ricers4breakfast

i recently totaled my 2000 z28.had full coverage so i went and bought a 5 speed integra to get around on and as of this Sunday ill have a run down 98 rs parked in the drive for restoration. the engine (3.8) was rebuilt about 20,000 miles ago so i was considering turboing it and calling it a day but i decided im going to swap in a v8 instead. im on a minimum wage budget though so i thought a lq4 would be a good choice, these arnt exactly the priciest engines out there, and one would be a good candidate to tt/supercharge in the future, So i post this with the full intention to hear everyones 2 cents on what i should throw under the hood. It's my first swap so something that will at least fit the existing mounts would be nice, but would consider other options. pictures to come plan on doing up most of the interior with the write ups on this site with red and black to match the car. will be too painfully slow for anyone to follow as to this whole restoration will take me about 2 years -as long as it will take to afford this on my insurance haha- Thoughts appreciated!

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

IMHO ditch the 98 rs (3.8)

it's going to cost alot more $$ to swap in a v8 when you can pick up a good used F-body for under $5,000.00

actually out here in Ca I see some 98-00 camaro z28's going for 3-4k all the time...

Ofcourse you can go ahead and do the swap if you want, but hunting all the parts down and all the labor and selling all your stock stuff to recoupe cost and yes 1-2 years is very reasonable on a minimum budget considering you have low bills per month..

I'm doing a turbo build coming from a stock ls1 and I know it's not the same as what your planning to do, but it's very similar since I've had to change the k member, rear end, Driveshaft, engine, exhaust, fuel system etc... its' very involved and time consuming and no matter what list you come up with once you get into the build you will get nickled and dimed to death on little stuff (bolts, gaskets, etc..) adds up fast.

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

Sell your car and buy a v8. It will cost less and there won't be any head aches. If you wanted a project car by all means do it but you better have patience.

RyanO7

I have a 2002 with the 3.8L. I had thought about doing something with that motor, but it just seems way too much money for the return. Then I thought about doing the V8 swap. If I were to do it, I'd go with a junkyard 4.8L or 5.3L after seeing the potential these have. They can be found dirt cheap and many have made good power with them on turbos. Would need to look into whether the transmission would bolt up or if it would need one from the V8. A lot of the Z and SS guys that pop motors are going with the 5.3 rather than the 6.0.

usmcpi

iTrader: (2)

If insurance paid you for wrecking your car, why didnt you just buy another in the first place?

afastm6

iTrader: (1)

X3 ditch rs search for a v8 car i picked up a 02 z28 with blow motor for cheap and replaced with iron 5.3 cheap swap runs like a charm and didnt break the bank