lol

 

[RWDtech]

heres what a s13 hatch looks like... obviously this ones not stock, but sexy as hell!

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/11954sig21.jpg

it belongs to bomexs13 on nico...

and heres another with stock body lines which looks exactly like mine minus the horrendus spoiler...

http://www.nicoclub.com/ROTM/ROTM-images/dec06/rotmdec06-8.jpg

i think that body style is the best. the newer bodystyle looks too much like a maxima. btw, please dont weld your diff together, u wont be able to drive it on the street

 

[j-z]

its going to be a strictly track only car. i MIGHT drive it on the street every once in a while, but prob not cause that **** is gonna guzzle gas. im so used to my daily 94 accords mpg . i know alot of people who ride everyday on welded diffs... not a good idea in the rain, plus it eats their tires up (retarded, yes i know). itll just be a lil harded to pull into parking spots. tire chatter yada yada...

 

[j-z]

heres the beginning of the project. first thing i did was rip that foam spoiler off to see just how much rust was underneath. there was ALOT. and look at what the dumba$$ses used to repair it LOL. chickin wire and body filler :wtf . you can see the 302 just sittin there awaiting a t5 and front sump setup so i can start mocking things up. what i did in this day was clean everything out of the car, completely stripped everything (full intact harness', panels, clips, heater core, blower motor, all that good stuff yada yada...

 

[iapexl8r]

didnt you mean to say you wouldnt buy a fox because it isnt ulgy enough??? because in this neck a the woods we all think they don get any ulgyier than those 240 nissans Just funnin ya!!!! I say go for it , efi with a turbo 4 sure. the 5.0 liter stang motors are cheap to build. with the right cam and some computer tuning you can see 6500 rpms easy. put a solid roller (read$$$) you can get just over 7. check out http://www.drift50.com/ ask that dude what he did to his motor I am prety sure he is close to stock. good luck I still dont understand why you want an ulgy drift car???

 

[Ranchero5.0]

Wow, so many issues, so little money... I don't know if you'll succeed, but it'll be a learning experience regardless. For me from experience, you need to concentrate on the motor fitment issues and other basics like cooling a 302 spinning 6k. You won't be pushing it over that without getting the limiter blocked in the puter and quite honestly you don't need to rev it that high to do what you want. The imports like to rev because thats where they make the power at. The V8's pull down low and will come apart at higher RPM without spending money on the bottom end (more than you want). To keep it cheap and reliable, built it near stock and see what it does and how it does it (does it fit without rattling, how many 'rigs' can you avoid, does it run cool, etc). Personally I'd also be concerned about the stop leak that's blasted all over the front of the engine. It's going to need to come apart just to get that crap cleaned out so it doesn't contaminate the rest of your cooling system.

Make a budget and then double it and you'll be close to half of what you'll spend to have it work nice. For the Z28 T5 I think they sit sideways in the car if I remember right. Not sure how that'll work with the stang bellhousing. May want to browse Z28.com and look at some pics.

Good luck,
Jamie

 

[j-z]

i know what im capable of and i can handle this project just fine for as little money as im thinking about. as for the rev issue, i wasnt talking about revving to 7500 or anything like that. i was saying for a v8, i will be hangin high in the revs constantly = 4500 or so (my guestimate for sliding and peddling the throttle while sideways). as for the shifter issue im prob gonna make my own like the adapter i found from one of you guys, or extend the stock lever with some aluminum and weld it. ill wait and see where its placement is first. i will be using a 3 row all aluminum radiator built for my chassis which will suffice just well for the na 302. thanks for the input though.

 

[iapexl8r]

4500 rpms ?? the stock 5.o ford motor will do that all day no prob!!! I would leave it stock (motor) at first and concentrate on engine trans fitment issues that might come up. I think the torque/horsepower @ 4500 rpms will work out perfect for a start ing point. then when the rest of the car is sorted (mechanically) throw a turbo at it and hang on!!!

 

[j-z]

exactly what im planning on doing! if i come across some p heads and a f303 cam for a good deal ill throw those on there too. other then that... just a stock rebuild, and a clutch capable of 400 ft lbs. but yeah, im just gonna concentrate on getting everything running and then go from there and see how the car actually drives.