Hello! I'm planning on buying a Z32 and giving it the good 'ol LS swap. Here are some things to note.
I'm 18 and going to Hennessey Performance "Tuner School LLC" in a couple months(Not sure on if I'll take Summer or Fall classes) and hoping to start a career for automotive performance and stuff like that, So I'd be the one doing the complete swap.
I choose the Z32 platform not for the ease of doing the swap, but just because it's been a car I've loved since I was little. I have not purchased a Z32 yet(Mostly cause all the ones for sale here are either rusted or are 600whp monsters that are out of my price range)
I also choose a LS swap because as much as I would love a RB swap, I know I won't have the $12,000 for the motor alone, plus the amount for conversions and all that. I also LOVE the sound of cammed V8s, the gurgling from the idles to the screams it makes when full throttling, I love all of it.
I would love to have at least 500whp by the end of the swap, if I want more power then I can do it way later on after it's completed.
I also don't know if I want to take the NA route, or have some sort of forced induction. For price sake I think I'll go NA for now.
I don't have any money saved right now, so I'd be saving for a long time, and this will help give me an idea of how long I will be saving, so I wouldn't be getting a new crate motor or something fancy, just want some form of ls that won't break on me soon after doing the swap.

So I've came here to just ask the upmost basic question, and that is what do you guys think would be a complete price for a fully finished swap, from buying the motor, and for it to be driving when completed. I'm not sure what LS I would be buying, so recommendations would be very nice. I will be paying attention to comments and will try to reply, so any and all recommendations will be appreciated. I came to this form because I would love the opinions of others who love Ls's as much as I do, and don't feel like getting criticized from Z purists on why I should keep the VG. Thanks guys!

 

You're going to best off picking out the big components you think you'll need and doing your own estimate. I usually double my first cost estimate and triple my time estimate. Way too many variables to simply ask - "how much?"

 

Spend a few weeks reading LOTS of build threads, especially for your specific platform. And learn about your options. Don't overlook what transmission you'll want to use, as well.

500WHP is a lot of power. I think you are reversed on your thinking. It would be easier and cheaper to do this with a cheap turbo, compared to building an NA motor. Read some builds on what it takes to get an NA motor to that level (there will be exceptions, but most of the time, you'll want to be starting with 6 liter or bigger. you'll need good compression, good heads, good exhaust, $$$).. then read on basic turbo setups, watch all of Sloppy Mechanics videos, for an alternate viewpoint. A junkyard 4.8 or 5.3, a cheap GT45 turbo or similar, factory manifolds. Neither is better or worse, they are different, and have pros and cons. Depends, some people want a surgical clean engine bay with race parts, some don't even clean off the grime from the junkyard.

Costs will vary a lot based on your tools and skills as well. Having access to machining and welding tools help. Being able to build electrical harness instead of buying help. Learn how to use appropriate junkyard or OEM replacement parts instead of expensive aftermarket stuff helps.

At 18, just build something fun. Don't try to chase an HP number, Don't try to make it perfect or your 'dream' this or that. Get your feet wet and have fun. I bet 350WHP with the torque that comes along with it would still be a ton of fun in that car. And much easier to attain.

 

Also think about what are you doing with the car. There's the cost of the engine swap, and there's the cost of the full build. Very different.

 

Well said. You can buy a 5.3 motor for $200 bucks, but if you may have to spend $800 on custom headers or transmission adapter plates.

Also keep in mind that 500 HP is at the end of the day a lot of power for the street. You'd be surprised what a stock 5.3 and a low lift cam kit would do. I'll bet you'd have 325 HP pretty easy and would be a handful in a light car like that. At 18, I'd suggest finding the car and doing what you can to most cost effectively complete the LS swap rather than having a project sit for years at a time to buy parts as you get a chance. I bought my first project car at 17, it was a 1976 Trans Am. I worked all the time and spent most of my free cash (very little) and continued to work on it and buy parts. I did a full frame off restoration and didn't get to drive the car until I was about 23. In retrospect, it would have been so much better to have just LS swapped it as is and ran it. Certainly would have been more fun.

 

Z32 - what is that??? Nissan

Maybe you should start with a Z28 or even a 6cylinder F-body to LS swap with a Holley fuel injection kit.

Would get you into some tuning and learning at a reasonable cost.

Z32 swap with fabrication will cost a lot of $$$$

my first engine swap was a 1987 Monte Carlo v6 to a SBC V8. was easy because it was a factory offered option - learned a lot from that swap. Like having the V8 donor car.

Good Luck

LS engines are very compact and produce good power - you are on the right track!!!

 

Wow, I just want to thank all of you guys for your inputs and opinions, I wasn't expecting all of these answers to be honest. I think you guys are right though, I choose a Z32 because its my dream car. Now I think I should wait, I wouldn't want my dream car to have the sloppiest work anyways since it would be a perfect build. Fabrication for Z32s would be very expensive since the engine bay has plagued the Z32 since launch. I think I'll look for something a little more swap friendly in the future. Thanks again guys, definitely the most helpful and nice communities out there!

 

If that's the car you like, nothing wrong with building it, if you can find one in your budget in the condition you want. And if it doesn't present any difficult/expensive challenges. This advice goes for anyone/any car.

What's nice with LS motors, is they are mainly all interchangeable. So, you can always build the car itself how you like, and, say, go with a budget friendly 5.3 liter. Clean it, put in a reasonable cam, like a 224, and you've got 400+ HP V8 power. In the future, you can turbo it, or build a bigger NA motor and mostly swap in, just upgrading exhaust/fuel system as you go.

I learned to drive at the beginning of the 90s, so I love those era cars. The Z car is cool. I have a friend restoring one now.

I'm currently building a 1992 C4 Corvette. Much of what I told you above mirrors my current build. There aren't many swap parts for a C4, so its more expensive, and more time consuming. If I was doing a 400-450 HP build, it'd be a lot easier. At those levels, transmissions last longer, rear axles usually don't need upgrades, cooling systems don't work as hard. You can get by block huggers or exhaust manifolds, stock injectors, etc. I'm using a stroker NA motor, and you have to make sure all those bits are correct and upgraded to make bigger power NA. I could have more power for cheaper with a small turbo.. but I built my motor 7 years ago. If I was starting today, I might not have gone the same way.